The crowd of shifters departed with the heavy thumps of their thick leather boots. Sizzle, one of my brothers, tipped his head in recognition.
“Are you up for it tonight?” Locke asked me.
I slapped my hand on my thigh and squeezed my hands against the leather gloves that covered my knuckles. They were riddled with scars even before I was cast out from my pack.
Nodding in silence, I stood up, pulling on my cut.
I hung my head, following Locke out the door. The wolf skull with crossbones stared back at me from his cut. The haunting eyes looked straight into my empty soul—the soul that would always be empty.
Bikes lined up outside the church, everyone revving the loud engines of their hogs. Not being able to feel the wind in our fur or scales had reduced us to the thrill of fast motorcycle rides. Anything to get a high, anything to get our animals some sort of freedom that they couldn’t have any other way.
Gritting my teeth, my wolf surfaced far too close, wanting to break free from the skin where I forced him to stay. He let out a deadly howl that echoed down the line of shifters on their bikes. They howled in return, many taking bets on how many lives I would take tonight. Because I was the worst of them all. I was the one the enemies hid from when they saw me coming.
They see me as Grim, the Grim Reaper of the Iron Fang MC.
The official enforcer.
I had a sick fascination with blood; I liked to bathe in the red liquid that splattered onto my skin. Each cut with a claw, a knife, or a fang had me tingling with anticipation. My favorite was taking my time and forcing them to feel the same pain I felt, which made me itch to get to our mission faster.
We may save women from evil fates, but it was really saving me, letting me push my tormented soul toward something else. Let the enemy feel the pain I felt because there would be a time when I wouldn’t be able to do even that.
No, instead, I would die a mateless shifter and sink into the abyss of hell with no one to remember me. I would join the rest of the dead that I had murdered and fight with them throughout eternity. I would do it because there was no redemption for me. There were no second chances to find the other half of my soul. Each day I could fucking destroy someone trying to hurt someone else’s happiness would be a fucking gift.
I straddled my hog, revving the engine. The vibrations of the powerful motor between my legs made me sit more comfortably as my wolf settled.
Locke stood next to me, pulling on his gloves. None of us wore our brain buckets, not caring if we slammed our skulls into the hard asphalt. Really, it might be better that way, better than watching from the inside of your mind as your brothers ripped your animal to pieces.
The wind moved through my shoulder-length hair and caught my beard. I sighed heavily, feeling the rays of the sunset rest on my face.
Feeling Locke’s stares, my brother gave me a thumbs up. The gavel rang in my head again as I rubbed my temple fervently. My vision shook for a moment, but once the engine revved, I pushed the accelerator forward, leaving the broken church behind.
We passed the bar; its neon lights lit up the shadows of the alleyway. Humans that we had saved from previous lives looked out the windows as we passed by.
We protected our own. That was all that mattered now. The rogues of the Iron Fang would be our own pack, even if it wasn’t recognized in the supernatural world.
I heard the gavel in my head again. The echoes ran through my body, opening files of memories I didn’t want to remember.
My bike wobbled, and I almost lost my balance. Locke grabbed hold of the handle to help steady it.
Again, the gavel rang, slamming those memories away. My heart felt lighter for once, the hammering in my head ceasing. Locke’s curious gaze made me nod as we pulled closer to the docks.
We parked our bikes five blocks away, and shifters reached into their satchels, pulling out guns, bags of magical knockout powder, knives, and iron cuffs.
We weren’t sure what we would face this night, but one thing stood out to me more than ever as my wolf tried to push through my walls to end me:The Moon Goddess was a cruel, heartless bitch.
Chapter One
Grim
Lockethrewouthishand signals. The four groups of our brothers scattered in various directions. Some went around the back, making sure doors were covered and no one could leave. Another team was led by Hawke. He was an ex-guard with great stealth capabilities who also come in particularly handy with his sniper rifle. He led his team across the street to set up scopes.
My group, which comprised Locke, Sizzle, and other members, stormed through the front gates, so to speak.
Locke had his Glock hidden in his side holster, along with other fun items he liked to carry. He was like a damn arsenal. Other members carried the basics but still looked up to their leader in awe. Which was all fine and shit for their human parts.
But their wolves would never fully submit.
I ran my finger over the machete on my right hip. I hated guns and felt like the fight should be within arm’s length instead of being a coward and shooting damned bullets like humans. But now we couldn’t use our animals, so some of us, in part, felt only human.
