Colorado, ten years ago.

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Cold. He was so damn cold and alone, the ice spearing his very bones.

I’m not going to die out here.

Adrian Williams struggled against the blinding snow stinging his eyes. Drifts four feet deep covered this rugged terrain, with treacherous ice beneath. One slip and he’d tumble down the jagged mountain, becoming shattered bones and smashed skin.

I’m not going to die out here, he repeated silently. Adrian huddled deeper into the thinly lined parka they’d given him. The thin trousers and hiking boots were soaked in the last hour. Blisters formed on his feet from the too-big hiking boots. He’d already hiked five miles when the rain turned to ice and then snow.

Real nice of his pack alpha, to let him have clothing that would provide little protection against the blizzard. Then again, his alpha wanted to send him naked into the storm. Into the land where no pack dared to venture, for the snow came here early. Winter was brutal.

This was the land where Lars, his alpha, sent Lupines to die.

Wind whistled through the pine boughs, tore at the hood of his parka as he struggled to reach the forest. Blinding snow made it hard to see more than two feet in front of him. If he could get to that mound of rock, find a cave and shelter, he’d make it.

But weakened from seven days of starvation forced on him as punishment, he barely had the strength to walk. The pack alpha had denied him raw meat as well, so he could not shift into his wolf.

Something lay ahead in the snow—a mound. Perhaps a shelter? He walked quicker, his heart racing with hope. Something glinted in the blinding white, a speck of gold. But when he reached the mound, he discovered it was a corpse.

A cheap gold necklace, once cherished, ringed the dead person’s neck. No, not a person—a human, or Skin, as Lupines called him. But an old wolf, sick and bedridden, unable to produce work for Lars.

He reached out, stroked the frozen face, the sightless eyes staring skyward.

“Gran,” he whispered, his throat raw and scraped.

Grief consumed him. Adrian lifted his face to the sky and howled.

His alpha detested the weak and the elderly, and those who could not work in the mine were sent out into the elements to die.

Alone and afraid, starving to death.

Gently, he covered the frail bones with snow and said a silent goodbye. Tears trickled down his frozen cheeks. He scrubbed them away. No tears, but revenge.

He kept plodding on, but the blinding snow confused him. No forest. No cave.

Exhausted, at his limit, he slipped and fell. Adrian lay upon the snow, his body growing numb.

I’m going to die out here. What a fucking waste.

He refused to howl or mourn. Refused to give up. Just a rest. A small rest and I’ll push on. But deep inside, he knew he was dying.

He rolled over, closing his eyes against the stinging snowfall. Silently he made a vow. If I get out of this, my goddess Danu, I promise I will form my own pack and shelter and protect any elderly Lupine who asks me for refuge.

Something white fluttered nearby. Adrian forced his eyes open.

A snowy owl perched on a jutting rock a few feet away. Unblinking, it looked at him, tilting its head.

He gave a faint smile. “Figures. Would you be a vulture, you’d have fresh meat to gnaw on soon. I’m dying. Do me the favor of waiting until I’m dead at least.”

The bird did not move.

“I hate birds,” he muttered. Adrian looked at the sky. “Couldn’t you have sent a cute female instead? A last kiss instead of a damn bird?”

As if the goddess heard him, the owl changed. A woman sat on the rock, clad in a white snowsuit. Dark hair spilled from the hood she’d pulled over her head, whipped in the wind. She could be lovely, or ugly; he cared not.

“You’re not real,” he said hoarsely. “But since this is a hallucination, could you stop staring at me?”

Still silent, she remained motionless.

“Are you one of Lars’s punishments?” He gave a hoarse laugh. “All this to torment me? He threw me out here. Isn’t that enough?”

Then she spoke, her voice as sweet as wind chimes. “Why did he throw you out?”

Adrian dropped his head into the snow. “I challenged him for leadership. Didn’t like how he abused the weak and the elderly.”

“You’re awfully young to challenge a powerful alpha.” She tilted her head again. “What are you, twenty years old?”

“I am a purebred alpha,” he muttered. “And I’m twenty-one. Go away, mirage. I have memories enough to torment me.”

She came through the snow, knelt down next to him. “I give of my life so you may live.”

The lovely mirage kissed him.

Her mouth was soft and warm, so wonderfully warm. Adrian trembled as he kept kissing her. His blood fired and sang, and incredible heat pulsed through his frozen body, as if she’d immersed him into a soothing bath. Power flowed through him, as if all the magick in the world suffused his body. And then it faded, leaving him shivering and cold once more.

The woman pulled away, and he knew she was a mere mirage. Hallucination brought on by his brain, unable to cope with the terror of perishing in this wilderness alone. He might die today, but on his own terms.

“Just leave me. Go,” he ordered. “I don’t want you to watch me die.”

The woman stood and whistled.

Adrian managed to lift his head. What he saw stunned him into silence.

Dozens of wolves bounded through the snow, coming from every direction. Howling, they rushed forward. Adrian’s instinct urged him to stand, fight and die like the warrior he was. But he was far too weak.

He waited for them to pounce, to rip his throat. He imagined the warm gush of his blood flowing upon the pure white snow.

Let it be quick and merciful.

But as he turned his head, the woman herself turned into a snowy white wolf. She loped forward, lay down beside him and curled next to him. Shocking warmth surrounded him. The wolves did the same, huddling close, providing him with their body heat. One old gray wolf, hobbling along, curled up at his feet. Sighing, the wolf rested his muzzle on Adrian’s boots like an affectionate dog.

Adrian closed his eyes, comforted by their bodies. He reached out and stroked the white wolf’s fur.

When he opened his eyes again, the blizzard had abated. All around him, the mountain sparkled white. The wolves were gone. But the woman in white sat next to him.

“Who were they?” he asked, his throat raw but his body stronger.

“Your new pack, if you’ll have them. They were abandoned by Lars two years ago and have managed to survive on their own. They need a leader, especially Clyde, the oldest, the gray wolf who was at your feet. They all came for you, except Theo. She’s too weak from the cold.”

She offered her arm. “My name is Darcy. Can you stand?”

Through cracked lips that trembled, he managed to speak. “Yes.”

“There is a cave not far from here. The other Lupines are there, with food and water for you. I’m not strong enough to carry you, but you may lean on me.” Her eyes were brilliant, a moss green, her Cupid’s bow mouth that pursed now into a small smile. “I know you’re a big, arrogant alpha and probably not willing to be helped by a woman, but perhaps you can make an exception this time.”

He was arrogant but not stupid. Adrian took the hand she offered and leaned on her as they pushed through the snow.

Darcy, he repeated to himself. His savior. He would never forget her or her kiss. As he leaned on her, Adrian inhaled her fresh, sweet scent of wildflowers and snow. Though she was slight, there was strength in those slender shoulders.

Strength in her spirit as well.

He would never forget her or his promise to Danu to protect the weak and the frail. When he formed his own pack, he would need a mate at his side.

Someday, Darcy, I will make you mine. You will be my queen.