Chapter 24: Buried With The Past

Kara I stared at the man standing before me, illuminated by the sickly yellow rooftop lights. His face—what remained of it—was one I recognized from the old Red Shadow pack archives. A face from eight years ago. A face I’d thought belonged to a man long buried. Elias Hopkins. Former Beta of Red Shadow Pack. Declared dead nearly a decade ago. But the man before me was a ghost made flesh. The rugged, handsome wolf from the old pack photo was gone. In his place stood something hollow. His skin was pale, stretched too tightly over sharp cheekbones. A thick scar dragged from his forehead to his eyebrow like a brutal brand. And his eyes—once bright blue—were now empty and predatory, like someone who had watched death too many times to care about living. I felt the hair on my arms rise. Narah bristled. “He has survived things worse than death” “What happened to you?” I whispered, horrified at the words leaving my mouth. A bitter smile curved his lips. He studied me slowly, as if evaluating wh