Chapter 1

A door slammed shut behind a dark-haired boy. His heart shifted in his chest violently as he heard the door make a click sound, signifying that there was nowhere to turn, nowhere to hide.

He clutched the envelope he had fished out of his pocket before the door had shut behind him.

Where was he? Who had locked the door? The boy knew for sure that he had been alone in this building... until now.

A dark shape arose from the darkness, its features too blurred out to see.

"Ah, Mason," a chilling voice seemed to echo all around him, sending tingles down his spine.

"You finally made it."

Mason felt himself start to prepare to shift into his full wolf form.

"What do you want with me? Where is my friend?"

With no reply from the figure, he felt his anger start to boil up inside him and said in a rougher tone, "Where is my friend?"

The voice echoed around him again.

"The envelope, Mason. Give it to me and I'll promise not to hurt you. That envelope will give me everything I've ever wanted. I've been searching for decades for that treasure, and now, it's a simple arm's reach away."

Even through the pitch black, Mason watched a sly and twisted grin form on the figure's face.

"Not happening, freak. I know not to trust something like you."

The words came out faster than anticipated, and Mason realized the grave mistake he had made.

The figure's grin turned into a darkened frown.

"Oh, shapeshifter," the voice said. "You've made one horrible mistake."