Wolf's Heir

Chapter 1 It wasn’t like Jalen Hunter to be late to work, or to anything for that matter. This week marked five years since he had retired from the Navy SEALS. He hadn’t expected to leave the team that early, but it had been forced on him. The reason behind his early departure was what was making him late this very morning. He’d had trouble sleeping the night before, but when he had finally closed his eyes, he was plagued with the terrible memories that had chased him since the day he’d left. In his dream, he’d seen Sylvia’s beautiful face contort to reveal a sinister side he’d never dreamed of seeing in her. Hurt, betrayal, lies—it had all unraveled so quickly after that. He was running for his life with nowhere to hide. He was going to be exposed; they were at his heels waiting to drag him in. No matter how right he was, it didn’t matter. What mattered was his secret. In the end, they would decide his fate. They, who deceived everyone they met for their own personal gain. He was being pursued and was quickly heading toward a trap. The dreams all ended differently, but they shared a common theme. There was always a wall he couldn’t scale, a room he couldn’t escape, a trick that was yet to be played. They all ended with Caster and his men, laughing at his gullibility. He had believed Sylvia when she’d told him she loved him and that they would run far away together. They would start a new life apart from everyone who knew his secret. She made him feel like she would follow him to the ends of the Earth. He was so naive, he thought to himself bitterly. Sure, she’d played the role well, but in hindsight, he should have suspected when she kept disappearing. He’d had a niggling suspicion in the back of his mind that he’d chalked up to his nervousness with regards to Caster and his loyal followers. But, that was then. He was a different man today. He was loyal to a select few people who knew him back then and no one else. ***