《The Wolf and the Red Hood (Legends of StoreyBrooke, #1)》 The First Hunt The first time Red saw death, she was six years old. She didn¡¯t understand what it meant then¡ªnot really. She only knew that her father had gone out after dark and never come home. She knew that when the police arrived at her house the next morning, their faces were grave, their voices hushed. And she knew that when her mother collapsed onto the front porch, sobbing into her hands, something had been taken from them that could never be replaced. But what she would come to understand later, long after the funeral, long after the nightmares had begun, was that her father was only the first. They called him The Wolf. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The first body was found in the woods, just beyond the old mill. Then another, and another. Nine victims in total. Throats torn, bodies left in twisted heaps like prey after a hunt. The police had no leads, no suspects. And then, one day, it stopped. The town whispered about Anthony Pyg and his brothers¡ªhow they had hunted the Wolf down themselves. How they had done what the police never could. No one knew the details. No one asked questions. The Wolf was gone, and that was enough. Except for Red. Even as a child, she knew something wasn¡¯t right. She had overheard her mother talking to a neighbor one evening, the quiet urgency in her voice. ¡°They said he confessed,¡± her mother had whispered. ¡°But there wasn¡¯t a trial. There wasn¡¯t even an arrest. One day he was alive, and the next, gone. Just like that.¡± The man Anthony Pyg had killed wasn¡¯t the Wolf. Red had been saying it for years. No one believed her. And now, standing outside a fresh crime scene, staring at the body lying in a pool of blood¡ªshe knew she had been right all along. Chapter 2 - The New Kill Rain drizzled down in thin sheets, catching in the flashing red-and-blue lights of the patrol cars. The scent of wet asphalt mixed with something sharper¡ªcoppery, metallic. Blood. Red tightened her coat around her shoulders and ducked under the crime scene tape. She wasn¡¯t supposed to be here, but that had never stopped her before. A uniformed officer moved to intercept her. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Get her out of here,¡± a sharp voice cut through the night air. Red turned just as Detective Captain James Hook stepped into view. His broad frame was rigid, his blue eyes sharp as a blade beneath the brim of his cap. ¡°You again,¡± Red muttered. Hook folded his arms. ¡°You know, one day, I¡¯d like to walk onto a crime scene and not see you sneaking around.¡± ¡°Then solve a case before I do.¡± A muscle in Hook¡¯s jaw twitched. ¡°Out.¡± Before Red could argue, another voice cut in. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Detective Jacob Hunter stepped forward, rubbing rain from his face. He looked like he hadn¡¯t slept. ¡°Five minutes, Red.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Hook shot Jacob an incredulous look. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just going to find a way around the tape anyway,¡± Jacob muttered. ¡°Might as well let her take a look before she makes a bigger scene.¡± Red grinned. ¡°Thanks, Jake.¡± Hook exhaled sharply, muttering something under his breath before storming off toward the officers. Red turned her attention to the body. It was just like her father¡¯s murder. The victim¡ªa middle-aged man, mid-forties, dressed in a security guard¡¯s uniform¡ªlay sprawled on his back. His throat was torn open, deep claw-like gashes carving into his skin. Blood pooled beneath him, seeping into the cracks of the pavement. Her stomach clenched. The last known victim of the Wolf had been found exactly like this. Red crouched beside the body, scanning for details the police might have missed. The rain had started to wash away the blood splatter, but the wounds were clean, precise¡ªnot the kind of damage a wild animal would inflict. No hesitation, no struggle. This was deliberate. Her hands tightened into fists. They had never caught the real Wolf. And now, he was killing again. A presence settled beside her. Jacob. ¡°This isn¡¯t a copycat,¡± she said quietly. He didn¡¯t respond. She turned to look at him, but his gaze was locked on the victim, his brow furrowed. ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± he murmured. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She gestured to the throat wound. ¡°Look at the cuts. They¡¯re too deep, too precise. The same pattern. The same method. We both know what this means.¡± Jacob exhaled, glancing around as if to make sure no one else was listening. ¡°Red, even if you¡¯re right¡ª¡± ¡°I am right.¡± His jaw tensed. ¡°¡ªwe don¡¯t have proof.¡± Her fingers twitched at her sides. ¡°Yet.¡± Jacob¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Listen to me,¡± he said, voice lower now. ¡°You need to drop this. Let the police handle it.¡± Red scoffed. ¡°Like they did last time?¡± He flinched, just barely. She stepped closer. ¡°You and I both know Pyg and his brothers got the wrong man. And now, someone else is dead because no one wanted to believe me.¡± Jacob didn¡¯t answer. Her phone buzzed. Cindy. She silenced the call. She had more important things to do. Chapter 3 - The Invitation to the Ball Red barely made it back to her apartment before her phone buzzed again. Cindy. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before answering. ¡°Cindy, now really isn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Cindy¡¯ me,¡± came the dramatic reply. ¡°Where have you been? I¡¯ve been calling you for hours.¡± Red sank onto her couch, rubbing at the tension in her temple. ¡°I¡¯ve been working.¡± ¡°Ugh, of course you have. Listen, we have important things to discuss. It¡¯s almost time for my Happily Ever After Ball, and I have the perfect dress picked out for you¡ª¡± ¡°Cindy.¡± ¡°¡ªand I know, I know, you hate these things, but I refuse to let you skip out this year. It¡¯s going to be even bigger than last time. I got the DJ from that exclusive spot in New York, and¡ª¡± ¡°Cindy, I can¡¯t.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. A pause. Then, ¡°Oh, come on, Red. Just for a few hours. You need a break from all your doom and gloom.¡± Red shut her eyes. ¡°This isn¡¯t about doom and gloom. It¡¯s serious.¡± ¡°Oh, please, you always say that.¡± Cindy huffed. ¡°What¡¯s the excuse this time?¡± Red hesitated. Cindy was her best friend, but she wouldn¡¯t understand. She lived in an entirely different world¡ªone of galas, press events, and luxury vacations, where danger was just something that happened in true crime podcasts. But Red had seen it firsthand. ¡°I think the Wolf is back,¡± she said finally. Silence. Then, Cindy laughed. ¡°Red, babe, no offense, but you¡¯ve been saying that for years.¡± Red¡¯s grip tightened around the phone. ¡°Because I was right.¡± ¡°Oh my God, you sound just like you did in high school. You were always convinced there was some grand conspiracy. The Illuminati, the deep state, your neighbor being a lizard person¡ª¡± ¡°That was one time, and Mr. Garcia never blinked.¡± Cindy snorted. ¡°Listen, if the Wolf was really back, don¡¯t you think the police would be doing something?¡± Red exhaled slowly. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. They¡¯re not. At least, not fast enough.¡± ¡°Well, I refuse to live in fear,¡± Cindy declared. ¡°And besides, Daddy¡¯s already tripled security for the ball. If there was some psycho running around, I¡¯d be the safest person in town.¡± Red frowned. ¡°Cindy¡ª¡± ¡°I gotta go, babe. Love you!¡± The line went dead. Red cursed under her breath and tossed the phone onto the coffee table. Cindy didn¡¯t get it. She never had. And if Red was right¡ªif the Wolf was back¡ªthen no amount of hired security would save her.