"The dark beast began to turn, its movement slow and deliberate. Every muscle in my body tensed despite the searing pain. My breath came in rapid, shallow gasps, my chest heaving as if it might burst. Its amber eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, the forest fell away. We were inches apart, predator and prey caught in a moment of frozen time. I could almost laugh at the absurdity of it - this creature, wanting me for itself, as if claiming a prize."

Mathas Ellun is to be the next chief of Phy'mun. That was decided the night that his sister took her last breath, and plunged Matt into a foreign responsibility he never thought he'd have. Over the next few years, he did everything in his power to convince the council of his right to lead. However, his senior year brought someone who could ruin it all. And ruin it he did, but in a more horrific way than Matt could have ever imagined.