Page 1 of Rebel for Claws
ONE
VIVIAN
Snow crunched beneath Vivian's boots as she led her five rebel fighters through the skeletal branches surrounding Moon Hollow's meeting pavilion. December's bite carved through her fitted jacket, but the cold sharpened her focus. The ancient stone amphitheater loomed before them with its carved wolf totems that cast twisted shadows in the moonlight.
Four hundred years of secrets buried beneath our feet.
"Kelly, you're certain about the ward placement?" Vivian's breath formed silver clouds as she spoke.
Kelly's amber eyes glowed faintly as she traced intricate patterns in the air. "The magical signatures are strongest here. Old magic—older than anything the current High Council could weave."
Vivian's violet eyes shifted, and her pupils dilated as she called upon her owl heritage. The world sharpened into crystalline detail. Every snowflake and every carved rune became distinctly visible. Her grandfather had warned her about revealing these unique abilities, but her rebel fighters had earned her trust through blood and shared purpose.
"There." She pointed to a section of seemingly solid stone beneath the pavilion's eastern edge. "That's the entrance."
Marc, their demolitions expert, whistled low. "Looks like regular rock to me."
"Because that's what they wanted everyone to see." Vivian knelt, running her fingers along the carved symbols. Ancient shapeshifter script—the same language her grandfather had taught her in secret. "Kelly, can you feel the ward structure?"
Kelly pressed her palms against the stone, her magic probing the mystical barriers. "Seven layers. Each one keyed to different bloodlines." Her forehead creased in concentration. "But there's something else. These wards... they're not designed to keep people out. They're designed to keep secrets in."
The High Council feared what lay here enough to bury it beneath their own meeting grounds.
"How long do you need?"
"Give me ten minutes." Kelly's hands began to glow with soft green light. "The outer layers are weakening—whoever set these knew they wouldn't last forever but long enough to accomplish their goal. Or so they thought."
Vivian nodded to her other three rebels—Sage, the tracker; Devon, their tech specialist; and Zara, whose enhanced senses rivaled Vivian's own. They formed a perimeter, alert for any approach.
The first ward dissolved with a sound like breaking glass. Kelly's breathing quickened as she tackled the second layer. "These protections... they're beautiful and complex. Whoever crafted them obsessed over what they were protecting."
Whoever crafted these protections was hiding the truth about my ancestors. The first hybrid generation, who obviously held immense power to make the High Council this terrified.
Vivian felt the familiar tingle across her shoulder blades as her ancient magic responded to the dissipating wards. Her eyes began to glow gold, an involuntary reaction she couldn't quite suppress.
"Third layer down." Kelly's voice strained with effort. "The next one's going to fight back."
A crimson flash erupted from the stone. Kelly jerked backward, cradling her singed hands.
"I've got this." Vivian placed her palms where Kelly's had been, calling upon her bear heritage. Strength flooded her muscles as she pushed against the ward's resistance. The magical barrier bucked like a wild animal, but her hybrid nature originating from the first human magical queen of the Pacific Northwest Cascade territory gave her access to ancient power that modern shifters had forgotten.
The ward shattered.
"Impossible." Kelly stared at Vivian's unburned hands. "That should have torn your magic apart."
Because I'm not like the rest of you. Not entirely.
"Ancient shapeshifter bloodlines have their advantages." Vivian kept her tone light, masking the loneliness that statement carried. "Three more to go?"
Kelly worked faster now, her confidence boosted by Vivian's support. The remaining wards fell in quick succession, each one revealing more of the hidden chamber beneath.
Stone ground against stone as a section of the pavilion floor swung inward, revealing stairs carved into living rock. Stale air wafted upward, carrying the scent of old parchment and preserved magic.
"Devon, activate the signal dampeners." Vivian's panther reflexes kicked in as she scanned for threats. "From this point forward, we're invisible to all tracking."
She descended first, her owl eyes penetrating the absolute darkness. The stairs spiraled down farther than expected, ending in a circular chamber lined with alcoves. Ancient scrolls and leather-bound journals filled every available space, their preservation wards still humming with power.
"Sweet sacred trees." Sage's voice echoed with reverence. "How much history is stored here?"
