Free The Lycan Rebirth (The Flux Age Book 3) by Steven J Shelley

felt a pressure on his shoulders. A lot rode on whether he could persuade these people that he was someone worth following.
    Padding his footsteps without even noticing, Jack rounded the southern edge of the settlement as if he intended to leave on one of the hunting trails there. Instead he slowly flanked the opposite side of Fincher’s tent. The big man was nowhere to be seen as he approached from the rear. No sound from the tent either.
    Crouching low behind a leafy shrub, Jack allowed himself to germ. It came on as painfully as it always did, and Jack waited until his heartbeat had settled before he moved again. There was two ways he could go about this. Create a diversion out front or try a more direct approach. Jack chose the latter, figuring he was only reclaiming his property anyway. Lycan property.
    Using his long, scything claws, Jack opened a long vertical rend in the fabric of Fincher’s tent. Through the slit he saw a makeshift sleeping area. Apart from a few basic possessions there was nothing remotely like the mahogany box.
    Cursing, Jack tried another rip further down the tent. This time he had more luck. The slit admitted to Fincher’s living area, which was adorned with two rough-hewn shelves. Various natural curios had been stored there, including Jack’s stolen box. The werewolf wasted no time stepping in and lifting the thing.
    “What the fuck…?” came the astonished response from the naturebound leader, sitting on a camp chair with a book on his lap.
    “See you outside,” Jack said lightly as he brushed past and out the front entrance.
    It wasn’t hard to find Oaks, who was now standing before over a hundred settlers in the middle of the camp. Jack guessed that many of the naturebound would be out hunting, cleaning and patrolling in the woodland of the higher slopes. Still, those that were present were more than enough. All he needed to do was plant the seed.
    As soon as Jack appeared as a werewolf a hush fell over the crowd and some mothers diverted their children away.
    “Naturebound,” Jack said in a commanding voice as he stood before them. “War will soon ravage this valley and I’m here to offer you an alternative.”
    Shocked silence greeted Jack’s opening salvo. Behind him, Fincher had shifted into a bear and was bounding down the path. Jack turned to face the beast, growling it down. Fincher huffed and spat but did not advance. Shifting into his spirit creature had been a mistake because he had lost the ability to argue. For the moment Jack had free access to the assembled naturebound.
    “Why the hell should we trust you?” a woman shouted from the crowd.
    Jack paused theatrically, milking the pregnant moment for all it was worth.
    “Because I don’t bring death,” he said calmly, wrenching open the lid of the box with all his bestial strength and placing it on the ground. He used one of his terrifying claws to open a ragged gash on his opposite forearm. Many in the crowd gasped in disbelief.
    “In fact,” Jack breathed, watching a torrent of blood spill into the box, into the succulent dark tissue. “I bring the opposite.”

6
     
    Istanbul, Turkey
     
    Yasmin tried to keep her raging thoughts under control as she watched the mesmerizing girl on the floor of the ancient amphitheater. Based on what she’d seen so far, she was terrified that this obviously powerful entity might detect them at any moment and dissolve her with a single look.
    “Preparations,” murmured the slight figure, looking up at Herr X with an unreadable gaze. The effect was no less unsettling for its ambiguity.
    “We are proceeding well, One,” Herr X said in a controlled tone, but it was obvious he was extremely tense. “Our infantry are already making full use of our store of dark tissue. The material has been dispersed so far through Europe that the lycans, in the unlikely event that they should re-emerge, would never be able to recover it.”
    The girl known as “One” lowered her head