A Lion's Chance: A Crimson Hollow Novella by Marissa Dobson

Chapter One
    A fter growing up in a wolf pack, Ginger Fox was surprised to find Crimson Hollow unlike what she had expected. The wolf pack had structure and the Alpha had control over everything. Under her former Alpha, they could barely sneeze without seeking his approval first. He controlled their environment with an iron fist; a brief look from him made the members fall in line, doing whatever they thought he wanted from them. The reactions weren’t out of respect but out of fear.
    Even though the pack lived in their own houses, they came together for every meal, so there were no kitchens in the individual homes. A small micro fridge for drinks and a few snacks, but that was it. Their Alpha had controlled every aspect of their lives and when given the chance, Ginger turned her back on them and went her own way, following in her brother’s footsteps. In the years since they had left the pack, she and Garret had stuck together. He had been there to pull her back from some pretty dark shit and she owed him her life for that.
    As far as Alphas went, Jase seemed to be top notch. From what she had gathered since she arrived in Crimson Hollow, he cared for his members, taking precautions to make them safe, and actually listening to what the tribe wanted. Her only reservation with him was, he happened to be a bear and she had been down that road before. Bears were bad news and, though Garret told her Jase was different, she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She had been on the wrong side of a bear’s claws before and she had no intention of letting that happen again.
    “Hey there…Ginger, isn’t it? You’re Garret’s baby sister.” A man strolled toward her. His black hair brushed against the collar of his shirt and glistened under the last rays of sun, while his warm, yellow-brown eyes honed in on her.
    “Yeah.” She set her wine glass on the step beside her and tried to keep her voice lighthearted. “I’m Garret’s only sister.” For some reason, it grated along her skin to be called his baby sister and reminded her just how often he had come to her rescue.
    “No offense.” He placed his hand on the railing and watched her. “I’m Liam. Has Garret made time to show you around? If not, maybe I could.”
    “He’s dealing with stuff, but I’m fine.” She didn’t want to get into the fact that she hadn’t actually seen her brother since she’d arrived. Garret and Sin had to handle an emergency with a neighboring tribe and left before she made it to Crimson Hollow. She had hung out on the porch in hopes of seeing them return, but night was falling and still, she saw no sign of them. She was quickly growing tired of waiting but more than that, she was tired in general. It had been a long trip and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.
    “Well, if you want to get the lay of the land, I’m just two cabins over. Garret and Sin have been busy lately, so I might be your best chance.” He let go of the railing and shoved his hands in his pockets.
    “Thanks, but Garret’s asked me here to—” The wind shifted, sending his scent directly at her. The musk of his lion slammed into her like a freight train at full speed, sending her inner wolf dashing forward. It wasn’t the urge to fight or kill, but something that terrified her even further.
    “You’re here to see if you can help Swift,” he finished for her. “She’s pretty messed up right now, and we’ll all be thankful if you can do anything for her.”
    “I…I got to…” She shot up, knocking her wine over in the process, shattering the glass and spilling the contents over the steps, as she stumbled backwards. “Got to go…” A few more steps backwards and her hand brushed against the door handle. Without taking her gaze off him, she twisted the handle and pushed the door open. Quickly, she rushed back into the cabin and closed the door.
    “Shit!” she mumbled more to herself as she pulled out her cell phone. Sliding her finger