A Tale of Red Riding: Rise of the Alpha Huntress (The Alpha Huntress Series Book 1) by Neo Edmund

trembling as its decrepit body withered up and turned to dust. The triumph of the battle overwhelmed her with a feeling so primal that it was impossible to resist a calling deep from within. “What’s happening to me?”
    She looked down at her hands. Razor-sharp nails protruded from her fingertips. Empowered with immense strength, she swung an arm wide, slashing her claws through the trunk of an oak tree. With her arms raised high, she looked at the moon. The voices of the lunar spirits called to Red, and this time she knew how to respond. The howl that came from her was so deep and loud that it echoed out through the entire forest. When it was finally over, she dashed away at lightning speed, leaving behind only a gust of wind in her wake.

Chapter 6
    “Wake up, Red Riding.”
    Red’s eyes opened to see a million stars twinkling in the night sky. It was a majestic sight she could never enjoy under the blaring lights of the concrete city. The air was shivering cold, and yet she was burning with sweat, as if she’d been running for hours. “Where am I?”
    A masculine voice with an Irish accent spoke. “The where isn’t as important as the why .”
    “So why am I here?”
    “ That is the big question. I suspect you’re not going to much like the answer,” the Irishman said.
    “Try me.”
    The Irishman took a deep breath. “If I had to give it my best guess, I would say a dark force did something sinister to get you here.”
    “How did I know you were going to say something like that?” A rather harsh odor hit Red’s senses and made her already queasy stomach churn a bit. “Look, whoever you are, I’m thinking you’re in serious need of a bath.”
    “I hate to break it to you, Red, but that odor is coming from you.”
    “Yeah right.” The idea of this was so absurd that Red shrugged it off. Just to be certain, she held her arm close to her nose. “Oh, rank. I smell like a wet dog.”
    “Don’t worry. The stench will be gone before you know it.”
    “Fabulous.”
    This didn’t give Red a bit of reassurance as she pushed up to a sitting position. Her vision was somewhat blurred, making the details of her surroundings unclear. From what she could tell, she was outside a temple, constructed of grey stone and towering well above the tree line. There were stained glass windows that depicted celestial images of the moon in its eight phases. “What’s the story with this place?”
    “When you regain your senses, I’ll do my best to explain,” the Irishman said.
    “I can hardly wait.” Red could just make out the outline of a burly man standing over her, though her vision was still too blurry to see if he was human. After all that had happened since her arrival, she thought it best not to assume anything. “Listen, whoever you are, if you’re going to try to eat me, you should know that I just slayed a goblin.”
    The Irishman belted out a laugh. “Well, one day you will have to recount the tale for me. Not that such a triumph is unusual for a woman of the Riding Clan.”
    “How do you know my name?”
    “Everybody in Wayward knows who you are.” The Irishman extended a hand.
    Red cracked a smile, feeling quite safe in the company of this stranger. She took his hand, which was three times the size of her own and rough with calluses. His raw strength felt quite astonishing as he pulled her up to her feet.
    “Easy there, muscle man. You trying to pull my arm off?”
    “I’m so sorry. I was under the impression that you were a rough and tough girl that could slay a goblin.”
    “Okay, okay, leave the sarcastic wisecracks to me.” Red took a few quick stretches to loosen her sore muscles. “I know people around here don’t always like to give their names. If you could tell me yours, I’d appreciate it.”
    “You can call me Ethan. I hope in time you will come to also call me friend.”
    “Ethan is a good name. I could use a friend right about now.”
    “Then you have one in me, Red of the