The Ruined Kind

ROSE

This isn't my life…

A witch finds identity in their craft. I was a healer. Now I'm a just a killer.

Excommunicated. Alone. Lost.

A demon cursed me, said I'd die alone with my last, gasping breath. Maybe it's time to speed up the dying part. Because this shouldn't be my life, and now that it is, I ain't even sure it's worth living anymore.

ZIM

How did we get here?

I didn't have much choice in becoming a werewolf, but I've made the best of it. The pack gave me a real family when I ain't never had it before. It's in the blood, a bond that won't break. So what if I have to peddle for the one that made me?

I've got plans. Big ones. I'll get out from under my maker before it's all said and done, and this town'll be mine sooner rather than later.

That's how it should've gone anyway. But now I'm staring at a dead pack mate and it feels a whole lot like the barrel of a loaded gun. I'll find her killer if it's the last thing I do.

The Ruined Kind is a gritty novelette in the Dirty South universe, set as a prequel to Rose and Zim's story in Roses Wild. Due to graphic content, it is recommended for mature readers. Possible triggers include gore and suicidal attempt/ideation.