Brilliant, self-destructive, and built for a town that no longer exists. Erik carries a trauma kit on the slopes and a debt to Snowmass he hasn't figured out how to repay. When the mountain empties out, he's one of the last people left standing — and the last person qualified for whatever comes next.

Erik's younger brother has spent years following a trail that no one else takes seriously — through obscure folklore, silver-tipped ammunition, and a Swedish fishing village with a very strange reputation. Most people think he's lost his mind. Stefan thinks they just aren't paying attention.

Erik finds her on the Swedish slopes — stunning, precise, moving like she owns the mountain. Her entourage keeps their distance. She's clearly not looking for company. Erik isn't looking for complications. Some encounters don't ask permission — and some people are exactly what they seem to be hiding.

Austrian. Decorated. Untouchable. Graf's research facility in the mountains was supposed to be about saving the lynx. It wasn't. He has the ear of generals, governors, and the Smithsonian — and a private agenda that runs far deeper than anyone in Snowmass is prepared for.

The man who arrested Erik, patched him up, and will do both again if necessary. Henryk keeps law enforcement running in a mountain town that suddenly has very few laws left to enforce. He's pragmatic, loyal, and one of the few people Erik actually listens to. Most of the time.

White fur. Dark stripes. Ivory fangs that catch the mountain light like blades. They came down from the research center and refused every trap, every net, every military drone sent after them. They are not behaving like animals. The question everyone is afraid to ask out loud is what, exactly, they are.