She yawned. “Can’t we rest? I hardly got any sleep before you woke me.”

  “I’m tired, too, but we should keep moving. It’s going to be light soon. We can rest then.”

  “Where?”

  “Hidden away in the woods.”

  “Easy for you to say. You can shift.”

  “You obviously don’t understand how hard it is on the body. I’m not going to shift unless I have to.” Not that I had full control over it. Sometimes I could force myself into getting upset, other times I couldn’t. “Let’s just go on a little farther and then—”

  Stella cried out.

  My heart raced. “Did it work?”

  “I’m going to explode!” She clutched her arm and leaned forward.

  “Do your bones feel like they’re breaking?”

  “Exploding. I’m going to die,” she wailed.

  I went around the fire and put my arms around her. “You aren’t going to die—it just feels like it.”

  “Thanks. That helps.”

  “Don’t fight it.”

  She cried out again.

  “Shh,” I soothed.

  “You shh,” she snapped. Several of her bones popped. “I really am going to die. Aren’t I supposed to shift at the full moon?”

  “I have no idea what the first shift is like for a mutt.”

  Stella grabbed a leg. “Is it going to be like this every time?”

  “It does get better, but it always hurts.”

  “You couldn’t have warned me about this?” Several more of her bones popped.

  “You’re the one who was so eager to become a werewolf.”

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered.

  “Take a deep breath.”

  She glared at me.

  “Become one with the pain.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “I’ve done this before—plenty of times. Acceptance makes it easier.”

  Stella took a deep breath. “I wish I’d never met Verla.”

  “Think about how you’ll make her pay.”

  “That vampire is going to suffer.”

  “Stay in that place.” I rubbed her back.

  Her bones continued popping until she curled into a ball on the ground. I continued soothing her until she screamed. “My skin!”

  “That’s your fur. You have to take off all your clothes or they’ll shred.”

  She looked at me like I was crazy.

  “You’d better get used to modesty being a thing of the past. Hurry.”

  Stella jumped to her feet and ran in the direction I’d gone when I’d stripped my clothes. I took a deep breath myself. If I hadn’t just shifted, I’d consider helping her, but my body was still recovering.

  Howling sounded nearby.

  The reality hit me at that moment. I’d actually created a mutt. A sudden feeling of responsibility washed through me. I jumped up and went over to where I’d heard the howl. Her clothes lay in a pile, but the only sign of her was a set of paw prints in the mud.

  Maybe a second shift that night was in order.

  A branch snapped not far behind me.

  Chills ran down my spine. Stella had taken off in the other direction. Maybe she’d circled around.

  “Stella?”

  Silence.

  The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. It felt like someone was watching me. I spun around in a slow circle, not seeing anyone or anything. No footsteps sounded. No more branches snapped. My skin crawled.

  I broke into a run, heading in the direction Stella had gone. Either I would protect her or get both of us into trouble. Heart pounding, I forced my legs to go as fast as possible.

  Footsteps sounded behind me. It was impossible to tell if they were human or animal. I sniffed the air, unable to pick up anything useful. It was impossible to tell who was after me. If I’d stayed in wolf form, that would have been an easy task.

  “Get her,” a male voice said from behind.

  My throat nearly closed. It was not only a human—or a supernatural in human form—but more than one. And they wanted to get me.

  The path ahead split into two. My muscles burned, but I forced myself to run faster. If I could just lose them. Hopefully they wouldn’t find Stella before I did.

  My pulse drummed in my ears making it impossible to hear my pursuers. I cursed my human reactions as I came to the fork. I started to turn right, but at the last second, veered left. I sniffed the air, and picked up Stella’s scent. At least I was going in the right direction.

  I stumbled over an exposed root, barely keeping myself from falling. Seriously, I had to be the world’s clumsiest werewolf. I reached for a tree trunk and steadied myself.

  Something pulled on my hair.

  Please be a branch.

  I spun around and faced one of Toby’s cousins. I couldn’t remember his name, but one thing I did know was that he was as cruel as any other traditional male werewolf.

  “Who’d have thought you’d make it so easy on us?” he sneered.

  “Not that easy.” I whipped around and tore away just as he reached for me.

  “Over here!” he yelled.

  My stomach dropped. How many of the pack were with him?

  The thundering of at least several sets of feet sounded not far away.

  Something pulled on my outer hoodie, yanking me back. I twisted myself around and punched him across the cheek. Shock registered on his face. I took advantage of the moment and spit in his eyes. He let go of me and wiped his face.

  I ran in the other direction as he cursed me out. The footsteps slowed to a stop as he told them where I’d gone. I scanned the thick woods for another way to go. If I was going to survive the night, my best bet was to hide rather than fight. With no weapon, I stood little chance against a group of vindictive, chauvinistic werewolves.

  A rib cracked.

  No. Not now. I didn’t have time for finding a place to hide and undress, and I also couldn’t risk my only clothes ripping to shreds, either. I took a deep breath and pictured a serene lake.

  I stopped and listened for the other werewolves. It was quiet. Too quiet. They couldn’t be that far away, and they definitely wouldn’t have retreated.

  “There she is!”

  My stomach dropped and my feet scrambled into another run. Another rib cracked. I needed to find a way to keep from shifting. I’d be too vulnerable during the shift.

  Footsteps grew louder behind me and branches shuffled as they drew nearer. An elbow cracked and a shoulder popped. The pain made it hard to keep up my pace. My body begged me to stop and give into the shift—and death if the werewolves got their hands on me. I pushed forward, trying desperately to relax my emotions.

  A hand wrapped around my arm. I spun around, swinging my other arm. I managed to hit him in the face. This time, it was another guy. He didn’t let go, but unsuccessfully reached for my free arm. His grip tightened, hurting even through all my layers.

  “Let… go!” I kicked at him, bones continuing to pop.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were about to shift.”

  I kicked him as hard as I could in the groin. He let go and stumbled backward. I also fell back, but managed to spin back around and ran. My body wouldn’t give up. I silently ordered my inner wolf to fight against it with me, unsure if she could hear me or not. She was trying to get out. A knee popped, and I stumbled, nearly falling onto the ground. I caught my balance and darted between two thick shrubs, climbing into one.

  Hiding might be a bad choice, but running wasn’t a great one, either. My pulse continued racing, and I struggled to catch a breath. The popping and cracking had subsided, at least for the time being. I had to keep the fur from slicing through my skin. Once that happened, it was over. I would have no other choice but to give into the shift.

  Sweat dripped down into my eyes. Whether I turned or not, I needed to remove a layer of clothes. I pulled off the outer hoodie first. The bush shook loudly. I cringed and paused, listening. Everything was quiet again. More carefully this time, I pulled off my outer pants and put them next to the hoodie. Now at least I would have one set of clothes if the others were destroyed.

  My bones had calmed down. Nothing popped or cracked. Maybe my wolf was fighting the shift alongside me. That had to be what made the difference. I leaned against the base of the bush and waited, cramped but relaxed enough to keep from shifting.

  Finally, my body temperature returned to normal—it helped having one less layer of clothes after running. Nothing ached anymore, which led me to believe everything had settled back into place. I could run without hindrance.

  It was time. I moved some leaves out of the way and looked around. The others appeared to have moved on. I took a deep breath and stepped out from the shrub.

  Footsteps thundered toward me.

  I turned to see three of Toby’s cousins rushing at me. Fear ripped through me, causing a new wave of pops and cracks. I couldn’t fight them all off. My only choice was to give into the shift and run as a speedy wolf. I spun back around and raced away, darting around thick trees and bushes.

  Terror gripped me as the thought of not having the time to shift ran through my mind. They could easily kill me while I was in the middle of a shift. My bones were growing more painful by the moment. It was only a matter of time before one of my legs gave way and stopped me from running.

  Someone grabbed me and shoved me against a tree. I cried out as the rough bark dug into the skin next to my eye. “Don’t make this any harder on yourself than it hast to be.”

  I struggled against him, but he shoved me with more force. He then wrapped his arms around mine and yanked me back. My knee gave out, and I stumbled.

  “Get hold of yourself.” He squeezed me harder.

  My spine snapped, and I couldn’t hold myself up at all. I crumpled forward, but he wouldn’t let go of me.

  “Stand up!”

  “I… can’t.”

  A low growl sounded from behind.

  His grip loosened and I crashed to the ground. Fur sliced through my skin.

  A black and white wolf lunged toward us.

  Chapter 82

  Victoria

  Stella, in wolf form, flew over me and crashed into the jerk who had shoved me against the tree. He hollered as she dug her teeth into his neck. A snap sounded and then the life went from his eyes.

  The other two werewolves jumped on top of Stella. She fought back, biting them both.

  My vision went blurry as my body gave into the second shift that night. The only sound I could hear was the ripping and tearing of my clothes as I became a wolf.

  “What the hell?” exclaimed one of the werewolves. “How did she shift without the moon?”

  I rose onto all fours and shook off what was left of my clothes.

  Help me out here, Stella called.

  Growling, I narrowed my eyes and lunged for one of the werewolves. He fell to the ground and pulled on my fur as he went. I bared my teeth and bit his arm as hard as I could. He cried out and shoved me. I skidded across the ground and crashed with a thud against a tree.

  Stella rose, blood dripping from her muzzle. It was the two of us against the remaining member of Toby’s father’s pack. We could do this.

  She crept toward him, growling. I pulled myself to my feet and shook off before running over to them. We exchanged a quick glance before simultaneously jumping on him. I bit into his neck and she dug into his chest. He screamed and fought against us as he fell to the ground.

  He landed with a sharp thud. My front leg hit a rock as we hit the ground. I stepped back and whimpered. Despite his injuries, he grabbed Stella and threw her. I growled and ran after him, digging my teeth into the other side of his neck. Blood gushed out, and he stopped fighting.

  I stepped back and studied him, making sure he was actually dying. His eyes closed and his hand fell to the ground.

  Stella looked up at the sky and howled. She turned to me. I think I’m about to turn back.

  I’ll meet you at the campfire. Hurry to your clothes.

  She burst into a run and disappeared through some trees. I went over and sniffed the three attackers. None had an audible heartbeat. At least that would send a loud, clear message to Toby’s father. I doubted he would give up, but at least that would give him pause in his quest.

  I went over to the bush where I’d left my spare clothes and waited to shift back. Nothing happened. Not a single pop or crack. I waited and waited. I thought of missing Toby and what kind of trouble Elsie might be in if my dreams were any indication of reality. When that didn’t work, I thought about good things like how great it would be when Toby and I were finally able to be in each other’s arms again.

  Nothing.

  I paced the area, letting my mind go where it wanted. I thought of nothing and everything. Worry started to settle. What if I couldn’t shift back for some reason? Was it possible that I could get stuck as a wolf? Could I be allowed only so many shifts at a time, and once I broke that number, I was out of luck until who knew when?

  That couldn’t happen. It just couldn’t. I had to be there to help Stella. She knew nothing about life as a werewolf and would need direction—and lots of it for a while. Then there was Elsie. I was so close—I could feel it.

  I paced faster. Remaining a wolf wasn’t a reality I could bear to face, yet it was beginning to look more and more likely. I didn’t know how the wolfborns did it, except that they knew nothing else. Alex had said he rather enjoyed the peaceful existence. But that was him, not me.

  My eyes grew heavy. I needed to get back to Stella. She’d probably shifted back, and was vulnerable. What if more of Toby’s original pack came in the woods after me and found her? They’d probably be able to pick up my scent on her since we’d spent time together.

  My lids closed slowly. Despite how much I needed to shift and get back to my life, I couldn’t. My wolf needed sleep and I couldn’t figure out how to shift back. I crawled under the bush next to my clothes and curled into a ball, falling asleep.

  I woke cold and shivering. I sat up, scraping my bare back on the branches and leaves. Bare skin. I held up my arm. I was human again. I slid on the hoodie and pants, wishing I’d thought to leave a little more.

  Once out into the open, I looked around. My shoes lay near a tree. At least I’d somehow managed to kick them off when shifting. Everything else was in shreds. I’d just have to make do until I could find more clothing.

  After I got the shoes on, I jumped over the three bodies and ran to the campfire which had gone out. Stella lay next to it, sleeping.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She sat up and stretched. “Yeah. What took you so long?”

  “I had trouble shifting back.”

  “I thought werewolves only shifted at the full moon?”

  “My schedule is off.”

  “Right, but I didn’t think I’d be able to turn. Was it because it’s my first shift?”

  “Maybe. Probably. We’d better go.”

  “Am I supposed to be this tired?” She yawned and stretched again.

  “Given that your body isn’t used to such a severe change, I’d say so.”

  “Ugh, I hope this wears off.”

  “I’m sure it will.” I covered the warm ashes with wet dirt and dusted off my hands. “Let’s get going. We’re going to have to be careful. The rest of the pack is bound to be close.”

  Stella groaned. “What did you do to them to piss them off so much?”

  “I’ll tell you while we’re traveling.”

  “Must be some story.” She yawned.

  I felt like I should ask again if she would be okay, but we had to move on either way. Just sitting around in the same place would make us easier targets as our scents grew stronger. I waved toward the edge of the forest and started walking. She followed, and as we went, I told her about my long history with Toby.

  “And your love lasted even beyond your death?” she gushed. “That has to be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

  A smile spread across my face. “I like to think so.”

  “What about your father’s pack?”

  I groaned just thinking about them, but told her the story, anyway.

  “You’ve had the most exciting life. No wonder you ended up in the magic safe house. We…” She paused and sniffed the air, scrunching her face. “What’s that horrible smell?”

  I sniffed, not noticing anything unusual at first. Then I noticed what she smelled. “It’s a vampire.”

  Stella coughed. “It’s horrible.”

  “You get used to it.”

  “They’re our enemies.” She looked at me like I was crazy.

  “Not always. We have one in our pack.”

  “You’ll have to tell me that story later.” She sniffed again. “It smells close… and strangely familiar.”

  Both of us widened our eyes at the same time.

  “Verla,” she said.

  “She sniffed you out from Spokane?” I exclaimed.

  She shrugged. “Maybe she never stopped looking.”

  “Apparently common vampires are really attached to their pets.” I sniffed the air again. “It smells like she’s still pretty far off. The odor is weak.”

  Stella gagged. “If that’s the case, I don’t want to know what she smells like up close. Is there anything I can do to throw her off the trail?”

  “Wolfsbane can cover our scents—if we can find any. But with you being a werewolf, she might just give up.”

  “I hope so. I don’t feel like fighting anyone again for a long time. Last night was more than enough for me.”

  “Something else you might have to get use to,” I muttered.

  She threw me an exasperated glance. “Really?”

  “You’re the one who wanted to become a werewolf.”

  “Is there any wolfsbane around here?”

  “It’s possible.” I sniffed the air, not smelling any. “We’re better off to keep going. She may very well be tracking you some other way.”

  Stella frowned. “Locator spells.”

  I nodded. We came to a crowded street. “Why don’t we mingle with the humans? That might be enough to distract Verla and send her on her way.”