Rikki wiped the sweat from her brow before grasping the walker tightly and taking another step. After her long ass nap — around five months from what she’d been told — she was having an issue getting her body to work the way it was supposed to. Doc Josie tried numerous times to get her to shift, telling her it would go a long way in helping her recover, but she was terrified to let this new side of her out. She could feel the power of her wolf. It was like nothing Rikki had ever felt before, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control her once she was free. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt, and with all of the turbulent emotions pouring through her right now, it was a very real possibility that someone could.
It had been two days since she heard Phoenix talking about Jeremiah, but no one would tell her anything. They refused, saying it would be best if she waited for Angel. Even Chase kept quiet. For some reason, her wolf was having difficulties accepting him as her alpha. And, if she were honest, she was, too. The only alpha she wanted was Angel.
Rikki grew up in various foster homes until she ran away at the age of fifteen and began living on the streets. It was a tough life, but with her special ability of being able to touch an object and see the past, present, and sometimes the future, living around people was hard. She’d learned to adapt, and it was easier on the streets, following her own rules and staying away from others. At the age of eighteen, she decided she was strong enough, disciplined enough, to leave the streets and venture out into the world. She decided to enlist in the army, and ended up serving two terms, becoming one of the best snipers they’d ever had. Once she left the military, she’d been lost for a few months. Then, she met Angel. The woman offered her a chance to save lives using the skills she’d been trained for in the army, but never thought she would put them into play again. She found a family the day she accepted Angel’s offer — the first family she ever had — and she would do anything for them.
Grunting in frustration, Rikki moved the walker faster down the hall. She felt the need to fight, to push harder and harder, until she was the person she used to be before one of the General’s men put a bullet in her. Something bad was about to happen, she could feel it. Her mate needed her. As that thought slipped into Rikki’s head, she felt the brush of fur against her mind. Claws sprang from her fingertips and fangs punched through her gums. She was getting used to it. It seemed to happen anytime she was upset or angry, or just plain over emotional, and her wolf sensed she needed her. Which was a lot. This time was different, though. She tried to shove the bitch back down. Struggled to make her claws recede. It wasn’t happening. It was as if she had no control over her own body.
“Rikki?” The voice was soft, hesitant. Jade.
Rikki swung around, baring her teeth at the young woman. “Get back,” she growled, afraid she wasn’t going to be able to get control back from her wolf. Jade was her friend, and she didn’t want to hurt her.
“Rikki, it’s going to be okay,” Jade rushed to reassure her. “Your wolf won’t harm you. She only wants to help.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Rikki admitted through clenched teeth. Her fangs bit into her lips and she snarled, her eyes pleading with her friend. “Please, Jade, back away. I can’t stop her this time.”
“You don’t need to,” a warm voice full of understanding said, and Rikki’s gaze swung around to see Angel striding down the long hall toward her. “It’s okay, Rikki. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up, but I’m here now.”
“I can’t stop it, Angel,” Rikki rasped, letting go of the walker and dropping to her knees. Pain slammed up her spine, and Rikki arched her back, a scream tearing from her throat. “Angel!”
She felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched away in pain and confusion.
“Rikki, trust me. It’s going to be all right. Feel your wolf. Let her presence flow through you,” Angel murmured, stroking a long strand of dark hair away from her face.
“She’s so strong,” Rikki gasped, a hard shudder racking her body. “What if she hurts somebody?”
“She won’t,” Angel promised, gently running a hand down her back. “All she wants to do is help you, Rikki. Shifting will make you stronger. You will be good as new after a couple of times.”
“She wants Jeremiah,” Rikki corrected, throwing her head back and baring her teeth when another sharp slice of agony raced up her spine. It felt as if her body was contorting in on itself. Bones were popping, muscles contracting. “She senses he’s in danger. Wants to get to him.”
“Jeremiah is fine,” Angel promised. “I just saw him a few weeks ago. He looks good, and is stubborn as hell, just like always.”
Rikki’s mouth twisted in agony as she spat, “Not true! He’s not fine! He’s with the General.”
“The General is dead.”
Rikki glared at Angel, snarling, “With his fucking daughter, then. I’m going to find her, Angel. I’m going to fucking kill her.”
Angel’s light blue gaze darkened, and she leaned in to rub her cheek against Rikki’s. Rikki sighed at the contact, and at the subtle feel of power radiating from her alpha. Her true alpha. “Well, you can’t do that in the shape you are in right now. So, why don’t you shift? Then we can start training in a couple of days and go hunting for your mate once you are back up to speed.”
A deep growl rumbled through her, and suddenly her vision changed, seeming to blur at first, and then sharpen. Rikki sucked in a breath when she realized she was seeing through the eyes of her wolf.
“That’s it,” Angel crooned, pushing some more alpha power toward Rikki. “Let your wolf come out.”
“Get everyone back,” Rikki snarled around her fangs, shaking in fear and pain. She was drawing a crowd, and she could feel her wolf getting nervous. “I can’t let her hurt anyone.”
“You need to stop thinking of your wolf as a separate being from you,” Chase said, approaching them cautiously. “She’s a part of you, Rikki. One and the same. You would never hurt anyone in this hospital, which means neither would she.”
“I would if they were a threat to my mate.”
“That’s no different than anyone else here.” Doc Josie’s voice was calm, but the woman stayed back, motioning for others to do the same. “I would protect my mate at all cost.”
“Me, too,” Chase agreed, kneeling down next to them. “I would gut anyone who threatened Angel in my presence. It’s in our genetics to protect those we love, especially our mates. They hold the other half of our soul. Without them, we are nothing.”
Breathing heavily, panting through the pain, Rikki thought about what they said. She heard the truth in their voices. Didn’t smell the acrid scent she had come to associate with a lie over the past couple of days. One of the nurses insisted on telling her she wasn’t afraid of her, but Rikki smelled the stench of her lie every single time. The woman did her job, never once giving in to that fear, but it was there.
“It’s the truth. I hate fighting, but if anyone threatened my mate, my dragon would roast them all.”
Rikki swallowed hard, her gaze rising to meet Raven’s. The dragoness had become a close friend after sharing so much of her life with her, both when Rikki was in her sleeping state, and the past two days when she was wide awake. One she trusted, and she didn’t trust easily. Tears filling her eyes, Rikki reached for Raven, needed the reassurance the other woman gave her.
“Raven.” Jaxson placed a hand on Raven’s arm, looking from her to Rikki in concern.
“I’ll be fine.” Raven pulled away from him, rushing over to Rikki. Dropping to her knees, she grasped her hand tightly.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Rikki rasped, moaning as another wave of pain rolled through her.
“I’m a dragon, my friend,” Raven said dryly, leaning in to touch her forehead to Rikki’s. “I have bigger claws, longer and sharper fangs. You can’t hurt me.” Raven let her fangs drop, grinning widely as she showed them to Rikki. “See?”
Rikki’s eyes widened as she looked at the huge teeth, a hint of laughter escaping, that quickly turned into a grimace of pain. Gasping, she whispered, “Why does it hurt so much?”
“Because you are fighting it,” Angel said quietly. “Let go, Rikki. Let your wolf merge with you. Become one with each other. Trust me.”
She did trust Angel, but she was still terrified. No matter how many times she’d seen her team members turn into their animals, the thought of doing it herself was scary as hell.
“I’m right here,” Raven said softly, her amber eyes full of sympathy and concern. “We all are. Let your wolf free, Rikki. We will protect both of you, even from yourself.”
Rikki glanced down to where their hands were clasped together, seeing Raven’s large claws emerge. It was what she needed to hear. Her team was there, and Angel may have been her alpha, but she knew without a doubt that the dragon in front of her could protect not only her, but everyone in the hospital with them if something were to go terribly wrong. Slowly, she took a deep breath and tried to let go.
Once she let her wolf in, allowing the animal to merge with her, the pain immediately started to lessen. It was still there, but it was as if her wolf was shouldering some of it now. Rikki groaned as she felt a change taking over her body. She started to panic when she felt her face transform, her jawline, mouth, and nose elongating into a snout. She forced the shift to stop, her entire body shaking with the effort. A whine slipped free, but Raven, Angel, and Chase were all there instantly.
“Come on, Rikki,” Angel growled. “You are stronger than this. Don’t let your fears control you. Hit those bastards head on. You got this!”
Raven leaned down and looked her in the eye. “You can do this, my friend. For you, for Jeremiah, for everyone who loves you. Stand strong. Be proud of the person you are becoming, proud of the wolf you now share your life with. She’s proud of you.”
“She is?” Rikki panted, sweat dripping down her cheeks.
“Yes, I can tell. She’s happy she was chosen to be yours. It’s time to show her that you feel the same way.”
“We are right here,” Chase promised, and she could feel him pushing some of his power her way. Whereas before it bothered her, now, with Angel there, it seemed right.
Rikki began to calm, and closing her eyes, she allowed herself to fully connect with the wolf who waited patiently. There was pain and fear, but there was also determination. She could do this. She would do it. For Jeremiah, she could do anything. And if shifting would get her to him that much faster, then there was no other choice. Hell, her wolf wasn’t giving her one even if she wanted one.
A low growl rumbled deep in her chest, rising from her throat, and then a loud howl split the air as she shifted. One second, she was kneeling on the ground in a hospital gown with her signature black gloves on her hands that blocked the visions from constantly coming. The next, she was laying on the cold tile on her belly, with four paws, a tail, and covered in fur. She panted heavily as her gaze swept the area around her, too tired and weak to rise to her feet. The anger that she was afraid of was still there, but it was tempered by the love she felt for those who were close to her. She had been so scared the rage that was bottled up inside would come out and she would hurt one of them, but she had nothing to worry about. The wolf wasn’t angry at them. She had no desire to tear their throats out. She was saving it all for the General’s daughter and men. They were the ones she wanted to take her aggression out on. They were the ones who were going to pay.
Rikki stiffened at first when she felt a soothing hand trail over her back, but somehow she knew it was Angel, and she slowly let herself accept the touch, laying her head down on her paws. Raven stroked the fur on her neck gently, smiling. “There. See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Rikki was too exhausted to respond. She knew she would be able to talk to them telepathically in the form she was in, but she just didn’t have the energy. She was just too damn tired to do anything.
“Rest, little wolf,” Chase said gruffly, sliding his arms under her and lifting her in the air. When she started to struggle sluggishly, he pulled her close. “I’m just taking you back to your room.”
She was vaguely aware of Angel walking beside them, and Raven picking up her gown and gloves and following them down the hall, Jaxson right behind her. Nico was there, too, and Trace. Her team. Chase laid her gently on her bed, rubbing a hand across her fur before saying, “You are beautiful, Rikki. Your coat is a stunning brown and black mixture, with some white in there, too.”
“It’s just gorgeous,” Angel murmured, squatting down so Rikki could look at her without raising her head. “I am so proud of you, Rikki. I know it took a lot of courage to finally accept your wolf. It won’t always be easy, but I can promise you that she will always be a part of you. She will always want to protect you. Trust in her, and she will trust in you.”
Rikki tried to nod, but wasn’t sure if it worked or not. She was vaguely aware of Phoenix’s voice outside her room, loudly demanding to know what the hell was going on. Chase and Angel walked away from the bed to talk quietly by the window, but Raven didn’t leave her. She set Rikki’s gloves on the table beside the bed, and then climbed up beside her. Lying down on her side, she gently ran her hand over Rikki’s back before whispering, “Get some sleep now, Rikki. I’ll be right here when you wake up. I promise.”
Rikki had no idea how the other woman knew she needed to hear that, needed someone nearby when her emotions were in so much turmoil, but she was glad Raven was staying with her. Closing her eyes, she snuggled up close to her friend and slowly let herself drift off to sleep.