I turn to face Stone, but his discerning gaze is cast out over the wolves who have begun to circle us. His focus is hardcore, though—as if he’s searching for someone in specific.
I suppose he is.
Suddenly, the pack of wolves parts, and an enormous black wolf slinks forward. Even in the low light of the moonlit evening, I can tell his eyes are blood red. They practically glow with malice and when they lock with mine, his stare sends chills straight down my spine.
I suck in a quick breath and take a small step backward.
Don’t show that he intimidates you. It looks like weakness to the pack. Stone’s words have an edge to them but make sense nonetheless.
I inhale sharply, thrusting my chin up and shoulders back. I’ve had to deal with asshat men thinking they can own my thoughts and actions before. I was done with it the minute I signed for a divorce. I’ll be damned if I let another one try.
Wolf or human—Silas is still a guy trying to put a woman down.
Fuck that.
“Silas, I presume,” I say, planting a hand on my hip and channeling my inner bitch. Denise would be proud.
He prowls forward, circling me and Stone counterclockwise.
When he makes a full circumference, I quirk an eyebrow and try to play down my fear. “To be honest, I thought you’d be bigger.”
The enormous wolf growls, its snout pulling back and baring the kind of teeth that go on for miles.
If there was any question whether or not he understood my words in wolf form, there isn’t now.
“So, I thought I was brought here to talk business. How are we meant to do that when everyone’s all fur and snarls?” I ask, eyeing all of the other wolves.
I know damn well talking isn’t on the agenda. I might not have dogs, but I do know how they determine rank. Even I’m not that sheltered.
The surreal fact that I’m standing in the middle of a forest-hidden stone sanctuary, surrounded by wolves—no, werewolves—isn’t lost on me, either. But if there’s one thing I’ve been good at, it’s dealing with a world of weird.
I mean, I have two teenagers.
Stone nods. “Ella’s right. As a Bitten, she’s at a disadvantage. She doesn’t know our rules, or—”
And yet, even a Bitten should have a link with their pack. Silas’s thoughts invade my mind, but I ignore them. If he doesn’t know I can hear him, that could be an advantage later on.
The black wolf shivers, like a dog shaking away the rain, but in the motion, he transforms into a muscular man crouched down in a superhero-type stance. Silas has a deep tan that defines his muscles and the same crescent moon tribal tattoo that Stone has etched on his chest is painted across his left shoulder. It must be a symbol of the pack.
He stands up and, just like Stone, Silas has zero fucks to give about being naked in front of an audience.
I sigh, crossing my arms over my torso and refusing to divert my gaze. At least Stone’s little stunt at the house prepared me a bit for this.
Silas’s mouth slides into a smirk and he walks forward with an air of confident arrogance. It’s true, he has an advantage over me. He’s an enormous, six-foot-something dude with badass muscles and a menacing black crew cut, and tattoos splattered all over the place. Plus, he has the bonus of knowing everyone here and the rules in place with this band of mythical creatures.
I, on the other hand… Yeah, I’m not even sure this is real or if I died when those goons entered my home earlier.
All I know is, whatever is happening to me feels inevitable…and important. Being here, in this place has set my very being humming—vibrating. It’s almost as good as sex and whatever it is, I could get used to it.
“She doesn’t look like much,” Silas says, his words slithering out of his mouth like the snake I’ve already taken him for.
“Awww, did I hurt your feelings when I said you weren’t very big? Well, if it’s any consolation, now I can say that goes for more ways than one,” I say, without properly thinking through my words.
Before I have time to react, Silas is on me. His enormous hand grasps around my throat and squeezes. My breath catches in my throat and my vision swims. Instinctively, my hands rise and I claw to get Silas off, but he lifts me straight off the ground with one hand.
Stars burst across my sight, but I somehow manage to swing my right foot back and land it right in his exposed groin. Instantly, I drop to the stone floor, crumpling into a heap and gasping for air.
When I manage to look up, standing between me and Silas is the white wolf. Stone’s hackles are raised and he snaps his teeth, forcing Silas to take a tiny concession backward as he gropes at himself, pulling in jagged breaths of his own.
Fucker.
“Stop,” a woman says off to my right. She stalks toward us in her birthday suit, her lean body in the kind of shape I would have killed for twenty years ago. She, too, has the crescent tattoo, but it’s placed above her left hip. “The Law of the Bitten is clear. Until the Alpha manages their first shift, no harm can come to them. Anyone who tries would be exiled.”
“Stay out of this, Marta,” Silas mutters, dropping his hands from himself and rounding on her.
“If you challenge her, it must be as a wolf and she must accept,” she demands, tipping her chin up and going toe to toe with him. Her blond hair blows in the breeze, adding to a level of tension between them.
Stone snarls his agreement.
Clearing my throat, I shake my head and rise. Wow. I mean, I knew about toxic masculinity, but his ego is fragile as fuck. It must be hell having to keep that thing stroked.
“What did you say?” Silas says, his eyebrows darkening his face.
My eyes widen and I look around. “I didn’t say anything.” Out loud…oh, fuck.
As entertaining as it is to watch you, Ella, you have to remember he’s not stable. Don’t provoke him. Not yet. Stone’s thoughts invade my mind and he chances a glance in my direction.
I shrug in return. I make no promises there. But dang, I need to learn how to direct thoughts at people instead of broadcasting them to the whole world. So much for keeping the element of surprise.
I swear I feel his exasperation roll off him as he returns his attention to Silas.
“You need to learn your place,” Silas spits, throwing his shoulders back and popping his pecs like it’s gonna impress anyone but him.
I step forward. “See, I might be new here…but as I understand it, that’s ironic, seeing as you were deliberately cockblocked and I’m meant to be your boss or whatever.”
Marta snickers softly, but falls back in line with the others.
I like her. She’s got fire. Her thoughts reach me and somehow I know they’re hers and no one else’s.
More like stupidity.
Yeah, but look at her. There’s nothing to her. Silas could take her with his eyes closed.
I bet her wolf is tiny.
The new thoughts jumble together and I can’t pinpoint their sources, despite eyeing the wolves around us. While I can hear them, it’s like being in a crowded room where everyone is talking all at once. You can make out conversations, but who knows who says what.
It’s strange how some thoughts are clear—like Stone’s and Marta’s—while others are hazy and nebulous.
What’s up with that?
“You’ve got a mouth on you. I can think of better uses for it,” Silas grounds out.
Stone snaps his jaws at Silas, evidently as unamused as I am with that one.
I narrow my gaze, but keep my mouth shut this time. I know when enough innuendo is enough and he’s pushing things too far. The last thing I need is for him to go off half-cocked.
Despite myself, I snicker at that last thought, then hope like hell that it didn’t broadcast.
“What’s so funny? Like the idea, do you?” Silas says, his dark eyes flashing. They’re not nearly as scary as his wolf’s glowing red gaze, but they speak of terrible deeds nonetheless.
Thank God, he didn’t hear it.
Stone’s right. This asshole has to go down.
“I was just wondering… Are we gonna do this thing? Or are you gonna talk me to death?” I say, stepping forward and petting Stone between the ears. I have no idea if he likes that kind of gesture or thinks it’s condescending, but I continue forward anyway.
“Finally,” Silas says, his voice a barely tamed growl.
Before I can say anything else, Silas shudders, transforming into his wolf again.
Panic suddenly floods my system.
Shit. Why didn’t we do a trial run of this?
I turn my wild gaze to Stone, who takes up residence on my left-hand side.
It’s as easy as breathing. Don’t worry. Just see yourself shifting into your wolf—lean into the feeling of it and let go. Stone says, his eyes trained on Silas.
“Oh, yeah. Easy,” I mutter. My heartbeat hammers in my chest, and my insides feel like they’ve turned to mush.
Now is not a great time to lose my lunch.
And awesome, I think I need to pee. Goddamn tiny “mom” bladder.
Relax. The more you panic, the more you force your wolf away.
“For fucksake, you try not to panic when you’re expected to do something you don’t even know you can do in front of a shit-ton of—” I cut off my words, flitting my gaze around the circle.
On top of it, even if I do shift, all it means is I’m going to be in a battle with the enormous menace circling me like I’m his next meal.
Fuck my life.
Shift already. The sooner we end this joke, the better. Silas’s words invade my mind like a dagger.
“Hey,” I say, indignant. “This isn’t my ideal life, either, buddy.”
Silas lunges forward snapping his jaws in my direction.
Everything inside me is screaming—like it knows what it wants to do, what it needs to do...but it can’t. Or won’t.
Instead, I feel like I’m being split apart—my mind and body fracturing like a pane of glass.
Stop fighting the shift, Ella. Just let go. Stone says, worry filtering from his mind to mine.
“I know. It’s just—” I say, shaking my head. I can feel it, my body wants desperately to do something my logical mind can’t seem to grasp. The war waging internally is enough to make me buckle over. I drop to my knees, needing to be closer to the ground as if somehow that’s going to help me.
Look, she can’t even shift. She’s no Alpha. Someone to the right of Marta scoffs.
I knew this was all bullshit. I bet Stone made it up to get back at Silas.
He should just end her now.
But other thoughts mingle with those.
Why isn’t she shifting?
Come on…you can do it.
Relax into it. You’ll love the feeling.
I glance around, searching for their source. As I focus on them, it’s like a soft white light draws my attention to the owners of those happier thoughts.
Your connection to the pack is growing stronger. Forget the naysayers. Lean into those who need you. Who already favor you. Stone says.
I close my eyes, trying to do what he said—lean into the feeling and let go. For a moment, I drop into that sensation, but the horrible realization of what comes next takes me straight out of the moment.
“I can’t do it,” I finally say, wiping beads of sweat from my forehead.
Silas howls and the sound practically rips my soul from my body. His supporters join in and their combined sound is damned near haunting.
Then, without warning, Silas leaps from his spot. His black paws slam into my right shoulder, knocking me off-center. I fly backward, smacking my head on the rocks. Again, stars burst through my vision and I try quickly to blink away their effects.
Thankfully, Stone intercepts. His jaws latch onto the scruff of Silas’s neck and he pulls him off me in the same fluid motion. The two of them tussle—nothing more than snapping jaws and growls.
Marta, still in human form, steps into the arena—at least, that’s what it feels like—acting as the referee between the two of them.
“Back off, Silas. You know the rules. She has until the full moon to make the shift,” Marta says, again speaking up for me. “Postpone this until she can manage it.”
Stone is still attached to Silas’s neck, but they both stop in mid-attack as if their mom just called them out. After a moment, Silas shakes out of Stone’s grasp and glances into the mix of wolves behind him. Two wolves step out of the crowd and instantly, I get the impression it was a silent command.
Then, Silas turns back to me, his red eyes glowing as his thoughts echo out louder than any other I’ve experienced. Tomorrow night, you’re going down, mouthy. Lock them both up.