And then I was plunged into darkness. The field, flowers, and daylight were gone. I held out my hand in front of my face and couldn’t see it.
A wolf whined, and I stepped toward it, waving my arms around trying to feel for it.
I hit a soft mass, and fell over her. “Sorry,” I said as the wolf whined.
Hope blossomed. I couldn’t believe I’d actually found her wolf. This might totally work.
I still couldn’t see, but I felt around her. She was covered in chains. I pulled at them, but there was no way I could break them. They didn’t even budge.
Okay. So this was it. I’d found her. Now I had to send my strength to Meredith’s wolf so she could grow stronger and break out of the cage.
That would take alpha powers.
I reached for my bond to Dastien and mentally tugged at it. Strength and power flowed into me. His focus and determination became my own.
And then it hit me so hard that I felt like I was drowning. So much power.
Before, when I’d been in Meredith’s room talking to Donovan, I hadn’t known what I was doing. I hadn’t been aware of the power rolling through me, but now I was. I could feel each wolf. The essence of everyone present.
“You’re going to be fine, Meredith. Take what’s offered.” I closed my eyes, and pictured the energy flowing directly into her wolf. I harnessed the will to change. “Shift, Meredith.” I said, using all the power that I could. “Shift now.” I pulled on the chains around her wolf with the strength of the pack.
Her hand jerked.
I opened my eyes and found myself in the real world. She hadn’t shifted. I had to go back in. I gripped her hand in mine, holding tight, and I closed my eyes again.
I was back in the darkness and felt the chains under my hands.
Grabbing all the power I could, I pulled on them. “Chains, break!” I put some of my witchy powers into the words, forcing my will into them. It didn’t matter what I said, only the intention. I pictured them breaking and yanked again, and they creaked against each other.
“Now. Meredith. Change now. Do it. Now!”
The power was building. Burning through me like a fire in the depths of my soul. I pushed it toward her.
I pulled on the chains. “Break. Now. Break.” They creaked again. “Change now! Do it now! Shift!”
I alternated pushing alpha energy at Meredith and using witchcraft to weaken the chains.
Howls echoed along the pack bonds. The wolves were all shifting, but Meredith wasn’t.
I put my will and faith behind my words. “Break!” I tugged on the chains, and felt a link break. They were loosening.
I grabbed more power from the pack. “Shift!” I was screaming now.
Another link cracked, and the chains gave even more.
“Shift now!” I yelled, pushing more alpha power.
I heard Dastien’s howl through the bond. I wasn’t sure how I could distinguish his from the others, but I knew it was him. He’d shifted along with the others, which meant I was reaching the end of the line of power.
More wolves howled.
“Break! Chains break!” I pulled on the chains and they broke. I lost my balance and fell, sprawling on my back.
White light blinded me.
I opened my eyes, back in the real world.
The white wolf from my vision sat in front of me. Meredith. She looked up to the sky and howled.
Oh my God. I’d done it. Meredith was a wolf, and she was okay. She was really okay.
Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I laughed. “God. Took you forever, chica.”
Wolf-Meredith whimpered.
Thank God. She was okay.
The fear for her melted away. I had a second to enjoy it before pain rolled through my limbs and another fear replaced it.
I wasn’t okay.
I screamed, trying to hold my shape, but I couldn’t.
Fur rippled along my skin as my own wolf started to take over. My knees popped.
Oh God. No. Not yet. I wasn’t ready.
I squeezed my eyes shut as another ripple of pain moved through my muscles as they reformed.
Dastien’s wolf nose touched the back of my neck, urging me to keep going.
“No. I can’t.” My voice was gravelly. I fought against my wolf. Terror clawed along my spine. I wasn’t ready for this. I had two more days before I had to do this.
I felt a strong alpha energy closing in fast. The rest of the wolves must’ve felt it, too because they started howling.
It was too much. Too loud. I couldn’t fight it all.
“Move out of the way,” Donovan said.
Oh God. He was the Alpha I was feeling. He’d force my change. I couldn’t let him, but I was shaking from pain and the need to go furry.