“Shift!” The command hit me with a force so strong, it took my breath away.
The wolves howled as one.
I groaned, but there was no stopping it. My strength was waning. “No. Please.” My muscles fought against me, but I was holding off the change. I screamed, stuck between forms.
“You’re a damned stubborn one.” Donovan stood above me. His blue eyes bright. “You saved my mate, and I’ll not have you hurting like this. You listen to my command and you follow it. Do you understand?”
“No. I can’t,” my voice was low and scratchy.
“You will.” He put his hand on my forehead. “Shift now, Teresa Elizabeth McCaide.”
So much power. So much force. I couldn’t fight it anymore.
It was as if a dam inside me broke. My form was fluid. One second I was in pain, on the ground, struggling to maintain my sanity as my clothes were shredding. The next I was on my side and everything was calm. For the first time since I woke up at St. Ailbe’s, I felt completely at peace.
My vision changed. It wasn’t in black and white, but it was muted. And my sense of smell. If I’d thought I could smell everything before, I could smell more now. Every little thing. The grass. The dirt. The bugs crawling between the two. I jumped up to my feet. All four of them. Weird. I stumbled for a second. And then turned to find Meredith.
She was a beautiful white wolf. She sat with Donovan’s arms around her. “Why didn’t you tell me that this was the reason you refused me? We could’ve fixed this together. It didn’t have to be a no,” Donovan said to her. “God. I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified. Never scare me like that again. Never. You got me?”
Meredith whimpered, and I laughed. It came out like a chuffing sound.
I looked around the circle. The wolves were there. Watching. I howled, and they answered in unison.
The pack bond wove through each of them. Some weaker than others. Some burning bright.
Dastien howled twice, and the wolves scattered into the woods. Then he rubbed his side against mine and took off running.
Where the hell was he going?
I took off. Chasing him. I stumbled and tripped a bit before figuring out where my new shape was in space. My claws dug into the dirt as I moved.
I got caught up in the new sensations of the world around me. It took me a bit to realize I’d totally lost Dastien.
What the hell? Where did he go?
I sat down and whined. This was bullshit.
He crashed through the bushes at me, and I rolled. He motioned toward the ground with his nose, then took off.
Oh. I was supposed to smell. Right.
In my new form, my sense of smell was almost as good as my sight. I could tell how long it’d been since an animal had passed by, but since it was all new, I wasn’t sure what each scent was.
As we ran and played, I got a sense of freedom. Occasionally I’d catch a whiff of something yum, but when I’d see it was a bunny or a bird, I’d leave it alone.
I had a feeling if Dastien was alone, he would’ve made it his prey, but I wasn’t there yet. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be there.
But Meredith was fine. I was fine.
Hell, I was more than fine. I was a fucking wolf.
After a little while, my stomach growled. Dastien gave his wolf-y laugh, and led me to a bush. A small black plastic bin was hidden under some leaves. He left me there.
So I was supposed to change. How the hell did that happen? I went behind another bush and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that I would magically turn back to human.
Nope, still furry.
Oh shit. I was stuck. I was going to be a wolf forever.
Damn it. This was so not cool.
Chapter Fifteen
Dastien’s laughter echoed through the woods. He was hiccupping he was laughing so hard.
Dude better watch himself. I had some nasty teeth in this form.
His laughter died. I heard the sound of the plastic bin opening and something being unzipped. “You’re not stuck,” he said. “Just picture yourself in human form, and you’ll change.”
Oh crap. Could he hear what I was thinking now?
“Yeah.”
Not cool.
“Come on. It’s kind of cool.”
Stalker. Creepo.
“I’m not a creepo. I’m your mate. It’s like the visions though. You can block it whenever you want. You’re just shouting your thoughts really loudly right now.”
He squatted beside me, now wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, and took my face in his hands. “Do it, Tess. Picture yourself on two feet and you will be.” He ran his hands through the fur along my sides and I pretty much started purring. “You pulled so much power, you’ve got to be starving. We could’ve hunted and stayed to play as wolves, but you didn’t want any of the rabbits.”