Chapter 3
Three
GRAYSON
Iwake to…a wet tongue.
What the ever-loving fuck?
At first, I think I’m imagining things—or maybe having a nightmare where I’m being caressed by an eel.
But…nope. As consciousness returns to me, I become distinctly aware of something wet and soft lathering my face in kisses.
And why am I lying on something so cold and misshapen? This certainly isn’t the bed in my apartment.
I lurch upright when the licks turn into bites. Pain explodes through me at the feel of teeth tearing through my cheek and then my ear.
What. The. Fuck?
I bare my teeth—something I’m sure is about as intimidating as a toddler growling, considering my weakened state—and slash at the animal.
All of my movements are weak and sluggish.
I haven’t drunk any blood in…who the fuck knows how long.
It feels like years. A groan lodges in my throat when stars explode behind my closed eyelids.
Something growls directly beside my ear.
Get up, Grayson. Get. Up.
I allow my lashes to flutter open, even though each individual particle of hair feels like it’s made of cement.
The sunlight burns my pupils, and I blink rapidly, attempting to orient myself.
All I can see from my position on the ground are the skeletal branches of trees knotting overhead, a few brittle, brown leaves hanging stubbornly to their surface.
Then a huge, ugly dog comes into view.
No, not a dog.
A wolf.
A…furless wolf.
What. The. Fuck?
I blink, certain I’m imagining things, but nope. No matter how many times I close my eyes, the creature remains, peering down at me with intelligent golden eyes.
The wolf growls again, the threatening noise reverberating through me, but I ignore the creature as I once again survey my surroundings.
I’m in the forest.
On the ground.
Why…?
Gracie.
Panic jolts through me, and I jerk upright, very nearly ramming my face into the wolf’s snout.
The last thing I remember is those witches arriving and knocking me unconscious. They must’ve taken my girl while I was out.
Fierce determination eclipses my fear, and I feel alive for the first time in weeks. Everything fades away except for the need to find my girl and ensure no one hurts her again. No one.
The wolf growls, capturing my attention, and I turn towards the grotesque creature in surprise. The intelligence in its beady yellow eyes…
“No fucking way,” I breathe, shock and horror mingling inside me. “You’re one of Grac—I mean, Izzy’s wolves, aren’t you?”
One of her mates, though I don’t say that word out loud. I know it’s true, but I don’t want to admit it—not even to myself. I would prefer to pretend these fuckers don’t exist and that Izzy is mine and mine alone.
The wolf releases a strange yipping sound that I take as a “yes.”
“Which one are you?” I frown as I study his pink, hairless body.
I’ve done extensive research into all of the fuckers sniffing around Izzy—dog pun unintended. This wolf isn’t nearly as big as I imagine Reid’s is, and he doesn’t have that cocky arrogance I’ve come to expect from Ashton. So that means…
“You’re one of the twins, aren’t you?”
Another yip.
“Emery?” I guess, speaking the first name I can think of.
I think he’s the one with tattoos? Or do they both have tattoos? I’ll admit, I didn’t pay too much attention to their physical appearances aside from locating areas they could be stabbed if the situation called for it.
The wolf shakes his head with a low whine.
Shit. What’s the other wolf’s name? It starts with an E.
Engle? No. What the fuck type of name is Engle?
Elvis?
No…
The wolf gives me an annoyed look, as if he’s questioning my intelligence, and the name comes to me.
“Ethan,” I say.
The wolf nods his huge head.
I sift through everything I know about Ethan.
He has a twin named Emery. He was arrested by the shifter Council after driving his car through a fellow wolf’s house.
He spent a few months in rehab before being released.
Apparently, he’s smart. When I looked up his school files, I found that he was at the top of his class and in the running for valedictorian.
He’s also smart enough to know who I am and what my relationship is to Gracie. Does he suspect that I’m her mate as well? I suppose it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters besides getting her back.
“The damn witches took her,” I growl out, feeling my fangs elongate a fraction of an inch.
They don’t make a complete appearance, however. They can’t. Not without blood in my system. Still, it’s a testament to the anger rampaging through me that they’re able to materialize in the first place.
“There were dozens of them. And the Trinity.”
Ethan growls, his wolfy face distorting in anger. It’s strange to see. I never would’ve thought animals to be expressive before, but I can see every inch of fury painted across his face—from his bared teeth, to the malicious gleam in his eyes, to the flaring of his nostrils.
“The bitches knocked me out,” I continue, forcing myself to my feet. I’m grateful when my legs don’t shake. That would be fucking embarrassing. “We need to get her back.”
Ethan releases another high-pitched yipping sound and begins to prance around me. It takes me only a moment to realize that he’s trying to get me to follow him.
But there’s no way in hell I can go to where the other shifters are. I’m still dressed as a gunman. They’ll kill me on sight, and I can’t even blame them.
Ethan must see something on my face because he stops walking. Sits down. Cants his head to the side curiously.
“Do you know what happened back at the party?” I jab a finger in the general direction of the gathering. A knot forms in my throat when I think of all those shifters, those innocent children, those dead bodies… “They’ll kill me if they see me.”
Ethan still appears confused.
“Can you change back to a human so we can talk?” I demand, my voice breaking, turning raspy.
I instinctively reach for the water bottle I always keep with me before remembering I don’t have it. Dammit. I clear my throat repeatedly, but I’m not sure it does much. Every word I say feels like hot pokers dragging across my skin.
Ethan whines and lowers his head to his paws.
“Are you able to…change back?” I ask awkwardly.
I know about shifters, of course, but I never paid attention to the logistics. All I know is that they’re able to change into an animal. Easy peasy. Right?
Ethan tilts his head from side to side. No idea what that means.
I growl and turn in the opposite direction of the shifters, towards where I suspect the witches went.
“I don’t know what the fuck is up with you, but I’m going after Izzy. You can come with me or stay here.” Without waiting for Ethan to respond, I begin to stomp through the forest, pushing branches away with more force than necessary.
I become aware of pressure against my calf and look down to see Ethan, his amber eyes glinting with keen intelligence. He meets my gaze and nods once before prowling in front of me, his nose to the ground.
Tracking Izzy and the witches.
I don’t even know this fucker, yet I’m relying on him to lead me to my mate. I want to scoff at myself. Maybe slap myself silly.
But I don’t have a choice.
The clock is ticking, and each second I mill around is another second something horrible can happen to the girl I love. If that means relying on a naked wolf for help? Then so be it.
What the fuck is my life coming to?
I tuck that question in the back of my mind and pick up my pace, determined to stay beside Ethan as he weaves through the forest.
Gracie, hang on.
I’m coming for you.
No, I inwardly correct. We’re coming for you.