Chapter 27 Mona
Grayson wanted me to shift back and forth at least two or three times before I reached Orion at the cabin.
But running in human form while his wolves stalk me like prey, their alpha wolves snapping at us as we dodge and weave their sharp teeth, hiding in the tall grass, I can barely breathe, let alone focus on shifting once.
We've done it before, Beep reminds me.
That was a partial shift, I argue. And I don't like thinking about that time on the cliff.
Neither do I, but our mate is right. We are here to practice. Let's begin.
Past the field, the forest swallows me whole.
A snarl rips so close I can feel hot breath on my neck.
Goosebumps break out along my arms. I stumble, heart slamming against my ribs.
Hints of different scents—pine and dirt from the forest floor, animals scampering about, and wolves—all swirling around as I run.
Why does it take us so long? I ask honestly.
Because you assume it will. You put a damper on our connection.
"Oh, so it's all my fault? You have nothing to do with how long shifting takes?" I growl out loud.
A wolf, hiding in wait, bursts through the bushes, jaw gaping wide enough to snap through my neck.
I sprint, zigzagging deeper into the forest. A second wolf materializes from the shadows of the trees, blocking my escape.
I wrench in another direction, and when he snaps his teeth in the empty air, the sound reverberating through my bones, narrowly missing my arm, everything suddenly feels unnervingly authentic.
You're right, Beep says, but I barely hear her. My skin crawls with that familiar buzz, the shifter magic blooming inside my human form.
"Wait—" my voice catches. "I'm not ready!" I'm still panting, trees blurring past, branches whipping me in the face. Two alphas, barely more than a body-width behind me, snarl as they chase. Grayson assured me they wouldn't hurt me intentionally. Why am I only now realizing how deluded that sounds?
Beep continues, I said, you are right. I've been relying on you to be ready. But you never will be.
The buzzing intensifies. Up my arms. Then down my legs. Through my abdomen, along my veins and nerves.
"Beep, what are you doing?"
I'm shifting.
"But I'm not—"
No. We've tried to be in sync, but the problem is, we never agree on anything. You're not even trying to shift, even now. And so I will, without you. I think I've figured it out, Mona.
"Be nice if you shared with the class," I screech, tripping on a branch, landing hard on the heels of my palms.
A shadow falls over me. Heavy paws stamp into the ground. The wolf smells of rosemary.
Eli.
The relief that I recognize him is short-lived.
His eyes lock on mine, teeth long and sharp—without warning, they snap, dripping with saliva.
He barely lets out a growl before I'm trying to scramble away, but his teeth sink into my ankle.
My scream echoes through the forest as he whips me through the air like a rag doll.
My body slams against a tree trunk, my ribs cracking from the force.
Run! Beep shouts. The buzzing along my skin grows deeper.
I stagger forward, leg dragging uselessly behind me.
The wolf's growl vibrates the ground beneath me. He's toying with me. He could rip my throat out in seconds, and he's having fun.
I grunt, dragging my mangled leg across the dirt, though my leg is already healing. Eventually the limping turns into a trot, and though I know they could easily catch me, I'm fueled by determination.
I bound over fallen logs, and though the other wolves on the path are herding me, I don't let them bait me. I veer off course, but then the ground pitches at a sudden slope, and I catch myself from tumbling into the ravine, swallowing a mouthful of mud as I skid to a stop.
An electric, sulfuric stench hits me. Lightning seems to dance across my skin, then something jolts me. I yelp, but the second jolt doesn't hurt—it tugs at me, beckoning. Scanning the woods, I see nothing.
But then a branch snaps, and just before I can launch myself down the hill, a wolf crashes into me like a freight train, knocking the air from my lungs, my rib cage still burning from hitting the tree. Two wolves circle me, fangs bared, teeth gleaming and wet.
That panic stretching across my chest? It's real.
Take your clothes off, Beep says.
Not a great time, I argue.
The countdown starts now. I'm shifting, Mona. And when I say so, you release. Just let go and trust that I will be there. We keep working against each other, but you need to trust that I can do this for you, for us. Inhale, feel my magic. Exhale, let your body go.
On my hands and knees, I eye the wolves as they prowl, circling tighter, closer.
Let go! Beep shouts.
The gray wolf slams his paw down with so much force the ground shakes.
And then Eli lunges—his teeth still red with my blood—and clamps down on my wrist with a sickening crunch.
He wrenches my arm backward as the gray wolf tears into my calf, tugging me in opposite directions.
I barely register the pain through the panic.
My scream rips through the forest. The other wolves in the forest watch and wait. Listen. They do nothing.
The buzzing along my skin builds, the waves of the shift crash into me, and then it explodes through every cell.
Let go! Now!
I cling desperately to control, terror flooding my system. But that buzzing—the one that usually takes forever to spread throughout my body—it's suddenly here, consuming me from the inside out.
She did this. She prepared us without me.
It's not even a conscious decision. I release, and she takes form. Eli's fangs rake up my arm before he lets go, splitting open the skin as it reforms.
My legs shift next, and I try to help, to focus through the chaos, but Beep falters. And that's when I realize what she was trying to say earlier. The more we try to be in sync, the more we fight each other.
This is Beep shifting, not me. She's doing it without me. She just needs my permission.
The more I try to fight it or help, the longer it takes.
Because we still don't trust each other.
It's her last thought before she's fully formed.
Coarse auburn fur rips through my skin, my clothes splitting at the seams, hanging in tatters off my new shape as my hands and feet turn to claw-tipped paws.
We look around with polarized vision and take in our surroundings.
The scents slam into us, brighter now. Pine sap and decaying leaves.
The metallic tang of my blood matting the fur around my leg and arm.
I'm panting internally and let out a laugh. Holy shit, Beep. That was like two minutes!
Can a wolf smile? Beep must be smiling because the other wolves chuff and dip their heads.
I think they're smiling too. Eli nudges me with his muzzle—his earlier, scary teeth and alpha dominance as he chased me through the forest are neatly tucked away.
The second wolf does this hop thing with his front feet.
He smells of spearmint, like a sweetened cup of tea. They're excited.
The lighter gray wolf, who smells of spearmint, tilts his head, nose pointing east. Then he trots off, and Eli waits, nodding for me to follow.
I glance over my shoulder, tracing our path back through the trees to where the gray wolf is headed. The cabin sits several miles in the distance. I've strayed off course.
Wow, we really run far when we're scared. Good for us.
Beep snorts, but I'm too happy. It wasn't a perfect shift, but things feel like they're clicking into place. And as we trot through the underbrush, Beep sniffing everything, trying not to act too excited by what we just accomplished, a strange tug yanks in my belly.
It's like that pull that drew me north—it happens again, and then a hefty yank makes me stumble.
The wolves following me stumble, too. Well, they don't stumble—more like skip a step.
Significantly more graceful than us. They recover quickly, let out a chuff, and both turn to me, offering big, sharp wolfy grins.
The tug dissipates slowly, outward, through my limbs, then into the air.
That was weird.
Don't you feel it? Beep asks.
Feel what?
Beep snorts and begins trotting again, like nothing happened, as do the wolves beside me.
You accepted the clan, she explains.
No I didn't?
Maybe not consciously. But you did. You trusted these two alphas to protect you, even after biting you. You and I found a little peace. We're fitting in. It all culminated. Now you are Silent Peak.
I think about that while the wolves snap their teeth playfully and give chase.
Beep scents a creek nearby, and though it's not the direction we're supposed to go, she trails off, and the other two follow.
We hear wolves howling in the distance. It echoes through the trees, so many shifters joining in on the chorus.
They can all feel you now, Beep says.
What does it mean? I ask in awe as the howls send shivers down my spine and warm my soul.
Nothing, really. It isn't like a pack, or a mate-bond.
They are just welcoming us to the clan. You won't be able to feel them, they have no control over us.
But an omega has officially joined Silent Peak, which means the peace and prosperity we bring is theirs.
They will do anything to protect us. Relax. It's a good thing.
I laugh to myself, and at the absurdity that is my life. Relax, she says.
So, I do.
We hit the stream. Beep laps up water, and the other two over-grown enforcers play like children. We made a lot of progress today, and I'm going to enjoy this.
But then the sulfur scent is back, and this time, it slams into me. Beep stumbles, then shakes her snout, and sneezes.
Pungent, electric, caustic—as if it's rising from the water itself.
Beep's nostrils flare, and the two wolves beside me stiffen. In a heartbeat, I'm flanked between them.
Their playful energy evaporates—their dominance floods out of them like a warning bell, making my knees shake. Low, guttural growls remind me how violent these predators really are. The chase through the woods was nothing compared to this.
Something flickers in the trees. Magic thickens the air, choking me. The enforcers explode into action. Eli launches forward in a blur, while the gray wolf crashes against me, spinning to guard my back. Eli's howl splits through the air, up into the sky—an ear-deafening sound.
The magic surges, creeping tendrils wrapping around my legs and arms, an invisible coil threatening to pull me across the stream. A shadowy form ducks through the trees, the figure of a man, his arms reaching out toward me, beckoning me closer.
Beep takes a deep inhale, then sneezes. She tries to shake it out of our nose, but one step, then another, pulls us into the water. The magic spills down my throat, into my ears and eyes, paralyzing my limbs. Disoriented, we stumble into the creek, her paws splashing.
Teeth flash, clamping down on my leg, making Beep yelp, but it breaks the spell.
The gray wolf that smells of spearmint releases me, then shifts. In seconds, his gray fur shakes off into smooth, dark tawny skin. Before I can even register the naked man towering above me, he reaches down, hauls me up into his arms, then takes off in a sprint.