by Sara Dailey
Shari chimed in, “So, how could you not know that you were different? I mean, there are signs and stuff.”
And again, before I could answer, Aiden interrupted, “No, not a clue. I just thought Al was one tough chick. Before she beat me up, she got her hands on three poor, defenseless girls at our old school.”
“What? Really?” Cami turned to me for clarification.
And naturally, good ol’ Aiden decided to answer for me. “Yep. My little sister here had quite a reputation at South Shore High. She punched first and asked questions later.”
Before I could defend myself, Kendall found a way to cleverly take the subject off of us and turn the attention back to her. “So guess what guys? My mom said I’m getting a new car for Christmas. Well, technically, it’s supposed to be for Christmas, but I convinced her to get it for me sooner. Anything I want. What should I ask for?”
With the focus being solely on Kendall and her important car decision, I leaned up against a boulder to try to relax. Though my initial anxiety about meeting the pack had passed, my stomach was still in knots, and I still couldn’t seem to catch my breath.
I was nursing a beer that was forced upon me by Aiden when Sammy scooted over to sit beside me. “Alli, hey girl, you alright? You seem awfully quiet.”
“Actually, I’m feeling a little off. I might just head home,” I admitted.
“You want me to walk you?” Sammy offered.
“She’ll be fine. Won’t you Al?” Kendall said with a little pat on my shoulder, like she was concerned, but in truth, it seemed more like she couldn’t wait to get rid of me.
“Kendall’s right. I’ll be fine,” I told Sammy with as much of a smile as I could manage.
I walked over to where Aiden was chatting up some of the girls and told him that I was heading back home. He gave me an I-knew-you-would-flake look and then went to the cooler for another beer. I waved goodbye to everyone and headed back to our house.
Chapter 8
Kendall
Allison Wright… Allison Wright better watch her big-ass behind. There is only one queen in this pack and it is me. I bet she thinks she’s so hot with all that blonde hair. Who does she think she is? Playing the shy-quiet-new-girl part. She may be tall, and tanned, and curvy, but she is still a nobody. And if I have anything to say about it, she will remain a nobody. There simply isn’t room for anyone new, and I’m going to make damn sure that there is no place for her.
“Earth to Kendall. Do you read me Kendall?” Sammy shouted as he waved his hand back and forth in front of my face.
“What? Get your paw out of my face. I was just thinking.”
“About what? Cade? Where is he anyway?” Shari asked.
Good question. Where was Cade? I didn’t know how to answer that without admitting that Cade hadn’t told me what he was up to tonight. We were supposed to be inseparable, supposed to tell each other everything, but the truth was that he’s been acting weird all day, and things have just been, well… awkward.
“He had some stuff to do. And it’s not really any of your business.” I turned away from Shari and looked over at Aiden, who was laughing at something one of the guys must have said. Aiden was definitely hot, but not really my type. Being that I have been surrounded by weres my whole life, just another pretty face doesn’t really do it for me. When he caught me staring, I ended up blurting out, “So Aiden, how are you liking it here?”
Aiden ran his hand through his hair before he answered, “It’s okay so far. I mean, we just got here, so there’s a lot to get used to, but I think I’m going to like it.”
“I think you’re going to like it too. You and my boyfriend, Cade, will probably be good friends. He’s going to be our next alpha, you know.”
Out of nowhere, Becca interrupts and says, “And Kendall here is just dying to get her hands on Cade’s alpha ring.”
I rolled my eyes at Becca, ignoring her jealous remark, and turned to talk to Aiden again. “You and Cade even kind of look alike,” I said suddenly realizing just how true the statement really was. Cade and Aiden did kind of resemble each other, in a weird way. Maybe it’s just their green eyes. Dark features were the norm in any pack, but every once in a while, you come across a were with light eyes. It was uncommon, but not nearly as rare as blonde hair, like Allison Wright’s. Now that was something I had never seen. She probably thinks she’s oh-so-special with her perfectly-golden locks.
I walked off to get another beer when I caught a scent of something unfamiliar in the air. My nose was leading me off toward the tree line when I heard Sammy’s voice calling, “Hey, Kendall, what’s up?”
“What are you? My mom? Just give me minute.” I hoped he would think that I just needed to pee and leave me alone. I knew I didn’t have to go far. The scent was getting stronger. After a few steps into the trees, I saw him. Piercing, blue eyes of a wolf I had never seen before peeked out from behind a huge boulder. Our eyes connected, but he didn’t move and neither did I. We just stood there… staring. Whether this wolf was dangerous or not, I didn’t know, but for some reason, I felt like I needed to find out.
Chapter 9
Allison
The further away I got from the campfire the worse I felt. At first, it came and went. A flash of nausea, a tightness in my chest, but now it was more like a tingly sensation all over my body. I swear I could actually feel the blood pumping through my veins. All I wanted to do was stop, lay down in the fetal position, and wait it out, but I needed to get to my house. I knew that if I made it home that I would at least be safely inside the confines of my room, so I pushed ahead with all the speed I could muster.
Despite the fact that I felt like I might faint at any moment, I was almost sprinting by the time I could see our front porch in the distance. Amazingly enough, the sight of it seemed to take the edge off my nausea.
I slowed to a walk and tried to catch my breath a bit. But that was when the serious pain started; I clutched my stomach and doubled over. Falling to my knees, I gasped for air. It was like, all at once, my heart had stopped, my lungs had failed, and something in my stomach was trying to claw its way out. I wanted to scream, but no sound would come. I rolled over on my side attempting to slow my ragged breathing, but the pain wouldn’t let up.
I needed to get home. I lifted my head, pushed up with an arm that seemed to only be partially functioning and somehow made it to my knees.
After that, everything happened so suddenly. I wasn’t even sure how. All I knew was that one second I was struggling to make it to my feet, and the next I was down on all fours… paws, that is.
Holy shit, shit, shit! This can’t be happening. This-so-can’t-be-happening! I thought to myself since I suddenly found myself unable to speak. I opened my mouth, well not my mouth exactly, more like my muzzle, but nothing but a low whine came out. With a little added effort, I forced out a pitiful excuse for a howl, and then quickly decided that practicing my howl wasn’t the best idea, being that I could quite possibly attract unwanted visitors.
Looking around, everything appeared so different, so much more vivid, so much more alive. I could now see clear across the lake, the water shimmering from the moonlight, the fish swimming just beneath the surface, the dew forming on the grassy bank, the hundreds of insects encircling the nearby trees.
But what shocked me the most were the smells in the air. The rich soil, the thick grass, the lake water, each took on their own unique scent, and somehow I was now able to distinguish between them all at once. I had only thought I had a heightened sense of smell before. The scents in the air were comforting, like earth, nature, life… like home. It was as if I belonged; as if I had finally discovered where I was meant to be.
I found myself beginning to move, needing to explore, to follow the scents that were calling out to me. I took one step on my new legs, expecting it to be like learning to walk all over again, but it was nothing like that. With one step down, the rest followed with ease and before I realized it, I was running.
In this form, on these strong legs, I possessed a grace that I have never known before. I was running as fast as I could through the thick forest, never missing a step, zigzagging through trees and brush, loving this new body and all that it could do.
I didn’t know where I was going, but I didn’t care. The freedom of dashing through the woods was all I needed. I finally felt comfortable in my own skin, which didn’t make a lick of sense being that it was all so new to me.
I caught sight of something in my peripheral vision and almost laughed, or whatever the equivalent of laughing was in wolf form, when I realized it was my own tail swooshing along with the rhythm of my gait. I stopped to take a better look at myself. I was the color of honey. I kind of looked like my old neighbor’s golden retriever, but way freakin’ cooler.
As I stood there watching my tail swish back and forth, my thoughts suddenly drifted to Aiden, and I wished that he were here with me. That we could have made our first transformation together. He would so love this.
What he would look like as a wolf? Would he look like me?
Just as I was picturing the two of us racing through the woods together, I picked up on a scent that stopped all thought, all movement, leaving me standing completely still, breathing in a smell that I would never forget. A mix of earth, and musk, and honeysuckle, and sandalwood filled my senses leaving me with a need, a need to find this thing that was suddenly making me salivate, suddenly making me ache with desperation.
Without hesitation, my nose hit the ground as I began to track the enticing smell. I didn’t look up. I didn’t stop moving. I didn’t stop to think about what I might find. None of it mattered. I needed to find the source of that wonderful scent.
In the near distance, I heard a rustling in the brush, which ceased the mission that had held me spellbound. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked around, spooked by what I might find, but what I saw was the last thing I expected.
Peering out from behind a tall oak, a wolf was watching me. We just stood still, staring at each other, neither of us moving a muscle. His amazing green eyes were in sharp contrast to his deep, dark fur. He was a much bigger wolf than me, strong and lean, and the glint in his eyes told me that he was no ordinary wolf.
I gathered up the courage to take one single step toward him and was surprised when he did the same. We continued this dance. I took a step, then he took a step, until we met in the middle near the edge of the lake. We stood with our noses only inches apart, just looking into each other’s eyes. I couldn’t stop myself from drinking in the intoxicating scent that he exuded. Somehow I knew that he was doing the same.
He took one more step forward making our noses tap together gently. If it was possible to smile in wolf form, I would have, and without the use of words, I was left with only one option. And I couldn’t resist. Nuzzling his neck with my face felt like the right response. The need to touch him was so strong, but once I did it, I immediately felt self-conscious and backed away. He again took a step toward me and returned the affection.
Lightening the mood, the dark wolf hunched down as if he was about to pounce. This began a game of cat and mouse that seemed to last for hours. We chased each other through the forest and played like we were little kids.
I was running as fast as my new legs could carry me when I felt a nip at my hip that sent me crashing to the ground. Before I could regain my footing, the wolf was on top of me. He had me pinned down so that I was forced to stare into his brilliant green eyes. The emotions that flowed through me scared the living shit out of me, and I had to get away. I had to get away from this strange, dark wolf that awakened a need in me that I didn’t know existed.
Before I could even begin to struggle, he leaned down and licked the tip of my nose, sending shivers from the tips of my new pointy ears to the tip of my new fluffy tail. I froze under his weight. He backed up just enough to let me regain my footing, and then he nuzzled my neck again. It just felt right, like we were meant to do this.
Seconds later, that familiar wave of nausea passed over me again and my muscles began to ache. I couldn’t change back for the first time in front of this stranger, even with the connection that we so definitely shared. When I felt the excruciating pain start in my chest I panicked, and took off in the direction of my house, somehow knowing the way and having no choice but to leave my mysterious stranger behind.
***
I made it to the back patio just in time. The change was sudden, automatic, like my body just knew what to do. I couldn’t have stopped it if I had tried. Unfortunately, my clothes did not miraculously appear beside me. This was a pesky little problem that I had not even considered. Freezing my butt off, I ran in through the mud room, thankful to find that Mom had already stocked a shelf with some towels and sheets. I wrapped myself up in a fluffy bath sheet and tip-toed through the house and up to my room. Still shaking from the cold, I ran to the window to draw the curtains shut. When I looked down into the night, I saw the dark wolf’s eyes staring up at me from the shadows.
Chapter 10
Cade
Oh man. Allison Wright is going to get me in a lot of trouble, I thought as I stood and watched her change from a beautiful golden wolf to the most stunning woman I had ever laid eyes on, and I wasn’t just saying that because she was completely naked. She was not like the girls from around here. She was lean and strong like them, but she had the soft, curvy shape of a human. But it wasn’t her body that entranced me; it was her scent.
I could sense her; smell her since earlier in the day. I couldn’t even go down to the bonfire for fear of how I might have reacted being so close to her. I thought I would be safe hiding in the woods. I couldn’t help but find her. No one would blame me, right? I never dreamed she’d sniff me out in wolf form. I guess I didn’t have to roll around on the ground with her, but she was just too hard to resist.
I stood outside and watched her window until her light went out; then I headed home… alone. On the way there, I concocted a plan: run home, speak to no one, and shower quickly before anyone found Allison’s scent still lingering on me. As much as I hated the thought of her scent leaving my body, I couldn’t risk someone finding out.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out like it was supposed to.
I could smell Kendall before I saw her sitting on the porch steps waiting for me. It was more than obvious that she had had a few drinks and was pissed off.
“So, I see you met her. You reek!” she said as she slithered toward me.
“Kendall…” I started, but she cut me off.
She moved closer until she was right up in my face and threatened, “You listen to me Cade Walker. You better stay away from her. I mean it. You really don’t want to find out what I am capable of if you don’t.”
I stared at her in disbelief. The hostility in her voice was, quite frankly, a little scary. This was a side of her I had never seen. Well, I guess that’s not technically true, but I had never been on the receiving end of one of her hissy-fits. It was obvious that she was serious, but still it surprised me that she actually expected me to obey. There was no way anyone, especially Kendall, was going to start telling me who I can and can’t spend my time with.
I moved around her and put my hand on the doorknob and said, “Kendall, go home. I’m not in the mood to talk to you tonight.”
With her arms now crossed over her chest, Kendall replied, “Excuse me? I’m not done yet.”
“Yeah, but I am. Goodnight,” and with that, I walked through the front door without looking back.
I was heading upstairs to wash away both the evidence of my new secret and the bad mood that Kendall put me in when my dad’s voice interrupted me, “Cade, we need to talk. Now!”
I paused halfway up the stairs and took a deep breath. He was going to know. There was no way to hide the fact that I had been with Allison. If Kendall could smell her, there was absolutely no chance that the alpha would miss it.
Before I set one foot inside the study, my dad said,
“You are not to see her again.”
It was a command. There was no emotion in his voice, nor concern for how I felt about the situation.
I stared at him unsure of how to respond.
“Sit down, Cade. We need to talk.”
I decided my best bet was to play dumb. “What’s this about, Dad?”
From there, it truly was a one-sided conversation as Dad lectured while I listened.
Dad: The Wright girl is off limits. There will be no more interaction with her. There will be no more anything with her. Do you understand me?
There was no time to respond before he started in on me again.
Dad: You know your role in this pack. You will become the alpha, marry Kendall, have lots of pups, and lead this pack. I will not allow it to be any other way. Do you understand me?
Again, no time to respond.
Dad: I can’t believe you would even consider, for one moment, that you would get away with this? What were you even thinking?
Dad: Do you even have anything to say for yourself?
Me: I…
Dad: You know what? Just get out of here. Go take a shower and wash her off of you before Kendall finds out and tries to kill you.
I turned to leave, not sure that anything I could say would matter anyway. But before I made it to the stairs, Dad had one more thing to say.
“And son, if I ever find out that you were with her again, you will be disobeying a direct order from your alpha, and I will handle it as such. And you know what that means.”
Chapter 11
Allison
The overwhelming scent of bacon and fresh coffee woke me from my first disturbingly vivid werewolf dream. As I slept, my mind replayed the events of the night before: the running, the playing, the mysterious wolf with the amazing green eyes. The images burned into my memory of that night felt intimate, so personal that I couldn’t even begin to imagine telling anyone about it, about him. And for some reason, about my change, too. I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t even want to tell Aiden that my were-side had made an unexpected appearance last night. At least, not yet. At least not until I find out the identity of the unidentified wolf.
