FINN
I opened my eyes and sat up.
Fuck. I can’t believe I passed out.
I didn’t know how long it lasted, but my healing abilities were doing their job, and I was feeling much better and had most of my energy back.
Clare was still chanting, and it was Alister now who was on his knees in front of the circle. What I saw behind the swaying lights of the candles made me jump to my feet.
Spencer was on her four paws. Her wounds were healing, and I could see dark fur on most parts of her body. She was bouncing back and forth like she was helping her wolf to come forth.
My eyes wide open, my heart beating in my throat, I gaped at her, frozen to my spot, waiting in anticipation for her last kick into the curse’s butt.
Her body jolted once more, and there she was—a magnificent, large, and absolutely gorgeous wolf covered in rich, lapis lazuli blue fur.
“Spencer,” I gasped, my eyes watering. “You did it!”
Clare dropped Alister’s hand and burst into unstoppable sobs.
Alister sat on the ground and gazing at Spencer, said, “Finn, you need to turn. Now.”
As he said it, Spencer snarled, and her eyes glowed red. She jumped toward the first person standing in front of her. Clare. But Liam leaped forward, cutting in between the two of them, and flipped Spencer over. I grabbed the stupefied Clare around her back and pulled her aside. Spencer sprang back to her furry feet, and mesmerized, I watched her get into a fight with Liam.
A loud howl came from the woods.
Spencer and Liam broke apart and turned their heads toward the sound.
Is that—before Liam could finish his question, Spencer lunged forward and dashed away. Liam leaped after her.
I shifted, sending pieces of my torn-apart clothes flying around, and darted after the two of them.
Remember, she’s stronger and faster than any of you right now, I heard Alister’s voice in my head. It will take some effort to stop her.
Sniffing the air, I ran deeper into the woods.
James?I called. Is that him?
It’s him,I heard James’s reply. He was trying to get to the house, but I kept cutting him off. Now I lost him.
Spencer is after him.
Spencer? You mean—Is she?
Yes, she made it.
Holy cow!
We need to stop her. Where are you?
East.
I heard another howl. This time, I was sure it was Spencer.
Liam, can you see her?
Yeah. She was behind the crypt. Then she made a big round, and now she’s heading back to the bridge.
Following her scent, I ran west. Luckily, she didn’t know the property that well yet. I turned around and took the shortcut to the bridge.
I could sense James coming closer from my left, and Liam heading on from my right.
And finally, in the bright moonlight, I saw Spencer. She was a few feet away from the bridge. She slowed down for a couple of seconds, looking to the other side of the river. A dark-furred wolf sped toward her from between the trees on the other end of the clearing.
My blood boiled, and fueled by fury, I doubled my speed. Spencer was fast, but I caught up with her at the right time, and when the two of them were only twenty feet away from each other, I leaped forward, jumped over her, and landed in between them, facing the intruder.
My roar rambled through the air. The next moment, James and Liam landed on my right and left, growling ominously.
The wolf stopped, digging his paws into the earth, with his fangs bared, and growling back at us. Spencer came at me from behind, snarling fiercely. I spun around and as much as it hurt me to do so; I snarled back.
Spencer, calm down.
The second I looked her in the eyes, she stopped, then suddenly whined, then drew closer and softly pushed her head into my neck.
Looking at us, the wolf growled and took a few steps back. Then, with a long, lamenting howl, he turned around and ran back into the woods.
Spencer, are you okay?
She raised her red eyes at me.
Can you hear me? I asked. Please let me in.
Crap, crap, I heard her confused thoughts. Let him in. How do I do it? How do I make him hear me?
You already did, I replied with amusement. I can hear you, Spencer.
You can hear me? She stared at me, and I watched her red eyes as they turned a brilliant blue with a glowing silver ring around her pupils.
Yes. I hear you perfectly.
She moved even closer, and I could feel her rapidly beating heart.
Finn. Finn, I’m alive.
You are. My heart pounding, I brushed my cheek against her warm, soft fur. I’m so proud of you.
My eyes watered from the joy and sorrow in equal measure for my Spencer, who almost died right in front of my eyes from excruciating pain, bleeding out from her torn flesh as she fought her fate. And who was strong enough to survive the torment of the curse that was meant to kill her.
I don’t remember much after I shifted. Did I hurt anyone? She asked timidly, like she was afraid to hear the answer.
You might have taken a bite from Liam. I replied humorously, as I turned to look at him.
Did I? Oh. Liam, I’m sorry.
Hey, you are the heir of the Great Alpha now. I would wear that bite mark as a tattoo if I could. But unfortunately, I can feel it healing.
Congratulations, Spencer,I heard James's gleeful thoughts. You fought it through.
Thanks, guys.
James, how close did he get to the house? I asked. Is it possible that he heard Clare’s chanting?
No. I made sure of it. I kept him behind the river. And . . . James hesitated. I know I shouldn’t start a fight, but I did take a bite out of his throat when he tried to get closer. If he found out that we were using magic . . . You know? I had to stop him.
He knew what he was getting into when he trespassed the territory, said Liam.
James, what about you? How badly did he injure you?I asked.
It’s nothing. Just a scratch on the leg.
I heard Spencer’s low growl. He’ll be okay, Spencer. How are you feeling?
I feel great. But Mom must be worried. We should probably head back.
Before we do. I was too excited, and I wanted to have a moment with her. How about that first run together?
Since there’s no way in hell I’m doing this shift thing again in the near future, I think we should.
Have fun. We’ll tell Clare that you’re fine,said Liam, and he and James took off, heading back to the house.
* * *
SPENCER
I supposed that’s how a mother must feel after giving birth to a child. They say the moment she looks at her baby, she forgets the pain she just went through.
I doubted that I would ever be able to forget the agonizing pain I had just gone through. I was sure it would haunt me for years to come: every bone in my body breaking, the feeling of the sharp pieces cutting through my skin and flesh, the taste of blood in my mouth from my teeth growing and ripping open my gums, the fire in my chest and my boiling blood burning my veins, the pain in every organ, and every inch of my body until I couldn’t fight it anymore.
The moment I came back to life, all I felt was fury. But when I felt my wolf for the first time, I came to my senses. She was so happy to be born. And the second I heard Finn’s voice, everything fell into place. It helped me put the rage and agony of the transition behind me so I could recognize his wolf.
I was here, with my Finn, and all I could think about was the fact that I came through; the curse be damned.
Everything around me was so much more alive than I tried to imagine when I read about the heightened senses of shifters and vampires in books and on the internet. No description could do justice to the feeling itself. No one would be able to imagine it until they saw it themselves. And I could hear everything. Every little noise the quiet night could offer.
As we ran through the woods under the moonlight, I embraced my new nature. I felt everything: the earth under my paws, my pumping muscles, the fresh breeze cooling my warm, furry body, the whooshing of the tree trunks and bushes as we passed them at full speed, the murmur of the river we’d left far behind. And the most important sound in the world—the happy heartbeat of the wolf next to me.
*********
ERIC
With fury storming through me, I reached the place where I’d dropped my clothes before turning. My neck wasn’t bleeding anymore. The bastard got me all right, but at least I paid him back.
I put on the pants. Then I wiped the blood off with the edge of my shirt, put it on, tucked the bloody edge into my pants, and headed to my car. I had a long ride ahead, which will give me time to think this situation through and come up with a plan.
As I drove, the image of her newly born wolf popped into my mind. I could tell that the transition was a difficult one. It was like I felt some part of the pain she went through. And then, she was right there, running to me when that son of a bitch cut her off.
So far, all I knew about her was her name. Spencer. And that the woman with her the day I saw her the first time was her mother.
I went through every memory of her from the moment I met her at the gas station. The first look, the sound of her voice, that beautiful body that I knew hadn’t been through a shift yet.
After she filled up the tank, I hid from her view and watched her go to her car. I came to her from behind when she was typing a message, and when she pushed the phone into her back pocket, I pulled it out at once so it wouldn’t have time to lock the screen. She was too deep in her thoughts and didn’t feel a thing.
First, I read the message she just sent, then I noticed that the battery icon was red. Luckily, I managed to add her to my friend finder before the phone died.
I couldn’t follow her right away since Max and I were on our way to a business meeting with a couple of wolves from the Georgia pack. But I kept a close eye on her movements from the moment she charged her phone.
Next time I saw her was in Asheville. Following the map, I drove to the restaurant and when I saw that wolf with her, the way he looked at her, and his hands all over her, my blood boiled.
I couldn’t wait to find her and talk to her, and I was sure that when she turned, she would make the right choice.
The image of her gorgeous wolf with such an unusual color of fur popped up in my mind again.
The several-hour ride home to Tennessee passed pretty quickly with my head full of thoughts, and soon I saw the familiar PRIVATE PROPERTY NO TRESPASSING sign to the territories of my father’s pack. I didn’t even stop by my cabin but drove right to my father’s house.
The door to his study was open, and I saw him sitting behind his desk.
“Eric,” he turned to me as I entered the room. “You’re back.”
“I need to talk to you.”
“You look upset, son.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
“Father, I’ve finally found my mate.”
“That's great news, Eric. But I see there’s a problem.”
“Nothing we can’t solve.” I clenched my teeth. “There are a few wolves that are keeping her away from me.” I pressed my fists against the table and leaned forward. “She is mine. And I need your help to bring her home.”
My father’s questioning look turned to an angry frown. He got up to his feet.