I jump to my feet. “What the fuck?” Everything around me goes silent, almost like the wind has stopped too. “There's no way I just imagined that, right?”
The people I hiked with didn't carry weapons. Even if they did, they're not about to start shooting a gun to gather attention. We're on protected land,which means we're trespassing. If we're caught, we could be arrested.
So, that leaves the other possibility.
Someone's hunting here.
I hear something running in my direction, something large, and on four legs. Plants and trees fall in the distance as they get trampled by this huge force. I find out way too late that it's not just one thing.
A large beast appears out of nowhere, knocking me to the ground with a powerful paw. I feel sharp claws scratch across my face as I fall down.
Blood leaks into my eyes as I look up at my attacker. A giant wolf hovers above me, snarling and baring its teeth. I'm too terrified to even scream for help.
Is this how I die?
The wolf brings down its fangs into my neck, sinking deep. Pain travels through my entire body in an instant, and I'm unable to move.
Another gunshot rings out, causing the wolf to let me go. Other wolves appear and vanish with the same speed, ignoring my bloody mess.
I gargle, trying not to choke as I grow desperate for air. The wolf that attacked me runs off with the others. Seconds later, they're replaced by men dressed in thick clothes and carrying rifles.
These men pause when they get close to me. I try to reach out for help, but one comes near me and examines my injuries. “She's too weak to turn,” he says. “She's not human anymore with that bite. She'll be dead bymorning.”
“Shouldn't we just shoot her?” another one asks, leveling his gun at me.
“No,” the first one says. “I want her to die painfully. Anyone with even a bit of wolf in them doesn't deserve our mercy.”
They walk away like I'm nothing. Hot tears pour from my eyes, and I feel myself succumbing to my injuries. Thoughts of a very underwhelming life fill my mind as I pray to whoever is listening for a second chance.
The moon seems even brighter now, almost like it's reaching out to touch me. Just before all my strength vanishes, I feel an intense force flow through me. My body begins to glow the same as the moon.
Slowly, the pain is replaced by a different one, almost like something is trying to come out of me. My eyes shoot open, and I gasp for air. That's when it happens—the first crack.
I scream as I continue to hear my bones breaking. Thick, black fur grows from my body, sprouting out of my skin. I turn around, surprised that I can move again, but I barely have the time to think about this.
Slowly and painfully, I fully transform. Even in this new wolf body, I can't move around at full strength. I end up staying close to the tree for most of the night.
By the time I wake up the next morning, I'm naked and starving, but the most surprising part is that my pain is gone. The claw marks on my face are now only thin lines and fading. My neck is fine, even though it's still a little sore.
I move around the woods until a woman spots me. She's much older than I and doesn't seem surprised to see me at all. “You're the one that Devin turned,” she says. “My name is Abigail. Come with me.”
Abigail is theone who explains everything to me, patiently answering my questions and informing me of my new existence as a wolf. She tells me that my life will never be the same, even though that's all I want.
I'm invited to live among the wolves, but I can hardly control my emotions. It's difficult to stay calm when the shifter that ruined my life is still around.
Abigail also explains who the hunters are, and I realize that I've acquired yet another enemy. Still, I leave the group and find my way home, but nothing returns to normal.
I can hardly control the aggression that comes with my wolf side. It ends with me losing my job, my house, and I can’t face my own mother.
After a month of trying to get myself under control, I give up and head back to the same woods where I was turned, hoping to find the pack that was there.
My search comes up short as I can't even pick up a scent. The pack is long gone—if they're even still alive.
Since then, I've stumbled around as a lone wolf, never truly fitting in anywhere. I don't fit in with humans or other packs. Eventually, I manage to find a different pack, but they quickly refer me to the IronFang pack.
Now, here I am in the office of the CEO, realizing what I've just gotten myself into. I dislike both shifters and hunters, but the shifters are the only ones I know that will accept me.
This is my life now.
