“Kenneth, get me…fuck, I don’t know. Get some water or something!” I cried out. Panic was rising in my gut. I was afraid. More afraid than I’d ever been in my life.
Kenneth arrived a few seconds later with a bottle of water. I tried trickling some into her mouth to keep her hydrated, but she spat it back out and gagged. It continued like that for hours, until the moon finally set and the glimmer of sunrise began in the east.
As if a switch had been flipped, Maddy collapsed, motionless, into my arms. She was so still that, for a heart-stopping second, I thought she’d died. Then I saw the steady rise and fall of her chest, and I let out a sigh that was close to a sob.
I stripped her clothes off. They were completely soaked through with sweat. Once I got her under the covers and her head on the pillow, I left the room, closing the door behind me so she could sleep off what had just happened.
I flopped into a kitchen chair and covered my face with my hands. I was more tired than I’d ever been in my life. I could only imagine what Maddy felt like. Kenneth set a cup of coffee in front of me, and I greedily took it, sipping the scalding liquid.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Tired. Freaked out. Worried. All of the above.”
“It’s the moon. She has the power of the werewolf in her blood. It made the pull of the moon stronger than it would be if she’d been a normal shifter.”
I nodded. “That’s the only thing that makes any sense. I’ve never seen something like that. I’ve heard rumors of suppressants being used on shifters. There’s always a bit of a withdrawal stage, but they never have anything like that happen when they start to shift again.”
Kenneth nodded, then sipped at his coffee. “Last night, the werewolf inside her was reacting to the pull of the moon. The legends say the night of the full moon is when they were at their strongest.”
“I don’t know how to help her get over the hill,” I said. “How do I get the wolf to come out?”
Kenneth tapped a finger against his mug and eyed me over the bridge of his nose. “Have you and Maddy discussed claiming?”
I stared at my cup. “After last night. this is going to sound stupid.”
“Try me.”
“Well, I’ve been holding off on discussing it with her. I wanted to wait”—I gestured toward the bedroom—“until thedangerwas over,” I said ironically. “Looks like a different kind of danger was waiting in the wings, though.”
Kenneth stared back at me, not saying a word. I stared back, getting more frustrated by the second.
Then it clicked into place. My shoulders drooped and my hands slid off the table. Christ, I was an idiot.
Kenneth pointed at me. “If you become mated, you’ll share each other’s strengths. It could be the last little kick in the butt her wolf needs to figure out how to come out. Once you claim her, her wolf might become strong enough to come forward for the shift.”
It made sense. Every claimed set of mates I’d met had always had an intense connection. It was the only thing I had to go on. I’d discuss it with her once she woke up, but that ended up taking quite a while. She slept the entire day. I took a three-hour nap, and when I woke up, Kenneth said she’d barely stirred.
Finally, hours later, just before dusk, her eyes fluttered open.
I sat on my knees beside her, taking her hand. “Hey. Damn, you gave us ascare.”
“I feel like I was hit by a bus,” she hissed as she ran a hand down her side.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Kenneth asked from the door.
Maddy glanced toward him and nodded. “I’m starving.”
Kenneth nodded. “I’ve got a can of soup. I’ll make you a grilled cheese to go with it while it heats up.”
I’d never seen someone so hungry. Maddy devoured the sandwich and the soup before it even had time to cool. Kenneth found a can of pineapple and a couple granola bars, which shealso polished off quickly. Once she was finally satisfied, she seemed much stronger and ready to talk.
“So,” I said, “this is our theory.”
“On?” Maddy asked.
“On how to fix what happened last night. To keep it from happening ever again.”
“How?”
