Shame burns hot through me, hotter than any fire I’ve ever known. Gods. What have I done?
What the fuck have I done?
Rowen’s face flashes in my mind—his lips blue, eyes straining as my hands closed tighter around his throat.
My mate.
I hurt my fucking mate!
A few seconds more and he—
No, I don’t dare think it.
I pull at the tether, knowing I have no right to do so. But my heart is shattering, dissolving into nothing. I’m desperate for a sign that I hadn’t truly hurt him.Please be okay.
When I get a barely noticeable quiver in return, I let out a choked sob. It’s still there, but faint. Weak. Terribly fragile.
Tears blur my vision. I skid to a stop near the tree line just as two wolves leap over a bush. I recognize the lighter of the two, but not the other. Sage plants himself in front of me, ears pinned back and tail stiff, like he’s trying to drive me away.
Or drive meback.
“I’m—I’m—don’t you see? I have to go!” I shout, voice cracking. “I’ll hurt you! I’ll hurt all of you!”
The wolves step closer, slow and cautious.
Panic claws at my throat. More wolves circle from the shadows, steps slow and uncertain. Pressure builds behind my sternum, hot and feral.
I shake my head. I’m being surrounded. They’re surrounding me!
See?The voice slithers through me.They aren’t your allies. They want to hurt you.
“Shut up,” I rasp, tugging at my hair. “Just shut up—shut up! I hate you!”
The nearest wolf shifts in a fluid motion of magic and beauty. From soft gray wolf to beautiful woman in a matter of seconds. Jasmine stands there, her long hair barely covering her. “Tobias, what’s going on?”
“I can’t… I have to go! I can’t—I’ll hurt you.”
“TOBIAS, STOP!” Ivy screams from the porch. “Rowen is fine!”
For a split second, the world stops and relief floods me. But it’s cast aside as soon as Jasmine’s face darkens. Rage, maybe?
I step back, shaking my head as a hurricane of emotions swirls within. Fear. Panic. Rage. Confusion. They twist together, coiling like barbed wire—as dangerous as my own hands. A rumble tears up my throat andout my mouth as something rips loose in my chest, hot and wild. My back arches as my body splits apart.
I lunge for Jasmine before I can stop myself, scraping at her chest with nails that aren’t mine. They’re too long. Too sharp. She throws an arm up to stop me from a second blow, and I sink my teeth in. The taste of metal floods my mouth, her cry of pain ripping through the air like a siren.
Something large and solid slams into me from the side, sending me sprawling in another direction. Pain blooms in my hip as I crash down hard, and a strange yelp bursts out. From me? I can’t be sure.
Someone snarls, snapping at my haunches to get me to back up. I scramble to my feet, rushing back. Two wolves circle in front of Jasmine, protecting her, and the ring around me tightens.
I look around, confused. Everything seems so big, so disorienting.What—what is happening?
I try to run, but my limbs won’t cooperate, moving all wrong. My feet feel foreign as they dig into the earth. I blink down, expecting blood, expecting dirt—anything human. But the ground blurs. Four black paws tremble in the mud.
What the—
“Tobias, just calm down,” Jasmine says. “Everything will be okay.”
I shake my head, confused. Everything is too bright. Too loud. The surrounding scents are vivid, layered, suffocating. The world is sharper, alive, yet I can barely breathe in it.
