I drop back onto the mattress beside him, pressing my forehead against his side. His fur is soft, his little heartbeat steady against my skin. “I don’t know what’s happening to me,” I whisper. “I feel like I’m burning from the inside out. And my wolf—she’s right there, under the surface—but I don’t know what to do with her.”
Archie’s small paw rests on my nose. “You don’t have to know. Instinct will take over. You just have to trust yourself and the beast inside you. The rest will come naturally, even if it feels anything but.” He pauses, then adds, “You’ll also need to believe in Cade, too. He may not accept his role in the wolf pack, but what he’s about to walk you through is what he was born to do.”
I want to ask more about the process, but after what I’ve read, I think it’s best if I find out the hard way. Otherwise, I might run for the hills for real this time. Some things are better left unknown until they smack you in the face.
I glance at him, my throat aching at the way his beady little eyes meet mine with something like fierce loyalty. “You’re my favorite, you know that?”
“Obviously.” He titters with ferret laughter. “I’m handsome, portable, and smarter than all the people you’ve met in this house. Plus, I could eat each of them for a snack.”
A real smile surfaces on my face, easing the tightness in my chest, and the storm inside me finally feels settled.
I stay with him, enjoying his company and light conversation for a while, but eventually, I push off the bed and wander to the window. Tugging back the curtain, I press my palm to the cool glass. Outside, the forest is already drowning in shadows, the tree branches sharp against a sky that’s bleeding into night.
Beyond that, the moon is rising. Waiting for me.
My reflection stares back, pale and uncertain, fractured by the last streaks of fading light. I wonder once again who I’ll be once this is done.
The girl who burned everything down? Or the one who found a way to belong?
I don’t know. But with Archie’s unwavering support and the restless wolf inside me, one thing is certain…
Whatever I become, it won’t be what they expect.
Chapter 13
ROWAN
It’s not long before the moon muscles its way into the center of the starry night sky, glowing like it’s also here for the show, and I’m standing dead center in a field beyond the manor. If this were a private meltdown, maybe I could deal, but no. Apparently, my shift is a spectator sport.
I’ve got an audience of people waiting to see whether I’ll gracefully embrace my wolf, or explode like a piñata filled with regret. Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about so many eyes on me while I’m about to be torn apart and stitched back together by magic biology. Especially since, let’s be real, the odds of me failing spectacularly are sitting somewhere between “inevitable” and “watch this disaster unfold.”
“You’ve got this, Rowan,” Liz calls out, and not for the first time.
I shoot her a look that hopefully conveys,If you say that again, I will find a shovel.
My grimace deepens as my gaze drags over ourcharming little audience: Liz, of course; Iris looking like she’d love to hex me into a toad if she could; Archie perched proudly on a boulder next to them; and some guy named Elias. I don’t know him, but apparently, he’s here to “keep an eye on things.” Which I took to mean, if I lose control over my wolf, turning into some supernatural version of a rabid dog, he’ll help put me down.
And because life clearly enjoys mocking me, Cade will be the one commanding the shift out of me. Yep. The broody, infuriating, unfairly hot alpha is about to boss me around while I combust into a wolf.
That should piss me right off. Really, it should. But the second his gravelly voice rasped over my skin, low and authoritative, and those darkening golden eyes locked on mine like I was already his, I basically melted into a puddle on the grass.
Yes, please command me, Sir.
This is how far I’ve fallen. I’m into life-threatening transformations and men who make my brain short-circuit.
This whole shifting business better smooth out my rollercoaster emotions, because if I keep swinging between rage-filled bloodlust and heart eyes like this, I’m going to file for early retirement from life.
I give my shoulders a shake. It’s time to get my shit together and lock in on my surroundings. At least according to that book, I’m supposed to be one with mother nature or something woo-woo like that.
So, with what’s supposed to be a calming breath,that’s what I do.
The grass whispers beneath my bare feet as the cool night air brushes against my overheated skin. My heart hammers like it’s trying to break free from my chest and sprint into the forest without me. The sound of an owl echoes from the trees, and I pick up on the skittering of a smaller creature, likely running for his life.
Don’t worry, little dude. I would be too if I had a choice.
A warmth from deep within begins at my core, relaxing my muscles and has me closing my eyes. A silver light forms behind my eyes, brighter than the moon above.
Wolf?
