The burger!
Chucking the bag at his feet, I took one more step backwards toward my Jeep. Just three steps to go. My fist grasped the keys tightly, making sure they poked between my fingers. I’d try to gouge his eyes out if he lunged at me.
The werewolf bent low to smell the bag, then looked up at me and growled.
Shit. Stupid woman. What was I doing traipsing through the woods on a full moon near the alpha’s land? Everything within me wanted to lunge for my car, but sudden movements spooked wolves, and made them want to give chase. I stayed put.
We were at a standstill. It would have been an epic stare-down, but I knew better. I kept my eyes on the ground not to challenge him. Just as I thought I was going to survive this, another twig snapped behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see a mammoth gray werewolf with molten yellow eyes, and my stomach dropped.
Brock. I knew those eyes.
Brock’s wolf let out a low warning growl.
That’s when all hell broke loose.
As I turned back to look at the black wolf, he bounded through the air without warning.
All I could do was bring my hands up to cover my face and neck, but I didn’t get them up fast enough. I’d lost my concentration when Brock showed, and I was too slow for the black wolf. His paws landed on my shoulders, and suddenly, I was flying backwards. My petite frame hit the ground hard, and I cracked my head on the packed earth.
The next second, his sharp teeth tore into the side of my neck, where my collarbone met my shoulder. A terrified scream left my throat before I couldn’t scream anymore.
Pain like I’d never felt before ignited every nerve in my neck. Remembering my keys, I used what I could of my pinned arm to stab him in the ribs, as hard and as fast as I could. Just when I was sure he was going to bite me again and tear out my jugular, a streak of gray crashed into the black wolf and pushed him off me.
Dropping my keys, I pressed a hand to my bleeding throat—a slow, steady trickle of blood dripped from the gash. He’d missed my carotid or I’d be dead by now. The moon above me started to look fuzzy; my vision swam.
I’d been bitten by a werewolf.The reality of my situation sank in and panic exploded in my chest, sending adrenaline coursing throughout my body.
The two wolves were fighting, going at it hard, a mess of snarls and whimpers, when two gunshots popped from my porch. Turning my head agonizingly slowly, I saw Molly holding Gran’s shotgun with a fierce look in her eye. I followed her gaze to the black werewolf, who lay on his side, panting heavily.
Brock stood on two feet instead of four, covered in patches of grey fur and skin. Nothing was scarier than a half-shifted humanoid-looking werewolf. Well, nothing except being attacked, and bleeding out on the ground.
That was definitely scarier.
‘Evie, what the fuck is happening?’Cass’ frantic voice popped into my head.‘You feel like you’re dying.’
I couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t form sentences. There was so much blood, so much burning pain… but there was also something else, a buzzing, like a live wire vibrating inside of me, shaking my body like a cage, trying to break free.
Suddenly Brock was there, looking fully like a hot naked man as he scooped me into his arms. Even in my half-dying state, I couldn’t help but notice the hard muscles on his body, the way everything fit just right. My glazed eyes even skimmed his junk. If these were my dying moments, then at least I’d gotten one last look.
When he stood with me in his arms, Molly aimed the shotgun at his head.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re taking her?” Molly’s voice was full of grit, and I decided right then she would be my new best friend—or at least my second-best friend. This girl had a huge pair of balls.
Brock growled. “I’m going to try to keep her from dying,” was all he said before he set off in a sprint.
His strong hand came up to pin my head to his chest, to keep it from jostling too much, when an overwhelming wave of dizziness hit me.
“What the fuck happened?” A voice joined Brock. “Is she human?”
My eyes couldn’t open anymore; they were too heavy. Everything was garbled, as if I were deep underwater.
“She’s a dud witch. Get Doc!” he barked.
I was too out of it to object to being called a dud, the word I usually hated.
Running footsteps.
“What about Nathan?” a new voice asked, this one grittier, more dominant.
