In between waves of pain, I opened my eyes and squinted. To my horror, I saw Domino and Blitz starting to strip. I blinked away the moisture of my tears, but the disturbing image didn’t wash away with it.
Their vests came off first, then their t-shirts. Their toned muscles gleamed in the moon’s blood-red light, sending a chill of fear down my spine when I tried to understand where this was going. When they reached for their belts, I recoiled, terrified they’d reach for me next.
Another shock of pain bombarded my body and my vision momentarily whited out. When it came back online, the images were different. Much sharper and bolder, though muted in color.
“It’s okay, baby girl. You’re doing great. It’ll all be over soon, and then the pain will be gone,” Ace soothed, as I writhed and cried uncontrollably in his arms.
Going down onto his knees, Ace set me onto the grass as my whole body spasmed in one ultimate charley-horse. There was a single second of blinding pain, too great to fully comprehend, and then it was all over.
Limp and panting in the cool grass, my pain shorted out of existence, and I was seemingly back to normal. I felt… good.Better than good, actually. I felt amazing. Standing up, I realized I was somehow only thigh level with the towering biker in front of me.
Wanting to ask Ace a question about this, I attempted to speak, but only a strangled sound tumbled out of my mouth.
The handsome biker smiled down at me. Then, he began to pull off his vest, setting it carefully at his feet.
“I know you’re confused about what’s going on,” he began, his tone calm and melodic. Much like you’d use on an abused, scared animal whose trust you were trying to earn. “You’ve successfully gone through the change, Cat. You’re a ware-shifter now. You’ve always been one, but you didn’t know it because that fact got lost somewhere in your family tree long ago.”
I began to slowly back up and growl. Growl? Did I just do that?
“I’m telling the truth,” Ace continued, shucking off his shoes and pants. “Look behind you if you don’t believe me.”
Tossing a nervous glance over my shoulder, I saw two enormous wolves standing directly behind me and nearly pissed myself. The majestic animals were holding stock still, observing this scene like they were actually following the conversation. Though both were impossibly large, one was significantly bigger than the other. Was that Domino? No, that was insane. Ace must have drugged me at some point and now I was hallucinating some crazy shit.
Out of sheer terror, I yelped, and both wolves looked directly at me then with eyes that were not quite animal or human. They were some hybrid of the two, making my insides roil with fear and disgust.
“Catalia!” Ace shouted at me, when I began to fidget nervously in place. His first-ever use of my formal name garnered my full attention. “Watch me shift. Then you will believe.”
Completely naked now, Ace crouched onto the ground and the air shimmered around him. Before my very eyes, his body began to morph. It took only a second, but the biker went from an adult human man into the equally impressive form of a massive wolf.
Shocked, I stared dumbfounded at the animal now before me. His glossy black coat set off his intelligent grey eyes, leaving no doubt in my mind that I was looking at the same man but in animal form.
Trotting over to my side, Ace nuzzled my neck. Gently using his teeth, he nipped the delicate flesh there and my muscles instantly slackened. Giving an approving yip, he moved between our little rag-tag pack and tossed his head back. A howl, strong and true, poured forth from his muzzle. It was one I could not ignore.
The rest of us mirrored our leader, lifting our faces to the Blood Moon and baying side by side with our alpha. My human brain might not want to believe what was happening was true, but my animal brain accepted it implicitly.
Ace lowered his head then and flashed a wolfish grin. When he glanced at the woods just behind the structure we’d arrived at, we all knew what he was saying.
Follow me.
And we did.
Staying close on Ace’s heels, I shadowed my mate, loving the freedom of the night and the gentle breeze that whisperedthrough my honey-toned fur. Behind me was Blitz. His pelt was so pale it almost appeared white in the dark of the night. Protecting our rear was Domino, the biggest wolf of us all. His grey pelt, flecked with black, blended into the forest seamlessly despite his great size. It made the menace of muscle appear almost boneless as he loped quietly behind us, vigilant for any potential threats that should come our way.
My stomach gurgled then, and I realized I was starving. Ace paused and gave my cheek a reassuring lick. Licking him back, I tried to communicate my need for sustenance, and I prayed he’d understood my clumsy effort. Coming to a full stop, Ace’s ears pricked as he intently listened to the forest sounds around us.
Mirroring the pack’s stillness, I awaited their next move. Then, when I thought I’d just have to starve, I spotted what they were all focusing on. A lone deer, just over a gentle ridge in the distance.
The buck was young, but fully mature. Even with no experience as a wolf, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to take down such a specimen. However, after a surreptitious look at my pack—yes, my pack—I knew each one would be able to end the daunting beast even if on their own. But we weren’t on our own; we were a unit, and together, we could achieve great things.
Gesturing with his nose in the direction of the blissfully ignorant animal, Ace crouched low and began to creep forward. Blitz and Domino wordlessly understood their leader’s plan. The former went left, while the latter went right.
Uncertain what I should do, I began to restlessly paw at the ground until a voice in my head communicated that I should relax and watch from a distance. It wasn’t so much human wordsthat spoke to me, more so pictures that conveyed the meaning well enough for me to understand the overall intent.
Hanging back, I laid on the ground and peeked through the brambles to see what would happen next. With beautiful precision, the pack silently approached the buck. Like a dance that had been perfectly choreographed, they circled the beast on three sides, effectively blocking any potential route of escape.
Unwilling to just meekly submit to death, the buck turned to run in the opposite direction as soon as Blitz rushed him. Unfortunately for him, Domino was waiting for such a move. Try as he might to give the giant wolf the slip, the buck was wholly unsuccessful when he nearly ran straight into the oversized beast’s jaws.
In the end, the kill didn’t come from Domino or Blitz. It came from behind while the animal’s panicked eyes were focused on the intimidating Club Enforcer’s. In one swift motion, Ace tore into the buck’s neck. The hot blood poured from a major artery at a speed that left the large animal unconscious in seconds, and dead in only a handful more.
