I stumbled to a stop, heart hammering as I spun around. Vito was only a few yards away, already smirking like he’d won.
Then I let go. Bones cracked. Fire lit through my muscles. I screamed as my limbs twisted, tore, reshaped.
My vision blurred, and the pain swallowed everything, but I didn’t stop it. I embraced it. Welcomed it. Needed it.
Fur burst through my skin, paws slamming into the dirt. I barely had time to finish my transformation before Vito laughed, low and gleeful.
“Oh, now we’re talking,” he said.
His form exploded into a blur of muscle and fur. His wolf was massive, larger than most I’d seen. Golden-blond fur streaked with dark gray, those same yellowing teeth bared in a feral grin.
He completed his shift before I could even stabilize my footing. Still mid-shift, aching and disoriented, I did the only thing I could. I lunged.
My smaller frame crashed into him, momentum my only weapon. I twisted and sank my teeth into his shoulder.
He yelped, more from surprise than pain, and bucked me off with a violent twist. I hit the ground hard but scrambled up again, shaking leaves from my fur.
I didn’t have his bulk. But I was faster.
I darted to the side, skirting around him, feinting like I’d run again. When he lunged to follow, I turned and struck. My claws raked across his ribs. Blood sprayed. Not much, but it was something.
He snarled and retaliated, jaws snapping inches from my throat. I barely ducked in time, his claws slicing across my flank. Pain seared down my side, but I kept moving, forced myself to.
Beau knows where I am. He’s coming.I just had to hold out.
Vito charged again, this time faster, less playful.
I tried to sidestep, but he anticipated it. He slammed into my side with his full weight and pinned me hard to the forest floor.
I yelped, paws scrabbling for purchase as his teeth snapped at my neck.
I twisted violently, managing to rake his belly with my hind legs. He yowled, giving me just enough space to roll out from under him. I dragged myself to my feet, panting, bleeding.
Everything ached. My breaths were ragged. My wolf was still new to this kind of fight, untested. But I wouldn’t give up. I wouldn’t let him drag me back to Orin.
I crouched low, tail bristling, teeth bared.
Vito’s eyes gleamed red in the filtered light through the trees. Blood speckled his muzzle. He looked hungry. Then he lunged again. So fast!
His shoulder slammed into mine. I went down hard. The wind knocked out of me. Pain shot up my spine as his teeth sank into the scruff of my neck, just shy of the jugular.
He held me there, growling, heavy and hot on top of me. I thrashed, kicked, did everything I could, but he was stronger. Too strong.
I could feel the blood pooling beneath me. My vision blurred. I couldn’t keep this up. Beau, I thought desperately.
Vito let go just enough to bark a laugh in wolf form. The sound was low and guttural. He didn’t want to subdue me anymore. He wanted to kill me.
Orin probably wanted me alive, but Vito looked past caring. He was blood-crazed now, lost in the thrill of it.
I wished I had my human voice. I would’ve shouted. Would’ve told him that Orin would tear him apart if he did this. But in my wolf form, I could only growl and snarl and bleed.
I was starting to black out when a sharp voice cracked through the trees.
“Enough, Vito!”
Vito froze.
And so did I.
