Other voices fill my head. Helga’s. Anders’s. Kieran’s.
The door to Wulfric’s home flies open at my approach, and I barrel inside. Wulfric slams it after me and bolts it. My legs give out, and I crumple onto my knees and gasp for air. The scent of home and pack floods my nose, and the red haze at the edge of my mind recedes bit by bit.
“What’s happened?” Lyall kneels beside me, his presence as warm as a blazing fire in the dark. He touches my shoulder, his hand comforting and heavy.
“I…” I can barely get the words out. The berserker still has its hooks in me. It doesn’t want to talk. It wants to hunt, to kill. My claws scrape the floor, and a snarl builds in my throat.
“Shit. Not good,” Anders rumbles to my left, taking hold of my other shoulder.
“Wulfric! He’s losing himself!” Lyall cries, and his heart races in my ears. I can almost smell the blood pumping through that meaty organ. Can imagine the way it would squish between my fangs, blood gushing—
Hands frame my face, big and rough. The Alpha forces me to look up at him and stares me down. “Submit,” he growls, and there’s a tugging in my mind. I want to obey. No. To submit will mean death. My fangs lengthen and a growl tears at my throat.
“Wulf, be careful!”
“Stay back, Kieran!” he snarls over his shoulder, then focuses on me. “I said,submit!”His roar fills the house, shaking it to its foundations, rattling the windows. The Alpha’s might exceeds my own. I must obey.
Whining, I lower my forehead to my brother’s knee. My fangs become blunt and my claws shrink.
“There you are,” Wulfric breathes, cupping the nape of my neck. “I’ve got you.”
The haze lifts, taking my fury with it. The berserker has retreated, but I can still feel him prowling the borders of my sanity. He will return, and when he does, I won’t have the strength to fight him.
“Thank the gods,” Aunt Helga says, and I feel awful when I notice the sheen in her eyes. “You scared us, dear.”
“Sorry,” I murmur, chest aching.
“Where did this blood come from?” Wulfric asks calmly, but his heartbeat skips. “What happened? Can you tell me?”
Words form in my throat and this time my mind allows them through.
“I-I’ve ruined everything.” Tears burn my eyes, my throat thickening until it aches.
Lyall squeezes my shoulder. “Tell us.”
“A witch attacked me. In the v-village near Arlo’s home.”
Anders’s fingers tighten, bunching in my furs. “Who was this witch?”
“TTA,” I rasp.
Nearby, Kieran curses softly.
“Is he still alive?” Wulfric asks.
I nod. “Aye, but I lost myself. I shifted and people saw and—gods, they’re going to come after me.” The TTA will take me away. I’ll never see Arlo again. Oh gods, I ran off on him. I let that be our last moment together.
I can’t let the TTA take me away. I’ve got to see him again so I can apologize for how bloody badly I left things.
I’ve got to tell him that I—
“Breathe, brother,” Wulfric says coaxingly, lifting my face toward his. “You’re still in control. We will not let them take you.”
“Where’s Arlo?” Kieran asks. “Does he know?”
I shake my head, shame roiling in my stomach. “No. I… damn it! I ran from him. He told me he loved me, and I ran like a coward!”
There’s a pause, and I look up. Kieran has a small smile on his face. “Usually, people tell each other that before they get engaged, right?”
