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He set a violent pace until he was pounding into me, brutal and relentless. My strangled shouts turned into ragged screams. His hands pressed into my back, fierce and bruising, but I could hardly feel it with his cock burrowing so deeply inside me.

“Oh gods,” he moaned, eyes rolling back slightly before his wild gaze returned to mine. “You fit me so well, Cerise.”

My vision blurred as he thrust into me again and again. Pressure mounted within me until I couldn’t see anymore. There was nothing left but a burning, brilliant light, consuming my senses. I let out a shrill cry, the sound tearing from me. Alaric’s roar mingled with mine as he came, his body jerking with one final, powerful thrust. I felt him spasm as he spilled into me. All that rage, all the pent-up emotions and energy burst out of me. The beast inside me lunged, springing forward.

Let me out, it urged. I must be free!

As another climax barreled through me, I relented. Wave after wave washed over me, flooding my senses. I couldn’t even remember my own name. I let go completely. Fire enveloped me. I felt myself screaming but couldn’t hear my own voice. My body shifted, and my skin melted. My bones cracked and reformed until I was something completely new. Someone completely new. White fur spread along my skin. Long claws extended from my fingers.

No, I thought in horror. No, it can’t be…

Everything around me darkened, collapsing in on me until all that was left was a tiny, minuscule window through which I could see Alaric’s eyes growing wide. I fell, rolling and tumbling, but I couldn’t stop. A powerful force wrestled control from me, and I was nothing but a bystander, watching helplessly through my window.

I tried to shout, to thrash against the invisible force, but I was powerless. Voiceless. Distantly, I heard Alaric speaking, but I couldn’t make out the words.

All I could hear was that voice in my head, now crystal clear and unmistakable.

It’s all right, said my wolf. It’s my turn now, Cerise.

Thirty-Three

THE WOLF

My skin was still humming with energy when I noticed Cerise changing. Her hands glowed gold, and warning bells clanged in my mind.

Then, she shifted.

Her scream was drowned out as her body stretched and elongated. I heard her bones cracking and re-setting. She writhed on the sand, twisting and breaking as the wolf took over.

Oh gods. Oh gods.

White fur appeared on her skin. A snout protruded from her face. Her crimson hair disappeared. She hunched over on all fours, no longer a woman, but a wolf. When the transition was complete, a pained whimper escaped her.

Cerise was gone. A small white wolf stood took her place, lying feebly in the sand, breaths hoarse and ragged. Her golden eyes flitted around wildly, as if trying to take everything in.

Gods’ breath. Cerise had a wolf. This whole time, there was a wolf inside her.

“Tavik,” I thought urgently. “Tavik, please wake up. I need you for this.”

No answer.

I held perfectly still, knowing that if I approached the wolf, I might frighten her even more. For several moments, I watched her continue to lie there, panting in the sand. Her ears stood straight up, her white fur on end and her pupils dilated.

She was terrified.

Was this her first shift? It had to be. I couldn’t imagine how much pain the wolf was in, having been suppressed for so many years.

And Cerise… Gods’ breath, she was probably panicking right now.

“Tavik!” I bellowed.

Still nothing. How long would it take for him to fully recover from what had happened in the bunker? Even our worst injuries only took a few days at most to heal.

Gritting my teeth, I inched forward, my movements slow and careful. She had to know I was here, right? Wolf senses were sharp.

Then again, if this was her first shift, I had no idea how muted everything was for her as she adjusted to her surroundings.

I took a deep breath before murmuring softly, “It’s okay.”