“I’m not going to turn down a run on the Alaskan frontier,” Thad says as he starts undressing.
Roslyn starts undressing as well, but my attention stays focused on Ella as she just stares into the woods in the direction I am. She blinks back tears, and I swallow down the growl of my own beasts that are seeming to fight with me for the first time in so long.
Without even undressing, she tips her head back, and a shift takes over. I watch the fabric tear from her body as she drops to all fours, the lycan ripping its way into form.
A roar rattles the air in both my mind and echoing through the woods to my ears as well. She turns away from the direction I’m in, shaking her head and huffing like a frustrated beast still locked in a cage, beginning her pacing.
Thad shifts, watching her warily as she continues to shake her head, but the worst part is when her lycan eyes look in my direction again. The sadness there is fucking miserable, and my jaw grinds when it feels like she’s staring directly at me on purpose.
Her head tips back and a low, agonizing howl ignites the air. I open my eyes, unable to look at her any longer as I run a frustrated hand through my hair.
Standing, I turn and kick the chair so hard it breaks apart. With a growl, I grab the pieces and launch them across the canyon behind me. Another feral growl escapes me as my fangs elongate and my claws descend, despite the fact I’m trying to retract both.
I start my own pacing, back and forth, working to keep my skin and not shift with her.
I listen to that gut-wrenching howl again, growing distant as she likely runs in the opposite direction.
Gripping the wooden table in front of me, I take several slow breaths, boxing my mind, fighting every instinct she draws forth. But I can’t seem to force myself to leave. To go home. To do anything but stand here gripping this motherfucking table.
The table explodes, and splinters rain down around me. Another growl escapes me, and I curse her with every breath as I start shrugging out of my clothes, shifting before I even finish.
Her sad howls guide me as I race through the woods, scaring docile creatures into frenzied panic as they scatter away from me.
Chapter 19
ELLA
The others race at my sides, and I soak in the freedom of sprinting through the woods. The freedom of escaping the clutches of my power’s grip, like I’m outrunning it, is anything but liberating, though.
My speed hastens, and Thad struggles to keep up, Roslyn too. But it’s been too long since I had this much room to run, so I don’t hold back.
My hind legs kick off the base of trees far older than I am, and I shift directions, leaving a zigzagged trail for the two of them to follow, almost smiling, even if it is a sad smile.
But then a scent catches my attention, and a growl vibrates in my chest as I skid to a halt and turn around just as Slade’s lycan form bursts through the trees.
His growl matches mine as we stare each other in the eyes, a challenge in the air. Thad and Roslyn stop short, staying back, even as Roslyn’s wolf whines.
Slade turns his eyes toward her, and I dive to be in front of them, growling louder as I take a step toward him. His attention returns to me, and we begin circling each other, eyes staying locked.
He leaps first, and I leap too. We crash in the middle, and roll to the ground until he slams down on top of me. I snap twice near his face, and he roars over me as when I dig in with my hind legs and try to heave him off me.
His mouth suddenly moves too fast, and I’m tossed to my belly and his jaws close around my neck. I go still, feeling his grip tight enough to remind me of my position, but not threatening me.
A sense of calm almost seems to wash over me, but then the tears threaten to return. He releases my throat, but I leave it exposed as I remain lying on the ground. My body shifts back, even as he stays in lycan form, looming over my much smaller frame.
“Are you happy? You’re more dominant. You’ve proven your point now. I couldn’t have dominated him if you couldn’t,” I say on a hushed whisper, my eyes staring vacantly at his paws when he steps in front of me. “You were right. I was wrong. Now will you just leave?”
He leans down, his snout nudging my cheek like he’s pushing away my tears as he grunts a frustrated sound. He sniffs my neck, nudging me again before releasing another frustrated sound.
“I’m not shifting with you. I’m not fighting with you. I just want to run free for a while before I face my mother. I need this. Please.”
He shifts back, bones popping into place until I see his human feet in front of me. His feet turn and start moving, and he goes to drop down on the ground, his eyes closed as he tries to get his breathing under control.
Still on my belly, I pull my hand up, resting it on the ground beside my face as he curses and throws something, before once again running his fingers through his black hair.
His eyes are teeming with so many emotions when he looks at me again.
“Why do you really hate me so much?” I ask him when he simply stares at me instead of leaving.