But there was no use pretending I wasn't terrified when I felt massive, sharp teeth dig into the wrist of my hand at my throat pulling me to my feet, until I as following dumbly behind the giant beast lest his teeth sink further in.
I could feel a trickle down my hand, and I couldn't tell if it was his saliva, my blood, or a combination of the two as he pulled me through the woods alongside him, seeming to have a destination in mind.
Where?
To his pack? So they could all enjoy eating me alive?
My stomach flipped, sending the food I had eaten earlier up my throat, needing to swallow hard to force it back down.
Maybe I should have fought. Surely, I stood more of a chance of surviving trying to fight off a lone wolf instead of an entire pack of them, but a small part of me was clinging to hope that maybe it didn't intend to kill me.
Could it be possible that it was a pet wolf? A massive pet wolf. Who was bringing me home to his master?
That was what I was trying to convince myself as it picked up the pace into a trot, expecting me to keep up even though he had a two-leg advantage on me.
Sweat poured as we kept the breakneck pace. I lost a shoe, felt the bottom of that foot getting chewed up by twigs and rocks and brambles, but was unable to pull to a stop because anytime I did, those huge teeth just sank deeper.
The metallic note of blood met my palate as the never-ending trek led us up a steep incline, causing my thighs to scream, my lungs hurt.
Then, just when I was sure I couldn't take anymore, the wolf slowed, puffing out his breath through his nostrils, then pulling me into a giant rock formation, down into the cavern-like depths.
There, deep inside, his teeth released my wrist. His massive head whacked into me, shoving me in another couple of feet as he huffed again, turned in a circle, and lay down in the opening to the only exit.
With nothing else to do, I slid down the wall, cradling my wrist to my chest, pulling my wounded foot up onto my other thigh, taking deep breaths, trying not to cry out.
The wolf's gaze pinned me, but he made no move to attack, to do anything but stare at me with the oddly knowing eyes of his.
Then I heard it.
A howl, far off in the distance.
Followed by another. Then another. And another.
Until, finally, my wolf threw his head back and joined in, the sound so loud it made my ears ring.
Dread filled my belly as I kept hearing these calls, answered by my wolf, getting closer and closer with each passing moment.
They were coming.
To see what their friend had found.
And I was a sitting duck with bleeding wounds.
I had no idea what fate lay ahead of me with the demons, but I was pretty sure it would be preferable to being torn apart by wild wolves.
But pretty soon, the howls stopped.
Because I could hear the distinct tap-tap-tap sound of giant claws on the rock floor.
They were coming...Chapter TenLycusShe was gone.
My stomach plummeted at that realization when we made it home later that evening after going to a local MC meet-up, networking, handing out product, trading it for different kinds, building our stockpile for the next party that was already being planned.
"Fuck!" I roared, grabbing the edge of her nightstand, flipping it up, flinging it against the wall, feeling the Change taking over me, not even bothering to try to control it.
"What the fuck is going on?" Ace called, running down the steps. One look at me, in nearly my complete True Form, with the nightstand tossed and broken, and Ace's eyes were blazing red too. "She got away?" he asked, his fingers stretching into talons.
His having been around much longer than the rest of us, it was rare to see Ace lose control of the Change. Even when his temper flared, you never so much as saw the red overtake his eyes. He controlled it.
Except for now.
Because of my fuck-up.
Because I had been in a pissy-ass mood with the witch, and left in a rush without making sure to lock the door when I knew none of us would be around to keep an eye on her.
"Damn it," he roared, tearing back up the stairs, calling out for the others.
Ace, whether he had shared it with the rest of us or not, clearly had a good feeling about this witch. He'd never given a shit about the others, always seemed to know the moment they arrived that they weren't exactly what we were looking for. He would use them all the same, but it was like he was going through the motions.