harder. “I said, don’t !”
He sprawled on the snow.
She was shocked to see him fall—she hadn’t meant to hurt him. But Abel didn’t seem bothered. He only propped himself on his elbows so he could stare at her.
“You need a werewolf mate,” he said.
She took a deep breath. “Maybe I do. But… I bit Seth.”
“You did what ?”
She lifted her chin in defiance. “He forced me to do it.”
Abel stared at some invisible object in the distance—maybe the horrible memories of the first time he had been bitten. “Why the hell would he have done that?”
“He was trying to protect me. And I think… I think he wants to be changed.”
“What an idiot,” Abel said.
Rylie didn’t exactly disagree on that point. “We’ll know if he’s going to change tomorrow. On the next moon.”
Abel stood, anger clouding his features. But there was something else there, too—something that looked a lot like pain. “So maybe you don’t need me after all,” he said in a low voice, almost too quiet for her to hear. “But nobody needs me .”
“Abel…”
But he had already walked back up the highway, leaving Rylie alone in the snow.
The Gresham ranch was a short detour on the way back to California, and the moon was approaching quickly. Seth had been held at the hospital for too long—they were out of travel time.
So they returned to the abandoned sanctuary for what might be Seth’s first night as a werewolf.
Nobody came out to greet Rylie, Seth, and Abel on arrival. The house’s windows were dark, the burned husk of the barn was a black mark on the fields, and it was eerily quiet.
“Looks… nice,” Crystal said in a falsely upbeat voice.
“Shut up,” Trevin responded.
She gasped.
“Let’s just get inside,” Rylie said. “I feel too exposed out here, and moonrise is coming in a few hours.”
Hot prickles rolled down Seth’s spine.
Moonrise.
It came all too quickly. Seth lingered outside to watch the sunset, his hand in a cast and stomach knotted with nerves. After witnessing so many werewolves changing, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He still felt normal.
Shouldn’t he have been feverish? Restless? Hungry?
Trevin and Crystal ran into the fields before they had even shifted—in opposite directions. So when the kitchen door behind Seth opened again, he expected it to be Rylie. But the silhouetted figure was about a foot too tall, much too broad, and way too masculine.
It was Abel.
“What are you doing out here?” Seth asked.
Abel came to stand beside him. “I’m here to get you through your first change.”
“I thought Rylie was going to help me.”
“You got me through my first six moons. I’m going to get you through yours.” He bared his teeth in an unpleasant grin. “I’m being sentimental, so shut up and appreciate it, numbskull.”
“But you’re going to change into a wolf, too,” Seth said. “You won’t be very helpful when you’re licking your own nuts and chasing your tail.”
Abel jerked his thumb at the house. “Rylie’s watching from inside. She’ll using her magical powers to monitor our changes tonight.”
“She’s staying human again?”
“Guess so. She said she’s been feeling crappy—like she has the flu or something. She didn’t want to run around in the snow.”
Seth frowned. The flu? Rylie never got sick. He didn’t think werewolves could get sick. Was she avoiding him?
Or was she avoiding Abel?
After a long moment of silence, Abel asked, “How do you feel?”
“I’m okay, but that doesn’t mean anything, does it? The shift is completely mental on the first moon,” Seth said. “I don’t even know if Rylie can control me. You might want to tie me down if it looks like I’m losing it.”
“I’ll just punch your lights out if it looks like you’re going to change.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “This is so much better than having my girlfriend with me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Thanks, by the way,” Seth said,
He sprawled on the snow.
She was shocked to see him fall—she hadn’t meant to hurt him. But Abel didn’t seem bothered. He only propped himself on his elbows so he could stare at her.
“You need a werewolf mate,” he said.
She took a deep breath. “Maybe I do. But… I bit Seth.”
“You did what ?”
She lifted her chin in defiance. “He forced me to do it.”
Abel stared at some invisible object in the distance—maybe the horrible memories of the first time he had been bitten. “Why the hell would he have done that?”
“He was trying to protect me. And I think… I think he wants to be changed.”
“What an idiot,” Abel said.
Rylie didn’t exactly disagree on that point. “We’ll know if he’s going to change tomorrow. On the next moon.”
Abel stood, anger clouding his features. But there was something else there, too—something that looked a lot like pain. “So maybe you don’t need me after all,” he said in a low voice, almost too quiet for her to hear. “But nobody needs me .”
“Abel…”
But he had already walked back up the highway, leaving Rylie alone in the snow.
The Gresham ranch was a short detour on the way back to California, and the moon was approaching quickly. Seth had been held at the hospital for too long—they were out of travel time.
So they returned to the abandoned sanctuary for what might be Seth’s first night as a werewolf.
Nobody came out to greet Rylie, Seth, and Abel on arrival. The house’s windows were dark, the burned husk of the barn was a black mark on the fields, and it was eerily quiet.
“Looks… nice,” Crystal said in a falsely upbeat voice.
“Shut up,” Trevin responded.
She gasped.
“Let’s just get inside,” Rylie said. “I feel too exposed out here, and moonrise is coming in a few hours.”
Hot prickles rolled down Seth’s spine.
Moonrise.
It came all too quickly. Seth lingered outside to watch the sunset, his hand in a cast and stomach knotted with nerves. After witnessing so many werewolves changing, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He still felt normal.
Shouldn’t he have been feverish? Restless? Hungry?
Trevin and Crystal ran into the fields before they had even shifted—in opposite directions. So when the kitchen door behind Seth opened again, he expected it to be Rylie. But the silhouetted figure was about a foot too tall, much too broad, and way too masculine.
It was Abel.
“What are you doing out here?” Seth asked.
Abel came to stand beside him. “I’m here to get you through your first change.”
“I thought Rylie was going to help me.”
“You got me through my first six moons. I’m going to get you through yours.” He bared his teeth in an unpleasant grin. “I’m being sentimental, so shut up and appreciate it, numbskull.”
“But you’re going to change into a wolf, too,” Seth said. “You won’t be very helpful when you’re licking your own nuts and chasing your tail.”
Abel jerked his thumb at the house. “Rylie’s watching from inside. She’ll using her magical powers to monitor our changes tonight.”
“She’s staying human again?”
“Guess so. She said she’s been feeling crappy—like she has the flu or something. She didn’t want to run around in the snow.”
Seth frowned. The flu? Rylie never got sick. He didn’t think werewolves could get sick. Was she avoiding him?
Or was she avoiding Abel?
After a long moment of silence, Abel asked, “How do you feel?”
“I’m okay, but that doesn’t mean anything, does it? The shift is completely mental on the first moon,” Seth said. “I don’t even know if Rylie can control me. You might want to tie me down if it looks like I’m losing it.”
“I’ll just punch your lights out if it looks like you’re going to change.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “This is so much better than having my girlfriend with me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Thanks, by the way,” Seth said,
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