Here she was listening to a man, no a Corps member out to recruit and, well, bed her. Here she was embracing the freak half she’d worked to keep secret. Here she was turning into a damn wolf all over again.
She screamed as the pain continued, like a million needles digging themselves under her skin and twisting all at once. Eventually that scream became the anguished howl of an animal. Then it escalated to whimpering.
Pain, run, escape .
Then she noticed the scent, the musk of another wolf. Looking up from the tangles, she eyed him. He was large, easily twice her size with huge hulking shoulders.
Elaine bared her fangs and growled.
Leave me. My territory.
The other wolf chuffed and shocked her by rolling over onto his belly, exposing all of it for her to see. Confused, she tried to remember. Before there’d been the chickens, delicious in her mouth, their blood flowing over her tongue. Then dark quiet. Now she was with horses, neighing loudly, but she didn’t want that. One of them smelled of her own scent, was hers, but not as food.
She wanted to run.
But first, she wasn’t sure how to escape the confines she’d become aware of. Twisting again, she felt her paws slip deeper into the mess of cloth and, despite herself, she whimpered.
Looking up, she found the other wolf nearing her face. She snapped at him and missed his muzzle by inches when he darted away. The wolf snorted and came close to her again, shocking her when he lay his head by hers, making sure his throat was prominent. She growled. She could have him now, kill the threat.
Except no real threat would make himself vulnerable twice over.
Confused, Elaine cocked her head at him and whimpered again.
I won’t kill you .
That wolf nodded and then helped tear her bindings with his teeth. When she was free, Elaine circled him. Taking his docile nature as an invitation, she started to sniff, but it was then the wolf pulled away. She snorted, confused by his antics. First trying to submit to her when he was bigger then refusing a good sniff? What kind of wolf was he? All she could tell was that his smell drew her in––a familiar musk she couldn’t quite place. It smelled strong of sex and power, and it called to her as a mate, made her stomach rumble. At the same time, odd things surrounded it, the artificial smells of those bald things.
The humans .
She barked and showed some fangs.
Elaine? Can you hear me?
She growled and started running from the other creature––it wasn’t a true wolf––not when sounds were in her head. Turning tail, she bolted from the barn, out to where she could see Mother Moon. Her long legs leapt over the straw and grass even as wind whipped through her fur. Paws dug deep in dirt and helped her launch herself again. After a few minutes, she craned her neck to see him, see if that strange not-quite-wolf was behind her.
He wasn’t.
Relieved, Elaine slowed her pace to a trot as she approached the woods.
But when she looked toward the nearest gathering of trees, her fur stood on end. Somehow, he had gotten ahead of her. All there was left to do was fight.
• • • • •
Trent dodged the lunge she aimed expertly at him. He’d been in many animal forms over the last decades, and part of that had included fights with other beasts and shapeshifters. With Elaine, though, she was still new. Even if she was running on instinct from the wolf side, she wasn’t used to the new body.
Her lunge was slow and rickety.
With a quick sidestep he’d repositioned around her, and clamped his jaws as gingerly as he could around the tip of her tail. She just needed to get a hold of herself, to let her human consciousness fully resurface. Communication was a start.
Elaine! Get a hold of yourself. You’re Elaine Blackhawk and you’re a witch, not just a wolf.
She rounded on him and snapped at his shoulder, but he was angled too far for her to reach.
“Rawr!”
Great, we’re making so much progress, he
She screamed as the pain continued, like a million needles digging themselves under her skin and twisting all at once. Eventually that scream became the anguished howl of an animal. Then it escalated to whimpering.
Pain, run, escape .
Then she noticed the scent, the musk of another wolf. Looking up from the tangles, she eyed him. He was large, easily twice her size with huge hulking shoulders.
Elaine bared her fangs and growled.
Leave me. My territory.
The other wolf chuffed and shocked her by rolling over onto his belly, exposing all of it for her to see. Confused, she tried to remember. Before there’d been the chickens, delicious in her mouth, their blood flowing over her tongue. Then dark quiet. Now she was with horses, neighing loudly, but she didn’t want that. One of them smelled of her own scent, was hers, but not as food.
She wanted to run.
But first, she wasn’t sure how to escape the confines she’d become aware of. Twisting again, she felt her paws slip deeper into the mess of cloth and, despite herself, she whimpered.
Looking up, she found the other wolf nearing her face. She snapped at him and missed his muzzle by inches when he darted away. The wolf snorted and came close to her again, shocking her when he lay his head by hers, making sure his throat was prominent. She growled. She could have him now, kill the threat.
Except no real threat would make himself vulnerable twice over.
Confused, Elaine cocked her head at him and whimpered again.
I won’t kill you .
That wolf nodded and then helped tear her bindings with his teeth. When she was free, Elaine circled him. Taking his docile nature as an invitation, she started to sniff, but it was then the wolf pulled away. She snorted, confused by his antics. First trying to submit to her when he was bigger then refusing a good sniff? What kind of wolf was he? All she could tell was that his smell drew her in––a familiar musk she couldn’t quite place. It smelled strong of sex and power, and it called to her as a mate, made her stomach rumble. At the same time, odd things surrounded it, the artificial smells of those bald things.
The humans .
She barked and showed some fangs.
Elaine? Can you hear me?
She growled and started running from the other creature––it wasn’t a true wolf––not when sounds were in her head. Turning tail, she bolted from the barn, out to where she could see Mother Moon. Her long legs leapt over the straw and grass even as wind whipped through her fur. Paws dug deep in dirt and helped her launch herself again. After a few minutes, she craned her neck to see him, see if that strange not-quite-wolf was behind her.
He wasn’t.
Relieved, Elaine slowed her pace to a trot as she approached the woods.
But when she looked toward the nearest gathering of trees, her fur stood on end. Somehow, he had gotten ahead of her. All there was left to do was fight.
• • • • •
Trent dodged the lunge she aimed expertly at him. He’d been in many animal forms over the last decades, and part of that had included fights with other beasts and shapeshifters. With Elaine, though, she was still new. Even if she was running on instinct from the wolf side, she wasn’t used to the new body.
Her lunge was slow and rickety.
With a quick sidestep he’d repositioned around her, and clamped his jaws as gingerly as he could around the tip of her tail. She just needed to get a hold of herself, to let her human consciousness fully resurface. Communication was a start.
Elaine! Get a hold of yourself. You’re Elaine Blackhawk and you’re a witch, not just a wolf.
She rounded on him and snapped at his shoulder, but he was angled too far for her to reach.
“Rawr!”
Great, we’re making so much progress, he
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