Nineteen

I screamed as sharp teeth sliced into my hip through my clothes. My scream cut off as the pain vanished, giving way to a tingling numbness that made my hip feel like it was growing and swelling and then like I couldn't move it at all. 

The wolf's teeth slid out of my skin, and his tongue lapped at my wound as he whined. I pushed at his face, yelling something or at least, I thought I was yelling something. 

My head started to feel fuzzy, and my body began to sway. Jesse the wolf dove to my side, cushioning my head's fall with his back just before I landed on the bathroom tile. 

My heart beat rapidly, but I felt nothing as the world spun. Cracking sounds, howls, whines, grunts, and shouts sounded in the room, but I felt nothing. 

The world just continued to spin. My eyes finally closed. When I awoke, I heard steady breathing beneath my head. I tried to move, but couldn't. 

My eyes opened and closed slowly but I wasn't controlling them. Panic rushed through me when my body began to move to freakin’ move while I didn't consciously move it. 

My gaze landed on furry paws, then on a ruggedly beautiful human man sprawled out beneath me, entirely naked. 

Horror tore through me as I realized what had happened. Jesse had bitten me. I was a werewolf. The person controlling my body her body our body? It was a wolf. 

My wolf. The Wolf Teagan. She lifted her head toward the ceiling, and let out a loud howl. My ears rang as she sang. 

I couldn't read the emotions in her song, I couldn't understand what she was saying or why she was howling or whether she was happy or sad or thrilled she had conquered me by taking control of my body. 

The front door opened only moments after her song began, and heavy footsteps pounded the stairs as the wolf's pack ran to greet her. 

Her gaze flitted from man to man. They looked between her and Jesse. Elliot kneeled in front of her, his hands outstretched.

 "Teagan." She lifted her chin, not walking toward him. He pulled something out of his pocket, and the air smelled different. It smelled... delicious. He lifted a baggie of bacon. The wolf studied him. 

"I bet you're hungry," he remarked. Her stomach growled. He opened his bag, and the smell intensified. And holy shit, if that was what meat smelled like to a wolf, it was no wonder they killed live animals. 

"We need to put Jessie in his bed," Elliot said. The wolf growled. She knew who Jesse was. And felt strongly about him—either positively or negatively. 

"I know you don't want him moved, but he'll be more comfortable in his bed. And you can sleep with him on there. It's very soft." The wolf made a disdainful noise. 

"I'll have some of the guys make your steak if you let us move him. Steak is even better than bacon." He waved the bag in front of her face, and she shuddered. 

Holy hell, that smelled better than anything else on the whole freakin’ planet. He tossed a piece of bacon in front of her, and she dove for it. 

The monster ate that shit in one swallow and didn't even chew. The men all chuckled. Her glare moved around the lot of them, and they quieted. 

"This is Ford, our pack's beta." Elliot gestured to Ford, who stood beside him and to his left. 

"And this is Dax, our delta. You know you can trust a beta and delta to take care of your potential mate.” 

He tossed another piece of bacon closer to his feet. She snapped it up instantly but jumped back into the place she’d been standing. 

My wolf glanced down at the gorgeous, naked man. She was hesitant to leave him; probably because he was the reason she existed. 

Or maybe because she wanted to kill him. I wasn't sure, but I was guessing it was the former based on what everyone else had said. 

"Back up, guys," Elliot said gently. The guys all backed up, except Ford and Dax. Elliot backed up with the others. 

My wolf looked suspiciously at Ford and Dax. But when Elliot tossed another piece of bacon just outside the bathroom, she lunged forward and gulped it down. 

He patted her on the head, and she snapped her teeth at him. He chuckled. 

"Feisty like your human, huh?" She snarled. 

"Yeah, I know I'm not your mate. Just wanted to welcome you to the pack. If you come with me, I won't touch you again." 

She sniffed the air. I didn't know what she was looking for, but she seemed to find it. She gave Ford a long look, then gave Dax the same. A low, threatening growl vibrated her chest. 

"We'll be careful with him," Dax vowed. She flashed the men her fangs. Elliot threw another piece of bacon, and she stepped further into the hallway. 

Dax and Ford moved slowly into the bathroom. I couldn't watch them go, since I was looking out of the wolf's eyes, but they came back with Jesse's snoring body a moment later. 

My wolf abandoned the bacon, following the men into Jesse's bedroom. They set him down on his bed and tossed a blanket over him. My wolf sniffed the blanket and then snarled at it. 

"You want him naked?" Ford asked with a raised eyebrow. She growled at him. He looked at Dax, who shrugged. 

"I don't know what a female wolf thinks." Ford grabbed the blanket and lifted it to his nose, sniffing. He made a face. 

"Tea hasn't been sleeping in the bed. It's stale." He tossed it to the ground. "She told Rocco she's been sleeping on the couch," Dax offered. 

"I'll grab the blanket," someone called from downstairs. A few minutes later, Rocco came back with my blanket hanging over his shoulder. My wolf growled at him. 

"It's alright, Tea. I'm the coolest one in the pack. Your human kissed me once, and almost kissed me a second time too.” My wolf snorted. His grin widened. 

"I felt the same way." He tossed the blanket over Jesse's lower half. My wolf sniffed it, and it smelled fine to me. 

Not that the other blanket had smelled bad; I hadn’t smelled anything from it. She plopped down on the bed, her side curled up against Jesse's and narrowed her eyes at Elliot. He was standing in the doorway, watching the interaction. 

"Here." Elliot crossed the room, tugging the rest of the bacon out of the bag. He fed it to her piece by piece, and she made happy noises while she inhaled the food. When it was gone, she growled. 

"Zed's already cooking up some steaks," he promised. She tilted her head. "He's our Sigma," Rocco told her. She nodded like that meant something. 

The only pack roles I'd heard about were alpha which I knew Elliot was and omega, which Jesse was. 

"We know you won't leave your wolf form until Jesse wakes up, so the two of us will be here at all times until then, alright?" Elliot checked. My wolf huffed and lowered her head to her paws. 

"I know you'd prefer to be alone with him, but he's vulnerable like this. And you are too." She gave an irritated growl. Elliot chuckled. 

"Omega through and through." What the hell did that even mean? "Jesse hates having to rely on people too." Elliot perched on the edge of the bed, beside my wolf. 

She sniffed at him, found him suitably non-threatening, then lowered her head back to her paws. She seemed to take comfort in feeling Jesse's chest rise and fall against her side as he breathed. 

That, or she just didn't trust the pack. I wouldn’t blame her for either one. The men continued chattering around her, but she was tired. 

While her steak was cooked, she slept. I had no choice but to sleep when she did, my consciousness dependent on hers. 

My wolf playhouse with the pack members for an entire week, and I started to pick up on the group’s dynamic a bit more. I learned that as the sigma, Zed was the troublemaker, but he was wicked-smart. 

And that as the gamma, Rocco was the jokester, but he was also the one you could tell anything to. And as the alpha, Elliot was the papa bear. 

He always had snacks and looked out for everyone while setting them all at ease. They were on day nine of wolf-sitting when Jesse finally opened his eyes. 

The first thing said eyes did when they opened? Land on my wolf. A sharp pain cut through my spine, and I screamed as the shift back to human form began.