Eve ran up the stairs, running toward Linda’s room as fast as she could. When she reached the door, she tried to open it, but the door was locked. Pounding on the door, she called, “Linda? Are you there? Open up!” After a few moments, she heard movement behind the door and waited. The door opened just as Arec hurried up the hallway to stand behind Eve. “Are you okay?” Eve asked before seeing Michael on the other side of the door. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. “What are you doing in there with the door locked?” she asked. “Where’s Linda?” Without saying anything, Michael opened the door wider, revealing Linda sitting on the floor with a blank look on her face. Eve pushed Michael aside and hurried to her friend, who closed her eyes. “What happened?” she asked. “What did you do to her?” Arec grabbed Michael by the shirt and pushed him against the wall, yelling, “Answer her! What did you do?” Michael shook his head and said, “I didn’t do anything. It was Craig. H
“Is it time?” Arec asked, hurrying toward Eve as she sank to her knees. She looked at him, and he saw her eyes had changed to a golden-yellow. Gritting her teeth, she nodded. “Okay,” he said. “You’ve got this. I don’t know anything I can do but to watch, but if you can tell me what you need me to do, I’ll do it.” She nodded again before her body convulsed. She growled as her back hunched and her fingers dug into the mat. Arec watched as her body began to change shape, sprouting fur. Her face changed, becoming wolf-like as her mouth and nose elongated into a muzzle. “It looks similar to what we go through when we change,” he muttered as he watched Eve complete her transformation. Eve looked at him and tilted her head. Grinning at him, she padded toward him and plopped down in front of him. She looked at him with an expectant look, causing him to chuckle. “I see you’re ready to get started,” he said. “Okay then. Let’s do this.” He transformed into his Lycan form and looked
Linda shrugged and said, “That makes sense, I guess.”Eve smiled at her and patted her arm, saying, “I’m glad you’re not upset.”“No,” Linda said, shaking her head. “That just means I get to train with Michael by myself. When he lets me start again, that is.”“I’m sure he’ll let you train again soon,” Eve told her friend. Eve trained every day for the next two weeks until Arec finally told her he thought she was ready.“Do you think I have a chance against Sabrina?” Eve asked after she caught her breath. “With the training you did, I feel you stand a great chance of winning,” Arec told her with a grin. “I’m just not sure how you’ll react in your werewolf form.”“We can stage a fight tonight when I change,” Eve said. “Remember how you said I didn’t attack you?”Arec frowned and sighed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said. “I don’t want either of us to get hurt.”Eve shook her head and said, “I doubt either one of us will get seriously hurt. Besides, we both heal quickly.”Are
After Eve and Arec ate their dinner, Eve asked him, “Do you have any written histories about Lycans and werewolves I could look at?” Arec raised an eyebrow as he looked at her and asked, “What brought this on? Does it have anything to do with Craig and Linda?” Eve sighed and nodded. “It might have something to do with Lycans and werewolves,” she said. “I’m not sure what, but it might. Besides, I should probably know more about you and your pack. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find something out about werewolves that I need to know.” “That makes sense,” he said, then waved at her and said, “Follow me. I’ll show you to the library.” Arec led her through the house until he opened a set of double doors and stepped inside an enormous room filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stuffed with books. Eve stepped inside, and her eyes widened at the sight. “Why have you not shown me this room before now?” she asked, running her hand over the nearest shelf of books. Arec chuckled and said, “I d
Taken by surprise at Linda’s attack, Eve stumbled backward but remained upright. She grabbed her friend and swung her around, pinning her arms behind her head. “What are you doing?!” she asked Linda, who struggled against Eve’s hold. “Let me go!” Linda growled, trying to free herself. “Not until you tell me what’s going on with you!” Eve told her, maintaining her hold on her friend.Michael and Arec hurried over to the women, and Michael reached out a hand to stroke Linda’s cheek. Linda instantly calmed down, smiling at him. “What are you doing, Linda?” he asked her in a soft voice. “She was trying to take you away from me,” Linda told him. “No, she wasn’t, Linda,” Michael told her. “Eve is your friend, and she’s already got a mate, Arec.” “She does?” Linda asked. “She doesn’t want you?” Michael shook his head and said, “She only wants Arec.” Eve felt Linda relax and loosened her grip on her friend, allowing her to step toward Michael. “What just happened?” Eve muttered
Eve looked at Linda, then at Arec and Michael. They looked back at her with matching looks of surprise.Looking back at Linda, Eve said, “Um, well. I guess. Why do you want to start training?”Linda looked at her plate and hesitated before saying, “I don’t want to end up being captured with no way out. I want to learn how to defend myself in case someone tries this again.”“No one will try to hurt you again, Linda,” Michael blurted before Eve could speak. “I’ll make sure of that.”Linda smiled at him and said, “You can’t be with me twenty-four hours a day.”“Watch me,” he told her, lifting his chin in challenge.Eve and Arec smiled at each other before Eve looked at Linda.“Are you sure you’re up for it?” she asked.Linda hesitated before nodding and said, “If I get too tired, I’ll sit on the sidelines.”Eve stared at her friend before taking a deep breath and nodding.“Fine,” she said. “You can train with us today.”Looking at Michael, she added, “Michael, you work with Linda, and I’