Jenny lifted her hands into the air, sending dozens of gold bangles sliding down her wrists and pooling near her elbows. They made a melodic sound as they shifted and moved with her motions. The others were silent, staring at her. Even I found myself more focused on her than Tyler’s grip on my arm.“The goddess shows us favor this night,” Jenny said. “The wolf born of tonight’s moon will be a powerful force in the universe.”Marian looked smug and she batted her lashes in Tyler’s direction. I resisted the urge to hurl. Every woman around our age wanted to be the next mate to the alpha. It was enough to make me lose my lunch. Wait. I didn’t eat lunch today. But I still felt sick at the thought of anyone being permanently stuck with Tyler. Nobody deserved that kind of eternal punishment.“Pack, family, new wolves, it is time to connect with your soul’s twin, your inner form freed.” Jenny lowered her hands. “It is time to shift.”Whoops and cheers rose from the group and everyone started

When they finally released their jaws, I was dumped on the ground, in the dirt. Every inch of my body hurt. My arms and legs felt like they were on fire and my head throbbed. My skin was sticky with blood and sweat and all my open wounds were full of dirt. Even if I survived this, infection would set in if I didn’t get medical attention. I knew all this, but I couldn’t make myself move. Rolling to my side, I tried to catch my breath. Maybe they were done with me. Maybe they’d leave and hope I’d die. If I could find some strength, I could limp or crawl out of here, right?I looked around, trying to assess my surroundings. We were out of the cover of the woods now, somewhere different. The full moon was so bright I could see everything clearly. In front of me was a huge rock formation that took up most of my line of sight. Behind me, was the woods. I hadn’t been this far before. We were either at the border of pack lands, or we’d ventured beyond.“Are you dead yet?” Tyler asked.I turned

I wasn’t about to let him feel like he was the victim here. “First of all, Tyler is not the pack alpha. Second, he doesn’t have the fucking mark or he’d have shown it to everyone.”“Nobody else has the mark so he’ll be alpha by birth,” Kyle said. “Look, I know you don’t deserve this, but just stop fighting.”“You’re a prick, you know that? You act like you’re trying to help me but you’re just as bad as them,” I said through gritted teeth.“You know that’s not the case,” he said. “I’m nothing like them.”“Oh yeah? Then why didn’t you stand up for me when I was ten and Tyler gave me two black eyes? Where were you when Julian pushed me down the stairs or broke my ribs? Or the time you stood by and watched while Tyler held me under the water in the lake until I passed out?”“I’m the one who dragged you to shore,” he said.“Doesn’t make you a good person,” I said. “It makes you a weak follower. You stood by and did nothing. One time of saving me doesn’t undo all the hurt you were silent fo

As soon as I released Sheila’s hand, I rose to my feet and started patting myself down, feeling for injuries. I felt my shoulder, my wrist, my head. My hair was matted with dried blood. My arms and legs were covered in dirt. Some of it stuck there by blood from phantom wounds. There were no signs of the bite marks or broken limbs.I knew shifters were fast healers, but even my injuries would have taken time. “How long have I been here?”“We found you last night. You’ve been sleeping for almost twenty-four hours,” Sheila confirmed.That didn’t seem long enough. “How long ago was the full moon?”“Four days,” Sheila said. “Is that when you fell?”I nodded.“You were wandering in your wolf form for a while,” she said.“Why are you here?” Sexy Voice asked.“Can you give her a few minutes before you interrogate her? She’s been through a lot.” Sheila turned to me. “Ignore Alec, he’s an asshole.”“What about me?” The other man asked. I’d almost forgotten he was there.“That’s Malcom, he’s als

I turned away from her, not in the mood for more conversation, but I wasn’t sleepy. I’d just woken from a very long nap and I was surrounded by strange shifters I didn’t know.Soon, I heard the soft, deep breathing coming from Sheila and the snores from Malcom. I turned on my back and stared up at the sky. Stars were visible in the breaks from the trees and the moon was nearly full. If I had shifted, would I be able to do it again?Crickets chirped and the wind rustled the trees. The sounds of the forest were calming and peaceful, and I almost felt like I could let my guard down. I closed my eyes and tried to feel for my inner wolf. I felt the same as I always had. There was nothing else there. Just the pathetic girl with the smart mouth who always said the wrong thing.Disappointed, I opened my eyes and looked around. Alec was sitting on a log, staring into the dark woods. There was no way I was going to sleep while he was awake.I walked over to him and sat down on the log, careful