'He's mid shift. He can't go either way. Please,' I said.
Liam's expression begged for me to 'run'. He tried to speak, but only a muffled whine came from his clamped half turned muzzle. His body violently shook.
The corner of the man's lips turned up, his sharp teeth glistening in the dim shaft. 'Well, hello there, Charlotte. Remember me? It's been a while.'
'Don't come near me,' I said.
He threw Liam down by the muzzle, smashing his back into more of the fallen rocks. Liam's body jerked, and then went still.
I tried to scream, but I couldn't breathe. Sobs from Ty carried in the distance and my cheek itched as a tear slipped down.
'Liam?' I asked. My lower lip trembled. I tried to reach out to his fallen form, but I couldn't see.
Rustling and snarls came from around me and then everything went silent, everything except the sound of Thomas' boots coming towards me.
'Chain the others up,' he said.
Someone kicked Byron's fallen body in the ribs. The entire pack had been taken out.
'Charlotte,' Thomas said. Too fast for me to me to move, he grabbed my chin. 'You are the cause for a lot of trouble. All these years I kept tabs on you, waiting for you to shift, to find out you are an abomination. It's nothing personal. You just can't be allowed to exist. No one's having that power over me and mine. It's too bad, really. We don't get many female wolves these days. Oh well. Maybe I'll just take your friend.'
In my peripheral line of vision, I saw his other hand come up. I squeezed my eyes shut, readying for the strike.
'Don't. Don't! She can help you. We both will,' Ty said.
What?
Had Ty lost it?
'What do you mean?' he asked with a growl. He hadn't struck me. Ty stood a few feet from us.
'Think of how invincible of an Alpha you'll be if you can control the shifts of all the other wolves,' she said. 'Don't kill her, please. She's the best friend I ever had. We'll go with you.' Tears rolled down her cheeks. As she approached us, her hand slipped into her pocket. With a groan, gritting her teeth, she pulled out the charmed necklace she used to carry. Her hand sizzled and then she grabbed Thomas, slamming it into his chest.
He howled in pain, dropping me.
'Run, Charlotte!' She yelled, and I scrambled away from him.
'Wolvesbane,' Thomas said through his teeth. 'You bitch. I'll kill you both.' He grabbed Ty by the front of her shirt, and heaved her into the neighboring wall. She slumped to the floor with a whimper. She tried to move, her bloodied hands grasping at the rubble.
My skin rippled.
Thomas moved towards Ty. Claws broke from his fingernails and I heard his back pop and snap.
'Ty!' I yelled.
Fire raged to the surface of my skin. My muscles trembled and shook, and I doubled over, groaning. Pain swept through every limb and my eyes shot wide. The tips of my fingers split and I screamed as a set of claws broke through. The room spun and then my vision changed. My back snapped and broke in several places and then my cries became unrecognizable. My paws landed on the mucky floor and the front of my skull cracked. The wolf's muzzle pushed through with a raging snarl. My clothes shredded as my wolf-self burst through the seams.
Disoriented, the room changed - my height and senses new and defined. I didn't even know how to move. Everything felt strange. I blinked, breathing in a quick sharp breath, the sound of it echoing in my now sensitized ears.
The room stank with rich salty iron and it appalled me to think that the source made my mouth water. A slight movement in the corner snapped my attention back, and my sharp vision zoomed in on the older man. I lowered my gaze, chest rumbling under my new silky gray coat. Slowly, I started towards him, my muscles limber and rubber-like. My lips rose over my sharp canines.
Thomas had stopped to watch me, chuckling. 'Well look what we have here. Nice of you to finally join us.'
I snarled.
'What? You think you can take me on, Pup? Didn't you just see what I did to your boyfriends? That was nothing, and they've been around a hell of a lot longer than you.' He laughed and spat something on the ground. 'I admire your spirit though. Those boys could have learned something from you.'
He pointed a clawed finger at me with a twisted grin. 'Just give me a second while I kill your friend. I'll be with you in a minute.'
My chest burned with rage and as soon as he turned towards Ty I leapt at him. He countered my move, spinning around, and knocked me to the cold wet dirt with his arm. It hurt. It felt like I hit a brick wall, but the sensation cleared almost instantly.
'So you want to be difficult, huh?' he said. 'Fine.' His back popped as he crouched over. 'Let's play difficult.'
I crawled to my feet, shaking my body to bring the feeling back. With each step, Thomas' body cracked and twisted into more of his wolf form. His long tongue lapped over his extended teeth as he gave a wicked smile. I could feel my nostrils expand as my breathing became heavy.
A warm pressure grew behind my temples, begging to be released. I crouched low on my hind legs, stepping back as he gained on me - almost fully shifted. The pressure grew, swarming my temples. I relaxed, letting the warm tension free, my focus on Thomas.
The man groaned an agonizing howl.
I stopped my retreat, staring, as his body began to convulse. Sweat dripped from his brow. His wide, no longer golden hues, starred, horrified. 'No. No.' He clutched his chest, as if that would stop him from changing back to his human form. 'You're an abomination.' He growled, but as soon as he started, it turned into the normal vocal yell of a man. His claws retracted and his back slid and popped back into an erect position.
Thomas stood, appalled. 'Stay away from me,' he said, retracting his steps.
Unfortunately, this brought him closer to Ty. She sat, half perched, leaning against the wall. I could smell the pain lifting from her muddy, bruised skin.
I paused in my ascent, afraid of bringing attention to her. The man, crazed, stumbled on some loose rock. His hand landed a few yards from Ty as he caught himself. His gaze fell on her. The smile erupting across his face made my blood boil.
Stalemate.
Each of us clearly thought the same thing. Who could make it to her first?
Chapter 24
I think he made the first move. It was hard to tell. My wolf instincts only took a moment to react. Digging, my claws spat up the mucky earth as I barreled down on him. My lips pulled back, readying to bite.
His hand lashed out for Ty just as I screamed with my mind, 'Don't touch her!' A surge of energy flushed from my temples. In my mind's eye I grabbed Thomas' arm. The man ground his teeth.
'What are you doing to me?' he asked, his face white.
He couldn't move his arm. An invisible barrier had grown around my friend and each time he tried to touch her, his body refused to obey.
I didn't have time to ponder the disgusting matter of biting someone. My jaw clamped down on his leg, my large head twisting. Thomas groaned with pain, and slammed his fist down on me. I yelped as I fell, skidding to the ground. Sharp razors of pain sliced down through my scalp.
He swung again. Willing myself to move, I jumped up, and spun on my haunches. My ears flattened against my head. Limping, Thomas picked up a large jagged stone. He fumbled with it and then as he arched his shoulder
