Marissa shook her head to clear it, certain she must still be sleeping and having a weird dream. “Just tell me where we are so I can get on my way.”
“No, you don’t want to do that.” He waved his arm around. “We’re surrounded by forest for miles and there’s wild animals out there that’ll hunt you down and rip you apart so quick you won’t know what’s happenin’ ‘til it’s too late. Better to stay here and we can get to know one another and then we’ll carry on.”
Marissa couldn’t help but laugh. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s nothing out there,” she thumped her fist on the window next to her, “that I’m scared of. I just need a heads up of the approximate area of where we are.”
What she really needed to know was if she stepped outside if she were encroaching on another Pack’s land. She’d researched for weeks before leaving to locate known Packs and she didn’t want any trouble, or get into the wrong Alpha’s hands, aka one who was friendly with hers.
“I told ya, it’s not safe,” he sidled over, his hands reaching for her again. “Now’s the time to say thank you for your ride.”
“Hell no,” she growled, no longer able to hold her beast at bay. The sound reverberated around the enclosed cab, loud enough to send him scuttling back to his side with eyes wide as saucers.
“What the hell was that?” His head spun to the window, looking outside for the threat he thought was there.
“How many girls have you brought here to say thank you? One, five, ten, more? I bet they’re terrified with your stories of wild animals ready to attack.”
“Hey, I’m just getting my due. It’s well known you girls have to pay, one way or the other.”
“No, it’s not, and I’m not paying.” Marissa grabbed her backpack. “If you know what’s good for you then you’ll stay right there. I’m leaving.”
She opened the door with the hand behind her back, her eyes never leaving DD’s until she’d jumped down and out of the truck. Marissa lifted her nose to the air, sniffing for any nearby Shifters, relief surged through her when she found none. A hard hand grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around to come face to face with a red-faced and angry DD.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t just leave without . . .”
Marissa could stand it no longer, her fingers latching onto his and bending his wrist painfully. She used only a fraction of her strength, but it was enough to force his hand from her body and bend at an awkward angle. His shout of pain brought a smile to her face. “Fuck off and if you try this shit again with anyone else, trust me, I’ll find you. I can track you anywhere and you’ll wish you’d never tried this shit.”
She allowed her fangs to descend, her eyes to shine, and her face to ripple pre-shift. He sprang back, terror masked his face as he ran for the truck.
“You’re one of them.”
“I sure am.” She let out a low rumble, growling once more before she turned on her heel and marched into the forest.
Royce ran a hand over his face, groaning. “My eyes feel full of grit. You two found anything yet, because I’ve got zilch.”
“Hey, stop bitchin’, you’ve only been here for a couple of hours,” Ash threw an empty soda can at Royce who was on the floor, his laptop on the coffee table as they trolled through the archives of their Pack, and Shifters in general.
“Sorry, I’m still tired. Last night was busier than usual and I swear it must’ve been a full moon or somat, ‘cause there were plenty of loonies in the club.”
“And Shade was just one of them.” Ash chuckled.
“I might be losing my mind to this hunger shit, but I’m not a looney tune just yet,” Shade quipped back, forcing himself to eat from the pile of chicken next to him and not to transform and go hunting for another deer.
“Fuuuuuuuuuuck,” Ash sat up straighter, pulling his screen closer, his finger running along it as he read something.
“What?” Shade and Royce shouted at the same time.
“Wait up,” Ash held up a hand. “Gimme a minute, this is, wait, hold on. Yes! I’ve found it, I’ve found out what’s wrong with you.”
“You have?” Shade’s body tensed, every muscle tightened so much it was painful as he held his breath.
“Well, tell us, numbnuts!” Royce yelled. “Or I’ll . . .”
“Shut up and let me process this into a language that you’ll understand,” Ash ground out around a warning growl, his eyes never leaving his screen.
Shade’s heart thudded in his chest so fast he was sure he was on the verge of having a coronary, his beast howling in his head with . . . he wasn’t certain but it felt like anticipation. What the heck?
“Okay, are you ready for this?” Ash sat back, his eyes finally leaving the screen to lock with Shade’s.
“Tell me. Do I need to start looking for my replacement?” His fear of doing just that coursing through him like scorching hot lava.
“You need to stay calm and don’t start shouting at me until I’ve finished.” Ash raised an eyebrow.
“Get on with it,” Shade said in a voice cold and calm, and he wondered how he’d managed that when his insides were in a tumult of emotions he never experienced. Ones like apprehension, indecision, and downright fear.
“The legends of old, and I’m talking about centuries ago, talk about this great Hunger, and yes, that’s with a capital H. It’s something that can affect a Wolf, usually an Alpha, but any strong leader, even a Beta, but in all cases it takes over them completely. They’re out of control and focus only on the Hunger, trying to stem the increasing need
