My wolf howls so loudly in my head, I flinch at her cries of pain. With a tenacity I’ve never felt before, she crashes against the binding that keeps her trapped inside. I hear her pounding against it, and it almost sounds like someone banging on bulletproof glass. Just this dull thud over and over again.
The man holding me allows me to fall to my knees in front of him, and every ounce of pain rushes forward, and I scream, “No!” at the top of my lungs.
And then I feel it. Something shatters inside of me, and an overwhelming amount of power rushes forward. The banging sound silences and I know it’s because she’s no longer behind the glass. My body shakes and spasms as she rushes to the surface. My human screams of pain turn into howling and snarling. My hands that were digging into the ground below me shift into paws.
I fell to the ground as I human, but I rise for the first time as a wolf.
I’ve never felt stronger in my life, and I refuse to let that strength go to waste. Through new eyes, I look up and take in Nicolai. He still stands above my wounded mate, but the look on his face is no longer full of arrogance. Instead, a look of panic now sits there.
Good.
I don’t test the waters of being a wolf. I don’t take a couple steps to find my footing and figure it all out. I don’t have time for that. Instead, I launch myself down the stairs in one fluid movement, landing right in front of Ryker and Nicolai. No matter how much I want to look at Ryker and see if he’s still breathing, I can’t draw my eyes away from my enemy. I lower my head, and my ears flatten when I let out a menacing snarl.
“If I had known getting your wolf out to play only required I shoot your mate, I would have done it days ago,” Nicolai snarls at me.
I bare my teeth again at him before I use all my strength to catapult my body into his. My front—paws—ram into his chest, and I send us flying backward. He lands on his back with a satisfying grunt. He tries to sit up and he can back away from me, but I put my large paws on his chest, stopping him from escaping. I wish I could communicate with him now and tell him I will savor the taste of his blood on my tongue, and I will enjoy watching the life drain from his eyes. But by the look of fear on his face, I think my intent is pretty clear.
I snarl at him one last time before I shoot forward with a speed I’m not used too. I sink my new, sharp teeth into his throat and bite down as hard as I can. The coppery taste of blood fills my mouth while Nicolai struggles against my hold. He pushes at my head, but I don’t budge. I refuse to let go of him. I hear him gargle and struggle for breath. Seconds later he isn’t moving, and I want to let go of him, but something instinctual overcomes me, and my wolf wants to hold onto her kill.
I hear footsteps come up from behind us, and I growl, warning that person to not get any closer.
“Pruitt…” Elias says softly, trying not to spook me. “You can let go of him now. He’s gone.”
Another low rumble comes from my chest, and I back up.
“Listen for his heartbeat.” Elias squats low, so he’s eye level with me now. “It isn’t there anymore. You can let him go now, he can’t hurt any of us anymore.”
He puts his hand out, and for reasons I don’t understand, my wolf takes that as a threat, and she growls at him again and backs up even farther, dragging the lifeless man with her. I can’t do anything to stop her. The instinct of a wolf’s prey is strong, and though I would like to let go and check on Ryker, I can’t.
“Pru…” From my left, I hear Ryker’s breathless voice. Immediately my ears perk up, and my eyes shoot to him. Ryker is now in a sitting position thanks to Ransom helping him up. His shirt is completely soaked with blood, and he looks pale, but he’s still breathing. “It’s okay, baby, let him go. You’re okay—I’m okay.”
It’s like something clicks when I see Ryker is still alive. The adrenaline and fear I had been feeling moments before subside and my wolf calms down. I let go of Nicolai and back away from him. I look around at the people surrounding him. Remi has helped Jax sit up, and they’re both staring at me with shocked looks on their faces. The men who had worked for Nicolai have dropped their guns and are looking a little green. Ranger walks up behind Elias, and they both have a look of awe on their faces.
They must be shocked I was able to shift because I sure as hell am. I thought I was never going to be able to do this, and now I stand before them as a wolf.
43
Ryker
My chest still feels like it's on fire, and it’s a little hard to breathe, but luckily, I’m still alive. Since the bullet went through my chest and didn’t lodge itself inside, the effects of the silver will be
