Hattie dashed outside, looking like a little kid at Christmas.
“I’m so excited!” she gushed. “I’ve never ridden a shifter before. Well, not like this, I mean. I used to date this wolf shifter—”
Johnny snarled. He did not want to hear the rest of that story. He knelt down so Hattie didn’t have to scramble onto him.
“I probably should’ve worn pants.” She giggled.
Johnny eyed her short, black dress and huffed in agreement.
Hattie took hold of his fur and squeezed her legs around his waist. “Ready when you are.”
Johnny took off at a run in the direction of Golden Oak. It was so much easier to get around when he didn’t have to worry about trails or roads. None of the towns were that far apart, the terrain just made it difficult to easily get from one place to another. That wasn’t a problem for a bear.
Half a mile away from town, Johnny knelt down to let Hattie off.
He found a thick copse of trees to conceal him while he shifted back into human form. Once he was dressed, he returned to Hattie. “It’s this way.” He jerked his chin and set off through the woods.
When he reached the approximate place he had stood before, with Elise and the others, he stopped.
“So, are you going to tell me about the barrier?” she asked.
“It’s right here.” He gestured to the empty space in front of him. “All of these woods are supposed to be a park, I think.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Hattie said. “This is a park. There are people picnicking on the overlook. There’s a kid swinging on the swings over there,” she pointed.
“Stop screwing around,” he snapped. “Tell me what this is and how to get rid of it.”
“Johnny.” She placed a hand on his arm. “I’m telling you, there’s no barrier.”
“All I see is woods,” he swore. “I don’t see a swing set. I don’t even hear kids laughing or anything.”
Hattie pursed her lips. “This isn’t good.”
“Do you think I’m lying? I’ll take you back to the house. You can ask Elise, Keller, or any of the others. They were all affected by the barrier.”
Hattie bit her nail, looking at anything but Johnny. “This really isn’t good.”
“What’s not good?” Johnny demanded.
“I don’t think it’s Golden Oak that’s under a spell,” Hattie said. “I think you are.”
“Excuse me?”
“Think about it, you and your shifter gang can’t see the town. You said Holly can’t leave, but is anyone else trapped?”
“The fifth firstborn,” Johnny said. “Trevor.”
“Another shifter wrapped up in the prophecy.” Hattie nodded. “This isn’t a Golden Oak problem. It’s a prophecy problem.”
“Fuck,” Johnny muttered. “I have to get back to the others. They need to know about this.”
“I’ll come,” Hattie offered.
Johnny arched a brow. “Really?”
“Yes,” she insisted. “When something messes with a prophecy like this, it’s never good.”
“No shit.”
“No, Johnny.” Hattie looked into his eyes, her face deadly calm. “I don’t think you understand how bad this is. We’ve got to go back to your place. I’ll message my sisters on the way.”
“Okay.” Johnny nodded. “Give me a second.”
He made his way back to the copse of trees and took off his shirt. He started to remove his jeans when a rustling caught his attention. “Hello?” he called. “Holly?”
The rusting came closer.
“Holly, is that you?” Johnny moved closer to the sound.
Someone grunted, definitely not Holly.
Johnny pushed through the bushes.
“Keller?”
Keller stood between two trees, wandering aimlessly. He didn’t react to Johnny’s voice. Johnny approached Keller and roughly gripped his shoulders. Though Keller’s eyes were open, they were vacant. “Keller!” Johnny shouted.
Light returned to Keller’s eyes. He jerked away from Johnny with a shout.
“What are you doing?” Keller snapped.
“What am I doing? What are you doing?” Johnny asked.
“I…” Keller trailed off. “I’m not sure.”
“You don’t remember coming out here?” Johnny pressed.
“I went out for a walk to clear my head,” Keller said. “I must’ve lost track of time.”
“Clearly. Do you know where you are?”
“The woods?”
“Yeah, but do you know what part?”
“I’m like ten minutes from the house,” he said.
“No,” Johnny said slowly. “You’re right outside Golden Oak.”
The color drained from Keller’s face. “I don’t remember being out here for that long.”
“Hattie,” Johnny called. “We might have another problem.”
Hattie appeared between the trees. “What’s up?” She eyed Keller warily. “Is he okay?”
“I don’t think so.” Johnny turned to Keller. “Can you shift?”
Keller shook his head. “Something doesn’t feel right. I don’t want to risk it.”
“Good call.” Johnny nodded. “Hattie, message your sisters and tell them to go to the house. Everyone else should be there. Tell your sisters to let them know we’re walking back from Golden Oak on foot.”
“That’s going to suck,” Hattie mumbled. “I’m not wearing the right shoes for this.”
Johnny glanced down at her impractical black heeled boots. “Can’t you use a branch to make a broomstick or something?” Johnny asked.
Hattie’s head snapped up. “That’s an offensive stereotype. Do you sit around all day guzzling honey and catching fish in your mouth?”
“Fishing as a bear is fun,” Johnny replied. “We have to get going if we want to make it back to the house before sundown. That’ll only happen if we cut right through the woods.”
“We’re not taking the trails?” Hattie grimaced.
“If we do, it’ll take days. The trail system is basically a labyrinth.”
“I’ll shift,” Keller said.
“Don’t push it if you can’t do it,” Johnny replied. “Doing unnecessary damage helps no one.”
“We don’t have the supplies to walk all night, trail or no trail. I’m shifting.”
“Fine,” Johnny said. “But shift back the second something feels wrong. You can put your clothes in here.” He tossed the black bag
