The wolf pup lay curled up within the crib, one paw wrapped over his eyes so he could sleep throughout the day. I stared at him, confused. Hadn't Hudson called the pup a dog? Was a crib necessary for a dog?
It hit me all at once. The bite, the weird treatment, the medication; it was all part of the same puzzle. It was why Xavion kept referring to the puppy that I'd saved as 'the kid' rather than 'the dog'. It was why Hudson had driven so far to come and get his dog back from the house out in the woods.
I took several steps back from Hudson's son and did my best to breath slow and steady. There was not a mythical world full of supernatural creatures creeping along the outside edge of our own.
But if that were true, why was I running around a billionaire's mansion right now on paws?
I hunkered down on my belly and slid beneath the crib. There, it was dark and it smelled of puppies. My instincts took over and I fell asleep, warm and surrounded by the scent of peace and happiness.
Chapter 6
Hudson
The commotion upstairs was loud enough to put me off my swiss and bacon sandwich. I left the plate, knowing that my son would probably sneak down to steal it, and headed up to see just what the hell was going on in my home.
Gabe ran into me on my way up the stairs. He was incredibly bedraggled for a man of his usual coolheadedness. "They gave me the wrong fucking pills and now she's stuck under your kid's crib, freaking out and chewing on her tail."
"They made her a wolf?" I asked, trying to compute what he'd just said.
He glared at me as if I were an idiot. "No, they made her a cactus. Yes, Huds, she's a goddamned wolf. And I don't know how to get her back. Yves isn't returning my calls and she screamed when Xav tried to reach under and grab her."
"And she's under Tommy's crib?" I blinked. Gabe gave me a jerky nod and I hurried up the rest of the stairs, taking them three at a time.
I walked into a scene that would have been comical, had the girl known that she was going to be a wolf. Instead, Tommy was wide awake and gleefully bouncing around in his crib. Xavion was on his hands and knees, using that same voice he used when we found some woe begotten dog on the side of the road. And in the shadows, just beyond Xavion's reach, was a pair of incredibly blue lupine eyes that were wide and terrified.
Shaking my head, I got down on my hands and knees and prayed my suit would forgive me for it. "Move, Xav."
The alpha, a long-time friend and pack brother, turned on me with a stiffness I didn't care for. Occasionally, alphas got into dick-measuring contests with each other. It happened; it was just part of who we were. But this wasn't the time nor the place for it. I showed him my too-human teeth and stiffened right back at him.
We'd had our differences in the past; all of us had. Even Gabe and I had gotten into a scrap or two over the years when we disagreed strongly on something. Those wounds healed in a few minutes and we'd end up laughing and trying to drink one another under the table. It was how alpha-only packs survived, how we communicated. But I didn't want the omega under my son's crib to get the wrong impression, either.
Xav backed down after a moment to rethink himself. I gave a pleased snort and crept over to stick my head under the crib. Above it, Tommy whined. Beneath it, Sadie trembled.
"You're going to be just fine," I told her. "If you'll come out from under there, we'll talk you back through to your human body. We'll fix it, together."
I didn't know if she would believe me or not. I put every bit of CEO-based iron into my voice, every syllable ringing with alpha authority, but it was possible that her instincts were screaming too loudly to hear it.
Or not. One socked paw slipped out from beneath the crib, then another. Her gorgeous sable-colored head came out, her ears flat against her skull. She stared at me, then began to slide back into the dark, secret place. I had to control myself. I wanted to scruff her, drag her out and growl into her face. I wanted to help her nest in this special cavern she'd found, secure it for pups and-
God, pups? Get a hold on yourself, Hudson.
"You're all right," I said, soothingly. Xavion peeked around my shoulder. Sadie paused, then huffed and shoved herself out.
I reached down and stroked her back, my hands as gentle as they could be. I sat back on my feet and watched as she shivered. "Try to think of yourself. What makes you, you?"
Her head tilted up at me as if I were speaking Latin. I tried again. "If you had to describe yourself in a dating profile, what would you say? Think those things, inside, and imagine your human body."
She whimpered as the first changes took her, fingers lengthening from paw pads. Her legs stretched to become arms, uncomfortable and unwieldy at first, but I didn't stop. "That's right. That's exactly what you need to do. Keep envisioning it. Keep it in your mind. You're almost-"
All at once, she whipped into human form and threw her head back, gasping. She was naked, streaked with sweat and shed fur, and the most beautiful
