"You wish to join our community under the guise of contentment? Do you so swear to learn the ways and necessities of it, forever keeping safe those here and those abroad?"
That sounded more positive than I'd hoped. I nodded, then realized he wanted a verbal answer. "Yes, sir. I'd never hurt any of you. I couldn't bear it. I'm sure I've got plenty to learn but I won't screw it up. I promise."
Eskal nodded, which nearly knocked me over. He sat back and looked around the clearing. "In the case of Thomas Alexander Fontaine's accident, we find the defendant innocent of all charges. Puppies make mistakes. Hudson, don't let him out of your sight until he's at least 15." He paused and I held my breath. "And do take care of this omega. She seems like a good fit."
A sob left me and I ended up on my knees, relief crippling me. I clutched Tommy to me, bowing over him, as my alphas fell around me. Arms tightened around me and I was awash in the collective scent of my pack, drowning in it, when I heard a shriek from across the clearing.
There was a bang, another, and then a second scream. I squirmed from beneath my men to stare at the chaos around me. Lillian's gun lay on the ground. Eskal had her pinned with one massive paw, his claws wrapping around her. Without another word, he took to the sky and brought her with him. Her screams echoed into the night, and, after a moment, were gone.
Slowly, the magical creatures dispersed. There was no comment on Lillian and I got the distinct impression that the dragons were sort of the lords of our community; but that they, too, were not absolved from judgment if something went wrong. I tucked myself back into my pack and waited for the others to leave.
"It's okay," Hudson whispered fifteen or so minutes later. "It's just us."
I put Tommy down and sat in the snow. He lifted his head and stared at the sky above for a moment, before falling into his puppy form. The rest of my pack shivered, though not due to the cold. Four sets of wolf's eyes stared at me, hungry and waiting.
"Kiddo," I asked, offering my hand out to Tommy. "Do you want me to be your mom?"
The pup's eyes widened. He toddled the gap between us and, well, maybe it wasn't as sweet as some may have described it, but it was plenty enough for me.
He bit me.
And I sank down into the snow, feeling the warmth seize into my veins, and found myself staring into the moon high above in the sky, a perfect circle that shed Her light down on us.
Chapter 17
Sadie
When you know what to expect, transformation doesn't hurt at all.
I breathed deep the woods around me, the pack next to me, my puppy waiting for me to join him as he pawed at my head. There wasn't the slow, lingering sense of changing so much as I was human one moment and melting fluidly into the body of a wolf the next. My dark fur was a contrast to Tommy's fluffy coat, so much so that I hoped we'd be able to find him in the snow.
I laughed at myself. What a silly notion. I pressed my snout into the pup, breathing his scent. I'd know it for the rest of my life, human or wolf. I could find him anywhere within a five-mile range.
Though it took some wiggling, I managed to get out of my clothes. Tommy, the puppy far smaller than the human boy, had slid out of his own like he was covered in grease. He barked at me, playbowed, and scampered off into the woods. I snorted and rolled to my feet, marveling in the strength of my new form and at just how right it was.
Something larger came toward me and I spun, hackles up and teeth bared. If it wanted my puppy, I would die fighting it. A low, rattling growl came from within my chest and I-
My pack looked at me like I'd cracked my head against something. I realized, other than Leo that once, I'd never seen them transformed, never known them on this level, but I recognized them on sight. Hudson, an enormous grey wolf with a scattering of black and white markings, walked up to me and nuzzled his head over mine. Gabe matched him in color, though the markings were a bit different. Leo, a tawny wolf that more or less was the same color as his human mane, danced after Tommy.
I missed Xavion the first time I looked for him. Dark as night, he blended into the shadows. My final mate came up to me and pressed his forehead to mine, his ears folding flat against his skull. Leo came up behind me and put his head on my flank. For my part, I simply breathed my pack and sighed their scent out.
The richness of alpha awakened something within me. I yearned to find a den, beg them to knot me, defend the den with my life. That den centered on our home, -our home-, back at the rescue, but any hole would work for the night. I rubbed the length of my body beneath their chins, curling my tail along Hudson's cheek. I saw him shiver, heard him groan. My jaws popped open in a pant and I looked back at them over my shoulder.
And then the hunt began.
Instinct carried me away from my pack as my heat set in. I tore through the woods, never knowing or looking at where I was going. I was powered by something I couldn't fully name, by whatever wildness had been imparted to me by the boy. When animals run through the forest,
