When I met Ryker’s gaze, his eyes softened. “Yes, Angel, if you choose to become a shifter, the change is easier. I told you that before, remember?” Nodding, I bit my lip, at least until another cough shook my body. “You’re stressed. It’s no surprise your time is running out. However, I won’t decide for you. I’ve given you something to fight, so I am ever hopeful you will live so you may save those oppressed. I could try, but the shifters won’t trust me. Nor will they trust Tyger, Arctic, and Snow, since they aren’t collared. Yes, bunny, the shifters who are seen only as property wear obedience collars. They can’t stop a mentally gifted shifter from using their ability, but they can make it hurt when they do. Or, if they don’t when their owner demands it. Bah. However, an omega? Everyone knows an omega is incapable of deceit. The shifters may fight their instincts at first, but after being in your presence where you only try to help them heal emotionally and mentally, well, they shall come around. It will be dangerous, yes. Thus, Liam will protect Matty. And Matty’s secret is he met his grandmother’s previous people, although it was not his idea. The ones who belong to the same group as those who killed Jaz and Jax. The books you love to read would call them hunters. I call them a group of ignorant, racist pricks. They only care about humans, and not the ones tainted with wolf blood,” Ryker scoffed while my eyes narrowed. Anger surged from my soul, and I coughed again only to find blood on my palm. Well, shit.
“It’s difficult to predict what animal a shifter will be,” Ryker continued as if I hadn’t coughed up blood, for which I was grateful. “The werewolf blood only makes them a shifter but doesn’t control the animal they become. I’ve seen birds, deer, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, reptiles, and even a seal. Once there was a bear too, but he was hard to control. The cheetah was my favorite outside my trio because he was a playful little shit. The vampire who claimed ownership of him, killed him when he refused to rape a younger shifter. I could do more than what I have, yes, but they would take my shifters the moment I lost. I am not so full of myself that I believe I would be undefeated, and either Tyger or Snow would die. The living Arctic would be abused. They would want to make up for lost time, too. So, I loathe to risk them.”
“Why does that change with Angel?” Dakota growled with fury in his words, and I glanced at him warily. Another cough caused me to stumble, and Rex grabbed my shoulders to steady me with a worried frown.
“Ryker, she isn’t looking good,” he murmured after looking me over. Something leaked from my nose, and I sighed inwardly. I’m doing better than I did the first time my health failed.
“That’s because Angel has to decide whether she wants to be a shifter. As for your question, young Dakota, what changes is that Tyger, Snow, and Arctic won’t let her go off alone. They wouldn’t have let me either, but we would have had to fight the shifters too. Not in a physical sense, but mentally. Until they found the strength to trust us, they wouldn’t have gone anywhere we asked. Why risk a worse fate? Angel represents truth and the ability to heal. And that’s without them knowing she’s an empathy healer. Does that answer your question? Yes, I know you will come along too, young wolf,” Ryker replied with a soft chuckle. “I wouldn’t dream of taking your cousin to war without letting you come along to fawn over her.”
“Damn straight,” Dakota muttered under his breath, his anger fading while he became thoughtful. My heart warmed a little upon realizing that Dakota thought of me first before anything else. I was trying to fight my dismissal of being that important to someone, and that helped a little. Someday I hoped to express my gratitude to Dakota for being such a wonderful cousin. Another cough shook my body, and something warm leaked from my ears, which I found irritating. Stupid wolf blood tearing my human body apart. At least that’s what I believed was happening.
Finding the strength to meet Ryker’s eye, I rasped, “yes.” Thankfully, the vampire didn’t need an explanation, raising his wrist to his mouth within a beat of my heart. He offered it to me and I made a face which caused the vampire lord to laugh. I didn’t dare look at the werewolves surrounding me, although I met Rex’s gaze after a nervous swallow. I didn’t trust my legs to bear my weight, but Ryker wanted me to approach to prove I meant my agreement to become a shifter.
“All right, sweetheart, I’ll help you take those few steps. Marcus is jealous, but he deserves it. Dakota, well, he can take your other arm because we like him,” Rex murmured conspiratorially while trouble twinkled in his eyes. I couldn’t stop the soft laugh that bubbled in my throat, not that I genuinely fought it. Dakota smiled while taking my other arm with such gentleness that my soul would have purred were it able to. Huh. I wonder if I will gain the ability to purr? That would be cool.
“I dare your monster to restrain you once you’re a shifter,” Dakota chuckled with cruel delight in his eyes. “Sure, he might hurt you, but
