King Kong roared again. The sound drove me over the edge, and I blacked out.
Chapter 36
A wave of change rippled through my body.
It was release and closure, both at the same time. Part of me reveled in the moment while the other fought to make it stop. But the former had been denied for so long, it wouldn’t back down.
The time had come.
At last.
My every limb flailed out of control, rippling from within, finding a new shape that it had craved since the beginning of time. Bones elongated and thickened, twisting in different directions. Sinew knitted itself thicker, growing in bulk. My clothes ripped and fell away in tatters.
Pain racked me. It was exquisite, and I welcomed it. I’d yearned for it, craved it, and it was finally here. No one could stop it now.
I’ve been caged, repressed, and forbidden, but no more!
Fur and claws and a tail... They all sprang into place, exactly where they should have always have been. My senses, which I had always thought sharp and keen, revealed their true power. What I could hear, see, and smell now put my past to shame. Even the many years of grease accumulated in the dark corners of the pit revealed themselves.
Joy rippled through me, and I howled, lifting my head, flattening my ears, reveling in the knowledge of what I was: a werewolf.
My head snapped toward my enemy still blocking the exit. It had stopped roaring and stared at me curiously, his reaching arm frozen.
Without fear, without inhibitions of any kind, I attacked.
I leaped and snapped my jaw around the beast’s forearm. He pulled back, but I didn’t let go. This enemy was strong, but I wasn’t afraid of him. I could hold my own. I was strong, too. He swung his arm, and I still held on, bitter blood filling my mouth.
As he prepared to slam me against the floor, I released him, soared through the air, and landed on all fours. Teeth bared, I circled the beast. My thoughts had turned to liquid, incensed by the taste of blood. Instincts took control, letting me know exactly what I needed to do.
I feigned toward the pit, and when the beast leaned that way to block me, I jumped toward the wall in the opposite direction, bounced against it, then toward the beast’s heavy body. I slammed against his shoulder, setting him off balance, then landed a few feet away. My enemy teetered for a couple of beats then, with a final push of my haunches against his leg, King Kong fell sideways and got wedged inside the pit. For good measure, I pounced on him, then hopped back onto firm concrete.
His visible arm and leg flailed as he struggled to pull himself out, but he only managed to embed himself further. I snapped my teeth in triumph, then turned my attention toward the sounds of battle outside.
I trotted out of the garage in leaps and bounds, going the way I’d come. When I reached the window-lined hall, I sprang toward the glass panels without a pause. I crashed through them, shards raining all around me, and landed in the outer garage.
My keen eyes scanned the area. I’d landed next to a dark SUV, sandwiching myself between it and the wall. With another push of my hind legs, I jumped on top of the car, bounding from its hood to the roof. From there, the battle took shape, igniting a wild yearning to join and brawl. But against whom?
Chaos reigned, and I had no idea who was friend or foe. Cars were smashed. The metal door that led to the street was thrown open, twisted. Claw marks raked one side. A couple of bodies lay bleeding on the grease-stained ground—about a dozen others still fought. Where had they come from?
Claws, fangs, tusks, horns flashed. I saw vampires, werebears, werecoyotes, but where was the wolf? He was my friend. I had to help him.
A panicked feeling built in my chest. I couldn’t spot him. Then I heard a snarl that spiked my awareness. I whirled to find a dark gray wolf pushed against the corner, two vampires looming over him. He was bleeding from a gash by his snout and another by his side.
Bounding over two cars, I reached him and pounced on one of his attackers. Caught by surprise, the female vamp let out a piercing cry. My jaw clamped around her neck, and I bit with all my strength. As we toppled over, the vampire reached back and dug her claws in my throat.
We landed with a thud. I was large, so much larger than her. I pressed my full weight on the vampire, sinking my own sharp claws into her. I jerked my head, tearing half of her neck off. She screamed in agony. I spit and bit again. My large muzzle encompassed what was left of her neck, and as I snapped my jaw closed, her head broke off. I snarled, shaking myself. The vampire’s head rolled off to the side, its oily black eyes unblinking, its tongue lolling.
Something inside me twitched at the sight of the severed head.
What are you doing?!
I shook my great head—pushing the small, bothersome voice aside—and turned toward the second vampire and the wolf. He was deeply injured, favoring his right side, limping, but he still held his own against his enemy. I joined his side and snarled at the vampire, a tall male with a thick neck and shoulder-length hair.
The gray wolf gave me a sideways glance, his nose twitching, inhaling my scent. Distrust filled his eyes. My fur reeked in a cloying way with that dark stuff from the pit. I could smell it myself. He didn’t like it any more than I did. I figured he couldn’t recognize me, but that didn’t matter. I knew him, and I knew I had to protect him.
He was pack.
The thought seemed both right and wrong, but at the moment, only
