“That’s stupid,” I huffed.
“It is what it is,” Eric said. “The Knight pack has a certain reputation. It has been weakened for some time, but in the past few weeks, there have been rumors. Things are changing. They’re recruiting, increasing their numbers. Jake is expected to replace his grandfather soon.” He paused and a smile of satisfaction stretched his lips as he added, “As soon as he picks a mate, that is. His grandfather has put the word out. He seeks an alliance to strengthen his pack.”
“You mean Walter is pimping Jake out to other packs for power?”
Eric nodded.
My heart sank. I didn’t have a pack that Walter could use to prop his numbers up, so the fact that I was a werewolf would mean nothing to him.
“I can tell you’ve done the math,” Eric said coldly, not an ounce of sympathy in his tone. “Maybe you should consider yourself lucky. Pack life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Besides, it wouldn’t be easy for someone like you. You wouldn’t understand the way they do things. You weren’t raised that way. If you want my opinion, you would be better off as a lone wolf.”
“Do you get off on being mean?” I blurted out, trying to hold back the tears that stung the back of my eyes. Except, I was unable to, and they spilled forward along with my shame. I didn’t want to cry in front of this cruel man. I jumped to my feet, angrily wiping my face and squeezing my eyes tightly.
He rose with me. “Don’t cry.” His request was curt as if I had no right to spill tears in front of him and make him feel like the asshole that he was.
I inhaled sharply and held my breath, fighting the emotions that whirled inside my chest like raging tornadoes. So much had happened in such a short time. I’d found out I was a werewolf. I had tracked a mate for Aaron, but he was dying. Jake had told me he loved me, but we couldn’t be together because, even though I was a werewolf, I still didn’t amount to enough.
Biting my lower lip, I tried to reign in my feelings, but they all came loose, tumbling down in a shower of tears.
“I... I’m sorry,” Eric said. “I don’t deal well with matters of the heart. I haven’t stopped to think about such things in years. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please, stop crying.” His voice grew low as he spoke until it was only a whisper that rang with sincerity.
I glanced up, blinking through my tears. He was staring at the floor, looking embarrassed and even regretful. I saw no pretense in his expression.
I dried my face and found that the urge to cry was suddenly gone. “It’s not your fault. You were just telling me the truth.”
“The truth that I understand, anyway. I don’t really know Jake Knight. We’ve been introduced, but that’s it. For all I know, he doesn’t care about the same things that his grandfather does, so just ignore me. At any rate, you’re not here for that kind of advice. You’re here for this.”
He held out the metal bracelet. Up close, I could see the fine points of each spike inside of it. They looked very sharp as they gleamed under the overhead lights. Part of me wanted to shrink away from the terrible contraption, but Red felt quite different.
“Let’s do it,” I shot back.
Eric raised his eyebrows, surprised, then he nodded and undid the band’s clasp. A small hinge kept the two halves together as he opened the circlet. Fearing I would lose my courage, I thrust my wrist forward and turned my face away, like I did whenever they drew blood on my yearly check-ups.
But he gave me no time to think about it twice and quickly snapped the bracelet around my wrist, sending its many spikes cutting through my skin. I howled in pain as the needles embedded themselves deeply. The scent of blood filled the air.
Jerking back my arm, I desperately tried to undo the clasp. Blood made my fingers slick and obstructed my view.
Eric slapped my hand away. “No! Feel the pain.”
“I do. I fucking do. Now, take it off.”
He shook his head and smiled crookedly. “No.”
Instead, he snatched my wrist, wrapped his hand around the bracelet, and squeezed it tightly, causing the spikes to dig deeper. A growl of pain rose up my throat, and I tried to yank my hand away, but Eric held me in place, the struggle only making the pain worse.
“Shift,” he ordered.
I shook my head. “I can’t. It hurts too much.”
Pain kept me human, grounded. I could think of nothing else but the terrible agony of those needles embedded in my flesh, and the streams of blood running down my fingers. What if I bled to death? The needles had cut into my veins, piercing right through them.
“Take it off, please,” I begged.
“Fight through the pain. Focus on changing, on the power that stirs in your chest. Can’t you feel it?”
I couldn’t feel anything but the agony at my wrist, and the only thing I could focus on was taking the bracelet off.
“Let me go,” I growled through clenched teeth.
“No!”
Still holding my wrist, Eric jerked me toward him, causing the bracelet to shift. The pointed spikes cut across my flesh. More blood poured out.
Another cry of agony tore through my throat, but as it reached its peak, it turned into a roar. Eric finally let me go and, grabbing my shoulders, forced me to face the mirrored wall.
“Look at yourself,” he said, pushing me closer.
I did, and my entire body shuddered in shock. What I saw in the mirror was not me.
Chapter 26
THE IMAGE IN THE MIRROR was unrecognizable.
Its eyes were glowing with a faint yellow light. Inch-long fangs had sprung in place of the four canine teeth, crowding the mouth and making it impossible to close it.
