The impact seemed to knock sense into Harvey. He snarled at the wolf that’d hit him. Jackson, I think, lowered his head and bared his throat to Harvey. I swallowed a curse and turned tail. I wasn’t going to wait for the two of them to stop fighting and attack me together.
Marcus had lain in wait, though. I got about five feet before he emerged from the darkness. He stalked in front of me. The crunch of undergrowth behind me told me that Harvey and Jackson were flanking me.
I glanced at the single potion in my hands. The milky white contents glimmered in the dark. How the hell was I going to hit all of them with one potion? The answer was simple.
I couldn’t.
That didn’t matter, because they parted to let a larger wolf step forward.
“Hey boss,” I said. This time, my voice trembled. I lifted the potion. “I have a gift for you. You’ll have to come over here to take it, though.”
Alvin’s eyes flashed red in the moonlight. My stomach dropped. Forget the potion. My hound screamed at me to run. I was going to listen to her.
Jackson lunged, teeth bared. I swung the potion bottle and slammed it against his jaw. Glass and potion cascaded over his tongue. He yelped and fumbled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head. That potion wasn’t going to go away that easily, though.
That’s what you get for poisoning Ryder,I thought to myself.
Alvin howled behind me. My feet tangled beneath me. My hound surged forward and took over my body. My form flowed seamlessly from one shape to another. The shift untangled my feet so that I landed on all fours in a loping gait.
In this form, the world was brighter. The glow of the moon above illuminated everything. I could see the other wolves, keeping their distance from me. Behind me, I heard the hammering footsteps of the others giving chase.
The smell of ozone rippled on the sudden breeze rushing past me. My heart soared with hope.
Just as hope hit me, a heavy weight shoved me to the ground.