I tried to force her aside, but she didn’t relinquish control. What the hell was happening?
Suddenly, Jaxson’s hulking form was between us, with his lips pulled back in a savage snarl—Submit!
I skidded to a halt, then shot left. But Jaxson moved to intercept.
Stop! I commanded my wolf, but she wasn’t listening. It was as if she weren’t there. I struggled to gain control, but it was like grasping at mist.
Jaxson growled deep and low. His power and presence hit me like a windstorm, vibrating through my body and pushing me to my knees, giving me one command: Shift.
Did he realize my wolf was out of control?
I strained to obey, but my limbs wouldn’t return to my human form. My jaw clenched as I struggled to force the shift, drawing power from Jaxson’s presence and wrapping it with my own will.
Finally, my shoulder popped. Agony jolted down my spine, but I drowned it in anger. I will have control!
My body shook as my magic pulsed through me, and I howled in pain as the transformation came. My spine snapped, and my ribs began to realign. Time stopped having any meaning. Jerking and shaking, my human form fought to rip its way free of the wolf until I was left panting and naked on the ground.
I sucked in a lungful of air and moaned in frustration as I rolled over. Jaxson, now human himself, knelt beside me and took my hand. “You okay?”
I could sense his concern and worry.
“I don’t know.” I blinked, and the dark trees above me blurred into view. A few moldering leaves clung to my sweat-streaked back as I sat up. I quickly called my magic and cloaked myself in shadow. “Where’s Casey?”
I looked around frantically, but there was no sign of my cousin.
“He should be about fifty feet to the north and staying put. That is, if he did what he was told,” Jaxson growled, though I could hear the doubt in his voice.
Yeah, our family wasn’t great at that.
With my head throbbing like it was the morning after an all-night bender, I took Jaxson’s hand and rose on unsteady feet. “What the hell happened?”
“You tell me,” Jaxson said quietly, without judgement. “You charged off into the woods, chasing something. Then you turned, shifted, and chased down Casey. You seemed like you wanted to take a chunk out of him—not that I blame you, but…”
“Oh, my God.” Terror crept up my spine. “There were shadows moving through the trees. Didn’t you see them? I mistook Casey for one of them…then my wolf, she wouldn’t give me control back.”
“You’ve had that problem before,” Jaxson said softly, though his eyes glistened with worry.
“This was different, Jax. She was different. She wanted to attack him, I think, or at least, she couldn’t tell friend from foe. I could feel it.” I whispered the words, not wanting to admit the gravity of what I said even to myself, though my voice had a panicked edge to it.
My wolf—she’d gone rogue.
The ghost’s words slipped into my mind: He’s already got his claws in you.
Was this the Dark God’s doing?
Shaking with fear and confusion, and desperate for a rock to cling to, I stepped forward and grabbed Jaxson’s arm. Every inch of my body wanted to get closer, to have him hold me, but our nakedness was a barrier I couldn’t quite step through.
I needed his warmth.
Jaxson nodded subtly and appraised me with a concerned expression etched across his face. “You got caught up in the hunt. It happens. We’ll sort it out. You’ll be okay.”
Lies.