AllFreeNovel
Share Us
How in the hells had I passed their tests? Unless someone was helping me …
Bile rose in my chest at the thought. King Crause had saved me …
No. There would be no reason for him to lie. If I was a mage, someone else had hidden me.
Did that mean the witch truly was my mate, though?
My stomach rolled at the thought, but the wolf inside me perked his ears and huffed in affirmation. I attempted to glare at him, then cringed.
This whole thing was madness! There was no creature inside me, and if I felt like there was … well, then I was no better than the damn Forsaken I hunted.
Perhaps if I could shift again, I'd know the truth.
It had been such a blur last time. Could it have just been a hallucination from the potion? Or maybe a side-effect of being struck in the head?
The wolf let out a few soft huffs, as if laughing at the thought.
Ignoring the imaginary beast, I crouched and began focusing on the world around me.
At first, nothing happened, but slowly the forest came into focus. A trio of birds moved between the trees above me as a large rodent scurried into a burrow nearby.
Underneath it all, though, was her.
The witch's scent was faint but unmistakable now — far away and mixed with those of that fucking Fae and the fleirals they rode.
I focused on her, and just like last time, strange sensations began flooding every inch of my being. My muscles tensed, aching to run, and this time I tried to embrace it.
Focusing on those feelings, I leaned over and pressed my hands into the ground, willing the change.
Chills scattered across my skin and, for a moment, something like hope unraveled in my chest.
But when I opened my eyes, there was nothing but my very human body, naked and standing on all fours … looking utterly ridiculous.
The wolf snickered, and my cheeks heated as I staggered to my feet, growling "fuck you" to the imaginary creature.
What was I thinking? Of course, it hadn't worked … because I wasn't a damn mage!
There had to be some other explanation for last night and all these strange intrusive thoughts.
A snuffling sound interrupted my thoughts, and I dropped into a crouch as every hair on my body stood on end. My lips curled as I reached back for my ax …
Mage forsaken! I'd left it behind.
And now I stood naked and defenseless in a foreign forest. How could I have been so stupid?
The rustling grew closer, and I gritted my teeth, searching in vain for a place to hide. There were a few trees, but nothing dense enough to make a real difference. I could attempt to run, but my legs felt like noodles.
My stomach twisted as I realized I only had one option.
Gritting my teeth, I reached inside myself for that fucking wolf.
The beast sat up and looked at me — no, through me — to the forest. I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. Surely this madness of mine had to be useful in some way!
But the wolf just snorted, then tucked his head into his tail and fell back asleep.
Forsaken mages! Of course, it didn't help when I actually needed it.
CRUNCH —
