Page 20 of Sass Me Again

Emily drew in a deep breath, trying to steady herself before she began to speak. “Up until last week, I thought I was fully human.” The words rushed out of her mouth. When she spoke the truth, it sounded dumb as hell. Who would possibly believe that?

Rafe sniffed the air. I’d say that you are entirely a wolf. I don’t sense a bit of human in you. There’s really no question in my mind about it. What made you think you were a human?”

“My parents drugged me. I didn’t know until I missed brunch with them last week. Apparently, they had been putting the drug in my food to keep me from shifting and discovering the truth.” Emily’s heart sank. She couldn’t believe her parents had not only lied to her for her whole life, they had also denied her very essence.

“Who are your parents?”

“Layla and Eric Holmes.”

“Is that so?” Rafe asked through clenched teeth.

Emily noticed the sudden change in Rafe’s demeanor. “You know them?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah. Everyone knows Mr. & Mrs. Mayor, living just outside of Black Paw land. Funny thing is, they’ve never once checked in with me. I wonder why that is.”

“I honestly don’t know. I think they are keeping their shifter side hidden as well, but I can’t imagine why.” Emily thought back over the years. “I’ve never seen them shift. I’ve never seen any sign that my parents were anything other than fully human. They must be taking the same drugs they’ve forced on me. I just don’t know why. I don’t know why they would purposely want to suppress their wolves. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Rafe scratched his jaw. “No. It really doesn’t. Ian, what are your thoughts about all of this?”

“I really don’t know. I’ve been drawn to Emily for a long-ass time. I always knew she was my mate, but she didn’t realize it because her wolf was buried so deep inside of her that none of her natural instincts kicked in until she was at the Annual Convergence with Jennifer.”

“All the power there must have been too much for her wolf to stay suppressed.”

“It has to be the reason that was her first shift,” Ian agreed.

“What do you mean?” Emily asked, confused by the conversation.

“Your parents were drugging you over the years, but when you attended the Convergence, the raw energy from so many shifters gathered in one place was more powerful than whatever your parents had been giving you. The magic or power from the other shifters gave your wolf the strength she needed to break free once and for all,” Rafe explained.

“I guess that would do it. Sorry, I know nothing about this world at all,” Emily huffed in frustration.

“You have plenty of time to learn. Plus, I’m pretty certain Ian will bring you up to speed pretty quickly. Do you know what they drugged you with?” Rafe asked.

“Emily pulled a syringe from her purse and handed it to Rafe. My mom dropped this when she tried to inject me at the Annual Convergence. Jenn grabbed it. She thought you might want to see it.”

“Smart,” Rafe said as he grabbed his cell phone. “Hey, Tanner. Do me a favor. Grab Erin and come to my office. Yeah. Thanks.”

“What the—” Emily yelped as two people suddenly appeared in the office. Her wolf growled, shrinking away from the newcomers.

“Sorry. I should have warned you. Emily, this is Tanner and Erin. Guys, this is Ian’s new mate, Emily.”

“How did—” Emily’s mouth flopped open, unsure of what the hell had just happened.

“Tanner has the ability to teleport, and I asked him to bring Erin with him. Sorry, I always forget that not everyone knows about some of the special powers floating around here at Black Paw.”

“Nice to meet you, Emily,” Tanner said. “What’s up, boss?”

Emily drew in a few deep breaths. The atmosphere in the room was unsettling her wolf. Just as she was starting to get comfortable around the Alpha and his magic, two extremely powerful shifters suddenly appeared, startling her and causing her wolf to panic inside her mind. Ian squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her that all was well.

“You have nothing to fear in this room.” Rafe’s voice dropped to a deep timbre. She could feel the Alpha speaking within him. “We are all friends here. And I know that you don’t know us yet, but you will.”

“It’s crazy, right?” The woman named Erin smiled at her. These guys seem to forget how scary their magic can feel to newcomers. If they try anything, I’ll knock them on their asses. Don’t you worry one bit.” She flashed a thousand-watt smile at Emily.

“Uhh, thanks. I think. There’s something different about you as well. I don’t know what it is, though. My wolf is screaming that you’re a wolf and a witch. I’m new to all of this, though. I don’t know what to think. I feel insane amounts of power coming off of both of you. It’s freaky, to be honest.”

Tanner turned to Emily. “Listen to your wolf. She’s right. What do you mean when you say you’re new to this?”

“That’s why I called you and Erin here. Emily had no idea she was a shifter until recently. Apparently, her parents kept her wolf away using whatever is in this.” Rafe held the syringe out to Erin.