Page 16

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, ignoring the sound of the waves lapping at the shore and the rustle of the wind as it danced through the trees, and focused. My skin began to tingle, muscles rippling beneath the surface and preparing to transform as I let out long, slow breaths and let the wolf take over.

Bones shifted and creaked, reshaping me, and liquid heat ran through me as my entire body stretched and grew. It wasn’t painful exactly, but it was uncomfortable, like my skin didn’t quite fit properly. Not bad, just different.

My spine popped and snapped, my vision sharpened, and the shift was complete.

It was like kicking off my shoes and preparing to spend the summer barefoot.

It was freedom.

And when I ran across the park, my legs cooperated perfectly.

Everything looked different, vivid and sharp and bright, and every sound was louder. I was aware of everything that was happening, but my thoughts were fuzzy. Being a werewolf was a lot like drinking a bunch of tequila—it felt great, but it wasn’t the best time to make any important decisions.

I ran back to where Hunter was standing and did an excited dance in front of him.

“Wow,” Hunter said, like I wasn’t bouncing from paw to paw like a certified dumbass. “You’re incredible.”

Yeah, I was. I crouched down so my front legs were close to the ground and my back legs were—well, I wasn’t exactly sure what they were doing, but that seemed like a problem for someone else.

“Wanna try the ramp?” Hunter asked.

My ears pricked up. Ramp?

Oh. Oh, right. We were doing a thing.

I trotted over to the agility course and started confidently walking up the ramp. Except why were my front legs the only ones moving?

Where were my back legs?

Did I even have back legs?

I paused when I heard a dry, rustling sound to one side and saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head and spotted it—a giant leaf, moving in loops and swirls as the wind carried it across the ground. It was big and flat and dry and looked like it would be super satisfying to step on.

And I wanted it.

The next thing I knew I was running after the leaf, letting out a series of excited yips as I tried and failed to trap it under my front paws and it skittered away.

“Luke?”

I heard Hunter but pretended I didn’t. I was on a mission.

“Luke.” He said my name again, louder this time.

I looked around, annoyed.

Hunter stood there, hands on his hips. “You wanna get back to the agility course, buddy?”

I shot him a look that clearly said, I’m busy.

He shot me one back. “Fine. Take your time. Just remember, I charge by the hour and we only have two weeks to fix this.”

Right. This was PT, not playtime.

I cast one last longing glance at the leaf before walking slowly over to the bottom of the stupid ramp and trying to run up it again. And this time I made it almost halfway before it all fell apart. Still, progress was progress.

After the ramp, Hunter had me run the course from start to finish, and okay, I still sucked at navigating it as a wolf. I skipped over at least half the agility items, my wolf brain dismissing them as too hard. But still, I sucked slightly less.

Hunter took notes on his phone, his brow furrowed, and had me run the course again and again. By the fourth time I’d failed to make it to the end, I was over it. I was tired and frustrated and I wanted to let my wolf run free, not try and figure out stupid leg puzzles.