Page 113

At long last, my wolf replied, “I do not think you are ready for this conversation.”

Oh, gods. What was she hiding? Dread flooded my thoughts, followed swiftly by anger.

I was so damn tired of people hiding things from me.

“I thought you said we share everything,” I snapped. How were we supposed to work together and prevent a rupture if she was keeping secrets?

“Almost everything,” she said. “And we will. But I can sense you are still reeling from learning about my existence. And I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“Bullshit,” I snarled. “Just tell me!”

“After you are free and you’ve rested and talked with Alaric, then I will tell you. I swear it. But you and I both need time, Cerise.”

I wanted to keep arguing, to rage against her, because how dare she presume to know better than I did about what I could handle? But then I thought of how she couldn’t even walk on her four legs yet because she had been suppressed for twenty years, and something within me softened.

“Fine,” I relented. “But if you don’t tell me everything by tomorrow, we’re going to have a problem.”

“Understood.” When Tavik made a low grumbling sound and opened one eye, Sasha said to me, “Are you ready?”

I didn’t know how to answer that, so I just said, “Go ahead.”

Her body shuddered, and pain split through me, tearing my consciousness in half. I tried to scream, to sob, but I could do nothing but submit as I was viciously torn to shreds.

No, not torn. Stretched.

I was lengthening, widening, my mind being tugged relentlessly as if some invisible force were trying to physically peel off my skin from my bones. My narrow strip of vision grew until the midnight ocean filled my eyes with stark clarity. The sound of the waves slammed into me, making my eardrums rattle.

Ears. I had ears again—I could hear!

The smell of the briny sea was so strong it almost made me gag. My nose stung, and I was struck with the inexplicable urge to sneeze.

As my body returned, bit by bit, the pain only intensified, starting in my legs and arms, then spreading to my chest. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. Fire spread through my blood until every inch of me was burning.

When it was finished, I fell face-first into the sand with a broken sob. My arms were curled against my chest, and I couldn’t stop shaking. I had awareness of my body—my skin felt simultaneously too cold and too hot—but I had no control over it. I tried to wiggle my feet, and nothing happened. My fingers wouldn’t move. All I could do was lie there, moaning in pain.

“Cerise.”

Alaric’s smooth voice sent a brief sliver of comfort through me. He was familiar. Safe.

His arms came around me, his skin warm as it pressed to mine. His grip was firm and strong as he gathered me against his chest. My head lolled until it rested on his shoulder. I was distantly aware that he wasn’t wearing anything—and neither was I.

But I was too wounded and exhausted to care about that right now.

Alaric slowly climbed to his feet, carrying me in his arms. As he trudged through the sand, he murmured, “Can you speak?”

“Yes.” My lips barely moved, the word little more than a mumble. But I could talk, and that was something. “S-Sasha… Is she…” I broke off, unable to finish my question. It was a struggle to string together a full sentence.

“She’ll be fine.”

“I… should have… let her stay,” I mumbled, my eyes feeling so heavy. “Let her… get used… to her body.”

“No, this is what she needs. The wolf heals faster when the human is in control. She needed to be let out in order to overcome the years of suppression, but it was a lot for her, and she needs rest now.” He looked me over, his brows furrowing in concern. “Are you injured?”

“Don’t know. C-Can’t move.” It was a struggle to string together a full sentence.

His chest rumbled with his voice. “Hmm. Your wolf was the same way. It must be a side effect of the suppression.” He set me down on the sand for a moment so he could slide on his trousers. Then, he draped his shirt around me like a blanket and scooped me up in his arms again.

“How long… will it last?” The fabric was soft against my skin and smelled like him. With a sigh, I inhaled his soothing scent, feeling the tension in my body loosen slightly.