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“You—” McGoven eyed Micha, who stood near the doorway. “Help me.”
Micha rushed forward, and together they took an arm on either side and manually steered Naomi outside. As they hastened out onto the porch, Loren's first thought was that they planned on getting her into the truck and taking her to the hospital after all. They should.
Instead…
They carried her down the steps and straight into the field beside the barn. There, in the grass, they released her.
Loren realized—as the wind pulled at her hair—that she had raced after them barefoot, with only her filthy flannel to protect her from the chill. Not that Naomi was any better off. Bleeding and dazed, the girl shivered, bracing her hands against the muddy earth. Panic filled her gaze as she eyed McGoven. Shockingly, she didn’t scream or argue. She didn’t seem able to.
“What now?” Micha stood back, serious for once. He had his arms crossed, his nostrils flared. Instantly, he looked older. Authoritative. “Are you sure about this? I’ve only seen one made successfully turned—with my dad’s… The Alpha’s guidance. It’s not easy—”
“I know,” McGoven said. Then he swallowed.
“And if it works,” Micha added, “you know what that means, don’t you?”
McGoven didn’t reply, but his heavy sigh gave his answer away—of course I do.
“What are you doing?” Loren didn’t know what made her step forward. After all, he’d already told her his plan.Make Naomi submit.But how?
“Stay back,” Micha warned.
Both men didn’t even look in her direction. McGoven, in particular, didn’t seem willing to break eye contact with the blond curled up at his feet. Not even for a second. Suddenly, he squared his shoulders, and a low sound filled the air. A growl.
Loren felt it rumble through the earth. In herbones. The sensation was hair-raising, and she instantly pictured the black wolf who usually followed that sound. A wolf who could devour what remained of Naomi in one bite.
“No!” Blindly, Loren rushed forward, planting herself firmly in the middle of the fray.“Leave her alone!”
McGoven towered over her, and her heart sank. He wasn’t like the man from the other day. There was no way on earth she could challenge him. But what was the alternative? Let Naomi die?
“She needs a hospital,” she insisted, digging her toes into the wet earth as those silver eyes took on a darker shade. “Not...notthis!”
“Loren—” She turned to find Micha at her side. Gingerly, he threw an arm over her shoulder and guided her a few paces away. “It’s okay. Just wait. He’s trying to help her. I know it looks scary, but it’s not. She needs to trust him.”
Loren couldn’t imagine how bringing her out into the frigid cold air and dumping her on the ground was going to help anyone.
But then, she saw his eyes. He had turned to look at her, forsaking the blond for a painful second.Trust me, his gaze pleaded, before returning to Naomi.
Trust…
Loren wasn’t sure if she even knew what that word meant. Could you trust someone when you didn’t even know them?Yes,a part of her insisted without any hesitation.You can. You will. You have to.
Biting her lip, she waited... Though, nothing exciting seemed to be happening. McGoven just stared Naomi down and vice versa. On second thought, the eerie quiet settling in around them was an oddity. Despite the howling wind, the clearing was utterly silent. No animals. No birds. Nothing.
“She’s weak,” she heard Micha explain. He held her a little too close for her liking, but she was too engrossed by the unfolding scene to pull away. “I think he let her sleep to conserve her strength, thoughIwouldn’t have. Changing sooner than later is her best bet. She needs to heal, and from a wound that bad, the only way to do so is to…”
“Shift,” the word came from Officer McGoven as a growl, so damn compelling that Loren felt something deep inside of her shudder in response.
But the full brunt of the command was meant for Naomi. The blond trembled from head to toe, breaking the eye contact with a whimper.
See?The logical side of Loren whispered.This is stupid.But another part of her wasn’t so sure.Wait.
Naomi didn’t lurch up like she had, or turn tail and run. She didn’t bite him. She didn’t fight back.
She just…whimpered, pressing her body to the ground, and Loren knew instantly that this was what he’d wanted from her as well—submission.Triumphant, McGoven crouched and placed a hand on Naomi’s shoulder, forcing her to face him again.
With Micha holding her back, Loren couldn’t see what he did or hear what he said, but the next moment he bolted to his feet—dragging Naomi upright along with him. She whined, the cries harrowing.
“Stop!” Loren struggled against Micha’s grip. “What are you doing—”
