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“Fucking Christ! This is going to end badly.”
That’s the last thing I hear before everything goes black.
21
LILI
Okay, I made a mistake. I knew what I was doing was wrong. How do I know, you ask? Well, for one thing, my wolf is growling so loud in my head I can hardly hear anything else. The noise blocks out all the other sounds, warning me that I shouldn’t be dancing with him and that I definitely shouldn’t have kissed him, even if it was on his cheek.
But like a bad infomercial, there’s more. Glass shatters all around me, and the lights go out, plunging the room into darkness. The glass inside the windows breaks, the noise so loud my ears start to ring, and even some of the glassware at the bar begins to shatter, leaving everyone screaming and scattering. My heart beats into my throat. What is going on?
Hunter freezes solid, his grip on me tightening. “What’s happening?” he shouts, and all I can think to do is get away. Dear God, his scent is gagging me. How did I not notice it before? He smells foul, like garbage. How was I dancing with him? Better yet, what the hell is wrong with me? This isn’t me.
I was wrong. I was so wrong. I look away from Hunter and back toward the bar. I have to find a way to make it right—that’s all my wolf wants, to make it right. Wilde. I need Wilde. Where is he? He’s been watching me all night, but I can’t find him in the darkness, not with everyone scattering around, trying to avoid the broken glass littering the floor.
Then I see him standing near the bar with his brother, his eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. Beckoning me, drawing me in. I have to make it right. How can I make it right?
I’m still failing to free myself from Hunter’s grip when an ear-splitting siren fills the air and threatens to break my skull apart.
I know what it is. I remember hearing it tested before. “The perimeter alarms!” It’s Daniel, leaping onto the platform where the band still sits, their instruments silent. “We’re being attacked!” His announcement sends everyone spiraling.
“The witches.” A few mumble under their breath. Turning, I look up at Hunter and find his entire frame shaking. If I didn’t know better, I would think it’s from fear; after all, a wolf as big as him, as powerful and strong, that’s been completely full of himself for as long as I can remember, shouldn’t be afraid, yet here he stands, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Then Daniel’s words pierce my brain. The witches, they’re here! We’re being attacked. All at once, I become both confused and angry. How did they get here? Better yet, how did they get past the guards?
Hunter finally releases me and turns on his heels, escaping the banquet room in a flurry. I stand with my feet rooted to the ground. I don’t run away with him. I’m not afraid—it seems impossible, but I’m not. My heart is pounding, and adrenaline floods my veins, but I’m not afraid. I’m pissed off.
This is the stupidest mistake they could think to make. We’re all together; there are so many of us, they’ll never stand a chance, and I’ll be damned if they do.
I find Wilde again, our eyes meeting for no more than an instant before he shifts.
I almost forgot how beautiful he is, with his thick, black fur and those golden eyes that glow like there’s a fire behind them. Even in the midst of chaos, a rush of pride fills me—he’s mine, the wolf whose mark I bear, and he is magnificent with his size and grace. My wolf howls in pride, the sound filling my head and drowning out even the shrill alarm still shrieking in the night. Mine.
I’m so overwhelmed by Wilde that I hardly notice Forrest shifting as well, in tandem with his brother. They make an impressive pair, as identical in their wolf forms as when they’re men. I wouldn’t want to be the opponent facing them. They exchange a look, and I feel their intention as surely as if they voiced it out loud.
They intend to kill witches tonight. My body tingles, and I know I have to join them. I must be part of this with Wilde, with my pack. I must defend what’s mine.
I’m still breathing hard, lost in the thrill of the moment while they turn as one to race out of the hall. They’re so beautiful, moving with effortless power and speed. It draws other wolves to them, compels them to follow, and soon, wolves are streaming from the hall and out into the darkness.
The familiar richness of my father’s howl shakes me out of my near trance. I look over my shoulder in time to see him coming, moments before his familiar, smoky gray fur brushes my leg. I’ve never seen his eyes so sharp, so bright, so filled with righteous fury.
