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I frowned at his suggestion, but he kept going. "Sariel can shift now that Aria and he have sealed their bond. Maybe do it in fur so you can really work through the aggression."
Vertigo washed over me at the thought. I shook my head immediately in an attempt to clear it.
The idea of letting my wolf out made my skin crawl, and after the last time, I'd been avoiding it. My mate was patient, thankfully, and hadn't pushed me for more than I was able to give, but everyone else? Not so much.
The twins weren't the only ones who wanted to catch a glimpse of my wolf. They were just the most upfront about it.
I’d spotted more people stalking me since I returned from Hell than I could have imagined; every neck-snapping head turn they did to pretend that they weren’t was almost funny. It would have been if I’d seen it happening to anyone else, actually, but when I was the target, it was just obnoxious. They acted like I was going to explode into fur at any moment and go on a rampage—though I supposed that was fair since it was exactly what Aria had done with her angel. From the outside, we both probably looked like ticking time bombs.
"Are you really promoting violence?You?" Marilyn teased as she and Aria approached. I had never been happier to see the witch than I was right then.
She bumped Johnny with her shoulder, and he yanked her up into a hug and spun; his shenanigans earned him a squeal and a laugh. The two of them seemed to have grown more and more affectionate as we went on, and as much as I hated to admit it, it was cute. Marilyn would probably castrate me if I said as much, though, so I kept that to myself.
"Not violence, just some friendly sparring in fur. It helps settle the hierarchy," Johnny reminded her.
Marilyn rolled her eyes. "Sounds violent to me."
"I'd rather not, actually," Elias chuckled. "I'm not a fan of the hybrid-wolf variety after seeing those two roaming around out in the trees."
He gestured vaguely in the twins' direction, and they turned almost in sync to give us questioning looks.
"We don't look like them," Aria reassured, giggling. The fact she was so unbothered by them would never stop baffling me; I'd chalked it up to her wolf being so dominant, though nobody here seemed too bothered by it, either.
"Even so."
A svelte, brunette woman suddenly approached Elias. I frowned, trying to remember whether she had come with him or not.
"Elias," she said, voice hushed; she was obviously trying to exclude us from whatever message she was relaying.
Aria was annoyed by the move, but I understood it. An alliance didn’t automatically mean we were entitled to the inner workings of his pack, even if it would have been simpler in the long run.
We were all on the same side, and it was hard to keep a secret in the compound. Unless you were Auren Ambrose, of course. My brother was disgustingly good at that.
I decided we'd better take the hint, backing away from the Alpha with a wave. "We'll see you around."
Johnny and Marilyn split off when Aria started tugging me towards the clinic, practically skipping.
Apparently, since I was now also carrying a wolf, Dr. Vasille wanted to get a sample for her studies. Even though I doubted this endeavor would lead anywhere, I was happy to humor everyone.
The room Tyler was being kept in was uncomfortably sterile, a mixture of beaming white and glass that must have been maddening. He was pacing the marble floors with a low growl that seemed unending. I watched him for a long moment when we entered the clinic, wondering if it made me a monster to daydream about how it would feel to dig my claws into his chest. My wolf was practically salivating at the thought, more than eager to shred him to pieces.
"Don't mind him." Vasille waved her hand dismissively. "He's just grouchy because I had Zuzanna help me get another sample today. Honestly, you would think he'd be more grateful to be alive after everything."
No kidding. My wolf loved the fact that he was alive solely for the purpose of helping us find the cure he’d wanted so badly was almost ironic. Somewhere in there, I hoped the human part of him could recognize it and ached with the knowledge he’d been reduced to a lab rat, just like how he’d wanted for my mate.
The vampire sniffed as I sat in the chair and offered my arm, focusing on the disgraced Alpha as she prepped to draw my blood.
Tyler Bastille had been a thorn in our side even before we'd known his name, and seeing him brought low should have given us some relief. It didn't, from how our bond seemed to ping-pong with discomfort, but itshouldhave.
The fallen-blood wolf laid down with a huff, looking… normal. There was still an urgent need to kill him in my chest, but my angel was content to do whatever it took to keep our mate happy, even if it meant letting this guy live a little longer. That meant that my wolf was happy to sit back and wait, too.
Azazel, on the other hand, needed to die the moment we could sink our claws into him. This entire shitshow had started with him and his insane need for power; every life he had ever touched had been destroyed. Remembering all the chaos he’d managed to sow sparked rage, and my wolf followed with a low growl.
Dr. Vasille gave me a curious look before capping off the vial and bandaging me up.
"I really do hope this pays off for you, Aria," she said, giving my mate a small smile. "I think it's a wonderful thing you're trying to do here, even if it is a bit… strange."
"Fallen-blood wolves are just like everyone else,” Aria answered defensively. “They'resick, not monsters."
