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Chapter Seven
Charlie
I shifted from unconscious to conscious between one breath and the next, and my wolf sprang forth like it was waiting for me to pull out of my pain and wake the fuck up. My transformation was a freight train at high speed, going from two legs to four so I had all my wolf senses on high alert in an instant. It should have been disorienting, but it wasn’t. My wolf was my primary protector, a slice of my consciousness that worked on base instinct, and right now I was in unfamiliar territory and neither my wolf nor I were amused.
When I shifted like this, the disconnect between my human reality and wolf reality was blurred. I was coherent, but my memory was not quite there. I knew I was in a house—probably a grand house, a mansion—but I didn’t know how I knew that. I also didn’t know why I was there.
Who brought me?
My fur bristled as cool air slid along the floor. I was in a dark room, and shadows played against the wall, reminiscent of my dream. The temptation to dwell in my mind was so strong that I had to give my giant furry head a shake. Now is not the time.
The breeze moving along the floor smelled like lavender and, beyond that, pine and saltwater. A recent thought struck me that I’d lied when I’d said Vancouver smelled like garbage and sewer. It didn’t. Far from it. It smelled like a wolf’s paradise, and right then I was in the heart of it.
It also smelled like wolves—primal males, oozing testosterone and other deliciously tantalizing scents.
I’m outta here.
The door was open slightly, spilling natural light that I knew in my heart was coming from the moon. It beckoned me.
I bolted—straight into a cavernous hall, with windows from floor to ceiling along the back wall showcasing the waxing moon in all its glory. Pale white light spilled almost to my paws. I scanned the area and detected no movement. I padded forward quietly, investigating the wood of the furniture along the walls. It was coated in wax and smelled of cleaner, a faux lemon that offended my nose. I huffed, snorting away the manufactured smell.
I craned my neck, sussing out the noises, swiveling my ears to pick up on the movement coming from a room off to the left. Two paneled doors were closed to me, but I could still hear what was happening beyond them. Voices that sounded tinny to my sensitive ears echoed into my brain and rattled around until they made sense. My human awareness came back online with each passing second.
“She’s awake.”
“Let her be.”
“We should—”
“I said, let her be.” There was authority in that command, an alpha speaking to a lesser wolf. My beast knew the tone well, and for a split second, I wanted to defer to it, seek out the strongest and beg for protection.
That instinct would be better suited to a young wolf, one who didn’t know her own worth. I shook the urge off, pushing it back. I was powerful. I was alone.
That was the way I liked it.
What struck me more than the strange desire to join them was that those two voices, which shouldn’t sound familiar, did. I flashed through my most recent memories, trying to figure out what had gotten me to this place. Why was I in the presence of these two? Where was I now? Where had I come from? The truth was there, just out of reach, but I couldn’t quite remember what had happened before my dream, before I’d woken into a shift.
I moved away from them, putting distance between me and the voices, knowing full well that they were tracking me. I didn’t need wolf senses to pick up on that. It was what I’d do. A strange wolf in my domain? Yeah, I’d be all over that.
My claws clacked against the cool tile floor. I looked down and saw myself in the black marbled surface, the shadowy blur of my dark furry face, my muzzle long, my ears alert. I flashed my teeth and found the comforting gleam of my fangs shining back at me. My eyes, sharp like cut emeralds, reflected uneasy acceptance. I didn’t know where I was or how I’d gotten here, but I felt no immediate threat.
It was in these moments that I felt closest to my wolf side, like we were melded as one, instead of me looking through my wolf’s eyes. I didn’t know if it was because we shared a common goal—finding out what the fuck was going on—or if it was because I’d woken into a shift, but right then I was one with my wolf. Everything seemed easy, like for once I was actually in control of what my wolf wanted to do.
It wasn’t always like that. Usually, I felt completely disconnected from her. Usually, I was shoved aside while she did her thing.
I didn’t really have time to contemplate it, though, because the men were moving.
There was a bang. Someone swore. I know it wasn’t aggression coming at me, but I ran anyway, moving stealthily toward the back wall, where there was no door and no way out. Lush forest surrounded the place I was in. I wanted to be out there…now.
I ran left down another hall, then backtracked right, but there were only closed doors, no good for a wolf with paws and claws. I was too worked up to shift. My human form was locked up. My wolf was in protection mode, and I was at her mercy. I cursed myself for slacking on my training. If I’d been more in shape, I wouldn’t have found myself stuck in this form. But living in Toronto meant few opportunities for shifting, and that meant that my abilities had grown too relaxed to force a change in a stressful situation.
Besides, it took all my focus to keep my beast in check. I didn’t want her coming out right now. Chaos would only confuse me more.
Fuck.I needed to get out of there. My wolf didn’t like enclosed spaces, and neither did I.
The voices entered the hall behind me. I heard the garbled sound of a name.
My name.
