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She lunged at his throat, teeth bared, but Aric managed to dodge just in time. He aimed a desperate kick at her, striking her shoulder.
Lexie staggered but recovered, her determination burning brighter. She circled Aric once more, watching for any weakness. Aric, on the other hand, clutched his injured wrist, blood dripping between his fingers.
With a final, powerful pounce, Lexie tackled Aric to the ground. Her jaws clamped down on his throat, causing him to scream in pain, but the sound abruptly cut off.
It was over.
As her eyes locked onto me, I could see no trace of recognition, only the wild instincts of a wolf ready to attack. She lunged at me with a snarl, her teeth bared.
In that moment, I knew there was no other way.
I knew what was happening to her. She’d lost control, just as I had when I’d first turned. I’d been in the middle of nowhere, so my initial killing spree had been an overwhelming number of deer and rabbits. Lexie wouldn’t stop killing until she gained control of herself.
I was going to have to force her.
I grabbed one of the guns, my hands trembling with the weight of the decision I was about to make. I aimed carefully, my heart heavy with regret, and squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out, and the silver-tipped bullet grazed Lexie’s leg. It wasn’t a fatal shot, just enough to force her back into her human form, or at least I hoped it would.
Her once sleek, fur-covered form began to ripple and shift, like a chrysalis breaking open to reveal a butterfly. The process was not without pain, and I could see the discomfort etched across her features.
Her limbs elongated, and her fur receded, leaving behind smooth, pale skin. Tufts of fur transformed into cascading waves of golden blonde hair that tumbled down her back. Her ears, which had once been pointed and covered in fur, became delicate and human. Her sharp, wolfish snout softened into a graceful nose, and her jaws, which had once held fearsome teeth, now formed delicate lips. Her slender fingers flexed and clenched as if discovering their new dexterity. Lexie’s legs, once built for swift running, now extended into graceful limbs that ended in human feet. Her tail, a remnant of her wolf form, disappeared entirely.
The transformation was agonizing to watch as her body contorted and shifted, and then she collapsed onto the forest floor, her human form trembling with exhaustion. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her strength visibly waning. I rushed over to her as her eyelids drooped and took her into my arms, holding her close.
Lexie was mine now.
Forever.
CHAPTER22
Lexie
What the fuck had happened?
I blinked my eyes open, the world swimming into focus as I tried to piece together where I was. Everything felt hazy, like I was trying to recall a dream that kept slipping through my fingers. There was pain, a dull ache that pulsed through my body, but it was muted, as if I were viewing it from a distance.
As my vision cleared, I realized I was lying in a large, luxurious bed in a room that felt both familiar and foreign. It took me a moment to remember—I was back at Kane’s estate. How had I ended up here?
“Lexie, you’re awake,” Kane’s voice cut through the fog in my mind, and I turned my head to see him sitting in a chair beside the bed. His eyes were filled with a mix of relief and concern.
“Kane?” I croaked, my voice scratchy. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my side, and I winced, sinking back into the pillows.
“Easy, don’t push yourself,” he said, reaching out to gently place a hand on my arm. His touch was warm and comforting. “Do you remember what happened?”
I furrowed my brow, trying to grasp the fragments of memory that flitted through my mind.
“There was a fight… Aric,” I muttered, the name coming to me like a distant echo. “I was a wolf, and…”
“Aric had managed to find you and shoot you with a poisoned bullet. You were in your wolf form and somehow made it to the clearing where he was about to kill me,” Kane said as he nodded solemnly.
I shivered at the implication, my memories slowly starting to coalesce into a clearer picture.
“What happened? How did we…?”
His expression tightened, and he sighed, his gaze never leaving mine.
“I had to shoot you with a silver bullet. I only grazed your leg, but it was the only way to stop you without causing permanent harm,” he explained.
“You shot me,” I said flatly, and he nodded, his eyes full of regret.
