AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After checking in with the patrolling betas and the pack as much as I can to ease Jang’s burden, I head back to the cells to confront Jai.
I need answers, and I need them now.
I cannot let my pack suffer, regardless of him possibly being a wolf.
There are no wolves inside the cells this time, so they clearly think he isn’t worth the effort, but even as I approach his cell, I know something is different. It’s not even in the slight change of his scent, the musk almost rich and spicy. It’s in the glow of his eyes.
He’s less human and more beast.
It’s in his voice, which is deeper and more of a growl. “Little she-wolf,” he greets me.
Leaning back against the cell opposite, I look him over, seeing his wounds have healed. Only shifting or my healing ability could have done that. Surely, they would have noticed him shifting, even if they didn’t notice anything else.
“You shifted,” I comment, confused. He isn’t stuck in his wolf form, which usually happens when ferals first shift, nor was I gone long, so what happened?
“Not exactly.” He cocks his head, and it’s definitely more animalistic.
He blinks as he climbs to his knees, gripping the bars, and I see them dent. I hold back my horror and shock as I stare into the abyss of his gaze.
Jai is absorbing his wolf, his feral side, and it’s only made him more dangerous.
He’s a hunter mixed with a beast.
It would be like turning into a serial killer. I know you cannot show fear or back down with an animal. After all, I am an alpha.
“What does that mean?” I ask, fusing some of my dominance into my tone.
His chin lowers slightly. Good, his animal recognises the leadership in my tone as well as the pack rank. That will help a little. Sometimes, ferals can abandon all thought and reason, even ignoring an alpha’s command. It’s what makes them so unpredictable.
“You were right. There was something in me. I let it out,” he replies, his eyes going dark with his wolf. Most become brighter, but Jai’s turn black.
They used to call it a sign of the devil.
He’s feral, that’s for sure.
Fuck.
“I didn’t shift. I could feel it wanting to.” His tongue drags along his lips as he looks at me. “I could feel it expanding in my skin, clawing to be set free, but it was like it couldn’t.”
“A trapped wolf,” I murmur, watching him. They are usually the worst. The pain and short lifespan don’t help, but it’s at least good for us. “It happens when you aren’t changed properly. You have the wolf, but not the ability to shift. You will have more strength than a human but less than a wolf and heal quicker, but not as quickly as a wolf. You will never be able to shift, and it will eventually drive you and your wolf mad . . . well, madder.”
He watches me for a moment. “So I will never be a wolf?”
“No,” I answer honestly. I’ll admit I feel a bit of pity for him.
“Not human enough to be a hunter, too human to be a wolf.” He laughs bitterly, the maniacal sound raising the hair on my arms. “I’m screwed.”
“You won’t leave here alive, so you don’t have to worry,” I say, and he looks at me.
“You don’t seem happy about that. I thought you would after what we did to you. I thought you’d want my death after how I treated you,” he muses, clearly curious.
“You did what you had to do, and I’m doing the same. I understand duty,” I admit. “Yes, you are clearly unhinged and enjoyed my pain, but I understand where that comes from now. They say when you know your enemy, you always care for them. I wouldn’t go that far.” He grins a slightly crazy smile. “But I also don’t hate you or want your death. It’s simply?—”
“Duty.” He nods.
“Duty.” I nod as well. “Tell me about the hunters, about Vale and Lucien.”
“I cannot betray my brothers,” he replies seriously, “nor the hunters.”
