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To my surprise, Kyle’s light gray wolf was the first to jump at the tree. He landed with all four paws against the trunk, causing the tree to sway. The branches shook and a few pinecones fell to the ground.
I looked up at Tyler and noted that his smug expression was gone. He was gripping the branch tighter and actually looked a little nervous.
I had no intention of letting Tyler try to break the bond again. He’d proven he couldn’t be trusted, but I needed him down from the tree. Then, my friends could do whatever they wanted with him. Any sympathy I had for him was buried deep within my wolf and as long as I didn’t shift, I wasn’t at risk of having an ounce of compassion for him. The only regret I had was that I couldn’t help. The threat of mourning him for the rest of my life was enough to make me hold myself back. It sucked, but the bond had been bad enough.
“Alright, I’ll bite,” he said, his tone mocking. “Call off your dogs.”
I ignored the insult at calling a group of wolf shifters dogs. He was trying to rile me up. He knew that my wolf was more vulnerable to the bond. If I let emotions take over, I’d be at risk of shifting accidentally. There was no way I could risk that. My wolf was ready, I could feel her starting to grow restless. She wanted to shift, which meant, she’d want to go with Tyler. I crossed my arms over my chest and reminded myself I needed to hold back.
“Give him space,” I said to my friends.
Their apprehension and anger hung in the air like a cloud. They weren’t sure what I was doing, but I hoped once they saw me move out of the way, they’d know Tyler was fair game.
Alec’s wolf moved closer to me, as if guarding me. It was comforting to have him so close. Just his presence helped me feel calmer and more relaxed. My wolf seemed more at peace with him nearby and I was able to concentrate better on the moment at hand rather than focusing everything on not shifting.
Malcom and Kyle had moved away from the tree, but both wolves still had all their attention on Tyler while he made his way down.
As soon as his feet hit the ground, he looked over at Kyle. “Nice to see you again, Judas.”
“You have no right to talk about betrayal,” I snapped.
“I know you’re waiting to give the signal for your friends to take me out,” he said. “You and me have a connection none of them will ever understand.” His upper lip curled in disgust as he turned his gaze on Alec’s wolf. “Not even you. You think she’s going to be yours? You can’t change the fates.”
Alec growled and took a few steps toward Tyler. This was it. It was time to end this nightmare. My heart hammered; my palms felt sweaty. Tyler deserved this. He brought all this on himself.
I took a step back, ready to let my friends take over. I wasn’t sure if I could watch or if my wolf would force me to change. It might be better for everyone if I wasn’t witness even if I wanted to see Tyler meet his end.
“One last thing, love,” Tyler said, holding his fist up as if clasping something in his hand.
My brow furrowed. What was he doing?
He took a step toward me, opened his fist, and blew something from his palm. Bits of dirt flew, hitting my face and getting in my eyes. I winced and lifted my hands to block the debris. “What the fuck?”
Coughing, I stumbled back, trying to get away from whatever he’d just blown my way.
“Are you okay?” Sheila asked.
“I think so.” My eyes were watering, and I was still coughing, but I wasn’t in pain. I looked up just as Tyler was finishing his shift. He took off, running away from our group.
“He’s getting away!” I coughed again. “It was a diversion.”
“Go!” Sheila shouted. “I’ve got Lola.”
Alec, Kyle, and Malcom bolted after Tyler; the three huge wolves crashed through the woods. I watched until they were out of sight, still rubbing dirt out of my eyes.
“You alright?” Sheila asked again.
“Yeah. What a fucking asshole,” I said.
“That was so weird.” Sheila shook her head. “Such a coward move.”
“It was.” My stomach tightened and I winced as a bolt of pain shot into my gut.
“What is it?” Sheila asked.
“I don’t know.” I felt odd. Suddenly sweaty, and dizzy. I groaned as my muscles tensed. What the fuck was happening?
Without warning, I dropped to the ground, and I realized that I wasn’t in control of my own body.
