Page 32 of Ember's Claim

He immediately snaps at her jaw.

Once he pulls back, she rolls with every bit of her might.

The wolf doesn’t end up on his back, but he’s on his side as she viciously gouges her teeth into his throat.

I’m not fond of the feeling as warm blood fills her mouth, but she relishes in it.

The alpha isn’t giving up without a fight. He slams his paws into her sternum, trying to push with enough force to send us flying. He’s eventually successful, but she clamps down as she’s pushed away.

It’s a deep and violent injury, way more severe than what I would intentionally cause if I were in control.

The alpha hits his feet, and dark red blood pours down his gray fur. He lopes off, and I think he’s going to attack from behind, but he moves for the injured wolf.

My wolf spins, trailing only steps behind him. She’s smaller and more agile. She makes the turn, cutting him off, and herpatience is officially gone. She snaps at his shoulder, ripping into his fur with her fierce teeth.

His head flies toward her back, and he takes a chunk from her side.

The haze of battle takes over, and my wolf refuses to give me any input.

She snarls and snaps, fighting like this has life-or-death consequences.

It’s a dramatic overreaction.

She’s a coveted female. He would never actually go for a killing blow. She doesn’t agree. She forces her way completely into the driver’s seat.

My vision, even through her eyes, gets blurry, and that’s the last coherent thought I have.

Chapter Twelve

Ember

Becoming aware of my surroundings after a forced shift is jarring. My arms wrap around my nude frame as I spin in a circle. There’s something sticky on my feet, but I don’t want to look down.

That warm feeling has to be blood.

My nose twitches with the metallic scent in the air as the commotion around me comes into focus. There should be plenty of oxygen up for grabs, considering I’m in a clearing in the woods, but I can’t seem to soak up enough for my chest to stop heaving. Only the throbbing, burning pain in my side makes me wonder if I really need to breathe.

What the fuck happened after my wolf took over?

“Are you okay?” a low, growly voice asks as a nude chest appears in front of me. Black, swirly lines give way to a galaxy pattern that covers the male’s left pec and shoulder. That entire arm is covered in planets and stars. The other pec has runes and sigils that alternate with stars and other patterns. My gaze flies up even higher. The man has shoulder-length golden brown hair and amber-gold eyes. He’s also rocking a full golden-brown beard, but I don’t have the first clue who he is.

“I can see your rib cage,” the small boy from earlier says, appearing next to the man. “Which is kinda cool. Do you even feel it?”

My hand tightens on my side, and fire licks through my system so severely, my legs wobble.

I stagger forward a few steps as my vision goes spotty. “Why am I not healing?”

“That dick liked to coat his claws in wolfsbane. Here,” the guy says, grabbing a T-shirt from the kid. “I’m not sure how this will affect your healing, but I figured you might like some coverage.”

A gasp escapes as my eyes fly down.

I’m completely nude, which makes sense, but I’m also suffering from blood loss or wolfsbane poisoning.

My head shakes, trying to comprehend what went down. The wolfsbane must be affecting my cognitive functioning.

“I told you not to look,” I mutter at the kid as the guy helps me into a shirt that’s not the one I started with.

It’s big and smells distinctly male.

---