Page 125 of Never Submit

Chapter 29

Noble

I’m going to skin this guy myself.

If he keeps acting like a dickhead and going off unhinged, then the best thing to do is to put him down. He’s a danger to himself and to others.

I pump my arms for more speed, faster than a human, but in this form it’s not nearly enough to keep up with Dax as a wolf. I catch a flash of gold from way too far ahead and stop. Only long enough to shake out of my clothes and toss my shirt to the side.

“I’m going to fucking kill you for this,” I mutter, squeezing my eyes shut.

Right as we got to Andras's hideout, Dax had to lose his shit.

If I didn’t know him, I’d say he was having a moment of PTSD.

Welcoming the change as it crashes over me like an ocean wave, my wolf rises to the surface, my muscles twisting and lengthening, my bones breaking and reforming into something stronger. I lurch forward onto all fours as cinnamon-colored fur bursts through everypore. The moment the change is complete, I bolt after Dax.

The sights and smells of the forest are sharper now. My claws dig into the ground as I scramble for purchase, my fur helping to protect me from the worst of the obstacles.

I trail Dax through the trees. He’s going fast enough to make everything outside of the trail a nauseating blur. He’s headed for the camp, that much is clear. But in his present state, he’s worse than a bomb with the timer counting down and seconds to explode. He’s going to cause nothing but damage if I let him get that far.

I put on a burst of speed and hope it’s enough as my lungs protest. It has to be enough. Ren is back there, and in his present state, it’s not a stretch to think Dax might head for her. To safety. She’s always been that place for us and he is no exception.

The trek that took us hours to navigate is over in what feels like minutes. Seconds.

Dax stumbles at the last moment, scrambling to right himself, and I close the distance swiftly. Pouncing on his back and forcing him to the ground.

What the fuck is your problem?

I snap at the back of his neck, but Dax is rage incarnate. He’s chaos and movement and panic. The acrid stench of his emotional state is a horrible assault to my senses.

He rolls to the side and kicks at me, his claws digging into my sensitive underbelly.

He twists at the last seconds and my teeth close on open air. I snarl, hoping he stops, curving my spine to avoid his claws.

His eyes are dark. The pupils have overtaken everything and there is no sense left to him. He’s feral. A beast.

The terrible sounds he makes draw a crowd around us.A number of Steel Claws and Grey Valley gather closer at the commotion, a tremor rippling through them.

Shit, this isnotwhat we need.

Several of the surrounding wolves have started snarling and pressing closer. Inching toward our scrambling like they’ll somehow erase their own restless needs by joining the fray.

The human part of me has to prevail. If I let the wolf have his say, he’ll fight for dominance and snap Dax’s neck. The peace…the tentative peace treaty has to hold.

Otherwise Torin will have my ass.

And Mathis…I can’t hurt Dax or it will tear Mathis apart.

I shift back to human form despite the absolute frantic beating of my heart. Every logical thought tells me I’m practically begging to be ripped open. I take a giant step away from Dax. He’s turning in wild circles, snapping and whining. Caged in by the ring of bodies.

But there’s nowhere to go that doesn’t involve trouble.

Fuck. What should I do?

Think, Noble, think.

“Dax, calm your ass down. You have to shift back.Shift, now.”

---