Page 74 of Bitten Shifter

My tongue sneaks out, and I lick him again, more gently.

At last, I feel safe. Even as the wolfsbane’s poison threatens to drown me, I know I’m not alone.

If I live, I will never be alone again.

I see it now.

The sound of boots rushing into the warehouse fades, growing distant as the world dims. Merrick’s heartbeat echoes in my ears, the final sound I notice before darkness takes me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The world swimsinto focus slowly, like a camera lens clicking frame by frame.

Click.

Merrick’s alpha command reverberates in my mind, desperate yet futile. The shock in his voice, disbelief tangible as the Alpha Prime himself fails to compel me to shift.

“She’s a sigma,” someone whispers. The words hang in the air, heavy with meaning I don’t quite understand.

Click.

“Please, Lark, shift for me,” Merrick pleads, the authority gone from his tone, replaced by raw intensity. My body stirs at the fated connection between us, even though commands don’t work. I shift.

Click.

Overhead, helicopter blades whirr, sending a gust of air that carries shouts I can’t decipher.

Click.

Merrick’s tone turns icy. “If she dies, I will kill you all.”

Chapter Thirty

The next thing I know,my eyes flutter open. The sterile white of a medical room greets me. I’m alive, and I’m human again.

Merrick slumps in a chair beside me, his large hand holding mine. His head tilts at an awkward angle, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. Even in sleep, he looks like a storm barely contained.

I shift slightly, wincing as soreness ripples through my body.

“Here.” A gruff voice draws my attention. Riker stands at the door, a silent sentinel. He crosses the room, pours water from a jug, and offers me a glass.

I sip carefully, rinsing the foul taste from my mouth before swallowing. Who knew water could taste so divine?

“Hi,” I croak, managing a weak smile.

Riker scowls, arms folded, his imposing frame blocking half the doorway.

“Sorry I didn’t listen,” I rasp. “The Alpha Prime is worth twenty of me. I didn’t realise it at the time, but my wolf knew. She knew we had to protect our mate.”

“We?” He arches a blond eyebrow, scepticism plain on his face.

“When I say ‘we,’ I mean me,” I explain. “There’s no separate entity, no scary monster—just me. But now I have a… wilder side. A furry inner voice.”

He narrows his eyes. “That’s strange. Most shifters describe their animal as a separate being, even alphas. But you… you’re one and the same, aren’t you?”

I shrug and glance at Merrick. “I suppose so. I was only a wolf for about five minutes.”

Of course, I’m not normal; I never was, and I will embrace it.

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