Page 14 of It All Started with a Bite

“What’s happening?” I managed between clenched teeth. My heart was pounding like crazy and my skin felt tight, like I was about to burst out of it.

“Abby?” Ellie’s eyes were wide with apprehension.

Victoria was staring at me, slack-jawed and ashen faced. “Oh God.”

Bo fidgeted nervously beside me. “I did not see that coming.”

“What?!” I snapped, an edge of hysteria to my voice.

“I think you just bonded with the alpha of the pack,” the Husky quavered, tail tucked firmly between his legs. He gulped. “You’re now technically his loony.”

“Luna,” Hugh corrected automatically.

“Loony, luna, same thing.”

Ellie’s eyes rounded until they looked like they were about to fall out of her head. Victoria swayed and clutched the wall in an overly dramatic fashion. Even Pearl appeared lost for words.

The sound of my heartbeat filled my ears.

Things had just gone from weird to wackadoodle crazy.

Samuel scowled at his brother. “What the hell did you do, you dumb mutt?!”

His roar echoed across the foyer and jolted me back to my senses.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Hugh protested.

Samuel and I glared at him.

Samuel descended the stairs, his heated gaze finding my face again. “Start with why there’s a newly turned werewolf in our home. One who appears to be my—” He stopped, jaw clenching.

“Mate?” Pearl had recovered. The cat smirked. “The woman who will bear your pups?—”

“One more word out of you and I will confiscate the gourmet food you’ve been hiding all over the mansion,” Samuel said in a dangerous voice.

The cat hissed.

I realized I was hyperventilating. “Pups?!”

6

Welcome to the Pack (No Refunds Offered)

“Abby!”Ellie gasped suddenly. “Your face!”

“What now?” I managed hoarsely, trying not to let panic get the better of me.

I realized everyone was staring at me with varying degrees of shock. Even Bo’s jaw had dropped open.

I swallowed and crossed swiftly to a gilt-framed mirror on the wall, dreading whatever fresh horror awaited me. Relief made me weak-kneed when I saw my reflection.

The fur was gone. Well, most of it anyway. My face looked normal again, if slightly flushed and marked with a fading unibrow. Even my hair had settled down from its previous feral state.

“The mate bond must have stabilized your transformation,” Hugh said, stunned.

His words sent a shiver down my spine.

Samuel reached the bottom of the steps and addressed me curtly. “Who’s your friend?” He cut his eyes to Ellie. “She smells human.”

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