thunderous rumble of their engines straining my ears. People chatting on the
 
 street all sounded like they were shouting, and cars honking blocks away
 
 seemed like they were blaring their horns right behind me.
 
 I gritted my teeth. “Everything is so loud all the time now. My ears are
 
 going to burst. How do you deal with this?”
 
 “Don’t worry, we’re heading somewhere quieter. I expect it’ll take time
 
 to get used to the sensitivity. Your hearing and sense of smell are probably
 
 ten times what they were before. You’ll learn to filter. Hopefully, it’ll be
 
 second nature before long.”
 
 “Hopefully not. We need to get this fixed, fast. I’m not supposed to be a
 
 werewolf.”
 
 You are, growled a voice in the back of my head.
 
 “I’m not!” I snarled, then blushed as Jaxson raised his eyebrows.
 
 Great. Now I was talking to myself.
 
 “Sorry,” I mumbled.
 
 “Look, there are other people we can go to—seers, witches, maybe even
 
 the archmages. But for now, you’re a werewolf, and you have a sorcerer
 
 coming after you. You have to learn to control your wolf, or it’ll emerge at
 
 the wrong time and put you in danger.”
 
 I took a deep breath. He was right. If I lost control when a demon
 
 attacked, I’d be toast. Or what if Casey or Laurel or Uncle Pete found out?
 
 I’d lose the little family I’d gained.
 
 My stomach churned. “How can I control it? I don’t understand what’s
 
 happening to me at all.”
 
 Jaxson turned down a side street and started driving east. “Practice. When
 
 your mood turns, when you get scared or angry, your claws will come out.
 
 We’re going to start practicing so that you can pull them back and hide your
 
 nature.”
 
 I looked down at my hands and breathed slowly in and out, trying to calm
 
 my rising nerves. “Fine. Show me the ropes.”