Page 2 of Winning the Wolf

As the other three men fell to their hands and knees, I made quick work of imagining myself a wolf. My eyesight changed suddenly, widening so I could see further around my head as it morphed, my long snout appearing in my vision. The crack of my bones and the push of fur from my pores made me cringe, but I’d been shifting for seven years now. It was no longer as painful as it had been at first.

The smell of the dew sitting on the grass sifted up my nose as the others surrounded me. One of them whined, nudging me with their nose.

Huffing back at them, I pushed forward, trying to break through their circle. Alas, I had to stay within the boundary. Each one of them moved, snapping in my direction if I sped up. Fine, arseholes, I would do as I was told. For now.

My insides quaked in fury. How dare they treat me with such fucking disregard? I wasn’t my sister. I had never done anything against the pack, even though she’d tried to influence me. The bitch was wild. But she was my wild. She was my twin.

We ran as one, heading down the hill and towards the huge house that was almost hidden on the edge of town. My paws pounded the earth as my ears picked up on every nuance of the night time sounds around us.

Killick was gone, not bothering to wait for us in his haste. He trusted that his sidekicks would take care of me. Well, I was basically the omega of the pack.

A whistle rent the air, indicating that we should follow it. I went with the others, instinct taking over as my alpha called us home.

There were several lights ahead, in the grounds behind the headquarters. Something serious must have happened to cause such a stir.

We had been going about our normal lives for a few years now. My father’s disappearance was the first shock in a long time. And now? I just prayed to the wolf goddess that it wasn’t Nyla. My mind was already confused as it was.

Slipping through the trees, we came out onto the long open lawn that stretched to the back of a stately grey brick house. Nearer the terrace was a large swimming pool and bar, reserved for those who were in favour with the alpha.

“She’s here,” someone called from the small group gathered by the tennis court.

They turned to face us as we drew closer. I shied back, my head dropping when all eyes landed on me. A shudder moved my body as the other men started to shift back, catching the clothes that were thrown to them. There were outdoor storage boxes dotted all around the town for the wolves, full of different types of clothes. We tried to avoid shredding our outfits, preferring to get undressed first, but sometimes, there was an emergency and we couldn’t carry them with us.

“Come on!” the alpha snapped, gesturing for me to return to human form.

His piercing blue eyes stared at me, daring me to disobey his order. There was no way I would go against his wishes, especially not now.

Closing my eyes to save the embarrassment of seeing everyone watching me, I forced my shift, my whole body vibrating as my snout retracted and my fur disappeared. Goosebumps exploded on my skin as the cool breeze washed over me.

“Here, get dressed,” Killick snapped, throwing a floaty dress in my face.

Catching it, I flung it over my head quickly, desperate to hide from the glares. The smell of damp almost made me gag as the material hung from my frame. However, I held it back, grateful to be decent in front of all the staring eyes.

“Your sister has kidnapped Miranda,” Phileas, the alpha, barked, coming close to my face. “What do you know of it?”

Frowning, I took a deep breath as my mouth gaped open. “What? Why?”

“That’s what I’m asking you.” Phileas was a foot taller than me, standing way higher than any man in the group, including his son. “She sent me a message to say that the Dusk Moon Pack will give her back when I die.”

“Huh?”

The alpha’s teeth clenched as his tanned cheeks turned ruddy red. He spun from me and faced his son, staring Killick straight in the eyes.

“She clearly doesn’t know anything,” the alpha-heir said, shaking his head. “What do we do?”

Blinking, Phileas acknowledged his son’s words with a nod. His grey shaggy hair fell into his eyes before he shook it out. Although bigger than his son, he still treated him like an equal. Everyone respected our alpha because he was fair and just. Hopefully, he would treat me with the same kindness.

“A friend of yours,” the alpha started, turning back to me, “mentioned that you were stressed at work today because your sister hadn’t arrived to help. They were concerned by how cryptic you’d been when asked where she was.”

Friend, my arse. That friend was Sydney, the pack gossip. She’d just so happened to be in our coffee shop when my sister had phoned me. She’d probably listened in on our conversation.

“I...I…” My stutter was met with a glare so cold, the tips of my fingers froze. “She rang to say that she had left with Jeremy. I tried to plead with her not to go, but she hung up, not letting me ask what the fuck was going on.”

“So you knew she was leaving with a member of our enemy?” The alpha’s voice was icy, spreading over me to freeze the rest of my body.

Licking my lips, I glanced around at the other wolves. They stared at me, their ire burning away the coolness of my skin. Shit, what had Nyla got me into?

“After the phone call, I shut the shop early to try and track her down. I was going to come to you, it was only an hour ago… Please–”

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