Chapter 1
1926 Words
Chapter 1
“We thought there was only one way a dormant could phase into a wolf. Apparently, we were wrong. If we were wrong about that, what else were we wrong about? The next thing you know, we are going to find out that Jacque’s mother has actually been a supernatural being this whole time…” ~Jen
Present day.
Romania pack mansion. Nissa, one of the high fae, has just returned Sally and Costin from their trip to Texas.
Nissa bowed and then flashed without saying anything else.
“She was a talker,” Costin said dryly.
Sally smacked his chest. “Be nice.”
Before they could even take a step, Jacque and Jen came hurtling toward them. They both reached Sally at the same time and nearly knocked her over.
“How are you?”
“Are your parents okay?”
“Was it good to see them?”
“Do you still want to die?”
The questions fired out of their mouths so fast Sally felt breathless for them. The last question was from Jen, who was nearly dancing from foot to foot.
“I don’t want to die,” Sally said, hoping to quickly put their minds at ease.
Jen let out a sigh of relief. “That’s fantastic because I really did not want to have to pick a new BFF for our dynamic trio to remain intact.”
“So glad I didn’t put you out,” Sally said with an exaggerated eye roll.
Jacque pushed Jen aside and smiled at Sally warmly. “We missed you.”
“I missed me, too,” she said. “And you guys as well. How has everything—” A loud howl ripped through the mansion, cutting Sally off.
Costin stepped in front of all three of them, his eyes beginning to glow as he stared down the entryway.
“What or who on earth was that?” Sally asked.
Jen sighed. “Well, because there can never be a dull moment in this fur-infested home, we have found ourselves in a bit of a situation.”
“W-hat kind of situation?” Sally asked, drawing out the words.
“Oh, you know, just one where a dormant has flipped her switch, phased, and doesn’t seem to be able to phase back to her human form. I’m sure it’s no biggie. Vasile can probably order her to phase and, poof, she’ll be her little, sassy self again.”
“Zara?” Sally asked, her eyes widening. “Is she okay?”
“If your definition of okay is ‘stuck in her wolf form,’ then she’s hell-a okay.”
“What does hell-a even mean?” Costin asked, his eyes still glued to the hall.
“It means she’s a helluva lot of okay. Duh.”
Costin glanced over his shoulder at Sally. “We’re back for less than a minute and the brain cells are already screaming ‘noooo, don’t kill us.’”
Sally bit back laughter and turned to Jen and Jacque. “How is Wadim?”
“I think he needs a new T-shirt,” Jen said.
Jacque nodded. “It needs to say ‘My mate’s a feral wolf. Stick that in your history books and smoke it.’”
“He must be freaking out,” Sally said quietly.
“Little bit,” Jen said, holding up her hand and pinching her forefinger and thumb together.
There was another loud snarl and then a door slamming, followed by panicked shouts.
“SHE’S OUT!” Wadim’s voice boomed throughout the house.
“Out?” Costin asked.
“She was in the cage. Apparently, the cage didn’t hold,” Jen said as she ran for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Sally asked, her voice a bit frantic.
“Don’t feel like being wolf chow,” Jen called as her feet took the stairs two at a time. “So, I’m not hanging around for an up-close-and-personal look at our newest she-wolf.”
Costin grabbed Sally and Jacque by the hand and began to follow Jen, pulling them so quickly Sally nearly stumbled. The growling got louder, as did the yelling. Before they even made it to the first landing, they saw a rust-colored wolf race past, heading straight for the front door. It moved slightly to the right and lunged. The wolf’s body broke through the glass window without slowing down.
Jen cursed. “Bloody hell, that’s the fifth window in two days.”
Wadim was right behind her, in his human form, leaping through the ruined window and out into the night.
“Well,” Sally said, as her heart pounded painfully in her chest, “at least she’s here with us and not stuck in a vampire dungeon. We can get her through this. Just like we’ve gotten each other through so many things.”
Jacque and Jen both nodded. “We totally got this.”
Jen held out her hand. Jacque and Sally stared at it like it might bite them. “Come on.” Jen huffed. “You know we’re having a moment. We’re like the three musketeers. We need to do that one-for-all-and-all-for-one crap.”
Costin placed his hand on top of Jen’s and winked at his mate.
Sally shook her head but placed her hand over his. “You do realize your IQ just dropped twenty points, right?”
Jacque placed her hand on top of Sally’s. “Do I want to know why you said that?”
Sally smiled wickedly. “Inside joke.”
Jacque grinned. “Glad to see you two being all lovey dovey with the inside couple jokes. It’s cute.”
“Yes, it’s adorable, blah, blah, blah,” Jen said. “Now, on three.” She motioned to their stacked hands.
As Jen counted off, Sally looked at her mate and then at Jacque. “Do you think she’d really kick us out of her group?” Sally asked hopefully.
Jacque shook her head. “She’s dumbed us down so much, we’re the only ones foolish enough to be her friend. She wouldn’t be able to find anyone else.”
They yelled the battle cry with Jen and laughed because she looked so pleased with herself. Then the blonde started back down the stairs.
“Now where are you going?” Costin asked.
“We,” she said, emphasizing the word, “are going on a hunt. We’ve got a she-wolf to save.”
“You were just running away from said she-wolf,” Jacque pointed out.
“Yes, but now we’ve said the chant and declared ourselves all bad asses. If we tuck tail and run now, we look like dweebs.”
They started after her, and Sally whispered. “I’m pretty sure we look like dweebs anyway.”
Jacque held up her hand and high fived Sally. “Truth, sista. You speak nothing but truth.”
Jen threw open the front door and stepped out into the night. They might just be about to get themselves mauled by a crazed she-wolf, but at least they would be mauled together in an attempt to help someone they loved, someone in need, and someone who was having trouble seeing the light in the darkness.
Sally stepped up next to her two best friends with her mate on her other side and took a deep breath. “We’ve never left a chick behind, and we aren’t going to start now. It’s go time, ladies. Let’s do this.” She breathed out.
Jen laughed. “I knew, deep down, you loved my military lingo.”
“Operation Drag-a-she-wolf-home has commenced,” Jacque added.
“Hold on to your butts,” Costin said with a dimpled grin.
Two other bodies stepped up beside the group, and Sally’s smile grew.
“Let’s bring the rain,” Decebel said, quoting one of his favorite robot movies.
“Lock and load,” Fane said as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together.
They moved as one as they started down the steps, running full speed into the night after one of their own.
Zara's breath came in shallow pants as her paws pounded against the ground. Summer had come to Romania, and the unforgiving sun beat down on her shiny fur coat, making Zara feel as though she was running through a furnace. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and the heat wasn’t helping. During the past week, she'd phased in and out of her wolf form almost a dozen times. She had no idea what caused the transformation or how to prevent it.
The most recent phase came two days ago, and she'd been a wolf ever since. In wolf form, Zara was a wild beast, uncontrollable by anyone, even herself. Eventually, for her own safety and for the safety of the other pack members, Vasile and Alina had been forced to confine her to a cage. Somewhere, deep inside the trapped beast, the human part of Zara understood the act as prudent and loving. The wolf didn't agree.
Zara’s wolf had been contained inside the human form for entirely too long. It had been trapped, helpless, while the poor human had endured everything the vampires had done to the girl. The wolf had felt every bite, every cut, every desecration. It had screamed to break free and take revenge on the vampires but was powerless to do so. We won’t be caged again, the wolf whispered into her mind.
It was a scary sensation, to have someone else’s voice in her mind, especially when she still hadn’t gotten used to having Wadim there.
I’ve always been with you, the wolf told her.
But I didn’t know that, Zara responded.
She’d thought she’d been utterly alone during her time in the vampires’ captivity. Her family was gone, and Zara hadn’t known if she’d live to see the light of day ever again. In fact, at some point, she’d resigned herself to a slow, painful death in the vampires’ dungeon. It would have been a comfort to have known about her wolf then.
You survived, her wolf said. She could hear and feel the admiration of her animal side, and it made Zara a little proud.
“Zara, please stop.” Wadim’s voice in her mind was a gentle caress. He was trying to soothe her.
“Stop what?” she asked him. In spite of herself, she could hear the desperation in her voice. “Stop randomly transforming into a wolf and acting like a rabid beast? I wish it were that simple, Wadim.”
“No. Stop running.”
She was about to respond when someone—well, several someones—emerged from the trees in front of her. They quickly spread out into a semicircle around her, forcing Zara to slide to a halt to keep from crashing into Jen, who was standing directly in front of her.
“You can’t run from this,” Jen said as she stared directly into Zara’s eyes.
Zara dropped her gaze, her wolf instinctively recognizing Jen as the more dominant.
“We can help you,” Decebel said, stepping close to his mate.
The large man loomed closely over Zara, and the girl wanted to cower. With some effort of will, she forced herself to remain standing, though her head stayed lowered.
She felt a hand on her head, running down her back. Wadim. Zara leaned in to her mate’s touch. It was still weird to think of him in such a way, but his presence certainly made her feel safe.
“If you will be patient with yourself and us, we can figure out a way to help you gain control of your wolf. Can you do that? At least try?” Jen asked her.
The wolf growled internally, but Zara fought against him. What choice did she have? It’s not like she could leave the pack and survive. She’d probably get herself shot by a hunter or wind up butt naked in front of some random humans because she couldn’t control when she phased. Finally, Zara nodded her wolf head and then looked up at Wadim.
“I’m searching the archives,” he said gently, “for anything that might explain your condition. Dormants have always been a bit of a mystery, but hopefully we will find something that explains why you have no control over your transformations. If I can’t find anything, maybe Peri can help,” Wadim said, his eyes full of something she hadn’t seen in a very long time—love.
Zara turned back toward the Romania pack mansion and walked closely by Wadim’s side. His hand remained on the scruff of her neck, his touch a reassuring reminder he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Never,” he said through their bond. “I will never leave you. We will get through this with one another and with the help of our pack.”
- Writer
