My wolf was not going to be denied a fight this time. She slammed against the barrier that still held, even though it was cracked, whining and barking. Be my guest. I don’t think I’m going to win this without you anyway. I focused hard to drop the wall between us. It didn’t fall easily, but the small fissure that I’d made before finally ruptured under the force and our minds snapped together like a slingshot as we merged.
Then all hell broke loose.
I reared up and sank my new fangs into the side of his neck and ripped happily. He let out a strangled howl and tried to scramble backward. I’d missed his jugular by an inch. My new claws were now fully embedded into his neck and blood flowed in rivers down my arms, coating us both.
He howled again, trying to shake himself free.
In one powerful heave, I flung him away and sprang to my feet, power rushing through me in a sweet continuous current, hitting every single nerve ending. My wolf was in control of the fight, she was leading, but I was there. It was different than before. We were united this time, but she had the wheel.
My attacker paced back and forth in front of me. Blood coursed down the wound in his neck, dripping onto my recently mopped floor in thick dark streams.
He leapt without warning.
I was ready.
My body launched itself into the air and we clashed in the middle. The only way to kill a wolf was to sever the vertebrae completely. No more impulses from the brain and you were done. I’d only cracked his neck before. Anything other than killing him at this point was not an option. If he gained the upper hand for even a moment, I was dead.
We rolled again, my arms coming around his body tightly. As we fought, my body continued to change and morph. We rolled twice before smashing against the plywood inside my sliding glass door. It wavered for a moment before it crashed down on top of us, startling my attacker.
It was the edge I needed. As the werewolf lifted his head and shoulders up to dislodge the wood, I slid my feet into his soft underbelly. Then I punched my legs forward, tossing him, and the board, off me in one powerful thrust.
Blood ran down my legs. As I brought my legs back, I saw that my claws had ripped through my running shoes, tearing into his belly, eviscerating him.
Foot claws were definitely a dandy new feature.
The plywood crashed into my breakfast bar a split second before my attacker hit it, snapping the board in half with a decisive clap.
He was up in the next moment, and so was I.
His dirty yellow eyes narrowed on me and he shook his head. The toss and the stomach wound weren’t going to stop him, but he was more leery of me now.
“Not what you were expecting, huh? You filthy piece of crap.” My voice came out low and gravelly, surprising me. It sounded nothing like my normal tone. My eyebrows shot up and I glanced down the length of my body.
I was partially changed.
It hadn’t occurred to me, but if I had to stop now to finish the shift, I’d be dead before I woke up and old yellow eyes over there would chuckle as he let himself out my front door.
I extended both my arms in front of me. The werewolf growled, but stayed put.
My claws were fully formed, sharp and nasty-looking. The backs of my hands, all the way up my arms, were covered in a smoky gray fur. Muscles bulged where I had no idea muscles should be. I brought a finger up to my jaw, patting it carefully against my nose. My snout had extended, giving room to my new massive canines, but it wasn’t a full muzzle. My hair was down, flowing all over the place. It had burst from its keepings at some point and was irritatingly long. I was thankful my attacker didn’t have hands.
I lifted a leg. Thick muscle stretched my shiny spandex to its absolute limit. Holes dotted the seams where the fabric had started to give way, and gray fur shot through in patches.
Even though I was busy taking inventory, my wolf was deathly focused on our intruder. The werewolf circled us slowly, sniffing the air and growling fiercely. He was healing at an alarming rate. He was massively injured, and my self-examination was aiding his recovery time. I couldn’t risk a drop and change now, and I had no idea if my body would force a shift on me, but I had no choice but to continue fighting and hope I could beat him before he killed me.
“Didn’t think I could kick your ass, did you?” I growled. “You should’ve thought of that the first time. Now it’s time to come and get it.” I didn’t wait for him to respond. I lunged at him quick as lightning, my arms locking around his neck before he could register his surprise. I went for the kill. He struggled hard as I yanked him up, my elbow cocked under his muzzle, his bulky head forced back against my shoulder with no wiggle room.
I wrenched back, dragging him with me as I pivoted on the floor, my new claws digging into the floorboards to stabilize me. I spun hard, gaining momentum. My strength amazed me. There was no way I should be this strong. Manhandling the weight of this werewolf didn’t even register.
In one clean motion, I twisted his neck and flung him straight at the brick wall my apartment shared with the outside. He crashed into it like a wrecking ball. The bricks held as several pops rang out and he fell to the floor.
“Good riddance,” I snarled. More like gurgled. My hand went to my neck, still surprised by how I sounded.
My head turned toward the noise a second before my door exploded inward.
James, my father’s second, barreled into my apartment, his eyes glowing amber. “What in the bloody hell’s going on?” His accent was thick, and it echoed off my walls like a shot, making me quiver. He was a very strong wolf, even in human form.
I stared stupidly at him.
Then I turned and pointed a clawed finger at the mass still lying inert on the floor.
James reached the fallen wolf in three steps, putting a hand into his fur, searching for life. “Neck’s broken. No pulse.”
I spun around to face the door as my brother shot into the room, followed closely by Nick and Danny.
Tyler came to a screeching halt in front of me, his eyebrows at his hairline, his mouth open. “What the—”
Nick pulled up just short of plowing right into him, but steadied himself quickly. He locked eyes on me.
Danny stopped beside Tyler’s left shoulder, covering his mouth in a gesture he usually used when he was trying hard to stop himself from uttering something completely vulgar.
Everyone was motionless for a few seconds.
Then Danny dropped his hand and uttered one single word in a thunderstruck whisper. “Lycan.”
I had no idea what was happening. The adrenaline still pumped through my veins like a raging river, but very slowly my body eased itself back to normal. My teeth and nails receded and my muscles softened. When I found my voice, it sounded normal again. “What’s the matter with you guys?” I asked. “Shut the damn door before my whole floor knows what’s going on! We need to clean this up. Yes, I didn’t finish my shift, so the hell what? You can stare at me all you want later! Let’s get moving before the cops arrive.”