Page 55 of Rocky Top

Couldn’t breathe.

All I could do was stare at the man. Thewolf. I’d been trying to forget.

What the hell are you, Rocky?

He took one step toward me, muscles tight, still half-wild.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

He raised a hand slowly. “Birdie…”

Everything went black.

I woke up with a start. The lamp barely lit the room, making shadows dance on the walls. I blinked, wondering where I was. The last thing I recalled was the woods, the attack, and then... Rocky.

“You're awake,” a familiar voice said softly.

I turned my head to see Eliza sitting in a chair beside the bed, her face etched with concern.

“Eliza?” My voice was hoarse, my throat dry. “What happened? Where am I?”

“You're at the clubhouse,” she replied gently, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “Rocky brought you here after... after what happened in the woods.”

The memories came flooding back, the snarling creature, the fear, and then Rocky transforming before my eyes. I sat up abruptly, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my shoulder.

“Easy there,” Eliza cautioned, placing a hand on my arm. “You fainted.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. “Eliza, I saw... I saw something. Rocky, he... he changed. One minute he was a wolf, and the next...” I trailed off, unable to find the words.

Eliza sighed, her expression unreadable. “I know. It's a lot to take in. I tried to tell you. Knox is thesame.”

I stared at her, my mind racing. “So, what? You're telling me that Rocky and Knox are... werewolves?”

“Shifters,” she corrected. “They prefer the term shifters. Knox is a fox.”

“Right.” I let out a humorless laugh, running a hand through my tangled hair. “This ain't normal, Eliza. This ain't normal at all.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But it's our reality now.”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, testing my balance. “I need to talk to Rocky.”

Eliza hesitated. “He's... he's giving you some space. He thought you might need time to process everything.”

“Process?” I repeated, my voice rising. “How am I supposed to process finding out that my best friend's fiancé and his buddy turn into critters?”

“Bird, please,” Eliza implored. “I know it's overwhelming but yelling ain’t going to help.”

I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my emotions. “I'm sorry. I just... I need answers.”

“Then let's go find them,” Eliza said, standing up and offering me her hand.

Together, we made our way through the dimly lit halls of the clubhouse. The place was eerily quiet, the usual rowdiness absent.

We found Rocky in the back room they called, the chapel, staring into the fireplace, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He looked up as we entered, his expression blank.

“Birdie,” he grumbled.

“Rocky,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. “We need to talk.”

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