Page 62 of It All Started with a Bite

I groaned. “I’m trying to forget I did that.”

He chuckled. “I never said you couldn’t.”

I knew he was trying to lighten the mood. Still, I didn’t miss the sexual tension that sparked between us.

I suddenly remembered that I was still upset with this guy.

“Where’s Ethel?” I said coolly.

“Somewhere she can rest her weary wheels.” Samuel sighed at my expression. “She’s in our garage at the mansion.”

He turned the Bentley onto the dirt road leading to the training ground. Metal glinted faintly between the trees as we approached the clearing where Samuel had trained me. There were already cars parked in the lot ahead. My supernatural hearing picked up voices and laughter drifting through the woods, along with a distant noise that sounded suspiciously like howling.

Samuel killed the engine and turned to look at me.

“Whatever happens tonight, remember that I’m here. That we’re all here for you.” His quiet voice filled the space between us. “Trust your instincts, Abby. Your inner wolf knows what to do.”

I met his gaze and saw my own apprehension reflected there, along with something else. Something that made the mate bond sing between us.

Pale light filtered through the treetops. The moon was rising.

We got out of the car and joined the Hawthorne pack.

The clearing felt different tonight. The air buzzed with electric tension and the ancient oaks cast strange shadows across faces that were already starting to show signs of their wolves.

“Hi, Abby,” Caroline greeted cheerfully. She was helping Amanda out of her jacket while James bounced around them with barely contained excitement.

Kent herded some wayward kids back to the pack.

“The first shift is always memorable.” Aunt Lucille gave me a gentle pat on my back that almost broke a rib. Her dentures glinted in the night as she beamed. “I remember mine like it was yesterday. Took out three fence posts and someone’s prized hydrangeas.”

Hopefully not Mrs. Chen’s, I found myself thinking slightly hysterically.

“You still do that, Lucille,” Uncle Frederick reminded his cousin with a sigh.

Victoria approached, looking regal in a charcoal-gray pantsuit. Her expression was a mix of concern and something I couldn’t quite read.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I want to find Hugh and punch him again,” I said bluntly.

Victoria’s face softened a little. Several pack members chuckled. Even Samuel smiled.

“Speaking of Hugh, where is he?” I looked around curiously.

“He went on ahead,” Victoria said, indicating the looming mountains. She paused, her eyes glinting amber. “It’s almost time.”

An uncanny stillness came over the Hawthornes as they looked up at the sky. The silence that fell over the clearing and the woods made my heartbeat speed up and sent a shiver of fear and anticipation down my spine.

The moon finally crept over the tallest peak and sent dazzling light washing across the clearing.

All my hairs rose on end as the supernatural glow washed over me.

The first twinge hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath caught on a gasp of pure agony as something grabbed all my internal organs and gave them a sharp twist. The pain was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

It felt like everything in my body was trying to break and re-form at once.

I was barely aware of falling to my knees as I began screaming, the sound that escaped me so feral it sounded like a beast was trying to tear its way out from my very innards.

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