Page 198 of Claimed

“Fuck!” Grey bites off.

Brody rushes the stage, about to grab Wyatt, but he bounces off what looks like nothing and stumbles off the stage, catching himself before tumbling to the floor.

The foil flies out of Wyatt’s hand but only moves a few inches before it hovers. I quickly realize Grey is trying to telekinetically pull it from my brother. But it’s too late. He’s got some sort of invisible, protective shield around himself.

I see Grey trying again, but red sparks simply flit around the atmosphere before floating to the floor and burning out.

“Fuck!” Grey repeats.

Aphra jumps to her feet. “Soleil gave him some things she had me whip up. One of them –” She stops talking because wolves are rushing my brother, but also bouncing and falling back. Yes, exactly like he’s surrounded by an invisible shield.

Wyatt laughs. “I’m collecting my mate and then you all get to deal with my wrath.”

“What on earth?” I cry out. “No!”

He can’t just walk away from this.

“I know what it is,” Aphra whispers. “I made it weeks ago for Soleil. I didn’t know it was one of the things she gave him.”

“Can we get something to stop it? Reverse it? What is it?” Grey demands and his eyes are bleeding.

Aphra winces at the sight of Grey’s blood-streaked face.

“He’s okay,” I tell her.

Wyatt can’t just walk out of here. No. No!

Tyson, Grey, and Jase are all shifting to wolf shape, blocking the exit by the bathrooms. My brother moves in the direction of the opposite entrance. Joel and Riley are dropping their clothes and shifting before he gets to them, blocking that door to the library in their wolf shapes.

“This won’t last forever, right? It’ll wear off?” I ask.

My brother walks through the crowd, his shield knocking people out of his way. Wolf-shaped pack members growl and charge at him but it’s like he’s in an invisible bubble with enough strength to push his way through the crowd. He pushes toward Mason, and as Mason shifts to his large white wolf, Wyatt runs at him and walks right over top of him.

No! I grab my hair on both sides of my head in frustration.

Now Wyatt is facing off with Tyson’s massive black wolf. The size of the teeth on Tyson’s wolf are bigger than I’ve ever seen.

The rage in his now-glowing green eyes has my stomach going sour, the taste of vomit in my mouth. This is a terrifying sight. But my brother isn’t quaking in his boots. He looks terrible, his face still looks like he’s feeling pain and I know he can’t shift to wolf shape, but he feels confidence in his ability to get out of here because nobody can penetrate this shield.

Shit. Why didn’t someone take his wallet? Probably because it seemed harmless. And why did Malachi untie him? Probably because he figured there was no way my brother could weasel his way out of this situation. He can’t weasel out of it. He absolutely can’t. I can’t have him out there somewhere threatening our future.

Wait! I know what to do.

“Greyson!” I shout.

My mate, in his wolf shape, immediately looks at me.

“There’s a gun in the Airstream. In Wyatt’s coat! I need it!”

Wyatt’s eyes snap in my direction and it’s plain to see. That gun is exactly what I need. The gun with the seven special bullets in it.

“Yes! Yes, you fucking do!” Aphra exclaims. “Slow him down, everyone!”

Wyatt looks tweaked, panicked, as he rushes in my direction. Wolves and people move in his path, getting in his way, pushing the bubble he’s in with hands, with noses.

Grey shifts back and says, “Can I somehow pull the magic from him. Erase the spell?”

Aphra shakes her head. “No.”

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