Page 54 of Curses and Casualties
“He’s fighting the bond,” Georgia says softly. “Just like you are.”
“I’m not fighting it!” Scarlett snarls, then immediately looks horrified. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean?—”
“It’s OK,” I assure her. “The pull is getting stronger. We need to?—”
The sharp crack of a breaking branch cuts me off. We all freeze.
“Out of the car,” I order quietly. “Now.”
We move as one, slipping out of the vehicle just as three wolves emerge from the forest. Pack scouts. Their eyes gleam with recognition when they spot us.
“Well, well,” the lead scout says, shifting to human form. “The fugitives. The Alpha will be pleased.”
Kill them. Protect mate.
Not yet,I tell Kane, though every muscle is coiled to strike.
“You’re outside pack territory,” I point out. “You have no authority here.”
The scout laughs. “Authority? You gave up any claim to authority when you ran, traitor. And took the Alpha’s property with you.” His eyes land on Scarlett.
That’s when everything goes sideways.
Scarlett’s control snaps. With a roar that’s pure fury, she partially shifts—claws out, fangs bared, caught between human and wolf. “I am NO ONE’S property!”
She launches herself at the scout with inhuman speed.
“Shit,” Ethan breathes, already moving to help her.
But Georgia beats us both to it.
One moment she’s standing beside me, fully human. The next, silver light explodes from her skin and Luna partially manifests—not fully, but enough. Talon-like claws rake across the second scout’s face before he can even react.
“Holy fuck,” I breathe. Georgia’s eyes are pure silver—otherworldly. She’s moving with Luna’s grace, and for one second, I forget how to breathe. It’s beautiful. And terrifying. She’s not just mine. She’s somethingmore.
The third scout tries to run. I don’t let him. Kane and I move as one, taking him down before he can howl for backup. A quick strike to the temple, and he’s unconscious.
When I turn back, Scarlett has the lead scout pinned, her claws at his throat. “Tell the Alpha,” she hisses, “that I reject his mark. I reject his claim. And if he wants me back, he can come fight me himself.”
“Scarlett,” Ethan says carefully.
She blinks, some humanity returning to her eyes. With visible effort, she releases the scout and steps back. “Run,” she tells him. “Run and don’t come back.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice.
As the scouts flee, I catch Georgia as she sways. The silver light fades, leaving her looking dazed.
“Did I just?—?”
“You did,” I confirm, pride and awe filling me. “Partially. Luna showed up the moment you wanted her to. How did it feel?”
“Different,” she whispers, pressing her clawless hand to her chest as if testing whether her heart still beats in her ribs and not somewhere wilder and more uncontained. “I remember everything, but also... I didn’t care about anything but saving you and Scarlett. That’s all that mattered.” She looks up, tears trembling in her lashes, but her eyes are clear, focused. “I thought it’d be like drowning, but it was more like—just opening a door.” She glances down at her hands, turning them over as if they might still find a trace of claw, but they’re bare, only the faintest shimmer left beneath the skin. “She’s… lighter now. Like she’s happy.” Georgia’s eyes find mine, green and laughing, even through her exhaustion. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“You were perfect,” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her cheekbone, aware of Kane pacing behind my eyes, howling in silent triumph.Mate strong. Mate ready. Soon.
Scarlett draws in a shaky breath, hands still curled in loose fists as she wipes blood from the corner of her mouth. She scans the empty woods where the scouts vanished, then turns to Georgia, studying her like she’s seeing her for the first time. “You looked... terrifying,” she croaks, sounding both jealous and relieved. “Like, in a supermodel-with-Sabertooth-hands way.”
“It felt incredible,” Georgia whispers and Scarlett smiles.
