Page 25 of A Second Chance for the Beta
“Wolves…” I grumble. “I tend to dream of being chased and running, and then I turn into a huge wolf. It’s always the same fucking dream. But it’s not the only thing. I once saw a person… a real one… turn into a wolf, and someone whispers in my head.”
I expect Ella and Dante to turn on their heels, grab me, and take me to a mental institution; instead they remain completely unfazed.
“When did it start, child?” the old geezer next to Ella and her dude asks. “Your dreams, and you seeing someone shift?”
“I… what…” I blink, not able to grasp that they are taking me seriously. “I have always had these dreams. And the guy who turned into a wolf—that was two years ago.”
“That must have been so scary,” Ella says sadly. “I’m so sorry you were alone through it all.”
“Wait…what… are you saying this really happened? Are you making fun of me?” I stutter. “Because if yes, that’s just truly fucked up.”
“The brutal truth?” Ella asks.
“Yes! How often do I need to repeat myself, woman?” I huff.
Dante looks something between worried and slightly pissed, but he doesn’t say anything. He just shakes his head. “Of course you think this is all crazy,” he finally says. “Anyone in your position would.”
“The brutal truth,” Ella says before she starts taking off her clothes.
Why the fuck is she undressing? To make matters even weirder, none of the other three in the room seem particularly shocked. Lorenzo turns his gaze away, but other than that, there is zero awkwardness. I see some scars on Ella’s body, making me wonder where she got them from. She said I’m her only family left… who knows—
I can hear bones cracking.
“What!?” I blurt out, clasping my hand over my mouth before I can scream. Either way, I’m going completely crazy now, or my aunt just turned into a fucking wolf!
ten
The Brutal Truth
*CHARLIE*
I’mrootedtomyplace, and I’m sure this is it. I’m insane, literally. That or I’m going to be eaten by a huge wolf soon.
Charlie,I can hear a voice in my mind.I know this has to be scary.
“Ella!?” I ask. How the fuck is she talking to me?
Not quite. I’m Ella’s wolf, Nefeli.She pauses, her huge eyes taking up my frame before she trots forward.I can only talk to you because we are related.
She is freaking gorgeous. Scary, but gorgeous. If only this were real, how cool would that be? Like in Twilight, maybe I could find my own Jacob then. I’ve always been team hot and steamy werewolf. Pity, I’m going crazy. Nefeli pushes her head against my palm, and I feel her fur beneath my fingers.
For a hallucination, this certainly feels real.
I’m not sure what’s happening with me. I know I should scream and run, but I can’t. Something inside me draws me to that wolf, and it overpowers all my fear and rationality.
“Mr. Hoffman.” One of the helpers comes bursting through the door and turns to the old geezer. “I—” His eyes turn wide in horror when he sees us. “There is a wolf,” he screams. “Oh my god, I’m going to call—”
Before he can say anything else, Dante approaches him, wrapping his arm around his neck. Within seconds, the man goes limp. “Don’t worry,” Dante reassures me. “He isn’t dead, just unconscious.”
“I’m going to deal with him,” Lorenzo says, taking the guy from Dante and moving to the door. “I will tell him he hit his head.”
When I furrow my gaze to a glare, Lorenzo sighs. “This is different, Charlotte,” he says. “This man here, he is human, a human with no knowledge of”—he points at Ella and the others—“their existence.”
“My God,” I mutter. “This is real. I’m not crazy.”
“You are not crazy,” Dante reassures me.
“But… the dreams and all… they were real?”
