Page 42 of Runaway Wolf
“It’s Saturday. The first weekend of November.”
But… but it had been the middle week of September when she’d driven out to see her sister. Still warm like summertime, but the mountains were much chillier than the city. Now that Penny pointed out the date, however, there was a definite bite in the air.
“I’m glad you’re up, Caity. I did a thing and I was going to record it for you, but now you can watch it live with the rest of us.”
“What did you do?”
“What I was planning to do… for me, anyway. For a forced change, though mine won’t be in the same context as yours. I recorded your turning from human to shifter. Don’t be mad. It’s not pretty, It’s ugly and painful and messy. But it’s time those people who voted to force us into it face the reality of what they’re doing to people. To shifters.”
Her ears were ringing. She could hear others… not only with her ears, but connected somehow. In her head.
She’s awake.
Just awake?
No, conscious this time. Both human and wolf.
Her ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
Stairs?
She looked around at the masculine, opulent bedroom. This wasn’t the cabin rental.
Penny watched her carefully. “You’re in the alpha’s house. Isaac’s. We no longer have the rental.”
The bedroom door burst open. Isaac was there, right on the bed with her, pulling her into his arms while the others scrambled in after him. She yelped when someone yanked the sheet off her, leaving her halfway naked since her T-shirt was tangled up around her waist. And, oddest thing, every single person in the room reached out to touch skin on her bare legs. Her foot. Her arm. Anywhere they could get, and stroke.
“About time you woke,” Joaquin said. “We ordered pizza and chicken wings. Hoped the smell would wake you in time to watch the news special with us.”
“Okay.” Her stomach let off a loud growl.
“Yeah!” Alex and Amos high-fived each other. “Wolf appetite.”
“What is happening?” she murmured, half to herself, looking down at her panties with the little bow ties.
“Get out,” Isaac growled to everyone. “Let her get up and shower. She can meet us downstairs for food before the program starts. And we can explain everything.”
Everyone cleared out. Even Penny, but with a relieved look on her face as she hugged her tightly.
There was a shower in the suite, so she used that. Her own toothbrush was sitting beside another in a holder, so she used that.
And her clothes were in her bag on the massive dresser in the room. She pulled on a pair of leggings and a large tee, then turned to leave the bedroom.
Caitlin had only been in Isaac’s house once before and hadn’t entered the upper level. She followed the hallway to where she heard voices drifting up the stairs, then slowly descended.
Isaac stood as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“You okay?” he asked, reaching for her hand and squeezing. She gave him a smile. “I think so. Just confused. I don’t remember a lot of what’s been going on. I had no idea so much time had passed. No idea we weren’t in the rental cabin anymore.”
“That’s pretty common. Your wolf had the skin most of the time, completely booted you out. So, there’s a lot you won’t remember. It’ll get better, though. You’ll start to work together and both be present while in each other’s bodies.”
He pulled her down to the couch, and Penny brought her a plate piled with pizza and wings. There were even a few veggie sticks to dip into her ranch dressing. She dug in.
“Do you remember when I said the scent of your marking was stronger inside the rental cabin?” Isaac asked.
She nodded, her mouth full.
“I should have known better. It wasn’t that Rhett’s stench was stronger indoors.Hehad been indoors. He had been inside your cabin, more than once. He stole Noah’s phone, texted Penny that the meeting had ended and a guard was heading there to cover you so she could go home. So that you would be left alone. The wolf you saw? It wasn’t mine. It was Rhett. The rest of his crew was watching from the line of trees. Once you were changed, they were going to swoop in and take you. Thankfully, Penny called Noah back when she left, and when he didn’t answer, she called Misty to make sure it was me heading to guard you. We had no idea why she’d left you, because Noah still hadn’t found his phone and had never texted her. Noah made her stay put until he could get to her while the rest of us changed and headed to you.”
