Page 47 of The Tracker's Secret
I shook my head. “I can’t. My life is not that of a werewolf. I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do anymore, who I’m supposed to be.”
“I’m sorry, but this is not a therapy session. So you either do what I say, when I say it, or we call it a day.”
I wanted to argue, but the hardness in Eric’s blue eyes told me there would be no point. He felt no sympathy for me, none whatsoever. All he wanted was to clear his score with Damien, and I was just the pesky inconvenience that would allow him to do that.
Despite all of that, I had no reason to doubt what he was saying. He didn’t strike me like the kind of man who would lie. On the contrary, he seemed to like telling the truth, especially when it hurt.
I wrung my hands together, digging my fingernails into my palms. Eric watched me with the same irritated expression he’d worn since I’d met him, but he waited patiently until I took a deep breath and spoke.
“Okay, how do I shift?”
“You know how,” he said.
“No, I don’t.”
“C’mon, you’ve been fighting it all along. I can see it. Just stop, and the wolf will thank you.”
I nodded, relaxed my fingers, and let my hands hang limply at my sides. I closed my eyes and rolled my shoulders.
It’s okay. It’s okay. You can let go.
I waited for a long minute. Nothing happened.
I opened my eyes and peeked at Eric. His mouth was twisted in a sneer, and he was tapping a finger against his jaw, looking disgusted.
“I’m waiting,” he spat.
I tried again, closing my eyes.
There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s the most natural thing for a werewolf to shift, so just do it. You need to—
A deafening roar filled the room, so loud and strong that I felt its rumble in my chest. My eyes sprang open, and I found a monster standing in front of me, his mouth wide open, his long canines gleaming with saliva as he bellowed in my face.
A wave of energy surged from deep in my gut and washed all over me, causing every inch of my body to come alive like never before. The feeling of release and freedom was unlike anything I’d ever felt, and this time, I didn’t try to fight it. I simply welcomed it, invited it, and rejoiced as it spread through my every atom, shaping me into something I should have always been. As the animal took over, I felt exalted and relieved, then it all changed in an instant, and I was pushed aside and tossed down a cliff from which I plummeted into oblivion.
Chapter 17
