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Her wolf rose within her, leaping into the shift. On four legs, the chill in the air felt invigorating, and Ava settled her fur with a relaxed shake of her scruff. Her wolf was a soft, slate grey, and each leg tapered down to a soft cream. While she wasn’t dainty by any means, her wolf was far smaller than the males of her breed.
Turning to look at the Raeth, she froze. Remmus was gazing at her, open-mouthed, with a look of starry-eyed wonder, taking in every inch of her.
“Marvelous.”
More whisper than anything, he took a single halting step forward. The snow crunched underfoot, and he’d yet to take his attention off of her.
“I’ve never seen a more stunning wolf.”
Ava’s wolf was preening for him. Standing taller at his compliments, she felt a part of her heart that she’d been neglecting bloom from his admiration. Before she knew it, she’d taken a step toward him, meeting him in the middle. But when he slowly lowered to crouch on his haunches, she hesitated.
Would she let him run his hands through her coat? Would her wild heart give in to his request, when she’d never do the same in human form?
On a whisper, he said, “You’re breathtaking, Ava. Almost as beautiful as a wolf as you are a woman.”
Exhaling into the chill of the December air, Remmus extended one hand forward, the smallest smile on his face one of positivity and delight. And in that moment, Ava knew she couldn’t break the earnest hope that lit his handsome features.
One paw stepped forward.
His fingers connected with her shoulder, sifting through the velvet of her slate-grey fur. Softly, carefully, Remmus brushed his hand across her shoulder. Delicate strokes tickled, and she barely refrained from leaning in towards him while he was praising her wolf.
A snap of a twig had both of them pulling back, their attention shifting to the hare that dashed out of a choke of bushes. With their moment of peace broken, Ava spun toward the fence line. She darted away without a second look.
Snow iced beneath her paws as she took the cowardly way out, dashing from the man who’d somehow gotten under her skin. Her wolf, the second half of her soul, had been delighted with his reaction. Why did it matter what he thought of her?
A soft snarl escaped her jaws. Each stride opened the distance between them, but it felt as though he remained with her, clinging to her like a barnacle in high tides.
It must’ve been the shield.
Doing her job kept her mind off the annoying Raeth. A chain-link fence flashed by on her left, and she darted around boulders and trees as they spanned beyond the outer boundary of the facility. No other scents, Raeth or otherwise, were present.
When she estimated that she was halfway around the circuit, she came upon the gravel road that led into and out of the plant. Though it didn’t appear to be well-traveled, Ava was cautious. Sneaking past the security gate that held a sleeping officer, she sprinted across the open area of the road. Easy enough.
Satisfied she was home free, she raced around the last half-mile toward the Raeth. The odd giddy feeling in her stomach made her inwardly frown.
Why would she be excited to return to him? He was a member of the same immortal breed that’d murdered her family. Why should she be—
An ominous snap instantly jerked her from her thoughts.
Pain rioted through her hind leg, the smell of burning flesh meeting her nostrils as she clenched her jaws shut to withhold the panicked whine of her wolf. She crashed onto the soggy ground, and began to pant in pain. She sprawled awkwardly with the one injured leg twisted in the air.
Breathless, Ava centered herself, reclaiming her higher reasoning before her animal began to thrash on instinct.
The wire wrapped around her hind leg was undoubtedly silver; no other metal could have caused this much agony. Gingerly, she tried to extract herself from the silver tripwire, but even gentle pulling against the taut cord had her skin singeing. The burn increased with every twist.
Damn.
While she was tethered to the silver, she couldn’t shift, and howling to inform the Raeth would only alert the Citizens to her presence. By all rights, they might already know she was here. She attempted to right herself again.
“Ava.”
Mind reeling with her dilemma, she hadn’t noticed the approach of the man behind her. She reacted instinctively. Snarling and snapping her jaws, the predator within gave no quarter, and she bared rows of gleaming, razor-sharp teeth intent on protecting herself.
“Ava. I’m here; I’m sorry it took me so long.”
Her name was whispered again, but the darkness and her position on the ground meant she couldn’t see her attacker. When a male forearm appeared next to her face, she didn’t think twice.
Her teeth met flesh.
