Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
There is no warning.
The moment of surprise I had with the first punch pses and Eric’s sister lunges. She catches me by
the throat and throws me back against the car.
My back takes the brunt of the impact as I dent the door.
Damn it.
You should probably shift, Eric tells me.
Now, my wolf agrees.
No shit, I think to the two of them.
Then there’s no more time for conversation. My ws extend and I dig them into her arms. She winces.
I bring up my knee and nail her in the stomach. She wheezes and draws back her arm to sh across
my face. I duck and follow up with an uppercut that catches her under the chin. She goes stumbling
back and I allow my wolf to take over. I partially shift, thighs snapping out, muscle and fur growing. My
ws extend longer, my face contorting until my jaw widens and my canines drop.
I lunge for her, mouth open.
She’ll show no mercy.
Neither can I.
I don’t want to kill her–I don’t want to kill anyone. But I need to win. If I lose this fight, I have no idea
what wille of me or my babies. Her ws rake my chest, shredding my shirt and digging into my
skin.
Corinne is fierce. She moves fast, her strength and skill making it hard to gain any leverage.
My wolf is vying for control, demanding I shift fully. My spine cracks and my lungs expand. My human
hands give me more leverage than her paws and I sh out repeatedly. Most of us can only hold this
hybrid form for a short while. Not me. Ie from a long line of lycans, my dad always said.
This form ‘in between’ is where I’m strongest.
Strong jaws mp down on my shoulder and the sound I let loose is somewhere between a howl and a
scream. Then her hind legs tuck in and kick at my midsection, like her wolf’s digging into the ground–
only it’s her ws digging into my abdomen.
I can feel my flesh tearing and burning. Blood soaking my body.
I wrench her teeth out of me and then pin her head to the side. I jam my fingers into her eyes and her
wolf cries.
“Enough!” I growl. I switch my arms until I’m choking her.
I don’t want to do permanent damage.
I just want to walk away from this and live in peace.
“Yield!” I scream.
She still has my one wrist in her mouth. Her canines crack through the bones.
Pain blooms through my mind, making me dizzy.
If one of us doesn’t yield… neither of us will survive this.
She’s fierce, and I have no doubt she’s capable of ending me.
But I’m not just fighting to fight–I’m fighting for my children.
As her grip loosens, I squeeze harder. When her wolf finally copses unconscious, I roll off her and
shift fully into my wolf form. Raising my head, I howl.
There is pain and fear, pride and courage.
I was inches from death. But I survived.
I won.
I have no idea what wille next, but I savor these seconds of victory. Blood pounds in my veins and
my mouth hangs open as I drag in air. My wolf is injured, but proud.
There are rumblings in the pack, and Eric watches me closely. He approaches slowly, rubs a hand from
my head to my shoulder.
Shift back.
I follow hismand and stand before him. I have no clothes and no shame as his eyes roam over my
body.
My wolf howls. Ours, she says.
Can it be?
“You chose my pack, Mia Riorson,” he says loudly enough for all of his people to hear. “You openly
challenged a leader of our warriors and fought valiantly, earning your ce among us. There is only
Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.
one choice left for you to make.” This, he says more quietly, “Do you ept me?”
My wolf yips yfully.
Eric grins as if he can hear her. Maybe he can. His big hands brush the blood and dirt from my face.
His touch is everything.
I’m surrounded by him.
“Yes, Eric,” I whisper, for the first time in my life, feeling like someone else is made for me. Like maybe I
can be happy again. “I choose—”
But my words cut off as my chest burns and my wounds reopen. I copse.
“What’s happening?” he roars.