Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
They freeze for only a heartbeat, then try to shove her into the car faster, the fuckers!
Poppy screams again, thrashing against them.
And that’s it—that’s all I need. The last thin thread of my control snaps.
My Wolf is coming out.
36
POPPY
Everything happens so fast I can hardly breathe.
One minute Kyle and Leroy are shoving me toward the open car door, their hands bruising on my arms. The next, Logan’s voice booms across the lot like rolling thunder.
“Get your fucking hands off her!”
Both men stiffen, jerking their heads up in time to see him striding toward us, fury burning in his pale eyes.
“Hurry the fuck up!” one of them cries and they start shoving me into the car even faster.
I struggle but then—before I can even cry out—the air shivers around Logan. His body contorts, bones shifting, muscles rippling, skin splitting to let thick grey fur pour out. It all happens so fast—much faster than the first time I saw him Shift, when he was showing me what he was.
Logan’s Wolf explodes into the night.
He’s enormous. Bigger than a horse, his massive shoulders heaving as he growls low in his throat, the sound vibrating straight through my chest. His eyes—those pale eyes I know so well—lock on the two Betas, and I swear the ground shakes when he snarls.
Kyle and Leroy curse and fall back. But instead of running, they Shift too. Their bodies buckle and break, fur spilling out, their voices cutting off in low, agonized snarls. In seconds, two Wolves—mangy brown and mottled grey, each the size of a large dog—stand crouched and trembling before the giant beast that is Logan.
For one endless moment, all three circle, hackles raised. The low rumbling growl coming from the throat of Logan’s Wolf fills the air like thunder.
Then the big Wolf lunges.
The fight is brutal. Fur flies as he tears into them, a wall of grey fur—fury with fangs. The Betas snap and yelp, trying to fight back but they’re nothing compared to him. His Wolf is too strong, too furious, too determined. I’m surprised they were stupid enough to take him on in the first place.
A scream rips from my throat as Kyle’s Wolf tries to clamp his teeth onto the big Wolf’s shoulder, but Logan shakes him off like a ragdoll. Leroy’s Wolf whines, tail tucking, when Logan’s massive jaws snap inches from his throat. Both Betas finally break, scrambling back, whining and yelping as they dart across the lot and disappear into the straggly strand of trees beyond the strip mall.
Logan’s Wolf crouches to follow, muscles bunching, teeth bared in the dark. But then, he hears me.
“Logan!” My voice cracks as sobs overtake me. My legs give out and I sink to my knees on the rough and dirty pavement, my whole body shaking.
At once, he turns back.
The great grey Wolf pads silently across the parking lot, fur bristling and breath steaming in the night. My heart should be pounding in fear—he’s so huge, so dangerous—but all I feel is relief. Because it’s him. My Logan.
He lowers his massive head and nudges at me with his muzzle, whining softly. The sound is so sad…but I sense that it’s me he’s sad for. He’s aching for my fear and the tears pouring down my cheeks.
“Oh, Logan…” I bury my face in his thick ruff, clinging to him with trembling hands. His fur is warm and smells like him—spice and leather and safety. My tears soak his coat as I press myself into him. “I was so scared…they were going to…going to…”
But I can’t make myself finish. The words choke off and the huge Wolf whines again, low and mournful. He presses closer, as if he could shield me with his whole body.
We stay like that until my sobs finally ease, leaving me raw and exhausted. At last, he huffs and pulls back. His warm pink tongue swipes across my cheeks, cleaning away my tears. He tilts his head to one side and makes an inquiring sound—somewhere between a whine and a yelp.
“Yeah,” I say, nodding and taking a deep breath. “I’m a little better now. Thank you.”
He nods and butts me gently with his huge, shaggy head. Then he takes a step back and begins to Shift.
Fur ripples, muscles twist, and in the space of a heartbeat my Wolf is gone.
Logan is there, kneeling in his place. He’s naked, his skin glowing pale under the light of the full moon, his chest rising and falling with harsh breaths.
“Kitten.” His voice is hoarse, rough. He stands and scoops me up all in one movement like I weigh nothing. He cradles me protectively against his chest. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you home.”
I cling to him, hiding my face in his shoulder as he carries me toward the truck parked behind the Dollar Tree. His warmth surrounds me, solid and safe.