Page 14 of Wolves’ Witch

He brought the ax down, splitting the wood in two, then tossed his head, flicking his long brown hair over his shoulder. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, off his bare torso. A low growl rumbled up from her chest.

What the…?

He froze. His head cocked to the side, he raised his nose to the air and drew in a deep breath. He turned, his eyebrows dipped in a deep frown and his lips pursed. A memory surfaced of him leaning over her, dripping liquid into her mouth from a wineskin.

Her gaze skipped back to the other twin. Both of them were staring at her, the one holding a sword with an intensity that had her insides quivering. The other… A girl could almost swoon.

Good Lord, what is wrong with me that a scowl makes me…

Isobella squeezed her thighs. Was this a werewolf thing? The way her body was reacting? It had to be.

The back of her hand itched, and she scratched at it. Her neck prickled, and her body burned. Was this some sort of residual after-effect of her turning? Her knee twinged, almost dropping her leg out from under her.

What is happening to me?

A bone in her right hand cracked. And another in her left hand. She held them up. Blood roared in her ears as dark fur sprouted across her knuckles, and claws punched through the ends of her fingers. Something dark and primal rose inside of her. Another bone in her hand crunched, and a dull throbbing started up in her gums.

Oh, no. I’m shifting.

She had to make it stop. Isobella didn’t know how to shift. Or how to shift back. She wasn’t trained.

Bones in her feet cracked. A sharp pain in her hips sent her to her knees. Amid the pounding of her heart and the spreading heat in her veins, she clocked the twins bursting through the door.

Isobella stared at her hands, now paws, her body trembling. She opened her mouth to plead for their help, but no words came out. She couldn’t speak. Her vocal cords were changing, her face elongating into a snout.

“Let it happen, chaton.” The twin, the one who’d smiled at her, dropped his sword and kneeled in front of her. “Do not try to resist it. Not yet. Let it come.”

His deep voice sent shivers down her spine, and a musky scent invaded her senses. Him. Them. Their scent filled the cottage. It enveloped her, making her nipples hard and her sex clench. Her transformation accelerated.

No!

Dark fur covered her hands, and as her shoulder joints cracked and popped, rearranging, her dress tore. She looked up into his eyes, drowning in their shadowy depths.

“Trust me.”

What choice did she have? She had no hope of controlling it.

Isobella let go.

The beast inside roared to the surface. Darkness clouded her vision. The burn of her transformation made her want to scream. Her sense of self dissolved until there was nothing left of the woman, the human she was. She collapsed to the floor and lay there panting till she caught her breath.

Then she opened her eyes. Wolf’s eyes. Everything was sharper, stronger. She rose on all fours. Scents, noises and… She jerked her head toward the door. Toward the forest. It called to her. The need to have the damp earth beneath her paws and the wind in her fur grew within her until she could think of nothing else. It encompassed everything.

Her wolf eyed the men blocking her path. One in tunic and breeches on his knees in front of her, the other bare-chested, a gold medallion on a chain around his neck and an ax in his hand. They were big and fierce, but nothing would stand in her way. No one could reach her. She was wolf, all instinct and with a need to be free.

“Easy girl. Do not run.” The twin on his knees spread his arms wide to block her escape. “We are here to help you.”

Isobella dug her claws into the dirt floor and spurred forward, dodging him.

“Aubert!”

She lunged for the door.

“I have her.”

The bare-chested twin, Aubert, dropped his ax and caught her.

No!