Chapter Six
Avery had always been good at keeping secrets. It was one of the things she’d learned to do as a child, barely able to write sentences. She’d known from a young age that the moment her father knew the truth about her, he’d find a way to silence her the same way he’d ended her mother’s life.
So she’d never spoken aloud who she was, what she could do.
Soon, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it back any longer. Because the new Pack threads were slowly weaving their way around her soul, and there would be no hiding what lay beneath her shields once the Alpha and his family understood what they’d brought into their Pack.
She wasn’t dangerous, but she wasn’t normal either.
She’d known that the moment she spoke to the Talons, her life would be forever altered. She’d known that one day, she would become wolf and run on four paws. She’d share her soul with another being and learn to become something that had once only lived in fairy tale books and the nightmares of those who didn’t understand.
She’d seen it.
Yet she hadn’t known how it would happen.
Nor had she known why she’d seen the vision. She’d never once seen her own future when her mind lost control and she was forced to see what hadn’t yet come to pass.
But for some reason, this vision had come to her, and she’d known it was more important than any of the others she’d had.
Now, she stood under the full moon, the wind in her hair, and fear almost too much to deal with. But the moon’s rays covered her like a well worn blanket and she felt like she could breathe again. Maybe. Parker stood by her side, his hand on hers, and she tried not to lean into his touch like she wanted to. Before the attack, she’d been attracted to not only Parker but Brandon, as well. And now, whatever was going on between the three of them only seemed to intensify.
Her senses were overwhelmed by the scent of them, of the trees, the sky, the birds. Everything seemed so loud and bright, and she couldn’t quite focus. Maybe she’d be able to deal over time, but right now, it was all too much.
“Gideon and the others are right beyond those trees,” Parker explained after a moment. “While normally you’d want someone connected to the Pack near you for your first shift, I figured you might like a little privacy. As you know, Brandon wanted to be here, as well, but he…well, he won’t be shifting tonight with us.”
There was more to what he was saying—or not saying—but she pressed her lips together and nodded. How had she ended up in this clearing with him? One minute, she’d been walking to her car after meeting with some of the most powerful wolves in the area, and the next, she was in the woods, about to get naked and change into a wolf.
How did things like this happen in real life? It didn’t make any sense.
But there was no use trying to fix things what couldn’t be fixed. She just had to move forward and try to figure it all out. One step at a time.
“What’s going to happen again?” They’d told her in the infirmary since she still hadn’t had the courage to figure out where she was staying yet, but she needed to hear it again. Hell, she’d hear it another hundred times if it meant that she might finally understand it.
Parker put his hands on her shoulders, and she calmed. He’d said that he wasn’t part of the Talons, so there was no connection between them; so then why could he calm her by just his touch?
Because maybe it was something more than a Pack need.
She pushed that thought from her head.
“When you are ready, we’ll each strip so we don’t tear our clothes. Unlike some movies, we don’t tear right through them, and we could end up getting stuck if we’re not careful. And they don’t disintegrate, so we’ll have to deal with them anyway. Then you’ll get on all fours.”
She blushed. Way to go not thinking about sex for a whole twenty seconds.
He tapped the end of her nose and smiled. “While I would like nothing more than to discuss that particular position with you, let’s wait until we meet your wolf.”
Holy. God.
Okay, now she truly didn’t know what was going on.
And frankly, right then, she didn’t care.
“As I was saying,” Parker continued. “When you’re ready, you’ll close your eyes and imagine the moon. She’s already out, full and bright, ready to wash over you and bring your new inner wolf out into the open. There’s a…bond for lack of a better word between you and your wolf. Find that small thread that will one day be something far stronger and tug on it. I know it sounds weird, but if you visualize what you will be, what you have become, it will be much easier.”
His thumb traced along her jaw, and for some reason, with him near, she knew she could do this. She could find her new path…the path she’d seen in a vision she hadn’t been meant to have. Was it because of the type of wolf he was, the Voice of the Wolves, the mediator? Or was it because he was Parker? She thought it could be the former, but perhaps it was the latter because Brandon did the same thing to her.
Once again, she wondered how on earth she’d ended up here, yet it didn’t matter. She was here now, and worrying about things that couldn’t be changed wasn’t going to help her figure this out.
“I won’t lie,” Parker whispered, “this will hurt. All changing hurts, but your first time as an adult will hurt more than anything you’ve been through. As children, those born into our life are shielded from the pain by the moon goddess. We learn what the shift feels like without pain so we can find that thread and shift easier as adults—even with the pain. Those bitten do not have that luxury, and for that, I am sorry.”
She met his gaze, his eyes gold. That meant his wolf was close to the surface according to what she’d read. Interesting. “I remember the attack,” she said after a moment. “Not all, but I remember the first bite.”
He cursed. “This might hurt more. There’s nothing to be done, no drugs to help, no other wolf that can take away that pain. Maybe we’re like the humans say and we’re truly cursed.”
She shook her head. “Those humans who say such things know nothing.”
Parker’s hand on her face tightened fractionally before dropping away. “You are truly a remarkable person, Avery.”
She shook her head, pulling away from his touch, though she didn’t want to leave the warmth of him. “No. I’m not.” She tugged on the hem of her shirt. “Let’s do this.” Going fast so she wouldn’t think too hard, she stripped down to the skin, ignoring Parker’s gaze as he did the same. He didn’t look below her face, though and she couldn’t help but feel slightly better. Apparently, wolves were just fine with nudity, and she was going to have to get over her own insecurities—but she hadn’t missed the heat in his eyes.
He wanted her.
One more thing to worry about. Later, however, because as the moon danced along her skin, she felt its pull.
And it hurt.
She lowered herself to the ground, the leaves and grass beneath her skin biting, but anchoring at the same time. She couldn’t forget who she was, even if she was now something different.
“Find that thread and tug,” Parker whispered by her side. He set his large palm on her back, and she stiffened before forcing herself to relax. It was just so hard—pun intended—since the man was seriously attractive and naked beside her.
But she wasn’t going to look. This time.
For a woman who had visions of the future, kneeling in the grass naked next to an equally naked man and trying to turn into a wolf seemed really weird to her. But she was going to do it anyway because something deep inside told her that this was what she’d been destined to do all along—even if she hadn’t understood.
She focused on the imaginary threads she figured surrounded the bright, white ball of light within her. Maybe that’s not what a soul looked like, but it had been the first thing she’d thought of. As soon as she felt the fragile, thin thread that spoke of forest and yearning, she tugged, hoping she was doing this right.
Avery screamed out in pain, her bones shaking and her muscles on the verge of tearing.
“You’re doing it, Avery. Keep going.”
Apparently, she had been doing it right, but now that this pain kept cascading over her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to keep going…only, she had to. There was no other way.
She tugged again, this time throwing her head back in a scream that somehow became a howl. Her tendons snapped, her bones elongating after breaking and reforming. Her muscles tore, and her body broke out in a sweat before fur sprouted.
Sweet agony, she thought. A sweet agony.
And then she was Avery, human, vision holder, and daughter of a traitor no more.
Now, she was all of those things and wolf.
“You’re a gorgeous wolf,” Parker said from her side. “You did brilliantly. Even faster than some of the teenagers we have, who have been shifting for a decade. I’m going to shift, as well, and then we can run. Let your wolf to the surface, not just in body, but also in mind. She won’t lead you wrong, but you need to run.”
It was weird, being one thing she’d never been before and yet having it feel so right. And when Parker stood before her as a tall, dark, and fierce wolf, she followed him, letting her wolf do what it needed to do. She tripped at first, then just was. They ran through the forest, her new Pack alongside her, her Alpha rubbing his head along hers and nipping at her neck to show she was his. Her heart thudded, and her senses were overwhelmed, but she was free.
And when she caught a familiar scent on the breeze, along with food and warmth, she followed it, Parker at her side. Brandon stood at the forest’s edge, a plate of food in his hands, and their clothes in the other.
“Shift back a little early this time,” Brandon explained, the dark shadows under his eyes intense. He hadn’t been able to shift with them that night, and she needed to know why.
There was something wrong with both Brandon and Parker, and now that Avery had this…connection with them, she knew she had to help. But first, she had to become Avery again and not wolf.
The shift back to human was just as painful as going the other way, but this time, she wasn’t as scared. With these two by her side, she knew they’d never again let harm come to her if they could help it. Why she felt so strongly about that, she didn’t know, but she wasn’t about to take it for granted.
Brandon silently held out her clothes, and she blushed, pulling them on quickly. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the whole nudity thing—even if the others didn’t seem to care. Only she’d caught the same look in his eyes that Parker had given her earlier. Once again…interesting.
“I have some cold beef and pasta,” Brandon explained, holding out the plate. “Not much, but enough to get you and Parker going until we get more food in you. The change takes more energy out of you than you think, so you need to replenish.”
Parker reached out and grabbed one of the forks as well as the plate from Brandon. Brandon held the other fork out, a piece of beef on the end.
She did the only thing that came natural and bent forward to take a bite. She didn’t miss the intensity of Brandon’s gaze when she did that.
Brandon cleared his throat. “You’re going to need to eat a lot more than you’re used to from now on.”
She tilted her head, taking another bite from him. Maybe this was the new wolf in her because she didn’t think having him feed her was too weird, but still. She took the fork from him after the second bite and went to finish her half of the plate since Parker had already inhaled his. They were right that she’d be hungry, and she hadn’t even known it.
“Are you eating enough then if Leah mentioned you only drink protein shakes?”
Parker gave Brandon a pointed look that she didn’t understand. “Let’s get back to the house. It’s your first night there.”
She frowned, not missing the fact that he’d sidestepped her question to Brandon but stood up. “What’s going to happen to my place? I mean, my real home.”
“It’s not safe for you outside of the den right now, at least until we figure out who attacked you and why,” Brandon said. “As for your place, we can have someone go and get your things if you want.”
She held up her hands as they entered the house. She’d seen it once before, but she hadn’t gotten a real good look. “As much as I appreciate everything you’re doing, you need to stop making decisions for me. And don’t tell me you know best. That might be the case, but I need options so I can make my own decisions.”
“The Alpha might have something to say about that,” Parker added dryly.
“Like he’s taking care of the wolf that hurt me?”
Brandon’s eyes darkened. “He’s dealing with the Aspens.” She knew of the Pack by name, but didn’t know much about them.
She growled, surprising herself. She didn’t growl, but then again, she was wolf now. Maybe growling was what she did.
“Maybe you should sit down,” Parker said calmly, annoying her.
“I don’t need to rest, and you know it,” Avery bit out. “I just shifted into a freaking wolf for the first time, and now I’m about to stay under a roof with two men I don’t know but for some reason feel a connection to. So, yeah, things are a little out of my control right now, and if it’s all right with you, I’d like to make a decision on my own about my things. Is that okay? I don’t know what is going on with that other Pack, but I know I’m going to need answers eventually. The only thing I can control right now is what happens to my possessions.”
The vision hit her before they could respond, and she fell to her knees. Visions didn’t always hit this hard, but when they did, she knew she had no hope of controlling them. Yet she knew this vision was going to be different. They had never slammed into her with this much intensity. She could practically taste the new air, feel the breeze on her cheek.
Being bitten by that wolf had done more to her than turn her into a shifter. Of that, she was sure.
In the vision, Parker and Brandon were wrapped around one another in the grass, fighting for control as their mouths met, their bodies thrusting against one another as if they couldn’t wait to get their jeans off. They panted, their bodies becoming one, their wolves howling in pleasure.
Somehow, she found the strength to pull herself out of the vision, sweat breaking out over her body.
Ah. So it seemed the two men were for each other. Not for her. Okay, then. She’d just have to get over this attraction and deal with it—though the vision she’d just had was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, and if she’d been alone, she might have done something to take care of the sudden need washing over her.
“Holy shit,” Brandon gasped.
“You’re a foreseer,” Parker breathed.
She blinked, now aware that she knelt between the two of them, their hands keeping her upright. “What?” She blinked again before looking between them. “Did I…did I just say all of that aloud?”
She didn’t do that often and had trained herself not to do it in fact, but with everything that had happened, her defenses must have been down.
Avery tried to pull away from the men but found she couldn’t. Instead, the two of them let her go after making sure she wouldn’t sway or fall again. She licked her lips, embarrassed at not only what she might have said, but the fact that her secret was truly out. If these two knew, then the rest of the Pack would know soon.
What would they do to her? Would they expect her to perform for them often? Like a trained monkey? Would they kill her outright for fear of what she would see? Would they tear her apart to see how she ticked…just like her father had done to her mother?
Her breath came in chopping pants, and both men put their hands on her arms, calming her. How did they keep doing that? It didn’t make sense.
“Breathe,” Parker whispered. “Just breathe.”
“It was like you were reading subtitles,” Brandon said after a moment, answering her question from before.
“You told us what you were seeing.” Parker coughed. “Then, uh…said that you were going to take care of something yourself.”
Well, apparently, she had said it all. If a hole in the floor could just open up now and bury her, that would be fantastic.
“So, I’m just going to blow right past all of that,” she said after a moment. “For now. Yes, I have visions. If you call those who do foreseer, then yes, I’m a foreseer. I have been since I was a child, but they’ve never been this clear…this intense before.” She was sure the heat radiating off her face could have warmed the entire planet. She’d just confessed to seeing these two men going at it and then said she wanted to get herself off watching them. Seriously, she needed that hole to open up any minute now.
“You’re connected to the moon goddess,” Brandon said softly. “Maybe that intensified your visions.”
She put a hand over her stomach, nausea welling. “I don’t know if I like that.”
He gave her a look of pity that she didn’t like. “I know what you mean.” Oh, right, he was the Omega. He didn’t have control over everything warring in him thanks to the moon goddess either.
“You also said you weren’t for us,” Parker said with a frown. “That once you saw Brandon and me together, that you were going to step away.” He tilted his head. “I don’t know…I…”
Brandon cursed. “The mating bonds are different now,” he bit out, and Parker’s head shot to the other man.
“What?”
“I can’t explain it, but ever since Shane came into the Pack with whatever Montag put into his system, something has been off with the mating bonds. Things our wolves should be saying or doing aren’t happening like they used to.”
“I don’t understand,” Avery cut in. “What did my dad do?”
Brandon cursed. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting he’s your father.”
“Glad one of us can,” she murmured.
Parker squeezed her hand. “Your dad made a serum that he thought would create wolves. It didn’t work.”
Shock and anger tore through Avery. “I…I’m so sorry.”
They waved her off, and Parker continued. “The way matings are supposed to work is that our wolves tell us when there is a potential mate near. The mating urge riles us up, and we need to bond, though we do have choices.”
“That’s how it used to be,” Brandon whispered. “But I don’t think that’s the way things are anymore. I think…I think the human part needs to sense something first, and then the wolf will come about. I don’t know how I know that, but I do. And that means the way our wolves find our mates has forever changed.”
“Holy shit,” Parker breathed.
Avery shook her head, her brain not quite catching up to everything. “Explain. You can’t say you just know things. I get that you’re all supernatural and things come from your goddess, but I need more facts than you just…know.”
Brandon let out a sigh and sank down onto the couch. She and Parker followed, each keeping just enough distance that she knew they’d done it on purpose. “My wolf is closer to the base instincts than others. I can tell what anyone is feeling at any given moment as long as their shields aren’t locked down tight. Anyone in my Pack, that is,” he added quickly. “There have been a few instances where I’ve watched wolves come close to one another, find that attraction, but not find the bond. They’re left confused, and it rushes through me like a wave. Now, with the two of you? I don’t know what’s going on, but I know something is off. Something that should have been shown to us right away but is apparently hiding…or maybe even broken.”
Avery gripped the edge of the couch, confused as ever. “That doesn’t mean…” She paused, trying to collect her thoughts. “So that might mean that you and Parker are mates. I saw it in that vision. Maybe there is something off with mating bonds, but I don’t have anything to do with it.”
Parker leaned forward, cupping Avery’s face. She froze, scared that he might do something that could change everything.
“You might have everything to do with it.”
Then he kissed her.