Bryce held Alexis’s hand as they crept toward a clearing in the trees. The sinking sun cast long, jagged shadows across the forest floor, and the sound of dry leaves crunching beneath his boots filled the silence. The sense of calm he’d achieved with Alexis earlier was slowly draining away, and a ball of nervousness twisted in his gut.

A week ago, no amount of money would have been enough to convince him to venture into the swamp at night unarmed. Snakes, gators, and who-knew-what other kinds of creatures lurked in the shadows, waiting to make an unsuspecting human their next meal.

Well, now he did know what other kind of creatures hunted these woods, and all he could do was hope they didn’t have the taste for human flesh.

Alexis squeezed his hand. “Almost there. Luke and some other weres will be there to help you if you shift, and I won’t leave your side no matter what happens. You won’t be alone through any of this.”

If he shifted. But if he didn’t? “What do werewolves eat?”

“Boar, gator, whatever. You can start with a prey animal—a deer or even a nutria for your first hunt.”

“Swamp rat?” He curled his lip. The idea of killing any animal with his mouth and then eating it raw made his stomach churn.

She shrugged. “It’s what I went for my first time. Of course, I was hunting alone and had no clue if I’d even turn human again.”

“That must have been scary.”

“It was terrifying.” She stopped walking and looked at him. “But it won’t be like that for you. You’ve got a pack and a woman who loves you to guide you through it.”

Her words loosened the knot in his chest. For once in his life, being alone didn’t sound the slightest bit appealing. “Do werewolves ever eat humans?”

Now it was her turn to curl her lip in disgust. “We aren’t cannibals.”

“You aren’t exactly human.”

“We are half-human, and that’s the side that’s in control. Even in wolf form, our human minds are fully functioning.” She cupped his cheek in her hand. “Don’t be scared. No one is going to hurt you tonight.”

He stiffened. “I’m not scared.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “I would be.”

Who was he kidding? He was scared shitless. Not that he thought his friends would actually eat him, but the list of things that could go wrong tonight was too long to count.

They reached the clearing and found Luke standing with his thick arms crossed over his chest. Was the alpha always the biggest man in the pack? Once the shock of this situation wore off, he’d have to wrangle the mess of questions running through his mind into a manageable list.

Chase leaned casually against a tree trunk, and James stood with his hands in his pockets as if a bunch of French Quarter men hanging out in the swamp was the most natural thing in the world. For these men, he supposed it was.

Alexis nodded at the alpha, and he stepped forward to shake Bryce’s hand. “Welcome to our hunting grounds. This goes without saying, but no one can know about us or where we hunt.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.” He stared into the trees. “I’m still having a hard time believing it myself.”

Alexis held his bicep. “Even after everything you’ve seen?”

“When you’ve been a skeptic your entire life, and you’re suddenly thrust into a world you never knew—refused to believe—existed, it takes a while for your brain to catch up.”

Chase pushed from the tree and strode toward them. “We’re running out of daylight. You ready?”

His pulse thrummed. Could he ever be prepared for what could possibly happen to him in the next few minutes? “As I’ll ever be. Hey, can you really talk to ghosts?”

Chase laughed. “Nah. I’m just a werewolf.”

“So those weird cases you helped on…”

“I was determining if they were supernatural or not and what evidence we’d need to hide. We’re like the paranormal police force of New Orleans.”

The pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place. All the evidence that went missing over the years wasn’t from poor management of the lab and the morgue. The werewolves had been stealing it. And if Bryce became a werewolf, he’d have to find a balance between enforcing the law like he’d been doing his entire adult life and breaking it to keep supernatural secrets.

Could he do that? If the safety of humanity was at stake, he damn well could. Super strength. The task of protecting humans from real-life monsters. This werewolf gig didn’t sound half-bad.

James grinned. “Breaking laws has its advantages.” Luke cut him a sideways glance, and he stiffened. “Only human laws. I never break pack laws.” He clapped Luke on the shoulder and winked. “I swear.”

The last rays of sun disappeared behind the horizon, and everyone looked at Bryce.

Alexis wrapped her arms around his waist. “How do you feel?”

He took a deep breath and focused on his body. The hormones he’d released by making love to Alexis continued to course through his veins, giving him a natural high. But adrenaline and—if he were honest with himself—a trickle of dread created a nauseating, hyper sensation that made him feel like he needed to jump out of his own skin.

Otherwise…nothing unusual. “Honestly, I feel completely human. I don’t even feel that battle in my blood anymore.”

She furrowed her brow and took his face in her hands. “I feel the magic on your skin.” Every time she mentioned the magic she felt in him, she got a hopeful look in her eyes. While he’d be thrilled if he simply survived the night, he couldn’t shake the feeling Alexis wanted him to be a werewolf. With all the things he couldn’t do as a human, he didn’t blame her.

He took her hands and held them against his chest. “You want there to be magic in me, don’t you?”

“I couldn’t care less. I want you to be you, whether the magic binds with your soul or leaves you completely. As long as you’re my sexy, sci-fi loving, introverted, tough guy, I’ll be the happiest woman in the world.” She held his gaze with conviction in her eyes. She meant every word.

Maybe he wasn’t a fake after all. If she could be both a wolf and a woman, why couldn’t he be the scrawny, bullied kid from his past and the cop of today? Hell, he could even be a wolf too. They were all parts that made up the whole, and he was done hiding behind a mask.

“Feeling anything yet?” James asked.

He shook his head. “If I shift, is it going to hurt?”

“It shouldn’t.” Alexis kissed his cheek.

“Well…” Luke rubbed at the scruff on his face. “It might. Werewolves are born with the magic already ingrained in their souls. Yours needs to bond with your blood, so it might be painful at first.” His eyes tightened. “It probably will be.”

“Fantastic.” He tipped his head back and looked at the moon. A light mist of clouds stretched across the silver sphere, and stars glistened around it. How could a hunk of rock orbiting the Earth have so much control over his future? He sighed and shook his head. If it could control the tides, why not his fate?

“Still nothing?” Alexis asked.

“Do I need to say some kind of magic chant or pray to the moon god or something?”

They all chuckled, but he’d been serious.

He let out his breath in a huff. “Maybe nothing’s going to happen. Maybe—” He clutched his stomach as a burning sensation expanded in his gut.

Alexis grabbed his shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“Unless this is really bad heartburn, no.” He doubled over, supporting himself with his hands on his knees. “God, it feels like it did when you bled on me.” His jaw involuntarily clenched, his teeth cutting into his tongue. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth, and he dry-heaved as the burning intensified.

Alexis held on to him, pressing her lips to his ear. “I’m here. Whatever happens, I’m here.”

He spit blood onto the ground, and she gasped. “Oh, God. What’s hurt? Let me heal you. Is it your stomach?” She tried to make him stand upright, but he pushed her away.

“I bit my tongue. I’m fine.” He dropped to his knees. His blood burned like acid, each beat of his heart forcing another pulse of caustic sludge through his veins. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs.

Alexis knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him. “Why is it hurting him so bad?” she screamed at Luke. “Why is it taking so long?”

“I don’t know. Nothing like this has happened in hundreds of years. This is new territory for all of us.”

Bryce squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for a quick ending. He would either spontaneously combust or he’d black out from the pain. At this point, he’d take either.

“I don’t know what to heal.” Alexis rubbed his back. “I can’t find anything broken.”

“It’s okay.” He forced the words out in a breathy whisper as he turned his gaze to meet hers. “If this ends the way it feels like it’s going to end, please know that I loved you with every fiber of my being.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “You’re not going to die. Do something, Luke!”

Luke straightened his spine and nodded. “Everyone shift. Maybe seeing our wolves will bring his out.”

Bryce squinted through his wavering vision as Luke, Chase, and James became wolves. They circled him, their intelligent eyes boring into him as if they were willing him to shift too. “That’s not helping.”

Alexis stroked his hair. “I’m going to shift too. It’s my magic doing this to you, so maybe my wolf needs to bring yours out.”

He nodded and dropped his hands to the ground to stop himself from collapsing.

“I won’t be able to talk once I shift, but I’ll still be me, okay? Just…whatever is happening inside you…don’t fight it. Give in and let the magic take over.” She rose to her feet. “I love you, Bryce.”

Her body shimmered, and in seconds, she transformed into a beautiful, sandy-colored wolf. She lay on her stomach, resting her head between her paws, and gazed at him with emerald-green eyes.

His chest squeezed, and a swarm of wasps seemed to come to life in his stomach. The stinging, fluttering sensation spread through his body, electrifying his veins and making his head spin. He closed his eyes to stave off the dizzying effect and tensed his muscles against the pain.

Don’t fight it. Alexis’s words rang in his ears. Let the magic take over.

He inhaled the deepest breath his starving lungs would allow, and then he let go. Collapsing onto his side, he let the world slip away and focused on Alexis’s eyes. Her gaze grounded him, her wolf silently calling to something deep in his core, and a cooling sensation spread from his chest out to his fingers and toes.

His body vibrated, and Alexis rose to her feet. She whimpered as she took a tentative step toward him and nudged his shoulder with her nose. Something inside him responded, and the vibration intensified until it consumed every cell in his body.

Then, it stopped. The pain ceased. He inhaled a deep breath and was met with an array of scents from the swampy forest. Dirt, cypress, decaying foliage, and the distinct aroma of dog fur danced in his senses.

He lifted his head and gazed at the wolves surrounding him. The forest seemed almost as bright as day. Raising his gaze to the full moon above, a shudder ran through his body, and he shot to his feet.

No…to his paws. And did he have a…? He swished his tail, and Alexis trotted toward him, bathing his face with her tongue. He was an honest-to-God werewolf.

He tried to laugh, but the sound came out as a grunt. Alexis nudged him toward the bayou, and he gazed at his reflection in the water. Dappled, reddish-brown fur covered his entire body, but his hazel eyes somehow looked like his own.

His stomach growled, and the urge to hunt overwhelmed him. He looked at Alexis, and she met his gaze, seeming to understand what he needed. Somehow, the thought follow my lead entered his mind, and he knew it came from her. Could he read her mind?

He stared at her intently, trying to figure out her thoughts, but what he received was more of a feeling. She was urging him to hunt with the pack, though no words were exchanged telepathically.

He turned around to find the other wolves watching him, and Luke’s command to follow him registered in his mind. Bryce hesitated. Hunting had never appealed to him before, and he expected to be repulsed at the idea. But his wolf’s needs outweighed his own.

He ran with the pack, reveling in the exhilaration of the hunt and the sensation of using his senses for what felt like the first time. Every sound, from leaves crunching underfoot to rodents scurrying to hide, registered in ears, and the scents of the forest delighted his senses.

Alexis stayed by his side, silently guiding him, being a calming force like she had been since he awakened with magic in his blood. Magic that it seemed would be with him forever now.

As the expedition concluded, the rest of the wolves shifted back into human form, laughing and congratulating each other on their successful hunt. Bryce’s heart thrummed as Alexis sashayed toward him, her hips swaying and a smile lighting on her lips. He had no clue how to turn human again and no way to tell her his problem.

She took his face in her hands and stroked his fur. “You are the sexiest wolf I’ve ever seen, but you’re even sexier as a man. Come back to me, Bryce.”

He whimpered.

“Focus your intent and imagine yourself human again. Let the magic running through your veins change you.”

He blew out a hard breath through his nostrils and did as she said. As the image of himself as a human formed in his mind, his body vibrated, the sensation running up and down his form in a wave as he transformed into himself.

As soon as he was upright, Alexis hugged him and showered his face in kisses. His skin tingled each time her lips brushed his cheeks, and as she took his mouth with hers, magical energy shot straight to his heart. “Is this what you were wanting me to feel before? This electricity dancing on your skin?”

Her smile brightened her eyes. “Yes, it is.”

He felt it, and his love for her had grown exponentially in a matter of minutes. The wolf inside him loved her as much as he did, and it was time to make her his. He sucked in a sharp breath and pressed his hands to his pockets. “Oh, shit.” Where was the ring?

Alexis laughed. “Everything you had on you is there. It gets absorbed by the magic and returns to its proper place when you shift back.”

He ran his finger around the circle of metal in his pocket and let out a breath.

The men approached, and Luke clapped him on the shoulder. “Glad to have you back, my friend. Macey insists y’all come by the bar to celebrate.”

Alexis took his hand. “Is that okay with you? We can stop by tomorrow if you’re too overwhelmed.”

A few days ago, his first instinct would have been to say no. To retreat to the quiet and comfort of his home. But he was a pack animal now, and he couldn’t ignore the new duality of his nature. His wolf craved the company of his friends. “I’m the first human-turned-werewolf in hundreds of years. I’d say that’s something to celebrate.”

“I’d also like you to join the pack,” Luke said. “You can be rogue if you want.” He glanced at Alexis. “But there are benefits to joining the pack…if you don’t mind following a few more rules.”

Bryce laughed. “More rules? Where do I sign up?”

Luke smiled. “Let’s not waste the full moon then. We can perform the induction ceremony when we get back.”

“I want to join too.” Alexis wrapped an arm around Bryce’s bicep. “I’m ready to stay in one place, if you’ll have me.”

“How can I say no to my mate’s sister? Macey will be thrilled.” Luke shook both their hands. “I’ll see you two at the bar.”

Alexis started to follow Luke and the others, but Bryce didn’t move. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he moved his lips as if silently practicing lines for a play. He must have been overwhelmed, his mind reeling.

The first time Alexis had shifted, she’d felt the call of the moon and run deep into the woods. But what happened once she’d gotten there had turned her entire world upside down. She could imagine what Bryce must have been feeling, but he’d have the pack and her for the rest of his life. He’d be fine if she could get him out of the woods and back to humanity.

She laced her fingers through his and gave his arm a gentle tug. “We don’t want to keep the alpha waiting.”

He blinked, focusing on her. “No, I guess we don’t.”

She led him to her car, and they rode in silence to the bar, Bryce letting everything sink in, and Alexis basking in the joy that her fate-bound had survived. They parked a block away, and as soon as they reached the sidewalk in front of the bar, Macey ran out and threw her arms around Bryce’s waist.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She hugged him tightly and grinned at Alexis. “I bet you’re glad too.” She let Bryce go and hugged her sister.

Alexis wrapped her arms around her, and those pesky tears collected on her lower lids again. “I’m going to take care of him.”

Macey pulled back and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know. Luke said you’re joining the pack.”

“I am.” She reached for Bryce’s hand. “We are.”

“Come here.” Macey wrapped her arms around both of them and kissed their cheeks. “I am so happy.”

Rain and Chase stepped onto the sidewalk, and the witch smiled. “His aura is all werewolf now.” She moved closer and squinted at him. “The orange has completely taken over.”

Macey let them go and stepped into Luke’s arms as he and his sister, Amber, joined them on the sidewalk.

A giddy sensation bubbled up from Alexis’s chest as her wolf rejoiced in the company of the pack. She’d be with her sister and the man she loved for the rest of her life. As she slid her arms around Bryce’s waist, the woman in her celebrated too.

James leaned out the door. “Would all you happy couples care to come inside and have a drink?” He scanned their faces and sighed. “I’m going to have to find some more friends. All you lovebirds are cramping my style.”

Amber laughed. “Enjoy your style while you can, my friend. I’m sensing change in your future.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll pass.”

Alexis laughed. “You won’t have a choice.”

“You can’t fight fate.” Bryce kissed her on the cheek. “What’s meant to be will always be.”

She squeezed his hand. “Oh, you believe in it now?”

“How could I not?”

Luke motioned toward the door. “Let’s go in and get this induction ceremony started, so we can celebrate.”

They all filed in, but Bryce held her back. “Hold on. I need to talk you about something.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Holding it in both hands, he gazed at the stone.

Her breath caught in her throat, and a shiver ran through her body. “Is that your mom’s ring?”

He let out a nervous chuckle. “It is. She gave it to me when you left the room this afternoon.” He held it up to the light, and the diamond glinted. “It can never replace your own mom’s ring, but I would be honored if you’d wear this one. Alexis, will—”

“Wait.” She held up a hand. “Before you say anything else, you need to know something about werewolves. In order to get married, we would have to become mates.”

His brow furrowed. “Mates?”

“It’s kind of like marriage, but it’s an oath you take under a full moon to be together forever. Werewolves mate for life, so once you’re in there’s no way out. There’s no such thing as werewolf divorce.”

“I like the sound of that.” He closed the distance between them. “I’ve never been a quitter. Anyway, you said yourself we’re bound by fate. I didn’t understand what you meant at first, but after what happened tonight in the woods, I finally do. We’re connected somehow, and I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone but you. I’m in this for the long-haul. Forever.”

Forever was exactly what she wanted. For him to be a permanent fixture in her life. She was done with temporary. “You are my fate-bound.”

“We’re each other’s fate-bounds.” He took her left hand in his. “So…can I put this ring on you now?”

“I would be honored to wear it.”

He slipped the ring on her finger and pressed his lips to her hand. “It looks good on you. Now, call me old-fashioned if you want…I did spend most of my life as a human…but, werewolf or not, I want to marry you. How do we become mates so I can make you my wife?”

She slid her arms up his shoulders to hold the back of his neck. “The alpha performs the mating ceremony on the night of a full moon.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm.” She licked her lips in anticipation of what she hoped he’d suggest.

“There happens to be a full moon tonight, ma’am, and the alpha is already performing one ceremony. Do you think he’d mind adding one more to the agenda?”

“I doubt he’d mind.”

He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. “Well, what do you think about becoming mates tonight?”

She gazed up at the full moon glowing brightly in the midnight sky and offered a silent thank you to fate for finally forcing her to get her life together and for bringing this amazing man to her. Looking into Bryce’s eyes, she ran a finger down his chest and hooked it into the waistband of his jeans. “I think we should stop burning moonlight. Let’s get hitched.”