Silver’s frantic voice spurred something within me, and I took off in a desperate sprint. My feet slapped against the sidewalk, the sound bouncing off buildings and echoing down the barren street.
“They’re werewolves,” Silver hissed. “You need to run faster.”
I veered across the street and down the sidewalk, my breaths emerging in short pants. My legs were already beginning to burn, and I thanked the heavens I had removed the boot from my foot days ago. My foot had been completely healed-a perk of being half-werewolf, I suppose. My lungs screamed in my chest, making me want to scream. While my speed and strength were heightened, my werewolf side did not improve my stamina.
“Don’t look behind you,” Silver hissed as I started to turn my head.
A ragged scream tore through my throat as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. A hand clamped over my mouth, muffling the scream before it had the chance to ricochet off the buildings. The shops lining the street were dark, their signs flipped to “closed.” There was no one out here to help me.
“Come on, Sophia! Fight back!” Silver urged. “Kick them, bite them! Do something!”
Using all the energy I had, I thrashed my legs. A sick sense of satisfaction ran through me as my leg connected with something hard, followed by a male grunt. One of the men stood in front of me, and I could make out some of his features: a wide mouth with chipped teeth, shaggy hair that grazed his eyebrows, and a look of blazing anger in his eyes.
The man holding me tightened his grip, but his hand slipped as I continued to squirm. I clamped my teeth down on the meaty part of his hand, biting until the disgusting taste of blood filled my mouth.
A breathless groan left my lips as the man finally let go. My head hit the concrete with a sickening crack, and stars danced in my eyes. With fear and adrenaline coursing through my veins, I scrambled into a sitting position.
“I don’t have money, but you can take my wallet,” I stammered, the words spewing from my mouth like vomit.
“We don’t want your money, darling,” the man with the wide mouth and shaggy hair cooed, as though I were a startled cat. “Our boss sent us to find you.”
“Ethan and Kieran wouldn’t send someone to get us,” Silver murmured. “They’d come themselves. Someone else sent these men.”
“Sebastian?” I asked, my eyes flitting between the three looming figures.
“I don’t think so,” Silver paused. “These wolves, they smell… wrong.”
I scrambled backward as one of the men reached for me, grimacing as small rocks and shards of glass dug into my skin.
“Do you feel that?” Silver hissed.
“I’m feeling nothing but terror right now,” I snapped, thrashing as one of the men lifted me to my feet.
“Are you going to behave?” One of the men asked softly, considering the situation. “We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if you force our hand.”
“Ethan and Kieran are close,” Silver whispered.
I ignored the sudden rush of excitement coursing through me, blaming it on Silver when I knew she wasn’t the source. Every hair on my body stood up as I heard their names echo in my mind. The bliss was short-lived, followed by the most horrendous pain.
“We need to shift, Sophia,” Silver whispered, sympathy laced in her harsh tone. “This is going to hurt, but you’ll survive.”
“I thought we needed Ethan and Kieran to shift,” I stammered.
“They’re close enough for you not to die during the process,” Silver responded. “Brace yourself.”
I had no clue what she meant, or how to brace myself for what was coming. Nearly a second later, a searing pain shot up my spine. Liquid fire coursed through my veins, seeping into my muscles and bones. A sickening crack echoed throughout the street, followed by a wail of pure agony.
Everything seemed to detach as my body was consumed in flames. I no longer knew where we were or why we were here. The three men faded from my mind, their voices a slurred jumble in my ears.
“Shit, shit!”
“He said she couldn’t shift yet.”
“Not without the two Alphas.”
“They have to be close by. Her wolf wouldn’t let her shift without them.”
“Inject her with the wolfsbane.”
“It won’t work-not when she’s just shifted.”
“It’ll work in a couple of hours. Just do it!”
My lungs were numb, expelling oxygen as though it were poison. Crack after sickening crack sounded, followed by something soft brushing against my skin. I felt my legs give out from under me, vaguely hearing Silver’s soft voice in my head.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she hissed gently. “It’s almost done. Stay conscious, Sophia. You need to stay awake.”
I could feel myself sliding into the dark, hands grasping for something-anything-to keep me from falling. My hands found something firm as the image of Ethan and Kieran came to mind. The pain in my bones dulled, and when I opened my eyes, everything had changed.
I was on the ground, staring up into the faces of my captors. It seemed little time had passed, as they were approaching me slowly, cautiously. Their hands were raised, their eyes bulging as they looked at me.
A snarl rang out in the night, and I whimpered as I realized the sound had come from me. I ran my tongue over my teeth, noting how strange everything felt. My mouth was wider, longer, my teeth sharp and jagged.
I stood from the ground, nearly toppling over as I caught a glimpse of fur.
“You did it,” Silver breathed, beaming with pride. “We shifted, Sophia. Look at us.”
Silver was right. We had shifted. Fur the color of pure snow coated my body, reflecting the moonlight beautifully. I gazed down at my paws, noting how large they looked. I wished I had hands, to run my fingers through the soft fur on my body.
“She’s-she’s white,” one of the men scoffed, glancing at the other with an incredulous expression.
“Why’d he say it like that?” I grimaced. “Is something wrong with me?”
“I’ll explain later,” Silver responded. “For now, we need to get the hell out of here.”
“What about Ethan and Kieran?” I found myself asking, wincing at the intensity of the pull I felt towards them.
“Now that we’ve shifted, they’ll find us,” Silver reassured me. “Now, let me take the reins. I’ll get us away from these idiots.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Trust me, Sophia,” Silver replied, her tone soft. “I’ve known you your entire life. You can trust me above anyone else. Well, besides Ethan and Kieran.”
Letting Silver take control was easier than I expected. It felt like pulling a car over and stepping into the passenger seat. I watched through Silver’s eyes as she barreled through the three men, snapping at their limbs as she plowed through the narrow space between buildings.
We leaped over a chain-link fence, barreling through bushes and shrubs as Silver led us into the woods. My eyes were wide as I looked at our surroundings. We maneuvered past trees and over rocks, kicking up dirt behind us.
“Will they follow us?” I asked, marveling at the strength of my new legs.
“They’ll try,” Silver nodded. “They won’t get far. We’re fast.”
“We are?” I asked, having no frame of reference for the speed of a normal wolf.
“We are,” Silver replied, chuckling at the awe in my voice.
Everything felt different out here, alone with Silver in the forest. I could feel her instincts merge with my own as we finally worked as one.
Her speed became my own, and soon I was aiding her, laughing breathlessly as the wind brushed through our fur. The feeling was completely liberating, and soon I had forgotten why we were running in the first place.
We barreled through a small stream, and I couldn’t hold back my joyous laugh as water sprayed all around us. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this open and free, relishing in the little things I often overlooked.
“That’ll help disperse our scent,” Silver nodded. “Sooner or later, they’ll pick up on it again.”
Minutes faded into hours, and exhaustion began setting in our bones. I could tell Silver was tiring as we began slowing down. Trees no longer whizzed by in blurs of color and smell. I now had time to appreciate each tree, the pattern of its leaves, and the rich bark that protected it.
Far ahead, smoke scattered into the sky, dispersing through the air and mixing with the clouds. A dull ache began to set in our bones, and I winced as the feeling grew stronger.
“Oh, hell,” Silver groaned, picking up her pace.
“What?” I asked, my voice cracking as the pain intensified. “What’s happening?”
“They injected us with wolfsbane,” Silver hissed, a groan of pain escaping our lips. “This was your first shift, so it takes longer to kick in. I won’t last much longer like this-neither will you.”
“Get to the smoke,” I hissed, biting back the scream that pushed itself toward my lips. “There could be a house.”
I gave Silver all the strength I had left, propelling us forward with a garbled scream. Branches whipped across our fur, mud splattering in every direction as we stumbled forward.
A cry of pure relief left my lips as we emerged from the forest line at the top of a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill sat a farmhouse, its windows lit and the chimney spewing heavy smoke.
Black spots danced across my vision as our limbs felt like lead. The ground tilted and rolled, our eyes shutting as pain encompassed our body.
I forced my eyes open, groaning at how heavy they felt. The green of the earth bled into the black spots in my vision, but through the haze, I could make out something. My fingers ached as they twitched, and I noticed the fur had left my body. A warm breeze caressed my bare skin, but I hadn’t the strength to care.
Silver and I had made it to the bottom of the hill, tumbling down as we faded in and out of consciousness. Mud coated my bare skin, drying in itchy patches.
Hovering an inch away from my eyes was the face of an old woman. The sight jolted me, and I struggled to move away from her.
Before I slipped into the darkness, I noticed the gentle smile on her soft face.