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He starts to fight me, scratching at my arms and upper body. My dress snags as we roll around on the ground. Each time I top him, I stare into his eyes and beg him to shift. Sean the human won’t do anything for me, but Sean the wolf will.
“Come out, dammit,” I yell.
He breathes funny, exaggerating every tiny movement, baring his teeth in the process. Saliva leaks from his mouth, eyes turning a shade of yellow gold.
“Please,” I plead. “I know you’re in there. Shift for me again. He’s hurting me.”
His bones start to crack, and I dive off him as he contorts, his fur rippling down his arms until the shift finally completes. Tears stream down my face as Sean’s wolf lies in front of me, face on his paws.
“Please,” I beg him. “I never wanted this to happen, but he won’t stop. I have to leave.”
He whines, the sound tearing at my heartstrings.
“If things had been different from the beginning….” I whisper.
His wolf nudges my hand, and I run my fingers through his soft fur, feeling it slip over my skin like a caress. I close my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
He whines one last time, then licks my hand. Getting to his paws, he licks the tears from my face, then nudges me. He pushes me again when I don’t immediately move. I stand a little unsteadily, and he play bites at my feet. I understand what he’s telling me to do.
He’s telling me to run.
I slide my hand over the wolf’s head again. “I love you,” I tell the animal, knowing it in my heart. He feels like an old friend now. A kind of kindred soul.
Kinsey grabs my hand. I hadn’t even heard her follow us. She picks up her skirt and starts to drag me out of the garden. I increase the pace, hiking my own skirt to my knees as I run like hell toward the terrace that leads to a side lawn.
The wolf howls, and I feel his pain right down to my toes. I stumble, but Kinsey rights me again. “You know where to go.”
“But Nathan. He’ll be in even bigger trouble than me now.”
“Go,” Kinsey roars. “I’ll contact Jonah. He’ll meet you. I promise.”
We stop underneath the trellises, the moon casting an ethereal glow over the roses. I turn toward her, and it dawns on me I may never see my friend again. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
She lets out a breath, and we embrace, holding onto one another. “You kept me sane when I needed it the most,” she said. “We’ll see each other again. I know it. This isn’t goodbye. I promise.”
I back away, nodding and catching the tears that are falling from the corners of my eyes.
“Now, go,” she says, pushing me forward. “Go before Sean takes control of his wolf again.”
I take off into the night. Behind me, I can already hear Kinsey dialing Jonah on her cell phone.
I run fast and hard.
I run until it hurts to breathe.
The gown impedes my speed, but all I have to do is get to the forest. It seems like it takes forever as I make sure to follow the directions Kinsey gave me on where to wait. When I get there, I double over, placing my forehead on the bark of the tree.
This certainly hasn’t gone as planned. With Sean making that announcement, people will be wondering where we are. They’ll all want to talk to the newly accepted pair. My parents. His parents.
This certainly isn’t the under-the-radar escape that we wanted.
Seconds slowly tick by. Worry settles in at the thirty mark. Agitation follows quickly after.
I’m only allowed to wait here for a few minutes before making my way to the car and the supplies. Each step away seems like another step away from Nathan, though.
My life. My world.
I won’t make it without him. I know that for a fact.