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She turned in her seat so she could watch him as he drove. “Tell me,” she said, “how come you became a businessman? You don’t seem the type.”

He sat in silence for a minute, and Regan was sure he wouldn’t answer. Then he began. “After I left the pack when I was sixteen, I wandered around for a few years, then joined the army.” He glanced toward her briefly. “I didn’t mind the fighting, but I was crap at taking orders, so I did my time and got out. Afterward, I put my own unit together, did some lucrative jobs, and earned enough to start the company. That’s it.”

He made it sound easy, but she guessed that Caleb was the sort of man who would succeed at whatever he did.

Less than an hour later, they drew up outside a set of electric gates. A metal fence extended on either side of the gate as far as she could see. Huge warning signs were posted every few metres. Caleb hit a button on the dashbaord and the gates slid open. They drove on for a while farther until they reached an area of dense pine forest. Caleb pulled the truck off the road and parked.

He turned to her, and she could see his excitement flare, his eyes darkening with a restless anticipation.

“Where does your father and the pack run at full moon?” she asked.

“They live well away from the city, well away from everywhere.” He glanced across at her. “I’m not telling you where, so don’t bother asking.”

“Why? I’m forwarned. He won’t take me by surprise again.”

“You still don’t understand. He won’t need to surprise you. You’ll crawl to him with your tail between your legs like a good little wolf.”

“I don’t believe he could change me. I’ve got more control than that.”

He shook his head. “Still arrogant. Let me try something.”

“What?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“You say you have control over your wolf, but all wolves answer to the call of the one who made them. I have my father’s blood, let me try and call your wolf.”

Of course he wouldn’t be able to. “Why not?”

He shook his head. “Always so confident.”

“I’ve had two thousand years to get that way,” she replied.

“And in all that time no one has ever bested you?” She looked away but didn’t answer, and he shrugged. “Come on, then. Out you get.”

Regan climbed down from the truck. Wolf stirred restlessly inside her, but she quieted her with a thought. She stood waiting for Caleb to make his move.

“You might want to strip,” Caleb said.

“I don’t think so.”

He shrugged. “Your loss.” He moved to stand in front of her. “I’m going to try and call your wolf. I want you to stay human as long as you can.”

Regan rolled her eyes. “Get on with it.”

He smiled, then stared into her face. Inside her, wolf came instantly awake. She threw back her head and howled. It was unlike anything Regan had ever experienced before. Wolf was frantic, pacing inside her, clawing at her, fighting to be free.

She closed her eyes, shut out Caleb’s tall figure and fought the compulsion, but wolf tore through her body, whining and snarling.

“Regan, let it go.”

She heard Caleb’s words as though from a distance, but couldn’t seem to stop fighting the change. She clenched her hands until the nails dug into her palm, fell to her knees and onto her side, biting her lip to prevent the scream of agony escaping her. Her spine spasmed and she did scream, so it filled her ears. Something snapped inside her, and wolf broke free.

She lay on her side and whimpered softly, her whole body wracked with pain. Caleb crouched down next to her, and she flinched from his touch but couldn’t get up the energy to move away. She snarled softly as he stroked the fur of her muzzle, soothing her, and after a few minutes, the pain faded enough for her to struggle to her feet. She swayed, her nose hanging almost down to the ground. She closed her eyes and summoned up her human form.

Regan lay, naked and panting, ripples of pain dancing through her. She hugged her arms around her body and fought for control. Next to her, Caleb straightened up and held out a hand to her. She looked up into his face expecting to see triumph. Instead, he looked grim.

She slid her hand into his, and he pulled her to her feet and into his arms, cradling her against his hard body as the tremors shuddered through her. The pain faded, and her mind filled with shock. Caleb was right; she’d been thinking of herself as invulnerable. That all she had to do was find Ethan and kill him. It seemed it wasn’t going to be so simple after all.

The roughness of his clothes scraped against her sensitized skin. Pushing herself back away from him, she forced herself to stand upright on her own.