Page 25 of Alpha’s One-Night Stand (Shifters of Clarion #3)

“ N O!”

The electricity engulfs Chad. The air is split with static, and there is a stench of burning fur as he flies backward. He hits the floor with a thud, his body jerking.

I can feel him dying. No, no, no . . .

I scream. My body vibrates from the sound as it echoes around me, whipping the air like a gust of wind. With a roar of fury, a surge of power courses through my veins. My body convulses as my bones crack and rearrange themselves, a new pain rushing through me, filling me with purpose, my power coming clear.

The primal energy of my lycan nature takes over. My senses heighten. My muscles bulge as silver fur sprouts all over my body. My nails elongate into sharp claws, and my teeth sharpen into fangs. My eyes blaze with an otherworldly intensity as I turn to face the one who hurt my Alpha.

My lycan form stands tall, my chest heaves with anticipation. I let out a primal growl, my instincts taking over as my eyes lock onto Cole.

Cole stands up straight and narrows his eyes at me. “So,” he says, “the witchwolf finally emerges.”

I snarl through my teeth. My vision is filled with red, but I can also see the waves of energy coming off Cole. See the power fluctuate as he sizes me up. His power is strong, but limited. His attention is drawn in too many directions. Inside, I smile. He is no match for my power.

I’m going to rip him to pieces.

Cole walks around the table and lets out a roar before changing. In seconds, his human form shifts and becomes the wolf within him, large and blood-red with glowing red eyes. He charges for me, moving at the speed of light. At the last moment, he launches himself at me.

I leap out of the way, catching him with a swipe of my great clawed paw across his abdomen. He roars, tumbling ass over teakettle and slamming into the ground.

I don’t wait for him to get up. I jump on top of him, and we’re brawling. Claws swipe at my face. My jaws snap back at him.

Finally, he kicks me off, and I’m in the air. I can see the currents around me, so I glide, slowing down my momentum until I land softly on my feet.

Witchwolf , he mind-links at me. I am about to end you.

He bounds toward me. Out of nowhere, a flash of snarling red fur slams into him, sending him rolling into the wall.

Saffron, freed from his psychic grip when he shifted, stands tall, growling as her hackles rise. She is ready to aid me in defeating him.

But there’s no need. This son of a bitch is mine.

He gets to his feet again, the energy around him a pale yellow with fear. I bound toward him, changing back to human as I move. I grab him by the scruff of his neck and pull him up, pinning him to the wall as I grab his throat.

His wolf’s eyes are wide with fear and astonishment as I hold him here. Power surges through me, giving me strength enough to crush his windpipe. He struggles, his paws wrapping around my arms to try to claw them away. I let out a surge of power and push them off easily as I squeeze his throat.

You . . . you are just a human . . . , he mind-links to me. This cannot be your power . . .

“And yet, it is,” I say aloud. With barely a thought and a fraction of the energy surging with me, I squeeze his larynx under my grip and rip it free from his throat. Cole emits one last gurgled cry, then falls face down on the floor, a pool of blood forming beneath him.

“It’s over,” Saffron says a few seconds later. I look up to see that the wolves have shifted back to human form. Suddenly, I’m hyperaware that we’re both naked, and I turn away. I am never going to get used to this.

“Hey,” Saffron says brightly. “You found your lycan! I can’t believe you were the silver wolf from my vision!”

I turn back to her and smile. Okay, so maybe I can ignore it for the moment. “Yeah . . . Yeah, I guess I am.”

Saffron puts out her arms and says, “Come on. Bring it in.”

I laugh. “Maybe later.”

“Yarra.” My mom comes running toward me. She grabs me and pulls me into a warm hug, and all the embarrassment of the moment leaves me. The arms I’ve missed for so long are finally around me. I hold her tight, afraid of letting go.

“Mom,” I say, fighting back tears. “It was you? All along? I don’t understand. Why didn’t you just tell me?”

She looks down into my face. I’m amazed. She looks exactly the way I remember her. She’s got my round face with a smattering of freckles across her nose. Her platinum hair is messy, the way it always has been, and her blue eyes, the same as mine, sparkle in the light around us.

“To keep you safe,” she says. “It’s a long story. Right now, you’ve got more important things to do.”

She steps away and points towards Chad, still a wolf . . . and as still as the air around us. His mother is kneeling next to him, tears rolling down her face. Dean Fowler looks to Saffron and says quietly, “Let’s go find help, shall we?”

Saffron nods and follows him out of the room.

I stand there, trying to sense Chad. I can’t feel his heartbeat. I put my hand to my chest, my eyes stinging hard with salty tears. I can’t feel him . . .

“No,” I say, shaking my head. I walk over to his body and kneel down next to him. His mother shakes her head sadly.

“He’s gone,” she says, her voice thick with tears. “My son is gone.”

As I put my hands into his fur, I sense his warmth. Oh, God . . . He’s still warm . . .

“You can save him,” my mother says softly. “You have to bring him back from the brink, Yarra.”

“How? I . . . I don’t know—” I start to sob.

She walks over and kneels down next to me. “Yes, you do. He’s your Alpha. All you have to do is call him back.”

I look at her, confused. I don’t know what she means.

“Close your eyes and reach out to him.”

I do as I’m told, and I close my eyes. I feel it in my heart. Like an arm reaching forward to find him. After a moment, I can feel his heart beating. Faint and far off. My energy moves in his direction, connecting with it as it stands at the bridge that crosses over from life to death.

My Alpha. My love. Please come back to me . . .

His energy links with mine, grabbing hold as I pull him back. There’s no resistance. He comes back as easily as if we were holding hands the whole way.

I open my eyes as the energy drains out of me and into Chad’s body. He stirs, a low growl rumbling under my hand. Slowly, he changes back into his human form, his fur retreating around my fingers, his bones moving and reforming under his skin.

And then, he opens his eyes.

I fall on him, embracing him as the tears start to come. “I thought I’d lost you.”

His hand grabs my arm as he groans a little. “I was lost,” he says softly. “But I heard you calling me back. You found me.”

I look into his eyes, and he smiles, reaching up and brushing the hair out of my face. “I could never leave my Luna.”

We kiss, our lips connecting with our souls. He is mine and I am his.

When our lips part, he looks over at his mother. “What did I miss?”

She laughs in spite of her tears. “You made a fine choice in your Luna,” she says. She looks at me and touches my hand, squeezing it. “Welcome to the family, dear.”