Page 11 of Midnight Bond (Wolves of Midnight #5)

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I was surrounded on all sides. Faces peered down at me. Familiar ones.

They watched as my body began to shift, transforming from the girl they knew into a feral wolf.

I tried to warn them away. Tried to scream at them to run. But all that came out was a growl.

My wolf shook off the shift and focused on my family members. Mom. Dad. Zeke. Sawyer.

I begged her to leave them alone, but she blatantly ignored me as if I no longer existed.

She sprang toward them with her jaws opened wide, but before she could touch them, a large cage slammed down, trapping her inside.

She threw herself at the bars, only to cringe back in pain.

Silver. The cage was encased in silver.

I looked up at my family in disbelief, but they were no longer there. Strangers had taken their place. Burly men in white scrubs.

“Don’t be alarmed, Miss Lacroix,” they said in unison. “You’re safe here.”

My wolf went wild, fighting to break free of the cage. Pain lit up our body, but she wouldn’t stop.

The men stared and stared as my wolf fought and fought.

Hours turned into days, but the cage held fast.

The entire time, the men simply stared at us.

Stared and stared as if I was nothing more than a wild animal.

I bolted upright in bed, a scream of terror lodged in my throat. Wildly glancing around the room, I forced it back down.

Just a dream.

I was alone in my bedroom at the Rivers’ estate, no burly men in sight.

It had been over three days since the incident, but the nightmares were only growing stronger. After returning to the estate, we’d looked into the Albany Psychiatric Center, but according to them, the two men who’d arrived at my parents’ house weren’t a part of their staff.

All research had led to dead ends, and no one had any idea where they’d come from. But they’d definitely known that I wasn’t human.

With a new unknown threat lingering in the air, the males of the household were acting extra vigilant—especially Jagger. He’d watched me like a hawk all weekend, yet had somehow managed to keep his distance without uttering more than a handful of words to me.

When I’d shifted with the full moon on Friday night, he’d overseen the entire transformation as if making sure I didn’t die in the process. The next evening, it had been the same thing.

Thankfully, I’d managed to shift both nights without a hitch. The change had been more painful than usual, though, my mind and body extra resistant to giving my wolf control.

“Your body is still fighting the werewolf toxin and maybe always will,” Kolton had said as an explanation for why I’d nearly shifted before I was supposed to.

The werewolf toxin had almost killed me a year ago. It had killed me. Maybe that meant I was living on borrowed time. I’d cheated death, and it wanted me back.

The past few days had definitely been a wakeup call. Ever since becoming a werewolf, I’d been letting everyone else control my life. That needed to stop, and now. I needed to take charge of the time I had left on this Earth before it ran out. Death could come for me tomorrow, for all I knew.

With that sobering thought in mind, I flung back my covers and stood from the bed. It was earlier than I normally got up, but I wanted a jump-start on the day. Plus, I’d only have more nightmares if I fell back asleep.

Five minutes later, I was dressed in a magenta sports bra and black running shorts with my wavy hair swept into a high ponytail.

I briefly picked up my phone to check the time, then set it back down, ignoring the dozens of texts and phone calls from my parents and brothers.

I still hadn’t talked to them. I wasn’t ready, even with my new outlook on life.

Everything had changed, and I didn’t have the courage to face it yet.

Hence my reason for getting up before the crack of dawn like a crazy person. It was time for me to adjust, to make some changes of my own. And the first thing on my list was a long run to burn off the excess energy simmering in my veins.

It was always like this after the full moon. My body felt supercharged, practically crackling with electricity after bathing in the moon’s powerful glow for two nights in a row. Everything was heightened, which probably explained why my nightmares were heightened as well.

For the past year, I’d ignored my body’s symptoms, focused on living life like I had as a human. Work. Socialize. Eat. Sleep. But maybe I needed more than that now. Maybe the key to better controlling my werewolf nature was to embrace it more fully.

So, despite the fact that my human self despised running—especially outdoors—I slipped on my sneakers and out my bedroom door.

It was eerily quiet as I descended the stairs and exited the house.

The holiday weekend was over, and we were all prepared to go back to work, but not even Jagger was up this early.

Which was a good thing. I could take the trail he ran in the mornings without running into him.

Ever since Thanksgiving, things had been extra tense between us. Although we’d shared with the others what had happened that day, neither of us had discussed it with each other. He’d saved me. Twice. But other than staring at me like he always did, he was more aloof toward me than ever.

“You’d think rescuing a girl would mean something, but no,” I grumbled under my breath as I left the porch and veered toward the wooded path behind the garage.

Then again, I couldn’t forget that he’d driven to my parents’ house to retrieve me. In his eyes, I was just a wayward pack member. A weak one who wasn’t worth his time, apparently.

I tried not to let his distant attitude bother me, but I’d always been great at making people warm up to me. Maybe I was slipping. Maybe I wasn’t as approachable as I used to be.

Frustrated that I kept letting Jagger get under my skin, I broke into a jog, doing my best to empty my mind. The sooner I learned to embrace all aspects of my werewolf nature, the sooner I could strike out on my own again. Thanksgiving had been an epic fail, but I would do better next time.

Focusing on the trail so I couldn’t think about that disastrous day, I picked up speed, losing myself to the sights, sounds, and smells surrounding me.

The air was crisp, and it fled my lungs in visible white puffs as I steadily breathed in and out.

As a math nerd, I’d never made exercising a priority.

I was usually at a desk with my nose glued to a screen, not working up a sweat at the gym or out in nature.

As a result, I was embarrassingly out of shape.

Good thing I’d inherited supernatural strength when I’d become a werewolf.

Otherwise, I’d already be huffing and puffing.

Still, those two burly orderlies—or whatever they were—had trussed me up like a turkey way too easily.

If I wanted to prove to my pack that I was ready to stand on my own, then I needed to learn a thing or two about protecting myself.

With that thought in mind, I ran even faster, my shoes crunching in the thin layer of snow that dusted the wooded trail.

The land surrounding the Rivers’ estate was vast, and I ran for several miles before slowing at a stream to take a quick water break.

Any bacteria in the water wouldn’t affect me like it would a human, yet another perk of being a werewolf.

My stomach was practically made out of steel, and I could eat whatever I wanted.

Knowing I wouldn’t have to worry about getting fat later on in life was definitely a positive—if I lived that long.

With a sigh, I finished drinking the cold water cupped in my hands and straightened from my crouched position. As I did, I heard a twig snap behind me. My heart immediately leapt into my throat, and I whirled around with a startled yelp.

Before my fight or flight instincts could fully kick in, I recognized the tall form standing a few yards off. Relief weakened my knees, but annoyance quickly followed. “You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?”

Jagger stared at me for a long moment, no doubt taking in my flushed skin and agitated state.

His gaze dipped below my chin but swiftly returned to my face.

I did the same, noting that he was bare from the waist up—and his skin was far less sweaty than mine.

Finally, he crossed his arms over his chest and said, “You shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ”

“So you followed me?”

He was silent for another beat before replying, “You weren’t aware?”

That gave me pause. Ah, hell. He’d been following me this entire time, and I hadn’t even known?

Embarrassment flushed my face even more, and I quickly snapped back, “Of course I was aware. I’m not clueless, you know.”

Except that I was, and I was absolutely mortified.

Jagger didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. He and I both knew that I’d had no clue he was following me. The need to run trembled through me, along with a wretched vulnerable feeling.

What if it hadn’t been him following me?

Kolton thought the orderlies had actually been supernatural hunters who’d tapped into the psychiatric center’s phone lines in order to find leads.

They knew where I used to live and, although it wasn’t public knowledge, could find out where I currently lived.

Realizing how stupid I’d been to come out here alone, I inwardly deflated like a balloon. It was on the tip of my tongue to apologize to Jagger for snapping at him, but what came out was, “I want to be trained.”

He blinked at me like he’d heard wrong, and I owlishly blinked back.

Where the hell had that come from?

Before he could say anything, I added, “I need to learn how to protect myself. I can’t do that on my own.”

There. I’d admitted the truth. Mostly.

I closely watched his expression and saw the moment he’d made his decision. As he opened his mouth to reject me, I dug my heels in and blurted, “If you won’t train me, I’ll ask someone else. I’m sure Buck could teach me a thing or two.”

Jagger’s eyes flashed bright yellow, and my breath caught. Wow. I hadn’t expected him to react like that.

He blinked, and the yellow winked out, making me wonder if I’d only imagined it. Expecting him to deny me, I was startled when he abruptly said, “I’ll train you on one condition.”

Excitement zipped through me, but I managed to calmly say, “And what’s that?”

“You don’t go anywhere without my approval.”

My mouth slowly fell open. What. The. Hell? Did he just . . . ? No way. No one was that full of themselves. But as I stared at him, it became very clear that he was dead serious. Biting back a few choice words, I said through clenched teeth, “For how long?”

“Until I think you can handle yourself in the real world.”

Why, you controlling, egotistical— I forced the words down, grinding my teeth together until my jaw hurt.

Jagger just stared at me, his expression impassive.

I nearly gave him the finger and stormed off, unwilling to let him control me any more than he already did.

But I paused, slowly realizing that it was actually the other way around.

I could end our training whenever I wanted.

He would be under my control, giving me his time and attention whether he wanted to or not.

Not to mention, he wouldn’t be able to keep his usual distance from me.

Something about that arrangement pleased me immensely, and a little smile formed on my lips.

“Deal,” I said, struggling to contain a full-blown grin. “We’ll start right now.”