I glanced down at my hands and tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. It took a few tries before I could speak again.
“But things changed. Before Ethan...” I cleared my throat, skirting around his death. “He noticed that all of us girls seemed to be paired up with one of you. Not long after he pointed that out, Michelle said something about a pull, and Bethi said something about biting.”
I lifted my eyes and met Winifred’s gaze.
“Am I supposed to be Carlos’ Mate?”
“Do you want to be?”
I shook my head in frustration.
“Don’t answer questions with questions. It’s annoying. According to your beliefs, does Carlos think he and I are supposed to be together?”
“Yes,” Bethi said when Winifred wouldn’t.
Winifred gave her a look.
“What? He nearly tore down Ethan’s bar when that guy hit her. What else could it be?”
“That’s why he came at the cage?” I asked.
Bethi, still turned in her seat, grinned at me.
“Werewolves are protective.”
“Okay. Fine. So I get that he wants me to bite him—not going to happen by the way—but why did he want me to run?”
Shock hit me.
“I beg your pardon?” Winifred said.
“Last night, after I blasted all you guys. Carlos took me into the woods and told me to run. I blame my agreement on the alcohol.”
“What happened?” Bethi’s rabid curiosity coated my skin like lotion.
“I ended up on the ground with a growling fur-beast straddling me,” I said.
“Did he hurt you?” Winifred asked.
“He thanked me and helped me to my feet. So, can you tell me why he wanted me to run?”
Winifred’s sudden need to watch the road had me curious. That she took a moment to answer had me planning all the ways I’d make Carlos pay if he’d talked me into doing something bad. Gradually, Winifred’s shock died down.
“It hasn’t been long since we shed our fur as daily wear and started to wear clothes. At heart, we’re still animals,” she said. “And a chase still gives us a thrill.” She glanced at me in the mirror.
“Wait. You’re saying he wanted me to run because it turned him on?”
“I’m totally going to get Luke to chase me,” Bethi said with a grin.
I ignored her.
“And the shaking?” I asked.
“Struggling for control over the change,” Winifred said. “When we’re emotionally—”
“I get it. Do I have a choice? Am I going to be forced to pair up with Carlos?”
“No one will force you,” she said. “You will always have a choice.”
“Good,” I said with a long exhale. “I didn’t sign on to be a new candidate in this werewolf dating service you all seem to have going on. Now, for some serious business,” I said, ready to change the subject.
“I thought that was serious,” Bethi said.
“When I tried to push out the sludge inside me just a little while ago, it didn’t work. Carlos thinks it’s because I’m too worried about hurting the people around me. He might be right. But, I need to figure out how this thing works.”
Bethi was already nodding.
“Yep. I agree.”
“Okay. So, pushing with everyone around is out. But I thought of something else. Gabby said the Urbat are spread out. I want to see if we can isolate one or two, so I can use them as practice.”
I could already see the rejection in Winifred’s gaze. Bethi, on the other hand, thought it was a great idea by her excitement.
“Yes,” she said. “That would be perfect. We can hang back, and you can easily take on one or two. As long as Gabby’s watching, they can’t really go anywhere with you if it doesn’t work.
“We don’t think this is a sound plan,” Winifred said. She opened her mouth to say more, but Bethi turned on her.
“Did you see what happened to her when Ethan died? Her skin split. From the inside. Her eyes were seconds from hemorrhaging, based on how they looked just after. She’s lucky she didn’t liquefy her liver. If she doesn’t learn how to push out the excess emotion the next time something bad happens, she won’t have an out. Denying her isn’t an option.”
Bethi’s angry waves of frustration made me twitch. I needed to call my attack Chihuahua off.
“Down girl. You’re back on my sleepover list,” I said, nudging her with a finger. “Just cut back on the overload, okay?”
She took a breath and muted some of what she felt.
“Can we pull over to talk about it? After that, I think I need to drive with Carlos again.
“Sorry,” Bethi mumbled.
“Don’t worry about it.” As I spoke, the lead vehicle put on its blinker and braked.
When Winifred came to a stop on the shoulder, I breathed a sigh of relief and climbed out. Carlos was already out of his seat and walking toward us. His gaze swept over me. He’d been worried. I couldn’t feel it or see it in his gaze, yet I knew and felt a flutter in my middle because of it.
“I’m fine,” I said when he walked up to me.
“Why did we stop?”