Wind picks up and blows a strand of hair into my mouth. I glance at the darkening sky, wondering if another storm is coming. When I spot my friend, she's dancing with a bunch of girls, and Victor is trying to get her attention. I shudder and watch from a distance as I slowly make my way over. When he takes her arm and leans into her neck, my anger surges. A rumble erupts from my chest, and I broadcast my communication. “You bastard. Get your hands off my friend.” Fabric tears as I shift, and various growls sound in my head.
I move more quickly and notice his hands turn to claws. I’m upon them in a split second, but it's too late. Victor's fangs are dripping with blood, and Sierra has a bite on her shoulder. With strength beyond anything I've ever known, I throw him off her as my ears ring with my roar.
Sierra's face is ashen, and she begins to whimper. I catch her as she falls. "Carly, it burns. Oh God, it burns."
“Brady! He's trying to change her and make her his mate!” I place my snout over her shoulder and suck with all my might. The metallic flavor of her blood fills my mouth as I spit and suck in hopes I'm taking away Victor's venom. Brady's voice speaks in my head. “We're here.”
I lift my head and bark out an order. “Keith, bite her mark. Now!”
Keith’s claws rip her dress from her breast, and he sinks long white teeth into her flesh. Sierra shrieks in fear and probably pain. My heart clenches. Oh God, I should have protected her. She’s the only human here, and I knew Victor was dangerous.
I hear Brady order Keith to bring her to our room. Annie speaks in my head. “What can I do?”
Rage threatens to blind me as I reply, “Find Victor but don't kill him. I want to tear his heart out.”
Brady growls to us both. “I’m going to rip him apart limb by limb.”
I hear Brady call to Laurent and the other warriors, and I’m tempted to join them on the hunt. But Sierra needs me. She's about to go through hell, and I want to be there for her. My claws clatter on the kitchen floor as I lumber inside. Bones crunch while I move, and I’ve shifted by the time I’m upstairs. My dress is in tatters, and pieces of fabric flap against me.
By the time I get to my room, I’m trembling with rage and fear for Sierra. Keith has her on the bed, and she's thrashing. Her screams hurt my ears. He's shifted back too, and his naked human form struggles to keep Sierra still. I find his shredded shirt on the floor, and fabric rips when I make strips to tie her down.
My heart is in my throat as I remember what being restrained felt like. But her claws will come out and tear at her skin any moment now. She'll want to scrape away the pain the way I wanted to. While Keith does his best to keep her safe, I tie her ankles to the end of the bed and her wrists to the sides.
I sit beside her, and Keith steps away. Moments later a shirt Keith threw hits my side and startles me. I take it in my hands and clutch it as I make soothing noises. Sierra's body is flushed with the changing and struggling to reject it. She passes out, and it's suddenly quiet.
The worn cotton of Brady's tee slithers over my body like his embrace when I put it on. I imagine how awful it must have been wondering if I would die when I went through this. It's a small comfort to know Sierra will live, although she may wish she hadn't. I stroke her arm while I wait.
Sierra is conscious again, and the bed groans as she begins to struggle. Her skin ripples with the bones growing underneath. Shrieks slice into my heart, and I wish I could endure the pain for her. Keith flinches at her cries.
I offer him a solace. “She’s a fighter. She’ll get through this.” His brow furrows as he gazes at Sierra’s muscles flexing in what I know is torturous cramping. “If you need a break, I can do this alone.”
Keith shakes his head with a small growl. “I need to be here for her.”
Pride surges through me at his strength, and I think he joins me in silent prayers to the gods to end Sierra’s change.
When she passes out again, I rise to pace. The music from the band has stopped, and growls are interrupted by occasional howls in a near-deafening roar. The party is over, and every able-bodied werebear is on the hunt for Victor.
I look down at a peaceful Sierra. Her claws are extending and retracting as her body tries to shift. Hair is growing on her forearms and being swallowed up by her skin repeatedly, and for a moment I'm taken with watching the process. My sweet, beautiful friend. I never wanted her to have to suffer this.
Anger licks at me as I replay Victor’s attack. Air rushes in and out of my lungs as I focus to keep from shifting. I wonder what this means for the Le Roux clan. Our secret about calling women to bear children is out.
Oh God, what about Lily and Taylor? And any other woman who managed to tattoo the sign on her body? They aren't safe.
I glance at Keith and notice dried blood is streaked on his face where Sierra must have scratched him. His eyes rise up to mine. In a near whisper he says, "You're an alpha. How can both you and Brady be the alpha?"
I shake my head. "I don't know. I think when he changed me, we became one."
Keith takes a quick breath, and his eyes widen. "What if we didn't get to Sierra in time? What if she and Victor are one?"
My stomach rolls at the possibility, but I don't share that with Keith. "You're her mate, Keith, not Victor."