Accidentally Wolf (23 page)

“
Okay, time in
,
”
I
announced
,
smiling as I started to dance on my toes like a boxer, keeping my stance loose.

“
You find all of this funny, bitch?
”
Roe asked as he stalked toward me.

“
Now, now,
”
I tsked,
“
no need to
resort to name calling, Roe.
”

“
I
’
m going to enjoy this
,
”
h
e
taunted
right before taking a swing at me. I easily ducked and danced out of the way.

“
That
’
s what Tony said before I knocked him out
.
”
I snickered
,
dodging another blow
just as easily as the first
. Just as he leaned into his third attempt
, I blocked it with my left arm before sending the heel of my right hand up into his nose.

There was a very loud and satisfying snap as
my hand made contact with his
face
and
blood started to come out of
his nose, trickling down to his mouth
.
Roe
’
s
hands instinctively went up to his face, leaving him wide open. I kicked out with my right foot and it landed hard onto his right side, snapping a rib or two.

When he
cried out and
bent over from the pain, I went in with my left knee to his face. His head flew back as he fell on his ass on the ground
.

“
Stay down, Roe,
”
I said
,
starting to pant from the
exertion
.
“
Unless you want to end up like Tony. Walk away from this.
”

“
I yield,
”
Roe
moaned,
leaning forward and
spitting out blood
,
not hiding the obvious pain he was in.

“
Well then, I
’
m done for the night
.
”
I
proclaimed
,
walking over to my stuff.
“
I expect you at my office first thing Monday morning, Joseph. This isn
’
t about me challeng
in
g
you as
Alpha
, and you know it. I don
’
t want to have you pulled in by the police, but I will, especially after
this shit tonight.
”

“
I will see you Monday, Sera,
”
he
said
, no longer smiling. If I had to guess, I would say he actually looked a little nervous. Good, he should be. I was seriously pissed and already tired of this shit.

“
Good
.
”
I
grabbed
my things from the woman who smiled widely at me.
After putting everything back on my person where it belonged, I headed back
across the clearing
to
the patch of dirt where
my car
was parked
. I turned when I heard someone running up behind me, glad when I realized it was only Riley.

“
Can we talk later?
”
he asked
,
slowing down when he got close to me.

“
Yeah
,
”
I
agreed,
unlocking my car.
“
Why don
’
t you stop over at my place when you
’
re done here
?
”

“
Sounds great
.
”
He
smiled at me
as he took down my cell number and address. We shared another handshake, and I got the images he had of me. While some of them involved having our hands all over each other, others showed me he seemed to think I was the answer to his prayers. That made me more nervous than the idea of him wanting to be intimate with me.

What had happened in this pack that was so bad that they needed a savior? This was more than I had planned on dealing with or getting involved in. Shaking my head
,
I climbed into my car and
,
after putting my seatbelt on, started it up and drove away. Well, no matter what, I seemed to be in the thick of it now.

Chapter
8

On my way home
,
I called Harris
.
I
t seemed we had a lot more to work on th
a
n just a murder.

“
Hey, Chief, what
’
s up?
”
h
e asked as he answered the phone.

“
Call up the team
.
I want them all over at my apartment within the hour
.
”
I
realiz
ed
I was also hungry
when I heard my stomach make a faint rumbling sound
.
“
And have someone bring food. Oh, Chinese sounds good. What is it with me and eating lately?
”

“
Welcome to being a shifter, Chief
.
”
H
e chuckled.
“
You
’
ll eat a lot more and crave meat more.
But at least your metabolism is kick ass now
.
Y
ou rarely find a fat shifter.
”

“
Great, just great
,
”
I
bitched
.
“
I want garlic beef with lo mein noodles, egg rolls, and crab rangoon.
Oh, and how about some sweet and sour pork?
”

“
It
’
s good to be the Chief, isn
’
t it?
”

“
Sometimes, it really is
.
”
I laughed.
“
I
’
ll have cash for whoever picks it up. I
’
m not grubbing food of
f
my team, just the delivery.
”

“
Fair enough
.
”
Harris
snorted
.
“
How was
the first day of
your first full moon
cycle
?
”

“
My skin has been crawling all
damn
day,
”
I answered.
“
How do you guys put up with this?
”

“
Wait, you haven
’
t shifted yet?
”

“
No, why?
”

He let out a low whistle.
“
Man, Chief, you are a whole other level of powerful.
”

“
What are you talking about, Harris?
”

“
Most shifters can
’
t control their change
on
the full moon
.
T
hey have to change. Especially when they
’
re new
,
but the day
s
before and after are equally hard when you
’
re brand spanking new
. The fact that you
’
ve been able to hold off is pretty amazing.
”

“
So this crawling
feeling all
over my skin will stop if I shift?
”
I asked
.
Then I wanted to smack myself in the forehead. Him bringing it up reminded me that I
’
d read it the day after I found out I
was
a shifter. Damn. I was just having too much information thrown at me to retain it all.

“
Yeah, Chief,
”
he sighed.
“
You should probably shift before we get there, since you can shift and change right back.
I changed this morning and already took a nap after I
changed
back, wanting to be ready if things didn
’
t go well tonight.
”

“
Fine,
”
I replied sullenly. Being a
l
ycanthrope was really cutting into my normal life
,
and I wasn
’
t liking it.
“
Just call the team and get them over to my place.
”

“
I
’
m on it, Chief,
”
he said before hanging up.

I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex and found a spot. Shutting off the car, I got out and headed toward my apartment.
The familiar buildings giving me a sense of calm after all the chaos that had gone down on the pack lands.
A few minutes later I was unlocking the door and safely inside. Tristan was working tonight, so I had the place to myself. I quickly stripped and stood in the middle of my living room as I let the change roll over me.

I stayed in wolf form for about fifteen minutes
, gently taking my discarded clothes in my mouth and putting them in the hamper. I trotted back and forth around my apartment before heading into the bathroom and shifting back. Tur
n
ing on the shower, I sat on the edge of the tub to rest as I let the water heat up. I might not have needed the normal amount of recoup time, but I still felt tired after a quick shift back and forth.

But it was getting better
,
too. When I first started
a few
weeks ago, I
’
d have had to take a nap.

Taking a quick shower, I still made sure to wash and condition my hair good. At the last second I shaved my legs quickly
,
too, just in case I decided I wanted Tristan later.
When I was done, I dried off and threw on some longer running shorts and a tank top. Nothing too revealing, but it was pretty warm for an early May evening.

Just as I was finishing up
,
the doorbell rang and I raced to get it.

“
Hey
,
Chief,
”
Cooper said as he walked into my apartment after I opened the door.
He gave me a concerned look after glancing around my apartment
’
s entryway.
“
So what
’
s the deal
?
”

“
I
’
ll explain when everyone
’
s here
. No offense
,
Cooper, but I don
’
t want to have to repeat everything five times. It
’
s kind of a long story
.
”
I
was
still drying my long hair
with a towel
.
“
I just got out of the shower
.
L
et me finish up. There
’
s pop and beer in the fridge, help yourself.
”

I headed back into my bathroom, hung up the towels
, and brushed out my hair. After a thought
,
I threw on a little mascara, not because I was all about impressing my team. But as all natural blondes will tell
someone
, if eyelashes are blonde, it
’
s pretty creepy if you aren
’
t wearing mascara.
I
can
’
t see
my
eyelashes
unless
I
’
m
in lots of light
.
I
t just looks weird.