Her scent took on the sickly sweet smell of terror and confusion. Even from ten feet away, I could see the goosebumps rise on her arms and the exposed flesh of her cleavage.
She swallowed hard. “Evolving? What is it evolving into? What do you mean I’m one of you? One ofwhat?”
She narrowed her eyes as if only now seeing me for the first time. Had some part of my true self shone through, and she was able to see it?
“Wh… what… what are you, Nate?”
“A wolf,” I said simply, keeping my eyes pinned on her.
She gaped at me. “What?”
“I’m a shapeshifter. I can transform into a wolf. Soon, you’ll be able to as well. I’m going to show you.”
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and she took a few quick steps back.
“I want you to understand something,” I said, speaking quickly, praying she wouldn’t turn tail and run from the man spouting the crazy stuff I was saying. My mouth was so dry that my tongue kept sticking to the roof of my mouth. “No matter what you see, I’m still me. No matter how scary it is, remember you are safe. Nothing—and I meannothing—will hurt you while I’m here. I promise you that.”
She was shaking her head as I finished talking. When she opened her mouth, she spoke with false confidence. Her tone was that of a woman who was trying to talk her way out of a bad situation.
“It’s fine, Nate. Never mind. It’s okay. You don’t have to show me anything.” She took a single step toward the door of the gym. “I should really get back to the gala. Rick will be looking?—”
“Stop, Cameron,” I said.
She froze, and her lower lip trembled. “This is crazy. It can’t be real. I’m scared, Nate.”
“Don’t be afraid of me. Can you promise me that? That you won’t be afraid of me?”
Her breath was coming in short, panicked gasps. “I don’t know how. It’s sort of like the whole world is tilting sideways.”
“It’s because you can sense it. You’re reacting to me—to being near me. I promised the truth, and I’m going to give it to you. I won’t do it until you tell me to.” I stared deep into her eyes, willing her to say the words. “Do you want to see what I am? Do you want to see what you’re becoming?”
Her left foot rose, hesitant. I knew what was going on in her head. Part of her was screaming to run, to scamper back to therealworld, to keep her head buried in the sand. The other part—curious, thirsty for knowledge, and hungry for the truth—won out. The reporter within her, desperate for understanding.
Rather than taking a step back, she stepped forward, closing the gap between us.
“Show me,” she whispered.
The cool sensation of shifting coursed through my body as the wolf took control, altering my body, transforming me. In less than a second, I landed on four paws and looked up at her with my wolf eyes.
Cameron stood, gape-mouthed, staring at the wolf that now stood before her.
The breath whooshed out of her. “What the fuck?”
17
Cameron
It had felt like the world was spinning out of control a few minutes ago. Now it was like I’d been thrown completely off the face of the planet.
This shouldn’t be possible. It was something out of a movie or comic book. Humans couldn’t turn into wolves. Theycouldn’t. Biology, physics, and a dozen other sciences told us it was impossible, yet I’d just seen it happen with my own eyes. Nate’s face had morphed, seamlessly, into the muzzle of the wolf standing before me.
My feet were rooted in place. Even if I’d had the energy to run screaming from the gym, I didn’t think I could. Nate, or the animal that had been Nate, took a few steps forward, then sat back on its haunches.
“Nate?” I whispered. “Is that really you?”
The wolf bobbed its head once.
“This isn’t happening,” I mumbled.
