“It would explain the fire,” Axel murmurs.
Luna shifts. Her body jolts, a whimper slipping out before the shift reverses, and she’s human again.
“Shit,” Axel breathes, grabbing the nearest blanket and covering her quickly.
Ethan’s brow furrows as it does when he’s piecing something together. He looks at her scarred legs and then at Damien. Then, back at her legs.
“This is her, isn’t it?” he says, voice low. “This is why you’ve been keeping your distance.”
“Who?” Oli and Axel ask in unison.
Ethan doesn’t look away from Damien. “The girl from the fire. The one you couldn’t forgive yourself for when we were kids.”
Damien’s jaw clenches. His hands curl into fists at his sides. He says nothing.
“What the hell is Ethan talking about?” Axel demands, moving closer to Damien, his stance aggressive.
Oli looks confused, his gaze flicking between his brother and Luna. “Damien? What’s he talking about?”
I step forward, drawing their attention.
Ethan turns to me next, furious. “You knew?”
I meet his eyes and nod. “There’s more,” I say. “Much more. And it changes everything.”
"More?" Ethan's voice drops dangerously low. "You brought her here knowing—" He looks at Damien, then back at me. "What the fuck have you done, Hudson?"
"What I had to do," I say quietly.
32
Luna
Notebook: Um... what?
Iopen my eyes and blink at the strange sight before me: the guys hover around the sofa with the goofiest expressions I’ve ever seen.
No Damien.
Predictably.
He’s probably off brooding in a corner somewhere, plotting new ways to make his hatred for me known.
“She’s awake,” Hudson announces, hovering close to me, his voice gentler than I’ve ever heard it. He has a black eye, like someone punched the hell out of him.
“Why are you all staring at me like I grew a second head? And what happened to your face?”
Axel’s lips twitch into a full smile, all teeth. “You shifted.”
The words hit me like a bucket of ice water, instantly clearing the fog from my brain. “Holy crap!” I bolt upright, nearly smacking my forehead against Hudson’s chin.
“I shifted!” The reality sinks in, and I can’t help the giddy laugh that bubbles up from my chest. After years of thinking I was broken, defective, unable to connect with my inner wolf.
I feel different. Like my senses have been cranked up. The light streaming through the windows is brighter, more vivid. I can hear the heartbeats of everyone in the room… and the smells. Oh god, the smells. Axel’s woodsy scent with hints of metal and gunpowder. Ethan’s clean, herbal aroma. Oli’s sweet, earthy smell. And Hudson’s refreshing pine.
“Wait—How big? I felt pretty small besides Hudson’s wolf. Was I awesome? I bet I was awesome.”
The guys exchange glances, and something passes between them that makes my excitement falter.
