The Beta's Forbidden Mate

Chapter Eighteen

My eyes flew open at the sharpness of the pain. I clamped a hand over my mouth, nearly biting off my tongue as I fought to contain the shouts that rose in my throat.

The wound in my leg had been horrible, but it was nothing compared to the burning, tearing intensity of the werewolf bite.

It felt like acid had been injected into my veins, and was melting my body from the inside out. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging deep into my palms.

Still in his wolf form, Asher crept closer, putting his warm head on my shoulder as my muscles seized and my back curved into a rigid arch.

The pain was all consuming. I didn't know where it ended and I began. It felt like all my bones were breaking at once and knitting back together in the wrong shape.

At the same time, I could feel my body beginning to change.

My fingernails pricked blood from my palms as they elongated into wickedly sharp claws. There was a cracking sensation as my face stretched into the pointed muzzle of a wolf.

The wound on my leg shrunk, the skin knitting itself back together as if by magic. The tourniquet snapped off, the remnants of my jeans tearing into shreds. My t-shirt ripped open as fur exploded over my body in the same light chestnut shade as my human hair. My teeth grew into pointed fangs.

With several loud pops, my spine wrenched out of position, and that was when I could no longer hold back my agonized screams. Asher nuzzled closer, letting me shriek helplessly into his dark fur as the transformation took hold of me completely.

At some point, my cries turned into howls.

Just when I thought I'd rather die than endure another moment, the pain stopped, leaving me panting, shaking, barely knowing who I was.

Then a fierce, wild energy began to flow through my veins. Wriggling out of Asher's embrace, I stood on four paws, quivering with tension.

I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, his amber gaze alight with desperate hope.

I blinked slowly at him, trying to comprehend the enormity of what had just happened.

My vision was sharper, and I could make out every crack and crevice in the dimly lit cave, but the colors seemed muted and unimportant. My ears as well, were pricked to detect even the slightest sound. But what really blew me away was the sudden change in my nose.

I could smell everything. The forest was alive with scents, all of them mingling together to tell the story of the wildlife that lived there. I could smell a squirrel high in a tree outside the small cave, could detect the scent of running water not far away. It was total sensory overload.

Then the wolf instincts rose in my mind, washing everything else away.

I forgot who I was, or what was happening. All I knew was there was a strange wolf right next to me.

My fur bristled, my muzzle pulled back from my wickedly long fangs as I snarled at the strange wolf.

"Olivia! Try to remember who you are!"

I froze, still baring my fangs. I'd heard the voice—not in my ears, but directly in my mind, as if someone else had spoken right into my thoughts.

It was an unsettling sensation. I snapped my teeth at the other wolf, warning him to stay back.

"Olivia. It's me. Asher. Your mate."

Mate? My ears pricked, and I cut off mid-growl.

"Listen to me," the voice said again. "Your name is Olivia Mason. You were born a human. You were dying. I bit you, and turned you into a werewolf. You have to control the wolf's instincts."

Olivia Mason. The name echoed through my mind, accompanied by flashes of memory.

A woman, with long brown hair, standing in front of a room of students.

Playing guitar with her friends.

Making love to a handsome man with deep brown eyes.

My eyes widened and I backed up, my wolf tail going between my legs.

"Asher?" I felt myself directing my thoughts at him, like I already knew how to do it.

"Olivia! Yes, it's me, Asher. Do you know what's going on?"

"You—you bit me," I managed to say. How were we communicating psychically like this?

My whole body was trembling.

"Yes. And then you became a werewolf."

A werewolf.

I was a werewolf.

I would never be human again.

I swallowed hard. "I remember. How can I talk to you in my head?"

"We can communicate to one another because we are mates."

Mates. Now I could feel it, simmering underneath my shock and the half-feral instincts of the wolf. My bond with Asher. Stronger and more powerful than it had ever been before.

I was breathing hard, the fur on my body ruffling as my chest moved in and out.

"This...is going to take some getting used to," I said.

Understatement of the year.

"Did you know...your eyes are still blue." Even in my thoughts, I could hear the wonder in his voice.

Then his dark ears pricked, and he froze, sniffing the damp air inside the cave.

A moment later I smelled it too.

Wolves. At least five of them. They weren't here yet, probably about a half-mile back, but heading our way at a rapid pace.

"They found our scent," Asher said. His amber eyes were tinged with sorrow. "Our first run as mates should be a sacred, wonderful experience. But we have to go. Do you think you're strong enough?"

My body was definitely ready—I'd never felt stronger or more in control of my muscles. My mind, on the other hand, was still reeling.

But there was no more time. I nodded my shaggy wolf head, and together Asher and I made our way to the front of the cave.

"Stay close to me. Let your wolf do the running," he said. "And keep going, no matter what."

Then he leapt out of the little cave and dashed into the forest.

The muscles in my haunches bunched as I sprung out of the low rock shelter and chased after him. The trees closed in on either side, swallowing us up.

And together, as wolves, we ran.