“Look at her. How could you want her when she cannot even defend herself in her human body? Do you think she will survive my wolf?” Keya’s voice grew so rough it was impossible to make out her words. “We shall see now.”
Tally forgot all about Keya and her animal. She focused on the pain and spreading fire taking over her muscles.
“What is she doing?” someone asked.
“She’s in pain,” she heard Aura say. “She needs help. She is our new Alpha.”
“No interfering,” Connor commanded. “Tally will be fine.”
Tally wanted to yell at him to shut the fuck up and help her. If only she could figure out what was wrong. She’d lost control of her body. Muscles shook and burned. The sound of something breaking came from so close she worried Keya had attacked her and she was too far gone to notice. Of all the people, the last person she’d think would allow her to be in pain was Connor. That big jerk.
She grabbed hold of her anger and let it grow. It expanded. Something tickled under her skin, pushing out. Then a large growl tore from her throat.
“She’s—”
“Shifted,” Theron said with pride.
The fact she was on all fours and in a wolf body would have to wait to be dissected at another time. Keya’s large brown wolf charged to Tally. Keya was fast. She zoomed right for her, canines on full display. But Tally wouldn’t let anyone, man or woman, abuse her in any form. Fuck that.
She waited until the last second, jumped to the right and turned, kicking Keya’s wolf with her brand new hind legs. She kicked as hard as she could and it seemed to work. When she turned, she saw Keya’s animal sliding on the dusty clearing.
“You think you can beat me?” Keya spoke through some kind of animal link.
“I am not trying to beat you. You’re the one that doesn’t know how to understand that Connor and Theron don’t want you. Why don’t you stop? It doesn’t have to be this way.” She tried to reason with the other woman.
“No.” She growled and made a leap for Tally again. This time she managed to dig a claw right into Tally’s side.
“Fuck!” Pain shot all down her side, igniting the fury that pushed for her change.
The wolf within wanted to be in control. There was no other way. Tally allowed the beast free rein.
It was like watching a movie. She was doing things but no longer in control. The wolf in Tally was angry, hurting and not willing to give Keya another chance to back down. She didn’t try to push off the other wolf. She went right for her. Keya appeared shocked and was caught off guard when Tally clawed at her muzzle and snatched up one of her paws in her mouth. She crunched down, breaking something in the process.
Keya scratched back. She kicked and fought to push Tally off. Her angry efforts served for Tally to release the paw and dig her claws into Keya’s side. Tally bit down on Keya’s tail and yanked her back.
Keya howled in pain. Another round of gasps went around the clearing. Tally’s animal was bent on revenge. She eyed the other wolf as Keya tried to turn with a broken leg. Tally jumped on her back and bit down on the neck area her animal knew to go for. Keya was no longer in control. The tighter Tally squeezed her jaw on Keya’s neck, the louder Keya howled.
Death and killing was not in her. She might be a bitch, bitter and angry, but she wasn’t ready to take anyone’s life.
“Let her go, Tally,” Theron whispered softly in her mind.
“You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to,” Connor added.
Tally released the injured wolf and took steps back until she stood between both Theron and Connor. The wolf inside her retreated at that point and her body took control once again. Limbs shifted. Connor and Theron helped her stand in front of the crowd.
Connor wrapped a blanket over her shoulders. “Sorry about your clothes, love. But it happens when you shift. You tear through things.”
She nodded. Her throat was dry and she needed a bath. A nice long hot one.
“This is our third,” Theron said, his voice steely. “The next person who wants to challenge her will deal with me directly.”
Aura stepped forward. “There is no need for any challenges. We have not seen a human take to the wolf so quickly and aggressively. Clearly she is the right one to help you lead.”
Tally cleared her throat. Keya was dragged from the site, still in her wolf body. Tally hadn’t thought someone would dislike her just because she hadn’t shown enough aggression. In her human life, she’d always been told she was too aggressive and bossy. Her life had changed to something so different she didn’t know if she would ever understand it fully.