Rebecca’s Wolves(13)

“Get Miles,” he repeated barely above a whisper.

Trace nodded.

All three brothers leaned back. No one bothered to try and stop the blood.

What the hell was the matter with them?

Rebecca resumed her struggle, but stopped abruptly when Griffen sat up. He met her gaze for a moment, sorrow in his eyes. And then everything Rebecca had ever known to be true in her world vanished in less than thirty seconds.

The pop of bones was the first thing she heard, followed by the strange contortion Griffen folded into. As she blinked through the unbelievable, his entire body transformed. His clothes ripped along the seams and fell to the ground, shredded pieces of material that no longer resembled clothing.

His face elongated and fur grew out of him everywhere at an alarming rate.

Rebecca slumped, but Sharon held her as she eased her to the ground to sit.

Trace came up beside them and handed Rebecca a bottle of water.

Rebecca stared at the bottle first and then Trace and then back toward Griffen—or the spot where Griffen had been. She couldn’t have cared less about the water.

There was now a huge wolf just feet from her. She planted her feet and scrambled backward…more of a crab walk on her ass. “What the—” She glanced around, looking for Griffen. He was nowhere. And there wasn’t a chance in hell her mind would process that he’d just become this large animal. Right?

Sharon hunched down in front of Rebecca’s face, blocking her view of the wolf as it lay on the ground on its side, breathing heavily. “It’s okay.” She reached forward, but Rebecca leaned back. Sharon took the water bottle from the ground and opened it. She gently grabbed Rebecca’s hands and poured the contents over them, washing away Griffen’s blood.

“Where’s Griffen?”

“Right behind me.” Sharon didn’t turn. Her voice was calm and even. She set her hand on Rebecca’s leg as she lifted her gaze to whichever brother was now behind Rebecca. “Who’s going after Miles and who’s staying?” she asked as though they were discussing the weather.

Trace spoke. “Logan and I will go. I’ll take my cell. Zachary will stay with you. Try to stop the bleeding. We’ll be as fast as we can.”

Sharon nodded and tipped her head back to Rebecca. “I know this is completely unbelievable to you, but I need you to listen to me. You can take your time to absorb what I’m telling you. Just listen.”

Rebecca didn’t move. She couldn’t even blink.

“We’re lupine—wolf shifters. Our entire family is.” She glanced over Rebecca’s shoulder again, nodded, and then resumed. “We can change into wolf form at will. Trace and Logan shifted and took off to get Miles. The rest of us will stay here and wait.”

“Who’s Miles?” She had no idea why she honed in on that one detail, but it was something she could grasp that didn’t make her head spin.

“He’s a friend of the family. And he’s a vet. He and Griffen have been close friends for years. He’s also a shifter. He’ll know what to do.”

Rebecca blinked finally. “Uh-huh.”

Sharon exhaled and took her arm. “You’re the only one here with any medical training. It would be great if you could help.”

Rebecca peeked around Sharon at the large wolf lying on its side, its chest rising and falling irregularly. Her gaze shot back to Sharon. “You can’t be serious?”

“I am.”

“You expect me to believe that wolf over there is Griffen? That’s crazy. And-and-and it looks injured. I’ll give you that. But I don’t know the first thing about taking care of animals. What if it bites us?”

Zachary gathered several items and headed back to the wolf. “Sharon. Come on.”

Sharon gave Rebecca a hard look and stood to make her way to the wolf. She set her hand on his head and stroked his fur. “It’s gonna be okay. Try to relax. Slow your breathing.”

Zachary wrapped a T-shirt around the hind leg that was matted with blood.

From the wound…

How the hell was this possible? Werewolves were a myth. She had to be dreaming.

Something spurred her into action, however. Whether or not she was awake or even in the same dimension she’d been living in two minutes ago, she still felt the urge to help. She scrambled forward and leaned over the wound. “Let me see.”

Zachary lifted his hand and pulled the T-shirt, now soaked with blood, away from the gash.

“Okay. It’s pretty deep.” She took the cleaner corner of the shirt and reapplied it to the huge cut. “Grab my bag.” She nodded behind her and lifted her gaze to Zachary. “I have some antiseptic wipes in there. And some gauze. Let’s get the bleeding to stop.” She turned back to the injured wolf and tried to think.