“I’m sorry, too.”
He looked at her, surprise etched on his face at her apology.
Katalina’s jaw clenched tightly, her body rigid with anger. She slapped Jackson across the face, the force jarring up her arm. Everyone gasped as the slap echoed around them.
“I’ve never hated someone so much in my life!” she growled.
Cage grabbed her before she could launch herself at Jackson. She screamed all the way up the stairs, gouging her claws into his back. Cage flung her to the floor, slamming the door shut and locking her in.
Climbing to her feet, she trembled with an anger she’d never felt before. It swirled and grew inside her like a tornado, ripping from her in a savage scream. She was running at the door, her shoulder connecting and smashing through the wood. Splinters exploded around her as she traveled through it and landed in a heap on the other side.
She heaved in a breath trying to gain some control, but nothing would calm the storm inside her. Her wolf paced, pushing against her skin, straining to escape. Pain rippled down her spine, her claws gouged into the wooden boards beneath her; her wolf fought for its freedom and won.
She prowled forward on wolf paws, a growl rumbling through her chest. She couldn’t think beyond the red haze of anger. Katalina pounced on the nearest person she found. Blood filled her mouth as her sharp, wolf teeth tore into flesh. Toby’s flesh… Toby’s blood…
The red haze dropped as ice ran through her veins forcing the change. Toby lay bleeding in her arms.
“Oh, God, what have I done?” she sobbed.
“Kat,” Toby croaked.
“Toby, Toby, I’m so sorry. I…I don’t know what…I was so angry…I…please, please be okay.”
“Katalina!” Jackson pushed her away, lifting Toby into his arms. “Just go! Go back to your room!”
Katalina ran back to her room without complaint. She slumped to the floor naked, staring at the blood staining her hands, wondering how she’d become such a monster. Time passed but she didn’t seem to notice. All she could think of was Toby, young sweet Toby, covered in blood, because of her.
Sometime later, she noticed a guard outside her room. The broken pieces of door still remained scattered all around, reminding her of the strength she now possessed, the power that she couldn’t contain. She climbed to her feet, her body protesting from being bent in one position for so long. She pulled on the nearest clothes she could find and walked to the man guarding her door.
“Can I go wash my hands?” she asked in a small voice. She didn’t recognize him. He’d not been in the house before. He looked at her, his brown eyes hard with anger.
“No!”
The man was broad shouldered, his body covered in muscle. Katalina turned away from the door, not daring to protest.
She heard whining outside. Going to the window, she saw Arne. No one seemed to be letting him in. “Looks like we are both in trouble,” she whispered against the glass, pressing her hand on the cold surface. She longed for freedom, for home.
“Kat?”
Katalina whipped around. Was he a hallucination? How was he on his feet so fast?
“You’re okay?” she asked quietly, not daring to move in case he wasn’t real. She’d honestly thought she’d killed him, all the blood that had covered her …Yet there he stood, bandaged and looking a little pale but alive. She’d never been so happy to see him.
“Yes, takes more than a bite to put me down. I’ll be right as rain by morning.”
“But the b-blood?” she stammered, looking at her red stained hands.
Toby followed her eyes and frowned. “Why haven’t you cleaned up?”
Katalina glanced toward the door. “He wouldn’t let me out. Best to keep the monster locked away.”
“Kat!” Toby took a step toward her. “You are not a monster. Do you hear me? None of this is your fault, none. You’re a newly changed wolf, who hasn’t had any guidance. Jackson has kept you locked up like a prisoner. I’m surprised you’ve kept it together this long. Being a shifter is amazing, but it also comes with problems. Part of you is a wild animal, and sometimes, that animal takes over.”
“I don’t want this, Toby.” Katalina shook her head, close to tears. She was about to say more when she felt a strange pull in her chest. Turning, she looked out the window with a frown.
“What is it, Kat?” Toby asked.
Katalina looked over her shoulder at him. “I- I’m not sure.”
There it was again, a pull in her chest, a sense that someone was calling to her. The sun was setting. Bass…
“Kat?” Toby said, sterner.