The Wolf in Sheep's Skin

Chapter 57

Quinn’s sobs echoed in my head. Alpha Ansel had covered her with his coat, kneeling next to her. Shouts filled the room.

But I couldn’t make them out. Lilith swirled in the back of my mind, pressure building my core. My vision went in and out, the edges blurring.

I locked eyes with Olivia. She tilted her head back, laughing, the sound trilling through the air.

She isn’t going to stop. I glanced at my family, surrounding Quinn, blocking her exposed body from the pack. She isn’t going to leave us alone.

“Let me handle it.” Lilith whispered. The rest of my family was near her, shouting, fear and pain spread across their faces. Erik turned, shouting at Bridget, ripping her from my hands.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook her head, trying to get away from him. Her mate.

She’s tearing us apart.

I’m done moving. We’re staying here, whether they like it or not.

I locked eyes with Olivia from across the circle. She smiled, her teeth stark white and beaming at me. My skin crawled and Lilith scrambled to come out, pressing at the back of my mind.

Make her regret it. Make her leave them alone.

“With pleasure.” Lilith growled.

I released her, allowing Lilith to take over.

The world stilled. Everything went silent. Raw power coursed through me. Energy crackled at my fingertips as I strode forward, rolling my shoulders and neck, finally free.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Olivia cackled as I moved towards her, all my focus set on her.

I grabbed the black metal candle holder. The candle thudded to the ground, and the metal stand was hefty in my hand. Wrought iron and hip height. I twirled it in my hand, wielding it like a bat.

The crowd moved back as I got closer, my heels clicking on the marble floors. Olivia’s smile dropped and she eyed the metal candle holder.

“You should’ve taken my warning.” I snarled.

I raised the candle holder and she tried to step back, but she was too late. The metal pinged as it landed across the side of her head, bending the metal. She dropped to the floor with a loud thud. The crowd gasped around us.

“Gwen!” Someone shouted, but I couldn’t make out who it was. It didn’t matter.

Someone snarled from behind me. Teeth sank into my shoulder from behind and I winced. Dropping the candle holder, I reached behind me, over my shoulder and grabbed a fistful of fur.

My attacker snarled and growled in my ear, but I yanked them from my flesh with ease. Pulling them in front of me, their scent mixed with mine. Her mate. Of course.

I grinned at him, twisting and turning in my grasp, snapping at my arm. It was no use. My fingers firmly dug into the loose skin at the scruff of his neck.

“You and your mate should’ve listened while you had the chance.” I whispered to him. A deep growl left him, and he lunged for my face.

I laughed, showing off all my teeth. His eyes widened with fear, the scent of it coming off him in waves. Too late for that now.

You’ll pay for letting her hurt my pack.

I grabbed him by the muzzle with both hands. He whimpered, claws clicking on the floor as he tried to scramble out of my hold. But I was too strong, holding on too firmly.

I pried his mouth open, looking him in the eye. Terror swirled in his eyes as I yanked, cries and whimpers leaving his throat. His teeth dug into my fingers, his body thrashing about.

I tensed my muscles, readying myself to snap his jaw in two with one strong yank.

“No!” Gwen screamed in my mind. “I only wanted you to stop her!”

I paused, curling my lips into a snarl.

“You can’t k*ll him!” She cried out, and pain radiated through me. Thoughts of the pack hunting us, k*lling us for k*lling their Beta played through my mind.

“Stop! I order you to stop!” A command reverberated off me. Weak. Futile.

I froze, snapping my attention to whoever dared to command me.

A small man, the Alpha, stood tall, my pack member at his feet. He watched me with determination and fear.

The wolves around us had shifted, bristling, snarling, showing off their fangs.

They want to fight? A wide smile made my cheeks hurt. Tension crackled in the air; the pungent scent of their fear was thick. I could almost taste their blood, sweet, sticky, and hot.

Finally, some fun.

I glanced down at the wolf in my hands, squirming, whining, pathetic.

Fine. I guess you can live.

I dropped the wolf and allowed my body to shift. Bones and muscles cracked and split, realigning. Energy surged through me, and I shook, relieving the itch across my fresh raw skin.

My claws dug into the marble flooring. Wolves backed away and screamed and yipped at my feet. Small. Like ants, ready to be swatted.

Someone barked out my name, like a cry or a warning.

Wolves lunged at me, clinging to my sides, nipping at my feet. It was nothing. Teeth missed my flesh, instead sinking into my thick fur. I bellowed out a growl, and the crowd scrambled, cowering.

They’ll learn to leave us alone. I licked my lips, drool slipping out my mouth. I craved for the taste of blood to dance across my tongue.

Jay

There’s no way. It can’t be.

That isn’t the same wolf as before. That’s not Gwen.

This wolf, who matched her sandy coloring, towered over everyone. Her head bumped into the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, sending crystals to the ground, shattering.

Fire climbed the wall behind her, smoke clinging to the ceiling.

Gobs of drool dripped from her snarling muzzle, her massive fangs showing. Her shoulders were hunched, rippling with muscle as she moved.

She was powerful, bigger than any wolf I’d ever seen. Deep claw marks were etched into the marble at her feet.

Feet big enough to stomp on the wolves around her if she pleased.

That can’t be Gwen. Not the little wolf I’d run with weeks ago.

My heart clenched and my stomach dropped. My blood turned to liquid ice, coursing through me. Breathing was hard. Impossible.

This isn’t Gwen. Not her wolf. Gwen’s wolf’s eyes are purple.

This wolf had red eyes.

Deep, rich red, like blood.

She’s a terror. Gwen’s words echoed in my mind, after the morning we’d run together as wolves.

No wonder she pretended to be submissive. She wasn’t afraid of me. She was afraid of that.

Wolves clung to her sides, hanging off her. So many it was like she was made of wriggling wolves, mismatched colors, snarling and growling.

Someone bumped into me, a wolf racing forward, and I snapped out of my daze. I shut my mouth, shook my head, and stumbled backwards.

My heart pounded and terror spread through me, making my limbs go numb. I couldn’t decide what was more frightening: her hurting them, or them hurting her.

My stomach did flips at the thought, and I moved my mouth to order them all to stop. But my throat was dry and all I managed was a croak.

Gwen braced herself and shook. Wolves flung from her, flying across the room with startled yelps. She lifted her head, her red eyes beaming with pure pleasure, and she let out an odd, bellowing growl. Her chest shook like she was laughing.

A heinous sound that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

Yet pride swelled in my chest and something fluttered in my core.

“Stop this at once, Gwen! Control yourself!” Keegan was at her feet, begging and pleading with her to behave. He had been since the start, calling out to her with a pained voice. Her family was nearby, huddle, watching her with wide, terror filled eyes.

Ansel turned to me, his eyes wide with fear. “Do something!” he shouted at me from across the room.

But what could I do? She was massive. I couldn’t fight her; she was my mate.

Gwen yelped and snarled, shaking herself. Blood was pooled on her shoulder where Beta Liam had bitten her. A wolf had latched on to her wound. She plucked them off her, holding them in her mouth.

They whined and scrambled to get out of her mouth. Dread pooled in my stomach. She lifted her head back, as if to swallow him.

“Stop!” I shouted, my voice bouncing off the walls.

Everyone froze, turning to me. Gwen paused, still holding the man in her mouth. But he was moving, which meant he was alive.

Please listen to me.

“Gwen, drop him.” I pointed to the ground.

She growled, a wicked sound that churned my stomach. Her eyes narrowed, locking with mine. She curled her lips and lowered her head.

The wolf plopped to the sound with a sickening squelch. He was covered in drool, laying in a puddle at her feet.

But he got up and sprinted away into the crowd.

She scanned her red eyes across the crowd, huffed, and walked towards the glass doors and windows on the other side of the room.

Wolves scrambled to get out of her way. The glass shattered and the metal frames of the windows and doors groaned as she bent them, making her own exit.

Loud, heavy thuds bellowed through the pack house as she ran off into the woods. I stilled myself, as if I expected the ground to shake with each of her steps.

Within seconds she was out of range, and I could neither hear nor see her.

What the f*ck just happened?

I couldn’t decide if I was terrified or in awe. Maybe both.

Did you know?

My wolf made an odd, pleasant little grumble in the back of my mind.

“Strong wolf.”

‘Strong’ is an understatement. Metal framing dangled in the exit she’d made, a massive wolf size hole in the wall.

Everyone around me started to move, and I blinked a few times, trying to clear my thoughts.

“You knew about this.” Ansel growled at Keegan.

Keegan’s face had gone pale, and his eyes were wide. His family was shaking, glancing at the pack around them.

“She isn’t normally like that-“

“But you knew it was possible!” Ansel pointed at the hole in the wall. “She didn’t listen to my command, didn’t even acknowledge it! You should’ve reported that to me!” Ansel shouted. He clenched his fists at his side.

“She’s had her wolf under control!” Keegan pleaded, his voice cracking.

“You crossed a major line! That was dangerous, and something I should’ve been warned about! She nearly k*lled someone, multiple people!” Ansel snarled, his voice carrying a threatening tone.

My stomach lurched and my heart tightened. I raced forward, shoving people out of the way.

Keegan sank to his knees, his face going pale.

“It isn’t her fault! She was only trying to protect us! It’s my fault, please, if you punish someone it should be me!” Tears streamed down his face, his cheeks turning red and blotchy.

“Ansel!” I snapped, letting out a deep growl. He turned to me with a snarl across his face. Our eyes locked and he flinched, sucking in a breath.

I knew he understood. She was my mate, and mine alone to decide on. I squinted at him, straightening my back. Challenging him.

He hissed out a long breath and smoothed his hair.

“I’ll handle this.” I said. Keegan’s eyes were wide, his pupils pin pricks. His heart was pounding in his chest, fear coming off him in waves.

Ansel gave me a soft, sorrowful look.

A few people shifted back to human, crying out.

“We have to do something! She attacked our Beta and his mate!”

“What the h*ll was that?”

“An abomination!”

My body tensed, snapping alert. No. They can’t hurt her. They continued to clammer around me, calling out.

“She’s out of control! You can’t do it on your own, you’ll need us to help take her down!” Someone shouted behind me, close by.

My skin twitched and I fought the urge to grab who’d ever said that and punish them. The rest of the wolves behind me called for the same thing. To hunt her, punish her, lock her in the containment rooms downstairs.

I let out a growl and turned on the crowd. They were antsy, quivering with excitement, waiting for a command to hunt.

“If anyone harms Gwen I’ll rip out their throats.” I made sure my words were clear, carrying over the crowd. They tensed, glancing at one another.

I ground my teeth together and stared Ansel in the eye.

“She isn’t dangerous. If she’d wanted to hurt someone, she would have.”

He balked, blinking at me. “Jay, I she’s… you saw her! She had no control of her wolf, she almost ate someone! She didn’t listen when I commanded her, she assaulted my Beta and his mate, and she nearly knocked the chandelier from the ceiling!” He pointed up at the still swaying chandelier.

“She’s big. So what?” I shrugged and glanced at Olivia, who was still laying on the ground. She’s lucky all she got was a good whack. “Olivia and Liam are both alive. You saw her. She could’ve k*lled them if she wanted. Easily. Along with everyone else who attacked her.” I glanced at the puddle on the floor near the deep grove marks in the marble.

“She tried to rip Liam in half! She didn’t listen to my command! If she can’t control her wolf, that’s dangerous!”

“She wouldn’t have been listening to it soon enough anyways!” I shouted. He recoiled, his eyes widening. “And I can think of two wolves already who don’t have to listen to you. Do you consider us dangerous?” I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him.

I’d never had to follow his command. We’d run the pack as a team, there were too many wolves for one person. We’d always agreed on it when we’d started the pack.

And the shaman didn’t have to listen to his, or anyone’s command either.

Both of us were assets to the pack and he knew it. Gwen would be an asset to the pack too. He has to see that.

“She isn’t? You don’t think?” His eyes lit up and he gasped and bounced on the balls of his feet. “How splendid!” He squealed and my stomach sank.

“What? No! I don’t think that.” I said quickly, glancing around at the rest of the pack around us. She doesn’t smell like magic. I doubt she’s a shaman. I glanced at her father, who was still on his knees. But we’ll have to discuss it later.

I stepped through the crowd, and people moved out of my way.

Glass crunched under my feet as I stepped outside. Massive paw prints were embedded in the grass outside, leading towards the nearby forest.

I shifted, following her trail.