I snapped back to my senses and leaped, sinking my teeth deep into the side of his throat. At that, his claws tore into my flank, and the pain was so fierce I nearly let go and screamed.
"Hold fast! Don't let go!"
It was her—Nyra, my inner wolf.
We rolled together across the dirt. I could hear the raw agony in his roar. He tried desperately to twist free and use his greater weight to shake me off, but pain had thrown him entirely off balance. He thrashed wildly, tearing up the earth. I held on with every ounce of strength I possessed.
In less than a minute, he yielded. He knew if he fought on, I would kill him. So I pulled back. Blood coated my mouth. I spat the blood onto the ground and shifted back into my human form.
He sank to his knees, staring up at me in utter disbelief. "You
