The wolf came out of Jack like a secret detonating. Bones snapped, ribs rolled, flesh blurred into fur. Black as the alley itself, the beast swallowed the man-shape in one brutal surge. Teeth gleamed. Gold eyes burned.
He lunged.
Claws ripped into Carter’s shoulder. Flesh split open like wet paper, the tearing sound sharp and obscene. Blood spattered the brick wall and came back as hot mist on Molly’s face. Carter made a sound that no human throat could have made, half-snarl, half-scream, as his wrists thrashed for purchase against a creature built for killing. Jack’s wolf slammed him down onto the concrete, teeth locking on the curve where neck met shoulder. Bone crunched. The metal wall of the dumpster shivered under the impact.
“Stop—” Molly heard herself gasp, though she didn’t know
