I winced. Eviscerated. All of them. From Rumor’s descriptions, it hadn’t been pretty.
“Your whole pack is going to get what’s coming to them.”
“Not if you’re dead first,” Piper snarled, her beast lighting up her eyes.
“You think that matters?” The witch scowled. “My death won’t undo this curse. I’ve long since included that small contingency in all my spells. If you kill me, you seal your friend’s fate.”
Piper’s upper lip curled back over a pair of glistening fangs. “I don’t believe you.”
The witch leaned in closer, her own lip curled as she raked over Piper with an unimpressed glare. “Does it smell like I’m lying?”
Something flickered across Piper’s face, then she released the witch and spun around. Her golden gaze snapped to me. I caught my breath, my pulse ratcheting at the sight of her wolf so close to the surface. “Get your ass in the car, right now.”
“Piper—”
“Now, Juniper!” she barked before tearing out of the shop.
I flinched when the door slammed shut behind her. I’d never seen her like this before. I stole one last glance at the witch, awe silencing me as she morphed back into the shrunken old woman. Which was her true form? I had a feeling we’d never know.
“Juniper!” Piper shouted from the parking lot.
Shit.
I snatched the second chocolate off the platter and took off after Piper. The moment I stepped outside, I froze.
My God. Everything had changed. Enveloped by a world I’d never before seen, I paused and absorbed every bit of it. The sights, the sounds, the smells…I’d always wondered what it would be like to look through the eyes of a werewolf. My fantasies had been lacking. I stared off in the distance and watched as snowflakes fell miles away. I could hear the vehicles rumbling on the intersection, smell the pulp factory two towns over…
Sweet merciful Zeus, I could see the crevasses on the moon.
“Juniper!” Piper shouted. “Get your ass in this car right now, or so help me…”
I didn’t bother telling her that she didn’t need to yell. I liked my ass firmly attached to my body, thank you. I trotted toward her, my nose lifted in the air as I inhaled a spicy fragrance. It wasn’t until I opened the passenger door that I realized the scent came from her. Anger, perhaps? I stored the fragrance away for future knowledge.
“I can’t believe you,” she snarled as she slid behind the wheel. “I told you not to go through with this. I warned you about playing with witches and their damn consequences! But you had to go off and do your own thing. You’re just as stupid as Conrad.”
Ouch. Yup, that barb stung. Maybe my actions had been a touch selfish, but I was desperate. I was so tired of being the odd woman out.
“And what about Mathis?” she continued. “You said no one else would pay the consequences. But how do you think he’s going to feel when he finds out you’ve erased him from your memories? And all so you could become a werewolf.”
I eyed her. “I don’t know what to say.”
Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, the leather stitches popping. “Shut up. Just shut up and let me think.”
I sank into the seat and did as she ordered. But the whole ride home, my mind spun. From the little bits of information I’d gathered at the witch’s shop, Mathis was the alpha of our pack. Someone who had taken over after Conrad. I pinched my brow and focused. I remembered Rumor telling us about the sister witches’ deaths. Killed by Alasdair, Rumor’s biological father and a member of the fae court. Right. And when the truth had come out, Conrad had stepped down. Though, I couldn’t quite remember why. It felt like the memories were there, but out of reach. Try as I might, I couldn’t grasp onto them. Some things were as clear as day, others murky and dim.
Piper turned and pulled into a driveway leading up to an unfamiliar house. I leaned forward and peered out the window, studying the dark blue shingles and white edging.
Once parked, she turned and glared at me. “You smell different already. Mathis is going to notice right away.”
I lifted my arm to my nose and drew in a deep breath. Sure enough, my scent had changed. Gone was the faint aroma of my grapefruit body wash, and instead, gentle notes of forest and fur clung to my skin. Inwardly, I beamed. This was everything I’d ever wanted in life—to become one with the pack, to feel wanted and accepted, to run beneath the moon. Piper didn’t understand. Her whole life, she’d fit in. She didn’t know what it was like to watch from the outside.
“I can hear your pulse,” I murmured. “Smell your laundry detergent. I know you had the ham at dinner, and that you spilled some cocktail sauce on your skirt.” The witch had assured me the changes wouldn’t all come at once, but this was still faster than I’d anticipated.
“God, would you shut up.” Piper curled a lip. “We don’t walk around telling everyone what they smell like. You’ve never heard us tell anyone they stunk like pizza, have you?”
Ah, my first werewolf faux pas.
Piper turned off the radio and drowned the car in silence. “I want you to listen real close. Mathis is going to lose his shit when he sees you. Like legit, lose his mind. Everyone in the pack knows he has feelings for you. You were just too stupid to see it. And when he finds out you made a deal with a friggin’ witch, for him, we’ll be lucky if he doesn’t kill us right off the bat.”
Kill us? I shivered, not particularly enjoying the sound of this guy. “So, don’t tell him.”
“Don’t tell him?” She choked on her voice, her eyes slipping shut as she drew in a deep breath. “You sure make one stupid werewolf. This whole deal of yours is contingent on you mating with him.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. “What?”
She flexed her hands. “When you get all your memories back, I’m going to kill you. God, I could throttle you right now. Mathis. Our alpha, and the man you’re in love with. You wanted to become a werewolf, right? Well, that can only happen if you become his mate. You have two days, Juniper. Two. And if you and he don’t become mates, you’re going to spend the rest of your days on four legs, howling at the moon.”
My mouth fell open. She was insane. Seriously. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“Welcome to my life,” she grumbled.
I fidgeted in my seat. It was another one of those fuzzy memories. With a frown, I slumped into my seat.
“So, you’re going to go in there. You’re going to tell him about the spell. You’re going to tell him that you have two days and that if you fail, you’ll become a true wolf. You’re not going to tell him that you don’t remember him. And then you two are going to become mates. Get me?”
“What?” My head swung in her direction. “I don’t know this guy! And you expect me to just mate with him?”
“Do you have a better idea?” she snapped. “I can’t believe you dragged me into this shit.”
“I won’t pretend like I know him.”
“You do know him!” she shouted, her voice loud in the cramped confines of her car. Without another word, she shoved open her door and stomped up the driveway. I followed after her, then stared up at the house. Nothing was familiar. Not even the sign that read Reed Residence.