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I have to go and get Scarlett’s wolf.

She doesn’t have one. She’s latent, remember?

His wolf shook his head. No, she has one. She’s just buried in there, terrified.

Michael tried to grasp what he was being told.

She has a wolf?

Exactly.

And you can go and get her? Isn’t that something Tristan does?

His wolf paused. Well usually, yes. I have no interest in these types of things, but we’ll never get another chance like this one again. If Tristan does it, he’ll have to call on pack magic and put her through the shift over and over again. We can spare her some pain this way.

Michael grabbed her cheeks in his hands. “Scarlett, you have a wolf. It’s in there. My wolf is going to go get it.”

Her eyes were huge, all amber light staring back at him. She swallowed. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “It’s going to hurt. The first shift into wolf hurts like hell and then the shift back is painful as well. After that, it never hurts again. Then it’s heaven.”

“I’ve wanted a wolf my whole life.” She sniffed and fresh tears came to her eyes.

“Whatever I have to go through, I’ll do it. Can you really make this happen?”

He looked at his wolf. Go get her.

In his mind’s eye he could see it. His wolf garnered energy, the same white light they used for all their shifts, and he pushed it forward. The power surrounded Scarlett. Bathed in the magnificence of the experience, she looked ethereal and Michael gasped at the sight.

Scarlett shrieked, grabbing his hand and he knew the pain started. It had been one hundred and ninety-three years since his first shift and he still hadn’t forgotten what that was like. The ripping of all of his muscles, the way his bones had cracked and reformed.

Agony was the only word he could use to describe the scream that came from Scarlett’s mouth.

The hand he held changed became more paw than hand and he let it go. Finally, as she bellowed in horror, her human body was gone and in its place stood a small black wolf.

For a second, Michael couldn’t move. He stared feeling dumbfounded at the tiny black animal that blinked back at him. She was totally black, just like he was, except she didn’t have his white spots. Her eyes, turned wolf, were still amber. If he had to guess, she was no more than fifty pounds in size.

Reaching out with a hand, that shook, he petted the top of her head and she whimpered.

“I know. It hurts.” He exhaled a breath he hadn’t known he held. “You’re beautiful.

You’re such a beautiful wolf.”

“I don’t know what to do, Michael.” He could hear her voice in his head and he wondered if she was conscious of the fact that she’d spoken to him telepathically. Her wolf whimpered and lay down on the floor.

Michael scooted over until he climbed off the bed and sat down next to her. She placed her head in his lap.

“You don’t have to do anything for a few minutes. We’ll just stay like this and then you’ll shift back and all the pain of the experience will be done.”

Her wolf sighed and closed her eyes. Scarlett’s wolf body shook beneath his hands.

Wow, she was skittish.

His own wolf spoke to him. She’s not an Alpha wolf, not at all. She’s watched Scarlett go through hell and she’s terrified of being out in the world.

The door to the room banged open and Seamus stood in front of it. With him were at least five other wolves and Michael could smell more approaching.

“It’s okay. We just brought out Scarlett’s wolf.”

Seamus’ eyes got wide and he stroked his goatee. “She has a wolf?”

“She does.”

Scarlett cried and whined, burying her head deeper in his lap. Finally, she jumped up on the bed and burrowed down beneath the covers. He could feel the bed shake behind him as she quivered in fear.

“Please make them leave. I’m terrified of them.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at that.” You know not one of them would hurt you. If they ever tried, I would rip them to pieces.”

It might have been his imagination, but he thought he felt the bed’s vibrations lessen.

“Yes, yes you would and you’re our mate.”

“I am.”

Michael looked at the shifters who looked as surprised as he had felt earlier. “Can you guys give us a minute, please?”

Seamus nodded and after a second moved out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Michael knew what had to be done. He’d done it before with some of the Beta wolves that were timid. There was no place for timidity in the pack, not while they were at war with his father. Honestly, not before then, either. Just because you were Beta did not mean you had to be afraid. If anything, the fact that a large number of Alpha shifters wanted nothing more than to protect you all day long made most Betas feel safer.

Scarlett had never experienced this sensation. Even if they were improving drastically by the minute, the ones who should have guarded her had abused her. This had driven her little wolf farther and farther inside of her until she hadn’t known she was there at all.

No, there was no wasting time with this issue. He had to take control.

Calling the shift onto himself, he waited until he was in his wolf form. In this case, Michael didn’t have to be in control. His animal side knew just what to do. Jumping up on the bed, he pulled the cover off Scarlett by using his teeth. She looked up at him, her head down, until she averted her eyes.

Michael moved forward and nudged her with his head. She whimpered. No, that would not do. He pushed at her again. This time she lifted her eyes. He could feel her wanting to speak to him telepathically but he blocked her voice.

This had to be animal to animal.

Michael bumped at her stomach forcing her to stand up. Jumping off the bed, he motioned with his head for her to follow. This time she did. He lay down on the floor and she put herself next to him.

She panted loudly and he could tell her heart rate increased. Nuzzling her, he put his head on top of her spine keeping her down. Little-by-little, moment-by-moment, pressed against his warmth she calmed. The panting decreased, her tongue went back inside her mouth and her pupils became less dilated.

“Scarlett?”

“Yes.” Her voice was smooth. She didn’t sound worked up anymore.

“Anytime you feel tense, you come to me. It’s that simple. Things will get better.

You’ll get used to your wolf, she’ll get used to you. The shift won’t be odd anymore. Until then, think of me as your personal safety net.”

“Okay.” She really did sound good, which was nice to hear. That meant he had been able to calm her with his presence.

“Now it’s time to shift back.”

“Does it hurt as much as becoming the wolf did?”

He wished he could tell her it didn’t . “Just this time. Next time it will be like breathing or sneezing. It’ll just be something you do.”

Calling the shift onto himself, he pushed his magic onto her, forcing the white light to come and change her back. If she’d done this with Tristan, his voice alone would do it.

Michael was her mate, but not her supreme Alpha; Michael had to work a little harder to make it happen.

She collapsed onto the floor, back in her human form. “That really, really hurt.”