Chapter 85

Victor and I walked out of the bathroom together after he checked to make sure Noah wasn’t lurking outside the door.

“I think I’d like to go home now,” I said. “Unless you need to stay.”

“We can leave soon if you want to, but let’s not go yet. We don’t want Noah to think he can chase us away from anywhere we want to be.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders even tighter. “Don’t worry; I would never allow anyone to hurt you.”

I leaned into the warmth of his body and let him lead me onto the dance floor. As we danced, I began to feel better.

“Noah claims it’s his mother who wants me for his wife,” I said. “But I think they just want my inheritance.”

Victor nodded. “His father passed away last year and left them deep in debt.”

Victor pulled me closer. “Not that you don’t have other charms that would attract a mate.”

I looked up and smiled into his eyes. Victor could make me feel great about myself.

After the dance, we found Victor’s parents standing alone near the bar.

Humbly, I approached Lana. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends.”

We explained to Victor what happened earlier with the Lunas.

Lana patted my shoulder. “There are many new things you need to learn, but I’m sure I can help you.”

“I can teach her whatever she needs to learn, Mother,” Victor offered.

“You can provide her with lessons on famous artwork, but I will handle her learning of fashion and haute couture.”

“That sounds fair.” Victor kissed his mother’s cheek, and we left the ball.

I enjoyed the ride home, but we made it there too quickly.

“It’s a beautiful night for a drive,” I told Victor, hoping he would take the hint. It was still early, and I was still wound up from the confrontation with Noah.

Victor saw my restlessness. “A drive would be nice, but do you know what would be even better?”

I looked at him and shrugged. I was disappointed he didn’t want to take me for a long ride.

He gave me a big grin. “A run.”

Diana heard his words, and I felt her quiver with an anticipation that rivaled mine. She and Adam were cheering with delight.

The thought of running free through the darkness sounded like just what I needed. I had only shifted one time and was eager to try it again.

“Okay, but I’m not sure how,” I said. I was breathless with excitement but a little nervous too. The last time I shifted, I didn’t need to do anything. It just happened.

“Diana knows what to do and will help you,” Victor said. “Come on. Let’s go around the back of the house to the rose garden. There’s enough cover to give us some privacy while we shift.”

Diana urged me to hurry as we walked around the house.

“This is so exciting,” she gushed. “Thank you, Daisy.”

“You’re welcome, Diana, but I’ll surely enjoy it too. But I’m not sure how to shift. You’re going to have to tell me what to do.”

“It’s easy,” Diana explained. “See me in your mind, ask me to come forth, and the shift will happen.”

When we reached the rose garden, I was as excited as Diana. Victor walked to the end of a trellis of fragrant red roses.

“You stay here, and I’ll go to the other side,” he instructed. “Let me know when you have shifted.”

I went deeper into the row of beautiful red roses and looked around before stripping off my ball gown and undergarments.

I draped everything over a rose bush and quickly wrapped my shawl around my body.

“Are you ready, Diana?” I asked.

“More than ready,” she responded.

“Okay. I’m going to try to shift now.”

I envisioned the large, golden-brown wolf with green eyes and called to Diana.

“Diana, my sister, come forth,” I whispered.

In the blink of an eye, my flesh, bones, and skin stretched, retracted, and reshaped as I fell to all fours.

Instantly, my sight, hearing, and sense of smell became acute. Things that were undetectable in the darkness to my human form became obvious everywhere around me.

I heard an owl reposition itself in a nearby elm tree and saw a fox running from under a rosebush with a rabbit and its mouth.

I could hear the fox’s hungry whining in anticipation of having a meal. The scent of the rabbit’s blood made my mouth water.

“I want to hunt,” Diana said as my paws danced with glee.

Then I smelled the scent of another wolf, a large male, on the other side of the rose trellis.

“Victor, Adam, is that you?” I asked in my mind. “Diana and I are ready.”

“Yes,” Victor responded.

“Let’s run!” Adam roared, and I heard the sound of his paws a second before an enormous black wolf thundered around the edge of the roses.

Strong and sleek, the wolf dashed past me, and Adam yelled, “Come on, Diana!”

I darted after him, and within seconds, we ran side-by-side through the night.

We ran through the topiary garden and past the pond on our way to the many acres of open field that gently curved around the top of the hill.

Running through the high grass with the wind swirling through my thick fur, I was happier than ever.

The simple freedom of running without thoughts of my human problems and anxieties made me want to stay in my wolf form forever.

I was strong, fierce, and fearless, and I wanted it to last forever.

“Thank you for this, Daisy and Victor,” Adam said.

“Yes. This is the best part of our existence,” Diana added.

“I never want it to stop,” I said.

We ran the perimeter of Alex‘s vast property until the second time we passed the entrance to the woods, when we heard movement and caught the scent of large prey moving inside the trees.

“Do you hear that, Daisy?” Victor asked. “It’s not a raccoon.”

“Ha ha,” I replied. I was never going to live down the raccoon thing.

“It’s close to the tree line,” Adam said. “One of us could enter the woods and chase it into the clearing.”

“Shall we run it down?” Diana asked.

“As long as we’re running, I’m in,” I agreed.

“Adam and I will flush it out of the trees, and you girls will begin the chase,” Victor instructed.

“Try to keep the creature from reentering the woods,” Adam added.

Victor’s wolf entered the woods while I crouched in the high grasses and remained silent.

Soon I heard the sound of hoofs running my way. When the doe ran out of the trees, Diana and I sprang to our feet and were right behind her.

Diana’s pleasure at running after the deer mirrored my own. We were pursuing it for the joy of the chase. The swift-moving creature challenged our abilities and found us up to the task.

Within a few seconds, Victor/Adam was by our side in pursuit of the large female deer.

Even though it was running as fast as it could, we were closing in on it. Victor and Adam were running at the deer’s right flank while Diana and I were on its right.

“Let’s bring it down and feast on its flesh,” Adam suggested.

“No,” Victor commanded. “Let the creature live. We need to circle back. There is a strange scent nearby that I want to investigate.”

He slowed his pace to a walk. I stopped and circled back to him and allowed the deer to run into a hedgerow.

“Is it another deer?” I inquired. “Perhaps a herd is nearby.”

“No.” Victor inhaled deeply, and his turquoise eyes scanned the tree line. “It’s another werewolf.”

I sniffed the air toward the woods and caught the scent. “It’s definitely another werewolf, and it’s a male.”

“I agree,” Victor said. “And I’m sure they are alone.”

“Let’s find out who dares to intrude on Alex’s territory,” Adam suggested.

“There are two of us and only one of him,” Diana agreed.

“We can’t let intruders run free over the property of our leader,” Adam said. “He must be warned not to trespass here again.”

“We should see who it is,” I agreed.

My thoughts went to Noah. But I didn’t think he would have the courage to follow us. He knew Victor wouldn’t tolerate any more trouble from him.

“Let’s go. But Daisy and Diana, do not separate from Adam and me,” Victor ordered. “Stay close to us.”

Excitement surged through my body and mind as we plunged into the woods after the scent of the strange werewolf.

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