Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (11 page)

Nate pulled
back, gazing into her tortured green eyes. He hadn't known many
werewolves, but this didn't seem normal. "Come on; let’s go see how
she is." He stood up and pulled her with him. He averted his eyes
and tugged his ripped shirt over his head. "Put this on, it’s
cold."

Once she pulled
the garment over her head, she sniffed the material and frowned,
her eyes a mixture of pain and confusion. He understood her
expression. Becoming a werewolf and getting used to the extra
senses was difficult. He hadn’t taken the change well, but he would
help her in any way he could.

He lifted her
up into his arms despite her protests. She wasn't wearing shoes,
and the terrain was a bit rocky. He couldn't help relish the feel
of her in his arms after frantically searching for her, but he
hated the extra werewolf scent she carried. He never wanted that
for her, and he would punish Charlotte for doing this. No matter
what Joseph said, she needed to die.

As Nate
carried me in his strong arms toward the cabin, I wanted to feel
safe and finally free. But that was just a dream. This horrible
ordeal was over, but another was just beginning. Charlotte wanted
to torture the men in her life that had rejected her, and in doing
so turned Lauren and me into werewolves. To Charlotte, we were just
pawns in her stupid game of revenge. I hated her for what she had
done to us.

But at the same
time… I can’t deny that I had wondered what it would be like to be
a werewolf. After all, I wouldn’t be young forever. And it only
made sense to be the same species as Nate. How could we be together
forever if I died of old age? Despite my thoughts, I never voiced
them because I knew how Nate felt. He hated what he was and would
never want it for me, no matter the reason. And now that I had
become a werewolf, I hated it too.

When I first
became sick this afternoon with a high fever, I wanted to go to
sleep and stay asleep until it was over. When my body started to
turn, the pain was so excruciating that I begged for death. But
instead, I became something different, an animal—a savage beast.
With that change, an incredible hunger burned inside me. I wanted
to taste blood and rip into anything that came my way.

I felt rage
when I smelled the two men in my hunting territory, and more
werewolves meant less prey for me. As soon as Nate took me down and
began talking, glimpses of my humanity began to come back. This was
the man I loved, and I had wanted to hurt him.

"Meg, are you
okay? Are you hurt?" Nate's voice was soft and filled with pain and
guilt. He blamed himself for what happened, and while I wanted to
comfort him, I couldn't. I wasn’t me anymore, I felt detached from
who I had once been.

I leaned my
head on his shoulders, taking comfort in his warmth, and his scent
that was so much stronger now that my senses were heightened. "I'm
fine, just worried about Lauren."

When we emerged
through the trees, a stray branch scratched my bare leg, but I
hardly noticed it as Nate moved quickly to the cabin. As he moved
closer, we could hear growls and moans from Lauren. Nate sped up,
running up the steps where he set me down. Since my feet were bare,
I could feel the dirt and coldness from the rough porch wood.

Inside the
cabin, Lauren was where I had left her. She was lying on the floor
with her clothes ripped and torn all around her. A throw blanket
covered her intimate parts. I glanced at Joe, thanking him
silently, for doing what I couldn’t when I was a wolf. A sheen of
sweat covered her now human body. Her hands were balled into fists,
and she was writhing in pain.

Joe was leaning
over her, gazing at her with his yellow eyes. His fingernails were
long and claw-like; he was fighting the call of the moon. “You’ll
be okay, love, I promise,” he murmured softly, rubbing her forehead
with his deformed hand. He glanced up helplessly up at us, not
knowing if what he said was true, but she needed the comforting
words.

As we watched,
tiny hairs began to grow all over her skin, her bones began to bend
and crack and her teeth grew into fangs. Her agonizing howls
pierced through the cabin making me cringe. I clung to Nate,
feeling helpless. Just as quickly as the change had begun, the hair
receded and the bones reshaped. Her cries rang out again, making my
heart ache.

"What's wrong
with her?" Joe yelled out. "Why can't she change?"

I glanced at
the man I loved, hoping he could help. But the hopelessness on his
face made my stomach drop.

"I don't know.
I’ve never seen this before."

Joe turned to
me. "What happened? Where did Charlotte bite you guys?" Joe asked,
his voice laced with desperation.

My mind went
blank. Nothing in our experience could explain this. "She
didn't."

His brows
furrowed. "She must have." He stood up to face me, stepping over
Lauren, careful not to hurt her. "Think!" he yelled, red-faced,
leaning toward me. He was so close I could smell meat on his
breath.

I winced,
knowing not to take his aggressive behavior personally, but I had
no answers for him.

"I'm telling
you the truth; she didn't bite us. We woke up here alone, and then
wandered around the island looking for neighbors. When we returned,
there were five wolves waiting. They chased us, but we got to the
cabin first. They tried to get in, so we pushed the shelf in front
of the door. We watched it all night.” I paused glancing from Nate
to Joe. They gazed at me, engrossed in my explanation. “The wolves
eventually gave up, and we went back to sleep this morning. When we
woke up, the shelf was still in place. It was easier to move today
than when we put it there last night. But then we started feeling
sick." I gulped. "I changed into a wolf when it got dark, and
crashed into the door to get out. Lauren didn't.”

"That doesn't
make sense. You wouldn't have changed if you hadn't been bitten,"
Nate said more to himself then to us. "Check Lauren for marks.
Maybe it happened when you were unconscious."

Nate and Joe
stepped aside to allow Lauren privacy while I looked for bites on
her body. I lifted the blanket and searched her front, and then I
lifted her to her side, trying not to cause her any more pain. She
panted, and moaned as another wave hit. Hair began to grow again,
and I had to wait until it receded listening to her screams so I
could look at her back. Tears flooded my eyes as I watched the
agony on her face. Finally, she turned back into a human, and I was
able to continue my search.

"There's
nothing," I said finally, rubbing her arm softly. "I told you, she
didn’t bite us." I turned to face the men and spotted something out
of the corner of my eye. "Wait—what's that?" I placed the blanket
back over her and pointed to her upper thigh. There was a pinprick
that was red and irritated.

"That's not a
bite," Joe observed as he leaned forward to inspect the wound. “The
hole is too small and there’s only one.”

Lauren howled
in pain, making Joe jump to comfort her. Nate joined him, talking
lowly to Joe about what to do. Their voices were dull background
noise as I remembered what Lauren told me when we woke up in the
cabin. "We were drugged," I blurted out loud, voicing my thoughts.
Both Nate and Joe spun around to face me. "Lauren told me that
after Charlotte knocked me out the second time, she gave me a shot
with a syringe to keep me out. I assumed it was a sleeping
drug."

Nate stood up.
"It must have been her saliva. But that doesn't explain Lauren's
condition. And it wouldn't have made you sleep." He paused, deep in
thought. "Unless her saliva was mixed with a drug. By adding the
drug to the werewolf saliva, she could have weakened its effects,
preventing Lauren from changing."

Both Joe and I
stared at Nate. "Well, what do we do?" Joe asked, his voice weak
with worry.

Nate turned to
face Joe with his shoulders set. "Bite her."

Joe's eyes went
round with horror. "What? I can't do that. I love her."

"If the drug
diluted Charlotte's saliva, then she needs stronger werewolf DNA in
her system to stop her from changing back and forth."

Joe looked
torn; he obviously didn't want to hurt Lauren. "No." His voice was
a whisper as he shook his head.

Lauren cried
out as her bones began to reshape, yet again. Nate stepped toward
Joe. "I would do it if I didn't think your wolf would attack me.
She’s your mate, and she’s in pain. It's the only way to stop
what's happening. She’s suffering, and if it goes on much longer,
she could die."

"You don't know
that. We've never seen this before." Joe’s accent was so thick, I
hardly understood him.

"No, I don't,
but this constant changing is causing a terrible strain on her
body. Nobody could handle that for long. She's already a werewolf;
you can't hurt her any more. Do it." His voice came out in a
command, making Joe wince.

He nodded and
then disappeared outside.

Nate crouched
in front of Lauren, placing his hand on her arm. "Lauren," he said
softly. Her only response was a cry. "Joseph is going to change
into a wolf, and then he's going to bite you. That should stop what
is happening, but you will turn fully. You will know Joe by his
scent. Go with him and let him show you what to do. We will join
you when we can. Okay?" he asked with a warm smile.

She nodded,
fear shining in her glassy eyes. Her hair was damp with sweat and
plastered to her head.

The clicking of
nails on the wood floor had me turn around to see a russet brown
wolf. He slunk toward Lauren and Nate. Nate moved a little to let
Joe get closer but stayed with Lauren, holding her hand. A week
ago, this action would have warmed my heart; today, I was too numb
to acknowledge it. Nate pointed to Lauren's thigh where the needle
had entered, and Joe leaned forward hesitantly. The wolf whined
before he opened his mouth, showing his long pointed teeth. He bent
down and quickly pierced her skin and afterwards, licked the
puncture wounds. A few moments later, Lauren started to shake. Hair
grew along her body, and her bones started to reform. Nate urged
her to get on all fours to make the process of change easier.
Lauren wailed as the last of her limbs cracked. Then, all too
quickly, she was a tan wolf with a similar coloring to Nate’s.

Joe stepped
toward her, whining, his nose touching hers, and then his tongue
shot out licking her muzzle. With a commanding grunt, he spun
around and ran out of the cabin. Lauren glanced at us hesitantly
before following.

Despite my
overall numbness, I was relieved that Lauren was no longer
suffering.

Nate made his
way toward me, his arms shaking, and his eyes yellow. "Megan, I
have to turn. I've held off as long as I can. Do you want to
change, and I'll show you how to hunt?"

"No." My stance
was unmoving, my shoulders stiff and my arms at my side.

He sighed,
reaching out to brush a lock of hair from my face. His touch would
normally send a tingle through my skin, but again, I was too numb
to feel it. "When is the last time you ate?" he asked me.

"When I made
you dinner."

"She didn't
give you food for a day and a half?" he asked with a mix of shock
and anger in his voice. "You know what can happen if you’re
starving when you change. You have to eat. I’ll show you how to
hunt."

"Who am I going
to kill? I'm on an island filled with werewolves. Get me a burger
on the mainland when you guys change back. I don't want to be a
wolf ever again." I folded my arms in front of me and pouted. I
couldn't help it. I had only been a wolf for an hour, and I hadn't
even known what was happening. I was having a difficult time
processing it all.

Nate frowned
but not without compassion. "I know this is a shock to you, but you
have to deal with it. I can help you with this, but ignoring your
new wild side is not the answer. I tried that and killed people."
He stepped toward me, closing the distance between us, and on
instinct, I stepped back.

His face fell,
but he continued. "Come; let me show you that it's not all bad.
That's the only way to survive this. I won't give up until you let
me help you. So you might as well give into me now." The corner of
his lips turned up into an almost smile, his vivid blue eyes were
determined, and held a spark of playfulness. He held out his hand,
and despite my hesitation, I took it.

"Fine," I
sighed, letting him lead me out of the cabin. The cool breeze
kissed my warm face. His hand was wrapped around mine, making me
feel safe, even though I knew I wasn't. My world had changed into
the unknown, and I felt lost.

"Are you sure
Charlotte is gone?" he asked as we crossed through the door and
onto the small, rickety porch.

"As far as I
can tell. The wolves gave up trying to get in, in the middle of the
night. We haven't seen or heard of them since. Besides, the boat is
gone."

He stopped,
taking both of his hands in mine. "I cannot express how sorry I am
that this happened to you." His words were laced with pain that
matched the misery in his eyes. Then he let my hands drop and
stepped down from the porch. "Are you ready?" He stood watching me
with only his jeans on, baring his muscular chest. Seeing him like
that would normally awaken a longing inside me, but with everything
that was happening, I didn’t feel a thing.

"As I'll ever
be," I mumbled, digging my big toe into the crack between the
boards of the front porch.

He smiled as he
started to unbutton his jeans. His fingers stilled when he saw my
eyes widen. "Do you want go first?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, I'd like
you to be waiting for me. Just tell me what to do, and I'll go
beside the house."