there wasn't a way out. Scared and trapped, she did the most natural thing in the world.
She growled.
But my daughter was gorgeous. Her coat was thick and the most amazing dark chocolate color. Lighter, almost reddish spots could be seen behind her elbows where the undercoat showed through. I saw it all, but I was fixated on her eyes. The beautiful tawny ones with pale, cream-colored patches underneath that looked like the perfect eyeliner.
"Hi, sweetie," I whispered.
"Gabby!" Olivia said, moving between the wolf and me. "That's your mom." Her arms were spread wide like she was blocking me. "I know you're freaking, but that's still your mom. You need to go that way." And she pointed toward the front door which Henry now held open.
Beside me, Ashley shoved off her pants and just... changed. One second, my best friend was the perfect blonde bombshell. The next? She was the same, but on four feet. Her coat was like pale gold across her back. Her belly and throat were white. She was also a whole lot bigger than I'd expected, proving just how much more my daughter had to grow.
Ashley growled, slinking her way between myself and my daughter. Olivia stood braced for an attack. Between the two of them, Gabby didn't need any more encouragement. She spun and bolted, but she wasn't alone. Behind her, an entire pack followed, each one a different color. They moved too fast for me to see them all, but it was beautiful. It also meant my little girl was gone. I could only pray she'd eventually come back.
"Elena?" Henry asked, waving me over. "Come here, honey. I want you to see something."
He led me out into the front yard, then pointed up the street. At first, I didn't know what he was talking about. Then I saw it. From each house came another wolf. One after the other, looking like a mixture of breeds - or whatever they were called - and not all were native. They each headed the same way, following the chittering of the main pack.
Then the first howl pierced the twilight.
"That's Lane," Henry told me. "He's always had a good voice."
A moment later, others joined in. "What does that mean?" I asked.
Olivia rubbed my shoulder, moving to stand beside me. "They're calling their location so they can meet up. We usually run on the full moon, and this time it's even more important. It's what we do, Elena. It's gonna be ok. They'll watch out for her."
The chittering came again. Even though I couldn't see them, my eyes followed the sound, looking at nothing more exotic than the neighborhood's houses. "What's that?"
"Directions. Ashley's making sure Gabby can't get caught in a yard. They want her up on the open land."
I nodded to show I'd heard. "Why?"
"So she can run," Olivia told me. "That's how we learn, and it feels good. Sometimes, when I get nervous about something, I'll just go up there and run until I can't run anymore. It burns it off, and she's got a lot to burn." Then another howl called out, and the girl smiled. "And that's my mom."
"You can recognize their voices?"
Henry chuckled at me. "Just like you can when they're human. I've been listening to them like that since they were born. Or moved here." Then he turned me back to the house. "Now why don't you finish that whiskey Olivia poured you and relax. It's gonna be a long night, and you don't need to be awake for it. Not a single thing wrong with drinking yourself to sleep."
"I won't even tell Gabby," Olivia promised.
Yeah, it sounded good, but wasn't going to happen. I didn't care how long it took, I was going to be here, sober, when she finally came home.
CHAPTER 49
The howling didn't stop. Each time I dozed off, I dreamed of it, then I woke back up to find it was real. That night was the longest of my life. Not even being in labor had been this bad. Back then, I'd had drugs to numb it. This time, all I could do was watch the clock and hope the ending would be a good one.
At seven in the morning, the sun rose, and the wolves sounded off to welcome it. Olivia had curled up on the couch and fallen asleep, but she heard them, sucking in a breath as she sat up. In the chair across from me, Henry had his head back, his breathing verging on being a