she passed an intersection, she saw an emergency call box on one of the streetlights. This was definitely an emergency. She only had one problem. At the moment, she had paws in place of her hands. She had no clue how to get back to human form. What if she was stuck like this?
Just say so, the voice told her. She finally understood the voice in her head. It was the panther.
“I want to be human,” she said internally.
This time the transformation came with less pain. Hopefully, after a few more shifts, the pain will be gone for good. Did she want to be like this forever?
No choice, her panther told her. It felt strange having someone else in her brain.
“That’s what I figured,” Mara sighed.
She stood and dusted off her hands. Her palms were scratched from her sudden stop. She picked a piece of gravel out of her skin. The scratches slowly disappeared. Within moments her palms were completely healed.
“Now, I could get used to that.” She smiled.
Looking around, she made sure no one was passing by. Her body was naked from the shift, she needed to find something to cover herself with. Noticing a ratty blanket thrown by the dumpster in the entrance to the alley, she ran to grab it and wrapped it around her body. Disgusting as it was, it had to be better than showing her bare ass on the streets if she was going to try to make herself invisible. She had to make this quick so she could take cover and stay out of view. She ran to the phone box and opened it up. Thankfully, being good with numbers, she remembered the alpha’s from when she called him before. Her eyes searched the road as the phone rang.
“Come on, pick up.” She tapped her foot as she was impatiently waiting
“Xeon here.” He answered the phone after three rings.
“Xeon, it’s Mara. I need help,” She whispered into the phone. “I’m in danger. I found out what happened to your pack mates.” She paused. “Are you listening to me? I know who has the shifters.”
“How do I know you’re not messing with me? I waited for you for over an hour.”
“I have a good reason, but I need to hurry up and get off this phone. I’m in trouble. Will you please come and get me? I promise I’ll explain everything. I know what’s happening to the shifters.”
“Fine, where are you?” His voice was curt and to the point.
“I’ll be on Calhoun Street, down the alley just after Franklin.”
“Down an alley? You better not be fucking with me. You better be there.”
“I will be,” she promised. “Oh, and bring a shirt please.” She hung up before he could ask any questions.
She dashed down the alley and hid behind the dumpster where she found the blanket. A wooden pallet leaned against the brick building. She laid it down flat and sat, waiting for him to show. Every time a car passed, she leaned forward to see if it was him. Thirty minutes later, an SUV turned into the alley and stopped. The headlights flashed once, and she knew it had to be Xeon.
She stood, then realized she didn’t want to hang on to the dirty blanket any longer. The odors coming from it was making her ill. A new confidence in her body, one she’d never had in the past, filled her. She threw the blanket back into the dumpster and held her head high before she marched out from behind the dumpster. The lights shone brightly, putting her body on display. Him being a man, surely, he’d seen plenty of naked women. Why would she be any different? Besides from what she understood, shifters were used to being naked around each other. She walked close to the SUV, then noticed someone sat in the passenger seat.
Chapter Five
When Xeon and Kyro pulled into the alley, he’d thought there was no chance the doctor would be there alone at this time of night. There wasn’t any sign that anyone had been here. He flashed his headlights once to see if that would get her attention.
“Do you think it’s a trap?” Kyro asked, shifting his position in the passenger seat.
“Maybe we’re on the wrong side.”
Just as Xeon turned to look behind them, movement in the alley caught his eye. Mara stepped out into the beam of the headlight. Seeing her beautiful, totally naked body caused Xeon to glance at Kyro.
“She looks so in control,” Xeon said.
At the