458- The Bite That Changed Everything
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
Anton wandered around the store, studying the fabrics with a furrowed brow. He looked bored and interested at the same time, as if he wanted to know which items I would choose from everything he was seeing.
I gathered what I wanted and headed into one of the fitting rooms. I tossed the clothes onto the armchair and examined the pile, letting out an exasperated sigh.
I tried on every piece, separating the ones I would buy from the ones I absolutely wouldn’t. It distracted me for a few minutes and even made me happy. It felt as though I was becoming myself again, remembering the old days.
I slipped into a dress and tried to pull up the side zipper.
It didn’t move.
I took a deep breath, sucked in my stomach, and tried again.
Nothing.
I opened the fitting-room door to call the saleswoman and froze at the sight before me.
Anton was leaning against one of the shelves, one leg bent behind him and his arms crossed, staring at the floor. The girl who had helped me was standing beside him, running her long, red-painted nails over him. The movement was slow, back and forth, touching his chest, his shoulder, and trailing down his arm.
Rigid and motionless, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from what I was seeing.
She leaned in, rising onto her toes, and whispered something into his ear.
A furious growl tore from my lips.
The girl jumped in shock, stumbling away from Anton before staring at me in disbelief. The alpha lifted his head toward me, and a crooked smile curved his lips, amused by the situation.
My eyes widened in horror at what I had done.
But... what the fuck?
Had I just growled at her?
“God, what is that?” she asked shakily.
I took a step forward, determined to rip her head off.
It was me reacting, but it wasn’t my decisions driving me.
It was my wolf.
Oh. My. Gods.
I was turning into a complete savage. Growling at people, losing control of my own body. How the hell was I supposed to explain what had just happened?
Anton let out a rough laugh.
As if suddenly remembering he existed, the girl touched him again, placing a hand on his shoulder as though asking for help against me.
Another growl escaped me, this one through clenched teeth and parted lips. I stared at her through lowered lashes. My muscles tightened as I prepared to lunge.
It felt like a hunt.
I was the hunter, and she was the prey who would soon die by my hands.
I felt the change in my body, the ache in my gums, my nails lengthening. I blinked, knowing the glow in my eyes had to be obvious by now.
“God, what kind of animal are you?” she asked.
Her head was going to roll across the store’s elegant carpet, and I didn’t care in the slightest.
Anton turned toward the girl, sending my irritation skyrocketing.
Fine.
Then there would be two bodies.
“She has some... anger management issues,” he said, looking at the girl while keeping a certain distance from her. “Nothing that can’t be solved.” The bitch moved toward him, and he deftly stepped away from her. He cleared his throat. “I’ll handle this. Please, go get that coffee you offered me a little while ago.”
“Does she always act like this?” the girl asked.
Anton sighed.
The bastard actually sighed, as if he were tired of dealing with me.
“Since she was... a child.” He shook his head.
What a fucking liar!
“Poor thing. It must be difficult to deal with.”
“You have no idea.” She tried to touch him again, and he avoided her fingers. “My coffee?” he insisted.
The girl looked at me, then back at him, nodded, and walked away.
I leaned forward, never taking my eyes off her, watching her back as she retreated. Another growl rumbled in my chest.
I prepared to attack.
I sprang forward, ready to run, but Anton intercepted me mid-motion, wrapping an arm around my waist and lifting me off the ground. Pulling my feet from the floor, he dragged me into the fitting room and closed the curtain.
I tried to wrench myself free from his arms, scratching his neck with nails that had transformed into claws.
“Fuck, you’re violent even when I’m trying to save you from an embarrassing situation?” he hissed.
“Save me? You told that girl I’m crazy!” My voice sounded rougher than normal.
He grabbed my wrists, forcing me to look at him. His nostrils flared as he scented the air.
“You’re shifting, Thalyndra. Your eyes started changing color, and you began acting like an animal. What exactly did you want me to tell her? The truth?”
I blinked in confusion.
“I wasn’t...”
I looked at my reflection in the mirror and froze in shock.
He was right.
My eyes glowed with an intense, supernatural brown. My nails had become claws, and fangs protruded from the corners of my mouth. I had felt the change, but I hadn’t been sure it was really happening. Partial transformations only happened when a wolf completely lost control, whether through rage or desire, becoming consumed by their most primal instincts.
“What the... hell...” I sighed.
He laughed but didn’t release me. His fingers were like steel around my wrists.
“That’s called jealousy.”
I snorted.
“You’re so conceited you think everything revolves around you?”
“Not everything. But you do.”
“It doesn’t revolve around you. I only lost control because... because she irritated me,” I lied.
The smug smile that spread across his face stole the air from my lungs.
“She irritated you because she touched me. Because your wolf considers me hers.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You’ve never been more wrong, Anton.”
He released me and pulled back the fitting-room curtain to peek outside before turning back to me.
“Really? Then I can go back out there and... have a civilized conversation with the girl from the store?” he teased, the words dancing on his sculpted lips.
My heart sped up, and I felt anger heating my body again. I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know my eyes had changed color.
I was at war with my primal side.
Anton was right.