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  With my pulse coursing my blood to a panic, I could scarcely think, nor barely see through tears pooling in my eyes.

  “So it is not merely a human you choose over your pack, but a sick one at that.”

  My head snapped up at James’s voice. When he took a step forward, instinct to protect Jem kicked in, and I threw my body across hers with a snarl ripping from my throat.

  His stride faltered, and the scowl wiped from his face.

  “Move from my path,” I said through clenched jaw. “I am taking her home.”

  His scowl returned. “And I have told you, I will not have a human in my home.”

  “Our home!” I roared. “And Jem is no longer human.”

  My words must not have immediately registered with James, as he did not react until his gaze fell on the blood and pus weeping from her wrist. Mouth opening, he swept his hands into his hair, remaining that way for seconds before he spoke. “What have you done?” Rage overcame his features, as he lowered his stiffened arms to his sides. “What have you done?”

  He flew at me, but I leaped up to meet him before he could draw near Jem. Ramming my shoulder into his body with a snarl, I took him down to collide with the floor and, hands grasping his shirt collar, pinned him there. “Do not take me on over her, James. I will fight you.”

  With a further nudge that sprayed mud out from beneath him, I stepped back to Jem.

  Her body had ceased to shake, and I cradled her in my arms as I strode away toward home.

  The scuff behind me warned of James climbing to his feet. “You must understand you have just killed her yourself, Sean. She cannot possibly survive the bite.”

  I turned back to look at him. “You are wrong. Jem possesses strength and determination—they will ensure she awakens.”

  “No human has ever survived a bite before.”

  Eyes narrowing, I held Jem tighter. “The bites did not kill them—they died because none have ever been permitted to live.”

  “For good reason.”

  My lips drew back, and another snarl ripped free, the rumbling within my chest vibrating through me even once I paced away.

  His footsteps pursued. “Would you dare defy me, Brother?” he shouted.

  I peered back over my shoulder to see unexpected desperation in his eyes. “For her?” I nodded. “Yes.”

  The walk back to the house took longer than I would have wished, and I passed the rest of the pack on the way. All of them stared at me in disbelief before looking in equal surprise at James, who trailed at my rear.

  Through the kitchen I carried her, and up the stairs to my room, where I laid her on my bed. Once settled close enough to protect and comfort her, I awaited the arrival of my mate.

  Epilogue

  Jem’s grunts from beyond the bush revealed the stage of her change. From our first shared lunar event, every sensation of her changes had tore through me, sharing with me her agony, like a union of heart and soul. As a result, I already knew rapid hair growth bestowed itself upon her body, as did the stretching of her tendons and re-knitting of flesh. Further minutes passed, and I mirrored her progression with that of my own, before matching her snarled triumph upon completion as wolf.

  My snorted breaths steamed the chill winter air. Each inhalation drew in the fresh crispness of the forest, enhanced by its frosted layer that coated like sifted sugar, and the banquet of succulent offerings inhabiting our land. Through those, more powerful and important to me than any other, came the warm and comforting scent of my mate.

  The pad of my paws made little noise upon the frozen, compacted ground. A peer to my left would have revealed Jem had I wished. The lack of foliage did little to block the paleness of her coat, as it did the moonlight that highlighted her beauty.

  Those brief glimpses never seemed enough, however. Only rounding the barrier would offer reprieve to the disquiet in my mind, created by our temporary separation.

  As always, she awaited my approach. Her eyes met mine upon emergence and held the glisten of anticipation fed by the presence of foxes—a delicacy Jem had grown a yearning for.

  At the brush of my body, a tremor swept through her. As my tongue groomed across her muzzle, her eyes closed, and a low rumble began its tune within her chest. She tilted her face, pushed into the thick ruffle of fur surrounding my throat, until my own body shuddered in response.

  It had taken time to reach such a point of acceptance from her. Upon awakening from the bite, only screams of terror had flown from her lips. Placation had not been easy—Jem’s flee for her home resulted in an unwilling change, thanks to the guarding Wolfsbane, and she had to be returned in her collapsed state to where she belonged at my side. Days had passed with Jem’s sobs for her mother, until my words of apology and begging for understanding penetrated her refusal to listen.

  She had finally allowed me back into her embrace.

  I had scarcely left there since.

  At my encouragement, Jem’s integration into the pack had begun. Amongst my brothers, curiosity won out for the new female—something never before heard of within our race—and their interest brought them closer to Jem.

  Four full moons later, the pack’s scorn toward Jem no longer existed, nor did their denial of inclusion. I’d achieved what I would have considered impossible. My brothers within the pack titled her ‘sister’.

  At the more than familiar wolf song calling to us from the south in an invitation to unite, Jem’s muzzle withdrew from my throat, and her gaze met mine, before a dance of her paws portrayed her excitement.

  From deep within my chest, my response seeded, and the song erupted from my mouth.

  The scrape of claws exposed Jem’s action a half breath before she took off. Dirt dislodged with each kick back of her paws and sprayed up to cloud my eyes, whilst her tail waved a teasing farewell.

  My growled warning stalled her.

  She skidded to a halt and whirled to whine out her complaint.

  Laughter bubbled to echo through my mind at the impatience glowing from her eyes. Three steps took me to her, where I paused only a beat before my nudge gave permission.

  Through the sparkling surroundings, we raced—together—as I had dreamed of from the first day I laid eyes on her.

  Side by side, breath for breath, beat for beat.

  Acknowledgements

  As I believe them to be the most deserving, because putting up with the ignorance naturally instilled in a writer is HARD, my first thanks goes to Mr B, The Boy and Boop.

  Following those, in no particular order, are:

  Carla Huxley, for her constant support and encouragement, and for reading everything I’ve ever written, no matter the genre or how rough it happens to be.

  Aimee Laine for ensuring I believe in myself, and for falling in love with this story when I thought I’d written something on a self-indulgent whim that only I would want to read. Also for helping me to keep the familiar covers for the Holloway Pack as I take steps on this self-publishing venture.

  The guys at Scribophile who critiqued this story for me, way back when it was originally titled Animal Attraction, and helped to spur the arrival of even more Holloway Pack ideas.

  My ace Street Team: The Hollerers. You have no freaking fracking idea how much your support helps. I love you all to pieces and then some.

  Keri Lake, just because. Because you’re then when I need to vent. You’re there when I get confused. You’re there when I want to quit. You’re then when I need to chat. And mostly, because you ‘get’ me. I need ya, chuck.

  About J.A. Belfield

  J.A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with the best husband in the world, aka Mr B, a couple of back-chatting but pretty cool kids, a pooch she treats likes the baby of the house, and a couple of scrawny cats that like to vomit in unnecessary places.

  Although best known for her Holloway Pack series: DARKNESS & LIGHT (July 2011, J. Taylor Publishing), INSTINCT (February2012, J. Taylor Publishing), ETERNAL (July 2012, J. Taylor Publish
ing), BLUE MOON (December 2012, J. Taylor Publishing), RESONANCE (April 2013, J. Taylor Publishing), CAGED (August 2013, J. Taylor Publishing), and UNNATURAL (April 2014, J. Taylor Publishing), amongst other titles, she is currently trawling her way through a New Adult Post Apocalyptic and would LOVE to try her hand at YA. Maybe she will.

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  Titles by J.A. Belfield

  Holloway Pack Prequels:

  Instinct

  Eternal

  The Holloway Pack Series

  Darkness & Light

  Blue Moon

  Resonance

  Caged

  Unnatural

  Holloway Pack Minis

  Fated Encounter

  Hereditary

  Anthologies

  Make Believe

  Coming Soon from J.A. Belfield

  Enticed: A Holloway Pack Mini

  Find out what’s in store for Ethan Holloway’s birthday.

  He might just get a whole lot more than he bargained for.

  April 16th 2015