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"Grubbs?" one of the woasps, eyes filled with horror "Is that you?"

I crook my neck and stare at her There&039;s no Grubbs here Werewolves don&039;t need nas like that are a hu to addressa hesitant step towards rily-I can protect myself It lowers its head and whines I fix my eyes on the woman My stomach rumbles The blood of the previous leader is like honey on my lips But how much sweeter would the blood of a soft huet too close He ht-"

"Grubbs won&039;t hurt me," the one called Meera says confidently

I snarl at her arrogance and raise a claw to rip off her face No one has the right to make decisions for et aith it, the others will think they have leeway too I have to kill her, for the good of the pack, toweakly at my upraised hand "You won&039;t hurt me What would Dervish say if you did? You rerowl uncertainly, hand held above uardedEven the wildest beasts have respect for those who rear them But Dervish isn&039;t here He&039;s in trouble He needs help He&039;s

"Put down your guns," Meera says, dropping hers and crossing her arms

"Are you sure about this?" the tall s and carefully lays down his weapon The other wo, unarmed, at my mercy I feel the eyes of the pack on me They have the scent of humans in their nostrils Their mouths are ith lust, as is mine If I deny them their feed, my hold over theht Part of me wants to spare this trio, but mercy is a luxury I can&039;t afford It&039;s time to block out the memories of my human past and

Don&039;t be an idiot, a voice says My eyes flick around with fury, looking for the one who dares speak tofrom within You&039;re a ic You can ry," I reply silently "I am too We have to eat"

There&039;s plenty of food elsewhere, the voice says slyly and sends an irin wolfishly, then howl at the pack They look dubious, so I howl again, fiercer than before, pro they&039;ll turn on me if I fail to deliver This time they roar excitedly in response Those at the rear set off for the compound Seconds later aler to be a the first to the feast Only several of thecry froest and smartest, will be my personal retinue They&039;ll travel with me, to dispense my orders In return, I&039;ll see that they enjoy the lion&039;s share of the spoils

I face the confused hu to communicate Their expressions are blank-they can&039;t understand Frowning, I re inal shape My teeth retract and my lips soften I have total control over this body I realise now that I always did I could have manipulated myself this way since birth if I hadn&039;t been so afraid of what I ht turn into I&039;m more than flesh and bone I&039;m a spirit, a force, a power I&039;le for my eyes for traces of hu eaten," Iher darkly

Meera&039;s face fills with relief "You&039;re you!" she cries, throwing her arms around my broader, taller, twisted, hairier body

"What happened?" Prae asks, studying me with a mix of fascination and horror "Did the olf explode within you?"

"I unleashed it," I explain shortly

"Are you human or olf?" Timas enquires politely

"Both" I take a step back from Meera Her eyes flicker down to my lower body and she raises an eyebrow I don&039;t blush-olves know no shame-but I pick up my discarded trousers and tie them around my waist "We don&039;t have much time," I mutter "We have tooff the cliff now," Meera coet us back into the compound?"

"Yes," he says "It will take a while, but-"

"Work quickly," I snap "We&039;re hungry" As the others stare at er to feed

I feel more alive than ever I&039;m sure I look awful, no better than any of the mutated olves I now command But I don&039;t care Looks have never mattered to le between human, wolf and Kah-Gash, I&039;ve finally found a happy balance This is who I&039;ician-but this A ured and warped For the first time in my life I feel cohtly so If I turned on them, as I&039;m tempted to, they wouldn&039;t stand a chance But I choose not to attack These are my allies, and while I don&039;t feel like I need theet into the compound I honour our friendship Besides, as the Kah-Gash pointed out, there are lots of others I can kill

The hule to keep up, but I don&039;t make allowances If they fall behind, they&039;ll have to fend for themselves I control the olves, but I know instinctively that ile If I don&039;t maintain complete doet e is what I&039;ht for Dervish and the danger hethe she-fiend who betrayed us When I&039;ve ripped her flesh from her bones and ed in her blood then I can turn to other matters Maybe Unless I decide to stay here and become ruler of Wolf Island