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"What are you doing?" I jue and rushed over to hiripped atAidan He …"

"No, please don’t call hi hietic look and raised his hands helplessly "He told me to call him when you started to shift, Jade I don’t have a choice I can’t ignore a direct order froht a scent It was a scent that I knew, one that I would have recognized anywhere, and one that ht in ht ineyes with the black wolf

CHAPTER 22

~ JADE ~

He howled to me The sound wrapped around me, and warmth pooled in my stomach My heart fluttered for a second and then drummed fast in my chest I was transfixed, unable to look away froht black coat Behind him stood at least fifteen other wolves, all a rays and whites, and they joined in his song

The black wolf looked up through olden eyes searched my face, and then he tilted his head back, and let out another skin tingling howl

"It’s time, Jade," Dominic said, and he placed a hand on my shoulder I julad he was here "You need to pick"

"Pick what?" I asked, and my voice shook I looked up at hi tears Everything was falling into place and falling apart at the sa that, I was also getting back what I wanted most: Doyou the choice to pick the pack Aidan brought them for you"

"I … I don’t understand," I stammered and snuck another quick look at the black wolf

Dominic reached out and tucked some loose hair behind my ears "Every wolf has a choice Pack or solo It’s silanced back out theMy skin was crawling andDifferent I could feel the coarse hair poking out along my ar below me, and the sound of the towith them And every fiber in my body wanted exactly that To be a part of theh, and scream, and cry

"Um, Jade …" Marcy’s voice was shrill, and as I looked over at her, she scurried back on the bed "You have aabout Jade Maybe she wasn’t ready But the truth hether she was ready or not, I couldn’t wait any longer She was vulnerable until she shifted, and I couldn’t worry about her not being able to defend herself

I had rounded up asthat with this many wolves present, her inner-ould respond to the the peri Mountain

I tiltedhowl out I waited, listening toher, for what felt like forever I was about ready to give up, but then I heard it The click of a door The soft drop of clothes onto the ground A gasp A runt The pat of paws on ce onto the ground

She stood over old She grinned, a toothy grin, and hopped a little, ready to play

The pack was silent, and the tension was thick Her scent was powerful, sharp I rolled back up to rass from my coat My scent ramped up a notch, and a chorus of whimpers filled the air But Jade … she didn’t back down I straightened, and I let a warning growl rumble from my chest My lips curled up and my eyes widened

She cocked her head to the side as if she didn’t understand, and I growled again I needed her to fall in line She had to choose to follow me She had to choose the pack I wished I could speak to her I wished she would grasp it But she nudged ht Aidan was trying to tell , but I couldn’t focus on it His scent onderful Powerful Perfect And all I wanted to do was run and play and rub against hi through me and I couldn’t stand still

He see at me The tension that rolled off the other wolves was suffocating and he was only rowled, they would whimper and shrink further away froo