“It’s time to shift, Thea love.”
Worry tightened her gut.
What if she couldn’t?
What if she was stuck as a wolf forever?
A musky scent filled the air, and she realized it was coming from her. What on earth?
His nostrils flared. “Dinnae be frightened, lass.”
Oh.
So that’s how he always knew when she was afraid.
Jesus H. Christ.
“Imagine yourself shifting, push that feeling into your limbs. Your body will take care of the rest.”
Thea padded back from him and glanced down at her forelegs. This was still so weird. She wondered if it would ever stop being strange.
Doing as Conall instructed, she imagined the change, and she strained to force it into her limbs. Nothing happened. She let out an exasperated whimper.
“You’re trying too hard. Gentle. Easy.”
Nodding to herself, Thea attempted it again, this time nudging the thought toward her wolf’s body.
A sharp pleasure-pain burned through her as her back cracked, the same feeling popping around her body as it transformed. Relief flooded her as she realized it wasn’t agonizing. Not like the original shift had been.
Her head juddered as her muzzle disappeared, her canines and extra wolf teeth disappearing like magic into her gums. Like they’d never been there. She pushed her human fingers against her gums, prodding, but nope.
Her mouth was as it always had been.
As Thea drew back her hand, something that was missing made her heart pause.
Thea lifted her hands to her face, turning her wrists inward.
No scars.
Her skin was perfectly smooth.
“Thea,” Conall’s voice was hoarse.
Looking over her shoulder at him, she saw his shocked gaze on her back.
“Thea.” His pale eyes flew to hers. “They’re gone.”
Her attention dropped to her naked belly.
The scar there was gone too.
Her fingers brushed over the smooth skin.
What the …
Launching to her feet, she nearly fell over, her limbs still weak from shifting. Conall rushed to haul her against him and she melted into his chest. Her fingers curled into his shirt as she stared up at him in confusion.
Then she went rigid when she felt his hands coast down her back.
There were no bumps or ridges.
No scars.
Thea pushed away from him, stumbling toward his bathroom where she knew there was a mirror. And sure enough, as she twisted to look, her back was smooth and scar-free.
Conall appeared behind her and Thea turned to him. “I don’t understand.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “You’re werewolf now, Thea. Our bodies wouldnae scar from injuries caused by iron. As the change wiped out the poison created by the iron in your heart, I can only assume that same magic wiped away all traces of iron from your body. Including the scars made by it.”
Ashforth was gone.
He was really gone.
“I get to start over,” she whispered, scared to believe it. It seemed too good to be true.
Conall gave her a slow, sexy grin. “Aye, lass. And if you didnae guess it while we were out there”—he jerked his head toward the woods beyond the house—“you’re an alpha.”
Her eyes widened. “I am?”
“Fast too.” His grin was smug, pleased.
Thea laughed at his boyishness. “Faster than you.”
“Aye, but not stronger.” He drew her into his body.
She rolled her eyes. “I could still take you.”
“Maybe,” he murmured against her mouth. “But for sure you could take anyone else in the pack. That’s why they were staring at you downstairs. You could lead a pack with the amount of alpha energy pouring off you. I should have known it.”
Thea couldn’t contemplate that. It was still bizarre to her she was now something completely different. What she could think about in relation to it, however, was … “The pack is safe?”
Understanding, Conall nodded. “The Castle Cara explosion has been on national news. It’s been divulged to the media that Ashforth and his son were renting the castle and they and their guests were killed in the explosion. The cause hasn’t been made public but is under investigation. A member of our pack lives in Glasgow and is a policewoman with the criminal investigations department. The pack is not under suspicion. In fact, we’re not even on the radar. They think it might have something to do with one of Ashforth’s business deals. We’re in the clear.”
Exhaling in relief, Thea nodded. “That’s great. But what about the danger I present?”
“James was in contact with the Blackwood Coven while you were going through the transition. They are going to pay us a visit.”
Thea tensed. “That doesn’t sound safe.”
“They’re only sending representatives. And they just want proof you’re a wolf. That people were mistaken about your identity.”
“James lied?”
“He informed them you were a lone wolf. I recognized you as my mate and I was trying to bring you back to the pack when we were accosted by Blackwood and Eirik who was misinformed about you. He told them that Eirik’s demise had nothing to do with us.”