“You were a wolf when we found you limping through the woods,” Sexy Voice said.
“That’s impossible.” I felt numb. Like I was having an out of body experience. I couldn’t shift. The last thing I remembered was barely clinging to life and then falling to my death.
“It’s okay, we’re shifters. You don’t have to hide that from us,” the woman said.
“It’s not that.” I should have been worried about that, but my mind was too preoccupied with the fact that I was alive when I shouldn’t be. Add in that they claimed I had shifted, a literal impossibility, and it was far too much to comprehend.
“You were a wolf when we found you.” The woman’s voice was gentle.
“I was cursed; I can’t shift.” Saying the words out loud always hurt. I told myself I’d accepted my path in life, but I’d always wonder what it might have been like if I hadn’t inherited the family curse.
“That’s terrible, I can’t imagine not shifting. You must be in great pain,” she said.
“Well, it’s a nice story, anyway,” Sexy said.
“It’s true, but I don’t need you to believe me.” They’d saved me, which was more than could be said of any of the members of my pack, but they were still strangers.
“What happened to you? Do you remember how you got here?” the woman asked.
“I was in the caves. I fell. It was a long fall.” I looked at each of them in turn. There was no way I was going to explain everything. It was embarrassing and made me look weak. “Then I woke up here.”
“Your wolf must have saved you. I’ve heard of that happening, but I’ve never met anyone who went through it.” The woman stood and walked over to me. “I’m Sheila.”
“Lola,” I said.
Sheila offered her hand and I took it without thinking. None of this made sense. I wasn’t supposed to shift. I really should be dead.
As soon as I released Sheila’s hand, I rose to my feet and started patting myself down, feeling for injuries. I felt my shoulder, my wrist, my head. My hair was matted with dried blood. My arms and legs were covered in dirt. Some of it stuck there by blood from phantom wounds. There were no signs of the bite marks or broken limbs.
I knew shifters were fast healers, but even my injuries would have taken time. “How long have I been here?”
“We found you last night. You’ve been sleeping for almost twenty-four hours,” Sheila confirmed.
That didn’t seem long enough. “How long ago was the full moon?”
“Four days,” Sheila said. “Is that when you fell?”
I nodded.
“You were wandering in your wolf form for a while,” she said.
“Why are you here?” Sexy Voice asked.
“Can you give her a few minutes before you interrogate her? She’s been through a lot.” Sheila turned to me. “Ignore Alec, he’s an asshole.”
“What about me?” The other man asked. I’d almost forgotten he was there.
“That’s Malcom, he’s also an asshole,” Sheila said.
Malcom smiled as if he was pleased to be included.
“Enough,” Alec said. “I’m not the one who stumbled into another wolf’s territory.”
I looked over at the broody male. “It wasn’t on purpose, I promise you that. I’m just passing through.”
“Let me guess, running from your pack?” Alec asked.
My startled expression gave it all away so I didn’t bother trying to hide it. Then I realized we must be close. If I’d shifted and run from there, I couldn’t have gotten far. Even with being gone for a few days, it was possible I was still within scenting distance. I wasn’t going back. Not for anything. If they knew I was alive, they’d want to take me out.