Chapter 66: Too Light A Punishment
Time slowed to a crawl as Annie’s wolf lunged at me, teeth bared and claws extended. My brain screamed at me to shift, but my body couldn’t catch up with the command.
“Hazel, move!” Levi shouted beside me.
Instinct took over. I ducked and threw myself sideways, tumbling onto the hard tile floor as Annie’s massive wolf form sailed through the air where I had been standing seconds ago. The crowd erupted in screams and chaos as people scattered in all directions.
The momentum of my dodge sent me rolling away from Levi, and suddenly we were separated by a sea of panicking shoppers. Annie’s wolf recovered quickly, turning to face me with a murderous gleam in her eyes.
I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding against my ribcage.
“Annie, stop!” Lucas’s voice commanded from somewhere in the distance, but she was beyond reason.
The tan wolf advanced on me, her muzzle pulled back in a vicious snarl. I backed away, looking around frantically for anything I could use to defend myself. Shifting now was impossible—Annie wasn’t giving me the chance, keeping me constantly on the defensive.
“Get out of the way!” I yelled to a terrified woman frozen beside me as Annie charged again.
I dove behind a kiosk selling phone cases, hearing it splinter and crash as Annie barreled through it. Pain flared across my arm as her claws caught me, leaving three shallow gashes. Blood immediately soaked my sleeve, the coppery smell filling the air and sending Annie into an even greater frenzy.
“You psychotic bitch,” I muttered, clutching my injured arm.
Where were the triplets? I couldn’t see them through the chaos. People were still running, screaming, creating a perfect storm of confusion.