Panic filled me as Wolf pounced on the deer.
I was stuck.
Day Five.
Pissed didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. Fury had been building rapidly inside of me for the last two days as I sat back trapped inside of Wolf.
The bitch just continued to walk through everyone’s territory, leaving destruction behind her. But, I had noticed something. The angrier I got, the more unpredictable Wolf became. It was like she was feeding off my energy even though I was trapped inside of her.
Trapped.
I didn’t like having my freedom snatched from me. It made me feel unimportant and small.
Two things I never liked feeling.
Enough was enough.
Gathering all my strength, I pushed forward. I screamed loud, it leaving Wolf as a howl. The bitch tried to take a step forward, but I forced us left.
It hurt like hell. It felt like I was breaking apart.
What are you doing?
Ignoring the crazy wolf, I continued howling, continued pushing, continued edging her to the right. Closer to my destination. Closer to salvation. Closer to the Green Dragon.
Wolf stumbled and, in her moment of distraction, I pushed forward and took the reins. Oh, I knew it wouldn’t last. I had about thirty seconds before she yanked me back and put me in the corner again.
I ran full speed to Mashall land, obliterating the landscape. Taking a deep breath, I howled with all of my might. And, finally, I was answered with a roar as I reached the bank of the Tyrol River.
Moving faster than I had ever seen before, Adara ran through the trees. Chest heaving, she laid her glowing green eyes on me.
“Shit,” she spat.
A helpless whine left my lips just as Wolf retook control. I was exhausted. It was easier just let her have her fucking way with me.
“Wolf,” Adara called out, her voice rough with a growl. “Give Revy back!”
I could feel the power in her words, but they just brushed over me. The hackles on our back rose. Drool slid from our lips as we bared our fangs at the Dragon Queen as she Changed.
She is not our Alpha, Wolf grumbled. Nobody is.
I screamed in horror as Adara’s flames came barreling towards us.
And then there was pain.
Day Seven.
Hidden in the trees of Philipot Grove, I quietly ate the sandwich I stole from Adara’s house. From my vantage point, I could clearly see the clearing as well as the group of wolf Shifters walking towards the man who I was beginning to hate.
Trevor Farrell.
My view of him was quickly blocked as the wolves surrounded him. They exposed their necks as he snarled.
“Alpha,” they each said, their conversation floating on the wind currents to my sensitive ears.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, voice still gravelly.
“Alpha,” one man, the obvious leader of the group, spoke up. “Please get the Amarok wolf out of here.”
My ears perked up as I stuffed the rest of the sandwich in my mouth. I could feel the anger stirring my gut and wolf began to push through. I wasn’t in the mood for her shit.
My body still hurt from fighting Adara two days ago. The next day, Wolf took over again and fought Trevor. We were both sporting new scars from that battle.
“No.”
That one word spoken from Trevor’s lips held a finality that made my stomach clench. He wasn’t going to let me go.
Kill him. Wolf’s words rattled in my mind, confusing me.
“She’s going to get us all killed!”
That was probably true. I had marked every Shifters’ territory as my own and, by extension, the Farrells. Wolf was starting a war, and I was powerless to do anything about it.
“What’s your plan, Alpha?” another man asked. “Bring her into the Pack? Make her one of us?”
His condescending tone was pissing me off. What was so wrong with bringing me into the Pack?
“How would that work?” a woman asked. “How in the hell could she possibly fit in? Packs are led by the Alpha. She can’t be led. She can’t be tamed.”
“Yeah,” another agreed. “She’s not a Shifter. She’s an abomination!”
The others echoed the same thoughts. Each word a slash against my already vulnerable soul. Everyone had insecurities. Even the wild ones.
“I Awoken her Wolf,” Trevor growled. “She’s my responsibility.”
There it was…my biggest insecurity of all. Blame it on my parents. Blame it on spending the majority of my life fending for myself in Russia. And, with that one statement, Trevor had proved me right.
I would never be welcomed in his Pack.
I was one thing and one thing only.
His burden.
Day Nine
I was in agony so severe that I thought I would die. I had seen, felt, and done some horrible things but nothing like this.
Wolf was trying to kill me.
I could sense it in every fiber of my being. It was sticky blackness that sat in the pit of my belly.
On all fours in the middle of the moonlit forest, I felt like I was in a low-budget horror flick. Twigs and pine needles pierced my palms, but that sting of pain was nothing compared to what was happening to the rest of me.
Dry heaving, I let tears fall from my eyes as I struggled to hold Wolf back.
Adara told me I would have to fight the beast for dominance, but I didn’t think it would be like this. The lower half my body was already mid-shift. Coarse hair sprouting slowly and painfully over my legs and thighs. Claws elongating through my nails. My fangs were pushing through my gums.
Everything was in slow motion.
Every moment was torture.
I was Revy Mashall.
I had succeeded in every mission I had undertaken.
I had overcome every obstacle from abandonment to taking my first life at the age of fourteen.
I was Revy Mashall, and I was a survivor.
But now, as I let Wolf have my body, I knew I couldn’t survive this.
I was Revy Mashall.
And, I had failed.
PART I
“It is not money that rules men, it’s fear.”
Satsuki Kiryuin
“Kill La Kill”
CHAPTER 1
REVY
Pow! Crash!
The bullets left the chamber as my index finger quickly depressed the trigger, shattering the glass bottles I had lined up on a half-charred tree trunk lying in the woods.
Pow! Crash!
I had been out here for hours, shooting down cans and bottles I had collected from Adara’s house. This was the only joy I found these days. The only thing that drowned out the constant growling of the beast inside me.
It had been twelve days since my wolf was Awoken.
For the first five, I let the beast roam free. Life was exciting when she was out. I never knew what she would do. It was an adventure. But, all things must come to an end.
The problem?
Pow! Crash!
She didn’t want it to come to an end. If it wasn’t for Adara, I would still be trapped inside the Amarok. She kept me from destroying the land, her dragon threatening me with fire until I Changed back. Ever since then, I’d been struggling to keep my human skin for at least six hours.
Let me out!
Ignoring Wolf, I lined up my next shots. I had just let off three rounds when the scent I dreaded most surrounded me.
Kill him!
“Hey, Revy.”
Lowering my gun, I refused to turn around and face the man who had taken my life from me.
“Still mad, huh?”
The growling in my middle grew louder in the quiet of the woods. Turning around, I eyed Trevor. And, even though I wanted to put a bullet through his skull, I couldn’t help but admire how handsome he was. Tall as an oak. Smooth brown skin. Long locs. Broad shoulders that tapered into a slim waist. He was beautiful.
“Go away,” I muttered.
I needed him to get the fuck out of here. His voice was calling Wolf forward. My muscles rippled, my gums ached as my fangs elongated, and sweat coated every inch of my skin as I tried to hold Wolf back.
“Revy,” he growled in a voice that was nowhere near human. “You gotta control her.”
Kill him, Wolf snarled. He did this. He trapped us here.
Anger flooded my system as pain ripped through my entire being.
Kill him, and we can leave. We can go back to where we belong.
My head turned in his direction as my bones began to snap, the sound filling the air. Trevor removed his shirt, his face a mask of defeat.
And, as coarse hair sprouted from my skin, a little piece of me that still had some decency caused one word to bubble from my throat.
“Run!”
CHAPTER 2
REVY
The sun had barely peaked over the horizon when my eyes opened. Wolf had rampaged the night before, and I was still feeling the effects.
Looking around the woods I had apparently fallen asleep in, my gaze landed on another person I was irritated with. My sister, the Green Dragon Queen, Adara.
Squatting in front of a tree with deep slashes in the trunk, her bright green eyes were locked on me. Sadness swirled in their glowing depths.
“I don’t want your fucking pity,” I spat, my voice gravelly.
“I don’t pity you,” she snorted, rolling her eyes. “I pity your mate.”
“I’m not like you.”
“Never said you were,” she interrupted.
“I don’t fall in love with the first Shifter that bites me.”
“That’s not how it works, Revy.”
Getting up from the forest floor, I brushed off the leaves and pine needles from my naked body. I shook out my locs before returning my attention back to my sister. The air around her was practically pulsating with dominance.
I wasn’t intimidated. My psycho was just as big as her monster.
“I want to go back to Russia.”
Sighing, Adara stood to her full height. Again, I was not intimidated. Growing up, she used to beat my ass if I got out of line. We weren’t kids anymore. I could probably take her.
Let’s try it.
Shut up, Wolf.
“Get a handle on your wolf, and we can talk about it.”
“Wolf is fine and so am I.”
Adara moved closer to me, and the growling in my chest grew louder. But, underneath that, I heard for the first time her dragon. Chills traveled down my spine.
Yeah, I had seen the monster flying in the sky before she burned the earth. But, I was busy being ripped from the inside out by Wolf. It didn’t really hit me until now that my older sister was a fire-breathing death bringer.
Let’s fight her.
“You know, when I was in Japan, I would spend my nights thinking about my family. You know what I always remembered about you?”
“No,” I whispered.
“Your eyes. I always said that Revy had the most beautiful brown eyes. As time moved on and memories got fuzzier, I could always remember the shade of your brown eyes.”
Those same brown eyes burned with unshed tears. The growling in my middle quieted.
“When you showed up.” She swallowed hard, tears reflected in her own gaze. The color no longer a glowing emerald but was now a more muted brownish/green. “I was able to see it for a brief moment before they turned into the ice blue color they are now.”
We stood there unspeaking, only the sound of my tears splashing against the leaves on the ground audible in the space between us. My chest hurt. All the emotions I had bottled up over the years were threatening to burst forward.
“Get your wolf in check, Revy.” Clapping me on the shoulder, she walked around me. “Before she kills you.”
CHAPTER 3
REVY
Stomping through the Thirsty Howler, I noticed two things.
One, this place was a fucking dump. The floor was sticky with beer. Bullet holes were in the walls and booths. The paint was chipping. It smelled like stale cigarettes and wet dog.
Two, everyone avoided me. With every step I took, people—human and Shifter—backed away from me. The other wolves averted their eyes and exposed their necks. The only sound was the classic rock playing from the jukebox.
Stepping up to the bar, I rested my hands on the warped wooden top.
“What can I get you?”
I stared at the bartender. He was just as jacked as the rest of the fucking Shifters in this town. His eyes were glowing so brightly they looked like silver moons.
“Vodka.”
“One shot of vodka coming riiiight up.”
“No,” I stated abruptly. “I don’t want a shot of vodka. I want the whole fucking bottle.”
He paused, daring to stare me in my eyes. “We don’t need no trouble in here.”
“Give me what I want, and we won’t have any trouble.”
The grin on my face was nothing short of feral as he pulled an unopened bottle off the shelf and slid it to me.
Snatching it off the bar top, I stomped towards a back booth without saying thank you. Manners were Adara’s gig, not mine.
I sat down at a booth in the back, placed my legs on top of the table, cracked open the bottle, and took a swig. The vodka wasn’t as good as the stuff I had in Russia, but it would do.
Looking around, I shook my head. This place was pretty packed for it to be an afternoon in the middle of the week. It was mostly wolves and some folks that looked like they lived for their next drink.
Trevor needs to get his Pack together.
Taking another deep drink, I snorted. That was like the pot calling the kettle black. Oh, I was very aware of my issues. The difference between me and everyone else was that I had no reason to fix them.
I knew I was fucked up, but that was the only reason I was able to survive for the last thirteen years.
The strong survived, and the weak died. It wasn’t always fair, but that was the way it was.
Closing my eyes, I nodded my head to the Guns and Roses classic pumping through the speakers and ignored the beast pushing to take my skin once again.
Guilt washed through me as I thought about the last time she had me. Trevor almost had his throat ripped out. That was the only reason I was in town right now. I hoped to get so drunk that I couldn’t change into the bitch.
“Excuse me?”
Cracking open one eye, the growl in my throat died down as I took in the familiar face.
I know her.
“Do you remember me, Revy Mashall?”
Opening both eyes, I gave her my full attention. “I feel like I should.”
Her russet colored eyes took in everything about me from the skin-tight white crop top and dark cut off shorts to the guns strapped to my thighs and combat boots on top of the table.
Raising a perfectly arched brow, she knocked my feet onto the floor before she took a seat across from me.
“Now, I know your grandmother taught you better manners than that.”
A dozen memories flashed through my mind as a smirk tugged at my lips.
“Mama Terrell.”
CHAPTER 4
REVY
“So, you do remember.”
“Bits and pieces,” I muttered, taking a drink. “Mostly how you used to whoop my ass.”
She shook her head, her glossy hair flying across her pecan toned cheeks as her shoulders shook with laughter.
“You were always out of control, Revy. I see not much has changed.”
“Don’t know what you mean.”
Instead of answering, she pulled out her phone, tapped her manicured nails on the screen, and slid it to me. I watched as a shaky video tracked a green dragon in the sky, raining down fire. Moments later, a colossal wolf towered over the trees before taking off at a sprint. The video had over a million views.
“Oh shit! I went viral!” I laughed.
“This is no laug
hing matter,” Mama Terrell sighed heavily, and I cackled even harder. “Silence.”
The power in her voice made me choke on the laughter bubbling in my throat. She locked her gaze on me, and I sat up straighter. Searching inward, I couldn’t even find Wolf. The bitch was hiding.
Mama Terrell was magic.
“What are you doing here, Revy?”
I shrugged. “Trying to get my shit together so I can go back to Russia.”
“Stubborn girl.” Once again she shook her head. “I knew you’d be the more difficult one.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot especially when compared to Adara.”
“Yes, the Green Dragon was easier to deal with.”
“All hail the fucking queen,” I mumbled before taking a huge gulp of vodka.
“This isn’t about your sister.”
“Isn’t it always about her?”
Mama Terrell ignored my question, staring right through my bravado. “For years, I’ve waited. I couldn’t wait to see what you would choose.”
“Huh?”
“Which side. Good or evil.”
“Lady, what are you talking about?” I drawled.
“Adara was the catalyst. But, you, Revy…you were always meant to be the pin on the grenade.”
Canting my head to the right, I eyed the strange woman. “You talk funny.”
“And you won’t accept what you are.”
I rolled my eyes, chuckling darkly. “Lady, do you know who I am?”
“You talk about Adara as if she’s the only queen in your family.”
“What are—?”
“Good or evil,” she interrupted. “I’ve been waiting to see what you’d choose. That decision will decide the direction of the prophecy.” She stood, straightened her blouse and looked me dead in the eyes. “You are Revy the gunslinger. You are Revy the Amarok. You are Revy the deranged. I know exactly who you are. Do you?”
CHAPTER 5
REVY
Taming Revy Page 2