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  “Now we will send her to the Howlund and be certain she meets her mate,” Master Two smirked in Y’s head. “And when we get there, I may need to…ah, borrow your voice for a moment, Y. I’m sure you won’t mind.”

  “Can…can you do that?” Y’s fingers crept up to the chip implanted under his left ear again. Could the Master take over him enough to use his vocal chords and voice? If so, then he was in worse trouble than he had suspected.

  “I do believe I can,” Master Two said. “Come now, let us follow the little female to her mate. What a delightful meeting that will be, I am sure. I cannot wait to see it!”

  * * * * *

  Kate was having the strangest dream—so vivid it almost seemed real. A sweet and somehow familiar scent had drifted from the garden and into her little room somehow. It tickled her nose until she got out of bed and followed it, walking slowly to the open door and taking a step into the garden.

  Wait…why is the door open? asked a little voice in Kate’s brain. Didn’t you close it before you went to bed?

  It was an interesting question, but not one that bothered her, for some reason. Kate walked out into the garden, feeling the cool grass tickle her bare feet. The soft breeze played with her hair, teasing the curling tendrils around her face in a mischievous way.

  Kate frowned—what a lifelike dream! She couldn’t remember being able to feel such subtle sensations in any other dream she’d ever had.

  Are you sure it’s a dream? asked the voice in her head—was it the voice of the Knowing?

  Of course it’s a dream, whispered a new voice. It was familiar, though Kate couldn’t think where she had heard it before. You wouldn’t come out of the house and stand in the garden in the middle of the night for no good reason if you weren’t dreaming, would you?

  Kate frowned. Where had she heard that voice before?

  Never mind about that, the voice whispered. Since you’re having such a lovely dream, why not take a walk in the forest?

  No, whispered the voice of the Knowing. No, Kate, don’t do it! You’re in danger!

  But somehow she found herself doing it anyway. Her feet seemed to be moving independently of her brain or her intentions and before she knew it, she was on the border of the little plot of flowers, right among the tall, lily-like purple blossoms. Tante Corii’s voice seemed to echo in her head. “These are purple gloved staybacks. A male in his Beast form can’t stand the scent of them.”

  Reflexively, Kate reached down and grabbed a handful of the long-stemmed flowers. A sharp tug and a twist and she had them. Carefully, she held them down by her side, keeping the small secret to herself—at least, she hoped she was. The strange dark voice that spoke in her brain didn’t say anything about them.

  Kate clutched her bunch of flowers tightly as her feet carried her into the dark forest. What else could she do?

  As the shadows of the trees closed around her, a long, animalistic howl sounded somewhere to her left. Kate’s skin prickled into goosebumps and her heart began to pound. Why was she doing this? Even in a dream, she knew it was dangerous. So why was she going into the Howlund at night with the full moons overhead and dangerous males all around?

  Never mind, whispered that dark voice. Just keep going—keep going until you find him.

  Until I find who? Kate thought desperately, but she was dreadfully afraid she already knew. It was Rone she was going to find. Rone in his Beast form.

  But I can’t tame his Beast—I’m not ready, she thought. I can’t—

  Suddenly a huge, naked male appeared before her—a male who wasn’t Rone.

  A shaft of moonlight shining through the leaves above her seemed to light him from above as he towered over her. His eyes were a blank silver filled with nothing but hunger and lust.

  Kate bit back a cry and pressed herself back into the shadows of the tree behind her. He was massive—over seven feet tall and covered in hair. Not just on his chest and his arms, like the Beast in the illustrations she’d been looking at earlier, either. No, this male looked like he was wearing a curly fur coat and a pair of trousers to match. Fur-form, indeed. In fact, aside from his face, the only part of him that didn’t seem to be completely covered in hair was his cock. It sprang up from between his thighs like a long, angry club, eager to pillage and despoil.

  Oh my God—has he seen me? Kate tried to keep still, trembling in the shadows as she prayed the massive Beast-male would pass her by. But she had no such luck.

  His face lifted and he sniffed the air. Then those blank, silver eyes turned to look right at her.

  Night vision, Kate remembered. They have much sharper senses in Beast form. And here she was trying to hide in the shadows like a frightened rabbit, hoping the fox would be too slow and stupid to see it.

  I’m the slow and stupid one, Kate thought frantically. I’ll never be able to outrun him. He’s going to kill me!

  Or worse, breed her and form a bond with her—a bond she didn’t want with a man she didn’t know.

  Oh God, what was she going to do?

  The huge, hairy male snorted and moved towards her, a crafty look on his animalistic features. Clearly he had seen her and just as clearly he was moving in to kill…or to breed.

  OhGodohGodohGod!

  Kate felt frozen to the spot. She closed her eyes and clenched her hands into fists, the long stems of the staybacks crunching against her palm…

  The staybacks! In her panic, Kate had forgotten she was carrying them. Now she realized they might give her a chance to get away—she hoped, anyway. Heart pounding in her throat, she waited until the huge Wulven male was right in front of her. Then, just as he was bending down to grab her, she lifted her arm and thrust the cluster of purple blossoms right in his face.

  “Get away from me!” she shouted as loudly as she could. “Go on—get back you horny bastard!”

  With an angry roar, the hairy male stumbled back. He was swiping at his eyes and nose as though Kate had shoved a bouquet of bees in his face instead of a bunch of flowers. But she didn’t have time to watch him—she’d bought herself some time but not much. The huge Wulven was blocking her way back to the cottage so there was only one way to run.

  Gripping the flowers even tighter, Kate fled deeper into the woods.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Rone paced the moonlit glade, waiting for his Beast. He had taken off his shirt and boots but he was waiting until he felt it coming closer to strip completely. But, though he had been holding it back by force of will for the past several days, now it seemed strangely reluctant to come out. He’d been waiting and pacing for hours as the moons rose overhead and began their convergence and still his Beast was playing coy, refusing to come to the surface even though he knew it wanted to.

  “Come on,” he muttered angrily, speaking to the other half of himself. “Come on, what are you waiting for? You’ve been demanding to come out for days so why won’t you?”

  Deep down, he knew the reason why. It was Kate—the Beast didn’t want to come out unless she was there. It wanted to breed her—to claim her and form an unbreakable bond that meant she could never leave them. But that wasn’t going to happen—not if Rone had anything to say about it.

  “She’s not coming,” he told his Beast savagely. “And I wouldn’t let you at her, even if she did. The two of you are never going to meet—not if I have anything to say about it. So you might as well come out now because Kate will never be bred by you!”

  Still, he felt its resistance, its unwillingness to reveal itself until it could have what it wanted—who it wanted—Kate.

  “Fine,” Rone muttered to it. “Be stubborn if you want to. The moons are almost in full convergence. When they meet and fully overlap, you’ll be forced out and you know it. You—”

  Suddenly a familiar voice screamed in the woods behind him.

  “Get away from me!” it cried. “Go on—get back you horny bastard!”

  Oh my Goddess—Kate—that’s Kate! Rone turned towards the dire