Beckoned (Book 1) The Brazil Werewolf Series

Chapter Seventeen

Hello, Lovelies, 

Thank you so much for reading Beckoned.  We are on the last chapter.  There will be an epilogue so we aren't quite finished yet.  When I moved this book to Wattpad, I hoped to fix the plot holes and give it a little more life.  I did.  The manuscript is now 8,000 words richer and it turned something I wasn't happy with into something I am.  So, thank you for reading. Thank you so much! 

Also, I realized there were some paragraphs missing in previous chapters.  Usually, it was a paragraph near the breaks.  That's been fixed.  I'm sorry that happened.  I guess when I transferred it from word, something weird happened.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.  If you do, please consider voting.  Comments are deeply appreciated.  If you have any questions, please ask in the comments or send me a message. 

-XXXX Amanda

**********

My life had never seemed so vivid or alive until the moment I opened my eyes. The black fur covering my skin was warm, comfortable. No pain pulsed from me. No fire ran through my veins. There was only this immense sense of power that I had never had before.

I looked around, mesmerized by all the colors bleeding off everything, seeing Andre standing with his back to me, protecting me in his human form. The fact he guarded me told me he knew I was vulnerable and would give his life to protect me. My eyes narrowed as a growl erupted from my throat. I wasn't vulnerable anymore. I didn't need his protection. I felt stronger than I ever had.

I raised my hands in front of my face, realizing I could rip limbs from bodies or lift cars over my head. I was so strong, I felt like I could knock down one of the hundred-year-old trees growing around me. I could rip it from its thick, gnarled roots.

I inhaled, smelling every scent in the forest. The scent of raw, wet earth and moss surrounded me, reminding me of the tomato plants my mother once grew in five-gallon buckets. The scent of animals and wildflowers mixed in an intoxicating aroma. Then there was the scent of my family...The aroma of sandalwood and pine. I narrowed my eyes as I sniffed again. The scent of my father's family both repelled and beckoned me.

I blinked, looking around the forest, waiting for the arrival of my father and his people. Everything was so bright and colorful, it enthralled me. Even the air around me seemed alive.

Slowly, I raised my head, looking at my husband. I never thought he could be even more handsome, but he was. I could see the beast just below the surface, ready to spring. It fought for control. At any moment, he would give in.

I rose to my feet behind him, allowing the power that I felt to surge through me. Andre stiffened, sensing my presence, and turned. His eyes widened, then reflected his pain as he reached out and touched my face. I leaned into him. He sighed, relieved.

"When I found the room empty and blood on the floor, I knew your father had taken you. When I came for you, you weren't within his camp," he whispered, closing his eyes. "One of the women said Garridan had mated with you and was going to do the blood bonding, but when I broke into his house, you weren't there. I was so afraid... I thought I had lost you."

I closed my eyes, unable to speak. A single tear fell down my cheek. I wanted to tell him I was all right, that Garridan had only helped me, but I could not form the words in wolf form.

I breathed in and out slowly as my scalp began to tighten, screaming that there was danger. I narrowed my eyes and raised my head, seeing my father standing there, a gun pointed at Andre's head. A growl of warning ripped through my throat, but it was too late as my father pulled the trigger. There was no time for Andre to react. I grasped him and pulled him behind me, taking the bullet in the shoulder. Crying out, I felt myself fall as fire spread through my body.