Chapter 17: Dangerous Game

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**Author's note: There is a TRIGGER WARNING in this chapter, ABUSE. So if you are sensitive to that, I would suggest not reading the second half (Natalie's point of view) of this chapter and just jump down to the author's note at the bottom after reading Cody's point of view. I'll write up a little summary of any of the important details given in the second half, there are a few.

CODY HARVILLE

It was a typical day at the garage, just like any other. No major problems, just some routine maintenance and minor repairs. Yawning, I lazily made my way underneath an F150 to change the oil.

"Man, that's like the twentieth time I've caught you yawning today." I saw Will's clunky, brown boots stop at the front of the truck. "Did some girl keep you up late last night?"

"Not just any girl," I answered, while draining the oil. "The same one I went on that date with."

Will gasped dramatically, faking a heart attack. "You're fucking with me, right?"

I chuckled. "I'm serious. I really like this one." That was understatement. I couldn't tell him the truth about Natalie being my mate because he was human, but she was my whole world. Before I found her, I never had the same girl in my bed more than once, and it was only ever just meaningless sex, no strings, no feelings. It was easier that way, I never wanted to lead anyone on, and most of the time, it was with other wolves, so they had the same mindset. To us, this was completely normal behavior before finding your mate, but to humans, I came off as a womanizer who would never settle down. So how could I tell Will that Natalie was the woman who I would spend the rest of my life with, after only just meeting her a few weeks ago, without sounding like a complete lunatic?

"Wow, man. I never thought I'd see the day." He paused for a minute. "But good for you. It's about time you settled down. Hopefully this one is a keeper." He didn't know just how right he was.

I smiled to myself as I grabbed the rag that was next to me off of the floor and slid out from under the truck. Wiping off my hands, I walked over to the shelves that were against the wall and picked up a fresh bottle of oil and a funnel. Cracking the seal, I walked back over towards the truck.

All of the sudden, I felt woozy and my vision went black. Losing my footing, my grip loosened on the bottle of oil, and it went crashing to the floor, splashing everywhere. I grabbed onto the truck for support, so I didn't end up on the ground as well.

Concerned, Will rushed over to where I was standing. "Hey, man. Are you alright?"

Everything was blurry, I was completely disoriented, and my body felt heavy. "I don't know." I paused for a moment. "I don't feel right."

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off. I'll finish up here. There's not much left to do anyway." He patted me lightly on the back. "Go lay down, get some sleep. You probably just stayed up too late last night."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right," I said as I slowly made my way over to the door.

As I got far enough away from the shop, I sloppily stripped off my clothing and attempted to shift. Nothing happened. How bizarre. I had never not been able to shift before, unless I had been drinking, and I had to be pretty heavily intoxicated.

"Something weird is happening to me. My head's all foggy and I can't seem to shift." I mindlinked Alpha Jason. I waited for a few minutes, but there was no response. Fuck. I couldn't mindlink either. What the hell was going on?

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