Page 99 of Psycho Shifters

Turn back.

It was too late to change direction, with my massive form flying straight at them.

My momentum stopped, and I hung suspended in midair.

Shiny white strands covered in sharp, little grooves tangled across my fur. The strands were unnoticeable from a distance; they blended seamlessly with the white-capped mountain terrain.

I was caught within their web.

SADIE

SPIDERWEBS AND BIG SNAKES

The three spider fae screamed behind me as I struggled to remove myself from the web.

They laid the trap and led me here. It was all planned.

My muscles burned with pain as I struggled to remove myself from the web. The tiny threads were impossibly strong, wrapping around my arms and legs and holding me tight.

We had been debriefed by Auntie on the spiders after the last attack, and no one had said anything about them making webs. The web had sharp little grooves, and everywhere it touched, my skin burned.

Every small movement caused a stabbing pain.

I held myself still and tried to catch my bearings.

The three spider fae continued to scream and chitter behind me. Visibility was still shit as a mix of sleet and hail hammered the mountainside.

The sun was high in the sky, but it was completely obscured by heavy gray clouds. It might as well have been dusk. Good thing my advanced vision worked better in the dark than in the light. Although, right now, there wasn’t much to see.

Hail clacked all around as it ricocheted off frozen rocks. The world screamed around me, a swirling tempest of rage that promised only pain.

The conditions were so rough and the mountain was so steep that I doubted the betas would be able to climb the boulders to reach me.

It was all up to the alphas.

There was nothing soft about the shifter realm, but today was a particularly brutal day.

While I was ensnared on the side of the mountain, the low visibility made it seem like the rock face plummeted at an impossibly steep angle.

Stay still. Wait for them to make the first move.

The numb didn’t care how precarious the conditions were. All that mattered was I was an alpha, a saber-toothed tiger, and I would prevail. There was nothing else in my mind.

Inside, I was colder than the freezing temperatures that swirled around me.

So I waited.

They had trapped me in the web for a reason, and I would uncover it.

There was a loud bleat as Ascher launched his half-ram body over my web-entangled form and landed behind me. His massive onyx horns and colorful tattoos flashed by me as he cleared at least a fifteen-foot jump easily.

Screams and shrieks sounded behind me, and Ascher bleated loudly. The web had ensnared my head, so I couldn’t turn around.

Wetness slapped against my back, and the scents of blood and burning tar filled my nostrils. Whipping my head to the side, I chuffed in frustration.

I couldn’t turn enough to see what was happening behind me. The struggle to turn hurt, as the web bit into me with every moment.

“Need help?” Cobra lisped slightly as he suddenly appeared in front of my face.