POV: Riley Blackwood

Pain.

That's all there was. Pain like fire in my veins, like my bones were breaking and reforming over and over, like every cell in my body was screaming.

I was on the ground, but I didn't remember falling. Dad's arms were around me, holding me tight while I convulsed.

"Riley, hold on," he begged. "Please, baby, hold on."

But I couldn't hold on. Something was happening inside me that I couldn't control.

My wolf rose instinctively, trying to protect me. But instead of bringing comfort, it made things worse. The wolf collided with something else, something foreign invading my body.

Vampire bloodlust crashed over me like...