Miri: A Paranormal Romance (Plenty of Shift Book 1) by Carina Wilder Page B

hisses. At first, it was a mere distraction: a little annoying, but nothing that couldn’t be ignored.
    But within minutes their voices had crescendoed to full-on arguing. So, she guessed, they weren’t actually here to see a romantic comedy. Something else was afoot, and she didn’t like it one bit. Her cat tensed inside her, readying itself for whatever was to come.
    Before a minute had passed, a few of the shifters had altered into their wolf forms and were threatening one another. So that was it: they were playing at the same game they’d played at the bar; trying to cause a scene. They were baiting people into thinking they’d gone wild, that they were a threat. They wanted to terrorize the humans present, to ensure that they’d never again attend this particular cinema. So, the wolves were looking for territorial control.
    This wasn’t the old Kefir Pack; this was something new, something malicious.
    Miri looked around, observing the looks on the audience members’ frightened faces. Instinctively she bristled, her inner cougar ready to pounce if it needed to. But first, taking stock of the risks, she turned her gaze to Malcolm. He’d stood now, and was protectively positioning himself between the older ladies and the mounting altercation, muttering words to them, no doubt in order to reassure them.
    The wolves had all shifted now, and the rampage was beginning in earnest. They were tearing at one another madly, the fighting brutal, raw. Like a wolves’ fight club. A few ran about, snarling and growling at people who had nothing to do with their dispute. Many audience members either fled to the lobby or cowered in dark corners, clearing out as quickly as they could.
    Miri stood and made her way towards Malcolm, whose expression signalled concern, rather than anger, when he saw her.
    “Are you okay?” he said. “If I’d known you were here…”
    “I’m fine. Just fine. We should get these people out of here, though. One stray claw or tooth…”
    “Agreed.” Malcolm turned back to the old ladies. “Listen, this is Miri,” he said. “She’ll take you out of here. When you’re in the lobby, tell everyone to leave.” With that, he stepped towards the wolves, shifting into his enormous grizzly form. Malcolm used his body as a shield, growling at the wolves who were mischievously threatening to attack him. This allowed Miri room to escort the women and other spectators outside.
    When all the non-shifters had escaped into the hallway, Miri returned once again to Malcolm, who was still standing protectively between her and the wolves.
    Most of the wolves were too occupied with one another to bother with her, but one, a charcoal-grey, turned her way, seeing a vulnerable human still in their midst. He sniffed the air, no doubt detecting that she was a shifter as he pondered the risks.
    He began to skulk towards her. But Miri’s cougar instincts were kicking in; no way was she willing to lead him into the hall, towards those people. Instead, she kicked off her shoes and shifted into her feline form. Malcolm turned and looked towards her, catching her scent on the air. When he saw that she was being threatened he advanced, huge jaws on display to the much smaller wolf as he opened his mouth and let out a roar.
    The wolf backed away, too intelligent to mess with such a beast.
    Malcolm turned back to Miri, nudging her with his nose. Immediately she understood what he was saying, and went running down the narrow hallway next to the cinema’s staircase, the grizzly following close behind. Gasps from stray onlookers reminded them how their behaviour must appear—no doubt they looked like they’d been part of the mayhem—part of the cause rather than the solution. But the two paid the humans no attention, instead dashing out of the cinema. Without thinking twice, Miri turned to sprint towards her neighbourhood.
    It was unfortunate that she’d had to shift; she’d really liked that damned outfit. Besides