Werewolf Suspense (Book 1): Outage by T.W. Piperbrook

the Pierces' backyard—clothes gone, body ripped to pieces. At the time, she'd been certain it was her husband. But now she realized it couldn't have been.
    "Who was it, then?" she whispered.
    "Our new neighbor."
    "From the end of the road?"
    He nodded.
    "But I thought something was wrong with him…he wasn't moving…he wouldn't wave…"
    "He was in shock. He'd already seen one of us feeding."  
    That meant Rob had—
    "Y-you killed him. You killed Leon and Adeline…"
    Tom sprang from the shadows, jabbing his rifle at Rob's head.
    "And you killed Lorena! You son of a bitch!"
    Rob bowed his head, refusing to meet the man's gaze. Abby stared at her husband, still in shock. Was he sick? Diseased? Maybe this wasn't his fault. Maybe something had taken hold of him that he couldn't control, and he was as much a victim as anyone else. There had to be an explanation…  
    "What's going on, Rob? What happened?"
    "This is the Great Storm, Abs. The one we've been waiting for."
    "The one who's been waiting for?"
    "Us. All of us."
    He lifted his hands in the air. Something howled in the distance, and Abby's hands tightened on the pistol. She looked over at Tom just in time to see him squeeze the trigger of the rifle. Her heart crashed in her chest.
    The gun clicked, empty.
    "Goddamit!" Tom yelled. He backed away, losing his grip on the rifle.
    "What the hell are you?" Abby whispered, tears streaking her face.
    "I'm what I'm supposed to be. The same thing you'll be soon."
    Rob's head cocked to the side, studying her. She followed his red eyes down to the wound on her leg. The wound he'd given her. He bared his teeth.  
    "I told you I'd always take care of you, Abs. And I meant it."
    "No," she whispered.
    "Why do you think we moved up north? We made it just in time."
    She pictured the beast chasing her through the neighborhood. She'd always been one step ahead, one step from death. But only because he'd allowed it. He'd wanted her alive. He'd wanted to change her.
    "I can't," she said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I can't do this."
    "We'll start over, for real this time. We'll be free."
    Abby pointed the pistol at his face, searching for signs of the man she'd loved, but all she could see were reminders of the beast. Her eyes wandered back to Lorena's gutted body, and she felt sick once again.
    "You're disgusting," she said.
    Rob growled.
    "How could you kill these people?"
    "To be fair, I didn't kill Leon or Adeline. That must've been one of the others." Rob's head twitched. "But I would have. If I'd gotten to them first."
    "You're sick."
    "I am what I am. I've accepted it. So should you."
    "No."
    She took a step forward, solidifying her aim. The tears were flowing again, and she blinked them back. Rob's body was unmarked. It was as if the gunshot wounds Tom had inflicted had already healed.  
    She might not be able to kill Rob with the gun.  
    But she'd sure as hell try.
    She was about to squeeze the trigger when her body went into convulsions. Abby staggered in the snow, trying to keep her balance. The gun slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a thud . This time her entire body felt hot, as if some foreign matter was consuming her.  
    She noticed Tom was still backing away from them. His hands shook, and he was barely able to hold the rifle.
    "Go!" she screamed. "Run!"
    Rob took a step toward Tom, but Abby moved to intercept him, placing her body in the way. Her head was filled with pressure. Her skin felt raw and elastic. She opened her mouth to warn him to stay back, but all that came out was a snarl.
    Tom fled through the trees.
    Before Rob could pursue him, Abby leapt at her husband, fangs bared.

Chapter Sixteen

    Two furred bodies collided. In the instant Abby leapt at Rob, he'd shifted into the beast as well, and he emitted a glottal roar as they collapsed into the snow.
    Abby's mind was filled with a string of images and noise. Although she could still think, her body felt like it had been usurped