Evey was absorbed in a novel that Jabbar had lent her when Greyback walked into her cell – without bothering to ask for permission to come in, of course. Evey didn't spend much time on her own anymore, but she was grateful for a quiet moment once in a while. The Alpha had to ruin even that.

"What are you reading?" he asked her. As if he couldn't read the title on the cover.

"The Eyes of the Overworld," Evey replied politely. She realised with dawning apprehension that Greyback had closed the curtain behind him.

"Ah, yes. A classic." He took a few more steps toward her, his towering height casting a long shadow on the bed.

Evey closed the book with a snap. What did he want now? He was silent for a long time, studying her intently. It made her feel uncomfortable. Their last "conversation", over a month ago – he really didn't spend much time at the prison – had almost resulted in their mutual death. He'd literally thrown her out of his office, clearly to avoid tearing her to shreds in his rage. Which was why Evey was being polite now.

When Greyback continued to stare at her wordlessly, Evey asked the first thing that came to her mind, just to break the heavy silence. "Why did you make it impossible to cast magic inside the perimeter when you're a wizard yourself?" She'd visited every nook and cranny of the prison to find a spot where she could use magic, but in vain.

He cocked his head slightly to the side, never taking his eyes off her. "I wasn't always a wizard," he explained eventually. What nonsense was that? You were either born a wizard, or you weren't. Evey was about to point it out to him when he went on. "I was a Squibb. My parents tried everything to have me accepted into a wizarding school, any of them, but to no avail. My Pure-blood family took it hard, especially since I was an only child. My father was deeply ashamed of me, so he sent me to a Muggle boarding school in Poland, where I remained for years, only visiting home on rare occasions. I met my future wife at the Polish school. My parents severed all ties with me when they learned that I wanted to marry a Muggle. I don't know what happened to them during the War – or afterwards, if they survived."

Evey still couldn't fathom why he was telling her all these things about himself, about his past. No one else here seemed to know who he really was, who he had been, except perhaps Scabior. In any case, none of this explained why he could now use magic.

"I became able to do magic after I was bitten," Greyback said, as if he'd read her mind. Merlin, she hoped he couldn't do that. For all she knew, Wolves had that ability. "After I first transformed, to be exact." He shrugged. "I don't know how or why. It just happened. I'm the only wizard among the Wolves."

Evey scowled at that revelation. Antonin was the only wizard among the Ancients. Was it mere coincidence? Could it be why she'd reacted so unexpectedly to being bitten by them both?

"What was her name?" she asked suddenly. "Your wife, I mean?"

Greyback frowned at the abrupt change of topic. "Why do you want to know?"

Truth be told, Evey didn't care. She just liked to confuse him. "Yeah, forget it. Just trying a new angle, you know, trying to be compassionate, to show interest and sympathy. It's not working."

His face went blank. "I don't want your sympathy, girl," he growled.

"Which is precisely why I wanted to experience the feeling," she replied with a sly grin.

It was a dangerous gamble, but she had hoped that he would be pissed off and would leave her alone. Instead, he surprised her by returning her smile, displaying razor-sharp teeth. "Now, now, why are you being so hostile?" He had to be joking. The last time they'd been together in the same room, he'd tortured her for hours! "Isn't clear to you yet, Engel? We are not meant to be enemies. We are meant to be mates."

A shiver ran down Evey's spine. "Friends?" she said slowly. She had a bad feeling that that was not what he meant.

His wolfish grin widened. Bloody hell. Torture hadn't worked, so he was moving on to Plan B? She'd really thought – hoped – that he was bluffing about that. She laid down her book on the mattress and pulled a pillow protectively over her chest. Not that it would offer any protection, if she didn't manage to talk Greyback out of this.

He didn't leave her a chance to talk, however. "It makes perfect sense," he went on with an amused smile toward her makeshift shield. "It's meant to be. Don't you see? That's why I was drawn to you, why I bit you and made you what you are."

He moved closer and sat on the bed. Evey retreated to the other end, as far away from him as she could, hugging her pillow tightly. Her back bumped against the wall. She'd been in this cell for weeks, but she'd never felt as trapped before as she did now. "If you think I'll let you anywhere near me, you're sorely mistaken," she said with much more bravado that she felt. She was shaking with fear, and Greyback could probably tell.

He chuckled. "As if you could stop me." He was too fucking fast. Before she could even gasp, he had her pinned down under him.

"It's Dolohov!" Evey shouted as he began to tear her t-shirt apart. He stopped what he was doing, frowning down at her. "The Ancient. It's a man. It's Antonin Dolohov." She was too terrified to even feel shame at betraying her friend. At this moment, she would have spilled any secret, betrayed anyone, for a chance to stop what was about to happen.

Greyback barked a dry laugh. "Bit late for that, but thank you for letting me know." He proceeded to remove his own shirt, ripping it free in one smooth motion.

Evey started to panic in earnest. She could not, would not allow this to happen. She let her hatred, her revulsion for the Alpha fill her. Perhaps a sudden rush of adrenaline would render her strong enough to push him away. She soon realised that it was useless; nothing would save her, Greyback was too strong, but she simply couldn't stop struggling. She would not–

She felt the muscles in her right arm cramp brutally. Had she pulled a muscle in her effort? Her elbow joint popped with a loud, cracking noise. Fuck, he was going to tear her arm out. Oddly, she felt no pain. It had to be the shock. The pain would come later, she assumed.

But Greyback was now frozen in place, staring at her arm. Evey felt the same thing happen in her other arm, and experienced a strain in her legs, as though they were being stretched. Greyback heaved himself off of her in a hurry, but she barely noticed.

Her whole body was changing, her limbs elongating, her jaw widening, but it wasn't until she spotted the sleek brown fur sprouting out of her forearm that she realised what was happening.

She was turning into a werewolf.

The transformation seemed to last forever, or perhaps it was only an instant. Evey was paralysed with shock. She couldn't think clearly. Of all the things she'd done so far, this was truly the weirdest, most inconceivable–

Just as abruptly as it had started, it was over. She became aware that Greyback was gaping at her, bare-chested, looking nothing like his usual confident self. From the bed, in her uncomfortable half-sitting, half-lying position, Evey was level with his head.

Greyback blinked, his bewilderment finally receding, and he began to change. Evey had to act before he was fully transformed.

Without thinking, she gathered herself and lunged at him with a snarl. Her front…paws hit him square in the chest, and they both tumbled to the floor, rolling out of her cell and ripping the curtain away as they did. Evey ended up on top of him, a roar of rage escaping her throat, cracking like thunder and echoing in the corridor.

Greyback was in werewolf form now, a huge, grey, distorted wolf with murderous yellow eyes. He was much bigger than werewolves were supposed to be – but then again, so was Evey.

Before he could attempt to remove her, some primal instinct made her reach for his throat. Her sharp teeth stopped just short of the flesh.

Greyback went utterly still under her.

Evey became aware of several things at once. She could feel his heartbeat – no, she could hear it. His heart was thudding in his chest loudly, like an ominous drumbeat. She could also smell him. There was a bitter, acrid scent, and another cloying one that nearly made her gag. Evey wasn't sure what they were, or what they meant. Her vision was much improved as well, although it didn't serve her much at the time being; it only gave her a clearer rendering of Greyback's furry neck.

She couldn't very well remain like that forever, could she? Tearing his throat would likely kill her, and she hadn't given up on living just yet. In fact, with the phenomenal amount of energy coursing through her veins, death was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

Still, she would have to let go of Greyback at some point, and face the consequences of this unlikely episode. Just as she was about to release him, however, she sensed that more people were assembling in the corridor. Good, Evey thought. Let them see their almighty Alpha overpowered by a girl. She would really do anything to undermine him. Even the impossible.

Despite the gathered crowd, there was not a sound. Nobody talked; nobody even seemed to dare to breathe. Alright, this should suffice, Evey decided after another minute. She let go of the hulking werewolf, ignored everyone, and walked into the cell opposite hers, where the curtain was still intact. She closed it with some difficulty, awkwardly pulling at it with her clawed paws.

Now, to get back to her human form. Or should she hold on to this one a while longer? Greyback could be waiting for her to return to her frail self, and then he would made another attempt to… But no. At this very moment, fucking her had to be the last thing on his mind, especially with such a large audience. Especially after what they'd just witnessed.

Back to being a vulnerable, helpless little girl, then. Was it like turning invisible? Should she simply will it to happen? Yes, apparently, that was the trick.

What truly astounded her – besides the mind-boggling fact that she could transform into a werewolf – was that the process was absolutely painless. According to books on the subject, it was supposed to be excruciating. Well, Evey wasn't about to complain. She'd suffered quite enough in the past few months.

It was also surprising that she had retained her ability to think and act rationally, like a human, not like a bloodthirsty beast. Was it something the Wolves could do? Was it what Greyback meant when he claimed that his pack was "disciplined"? Again, it didn't fit what Evey knew of werewolves.

She shook her head. This should not be the focus of her attention at the moment. What was Greyback going to do now? How were the others going to react to this new, unexpected development?

After she'd draped herself in the bed sheet, Evey peeked behind the curtain, realised that Greyback was gone, and exited the cell cautiously. Her senses were back to normal, and she felt almost numb, now that they weren't enhanced. The world seemed oddly dull.

Greyback was gone, but most of the pack was still around. They looked dazed. When Evey turned to face them, they all shifted their gaze to the floor as one.

Alright, that was new. Was it because she had overcome the Alpha? Holy cow! Was she in charge now? Would they obey her as they did Greyback? She could get out of here! She walked toward Jabbar excitedly but, as she advanced, they all scattered away like frightened sheep, Jabbar included. What the hell?

Only Scabior remained behind. He appeared nervous, fidgeting with the buttons of his shirt. She approached him carefully and kept some distance between them. She could tell that he wanted to look her defiantly in the eyes, but his gaze kept shifting between her chin and her nose, never rising above.

"You've just signed your death warrant, girl," he muttered. She couldn't decide if he sounded angry or scared. Perhaps both. "You were no real threat to him, not before, but this... He cannot allow this. He'll kill you as soon as he figures out how to get around that curse."

"Not if I figure it out first," Evey stated grimly.