Chel finished tying me to the chair and stood. "This is crazy." I ignored her comment. "Go down to the basement." "Now, I know you've lost it." She folded her arms. "How will this prove that your giant dog is the hot guy that got in your van?" "I'll explain later. Just trust me." One of her eyebrows rose. "Please?" I waited for her to nod. "Once you're down there, I want you to whisper something. Then come back up." "Whatever." With an eye roll, she left the room. I focused on her feet thumping against the wood stairs and heard the change when they slapped across the tiled kitchen floor. Once the basement door closed, I strained to hear her, but all I caught was a beetle scuttling across the kitchen. Nerves tangled in my gut. Had I missed it? "If this doesn't work, I'm calling the loony bin, Tay." Chel's voice rang so loud that I jerked back, toppling the chair. I hit the floor with a thud. Beast's airy chortle resonated from outside the window. "Shut up. This isn't funny," I told him. Chel walked through the door. "Geeze, what happened?" She hurried to me. "Are you okay?" She righted my chair with a grunt. "That depends." "On?" She cocked an eyebrow at me. "On whether or not you're going to untie me." "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry." She scrambled to untie the knots. My hands slipped free and I rubbed my bruised arm. "What kind of friend are you?" "What?" She startled. I shook my head at her. "I can't believe you'd commit me." "Wait, you heard that?" Her eyes widened. I repeated it word for word. "Whoa, that's, like, creepy and awesome at the same time. But I still don't understand how this proves your dog is a werewolf." The dreaded moment had arrived and nerves attacked my stomach. "Because, Chel-he bit me." Seventeen-year-old Tayla will never forget Beast's fiery-venom spreading through her body like an infection. Now, with her best friend Chel's help, she must find a human true love before the last petal falls from her enchanted rose or the full moon will transform her into a wolf forever. But Tayla never expected that her biggest obstacle would come from inside-a wolf presence threatening to take her very soul. At every turn, the she-wolf exploits Tayla's weaknesses and gains enough control to sabotage her dates. Tayla struggles to control her unruly wolf and her forbidden attraction to Beast. But can she resist his southern charm, the she-wolf's attraction to his alluring scent, and still fall in love with a human? Tangled in a web of wills, Tayla must risk everything to break the Curse of the Beast. With failure and possible death looming overhead, Tayla will do anything to find true love. But will one moon cycle be long enough to conquer her wolf and remain human? Or will she become a permanent member of Beast's pack? Find out in the second installment in the Curse of the Beast series.