Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,29

chasing her, his beautiful eyes predatory and keen. In the distant corners of her head, she heard the howl of a wolf.

Chapter Fourteen

Shaw

Shaw knew what pain was. He had been beaten up enough times to know what a few broken bones and a few stitches felt like.

This was something else entirely.

His entire body was down into a dark pool of hurt. From the very tips of his toes, all the way up to the crown his head, all the way to the nail beds of his fingers. His skin was pulled too tightly around his bones. He was being stretched out by pain. It was basically making him its bitch.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it. All he could do was lie there and let his body ache and burn.

You’re going to be fine, a voice kept repeating from deep inside of himself. Just focus on her heartbeat.

Shaw didn’t even have to ask. He knew. The steady heartbeat that he could hear could only belong to one person. It was Poppy. She was there, close to him. So close, he could almost feel the warmth of her skin against his.

She’s our mate. She needs us, so we have to stay strong. Keep listening to her heart. It’s ours to keep. Ours to hold. Ours to protect.

Through the waning of the pain, as his body began to settle, Shaw kept his ears perked up, catching the rhythm of it, making sure his could match it. His own tripped a few times, leaving him breathless, but he could always pick it back up again. That’s what mattered. Getting back up again.

That’s right. Now get up.

Shaw felt a low growl emanating from the back of his throat. The sound was animalistic, and it surprised him. He had never made such a sound before, but there it was. Rolling out him as if his life depended on it. He tried to move his limbs, but they were weighted down and heavy. Panic threatened the edges of his consciousness.

We haven’t moved in a while. We’re just rusty. Open your eyes first.

Shaw wished he knew who the voice was. It was kind and familiar, a part of him. But he wanted to see the voice. His mind filled with the lush undergrowth of a rain forest. The vibrant green of the trees was nearly too bright for him. Out from between the thick bushes, a large white tiger paced forward. The animal’s paws were massive, tipped with sharp claws. The pale cream fur looked soft and inviting as it moved with a gentle breeze Shaw couldn’t feel. The beast seemed approachable, even as it sat back onto his haunches, its tail curling at its side. Big wide eyes watched him carefully.

Shaw was surprised.

He had seen those eyes before when he looked into the mirror.

He was the tiger, and the tiger was him.

That could only mean one thing.

He had an animal living inside of him now. He somehow managed to become a shifter.

You have to take charge and open your eyes. We’ve healed as much as we can. But to go further, to heal more, we need her. Our mate.

How could Shaw tell his animal that he might have very well fucked up that particular relationship before it even had time to develop?

You didn’t.

The tiger had heard his thoughts. Of course it had. That only made sense. The connection was a psychic link, and they could communicate quite easily without ever speaking a word. A light elation began in the pit of his stomach and traveled up his spine. He wanted to talk, to open his eyes. To tell Poppy that he was a shifter now, that no matter who came after them next, he could protect her. He wouldn’t be a vulnerable geeky human anymore.

The tiger opened his jaw and let out a raucous roar that vibrated through Shaw’s soul. He let the strong sound carry him through his own consciousness until he could feel himself inside of his body again.

There was no pain attached then.

Just a blissful sort of calm. The roar sounded again, and Shaw let the strength of him ease his eyes open. He looked down at his body and sighed.

He had done it.

He was a shifter.

He couldn’t quite believe how much his body had changed in such a small amount of time. It should have been impossible to be so different. He knew he couldn’t have been out and under too long, because the scruff on his cheeks hadn’t