Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,33

said. "But I, for one, am kinda excited about this." And I turned for the front door, walking out like I was done waiting.

Yep, the bears followed.

CHAPTER 11

* * *

The bears hopped into the bed of the truck. Elena took the passenger seat, and I drove two lots down to the parking area for our nature trails. The moment my truck was stopped, the guys jumped out, and then Jax moved to the passenger door, opening it for my mate.

"Alpha," he said, offering her a hand down.

Yeah, that made my hackles rise a bit, but I ignored it. I might be a jealous and paranoid ass, but that didn't mean I had to show it. Elena smiled and accepted the hand down, but she wasn't looking at him with any interest. She wasn't being stolen away. My mate was still all mine. She was simply nice enough that everyone wanted to see her smile, and she deserved to have these guys try.

"So," Vic asked as I dug in the back seat for that blanket to shield Elena, "where do we, uh, change?"

"Right here," I told him. "Nudity isn't considered taboo for wolves. Now..." I unfurled the blanket and looked at Elena. "You get a pass this time. One less thing to worry about, right?"

"This is going to suck, isn't it?" she asked.

"Nope." I passed her the blanket and pulled off my own shirt, aware the bears were waiting for some hint as to what was acceptable. "I'm going to be the one with my bare ass hanging out in public until you figure it out."

My shirt went through the driver's window, right onto the seat. Shoes came next. Then socks. Finally, I stripped off my pants and underwear together, and then took back the blanket. Completely naked, I headed right for the grassiest area and then crooked a finger for Elena to follow me. She did, slowly. Timidly, actually, and her cheeks were turning a little pink.

"Go ahead, guys," I told the bears. "We'll be at this a bit, I think."

"I'm cool with that," Scott said.

And the three of them immediately began stripping, tossing their clothes into the bed of my truck. Elena just turned away, which meant she ended up facing me. Struggling not to grin at the guys, I leaned in toward her ear.

"Take your time, ok? Give them a chance to be bears, and it'll save their pride. Just remember that as a wolf, those men are going to be even bigger."

Then Vic shifted. Scott moved to the grass first, but he changed mid-step, flowing from his human body to the bear without even breaking stride. The last one was Jax. I nudged Elena, letting her know it was safe to look, so she did. Together, the pair of us watched as three massive bears shook out their coats, stretched their bodies, and then slowly padded toward the trees.

Scott was the smallest, but still large for a black bear. He also didn't make it to the trees before flopping onto his side and rolling in the dry grass like a dog. Elena giggled, shoving a hand over her mouth to hide it, but Scott heard. The sound he made back was playful, but I could only describe it as a growl. Maybe a roar? One of those bear grunts, at any rate.

Then Jax found a tree. The man was dark for a grizzly, almost a chocolate color, but when he stood up to scratch his back, he revealed his lighter brown belly. Then there was Vic. His color was redder, his body was bigger, and his claws were massive. He snuffled a few times and then rushed to one of the larger trees, climbing halfway up before simply sliding back to the ground.

"They look confused," Elena said.

"Sounds like it's been a long time since they had the chance to actually enjoy themselves," I reminded her. "Now, clothes off, little bunny. I'm going to hold this blanket around you, and you're going to shift."

"Ok..."

She waited until I had the blanket wrapped around her like a cape, and then worked off her clothes. Those went in a pile by her feet. I'd carry them back to the truck before I shifted, but she didn't need to know that. Right now, I just wanted her to feel like she could do this.

"All you have to do is reach for it," I told her. "Close your eyes if that helps. It won't hurt like it did the first time. It will