Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,34

feel strange, but just push through it. And once you're a wolf, we'll go from there, ok?"

"Just..." She looked up at me. "Don't leave me, Lane, ok?"

"Kinda can't," I reminded her. "You can do this, bunny."

She sucked in a breath, closed her eyes, and then tried. Of course, she also failed, but I couldn't really teach her this part. It was different for everyone, and the attempt was her chance to just figure it out. I didn't even care that my butt cheeks were getting pretty chilly - let alone the other parts. The weather was nice, but it was still February!

While she focused on that, I watched the bears. Jax worked out an itch that it seemed he'd been waiting a very long time to scratch. Scott got up and shook, making a rather impressive dust cloud. Then the man did the last thing I would've expected. He charged straight at the Kodiak bear. When Vic stood up and braced for it, I actually chuckled.

The smaller bear rammed right into the chest of the larger, and the pair of them tumbled over. Vic rolled with it, pushing away Scott, but they weren't biting or clawing. Both men were actually being very careful - at least until Jax joined them. Together, he and Vic ganged up on Scott, but the little guy wasn't exactly weak. He shouldered Jax to the ground, nipped at Vic's hip, and the group of them started getting rowdy.

Elena giggled, proving she'd been distracted. "Woman," I hissed playfully. "You are supposed to be shifting."

"They look so happy," she said.

"You look like a very naked lady, and my dick's gonna get hard," I countered. "Wolf, Elena. Preferably before my balls freeze off."

She groaned but tried again. This time, something actually happened. Her body blurred a little around the edges even while the bears kept playing. She paused for a moment and tried again, but it wasn't that much better.

So I decided to help out. "Four legs, beautiful. Fur. You're going to get shorter, and that's ok. Just reach for the body with four legs, and don't stop until you get there. Don't push, though. Reach."

She nodded once and then tried yet again, but this time it worked. Her body blurred and then began to mist. It was as if all of the particles of her being were released into a cloud that could then reform as what she wanted. No, it wasn't fast, but when she looked more wolf than woman, I pulled the blanket away, making room for her new body. It was forming, slowly but surely, and it seemed she had it figured out.

A beautiful, black wolf stood braced just before me, panting hard. "Catch your breath," I told her, daring to run my hand down her silky back. "Let me put this stuff in the truck, ok? Don't try to walk yet. Just stand there, bunny."

She huffed, the sound almost a laugh. Probably because I'd just called a wolf a bunny, but the nickname still fit. She was definitely something I wanted to eat. Maybe not as a wolf, but those details didn't matter. Grabbing her clothes, I set those in the passenger seat, but I left the blanket. Then, I looked over at the bears.

"Guys?" I asked while I still had a mouth. "Little muscle for my mate?"

And then I shifted, loping back to her side. Elena turned to watch me, but she didn't move a single foot. So I nudged her shoulder with my nose, nibbled at the fur around her neck, and then walked one pace away. When I was just out of reach, I turned around and woofed at her, hoping she'd be willing to at least try.

Instead, her ears dropped down on her head, she dipped her neck, and her eyes focused on something behind me. A little whimper of a sound came from her throat just as Jax walked around me. From down here, the man was a true monster, standing three times taller than even I did, and Elena wasn't exactly a big wolf.

But he stopped just before her and lay down. Grunting gently, the grizzly bear stretched his nose toward her, and Elena reached back. The pair of them sniffed for a moment, and then Elena's tail started to wag. Her ears immediately went up and it paused, but when she looked back, I had to laugh. The sound came out more like a sneeze, but still. My mate had completely forgotten she had a tail!

Then