Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,44

Ashley moved to my right, and then another wolf claimed my left. Her coat was a tawny color, but her legs, tail, and all of her face was a rich brown. That was Bridget, and I loved the way her coat looked. It was so unique, but if I had to choose, I'd pick my black shade without hesitation.

The one time I wobbled, my friends leaned in to give me something to brace against. I wagged in appreciation, so Bridget nibbled at my neck like a dog scratching another. Oddly, it kinda felt nice. Like a hand rubbing a shoulder, so supportive without being too personal. To show I understood, I did the one thing I seemed to be best at: I wagged.

But when I reached the stump, I realized that walking wasn't the hardest part of this task. Turning without falling over was! I staggered like a drunk dog, whuffing at my own inability to make my body work. Somehow, I managed to get my nose pointed in the opposite direction, and it was almost as if my legs figured out how to follow.

Nope, it wasn't pretty, but each step made me a little bit better. And when I finally reached the fire, Gabby had a blanket waiting for me to shift back. I did, wrapping myself in it, and then I dropped onto my little wooden throne.

"Oh, that's not as easy as the rest of you make it look," I groaned.

"You're doing so good, though," Gabby said. "I fell over a few times."

"When Lane brought me up here yesterday, I got a little practice," I admitted.

"Oh." Gabby looked a little bummed about that. "So you already got a wolf lesson?"

"I managed to walk five whole feet," I admitted. "And then I was worn out. Mostly, Lane just wanted me to figure out how to shift."

"Which is why you get to change between laps," she explained. "It's how Ian taught me to do it easily. Tired, excited, or anything else. Coming back to human gets to be a habit, and turning into a wolf becomes a little smoother."

"And when you can run and jump," Olivia added, "you get to learn how to be lycan, and how to stop at that point or push past it when you're upset."

"Nice." Then I pushed out a breath. "Ok. Let's do it again before I'm worn out."

"This time," Gabby said, lifting her phone, "I'm timing you. You have to get a little faster, because if you do it slower, you don't get the break. Ready, Mom? Shift and walk!"

I tossed off the blanket and reached for my wolf body. Surprisingly, it really was a little easier. No, not perfect yet, but I didn't feel like I was fighting with myself to make this happen. And when I started walking, Kim and Heather were the wolves offering support. I stretched my strange legs as much as I could, wanting to walk faster, and then Julia trotted out ahead of me. Her little silver tail was held high, wagging behind her like a little taunt.

But when I reached the stump, something moved in the woods. On either side of me, my friends' hair stood up, and someone was growling. A second later, a large, dark shape stepped out of the trees, grunting to let us know he was there. I recognized Scott immediately, but Julia yelped in surprise.

"No!" Gabby yelled, storming over. "Man, now!"

Scott immediately shifted. "Sorry," he said, dropping his hands before his crotch as his eyes moved to the obvious pup among us. "I didn't realize anyone was out here."

"It's bitch night," Gabby told him. "We're teaching Mom how to be a wolf, and she gets embarrassed."

Scott chuckled. "Gotcha. Am I allowed to go that way, little alpha?" He pointed back toward the trees.

"I guess..." Gabby said, enjoying her position of authority a little too much.

He grinned at her. "Good. And if I shift back, you think you might do some introductions when I'm not quite so naked?"

"Fine." Gabby waited for Scott to turn back into a black bear, and then she pointed. "The black one is my mom. The grey is Kim and the greyish tan is Heather." Then she pointed at the pup. "That's Julia, and she's never seen a bear before, I don't think."

Julia shook her head in a very human "no" gesture, so Scott took a step closer. Offering a bearish grunt, he lay down and then flopped over on his side. The gesture was an obvious invitation to