by Knight, Gwen
“I wish I could believe you,” she whispered.
“You should. I’m a walking, talking pro. Been shifting my whole life, kiddo. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“Yeah, because you were born to it, Harley! I wasn’t. What if my body can’t handle it?”
“It can. It will.”
“You sound so confident.”
Good. Because inside, he was terrified. He knew the statistics as well as she did. The majority of Wyatt’s pack were all born werewolves because so few of the bitten survived. It took someone with a hell of a lot of conviction and tenacity to survive the first change.
Had he a choice, Harley would have opted to teach her this when home. Sadly, that wasn’t an option. They were in enemy territory, being hunted by a group of radicals and a pack of jaguar shifters. The only thing Harley cared about was seeing Jasmine home alive. Which meant he needed her strong. Her cat could protect her in ways he couldn’t. But the truth was it was too risky not to teach her to shift. Newly changed shifters were dangerous. One slight provocation, one small scare, could initiate the change. If he didn’t teach Jasmine how to handle it, how to overcome it, she could find herself in a dire situation, forced to shift without any control. Trapped while her body underwent the entire process, giving their enemies a leg up.
No, she had to learn.
He just needed to ensure she survived. There was no other option. He could live without her in his life, but he certainly couldn’t live without her in this world.
“Let me explain everything first. Then when you feel ready, we’ll give it a shot, all right?”
She nodded, her bottom lip vanishing into her mouth.
“Don’t worry.” Harley cupped her cheek and forced a calm smile. He ran his thumb across her cheekbone, savoring the feel of her soft skin against his fingers. This was what he missed the most. The intimate touches that brought a couple closer together. The feel of her sinking into him, and the sight of her eyes fluttering shut as she reveled in the comfort he provided. There was something intoxicating about it all.
But those moments were gone now. Never to come back again.
He dropped his hand and straightened. “Okay. You may not like it, but you should strip down first. I know how you feel about that suggestion, but believe me, you’ll appreciate it when you’ve changed back and still have clothes to wear.”
Jasmine grimaced and stared down her length. “Then what?”
“It’s actually rather simple. You just need to get out of the cat’s way. Relax your body and mind and simply call to it. Let it know it’s their turn to take over for a bit. That you trust it to take care of you. And whatever you do, don’t fight the change. That only makes it worse.”
“Will it… hurt?”
Harley’s heart broke for her. “It won’t be easy. There’s an element of pain every time I shift. It’s easier when you just accept it. The one upside is feline shifters tend to complete the change faster than us wolves. So it’ll be over quickly.”
“How quickly?”
“Two, three minutes? I can’t say for sure. I only know three feline shifters. I’ve seen them shift twice, and it’s always so quick compared to me.”
Jasmine nodded. “That’s something, I suppose.”
“There’s no rush,” he told her. “The guys are sleeping in the camp, so we have all night. If it takes that long, that’s perfectly fine.”
She gave another nod, her heart rate picking up speed. “Those who don’t survive… what happens to them?”
Jesus. Harley shook his head.
“Don’t. I need to know,” she said. “Knowing helps me cope with the fear.”
“I’ve only seen it once.”
“And what happened?”
Sighing, Harley raked a hand through his hair. This wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. And it certainly didn’t feel appropriate to discuss right before she changed.
“Please, Harley. Tell me.”
He blew out a heavy breath. “They got caught in the middle of the shift. Stuck. Their body just… stopped. It was… well, gruesome.” The color drained from her face as she stared up at him, listening to his description. Harley shook off the haunting memory. “But that isn’t going to happen to you. I’m here. I’ll talk you through the whole process.”
After a few shivering breaths, Jasmine strode to the edge of the clearing and started to remove her clothes. Even though he’d seen her naked plenty of times before this, that didn’t stop the sight of her from stealing his breath. She was perfect. Every arch, every swell, every inch, utter perfection. And it broke something within him to know she wasn’t his anymore.
Jasmine returned to his side, completely nude. While he stood breathless, she stood tall and proud. A woman like her was enough to bring a man to his knees.
“Now what?”
Harley cleared his throat and forced his gaze back to hers. She deserved more than some letch eye-humping her in the middle of the jungle when her damn life was at stake.
“Take a deep breath—” Jesus, he shouldn’t have told her to do that. The rise of her breasts captivated him. Come on, man! Get your fuckin’ head in the game. “Close your eyes.” She did as he said, and holy hell, did he want to lean in and kiss her. The sight of her, pale in the darkness, eyes closed, and long, shimmering black hair spilling down her back was enough to nearly undo him.
“Harley?” she questioned, slitting open an eye when he didn’t give the next instruction.
“Right.” He blinked and forced his thoughts back to the task at hand. “Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and reach out to your inner cat. Assure it and yourself that you trust it.”
“Her,” Jasmine whispered.
“What?”
“Her, not it.”
His mouth curved upward. Assigning gender was a good first step. It allowed them to start seeing their animal as an actual entity as opposed to a thing. Harley’s wolf was assuredly male. He’d never met anyone whose animal was a different sex, but he’d heard of it happening. The animal tended to reflect a person’s true being.
“Okay, her. Assure her that you trust her, that you know the two of you can do this together. Just let her take over and—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Jasmine gasped. Her eyes flew open, now glowing a brilliant amber in the inky darkness. Harley held his breath and watched as Jasmine’s inner jaguar took over. He’d always been astounded by the sight of someone shifting. When undergoing it, you barely had time to stop and breathe, let alone appreciate the magic of the situation. But watching was entirely different. The fur rolling over her skin, the bones and muscles reshaping themselves. Werewolves suffered when shifting. Every snapped bone, every torn bit of flesh. It was slow and grueling. Feline shifters had a massive advantage. He knew from speaking with Maddie that it still hurt, but the entire process was almost instantaneous for them.
As it was for Jasmine.
One moment, she’d stood before him on two legs, her head tipped back toward the sky, even though the trees hid the moonlight. And the next, her cat burst free and she suddenly teetered before him on four legs, all sleek black fur and beautiful green eyes.
“Wow,” he breathed.
Jasmine toppled to the side, her balance off in this new form. Harley bit back a laugh, even though she looked a bit like Bambi first learning to walk.
“Just give it a few minutes,” he told her. “Get your equilibrium.”
She shook her head and exhaled through a mouthful of sharp teeth. Then she dropped to her chest and, very much like a giant cat, she stretched out her front paws and yawned, her pink tongue lolling out of her mouth.
This time, Harley did laugh. The sight of her stretching before him wasn’t something he ever expected to see. Of course, he’d never given thought to Jasmine becoming a shifter. They were mates, regardless of their species. Human or otherwise, he would always love her.
Shaking herself out, Jasmine finished by stretching out h
er back legs, then rose on all fours and stared up at him, surprise widening her eyes.
“I know. It’s definitely something, huh?”
She chuffed under her breath, then stared at her massive paws, kneading her claws into the ground. After a few moments of studying her new form, she glanced up at Harley and cocked her head.
“What? I don’t speak cat,” he teased.
She gestured with her chin toward her clothes and then to him.
“You want me to get naked?”
She rolled her eyes.
Harley knew exactly what she wanted, but he couldn’t help but tease her. “I don’t know. If I get naked, things might happen. And then what would people say?”
She huffed and gently head-butted his thigh.
“It’ll take a bit of time for me to shift,” he told her.
She nodded, then glanced out to the jungle. Her muscles rippled in anticipation, her claws still flexing against the earth. It was at that moment Harley realized Jasmine wasn’t the one riding the helm at the moment. She was currently pure jaguar. Including the desire to run free.
Mulling over their options, Harley glanced back at the camp. He didn’t like the idea of leaving them unprotected. But he knew Jasmine wouldn’t wait forever, and no way in hell would he let her go off on her own in an enemy jungle. Her cat wanted to run, and run they would. Cursing under his breath, he stripped down to his birthday suit and initiated his own shift. Wells would lose his shit if he learned about this, but hey, he could keep a secret, especially from Wonder-Boy. It didn’t need to be a long run. Just enough to expend a little energy.
Once shifted, Harley shook out his fur and glanced at Jasmine. She still stood a bit shorter than him, her sleek form all muscle and rippling strength. Not that his wasn’t, but he was more of a brute compared to her.
He gave a quick yip, then pointed at her before gesturing to his side. Stay with me.
She nodded. Jasmine wasn’t holding the reins, but that didn’t mean her jaguar didn’t understand.
Harley brushed up against her side, then bolted into the trees with Jasmine hot on his heels. This might not have been his intention, but he had to admit, the thought of running free with Jasmine thrilled him in ways he’d never expected.
* * *
As much as she wanted to run through the trees with Harley at her side, Jasmine knew better. It was far too risky to wander off. Yes, it was nighttime and the jungle was black as pitch, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone out there hunting her down as they romped through the foliage. And what if that someone had night vision gear?
No, they had to be smart about this.
Harley never once led her too far away. And after ten minutes of play, he led her back into the glade, his sentinel presence ever aware the entire time. She could feel him moving next to her, a solid wall of heat pressed up against her side.
She hated to see their time together come to an end, but she understood. Their lives were at stake, and she needed to remember that, even if her jaguar growled at the sight of the glade. Her inner cat was displeased at the thought of slipping back into the dark recesses of her mind, but there was no other option. Playtime was over.
Jasmine watched Harley trot toward his clothes, then winced at the sudden sound of his bones cracking once he initiated the change. He’d walked her through the change, but after undergoing the process once already, she felt like she had a solid grip on things now. It’d been simpler than she expected. A matter of conversing with her animal-half, which had come incredibly easy for her.
Feeding into that thought, she murmured a soft thank you to her jaguar and promised to let her out again in a day or two. Almost instantly, she felt the stirrings of the change. It began with a warm sensation in the pit of her belly and a chill against her newly bare skin. But before she could even utter a sound, she stood on two legs in the center of the clearing.
Harley was still mid-shift, so Jasmine quickly scrambled into her clothes. Standing nude in front of Harley had been one of the most difficult things she’d done in her life. But even that had been nothing compared to the look on his face. If she wasn’t wrong, she’d spotted longing in his eyes. And picked up on the unmistakable scent of desire wafting through the air.
Both were interesting, considering he’d walked away from her. Lingering feelings, perhaps? Or was it more primal than that? She’d been naked. Maybe that was all it took to fire up a man’s libido. Either way, she wasn’t in a hurry for a repeat of that.
It took a few more minutes before Harley stood straight and stretched out his back. Jasmine watched as he dressed, her eyes raking in every little detail. The curve of his ass as it vanished into his deep-green cargo pants, the swell of his chest as he pulled on his long-sleeved shirt, the broad expanse of his shoulders when he shrugged on his jacket. God, she missed him.
But now wasn’t the time for those sorts of maudlin thoughts.
“I’ll never get over how quickly cat shifters change,” Harley commented when he turned to find her already dressed.
Jasmine grinned, excitement dancing through her limbs. “Is this how I’ll always feel? So free? So… strong?”
Harley matched her smile with one of his own and nodded. “There are some downsides to being a shifter, of course, but I’ve never hated it.”
She stared down at her hands as though to memorize them all over again. They looked the exact same as they had every other day of her life, but now, something new resided within her. Something that could sprout claws and shred someone’s face. “The feel of the earth beneath my paws, the breeze against my fur….”
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Harley said.
“It was exhilarating.”
“And to think, you were scared!”
She scoffed under her breath. “Of course I was. Anyone in their right mind would have been.”
“Fair enough,” Harley said.
Jasmine lowered her hands and forced her attention back to Harley. “Now what?”
“Now, we return to camp and get a little shuteye before the sun comes up.”
“Ohmigosh, yes,” she said, laughing. “I’m so exhausted. But also invigorated. What a strange combination.”
Harley chuckled. “Things will be a little confusing for the first while. Try not to read too much into it.”
He took her by the hand and started back toward camp. Jasmine followed without question. But once they reached the edge of the clearing, she tugged on his hand, pulling him to a stop.
“Thank you,” she whispered, gazing up at him from beneath her thick bangs.
“For what?”
“Rescuing me. Showing me how to shift. Giving me the confidence to know I can do this.”
He gave her a half-cocked smile. “Hey, don’t thank me. You did all the hard work.”
“No, I didn’t. So, thank you.”
His smile slipped when he saw how serious she was. Nodding, he reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re welcome. Now, come on. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can rest.”
8
This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
After a night of rest, Harley had expected the jaguar shifters to back off. Instead, from the smell of it, the damn bastards were still following them. Every step they took, their scents lingered in the air. At first, he’d wondered if he was picking up on Jasmine’s new aroma. But hers had a tinge of something to it, almost like rose petals. This particular fragrance tickling his nose wasn’t as pleasant. It was sharp, bitter, and unrelenting.
The only thing he found reassuring was that they hadn’t attacked. Yet. Which begged the question: why? From the smell of it, there were three or four of them out there in the darkness, answering the question as to whether or not they traveled as a pack. Natural cats tended to keep their distance from one another. They’d claim a piece of territory and fight tooth and nail to keep it free of other predators. Harley had wondered if jaguar shifters took after the
ir natural cousins, but they clearly didn’t.
So, what did they want?
Were they merely watching? Waiting to see what happened? Or were their intentions darker than that? If they were here for Jasmine, they would have one hell of a fight on their hands. Because he would die before letting anything happen to her.
And it didn’t matter that he shouldn’t feel that way. He did. End of story. Time to find a way to live with that little factoid.
Their damn presence was making his wolf antsy. It was taking every ounce of restraint to keep from shifting. The jaguars were a threat. Shifting was the only guarantee he had that he would come out on top. Werewolf trumped jaguar without a doubt. But if he shifted, he couldn’t promise his wolf wouldn’t lose control. Not with his mate’s life at risk.
A gentle hand brushed his forearm. Harley didn’t need to look to know it was Jasmine’s.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her whispered voice too quiet for anyone else to hear.
This time, he did glance back at her. Her light pink lips pursed together in concentration, and her dark brows creased with worry. “What makes you think anything is wrong?”
“I can… feel it,” she murmured. “It’s this strange sensation, like ants marching over my skin. And there’s a scent surrounding you. It’s… I don’t know, subtle but still incredibly strong. And somehow, I can tell exactly what it is.”
He gave a humorless smile. “Welcome to the world of shifters. We can smell other peoples’ emotions.”
“Well, duh,” she said, teasing. “I didn’t ask what it was. I asked what’s wrong.”
Harley grunted under his breath. He hadn’t intended to tell her about the jaguars. Upsetting her wouldn’t accomplish anything. But he also knew Jasmine, and he knew she wouldn’t give up until he answered her. She’d always been this inquisitive little thing.
Perhaps it was best if he told her. There were things he needed to tell her to help her prepare if the worst came to pass. But that didn’t mean she was going to enjoy this conversation.
