by Michelle Fox
“Rowan, I’m going to need you to trust me. Do you think you can do that?”
He shrugged his massive shoulders. In his shifted form, he would be at least twice her size and could easily dominate her. “Usually this is done with the pack surrounding the new member. The alpha is the one who helps all shifters through their first transition because it’s difficult for one to control their beast. I should’ve taken you to Kellen, but I was stupid and thought we’d have a day or so before I had to admit my mistake to my brother and the alpha. Now, I don’t think we have time to do anything except get you through the shift.”
He braced his feet apart. “What aren’t you telling me, Lyric? Don’t mince words or pussy foot around. Tell me what I need to know so I can be prepared.”
Taking a deep breath, Lyric laid it out for him. “Once you shift, you will want to hunt. You will want to fuck, and you will most likely want to kill. I don’t know in what order you will want these things, but there you have it.”
His eyes widened. “What the fuck will I want to hunt and kill? Am I going to go out and take down Bambi, fuck it then kill it and follow up that grand adventure by eating it?”
Lyric laughed. She seriously couldn’t believe the things that were coming out of his mouth. “Oh my gawd. You are hilarious.” She wiped the tears streaming from her eyes, not realizing he’d began stalking her across the room. Her back hit the wall next to the pictures she’d been admiring.
“Are you laughing at me, darlin’?” Rowan nudged her legs apart, putting one of his between hers.
Looking up into the black eyes of Rowan, she licked her suddenly dry lips. “No, not laughing at you, laughing at what you came up with. I mean, you would probably want to hunt down a deer or two and kill it, but even in your wolf form, you’d never want to have sex with a deer. I don’t think even mated pairs have sex in their wolven forms.” If they did, she’d not heard them talk about it. She’d never gotten turned on by seeing any of the men in their shifted forms. Beautiful? Yes. Sexy as in she wanted to hump them? No.
“So, you are in danger of me wanting to fuck you after I shift?” He lifted his leg into the V of her thighs.
“Not me, per se. Just that most who are turned tend to get a little out of control.” She shivered as he rubbed her in the exact spot that was begging for attention.
“Let me ask you another question.” He leaned in and nuzzled close to her ear. “As a shifter, is my sense of smell heightened?”
Lyric tried to keep from rubbing on his steel-hard thigh and to concentrate on what he’d asked. “Everything is heightened. Sight, smell, hearing. Why?”
He braced his arms on the wall, bracketing her head. “Because I can smell your desire. If I was to reach down between your legs, I’d feel you dripping for me. Am I right?”
Knowing her face was bright red and that he could easily see it, she wedged her arms between them, shoving him off her. The movement caught him by surprise, if the look in his eyes was any indication. “Excuse me, but if I was to reach down between your legs, I’m pretty sure I’d feel something hard and it wouldn’t be a banana in your pocket. Oh, wait, I don’t need to reach down. The little guy is pointing due north. So what?” Fake it till you make it, was her and Syn’s motto. “It’s called chemistry. Our wolves are calling to each other. It’s no big deal. Once I help you through the shift, it’ll dissipate.” Lyric hoped his sense of smell hadn’t become so acute he could tell a lie from the truth like a born shifter.
Rowan turned away from her. “Damn it, I’m being an ass. Forgive me, Lyric. You should go take a shower and then you can help me through the shift or whatever.”
She’d hurt him with her dismissal, but his actions scared her. What did she know about him other than he was her mate? Her wolf sat up and yipped at the acknowledgement. Unable to look him in the eye, she walked toward the door.
“For what it’s worth, it’s a big deal. I’ve never done this before, Rowan. You called to me when I first saw you in that dark hallway. I’m sorry I got you mixed up in my mess.” She fled from the room before he could say anything, hiding the tears streaming down her face. She followed his scent to the last room he’d been in, closing and locking the door to first his bedroom and then the bathroom. The tiled room was like the rest of the house, masculine and top of the line, and showed her just how far out of her league he was.
Lyric fell against the door and slid down until her ass hit the floor. She folded her arms around her knees and let herself cry for a few minutes, then got up and shook out her limbs. “Time to put your big girl panties on and get ’er done.” She stripped off her clothes and entered the shower, staring at the high-tech gadgets around the enclosure. “Oh, for crying out loud. Who needs five showerheads?” After figuring out how to turn the water on, she took the quickest shower in history. One day she’d have loved to spend time letting all the different water spouts pummel her body.
Luckily, Rowan had a towel on the heated shower bar. She didn’t want to put her dirty clothes back on and figured she’d be having to get naked shortly to show Rowan how to shift, but coming back out with nothing on felt too brazen.
After scanning his bedroom, she pulled one of his T-shirts out of the dresser, and a pair of sweats three sizes too big. He was waiting for her in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water, looking too good for her peace of mind.
Chapter Three
Rowan had to grip the glass in order to not drop it when Lyric returned wearing his clothes. He felt his teeth grow, and the uncomfortable urge to toss her on top of the counter and mark her was nearly overwhelming. The new sensations were taking him out of his comfort zone, and he was never out of control. His world was built on structure and organization. He had a feeling letting Lyric into his life would upset it more than a F5 tornado would.
“Are you thirsty?” His words came out sounding more gravelly than he’d hoped.
Lyric held her dainty hand out and swiped his glass. He watched as she turned the cup and sipped from the spot he’d drunk from, her pink tongue licking where he’d had his lips.
A growl more wolf than man rumbled out. “Girl, you don’t want to tempt me too much right now. I don’t have a tether on this beast that seems to be growing inside me.”
She nodded. “I can feel him reaching out to mine. I’ve never felt the need to play the way I do right now. Like I want to rub up on you and see how far I can push before you take control.” Her head tilted back as she drank the rest of the water.
Rowan tracked her movements, utterly transfixed at the sight of her swallowing, something he’d never found sexy unless the woman in question had his dick in her mouth.
“My skin hurts like a motherfucker, Lyric. Honestly, I can’t stand the feeling of anything on me, except I think I could handle having you pressed against me.” He smiled when her eyes widened and her scent permeated the air.
“Let’s go outside and attempt to get you through your first shift. But, Rowan, I need you to try and remember I’m not the enemy and I’m not up for fucking.”
Hearing her say words that belied her body language, Rowan took the glass from her hands. “First of all, darlin’, I know you’re not the enemy. I’d never want to screw them six ways to Sunday. Second, I’ll only fuck you when you are one hundred percent ready and willing. Your body is telling me one thing, your mind another. You are as safe as a nun in a convent.” He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, hearing her breath catch in her throat and her heartbeat increase.
She grabbed his hand. “Come on, big guy.”
They stepped outside in companionable silence, his palms sweating while the rest of his body was ready to implode. “Is it like in the movies, where you’ll hear all my bones popping and see shit looking all fucked up like?”
“Oh, it’s so much worse than that. The first time you’ll feel every little snap, crackle, and pop. For those of us who are born shifters, it’s not so bad because we shift as kids, and our bones are softer. I’ve only seen
a couple humans change, and let me tell you, I think they wished for death.”
“You’re not making this any easier.” She shrugged and didn’t say anything else. The moon wasn’t full, so he figured that was another falsehood the movies portrayed. “How about clothes?”
“We most def want to be naked when we shift. Of course, there are times that you aren’t able to control your emotions, or so I’m told, and then you end up ruining your favorite outfit.”
Rowan looked her up and down. “You mean like you did earlier?”
“That was me protecting you, asswipe. Now, shut it with all the questions, and focus. Your wolf is probably itching to get out.” She motioned with her hands.
Rowan felt the other being below the surface but didn’t feel threatened by it. “Yeah, it’s like he’s crouched and waiting for something.”
On his back porch, he had a large open area with a fire pit surrounded by low chairs. Off to the side, he had a built-in barbeque grill and pizza oven. He eyed the best spot for his first shift and decided the open yard was the smartest choice. Never one to be self-conscious about his body, he stripped out of his shirt and jeans, leaving his boxer briefs on until Lyric joined him.
A deep exhale and she was next to him, shrugging out of his sweats and tossing his shirt onto the grass, standing in nothing but her perfect, unblemished skin. Rowan couldn’t help but stare as she held her head high and her gaze pinned him in place.
“Eyes up here,” Lyric said.
He rubbed his hand across his mouth. “You went commando.”
Standing there with her hands on her naked hips, Lyric narrowed her gaze. “Your underwear wouldn’t have fit me, and there was no way I was putting on dirty ones.”
The word dirty, coming out of her mouth conjured up all kinds of naughty thoughts, and caused an immediate and noticeable reaction in his briefs. “Eyes up here, darlin’.” Rowan teased.
“Kinda difficult when that thing is ready to spring out and bite someone.”
“Don’t make promises you ain’t willing to follow through.”
“Stop thinking with your little head and focus. You do not want to end up stuck, shifted in between man and wolf.”
Rowan couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth or not. Erring on the side of caution, he tore his eyes away from her hard-tipped nipples. He listened as she instructed him on how to find his wolf, and how to let the beast have control, but not to lose himself inside. To say he was scared was putting it mildly.
She agreed to go first, hoping her wolf would be able to communicate with his. Rowan wasn’t convinced, but he felt a stirring in his mind. The creature was ready to come out and tried to reassure him. As he watched Lyric shift, he didn’t hear her bones popping, but it wasn’t a pretty sight to behold, either. It didn’t take but a minute before a blonde colored wolf stood where she’d been standing. Before Rowan could reach out to touch her, his own wolf began taking over. He took a deep breath and let go. The pain was worse than he’d expected.
What seemed like hours later but couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, he found himself lying in the cool grass, looking down upon paws. There was another being in control of his body, where he was more of a backseat passenger. Rowan remembered what Lyric had told him about asserting his dominance, ensuring the wolf didn’t take over completely. An instant recognition flowed inside him.
Once he was sure he could stand without falling over, he got up. He smelled the familiar scent of Lyric close, yet far enough away he was aware she was leery of what his reactions would be. Hunt, kill, and fuck she’d said. He lifted his nose and scented prey near the back forty of his property, close, yet he wanted to run in his new form.
With what he hoped was a nod, Rowan headed off in the direction he wanted to go. They spent a long time running, and then stopped to get a much needed drink at a creek that bordered his land. He nudged Lyric when she got too close to his neighbor’s electric fence, scared she’d get injured. Her answering nip to his flank had him turning to nip her back, only to come up short when he scented other wolves. Their howls made the hair on his back stand up, and he sensed Lyric’s worry. He wanted to shift and reassure her all would be fine, but those howls were heading straight for them. From Lyric’s body language, she knew who was coming, and although they weren’t the bad guys, she obviously wasn’t prepared for them.
Rowan knew the land like he knew the back of his hand, but, being new to the shifter world he wasn’t sure what they could do that he couldn’t. Hell, he wasn’t positive he could shift back to human yet, let alone on command.
He stood next to Lyric, her smaller wolven body barely reaching his belly, waiting for whoever was coming. They didn’t have to wait long before two huge wolves stalked into the clearing by the creek. Rowan assumed the large blond one was Lyric’s brother, since he smelled similar to her. The other was a huge black wolf that exuded power and strength. He had no doubt the two men were the most powerful wolves of the pack. He would not show fear to them. The military didn’t allow such thoughts, and he wouldn’t betray his training tonight.
The black wolf shifted almost seamlessly. “Lyric, I suggest you shift now, girl. You’ve got some explaining to do.”
Not liking the way the big dark man spoke to his woman, Rowan shifted first, blocking her from their view.
* * * *
Kellen raised his eyebrows at the show of protection. The other man was a little taller than he and Xan, with muscles upon muscles, and not a tattoo in sight. He wondered what the other man was thinking as he stared back at him. Kellen made no apologies for his looks or his behavior. From what they’d learned in the last couple hours, Rowan was a military man with a long list of honors behind him. He’d inherited his home and land and ran some sort of security business. Basically, he was the polar opposite of Kellen and his pack.
“Hello, Rowan. Welcome to my pack. I see you’ve shifted,” Kellen said, indicating the sweat rolling down the other man’s temple. Although he was putting up a really good front, shifting hurt like a motherfucker for newly made shifters. Kellen usually connected with his packmates during their first shift and helped them through the pain, taking some of it on himself. As the alpha, he was the only one with the ability to do so, although Arynn, their omega, could also to an extent.
“I don’t know the rules. Am I supposed to do something here? Do we see who can piss longer or what?”
“Xan can piss longer, as a matter of fact. Can’t you, Xan?” Kellen had felt his best friend shift, but he’d also seen the way Rowan had subtly moved his body, keeping both he and Xan in his sights.
“Let’s stop playing games and get this show on the road. Are we gonna kill him or slap him on the back and welcome him with some good ole boy drinking? I’d say fucking, but I don’t think I could let him live if he touched my baby sister back there.”
Kellen had smelled no mating between Lyric and Rowan, which was good for the new shifter. He didn’t think he could keep his second from killing the man if he’d done the dirty with Lyric. Of course, Kellen wouldn’t have blamed the man. Lyric was one of the most gorgeous women he’d seen. Sweet, sexy, and sassy wrapped in a small package sure to kick your ass, just like his sister Syn.
“Shift back so we aren’t standing with our junk hanging in the wind,” Kellen said. He waited for Xan to shift, knowing his best friend was laughing. “You go first, and I’ll help you, and before you say something manly like, I don’t need help, believe me, you do.”
“You really will need his help, Rowan. I can’t do what he does as our alpha.” Lyric’s soft voice broke through their silent stare down.
“Girl, you are so gonna get your ass beat by brother here if you don’t quit pressing your naked ass against his naked ass.” Kellen warned.
“Technically, it’s my naked front against his naked ass,” Lyric said but shifted before Xan shifted back to human and followed through with the threat.
Her brother’s growl was more anger than
menacing, which Kellen understood. If Syn was getting up close and comfy with some nude dude, he’d want to take a bite out of the man’s hide, too.
Rowan shook out his hands and rolled his head around like he was getting ready for a fight. He exhaled loudly and then inhaled. Kellen wasn’t sure what the fuck the guy thought was going to happen. He’d always been the less talk, more action type guy himself. Without pausing, he opened himself to Rowan, barreling into the mind of the wolf and took over the shift. Fuck! Three shifts in one night, and he still had to do it again when they got back to the house. Rowan was probably crying like a bitch and wishing for death right about now. Only Kellen didn’t find him cowering in the corner of his mind. The man was trying to handle the pain without showing any outward signs. Obviously, Uncle Sam’s training was paying off.
After he made sure Rowan could hold the shift, he opened a connection to all three of his pack members. All right, my minions, follow me and don’t fuck around. I’m not in the mood to hunt, kill, or fuck Bambi. Dude, that is messed up on a level even Bodhi ain’t messed up on.
Xan nudged him in the side. Who wants to fuck Bambi? Unless she’s some new hot chick?
What is going on? Why can I hear you in my head? Rowan asked.
That’s the power of the alpha. Sorry, I sorta screwed you by not taking you to him for your first shift. I just thought we’d have a few days. Lyric’s voice sounded apologetic.
We will talk about it when we get to Rowan’s. Kellen didn’t allow any room for arguments. With Xan taking the lead, he nipped Lyric, letting her know without words he wanted her to follow. Rowan, still in protective mode, would follow, of that Kellen had no doubt.
He understood more about Rowan in the moments he was inside his mind than he’d ever get talking to the man for days or weeks in a deep interrogation session. The man was definitely in lust with Lyric, and, if he wasn’t missing his mark, they were meant to be mates. Things were about to get interesting. He kept his chuckle to himself, knowing his best friend was gonna be one pissed off big brother when he realized his baby sister was about to be mated.
