I frightened my mate. I intimidated her. Hurt her maybe.
That makes me no better than the toxic alpha I just evicted from my home.
My hands drop from her arms, and I step back, shaking my head.
Now my beast slinks away, retreating behind the humiliated man, shifting me back into my naked human form.
Vera reaches for me, but I avoid her. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Doesn’t she get it? Doesn’t she see I’m no better than him?
“I’m sorry, Ver. You should leave. You should stay away from me.” I turn and run from the house, shifting mid-stride into my four-legged bear form, running faster than she can catch up with.
In this small town more folks than not are shifters or monsters, so no one thinks twice about a random animal running down Main Street, heading to the outskirts of town. I follow my nose until the civilized scents of the town fade and the pine-and-bark scent of the woods grows stronger. Woodsmoke and cool, clear water and small furry animals darting about in a panic as I go by.
I can’t go back. What if I hurt her? What if I’ve turned out just like him?
Eventually I lift my nose long enough to look around me and see I’m on the road near the eco-cabins where Vera and I stayed a month back. It’s as good as anywhere really, so I let my paws take me on down the track until a growl halts me.
I look up to find a large gray wolf watching me.
It’s only Gryff Evans, the eco-cabins owner, and I have no beef with him. I adjust my course to pass by him, but he steps into my path. My hackles raise, and I have to stop myself from baring my teeth.
I turn again, avoiding him. He can’t fight me. Even a wolf is no match for a bear.
To my surprise, he moves in front of me again, and the wolf ripples, standing on two legs to shift until it’s a man standing before me.
I turn away, twisting to walk back in my original direction. I don’t know what he wants, and I don’t want to.
“I know that scent, Powell.”
I ignore him and keep padding down the gravel path to the point where the trees thicken into scrub, but his next words stop me in my tracks.
“You smell like self-loathing, and I know a whole lot about that. Why don’t you stop a minute?” There’s no command in his tone. His words are unexpectedly soft compared to the way he was when we stayed here.
I stop. I don’t turn around, but my ears swivel and I listen.
“She deserves more from you than running away.”
Now I turn, throwing myself up onto two legs, letting a little of the bear recede until I’m in my beast form. I growl. “Not running. Keeping her safe.”
Gryff just scoffs. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Rage boils in my chest, but there’s just enough curiosity to stop me growling in his face and stalking off.
Gryff looks at me with his rich hazel eyes, and maybe it’s my imagination, but he seems to see right through the fur and my thick skin and deep into my soul with that penetrating stare. “Look, maybe you don’t want to go back just yet and face this, but at least stick around somewhere she can find you when she comes looking.”
I hang my head. “She won’t.”
He just shakes his head. “You have a lot to learn about women, my friend.”
TWENTY NINE
Vera
I watch Bas shift and lope off and resist the urge to run after him. He needs some space. I’ve never seen him like that. It makes sense that he needs some time to cool off.
