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It hurt to stay away from all of them, but I really did need to work extra to make up for the time I lost at the job I walked out of. Not to mention, this upcoming dinner had been weighing on me. I know what my parents have planned, but that doesn’t mean I want it. No, I know who and what I want, and they will never agree.
I’d hoped the hunt would help. The whole drive here, I felt more normal, less on edge, and I pushed it all off to needing to let my beast free. We’re the same beings, but our needs are drastically different. Maybe a good stretch would help me balance everything out again.
I knew I was wrong the second we headed down to the stream to meet Serena. Something in the air caught my beast’s attention, and it was as if everything else took a back seat. All common sense went out the window, and all thought narrowed to finding it.
I fought against it and was successful for a little while. A squirrel happened to cross our path, and I thanked my lucky stars that my beast was hungry enough to chase it down. It didn’t take nearly long enough, though, and before I knew it, I was hunting something that smelt sweeter than anything I’d ever smelled.
The scent I know now belongs to Serena, had every fiber of my being craving her like I’d never craved anything before in my life.
I needed her to survive—more than I needed the air in my lungs.
She stands frozen, staring at me, and I can see the fear in her eyes as I stalk closer. For a moment, I see only confusion before recognition settles in her eyes, and I know she understands it’s me.
How could she not? We’ve spent years together. Shifted or not, she knows me the same way I know her. She’s fallen asleep on the very beast who currently wants nothing but to lunge for her, consequence be damned.
Buns!
I scream, trapped inside of my mind, a prisoner to this craving my beast has for her. I can’t talk to her like this, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I don’t think my beast intends to harm her. The feeling inside of me feels like so much more than that, but I’m not willing to risk it. I just need her to get away until I can get enough control to shift back.
The slightest shift in her eyes pulls my attention as she glances over her shoulder, and I know what she’s thinking even without being able to communicate.
Jump, Buns!
I scream, and to my surprise, she flinches, her ears twitching.
Did she hear me?
No, that’s not possible.
Right?
But if she didn’t hear me, I’m not sure how else to explain what happens next. She looks up at me, and this time, when her eyes meet mine, there’s no fear. Instead, it’s replaced with determination as she watches me approach. I’m so close now that her scent is all I can focus on, even in the forest, with hundreds of other scents filling the air around us.
She smells so sweet that I whimper, and my beast mirrors the sound, both on the same page for the first time since this craziness began. It’s such a sad sound that Serena’s eyes soften, filling with concern.
I want to shake her.
Now is not the time for her to feel bad for me! I need her to get away, to make sure she’s safe.
She takes one step back and then another, and my beast lets out a low growl of warning. He doesn’t want her to leave.
In the blink of an eye, she’s hopping backward, eating up the small surface between her and the edge, and I’ve never been more grateful for her speed than I am right now as I watch her plunge into the air.
It’s a terrifying thought—her jumping into water that I know is scattered with large rocks. But I have to trust her right now since I'm unable to trust myself.
Where the fuck are the guys? They should be enough to stop me, knock me the fuck out if they have to, but as I focus on the sounds of the forest, I can hear how far away they still are. It's too far to be of help for at least another minute, a minute too long. I walk to the edge, pacing as my beast tries to decide between giving up the chase or taking the risk and jumping in after her.
It was dangerous for her to jump, and she’s much smaller than I am. I’m easily three hundred pounds and at least four times her size, ears included.
Jumping is a terrible idea. It’s not worth it.
She’s worth it.
I'm moving the moment the thought crosses my mind, flying off the edge after her, frantically scanning the waters below as I fall, searching for her.
There!
I spot her head as she breaks through the surface, her big, floppy ears soaked and falling in front of her face. She looks shaken but unharmed. I’m grateful, but I need her to move. She has to get out of the water.
