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I hurriedly undress, not letting myself look too hard at the battle between Zeke and the bear regardless of the snarls and roars that echo around me. The moment I pull the dress over my head, my wolf takes over and I give her complete control. My body morphs as fur erupts over my skin, my bones cracking and reforming. I push back the fear of not knowing that I’ll be able to fight, instead choosing to place my trust with my wolf and with Zeke. He said it would be instinctual, and I have to believe that.
As my spine shifts, I fall onto padded feet, the rough stone of the pavement pressing against them. This is a new sensation for my wolf form, when I shifted before it had always been in forest or on grass.
I shake out my fur and my body fully transforms, my long bushy tail brushing against my back legs, and check the alley for any other threats before I jump in to help take down our first attacker. Zeke uses the bear’s agility against him, sneaking in while dodging the lethal blows, and to my relief, he looks unharmed.
I glance over to the far end of the alley where I heard the panicked sounds, hoping it might be someone from my pack. But to my dismay, the figure at the other end of the alley hurtles towards us, her towering form growing as she nears. Great, just what we need, another bear. From their positions, it’s obvious that they’ve been waiting for me to come out, one near the front door and one at the back.
My nails dig into the pavement as I prepare to launch myself at the new bear. My muscles bunch as I take off, my strides quick and measured as my wolf takes control with a plan already forming in our mind. It’s as though she knows each of her strengths and weaknesses and knows how to use them to our advantage, just as my human mind would. I tune into her and my instincts, realizing they are a part of me, we are one and her strengths are my own.
The bear doesn’t notice my lithe brown form darting towards her in the dark alley, her focus narrowed in on her friend fending off Zeke’s attacks. I count down the distance in my head, knowing the exact number of strides I need to take in this body before I—
Before I can finish that thought the muscles in my back legs bunch, tensing to launch me forward. I pull back my muzzle and bare my teeth as I crash into the bear’s massive form. The force of the impact jostles me but I follow through with the motion, allowing myself to recuperate as my teeth sink into thick flesh. A strangled roar cuts through my focus, my teeth piercing the bear’s neck.
I don’t dare hold back now as the bear crashes to the ground, taking me with her. I twist to stay on top of her but keep my canines locked in and rip as much as I can before leaping off. Blood fills my mouth from the deep gouged flesh now torn open. I narrowly miss her sharp claws as they swing through right where my neck would have been. Instead, I lunge to her side, my jaws ripping into the flesh there and catching her off guard. Her paws fumble in a very human move, almost as though she’s losing that hold on her shifted form, the wounds becoming too grave.
A growl rings out behind me and I turn to Zeke chasing after his bear, apparently having broken away from their fight and heading straight towards me. I dart a worried look between both of the bears, not wanting to give up my advantage, but I can’t leave my back to the other bear, so I take a few steps to the side and ready myself for an attack, preparing the fend them off with Zeke’s help as he snaps at the bear’s legs.
A whimper escapes past the second bear’s lips as she leans up, her form shrinking and fur receding. The red tinge of blood pools around the wound on her neck and she collapses back to the ground, the blood loss becoming too severe as it remains open and unprotected. I only now register the cooling blood dripping from my maw, not realizing how deep my teeth had penetrated before.
She would have done the exact same thing to me if she had the chance, that was exactly what they came here to do, I remind myself, pushing down the gut-wrenching guilt as the first bear scoops up the second. The bear glances back at both Zeke and I in confusion as Zeke nuzzles against my side in a reassuring gesture. The bear pauses as though he expects both of us to descend upon him the moment he cradles her weak form, as if he merely wished to die by her side rather than on opposite sides of the alley. With her last strength, her weak hands grip his fur before slipping off as he changes to his human form.
He wastes no time pressing a hand against her neck to stanch the bleeding. I have no idea if it’s too late for her, but I hold onto a shred of hope that he’ll be able to get her healed up. Because I can tell by the look of despair plastered to his blanching face, that he loves her.
“You’re really not going to kill us,” he whispers, the fear and despair in his voice raising chills along my spine. Blood spills from his side where my bullets hit, but they’ve already begun healing since they hadn’t fully pierced his pelt. I gesture with my head down the alley for them to go, unable to speak to him in this form and unwilling to shift back just in case other bears come to their aid.
“Thank you,” he mutters, his numb lips fumbling on the words before he sprints away, his knee stumbling slightly with a slight limp from the deep gash along his leg.
Adrenaline still pounds in my veins from the fight, but my heart sinks at the situation we’re in. The bears are shifters just as we are, they have lives and families too. I hate that we’re being put in this situation. I don’t want to have to kill to survive but I won’t let another member of my pack, much less any of my mates be put in harm's way from their attacks.
I glance at Zeke, recognizing the same conflicted look in his eyes too. Thankful that it seems to be over, I draw in a deep breath and thank my wolf for tonight, pushing away the thoughts of the blood I’d spilt. They’d been waiting for us here, and if we hadn’t defended ourselves, we could have been the ones clinging to life right now.
I shift back, visualizing my human form and my hands turn to human hands, my fingers flexing against the pavement as the fur recedes. My back legs change, leaving the cold press of the rough ground digging into my knees.
I stand slowly, regaining my footing, and as my eyes drift up, they lock on Zeke’s human form standing before me without a shred of clothing. My body floods with relief at the sight of him, just as his shoulders deflate. I hadn't realized how much I needed to see that he was alright since his thick black fur would hide any injury. But the smooth skin of his human form shows every mark and bruise. Thankfully there’s nothing too serious, only a few shallow cuts line his chest.
My first scan of his body was to make sure he wasn’t injured, but this one, this one is pure hunger. My relief at him being in one piece mixes with the thought that the bears could have easily been us tonight—they had been us just last night. He had carried me to safety, had looked after me, and kept me from bleeding out.
I saw his naked form this morning before our run, but this is different. I crave him in a raw carnal way after that fight, and I’m not sure I can fight it for much longer. It’s as though I need to reassure myself that he’s truly okay by tasting the sweat coating his skin, and feeling him on me, inside me…
Thoughts of me against him take over, the warm contact of his tanned, chiseled chest against my breasts. My arms itch to twine themselves around his neck and hoist myself up, wrapping my legs around his waist to feel the press of his hardening cock against my core.
I shake myself from my lust-filled thoughts, knowing that now can’t be the time. With the gunfire, there will surely be people coming to investigate and the bears aren’t our only enemies. It’s equally likely that another of our foes will come to aid, wearing the shape of our ally.
It takes every ounce of willpower I have to draw my gaze away from him, his own chest rising and falling with his deep breaths as his hands clench at his side. I know he’s holding himself back too. The whirlwind of emotions from the past few days presses in on us, stoking the flames of desire even higher.
Frustrated, I pull on my dress, thankful for the easy slide of the material, and scoop up my jacket and gun, handing the latter to Zeke as I slip my arms into the sleeves.
“I’ll go get the car since I still have clothes,” I say hurriedly as I nervously glance down the alley. He smiles wryly, handing me the keys but he pushes my hand with the gun back to me.
“No, you should keep it with you, just in case.” He chuckles, weakly, but I don’t miss the thick sound of desire in his tone. “I can shift, remember?” he says pointedly, and I try to cover up my embarrassment with an annoyed huff.
“Fine, I’ll be quick,” I say, backing down towards the parking lot, my eyes refusing to leave his. “Stay safe.”
“Always.” His eyes glimmer with the light behind the stormy grey clouds, and I turn to sprint to the parking lot, my bare feet pounding against the pavement.
As I reach the end of the parking lot my steps slow, and I glance around the corner, scanning for any sign of trouble as I ready the gun in my palms. Aiming it, I turn the corner to make sure the way is clear. I expect to see at least a few groups of people in their cars, leaving the bar for the night, but it must still be early enough that most are still enjoying their night. That or the gunshots drew everyone inside.
My eyes light up as they land on Zeke’s G-Wagon and I hurriedly push the button to unlock the door as I approach and swing into the driver’s seat. I mess with the controls as I push the ignition, needing to adjust the seats so my feet can reach the gas and brake. My fingers tremble as I silently curse the slow-moving seat. The world seems to move at a snail’s pace compared to the rapid beat of my heart.
