AlphainHiding (3 page)

Chapter Three

With a deep breath Emily pulled the pungent, pine-scented
air into her lungs. She inhaled as fully as she could, trying to pull the
smells all the way to her toes. Relaxation was a foreign concept to her, but
when she was at this cabin, surrounded by nothing but nature and quiet, she
could actually let her guard down. The peace of the area bled slowly into her
body, muscles relaxing that she hadn’t even known she had clenched. She threw
her head back, closed her eyes and flopped her arms out away from her body. The
stance probably looked as if she were offering herself as a sacrifice but she
just couldn’t care. The slight breeze ruffled her hair, bringing fresh smells to
her. They invaded her senses and gave her a moment of absolute tranquility.

“I’ll just take our bags inside.” Seth’s low voice brought
her back to her surroundings. She needed to keep a better handle on her
behavior around him. For some reason she felt no need to keep her guard up
around the male. She hadn’t even taken two steps from the Jeep before starting
her sensory indulgence.

Okay, Emily, get a grip.

She turned to find him watching her with a mixture of
amusement and understanding. Anger rose in her gut. How dare he try to play the
understanding card? He didn’t know a damn thing about her. She growled low in
her throat. “Nope, put the bags back in the vehicle. We’re going for a run
before we do anything else.”

The look of panic that crossed Seth’s face made her grin.
She flashed partially elongated canines at him. The hard swallow he took could
be heard across the clearing. “A run? Now?”

“Yep.” She laughed at the squeak in his voice. “Come on,
wolf boy, strip and shift.”

She turned and quickly shed her clothes, folding them and
making a tidy pile on the hood of the Jeep. Nudity wasn’t an issue for her. She
knew she looked good and after years of shifting in front of hundreds of people
it just didn’t bother her anymore.

She called her wolfy self forward, pulling her animal to the
forefront, and sighed as her bones started to pop and change. The shift didn’t
cause her pain anymore. It actually felt as if she were scratching that elusive
place on her back that itched all the time but she just couldn’t reach. A sense
of relief flooded through her. The change from human thought patterns to animal
was wonderful. Things were so much simpler to the animal. The world was much
more black and white, good and bad, right and wrong. Gray areas didn’t exist in
her animal thoughts. Silly human emotions like confusion and embarrassment
became muted in animal form. Within a minute she was on four black paws,
shaking out her fur. She rumbled low in her chest. A yip of exaltation escaped
her lips.

A sound behind her brought her attention around to Seth, who
against her orders was still fully clothed and staring open-mouthed at her. Her
wolf was happy to see him even in his human skin. She had to stop herself from
romping over to him like a puppy, wagging her tail. Instead she growled at him,
trying to communicate her demands in wolf form. The look of trepidation that
crossed his face made it clear that he either didn’t understand wolf growls or
was too scared to listen. Freaking weakling shifter males.

* * * * *

Strip and shift—was she crazy? He watched in fascination as
Emily slowly and meticulously removed her clothing and folded the pieces. She
never wavered in her striptease. With each new piece of skin she revealed, his
cock hardened. She was beautiful from the tip of her freckled nose to the pink
nails on her toes. Her body was luscious—there wasn’t a better expression. Her
creamy skin covered wondrous curves that just begged to be nuzzled and stroked.

Watching her shift was mesmerizing. Power unfolded from her
body and washed over him in waves. One moment she was a gloriously naked woman,
the next she was changing into a pure black wolf. The transition was seamless
and almost erotic. He wouldn’t admit it unless he had to, but she was the first
shifter he’d ever watched go through the change and he was faced with a
conundrum. His entire adult life had been centered around avoiding his inner
wolf. He despised the beast and was horrified that he turned into an animal.
Watching Emily go through the change from beautiful woman to dangerous wolf
challenged his beliefs. She was beautiful in both forms. Full of power and
grace. How could he think his beast any different from hers?

When her body had completely changed he watched a majestic
animal almost wiggle with enthusiasm. He could feel her relief skate across his
skin like a caress. He snorted at the difference between badass female and
happy wolf. The noise must have been louder than he thought because that happy
wolf pinned her ears back and spun to face him. Shit. Angry wolf staring at him
was bad—very bad. She caught his gaze with her amber eyes and fear thudded
through his body. He knew that inside the animal was a thinking, intelligent
person, but telling that to his adrenal glands was impossible. A surge of
adrenaline coursed through his body, amplifying the need to run from the
predator staring at him. When she unleashed a deep growl it took every ounce of
strength to keep his feet rooted to the ground and not turn tail like the
weakling he was.

He watched the wolf change again to a stunning female and
tried to cover the renewed interest from his cock. Even with terror surging
through his body he hadn’t softened. The view of Emily in all her naked glory
made him lightheaded. He stared at her and tried to keep from drooling.

“What the fuck? Didn’t I tell you to strip and shift?” Her
anger was almost palpable. She watched him with expectation written across her
face. It morphed quickly into irritation when he didn’t move or respond. She
stalked a little closer. “Look, either strip and shift or I will force it on
you, and then you’ll ruin the clothes you’re wearing. This is non-negotiable.”

Seth jumped when she threatened to force his shift. He
didn’t know how that would work but he wasn’t looking forward to losing
control. “Um, fine. But can you turn around?”

“Why?”

“Well, I’ve never shifted in front of anyone and honestly,
I’m not all that comfortable being naked in front of people either.” His cheeks
pinked with a blush but he stood his ground against her obvious irritation.

“Fine, but hurry up. I want to make it to the creek at the
back of the property and it’s going to take us a little bit to run there.” She
turned her back on him and shifted again to her wolf. She shook out her fur and
remained facing away from Seth.

He turned his back to her and quickly stripped off his
clothes. He could feel the blush coloring his face as it deepened, but he
wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of forcing him to take his wolfy side. A
cold breeze filtered through the leaves and raised goose bumps on his flesh as
he finished undressing. At least in his animal form he wouldn’t feel cold.

Emily tried to keep her eyes off Seth as he undressed. She
really did. Curiosity got the better of her, though, and she slowly angled her
four-footed self so she could watch the male. She was pleasantly surprised by
the full package. His wide chest tapered down to narrow hips and a very
delectable ass. He turned enough that she could get a view of the front and
once again she was surprised. The sparse hairs that peppered across his chest
thickened near his waist and pulled her eye down to an impressively erect cock.
Well. Wasn’t that interesting? He was large and thick and absolutely
scrumptious. Oops—was that a little drool dribbling from her mouth? Good thing
she was in wolf form.

When the energy of his shift ruffled her fur she gave in and
turned fully to watch. Seeing shifters change forms was nothing new to her.
Since her first shift at thirteen she’d seen thousands of transformations. This
time was different. Her wolf self was so engrossed in watching the he-wolf that
the world fell away. She breathed in the change of his scent from human to
animal. It tickled her nose and teased her senses. Dragging his scent into her
lungs did something to her. Her belly warmed and the urge to nuzzle him was
almost overpowering.

After only a few moments Seth stood on four paws, a large
male wolf. He was magnificent. His coat was a blend of gray and brown with
white rimming his eyes. Emily was completely taken aback by how beautiful he
was. How could he ignore this side of himself?

She approached him and nudged his shoulder with hers. There
wasn’t much else to communicate other than “let’s go”, so she turned on her
hind feet and darted off into the woods. The predator buried deep inside Seth
would force him to chase her. She gave a little yip of excitement when she
heard him start to pursue her. This was going to be fun.

She ran through the trees as fast as she could, dodging
rocks and branches as she raced through the forest. Adrenaline pumped through
her system when she heard Seth behind her. She fought the urge to turn and
attack him. If it had been any other male, that was exactly what she would have
done, but she knew he needed his predator tempted. The instincts rode her hard
but she tamped them down. She headed to the creek and almost hoped he would
catch her. A snort escaped her snout. Letting him catch her was a bad idea,
although being caught by Seth was appealing while she was in her wolf skin.

They spent the rest of the afternoon running through the
woods like two pups out on their first forage. Emily gave in and enjoyed the
freedom and beauty around her. They chased each other and a few little prey
animals. She made him sniff her out with a game of hide-and-seek. All in all,
their time flew by as they both enjoyed being in their fur.

Chapter Four

“So what’s all this running around in fur supposed to
accomplish anyway?” Seth was still sucking air from their sprint back from the
creek. He wasn’t against exercise but to run flat-out for almost an hour was
above his normal weekly regimen. They’d made it back to the cabin a few moments
before, both breathless. Emily had shifted and donned her clothes in record
time and now stood watching him dress with a speculative eye. He could feel the
blush rising under his skin as his cock twitched under her scrutiny.

“Well, my plan is to have you bring your inner beastie
forward as many times as I can. I hope that with some communing between the two
of you, some of your shifter traits will reactivate.”

“And this will be a good thing why?” He tried to keep the
anger and skepticism from his voice and knew he hadn’t done it well from the
snort she gave him.

“Seth, why don’t you like your wolf side? Don’t you realize
that your wolf is a natural part of who you are?” She caught him off guard with
her seriousness. “I mean, I understand not wanting to be involved in the pack.
I hate it sometimes. But to ignore a part of your inner self just seems silly
to me.”

He pondered her question and for the first time tried to put
his thoughts in order. He stared off into the woods, refusing to look at her as
he discussed this. “My parents both died before my first change. I was raised
by my aunt and uncle—well, my father’s half sister and her husband—who’re both
human. They knew what my parents were and tried to explain what would happen to
me, but being human didn’t really give them the insight they needed. My first
time was terrifying. I was home alone watching TV when I felt this itching
sensation just before the pain hit. I went through the transition in our living
room, tearing out of my clothes, destroying the furniture and completely losing
touch with my human side. When they found me I was cowering in a corner under
our desk, whimpering. It took me hours to change back to my human skin.”

He jumped when her palm came to rest on his arm. Her gaze
held nothing but sympathy. He had to continue before he lost his courage.
“Every month after that I fought the change, terrified that I wouldn’t get back
to my human skin. I tried everything from drugging myself to drinking myself
into a stupor. I became so paranoid around the full moon that my aunt actually
wanted me to see a shrink.” He laughed but it held no humor. “Right, like
explaining I was a wolf shifter to a human psychologist was going to help me.
They would have just thrown me in a padded room. So I started hiding my
feelings around them. I suffered through the change each month but didn’t allow
the beast out any other time. Eventually it stayed quiet and only reared its
ugly head the day of the full moon.”

Seth turned to find an odd look on Emily’s face. He wasn’t
sure how to interpret it so he let it go. He shrugged. “So that’s why I don’t
like my wolf side. Although today has proven that it can be fun to be in fur.”

She grinned in response. “I’m glad you told me about your
history. Let’s take our stuff inside and eat something, then we can go for
another run later.”

He groaned as his muscles screamed. He grabbed his bag and
tromped toward the cabin, following behind his own personal drill sergeant. If
they were going to run again today he’d better pop a couple of ibuprofen. His
eyes fell to watching her sweet, tight little ass sashay as she walked up the
steps into the cabin. The urge to pinch those luscious cheeks was almost
overwhelming. Visions of her naked body stormed his brain, forcing blood to
rush below his belt. His wolf yipped inside his head and he groaned. This
wasn’t the time—or the woman—to get those types of thoughts.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a chuckle. He looked up
to find Emily grinning at him. Yep, he’d been caught ogling her ass. Shit. He
felt a blush color his cheeks again and he damned his emotions. He felt like a
schoolgirl around her, and wasn’t that just an emasculating thing?

At least when he was in his wolf skin he didn’t get so
flustered around her. He’d actually fought the urge to chase her down and grab
her by the neck, pull her to the ground and mount her. In wolf speak that would
be great if she were submissive, but trying to do that to Emily Prescott would
be like signing your own death certificate. He’d heard the stories about the
other males she’d ripped apart when they’d tried those same moves.

“Come on, wolf boy,” she called from the porch. “Let’s get
settled. Oh, and a word to the wise, stop watching my ass. I find it funny now,
but won’t if you continue doing it.”

She turned and walked into the cabin without another word.
He shook his head and stomped up the stairs. She was an amazing woman but
definitely not the type you tried to date. He wanted to keep his cock and balls
right where they were, and functional.

* * * * *

Emily watched Seth wander the cabin with a mixture of
amusement and trepidation. She could feel her wolf’s wants growing and that
wasn’t good. If her wolf had her way they would be belly-up under him in a
heartbeat, panting and whining. She could feel the heat rising under her skin
as she pondered the sexy view she’d had a few moments ago of a very naked Seth.
As the strongest female of their pack, she just couldn’t understand her bitch’s
need to submit to him. He was weak-willed, weak-bodied and just not her type.
She scolded her inner wolf and grabbed her bag. There wasn’t much she could do
about her reaction to the male. She just hoped that they didn’t do something
stupid during the weekend that they’d both regret come Monday.

She dumped her bag on the bed in the master bedroom and
wandered to the French doors. She loved this cabin because of the two-story
deck. The view was breathtaking and peaceful. She could hear Seth moving around
in the other bedroom and actually enjoyed knowing someone was there with her.
Being a loner and constantly on guard wore her down. She longed for someone to
keep her company who wasn’t her father and wasn’t trying to dominate her. Other
females were tough to be friends with because every male they ran into
attempted something with Emily. Jealousy and hatred had marred more than one
relationship with females. Males all tended to treat her the same way. They
either avoided her or tried to “tame” her. Being here with Seth was relaxing in
a way she hadn’t even known she’d missed.

She walked silently through the connecting bathroom and
leaned a hip against the doorjamb. He moved with animal grace even if he didn’t
want to accept his inner beast. The T-shirt he wore was once again too big for
his frame, but it clung to his back when he bent to open a drawer. His jeans
were well-worn and fitted him perfectly, outlining his ass and thighs in
scrumptious perfection. Every time her eyes were drawn to his ass she fought
the urge to fall to her knees and bite him. She usually wasn’t all that
impressed with butts. Wide, muscular chests were more her thing, but the
heavens had been generous when crafting Seth’s ass. Maybe because his shoulders
and chest weren’t sculpted and hard she’d had time to look over his other
assets. She snorted at that thought and watched him whip around and glare at
her. She loved keeping him on his toes.

“When you’re done unpacking, or whatever it is you’re doing,
come back downstairs. We’re going to eat quick sandwiches and go back into the
woods.” She smiled at the scowl he threw her way and turned to go to the
kitchen. She spun around quickly when the vibrations of a growl moved through
the air and into her body. She arched a brow at him. “What did you say? Did you
just growl at me?”

Seth jerked back and shock rounded his mouth into a perfect
“O”. She grinned at him and patted herself on the proverbial back. Getting him
into his furry self was definitely going to pull some of his wolfy side out.
She waved off his stammering and skipped down the stairs. Just call her Emily
the shifter psychologist, she scoffed to herself.