“Sophia?” With tears in her eyes, Julia looked at her sister.

The woman he desired looked up at him. Chase watched as she cleared her passion-dazed eyes and kept swallowing in an attempt to get rid of a dry throat.

He was sure that the moment she saw where she was, her upper arms in his grasp, she’d pass out like the last time she was so close to him unexpectedly. She’d disliked him so much, she would’ve rather been out cold than have him touching her.

Guess all that had changed now.

Sophia’s face drained of color when she realized where she stood next to him. Well, maybe things hadn’t changed.

He read the question in her eyes: how did she get there? She was talking to Julia before the animals’ heat took over her conscious mind.

She stumbled out of his hold and turned to her sister. “Why are you crying?” Sophia asked Julia.

How in the hell was he going to explain this? First off, though, he wanted answers. “I think we all need to sit down. Sophia needs something to drink.”

He motioned for Julia to stroll with her to a lounge chair. If they had any hope of figuring out what had happened to her, he needed to stay away from her, or they would end up right where they were before.

The next time he wouldn’t stop until he was buried so deeply inside her, they’d need a crowbar to separate them.

River stayed a few steps behind with him. The wind blew his hair into messy threads across his forehead.

River gave him a questioning look. “Did I smell what I think I smelled? Sophia has two animals inside?” Concern and astonishment colored his words. His eyes followed the women as they made their way to the drink table.

Somehow, Chase wasn’t surprised. He’d need to keep better track of his mate, or the woman could get herself into a heap of trouble and not even realize it.

“What I want to know is how. We need to talk to her before the heat becomes unbearable for her again. We might only have a few minutes, and we have to find out as much information as possible.”

Looking at his mate, he knew they had very little time. Her hands shook as she swallowed the icy drink her sister handed her.

“Sophia, what did you do?” Julia’s outward calm was not deceiving anyone. The tension in her face was evident in the way she held the glass in a white-knuckled grip. She waited expectantly for Sophia to reply.

“What do you mean? I haven’t done anything.” Her head turned away, hiding her face.

Three sets of eyes watched as she gulped down the water like she’d been suffering from dehydration.

Julia dropped into her seat with a dramatic sigh. Even Julia had taken awhile to adjust when she’d first turned. Her body had fought the new physiology, not to mention the near-death experience from the rogue wolf that had attacked her.

Those had been some very tense months, when no one was sure how the change would affect her. Her first shift was much too soon and almost killed her there in the hospital.

Chase wasn’t sure what kind of effect this would have on Sophia’s body, but he was sure it wasn’t going to be good.

“Sophia, I know you’ve been doing something in that lab of yours, and you’re going to tell us what it is before you start the weird shit we just witnessed a moment ago.” Julia’s hysteria rose until she ended the sentence in a high-pitched squeak. Tears filled her eyes all over again.

Chase was unable to stop the wince that covered his face at her theatrics.

“What the hell is wrong with her?” Sophia asked, looking from Chase to River. “And what is really going on here? I mean, has everyone in this frigging town lost their mind today?”

As he thought, she didn’t remember any of it. Not good. Chase questioned her in a voice that was unbending steel. “What are you working on at your lab, Sophia?” He used the don’t-fuck-with-the-alpha attitude that ensured his pack members knew he meant business. Her animals would obey.

What he got from Sophia was a strong whiff of arousal at his tone.

So she liked a dominant male. His wolf rolled over in excitement, ready to burst his skin and do flips.

She blushed and tried to look away, but his eyes locked on hers as he waited for her to answer him. “I…I wanted to find a way to help Julia go back to being human or stop her from shifting.”

Her sister’s shocked gasp filled the humid afternoon air. “Why would you do that?” Julia demanded and jumped to her feet. Her tears had miraculously disappeared.

Chase ignored Julia’s question and proceeded with his own. “And did you find a way to do it? To stop her from shifting?” His voice whipped around the quiet yard, and his hard gaze never wavered from her face.

“Yes and no. Of course, if I had a couple more weeks at the lab, I might be able to turn her into a full human again. Shit, give me a few months and I can make her Batman.” The fire in her eyes revealed how proud she was of her work. She’d done what no one else ever had.

He knew they needed to keep her work under wraps. It would create chaos among shifters if they realized what she’d discovered. She’d be hunted.

The thought didn’t sit well with his animal. It pushed at the skin cage once again and tried to get free. Chase bit back a snarl at the imaginary threat to his mate.

“How did you figure out how to do this?”

Her eyes flashed when questioned and her usual patience was surpassed by the aggression contained inside. A shifter with two animals was unusual. It would create a problem with the dominant one, but from what Chase had scented, Sophia appeared to have two alpha females inside that were presently getting along quite well.

She exuded the dominance and power that reigned in alphas. His wolf howled in happiness, so much passion, aggression…and both animals were his.

“I singled out the shifter gene from a strand of DNA and created a pure sample of FB chromosomes.”

Bingo. Chase knew he’d found the answer to her change. But wait… “What’s FB?”

“My tag for the chromosome that creates the animal inside all shifters. Furry Beast.” Her face turned tomato-red while she spoke.

He laughed. There was no holding it back. She had a silly sense of humor.

Eliminating the mirth from his voice, he continued with the questions. “What did you do with the pure samples?” He expected her to say she tested them on herself.

“What do you mean, what did I do? I locked them in my cold storage.” She furrowed her brow.

“Did you use the sample on yourself, Sophia?” His carefully worded queries were getting them nowhere.

“What? Of course not. That’s highly unethical, not to mention dangerous. I would never do that on purpose.” Outraged, she jumped to her feet and glared at him, hands fisted at her sides. Her eyes turned a dark, stormy gray, and his wolf pulled at his skin, wanting out of the human skin.

She was so hot when she was angry. Her features changed a little to show first her wolf pushing, and then her cat trying to come out and rip him to shreds. He really hated the eternal erection that didn’t want to go away when she was around.

Unlike Julia, who’d had a hard time with her change because she had been recuperating from near death, it looked like Sophia would have no problem shifting.

“I didn’t mean to offend you, darling, but we need you to tell us how you ended up with two animals inside.”

“Two animals inside where?” Couldn’t he ask a question without going around in circles?

* * *

Sophia’s mind felt wooly, like it was filled with cotton, making it hard for her to think clearly.

She stared at the man she’d been fantasizing about for months. She knew what he was, and she wasn’t going to lie to him. It didn’t help that his total I’m-in-charge attitude made her so wet she had to squeeze her legs shut, hoping his super-sensitive nose couldn’t smell her.

“Two animals inside your body.” He met her gaze and held it, sending electric shivers down her spine, and conveying with his look the gravity of the situation.

How the hell could he make her so hot her panties needed wringing from just one look? The whole dominant thing he did was making her want to get on her knees in front of him and lower her head in submission.

Dear Lord, she’d never thought that kind of stuff would turn her on. Yet, here she was, ready to beg him to cuff her to the nearest tree and spank her ass until she stopped being a bad girl. Of course, just the thought of him spanking her made her want to be bad.

Dear God, how could he know already? It’d just been barely thirty-six hours since her lab accident. No need to test her blood now. She knew the truth.

Shit. Should she fess up or deny it until she had run several tests to check things out? A good scientist never went public too soon with research. She had to verify and make sure. So that called for refuting any claims.

“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t have animals inside my body.” The words had just left her mouth when she felt the push of fur against her skin.

She bowed her head and watched in horror as her nails grew into long talons…claws. First, thick brown fur pushed out, covering her arms, and after a moment it receded. Then, short golden fur pushed out of her arms and receded. Wide-eyed, she jerked her head up to meet Chase’s hungry gaze.

“Darling, you’re not just a shifter; you’re a dual shifter. How did you do it, Sophia?” This time his question was filled with admiration, which made her foolishly glow inside.

Why the hell was she happy? Not just happy—horny and happy.

“I…” She gulped. Gig was up. “I had an accident.”

Chase’s eyes narrowed with concern. He scanned her body, but she knew she had no visible injuries.

“What kind of accident?”

She blushed and called herself all kinds of fool for not being more vigilant while she worked. Not to mention for letting her body melt every time his eyes flickered with a heat that screamed of possession. At this rate, she’d end up worse than a stick of butter on a hot sunny day, a puddle of goop.

“I tripped. I was distracted on my way to transfer the samples from the sharps to their designated vials. The sharps ended up stuck in me. But only for a second—I probably got like one cc in me, not enough to make any kind of difference.” All three listened intently as she explained.

“How much is that? Compared to the amount you’d get from a bite wound?” Julia’s distress made her lower her voice.

“I’m not sure, but I would think with the amount of saliva transferred during a bite wound, it would be a lot more than that single drop.” She frowned.

Shit. Was she going to grow a tail now? Want to sniff people’s asses? To pee on trees to mark her territory? Would she want to pee on Chase to claim him as her own? Now, there was a visual she didn’t need.

A surge of wind tossed her hair into a mess all over her head, making her tunnel shaky fingers through it to get it out of her face.

“Your body adjusted so quickly. The strands must have bonded with your DNA immediately.” River sounded amazed.

It was as if she were a live science experiment, the way all three of them looked at her like she was some sort of new species. She peered around and everyone was staring at her with different expressions.

Julia was one step away from full-blown panic. Nothing strange there. River was curious. Chase’s look was hot, wicked, and not appropriate for minors. Shit, she wasn’t even sure it was appropriate for her. She tried not to blush at his proprietary gaze. The man would easily melt an iceberg.

“Sophia, your samples and data, where are they?” Chase was back to barking questions at her.

She knew she’d made a mistake, but the man didn’t want to let up with his infuriating grilling. “They’re in my lab, all right! The samples are in cold storage and my data under lock. Both are secured by my fingerprints, voice, and other security measures. Trust me, my research is locked up tighter than two dogs in the act.”

Why the hell had that come out of her mouth? She noticed their raised brows at her example and got defensive. “What? Okay, bad example, but I’ve had horrible experiences before with my data being stolen.”

Julia stood and grabbed her hand, sad eyes conveying she wanted to speak to her alone. She bit back the urge to roll her eyes at her sister’s over-the-top emotional outbursts. They walked into the house in silence.

Sophia looked around the kitchen and was always impressed at the beauty of the space. The room, open, airy, and light, made her want to sit there all day. Windows surrounded the soft blue space, trimmed with off-white cabinets and appliances, and fresh flowers scented the air with delicate fragrances that wouldn’t upset Julia’s sensitive nose.

Sophia felt an immediate sense of peace every time she went into that space. Her sister had made her entire home a welcoming, serene escape.

Under other circumstances, Sophia would have been ecstatic to be sitting in the kitchen with her best friend. But not now. Julia gave a loud sigh as she took a seat across from Sophia.

“Sophia, I know you thought you were helping me by looking for a way to get me back to what I was before. But you needn’t have bothered. I’m happy with who and what I am, and most importantly, I’m just happy. River loves me. I love him, and we’re going to have a baby.” Her face glowed with joy and love.

“I remember how difficult everything was for you right after the attack and I felt so powerless to help. I wanted to give you the option of changing your body to who you used to be, without having to shift into a wolf.”

The hell she’d seen her sister live was not something she would wish on anyone. It was horrible to see her suffering as her body was overcome with the change.

She could still hear the screams of pain as the bones popped and the fur pushed out of her the first time while she was still recuperating from her attack.

“The wolf is a part of me now, Sophia. If she weren’t there, I’d feel less than whole. I would never change back if it meant losing her.” Julia grasped Sophia’s hand and looked at her with unease. “What are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?” God, what a day it had turned out to be, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. She needed a stiff drink or better yet, a stiff cock, preferably the one playing macho alpha outside.

She hadn’t been with anyone since she moved into town, and it depressed her that it had been so long ago. Fuck this! She wasn’t going to let some fur and a tail turn her into a crybaby.

“Sophia, you’re in heat, both your animals want to mate. You would have stripped Chase naked outside and raped him if he hadn’t stopped you. Of course…I think he was more than willing to let you do whatever you wanted to him.” She grinned, and a small laugh escaped her at Sophia’s flabbergasted look.

“I don’t remember that!” Holy crap, she’d thrown herself at Chase? Man-candy Chase? FBA Chase? The man that every night stripped for her in her mind? Who proceeded to do some really shameless, depraved, and corrupt things with his hands, tongue, and cock…in her head? Oh, hell no.

Her pulse beat erratically, and she tried to keep her brain cells functioning. Blurry images of his arms holding her tightly while his face rubbed against her neck were all she could draw up.

Her hormones went into overdrive. Everything female in her begged for him to come and stroke her, to show her how big and strong he was in the most basic of ways.

But that was so not her. She was shy and timid and…

“Of course, you don’t remember it,” Julia said. “When you’re in heat, your body turns off everything but the most crucial need, the need to mate and procreate.”

“Wait, what? A mate? As in, I want to have sex, right? But procreate? I don’t know about that.” She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate. Babies? Sure, she wanted kids like most women, but first she needed a man for that.

She needed a steady relationship…

Screw that. What she really needed was some amazing sex, some sheet-melting, hair-tearing, make-me-hoarse-from-screaming, multiple-orgasm sex.

And then she could see herself wanting babies.

What the hell had she done?

“Mate,” Julia answered. “As in someone to claim you for his own. You want him for yourself and no one else. And procreate? Well, I hate to tell you this, but how do you think I ended up with this little bun in the oven?

“It took me longer to go through heat because of the length of time my body took to adjust to my change. Your body absorbed it so quickly, it’s like you were born a shifter.”

Suddenly, all kinds of strange questions started running through her brain.

“Oh…my…God.” She looked at her sister in dismay. “Does this mean when I have kids, I’m going to have kittens? Puppies? Poodles? Iguanas?” A hysterical laugh escaped her. She was quickly losing what small hold she had on her mind.

“Sophia! Be serious. There are no poodles or iguanas! As for the pups, you only have them in that form if you conceive while in wolf form. Which you won’t do.”

“Damn straight, I won’t. Because I’m a human!” Did she sound deranged? She could already see the headlines: Geneticist Loses Mind from Lack of Sex, or even better, Woman Who Thinks She’s a Dog Caught Chasing Mailman.

“You risk miscarriage when you shift. So, you have to spend the duration of your pregnancy in whatever shape you were in when you conceived.” Julia’s tone was annoying her. She spoke as if Sophia should know that stuff.

Who cared about having puppies when her whole life had just turned upside down? She could sprout fur and claws faster than it took the Flash to go around the world. Her dental bills were going to go through the roof with the new hardware, and she didn’t even want to think about what she was going to spend on bikini waxing now.

“This is insane. We’re discussing things that are beyond my realm of reality. I don’t need a mate. I am not trying to conceive, and I most definitely am not in heat.” Frustration made her growl the words out.

“I beg to differ.”

Chase. Damn it. That voice. Deep, rough, and a little raspy, it caressed her skin like warm caramel being dripped over her favorite ice cream. She tilted her head to look into his eyes and felt the growing need clawing at her again.

“We need to talk, Sophia.” He looked at his brother and her sister. They shared some kind of understanding, because one minute they were all in the kitchen and the next he was pulling her into one of her sister’s spare rooms, her sandals tapping on the wood floor. Once inside, he closed the door and flipped the lock.

She walked to the other side of the room to give herself some space. “Listen, Chase. I’m so sorry about outside. I…I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I’m positive that in a few days, whatever this heat is will go away.” She perked up as she spoke, completely ignoring him.

He stood in front of the closed door. Sophia gripped the dresser behind her with all her might. Goddammit, if she let go, she might jump him.

He inhaled slowly… Crap, he could probably smell her arousal.

He smiled at her in such a hot wicked way, she almost drooled. He moved his hands to the T-shirt he must have put on while she was in the kitchen with Julia. He lifted it slowly and revealed his stomach, chest, and arms.

Her eyes widened until she was sure she looked just like a Tarsier as she watched him. Her fingers itched to touch the golden skin she knew was warm and soft over the bulging muscles.

Her breath hitched when he threw the piece of clothing to the floor. He bunched his arm muscles and moved his hands toward the tie on the swimming trunks.

“Uh, Chase, what are you doing?” she squeaked. The evil imp on her shoulder told her to shut the hell up and enjoy the show. God, but the man was built in the image of her every wet dream. Every part of him dared her to touch.

“I’m about to get to know my mate a whole lot better.” He grinned, the jerk. He was probably enjoying how flustered and shell-shocked she was while trying to appear indifferent to what he was doing. But how in the world could she be indifferent when all that golden skin was making her eyes water? She was going to end up blind from that sinful vision.

The rod straining the fabric was growing before her very eyes. Big…bigger…and then, hell yeah.