We walk for a short distance, stopping in the shelter of the forest.

“My guards are nearby if we need them.” Jules lets go of my hand to fiddle with the clasp of a leather band. “But they’re far enough away, and it’s dark enough that they won’t be able to see anything.”

Remembering how I’ve seen him strip off his shirt before he shifts brings nervous energy bubbling in my stomach. “Wait. Do we have to get … undressed to shift?”

“We do unless you want to shred that pretty dress into bits.” He trails his finger below my metal cuff choker as I frown. “Lake, if you don’t want to, we don’t have to. There’s plenty of time to shift.”

My eyes involuntarily shut from his touch. “But Liberty mentioned that I’d get stronger. Is that true?”

“Shifting will help you become more in tune with your wolf, including her strengths and … urges.”

I open my eyes to find him standing closer than I thought. “You’ll help it not be so painful?”

He bobs his head up and down, pale moonlight cascading across his intense features. “I’ll use my gift to ease you into the shift, so you shouldn’t feel a thing.”

My heart beats like a lunatic inside my chest.

“Okay, let’s do it.” Then, before I can back out, I reach back and unzip my dress.

“I can look away,” Jules says, already turning.

“You’re fine,” I whisper nervously.

He pauses, then looks at me, watching as I lower the top down then over my hips until the fabric pools at my feet. Since I’m not wearing a bra, I step out of my panties and then stand—or, more like shake—naked in front of him with goose bumps dotting my flesh.

“You’re …” He gulps, his fiery violet gaze drinking in every inch of me.

“Too beautiful for words,” I finish for him, aiming for a playful tone, but epically missing the mark.

He softly smiles, but the fire in his eyes remains as he shucks off his jacket then peels his shirt off. I try not to gawk at the muscles carving his chest and abs, or the inscriptions, angles, and shadings that ink his skin, but my gaze has other ideas. And when he removes the rest of his clothes, I finally get the answer to the question about his tattoo.

I reach out and graze my fingers over the dark ink tracing his hipbone. “Elora.”

He places a hand over mine, pressing my palm against the permanent ink. “I never forgot you. I thought about you every single day, even when everyone gave up hope. I couldn’t let you go. Couldn’t let you die.”

I believe him. I more than believe him. But still …

“I wish you weren’t so sad.” My palm is warm against his skin.

“I’m not as much now.” He kisses me, a slow uniting of lips, bodies, his warmth erasing the goose bumps from my skin. We only break away when we’re on the brink of suffocating.

As he moves back, I try not to note how hard he is. But again, I fail epically. And he more than notices.

“You ready for this?” he asks, letting me off the hook. Yet the smug smile on his lips tells me he caught me gawking.

“I hope so.” I muster up a breath of courage. “Okay, what do I do to make this shifting thing happen?”

He moves behind me and begins rubbing my shoulders. “First, you need to relax, so take a deep breath.” I do what he says as he continues to erase the chill from my skin. “Good. Now you need to become in tune with your wolf.”

“How do I do that?”

“You mentioned once before that you felt her taking over.”

“It’s actually happened a lot lately.”

“Good. That means you’re ready. All you need to do is stop fighting her and let her through.”

“And it won’t hurt?”

He glides his palms up to the sides of my neck. “Not as long as I keep touching you. Once you’ve shifted, I’ll shift with you.”

I chew on my lip. “Then what happens?”

The most breathtaking smile takes over his face as he leans over to capture my gaze. “Then we have some fun.”

I rest my head against his shoulder. “And you promise not to let me eat any bunnies.”

His eyes glimmer with amusement. “I swear on my life.”

“Always so dramatic.” With a roll of my eyes, I let go of everything that makes me Lake and try to picture myself as Elora, the female werewolf who once was lost but found her way back. I let go of all my fears and reservations. I let go of everything and become one with the wolf that stirs inside me, dropping the gates and letting her loose.

As my body shifts and lowers to the ground, sprouting claws, fur, and teeth that could tear a bear in half, I’ve never felt freer in my life.