Chapter Five
His woman was gorgeous. She stood there with her chin high and her shoulders so tense they must ache. Zach followed the curve of her luscious form up to her beautiful, mismatched eyes, reveling in every part of her, except the fear. She wasn’t afraid of him, she was afraid of the shift.
Zach’s wolf whined at him to comfort his mate. Rip out their throats. His wolf growled, wanting to single-handedly take down everyone who had ever hurt her. Zach agreed. This beautiful woman should have been covered in soft, black fur and ambling through the woods already. Instead, she stood naked with apprehension in her eyes. Nissa was a shell of what she once was because of the two men who should have protected her above all else.
He loved this woman. But he wouldn’t spook her by telling her yet. First, he needed to see if he could give her a little push.
“Come on, little bear. You can do this.” He coaxed gently and took her by the shoulders, turning her back to him. “Just relax and close your eyes.” He rubbed and massaged her tight shoulders and neck. “Listen to the wind rippling through the branches. Where’s it coming from? Where is it going?”
Zach could tell the moment she smiled. It was right when her tense shoulders dropped and a large whoosh of breath released from her.
“Okay, I’ll play your game. It’s cold, with an icy nip to it, since it came from the top of the mountain. It weaved through the woods and is frolicking its way down to the pond, where it will cause ripples in the water.”
“Very good.” He gave her shoulders one last firm squeeze before releasing her. “Keep your eyes closed.”
She shrugged and gave a quick snort, but stayed put.
“Tell me what you smell?”
“Besides Dog Breath?” she asked.
He smacked her ass, and she yelped before laughing and rubbing the red blotch. “Okay, we skipped straight to feel, huh?” She wiggled her perfect, round cheeks. “For the record, I did hear that also.”
“What’d it sound like?”
“Hot.” She leaned back against him, scorching his skin with her heat. “Seriously, freaking hot. So are we going back to scents?”
“Yeah.” His voice deepened with lust as he ran his hands up and down her creamy hips. “I can smell your arousal, and my wolf is going crazy for it.”
She shuddered in his grip.
“I want nothing more than to lay you back, spread your legs as wide as they can go, and lick up every ounce of honey running down your thighs.”
“Sweet talking the bear, huh?” She rubbed her ass against his cock. “I thought we were trying to get me shifted, not sexed.” She continued her amazing little grinding action, and he groaned as he pulled away from her.
“Huge emotions like arousal, fear, anger and love help trigger the animal’s release. I was hoping a little foreplay might help you loosen up and shift, but all this is doing is frustrating me. Shit, I might die from blue balls by the time you finally shift.”
“Let me guess. You’re going to call me fat, and try to get me to angry shift?” She turned and cocked an amused grin at him.
“Do you want me to turn you over my knee and wallop your ass, little girl?”
She laughed. “Only if you want me lying down on my back, legs spread accepting all that honey talk you mentioned.”
“You’re killing me.” He groaned and bit his inner cheek.
“Come on; let’s get this over with, so we can celebrate by making out.”
“I don’t make out, little girl. I fuck. Hard.”
“Okay, sex with no strings attached sounds good too. I’ve been horny for weeks.” She scrunched up her face and took a few deep breaths. “I see my bear. She’s so pretty. I miss her.”
“Keep going.”
“She’s willing to accept the shift. It’s like her arms are open wide, calling me into a nice, big hug.” She laughed. “A bear hug. That’s funny.”
“What’s stopping you from moving forward?”
Nissa opened her eyes, unshed tears swimming in the depths of her haunted gaze. “I don’t know. She’s close, like I can almost touch her, and her warmth feels amazing. But I can’t shift.”
“You’re going to be all right. I promise you.”
“How can you know that? How can you know for sure I’m not going to go all dark-side and start killing off helpless cubs or other bears who threaten my position in my tiny pack?”
Zach pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “Not only is that not going to happen. But I wouldn’t let it. Because that would hurt you. And I won’t let anyone harm you. Not even you!”
She nodded and gently pulled out of his arms. “I have your word?”
“You have me.”
“Well, let’s not go overboard, but thanks. Help with my shifting and some casual sex is about all I want right now. Can you handle that?”
“Absolutely.” Not a fucking chance in hell. One taste of her would be his downfall. He ought to stop this right now before it went any further. But every fiber within him was primed to help her overcome her demons. To put that smile back on her sweet face, and remove the dark pain from her eyes. He’d do whatever it took, even if it meant hurting himself. His heart was the first casualty. He had lost that during their first meeting, in this exact spot, yesterday. “You can do this.” Her eyes widened at the gruffness of his voice, so he softened his tone. “Just relax, and let it build up within you.”
He backed up another pace and looked beyond her toward the mountain peaks to the west. “Let the warmth fill you, heat you, nourish you. Know that the Mother Goddess doesn’t bestow a gift this wonderful for evil. She gives it with love. Your spirit animal is excited at the prospect of reuniting with your soul, fully. Let the heat gradually build in the very core of your being. Do you feel that?”
She nodded.
“Let it fill your body. Let it loop through every twist and turn, every cell, every muscle, every bone—all of you. Just like weaving through the trees on the trail to your favorite spot. Your special gift is preparing your body for the change. Accept the beauty; accept it without question. Just let yourself be. You. Your bear. Your gift merged and gratefully accepted from the Mother Goddess.”
He turned when he heard the whoosh of air. The shimmering light surrounded the gorgeous black bear standing on four paws in front of him. His mate in her most perfect, most natural form. She was glorious. “Good girl. Go find your trail. I’ll be right behind you.”
He shifted into his wolf and watched with pride as his gorgeous mate bounded on all fours through the forest, zigging and zagging between the trees. She was perfection. He let out a playful yip and tore after her.