Hunting Human - Amanda E. Alvarez [93]
Beth picked her way out of the brush and trotted up to him.
“Well someone’s happy despite their loss.” Chase smiled smugly and glanced toward her tail.
Embarrassed, Beth willed her tail to stop swinging happily back and forth like a puppy who’d just chewed up a favored pair of shoes. Unsuccessful, she plopped her butt to the ground and growled a warning.
“Don’t worry about it. Everyone acts that way the first time. And everyone misses their first time, too.” He smiled a toothy grin and sat so they were eye to eye. “You’ll learn to control it better, balance your instincts with your reason.” Chase paused, considering her somberly. “It’s what makes us so dangerous. We keep our human minds, but have the instincts and abilities of an apex predator. With the right balance, the sheer predatory power of the wolf can be beautiful, even when deadly. It’s our human half we have to control. The temptation to revel in power is a far more potent force than you realize.”
Beth cocked her head, considering what Chase was trying to tell her. She thought about Rachel and the way she died. It was still difficult to believe that the wolf wasn’t vicious or evil. It was, after all, the wolf’s senses that had hunted them down, the wolf’s fangs that had ripped Rachel’s throat to shreds. Even now, all of her senses seemed to be analyzing and dismissing everything around her with only two criteria in mind: prey or threat. If it fit into neither category it was dismissed. It certainly seemed like the part of her consciousness dedicated to the wolf was pretty single-minded and very violent.
She knew instinctively what would have happened had she caught the fox. Saliva flooded her mouth at the thought and disgust surged through her.
“I can see that you’re still struggling with the distinction. That’s fine.” Chase extended careful fingers, running his hand over her head and around her ears before quickly withdrawing. “Alright. Let’s work on getting you back on two legs. Then we’ll do it again.”
***
Beth slunk around the door Chase held open for her, keeping her body low to the ground, her ears flicking back and forth.
This is so embarrassing!
The loose clothing she left the house in that morning hadn’t survived her first shift. Chase had whipped around just in time to avoid seeing anything that would truly embarrass her—or infuriate Braden. They’d had to spend the rest of the morning with Beth clutching the torn remains of her T-shirt and Chase standing thirty yards away, looking in the direction of the house. Thank God the first shift had been the hardest and the rest had gotten progressively easier because Beth didn’t think she could have focused too long standing naked in the middle of the forest. As there was no way in hell she’d walk back to the house naked, she’d been forced to come back in wolf form.
Hopefully, I can sneak in before anyone notices.
Beth scrambled up the stairs, her nails clicking against the hardwoods.
“Better be careful. There will be hell to pay if you scratch those floors.” Chase’s amused remark faded as she bolted down the hall and toward her room. She drew up short when she finally made it to her door.
Shit, it’s closed.
A whine escaped the back of her throat when her paw slid uselessly off the doorknob. Wrapping her jaws around it didn’t get her anywhere, either.
Crap.
She just wanted to get into the room, shift back, and feel human again. The only thing standing in her way was a closed door.
It isn’t even locked for crying out loud!
Beth tilted her head and considered her options. Shift back and risk being caught naked. Or go get someone to open it for her.
“Need a little help?” Braden’s laughter surprised and irritated her, raising the hair between her shoulder blades.
Beth turned and pinned him with an icy glare, then scratched lightly against the door.
“Miss having thumbs, huh?” Braden hooked his own thumbs around the outside of his jean pockets and leaned casually against the door to the office.
Beth laid her ears flat against the back of her head.
Jerk. Don’t just stand there grinning!