Cyn rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, blowing it back out noisily.

Alex grinned. “Now you’re getting it.”

Yeah, right. The only thing she was getting was frozen boobs and sideways looks. This was her teenage hell come to life. All that was needed was for somebody to start belting out Oklahoma! and her day would be complete.

“Now, let your Bear out. She wants to come out. Close your eyes and scent the wind.”

Cyn closed her eyes. She lifted her face to the breeze, trying to smell the things Alex did. Amazingly enough, she could detect things she never had before. She had no idea what they were, but she was sure Julian would be able to help her figure it out once he was well enough to shift with her.

“A bear’s sense of smell is much stronger than that of a bloodhound. We can track prey over miles, and our mates even further than that. Our night vision is better than that of a human, but we get the same color vision.”

Her nose twitched. She tilted her head, trying to catch a strangely alluring scent.

“Bears are omnivores. What you smell is a squirrel, racing across the treetops to get away from us.”

Well. That was disgusting. She was salivating over a squirrel? Maybe she should’ve had Alex take her to McDonald’s before coming out here.

Mm. Big Mac. Her stomach rumbled. She prayed it wasn’t for two all-squirrel patties on a sesame seed bun. That was just…ew.

“Look down at your hands.”

She opened her eyes to find her hands had become paws.

“Let it flow. You’ve followed the spiral of the healing path before. This is almost exactly the same, except instead of you drawing strength from your Bear it will draw on you.”

It was the strangest thing she’d ever experienced. Her skin rippled, flowed over muscle and bone that was suddenly bigger. There was no ugly, painful crunching as her bones realigned, never mind what the horror movies showed. It was more of a pins and needles feeling, electricity dancing along nerve endings that were abruptly in different places. Her hands—no, her paws, landed on dry leaves and dirt.

The change was almost complete.

She looked up from her hands to find herself nose to nose (Snout to snout? She really had to look this shit up) with a Grizzly that smelled remarkably like Alex. She jerked back, landing on her furry rump, woofing in surprise.

Who knew bears could laugh? Alex’s shoulders shook as he wheezed. Cyn stood back up and growled softly, almost laughing herself when Alex hid his face under his paws. He was such a goof that it was hard to remember sometimes how dangerous he could really be.

Alex stroked his nose under her chin, and then lumbered off into the underbrush. It startled her that they were roughly the same size. She’d thought he would be bigger, but they really were snout to snout. He paused momentarily to look back at her as if to say, Well?

Cyn lumbered off after him, content to play follow the leader. She did chuff out a laugh when her posse of Pumas scrambled to keep up, the ones who’d chosen to stay human having the hardest time. But even her bodyguards couldn’t distract her from the whole new world that had opened up to her senses. Her sight didn’t seem to be any different than her human form, but her heightened hearing and sense of smell were almost overwhelming. It was going to take time to sort out everything she was experiencing. She just hoped the next time she changed Julian was at her side. As cute as Alex was, she missed her mate.

Chapter Seventeen

Julian groaned as Cyn helped him settle on the sofa. “Thank fuck. I fucking hate hospitals.”

She lifted his feet up onto some propped up pillows and covered him with a throw he’d never seen before but smelled distinctly of her. “You were only allowed out as soon as you were on the condition that you would rest.”

“I will. I promise.” Hell, he could barely walk. What did she think he was going to do, juggle chainsaws? They’d managed to keep him in the hospital for two days, and if he’d stayed any longer than that, he would’ve lost his mind. There was no way he’d be able to recuperate around all those people.

She muttered something under her breath, something in Spanish that ended in cabrón, and stalked off toward the kitchen. She’d been stubbornly opposed to his leaving the hospital until he’d explained to her what staying there was doing to him. She still wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision in helping him convince the doctors to release him, but she’d see. Already he was stronger, his Bear calmer. Getting away from all of the sick and the wounded would help his recovery immensely.

The doorbell rang, startling him, but he didn’t even bother trying to stand up to answer it. He wouldn’t be able to make his way to the door anyway. Not without falling flat on his ass. Cyn stomped by him, still muttering in Spanish. He pitied anyone on the other side of the door. His mate was spoiling for a fight.

He heard Cyn gasp as she opened the door. “Oh, hi.”

“Hello, Cyn.” In breezed Emma Cannon, Curana of the Halle Puma Pride. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a long, bouncy ponytail. Her crimson V-neck shirt and dark gray jeans hugged every curve. In her hands were three pizza boxes, the rich scent of spicy meat, melted cheese and ripe tomato sauce making his mouth water.

She was followed swiftly by her mate, the blonde haired, blue-eyed Halle Alpha. Max had five more pizza boxes, and from the scent Julian could tell at least one of them was his favorite Hawaiian style. Max followed his tiny mate right into Julian’s kitchen, smiling cheerfully at Cyn and nodding to Julian. “Hey, Julian. Sorry about this.”

The doorbell rang before he could respond.

“Did I mention the others will be here soon?” Max glided, catlike, right over to Julian’s favorite chair. He settled himself in and immediately pulled his mate onto his lap.

Julian frowned at Emma. “You haven’t been getting enough iron.”

Emma’s eyes went wide with a clear message that, if Julian valued his balls, he’d stay quiet.

“Emma?” Max’s attention was completely focused on his Curana, barely acknowledging Simon and Becky Holt as they carried even more pizza into Julian’s kitchen.

“I’m fine, Max.” She wiggled her butt, clearly trying to distract him. From the way Max’s nostrils flared it was working.

“You’ve been tired a lot lately.” Max stroked a hand over Emma’s hip, stilling her. His golden gaze suddenly stabbed into Julian as a white mist surrounded the Alpha pair. “Tell me what’s wrong with my mate.”