“He’s your family,” Tim whispered in his ear, before moving away from them both. Obviously, Tim understood more about the bond than he did.
“You okay about everything?” Jared gestured to Seb and then to Tim’s retreating back.
Seb nodded, still half wondering how Tim read his mind like that. “Yeah. Surprisingly.” He wanted to whisper, but the other two would still hear him.I guess I’ll have to get used to having little to no privacy now, too.“Hey, can you and Nathan tell what each other’s thinking?”
He ignored Nathan’s snort of laughter and Tim’s subsequent grumble.
Jared grinned. “Not exactly. But now I know what to look for, it’s easier to pick up on what he’s thinking.”
Tim came up behind him again and slipped an arm around Seb’s waist. “You ready? Or do you want to…?”
Seb linked his fingers with Tim’s and sighed. This was his life now. He needed to embrace all aspects of it, and if that meant getting his kit off in front of the pack, then so be it. He had nothing to be ashamed of. But… “If we shift in here, we still need to get outside, though, right?” He made a vague gesture at the door. “And is it hygienic? This is a hospital.”
Tim smiled against the back of his neck. “They’re used to wolves roaming around on the full moon, and this corridor has an outside door for that specific purpose. It opens out into a covered walkway leading to the trees. And Jared can open the doors, remember?”
“Oh yeah.”
Seb turned in time to see Nathan shedding his clothes, not bothered in the least by his audience. Okay, then. He hooked his fingers into the top of his pyjama bottoms and was just about to shuck them off when Nathan shifted. For some reason, Seb had never asked how shifters went from human into wolf. He really fucking should have, because it looked all kinds of painful—and not a little terrifying. It happened fast, but Seb still had the sound of bones cracking ringing in his ears.
Oh, but Nathan’s wolf was beautiful, though. He was bigger than Seb expected, almost waist height on him, with thick jet-black fur and blue eyes. Seb didn’t realise he was staring until he felt Tim’s hand on his shoulder.
“You okay?”
“Yeah… I just.” He waved a hand at where Nathan had cosied up to Jared’s side, watching them. “It looked like it hurt a whole fucking lot, and I just realised I have no idea how to even do it.”
His heart began to race, edges of panic settling in. What the hell had he been thinking?”
“Hey, hey.” Tim put both hands on Seb’s face and forced him to meet his eyes. “Calm down. You can do this.” He pulled Seb’s head down to rest their foreheads together, his soft sigh brushing Seb’s lips like a caress. “Take off your clothes.” Seb obeyed, pushing them down and kicking them off to the side. “Now, close your eyes and justfeel. Your wolf is always there, just under the surface, but tonight more so than ever. He wants to come out, Seb. Relax, open your mind, and let him.”
Seb huffed. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Trust me, it is.” Tim kissed him, lingering for a second before pulling away, giving him space. “Now try.”
With his eyes tightly closed to block out his surroundings, Seb willed himself to relax and clear his mind. He felt it almost straightaway, waiting for his command…
Come out. Run.
Seb’s breath caught as he felt his wolf answer.
For a second his mind froze; the searing pain that ripped through him rendered complex thought impossible, exceptoh fuck it hurts. There wasn’t one part of him that wasn’t being stretched, snapped, or moulded into some new shape.
Then just like that, it was over. Seb stood with his head hanging down, panting as his faculties slowly returned.
And when they did, it was amazing. Seb breathed in deep; the room was alive with smells, so many more than when he’d been human. Sounds filtered in through the closed door, faint but definitely there.
Seb opened his eyes, startling at a silver-grey wolf that stared back at him.Tim.
Seb walked forward and nuzzled Tim’s neck; a soft whimper escaped his long muzzle at the familiar smell.Mate. Mine.
Tim nuzzled him back, then nudged him towards the door.Oh, right. Running.
But first I want to see what I look like!
He glanced at the bathroom door, but the mirror in there was too high. Seeing his phone on the bedside table, he padded over and carefully picked it up between his teeth, then carried it over to Jared.
Thankfully, Jared knew exactly what he wanted. He laughed as he took the phone. “Yeah, okay, I’ll take a picture.”
Jared aimed the camera at Seb and took a couple of snaps, then one of Tim too. Seb was horrified to feel his tail wag in his excitement to see the photo—he hadn’t known wolves even did that.
