I only had to wonder for a minute—because she started whining in her sleep again.
She’d nearly died because of me. The least I could do was sit next to her and rub her fur while she rested.
A woman’scry of pain ripped me from sleep.
I looked around the room blearily, before realizing the sound had come from the warm, furry bundle in my arms.
Zoe.
My mate.
She was shifting again.
Fuck.
I talked her through it. Tried to do it without letting her know how attracted I was to her this time, too.
Probably failed.
I was really fucking attracted.
Her naked body was plastered to mine with sweat and tears by the time she finished shifting. She panted, her violent inhales and exhales enough to worry me a little.
I’d never seen anyone else transform so brutally before.
It was going to take a lot of work for her to find peace with the wolf.
My arms were around her bare back. I knew I should probably let go, but couldn’t.
I wanted her too badly.
She could probably feel that, because I hadn’t thought about putting pants on after I got home.
Her trembling slowly got a little better.
“Hi,” she finally whispered.
“Hi.” I should feed her. That would help her recover. “Do you like eggs and bacon?”
“I’m a vegetarian,” she whispered.
Her voice trembled as much as her body.
“I think I have bread. And… butter. Do you eat butter?”
“Yeah. Bread and butter would be good.”
“Might even have peanut butter and jelly. I’m sure you can eat that.”
She laughed softly. “As long as they didn’t come from a peanut butter cow or a jellyfish.”
“Damn. Better make a trip to the grocery store.”
I felt her small smile against my skin. It faded after a moment. “I’m a mess,” she said.
“You just had your first shift. That’s expected.”
“Emmy said shifting was barely painful.”
