Selena didn’t wait for her friend to answer. Instead, she held up her hands, palms facing her, and focused on the fear that had been growing inside her the entire morning. Hours alone in Becca’s apartment had already taught her that being scared made the claws come out. Anger did it, too, even easier than fear.
Becca stumbled and almost fell over when Selena’s claws came out. Her eyes went so wide, Selena thought for a second her friend might pass out. She resisted the urge to run forward to be there to catch her, just in case. But that would only terrify Becca more.
She moved her hands behind her back, hoping that would help. It didn’t at first, but after a few moments, Becca’s breathing slowed to normal. Setting her purse on the floor, she walked over to stand in front of Selena, then put out her hands, palms up.
Selena slowly brought her hands out from behind her back, carefully resting them on top of Becca’s.
Her friend stared at the inch-long claws for a long time without saying a word. While Selena had quickly figured out that fear and anger made the claws extend—and sometimes her fangs—she’d yet to figure out how to make them go away as fast. They’d usually retract after she calmed down, but at the moment, there was little chance of that happening.
“So, you’re a werewolf,” Becca finally said.
Selena nodded. “Yeah. At least, that’s what Jayden told me.”
Becca lifted her gaze, her expression concerned but not necessarily scared. “How did you turn into one?”
“I don’t know for sure.” Selena’s voice cracked a little as the waterworks threatened to turn back on. She’d spent a good portion of the morning reflecting on this same subject. It hadn’t gone well. “Jayden said something about this being related to Pablo shooting at me.”
Becca seemed to consider that for a moment. “I can’t believe I’m going to ask this, but how did Jayden figure out you’re a werewolf?”
Selena closed her eyes for a second, thanking God he’d given her a friend so good at dealing with this kind of stuff. “He recognized the signs because he’s a werewolf, too.”
“Of course he is.” Becca sighed. “Did you turn because he bit you?”
Selena had already considered that possibility. It was one of the first irrational conclusions she’d leaped on after getting to Becca’s apartment. “I don’t think so. I was acting weird long before last night.”
“I’m not going to argue with you there,” Becca agreed. “What about when you bit him the night before? Maybe you got it through his blood.”
She shook her head, taking her hands away from Becca’s. “Nope. I already had the fangs then, remember. I’m pretty sure I was already turning into a werewolf when you saw me in the hospital after the shooting. It’s probably why my vitals were so wacky.”
Becca blew out a breath. “Okay, that’s the end of my bright ideas then. What about Jayden? What else was he able to tell you about being a werewolf?”
Selena winced. “Unfortunately, I didn’t give him a chance to say very much.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Becca said.
“Remember when I said I freaked out when Jayden told me I was a werewolf?” Selena’s stomach clenched at the memory. “Well, saying I freaked out might be a bit of an understatement. I attacked him.”
Becca nudged Selena over to the couch, sitting her down, then taking a seat beside her. “What do you mean you attacked him? Because I refuse to believe you could hurt anyone, especially Jayden. It’s not in you, werewolf or no werewolf.”
Selena wondered if Becca would say that if she’d seen her earlier. “When Jayden first told me I was turning into a werewolf, I got mad. I thought he was trying to be funny about something that wasn’t funny at all, like you did with me a minute ago. But then he showed me his claws, and I lost it. That’s when my claws and fangs came out, which only freaked me out even more.”
“That’s understandable.” Becca gave her a small smile. “It’s sort of a lot to take in.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Understatement there. “Jayden tried to get me to calm down, but when I saw how much I’d clawed him up while we’d made love, it scared me so badly that I was convinced I was a monster. The look on Jayden’s face when I flipped out only made it worse. It was like he was seeing a monster, too.”
“Honey, Jayden does not think you’re a monster.” Becca took Selena’s hand, not caring that her claws were still out. “He thinks you’re a werewolf like him.”
“I know what you’re saying, but you didn’t see the look in his eyes when it happened.”
Becca squeezed her hand. “No, I didn’t. But I saw the way he looked at you in the club last night. The man is in love with you. A few days after meeting you, and he’s crazy about you. I’d bet my life on it.”
A part of Selena desperately wanted to believe that, because she felt the same way about him. Running away from him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done, and if she hadn’t been so damn scared, she probably wouldn’t have been able to do it. But the longer she sat here now staring at her claws and remembering how badly she’d hurt the man she was already in love with, the harder it was for her to believe Jayden could ever forgive her. He might be a werewolf, but she was a monster.
“Even if you’re right about Jayden being in love with me last night, he’s not now,” she said miserably. “Not after what I did to him this morning.”
Becca frowned. “You keep saying you attacked him. What exactly did you do?”
“I shoved him—hard,” Selena said. “I didn’t even realize what I was doing. One second, I’m standing there freaking out, and the next, Jayden is flying ten feet through the air and bouncing across the floor.”
