Chapter 16: Bare And Exposed

**Bianca**

The sun had set. Dried leaves produced a crunching sound as they were crushed beneath my shoes. I could pick up on the scent of pine trees and a dying oak tree. Somewhere in the forest were freshly grown berries. The breeze carried their fragrance to me.

Avery's breathing was loud. He sharply took in a deep breath and released it with his arms wide open.

"Goddess. It's good to be out here again. I haven't had a run in weeks." He turned to me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright." He pointed to a tree with a thick trunk. "I'll be getting prepared over there. Just call my name to let me.know when you're done."

"Ah, wait!"

Without thinking much of it, I ran over to him and stopped him from going any further by punching the back of his white polo shirt. Avery stared at me in surprise. "Yes?"

"I… I realized you've never clearly seen me in my Lycan form. The last time I transformed, we were too busy fighting Riley for you to get a good look at me. Are you sure you won't run away?"

Avery furrowed his eyebrows as he gave me a tender smile. "And why on earth would I do that? We might be different, but we're practically the same species."

"It's just…" She averted her gaze. "Conroy never hated my Lycan form, but he was intimidated at times. I don't know if you'll react the same way."

"There's only one way to find out then, isn't there?"

Yeah. There's no way to know how he reacts unless he sees me. And if he does look scared, then I'll leave without an explanation.

I let go of his shirt and allowed him to go prepare. He flashed me a grin before hurrying over to the tree. I remembered someone telling me that werewolves aren't shy about being seen in the nude, so he didn't go behind that trunk for privacy. It's so that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

I appreciated that. The action made the corner of my lips move upwards.

While he removed his clothes, I found somewhere where I could do the same. I removed my sweater dress, then kicked off my shoes. All that was left was my underwear. That was removed too.

Now it was time for the shift.

The lower half of my legs broke into two, forming new joints. Dark brown fur grew out of my skin. My fingers extended. Sharp black claws grew out of my fingertips. Two feet were added to my height. My lungs expanded. I feel the structure of my face changing.

Within a full minute, my transformation was complete. I could hear and smell everything.

It's time for the moment of truth.

I stepped out from the bush and presented myself to Avery who was already waiting for me in his wolf form.

His wolf was almost as tall as the man himself. Its reddish brown fur coat made him resemble a majestic creature. His wolf form stood at my beastly waist.

Avery's glowing eyes took me in. I waited. And waited. There was no reaction.

Avery's tail swung to and fro. He lowered himself on his paws and barked at me like a puppy. The next thing I knew, he was on the forest floor crawling on his belly.

The sight warmed up my stomach. A howl erupted from my chest. Avery howled too. Then we picked a random direction and started sprinting.

Everything was so breathtaking. I fell in love with the fresh air and brilliant night sky. The moon was nowhere near full, but with my eyes the forest was as bright as the evening sun.

Avery and I ran for so long that we nearly gave in to our beast counterparts. The freedom was too addicting. We could go on for hours and hours until we were spent. He happened to be right. Being out here made a world of difference.

We came across a cliff that was clear of every type of vegetation except for short, soft grass. I glanced over the edge, growling. Below was the steam that formed the Silent River. The spring couldn't be far away. From where I stood, I could see over the treetops and spot the river bends.

Avery seemed to be on the same page. He stood beside me and shifted back into his human form. I changed, reverting back to my human form as well.

When Avery noticed he sat down and looked in the opposite direction. I giggled and sat down with him. "I don't mind if you look respectfully. If I spot some weird look in your eyes then I'm pushing you off the cliff.

He laughed and shook his head. Avery joined me in taking in the moon.

Night owls hooted somewhere far away. A prey cried in pain after a predator caught it in its jaws. This was nature, the same nature that made us who we are.

While I gazed out at the moon, my companion decided that now would be a good time to bare his soul.

Avery released a harsh sigh, catching my attention.

"When I still lived with my pack, our Alpha was constantly harassed by a housing development company owned by Lycans. They wanted to buy the land but he wasn't interested. They called the police, accusing our pack of dealing with drugs. They sent people to kill our livestock. Once, they burned down the pack's warehouse."

I gasped and covered my mouth. "Shit! They didn't hurt anyone, did they?"

"No one ended up getting hurried, which I was thankful for. My Alpha finally managed to capture some evidence and brought them to the Council of Shifters. We were never bothered by them again. Our Luna decided after that debacle that us young pups should be educated on how to deal with Lycans. We learnt why Lycans always looked for small packs like ours to target. Prideful beasts who couldn't sew past their turned up noses, full of power and unable to think about anyone else until they want something from you. I was excited to meet you after Conroy wouldn't stop spending weeks ranting about you. But that day we met and I realized you were a Lycan, everything changed."