Chapter 949 Chapter 949
A shooting pain in her leg woke her. Sucking in a breath, she caught Webb’s scent and opened her eyes. If the pain weren’t intense, she’d just lie here and smile at him. She didn’t want to get up to walk off the cramp. She wanted to stay here, cuddled up to him. She was mated. Never in her life had she considered that it would really happen to her.
The pain increased. Hissing out a breath, she rolled away from him to the side of the bed. If she kept her eyes closed and waited this out, maybe she could stay and go back to sleep.
It hit once more and made her entire leg burn. She tried to sit up and misjudged where the edge of the bed was. Landing on her hands and knees, she clenched her teeth and listened to see if she had woken him up. Being caught in this position, naked, would be something she might not recover from.
Her entire back felt like it was on fire. With her luck, she’d hurt something falling out of the bed. The sensation moved through the rest of her body, and she couldn’t make a sound because it robbed her of the ability to breathe.
When she heard a popping sound, her eyes flew open, and she looked at the floor. Her vision was fuzzy. Squeezing them shut, she tried again until the skin on her face burned, forcing her to close them again. What was happening? Her hip felt like it was rubbing against another bone.
She dropped her head down. A spasm traveled up her back to her neck and then right into her skull. Oh god, was she shifting? She looked at her hands, which were not hands now. What if she couldn’t do a complete shift and was left lying on the floor half-human and half-animal?
Lifting her head, she looked at the bed and opened her mouth to say his name. A sound came out that was not one she’d ever made before. Reaching for him, she froze. A large cream-colored paw was where her hand should have been. She smacked it on the bed. It was her paw.
Webb stirred, and she backed away from the bed. If she weren’t fully shifted, he would wake up and see—she didn’t know what, but she couldn’t let that happen.
Turning, she went to the door, and then it dawned on her that she had no way to turn the handle. Rising, she tried to stand. Her balance was completely off. She dropped her weight against the door. It made a crunching sound. She did it twice more, using as much force as she could, and the door cracked in half. Putting her head down, she crashed through it and took off down the hall. She had to get somewhere and calm down. To figure out how this was happening.
When she reached the lobby, Blair stood there with two plates in his hand. He froze and gave her a wide-eyed look. Holding out one of the plates, he grinned, “Cake?”
Marie snuffed and then turned the other way.
“Rhogue.” Webb was running down the hall in his shorts. “It’s okay.” He stopped and held out his hand. “You shifted. It takes a minute to adjust.” He glanced at Blair, who hadn’t moved, and then looked back at her. “Your coat is so pretty.” He smiled. “Let her know that you’re okay. That you’re both okay.”
“I got the…” Kobie came out of the cafeteria carrying two cups. She looked at Marie and then at Webb. “She shifted.” She smiled at her. “You shifted. You are beautiful—and big.” She nodded.
Marie sat down, which felt weird because her legs didn’t really move the way she was used to. Something inside her sent feelings of worry. She kept her eyes on Webb and slowed her breathing.
“That’s it.” He smiled and moved slowly toward her. He held out his hand, and she inhaled his scent and felt calmness fill her. He came over and sat in front of her. As soon as he touched her, she knew everything was all right.
“Scared the hell out of me.” He was out of breath.
She turned to see Wynter with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a gun in her hand. She sighed and then gave Marie a big grin. “Welcome to the club, sister.” Turning, she went back down the hallway.
“Rhogue?”
Luna and Averyana were coming down the hall. They stopped at the room she shared with Shandi. “Get her a blanket just in case she shifts back,” Luna told Shandi.
Shandi came out with a blanket and hurried toward her. She had a huge grin on her face. “I’ve never seen a bear that color before. It’s awesome.” She held the blanket out to Webb. He took it.
So many were coming out of their rooms. Marie felt bad that she had woken them all up. She looked over at Blair. He was still holding the plates but was taking bites out of one piece of cake. She wanted to laugh.
Her legs began to shake, and then she slid down onto her tummy.
“Let’s give her some privacy,” Kobie said.
Marie didn’t look around. She kept her focus on Webb. Calmness was radiating off him, and she needed that right now. She’d shifted. She was a bear. Her muscles felt strange and weak.
“Just let go and let it happen,” Webb said in a gentle tone.
Dropping her head down, she closed her eyes and relaxed toward the floor. She was a bear.