33. Claire: Possessive
*CLAIRE*
After sprinting through the woods with Nik for the entire afternoon, I’m worn out enough that I finally feel like Shifting back to my human form. All the muscles in my body ache, but in a good way. I haven’t felt this happy and wild and free since I was a child. Actually, I don’t know if I’ve felt like this *ever*.
*I finally Shifted.*
It’s like a nagging and worrying weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can finally breathe.
Nik leads the way back through the forest to the cabin, our paws pounding against the soft earth with each stride. Though even without Nik showing the way I’m confident that with my new senses, I could find the way back the way back to the cabins even if I were alone, despite being unfamiliar with the forest the way that I am. There’s a new sixth sense in my wolf form— a directional instinct of sorts— that’s telling me exactly where I am and which way to go.
I can feel Nik’s attention on me as we run— the same way I’ve felt it on me throughout the entire afternoon. Watchful. Attentive. Like he wants to be sure I don’t don’t randomly up and disappear on him into thin air. It’s similar to the way he guards me on my morning runs through the park.
We round the bend to the front of the cabin to find that there’s a familiar black Jeep parked out front.
*Vivian*.
Happiness sparks through the center of my chest as she pops open the drivers’ side door of her Jeep and slides out. She must have seen us approaching, because she immediately turns in our direction. Her dark eyebrows raise, hands propped on her hips.
“There you are, I was beginning to worry—” she starts. Her words cut off as a realization strikes her. She blinks once. Twice. Three times. “Wait…*Claire?* That’s you right? You Shifted?!”
My wolf makes a happy yipping noise in response. As I start to run forward to greet her, my path is cut off with a massive wall of white wolf blocking my way. Nik suddenly stands between Vivian and me, his stance now rigid and defensive. The wolf tenses in front of me, his fur bristling with tension.
A low bloodthirsty growl rips from his chest.
My heart skips a beat. *What's gotten into him? Why is he acting so aggressively toward Vivian*?
Trying to brush off his weird behavior, I huff out a breath and attempt to nudge past him. He blocks the move easily, keeping himself in front of me. The white wolf’s dark gaze stays locked on Vivian with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine. Tension radiates off of him in waves, crackling in the air around us. The intense shift in the air is almost palpable. I quickly wrack my brain for what it is that could have triggered this sudden change in Nik's behavior, but come up blank.
Unsure of what to make of the situation, I peer around the white wolf’s towering shoulder toward Vivian.
Prepared to see alarm or even concern in her expression, my eyes widen in shock when I see her reaction is one of amusement rather than fear. She meets the wolf’s gaze with a knowing smirk, her eyes dancing with mischief as she raises her hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Easy there, big guy," she says, her voice laced with laughter. "No need to get all territorial on me."
Nik's territorial growling subsides at her words, but he doesn’t make a move to relax his protective stance in front of me.
My gaze darts back and forth between the two of them, a surge of confusion flooding my senses. Vivian doesn’t look a bit shocked by Nik’s sudden change in demeanor. In fact…I get the weird sense that she almost seemed to *expect* it.
Am I missing something here?
“Nik,” she says to him again, her hands still up in a placating gesture, “How about you Shift back to a person so we can have a conversation in something other than huffs and growls?”
Nik doesn’t move for another long moment.
But finally his white wolfy body ripples. The fur quickly gives way to tan muscled skin, until a very naked Nik takes the place of the wolf. If I were in my human form, I’d be blushing furiously.
Against my better judgement, my eyes dip in a quick appreciative perusal of his insanely gorgeous body. Even after seeing it all before, I’m not even remotely immune to him or the effect he has on me.
I know that Shifters inevitably lose any sense of shyness in regards to modesty after Shifting forms enough times. They always Shift back naked, after all, and usually in front of other pack mates. I obviously haven’t gotten to that point yet, though.
“Hold on,” Vivian says. She turns back to her Jeep, returning with a towel that she tosses at Nik.
He grabs it mid-air, wrapping the towel around himself until it rests around his hips. I’m both relieved and disappointed when he’s covered.
Vivian leans casually back against the side of her Jeep, smirking, “The post-Heat Frenzy has got you in a chokehold, huh?”
*Post-Heat frenzy*? What is that?
Nik runs a hand over the back of his head, the muscles in his jaw and back still clenched with tension.
“Irrefutably.” Nik replies in a growl. That same hand moves to scrub over his sharp jawline which is now shadowed in dark stubble.
Now that Nik’s massive wolf isn’t blocking the way, the path from me to Vivian is clear. Nik’s back goes rigid as I dart around him, but thankfully, he doesn’t try to stop me as I bound cheerily over to his Beta. Vivian chuckles lightly when I weave around her legs excitedly. She reaches out to ruffle my fur affectionately, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"Look at you, Claire," she says, her tone filled with pride. “You shifted."
I can't help but feel a surge of warmth at the sight of her genuine happiness for me. With a grateful wag of my tail, I nuzzle against her hand, my heart swelling with affection for her.
After a moment with my friend, I turn back to face whatever is going on with Nik. Because whatever it is that’s happening, I know one thing for certain: things are about to get a lot more complicated.