Taming the Beast

“Adam, his pupils are huge. Is th

at normal?”

“Hard to say without more context. What’s he doing?”

“Gripping me.”

“In what way?”

Andreas put his head back against the floor, and from that angle could see straight up Mary’s hitched skirt. She’d felt like she wasn’t wearing panties, but she was, and he’d seen them earlier. There just wasn’t much to them. “Off,” he whispered.

She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “In a salacious way.”

There came no response from the Adam person.

“Adam?” she queried. “You need to tell me something.”

“Sorry. I was just thinking. Look, I can’t say what’s what with me here and you there. I can only guess at what’s going through his head. Anton and Vic’ll be there in a little while. If you can hang out until they get there, I think that’d be for the best, but I’d certainly understand why you might want to leave.”

“Is he going to shift back into a wolf if I leave?”

“Probably, at some point. Like I said, he can’t help being unpredictable.”

“I’m…a wolf?” Andreas said to Adam.

“Show him the pictures, Mary,” Adam said. “Show him who he is.”

“I will.”

“Who are you?” Andreas asked again.

“I’m Adam Carbone, the alpha of the Norseton wolfpack. Mary needed my help to wake you up. That’s all.”

“Norseton?”

“Yep. Didn’t know about the pack here, huh?” Adam chuckled.

Andreas didn’t know if he’d heard or if he’d just brushed the information aside as useless. He’d had no reason to query about wolves in particular. The word shapeshifter hadn’t ever come to mind. He hadn’t tried to put a name to the kind of monster he was.

“Is everything all right there, Mary?” Adam asked.

“Yes, I think we’re fine for now,” she said, staring down at Andreas, her blue eyes wide and curious. “I’ll call you back if I need your help again.”

“I’ll try to stay off the line. Oh, and I’ll keep you updated about the boys’ ETA.”

“Who are you sending here?” Andreas asked, unhanding Mary’s waist.

That was a mistake, because she scrambled off of him, and the beast inside him didn’t like that. He stirred, and Andreas shouted, “No!” and thumped a fist against his chest.

Mary huddled against the sofa, eying him warily.

He shook his head hard. “Not you. This…” He scratched over his heart, wondering if that was where the thing lived and if he could force it out for good. “This thing in me.”

“The beast isn’t in you, son,” Adam said. “You are the beast.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The boys’ll explain when they get there.”