Chapter 8 #2
His bear came tearing forth, just as it’d wanted to do for several days now.
His bones popped and grew thicker as they rearranged themselves.
Fur burst through his skin with a relieving tickle like a good sneeze.
The sound of the beach around him changed pitch as his ears changed and moved further up on his skull.
His nose more easily picked up the scent of Julie’s perfume as he took on the stronger senses of this form, with the notes floating pleasurably through his nostrils. He felt the sand under his big paws.
It felt incredible to let his inner beast out, to allow the other half of himself to exist for a few minutes.
More than anything, though, Will watched Julie.
She recoiled as he began to change, taking a couple of steps back.
Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, and her eyes widened.
As the changes continued, she let out little squeaks of shock.
He’d never seen a shifter through someone else’s eyes before. It was impossible to truly imagine what this must feel like for her, but his heart was so desperate to make her understand. Fully transformed, he stood before her and waited. That was all he could do.
“Will,” she whispered after a moment. Tears glistened in her eyes as she took in this new form. “Holy shit.”
He continued to wait.
He was soon rewarded when she took a step forward. She was still whispering, the awe clear in her voice. “You really are big. I don’t know how all that fits inside, you know, the other part of you.”
Will couldn’t have explained the physics of it all himself.
“I’ve never been this close to a real bear,” she continued, “but I’d never know you weren’t just a plain old bear.”
She lifted her hand, her fingers shaking. “Can I—Can I touch you?”
Moving slowly, wanting to ensure he didn’t scare her, Will ducked his head and pushed it forward, bringing it up under the palm of her hand.
“Oh!” she gasped. Her hand pulled back for a moment, but then it came back to rest in his fur.
Dear god. If she could only understand just how good it felt to be touched by her like that.
Her fingers curled slightly, exploring the depth and softness of his fur. She moved her hand a little as she took another step to stand beside him, and Julie rested her other hand on his shoulder.
He closed his eyes and basked in her touch.
Will’s bear had been reacting to her continuously.
It still was, but in a different way now that the beast was on the outside.
Instead of surging and boiling and demanding, it was soothed and comforted.
He leaned toward her slightly, not wanting this to end.
No good thing can last forever, though. Julie let go and stepped back. “Thank you.”
He regretfully let go of his bear and returned to the form she’d initially been introduced to. “I hope that at least answers some of the questions you didn’t know how to ask.”
“I think so. I’m sure there’ll be more, to be honest.” Her brow scrunched up. “Does it hurt?”
“No, at least not usually. It can if it’s been a really long time.” He slowly resumed their walk down the beach.
She fell into step beside him. Julie walked no closer than she had before, but at least she wasn’t any further away. “I’m sorry that I’m having such a hard time with this.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he said quickly.
Silence descended between them, broken only by the waves.
Will let it hang there, thinking about what Dylan had said the night before.
He was right. Julie would need some explanations, of course, but she would also need time.
They didn’t have to focus solely on this.
Even if they didn’t, though, he had to find the next step forward.
“I don’t know how much work you have to do today, but if you’re available, we could go for a little cruise around the bay. Just hang out.”
A small noise came out of her throat, something like a sigh, but not quite. Maybe even sadder than that. “I appreciate the invitation, but I don’t think I can do that.”
“Too much work to do?” he asked, feeling the hope rise in his chest even as he heard it in his voice.
“To be honest with you, I’m just not sure about any of this right now. I need some time.” She had her hands pulled completely inside her coat sleeves and her arms folded across her chest.
Damn. He hadn’t made as much progress as he’d thought. “Sure. I understand.”
“In fact, I’d probably better get back to it. I had a few things waiting for me in my inbox when I got up that I need to attend to.” She stopped walking and gave him an uncertain glance. “I’ll, um, see you around.”
“Okay.” Will stood there and watched her walk back into the house.
The further away she got, the more his heart shattered.
He tried to tell himself that he couldn’t be too disappointed.
Julie hadn’t left town, and she’d been willing to come outside and talk with him.
She hadn’t run screaming for the hills when she’d seen him take on his bear.
It was good, but it wasn’t enough. Not when he weighed it against the fact that he’d found his mate, and she was too scared of him for it to work.