Nature of the Beast Read online

  Paris shook himself away from Boden and growled at the Breukelen beta werewolf. Staring at him hard. He knew Bodil would make good on her threat. Every werewolf in the tri-country area knew about her reputation for fighting. She was the queen of the underground circuit with five out of five wins. All against alpha male opponents from various other packs. Add to that her recent position in the attempted turf war the Braganza Pack had tried to make a play for last lunar cycle and there was no doubt, when it came to pack, and especially her family, that Bodil Sommers was not bluffing about her threat to him.

  He watched Bodil with Booker. “Thank you, for this. I owe you one.” Bodil replied softly.

  “You owe me nothing.” Booker replied as she walked into the bedroom and Booker looked down the hallway at Paris before walking back in.

  Paris tried to settle the anger inside himself. He didn’t want to burn with hatred when he walked back into Bg’s room. Didn’t want her to feel that coming from him, after he’d said okay and walked away from her at her request. He didn’t want her to experience that from him, given what she’d just been through. She shouldn’t ever have to experience such a strong sensation of negativity again.

  Paris ignored Boden and grabbing his suit jacket, snatched it up, and walked out the front door instead. It ate at him that Booker had touched Bg, and been so intimate with her, that he’d been the one to share the speciality of a shape shift with her. Paris knew it was immature and wrong to think that Booker had been the one that would get to smell the blood and lick it off Bg as he made love to her.

  The scent alone, even dried on her skin had been having a highly aphrodisiac like quality on Paris’s body as he’d been beside her. His restraint in not licking it off her, had been tested greatly.

  The human side of him knew he should be irked, grossed out by the thought of licking and tasting her blood off her skin. But the werewolf side of him felt more than hungry for it. So much so, at some point when he’d been sleeping in the chair beside her bed, he’d woken himself up with a painful erection and his fangs cutting into his bottom lip.

  He’d worked hard to convince his body to calm down, and stop having erotic dreams about his girlfriend to be. He was only marginally grateful that it wasn’t a full moon and Booker and her hadn’t started howling. That would have done him in, he was sure of it, he thought as he slid into his car. He’d probably have broken into her bedroom and pulled Booker off her in the middle of it. That or broken every limb in his body so he couldn’t touch Bg again. Of course, that was unlikely to impress the woman herself and cease all further dating Bg for him. If not just traumatise her further than she might already be.

  No, he didn’t want to come across as a horrible brute to her, or for her to think all men were. What Paris needed to do right that moment, to calm his anger down was simple. He needed to let it out. Perhaps he should try finding Conall Wakely?

  6

  Seven hours. That’s what she was missing. Bg realised turning her head to look at the clock on her bedside table. Seven hours in her tribal werewolf form that she didn’t remember. Which was common enough. It was just what came as part of the parcel of being a beta werewolf. Seven hours of grey, black and white images that never really retained themselves in her head. She’d never figured out how to completely retain her werewolf memories. It was literally like, when the shape shift was over, it wiped her clean. Or it hid that side of her wolf, from herself.

  Which meant, seven hours of not seeing and speaking and being with Paris. It was just more time apart than together. Again. She really was making a stand out impression for herself with the alpha werewolf. Probably the wrong kind, a little voice in her head told her.

  Bg awoke in her bed, again, in the early hours of the second day of the lunar week. It was interesting, all the same, she thought rolling over again, that she came too automatically thinking of Paris as her first thought.

  Normally when waking from a shape shift, Bg didn’t have thoughts. She just opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She lifted her nose and sniffed. There was still the faintest hint of him in her room. Mixed right in there with the heavy scent of Booker and something else, she sniffed again and looked around. He’d used her bathroom. She could smell strawberry body wash. Booker had probably had a shower, or attempted to rid himself of some Bg’s own scent. Probably because it was all over him.

  That was what tended to happen when you rubbed up against another wolf. It was like marking them, with your own personal brand of scent that screamed “Do not touch, this one is mine.” Only She wasn’t. “This is not going at all as planned.” She stated out loud to herself with a yawn.

  Booker had been considerate enough to know what the smell of her scent all over his skin would mean to the others. What they would think they had done. What Paris would pick up on, if he saw Booker. So he must’ve showered, and cleaned up in order to avoid, giving away clues. The room was light, with the early morning sun’s rays filtering through her French courtyard doorways that were open. Obviously someone had opened her doors during the last seven hours so when in wolf form she could go outside and stretch her legs if need be.

  Bg reached above her head and listened to air pockets in her shoulders snap lightly with the extended stretch of her arms. Her collar bone didn’t make any jolting pain into her chest, her shoulders didn’t punch her with unbearable pain.

  “Bonus.” For the most part, she felt well….better. Still, things ached. She would need another full shift in werewolf form to heal everything properly at the accepted accelerating speed given for werewolf healing.

  “Still not bad for a beta.” She told herself. Shape shifts were unique things. They had a mindset of their own. The wolf and body knew for the most part, how long you had to stay in tribal form to get better. But as a beta werewolf, Bg didn’t have the option to hold werewolf form, indefinitely. It was more like it worked on a time limit. Still, seven hours in tribal form would start the healing her body needed quite quickly.

  She threw back her bed cover and slid out of the bed, wiggling all her toes freely. No more pain in those, no more broken bones. That was good. She stepped gingerly onto her feet. Waiting for a response of pain to the pressure of her weight bearing down on them. Nothing out of the ordinary. That was, until she tried to walk. Bg winced slightly and found herself limping along slightly to her wardrobe cupboard.

  Of course werewolf shape shifting abilities were a great thing to have to help yourself. It truly was a blessing to not to have to go through life, for the most part, needing health care. Only, shape shifting didn’t necessarily solve all your physical problems in one shift.

  The more extensive the damage to the werewolf, and the more likely they would need to do more than one shift. Especially when you were only a Beta werewolf. If Bg had alpha abilities, there would be no doubt in her mind, that all her physical ailments would be gone and unseen in less than twenty four hours. With one shape shift. alpha’s had remarkable recovery time.

  Bg slid on a bathrobe and limped out into the corridor of the very silent Sommers home. She figure Annabeth and her other brothers, Markus and Joss who normally lived at the Sommers family home, well, Joss anyway, must be with her father at the hospital. Still, keeping vigil, like good family members did. Like she should be doing too.

  “But how can I see him like this, when I probably still look like a wreck? Not like the old man won’t be cluey enough to know something’s wrong, even if he is technically in a coma. He’s still too smart to be fooled by me.”

  She walked slowly down the dark mahogany wood corridor and peeked in one the bedrooms she knew to be her sister’s when she was there. Their father always kept the kids rooms just as they were, for whenever they were needed by them.

  The only two kids who still lived at home were Bg and her youngest brother, twenty one year old Joss. The three elder Sommers kids, Aksel, Bodil and Markus had moved out into their own places. Markus having finally made the move last year.


  Bodil was asleep in her bed, with Nick spooning her from behind. They seemed to be solidly asleep. No Boden in sight, which could mean one of a few things. Either the three of them didn’t sleep together as such in their relationship, or Boden was off on a mission somewhere. Which was a highly likely scenario.

  Or Bodil’s double bed wouldn’t hold all three of them. Or Bodil didn’t want to appear weird for the sake of image sake with two males in bed with her. Maybe she wasn’t ready yet to fully acknowledge that in public or even in her family home. Bg left them be and opened the next door along the corridor, her older brother Markus’s room.

  Booker was in his bed. She glanced at him on his side, with his big shoulders and biceps, visible over the bed cover he was wrapped up in. The bed looked far too small for him, or did he just look big in the king size bed? He opened his eyes and smiled at her sheepishly when he saw her in the doorway.

  “Hey,” he said in a hushed voice. “How you doing?”

  “Good, mostly.” Bg replied, her eyes dropping slightly to his naked chest, which was only partially covered by the cover on the bed. And looking back up at his face again. Booker wiped a hand over his face, as if to wake himself up more.

  “Good, good.” Booker replied in a low voice as silence fell between them and Booker looked away, uncertain where to look.

  “You?” Bg said still standing in the doorway, looking at him in the bed, finding herself wondering if the rest of him was as naked underneath the bed cover. Booker’s eyes wandered to the slight gape in her bathrobe, revealing a small swell of otherwise hidden breast.

  “Good.”

  Bg nodded her head as Booker nodded his head back at her. She wondered if she should say something or not. Seemed odd them suddenly not being comfortable enough to really relax or talk around each other. Bg had always liked Booker as a friend and confidant.

  “Um, about last night,” she started.

  “You don’t have to, say anything baby-girl.” Booker replied with a sweet smile at her. “At all. It’s between us, what happened, no matter what anyone else might say.”

  Bg nodded her head and paused. Maybe he was feeling awkward about it. After all, he’d literally had to take one for team Breukelen and had done so, as far as she knew, without complaint. Which maybe he found annoying or confronting or offensive in some way since he’d been asked by an alpha to do it and being asked was almost as good as a direct demand or order. Especially when Booker already had a girlfriend.

  Although Bg wondered if maybe he was okay with it because, maybe he didn’t anymore. She didn’t really know all that much about his life, just the few scraps of gossip she heard around the place.

  “Well, I wanted to at least say, thank you for helping me. So, um, you know, thanks.” Bg replied looking down at her feet as she spoke. Booker moved to sit up in the bed, with the bed cover dropping to reveal more of him, he grabbed it quickly and held it at his waist.

  Bg hid a quick smirk. She gathered Booker slept naked, some things never changed. He’d slept naked when he’d been with her too. She could still smell the strawberry body wash on him.

  “Do you know which room Paris is staying in?” Bg asked quickly looking back up at him. “I mean, my parents or Joss’s or Aksel’s room?” Booker waved her into the room and indicated she should shut the door behind her. Bg limped in slowly. Lightly closing the door.

  “He left after you shape shifted.”

  The disappointment of the news she was hearing showed easily on Bg’s newly healed face. “Oh.” and sounded clearly to Booker in her voice. “I haven’t heard from him since, but maybe Bodil has.” He offered sympathetically, hating himself for breaking the news to her.

  “Well can’t expect him to hang around for forever can I? I mean, the man has a life to lead and we were supposed to go out on one little date and look how that attempt worked out. I shouldn’t be so surprised I’ve scared the man off now should I?”

  Of course all of what she said made perfect sense, it just didn’t make perfect sense to why it would be so natural for him to do that, to her. Paris seemed like he was going to be there when she woke up. Hadn’t he said he’d all but move into the Sommers family home if he need to be near her and they’d all just have to deal with it? Clearly he knew how to say the right thing at the right time. He was a smart guy, saying the words she probably needed to hear to help her get better. Why wouldn’t he lie?

  Booker patted the edge of the bed a few times and Bg snapped out of her own personal bubble of thought and limped over and sat down on the edge of it. Booker noticed the limp.

  “You still not one hundred precent hey?” He asked her.

  “No but believe me, compared to yesterday’s fun land of pain that was my body. This is a big, improvement. I’ll be alright with another shift, it should all be better than.” Booker nodded his head.

  “So how long would it take you? If you know, you were me in this situation?” Bg asked him curiously.

  Booker yawned and put a hand to his mouth before answering her. “One shift, full form, all night.” He stated factually.

  “Wow, you say that like you know that for real.”

  “Hey, I’m a guy, I’ve been in fights and when I’m not here doing Breukelen business, I’m a bouncer at a strip club – I’m used to the routine and the varying degrees of what has to be done to get better.” Bg nodded her head and remained silent.

  “Hey, you’ve been through a lot. Any guy who knows that and doesn’t take that into consideration with understanding, isn’t worth knowing. Even if he is some big wig alpha from another pack. Correction, especially if he is a big wig alpha from another pack.” Booker replied firmly smiling at her.

  Bg laughed lightly back at him. “Thanks for the boost in confidence.”

  “Have you tried calling him yet?”

  “No, not yet. I mean, I guess I thought he was still here, and you know, that he was in for the long haul.” She shook her head and black hair flew about her face quickly. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been wrong or completely naive to think so positively about romance and love for myself.”

  “Hey, take it easy will you? I like the girl you’re slamming here.”

  Bg laughed lightly and looked at Booker who held her gaze. She pushed up off the bed quickly.

  “I’d better go and uh, get some food into me. I’m starving.” She said quickly as she walked back over to the bedroom door.

  “It’s no wonder, a shift can really take it out of you.” He replied.

  “Among other things.” Bg muttered with a little smile before walking out the bedroom door again and straight into Bodil. Who looked back at her with surprise and past her at the closed bedroom door, that she knew Booker was rooming in.

  “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better and up and about. But do me a favour okay?”

  “What’s that?” Bg asked already feeling the blush of embarrassment coming on.

  “Just remember the first ones a freebie, the second time round, it gets complicated.”

  Bg blushed beetroot red in an instant and looked horrified at her sister’s boldness. “Bodil!” she shushed at her sister.

  “Oh come on,” Bodil replied yawning as she headed off down to the kitchen in plaid striped Pyjama pants and a white singlet top. “We all heard you guys, even with the stereo on.”

  “Ugh! You are so embarrassing!” Bg shrieked at her. Bodil laughed at her sister as she turned around on her heel and headed back to her bedroom as fast as her limp would allow her to move.

  “What are big sisters for?” Bodil yelled out after her with a laugh.

  “Clearly teasing and taunting little sister’s misfortunes.” Bg muttered to herself slamming her bedroom door behind her. She limped faster, over to her bedside table and picked up her mobile phone and paused. He hadn’t called, there were no missed calls. There were no text messages. So should she try and call him?

  “Oh dear,” She said softly, sinking to her bed with her phone in h
and. Paris had left. Everyone had heard her and Booker’s unmistakable sounds of passionate shape shifting.

  Bg closed her eyes. “Son of a bitch!” she swore softly. She opened her eyes again. “Okay, what if Bodil did manage to get him out of the house, so he didn’t hear anything, he might not know. I mean, it’s not like Booker would talk about it. Or would he? No, he’s not that type of guy, none of them would do that to me. It was a necessity, it was a requirement, it was for my own good. To help me, assist me physically get better, Paris knows that. He would totally understand that. Totally.” Bg said fast, speaking to herself and not believing a word of what she said.

  “Or he could just look it like I got nailed by an alpha male who wasn’t him that I was willing to get naked for. Shit! Shit!” She looked at her phone and debated on whether to dial his number or not. “He must think I’m a freaking nightmare. So why would be bothered with someone like me when there are plenty of other women who are far less trouble or high maintenance to deal with?”

  She had to at least play nice and thank him for looking after her, for alerting her sister and getting the doctor and all of that. At least that was a pathetic little excuse to use to call and speak to him again. If he’d speak to her.

  “What if he doesn’t want to speak to me again, like ever. Ugh! Worse, what if he does want to speak to me and it’s only to tell me he hates my guts because of what I did?” She looked the phone again and sighed. “Just suck it up and see, girl.”

  Bg pressed buttons on her phone and brought up her contact phone book. She scrolled down to Paris’s name and looked at it. “Why do I feel like I’m just setting myself up for something bad to happen?” she asked herself as she depressed the green button and it started ringing his phone number.

  Bg didn’t realise she was holding her breath so tightly until she heard the sound of Paris’s voice on his voicemail kick in. “You’ve reached Paris D’Arenberg, please leave me a message.”