Mated To The Alpha: A Standalone Wolf Shifter Romance, стр. 36

He snarled at the child, lunging like he was going to shoot right between Emma's legs.

With a snarl of her own, Emma threw herself at Elam, protection of this injured child the only thing on her brain. She felt an odd moment of disorientation, shook her head some to clear it, and found herself on all fours, barking and snarling and lunging at the man she already somehow loved. But love or no, she'd be damned if she'd let him finish what these kids seemed to have started.

She was shocked when her lunge made Elam sit back on his haunches. He suddenly grinned at her in that way only canines can, tongue lolling, head cocked as she continued to guard this human from a no longer aggressive Elam.

As Elam kept sitting and grinning at her, a movement behind him caught Emma's attention.

The other cub, the one who had high-tailed it out of the clearing came back, followed by a larger wolf. This one Emma did recognize. She was one of the ones Emma had seen around the pack a few times.

The momma wolf paused, taking in the situation, before shifting into her human form and facing both Emma and Elam.

Elam shifted as well, turning to face the new arrival.

"Gabe told me you were here. He was very excited. 'Mama, the Alpha is sparring with us!' It was all he could say. Ah, Sammy got nipped, huh?"

Emma was more and more confused as the conversation went on between them.

Elam answered her, "Yeah, the twins were sparring. Em and I were just going to pass through, but I decided to have some fun with the pups. Gabe did well. He attacked me and distracted me while Sammy tried to get me from behind. I meant for it to be a close call, but yes, I did nip him in his shoulder. Nothing too bad, though. Plus it gave Emma here a chance to go into protection mode. One look at a wounded and human Sammy, and she shifted, facing down her Alpha and Mate to protect your little cub there."

"I didn't realize you could shift, Emma."

The momma wolf aimed her words at Emma. She tried to respond, but only a half-bark, half-yelp popped out. It was then that Emma realized she was still on all fours, and a wolf.

Elam reassured her, saying, "Great job, Em. Stay in your wolf form, I want to show you a few things before you shift back."

As if I know how to shift back, Emma thought, sarcastically.

As Elam and the boys' mom shared a few more minutes of small talk, Gabe came over and licked his brother Sammy, til Sammy started giggling and stood up.

Emma noticed that the bite on Sammy's shoulder had already mostly healed. Sammy shifted to roll around some more with Gabe, and Elam said his goodbye's to the three as the momma led the two cubs out of the clearing.

One they were alone, Elam addressed Emma, "You did it, Mine! I knew your protective instinct was the best way to push you. Now, I know you are pissed. And I know you have a lot of words you want to throw my way. I deserve them all, I know. But you'd have to shift back to yell them at me. How about we go play instead? I'll introduce you to some of the joys of being a wolf before I poke you back into your human form to give me what for. Deal?"

He shifted then, without waiting for her answer. He padded over to her and leaned against her, licking her snout and nudging her in a playful, friendly way.

He was right, she did want to give him what for. But he was also right about what he'd said earlier, about shifting into wolf form being freeing. She wanted to be mad at him, but what she wanted more was to run with him.

She ached to stretch her new legs and run and jump. She wanted to hunt and eat something, with Elam, and to play and tussle with him.

She decided being mad at him for his methods could wait, so she nipped him on his snout and took off into the woods, fully expecting him to come chasing after her.