Page 17 of Two Wrong Turns

At my shocked stare, he shrugged. “Clothes rip when you shift. We’re all used to being naked a good portion of the time. It’s humans who hate nudity.”

My mouth dropped open, ready to defend my species.My species. Really, Barrett?

Ignoring my inner debate, I kept my gaze on his face. No matter how much I wanted to take in the span of delicious muscle and what I knew had to be a monster cock, I didn’t falter.

Once he was naked, he stood to his full height. With his eyes locked on me, he began to shift. I refused to blink since I had no clue how long it would take.

As I watched, fur sprouted across his body and his bones shifted. I could hear a crunching noise, which made me wince. That had to hurt, right?

In a matter of seconds, Nolan was gone and in front of me stood a bear.

A very familiar bear.

He was the one from my paintings. I’d know him anywhere with all the time I’d spent drawing his distinct features.

“It’s you,” I said with wonder.

My feet were drawing me to him before I even had time to panic. I needed to be closer, needed to touch what I’d secretly become obsessed with.

Nolan remained where he was, seated back with his chest tall. When I got closer, I took in his large form. Even seated, he was much taller than me.

“You’re gorgeous.”

I felt a surge of excitement over being this close to such a wild animal. Though, maybe this one wasn’t wild. It was Nolan beneath all that fur still. He was the sheriff of this town, a protector of all. And he provided me with a safe place to stay when he didn’t have to.

That made him a good person in my book. Eh, I mean, a good shifter.

The semantics of this was going to be interesting.

“Can I touch your fur?” I asked after taking a minute to walk around him. His size was magnificent. I pictured myself painting him like this. I’d need a larger canvas to capture all the details. It would take more time too.

Maybe I could work on it when he wasn’t around. It would be creepy to continue painting him now that I knew it was him I’d drawn, right?

Bear Nolan moved slowly until he was lying on his stomach. His head rested atop his paws, which made him look adorable in a way.

I smiled, then leaned over to run my fingers over the top of his head. At the first pass, he growled softly. I froze, unsure if the sound was one of enjoyment or anger. When he lifted his head as if to encourage me to continue, I couldn’t resist.

We spent several minutes outside, the quiet surrounding us as I lost myself in the moment. His fur was softer than I imagined it would be. It had a bit of a wave to it too, much like his real hair did.

After I had my fill, I moved to sit in front of him with my legs crossed. “Hi,” I said shyly. “Thank you for showing me this. What happens now?”

He raised up, shifting back quicker than before. I blinked and then a very naked Nolan stood before me. He reached for his boxers, though the move wasn’t quick enough to hide what was very clearly a rounded section of his cock.

“Is that…” my voice trailed off as I tried to think of the right word to use.

Nolan covered himself, then sat across from me, his pose a mirror to my own. “That was the other part of this you needed to know. Since I’m a shifter, my anatomy is a bit different.”

I laughed. “I’d say so. You’re definitely the hairiest guy I’ve ever kissed.”

We shared a smile at the silly joke, though I could still sense a tightness to his features. It was like he worried about what came next. I wanted to tell him that if him shifting into a bear wasn’t a deal breaker, then whatever he had to tell me likely wouldn’t be the end of everything either.

“As I was trying to explain, shifters are designed for breeding. Our bodies work to ensure our mate becomes pregnant unless there is some kind of medical intervention. Part of that guarantee is a knot.”

I froze as the word swept over me. Knot! That’s what I was trying to say earlier.

“You have a knot?”

He nodded. “I do. Do you know how a knot works?”

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