Page 27 of The Wolf's Plus-Size Nanny

“Depends on your definition of harm,” I shoot back, my patience thinning with every word he says.

Reiner clears his throat. “Hey, Tanner, we’re just here for a drink. No need to stir the pot.”

Tanner waves him off. “Relax, Reiner. I’m just saying, no one really believes Jack’s gonna sleep with Sonya. I mean, come on. You wouldn’t even touch her if she were naked in front of you, right? Hell, I doubt anyone would.”

For a split second, everything goes quiet in my head. I don’t hear the music or the chatter of the bar. All I can hear is Tanner’s voice, the disgust in his tone as he dismisses Sonya like she’s nothing. Like she’s less than nothing.

Before I know it, I’m on my feet. The table jerks to the side as I shove it away, and Reiner’s voice is a distant blur in my ears. Tanner’s still smirking, and it’s that smirk that sends me over the edge. I lunge, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the bar. Glasses clatter and shatter around us, and Tanner’s surprise is quickly replaced by anger as he shoves back.

“Jack, stop!” Reiner’s voice cuts through the haze, but I’m too far gone to listen.

Tanner tries to swing at me, but I’m faster. My fist connects with his jaw, and the impact reverberates up my arm, sending a flash of pain through my knuckles that only fuels the fire burning in my chest.

Tanner staggers back, clutching his jaw, but the satisfaction of the hit is short-lived. He comes at me again, and suddenly, we’re both throwing hands, each of us too stubborn to back down.

I barely register the shouts of the bartender or the fact that half the bar is watching. All I can think about is Tanner’s sneer and the way he talked about Sonya like she wasn’t worth a damn.

Reiner’s pulling at my arm, trying to wedge himself between us, but Tanner’s still swinging, still talking, still pushing every button he can find. I land another punch, this one to his gut, and he doubles over, gasping for breath.

“Jack, enough!” Reiner’s voice finally breaks through, and I feel his grip tighten as he drags me back. “You’re gonna get yourself arrested, man. This isn’t worth it.”

I’m breathing hard, my vision still clouded with rage, but Reiner’s words start to sink in. The bar is a mess, and Tanner’s slumped against the bar, wiping at the blood on his lip with a look that tells me this isn’t over. The bartender’s yelling about calling the cops, and Reiner’s pulling me toward the door.

“Let’s go,” Reiner orders. “Now.”

I let him pull me outside, and the cool night air hits my face like a slap. My knuckles are throbbing, and there’s a coppery taste in my mouth that might be my own blood, but I don’t care. All I can think about is Tanner’s words, the way he looked at me like I was just as worthless as he claimed Sonya was.

Reiner stops a few steps away from the bar, letting go of my arm as he turns to face me. “What the hell was that?” hedemands. “You can’t just go around throwing punches like that, Jack. Tanner’s an ass, but you gotta keep it together.”

I press a hand to my forehead, trying to make sense of the anger still boiling under my skin. “He deserved it.”

“Maybe, but you’re better than this. Don’t let him drag you down to his level.”

I nod, though it feels more like a reflex than a conscious decision. My mind’s still spinning, still caught in the whirlwind of everything that went down. Tanner’s words, Sonya’s hurt expression, the way everything seems to be slipping out of my control.

Reiner claps me on the shoulder, his touch a grounding force in the chaos of my thoughts. “Let’s just get you home,” he says quietly. “Figure the rest out later.”

I nod again, and my gaze drifts back to the bar where Tanner’s still inside, licking his wounds. This isn’t over, not by a long shot. But for now, all I can do is follow Reiner to the car, trying to hold onto the frayed edges of my temper as I replay Tanner’s words over and over in my head.

This fight was about more than just Tanner running his mouth. It was about standing up for Sonya, for every cruel, thoughtless word people have thrown her way. But as the adrenaline starts to fade, I’m left with the uneasy realization that no matter how many punches I throw, it’s not going to fix the mess I’ve made with her.

Reiner and I step up to the car, and I can still feel the anger still thrumming in my veins like a live wire. My knuckles ache, and there’s a dull throb in my jaw where Tanner managed to get a hit in, but none of that matters. What matters is the restless energy inside my body, the need to burn it off before it eats me alive.

Reiner catches my eye, and without a word, we both know what comes next. We head toward the tree line at the edge of theparking lot, stripping off our clothes and stashing them in the hollow of a familiar oak. We’ll come back for them and the car later. The shift is already clawing at my insides, the urge to let go of my human skin and give in to the animal that’s been pacing inside me since the bar.

I close my eyes and focus, letting the change come over me. It starts in my bones like a deep, twisting ache that spreads through every muscle, every tendon. My spine lengthens as vertebrae pop and realign with a crackle that’s both painful and liberating. Fur sprouts along my skin, dark and bristling, as my senses sharpen, pulling in the crisp scent of pine and earth. My hands curl as my fingers stretch into claws, and my vision sharpens to pick up every detail of the forest around me.

It’s like shedding a too-tight skin, like finally breaking free of all the constraints that have been holding me back. The wolf in me roars to life, eager and untamed, and when I open my eyes, the world is brighter, sharper, every detail crystal-clear.

Reiner’s already shifted beside me, his wolf form blending into the shadows of the trees. He gives a low growl that’s almost a challenge. Without waiting, I lunge forward, and my paws hit the ground with a thud that vibrates up through my legs. The forest blurs around us as we run, and the wind slices through my fur and carries away the last vestiges of anger clinging to my human thoughts.

The ground is soft and forgiving under my paws, leaves crunching and twigs snapping in a rhythm that matches the pounding of my heart. Every stride is a release, a way to purge the tension that’s been building since I left the house. The forest welcomes me, the cool air filling my lungs as I push harder, faster, until all I am is motion and instinct.

Reiner keeps pace beside me, a steady presence in the periphery of my vision, and for a while, we’re just two wolves, two shapes moving through the dark, letting the run strip awayeverything that’s been weighing us down. There’s no Tanner, no Sonya, no tangled mess of feelings and regrets. Just the simple, primal joy of running, of feeling the earth beneath us and the sky above.

By the time we circle back to where we started, my mind is clearer and the adrenaline has faded into a dull hum that settles into my bones. We shift back, and I grab my clothes from the tree before I pull them on.

Reiner claps me on the shoulder once we’re dressed. “Feel better?”

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