Page 63 of Artemis' Bow
“You’re just jealous,” Greyson taunts him.
“Hell yeah, I am. Look at her. She’s beautiful and powerful.” Tristan throws his hands up.
“She’s also standing right here.” I scowl at the two shifters.
“Sorry, Beth.” Greyson hangs his head.
“Yeah, sorry. It was totally a compliment, though.” Tristan winks at me.
Jayden growls and tugs me closer to his side, staking his claim. I rub a hand over his chest and when he glances down at me, his eyes are swirling with shadows.
“Hey, Jayden, stay with me. Tristan is an ally. Not a threat to us. Do not lose control.” I tilt his head so he’s staring into my eyes.
“Sorry, baby. That shit pissed me off and my magic was hard to contain.” Jayden shakes his head, probably to clear it from the thought of killing Tristan.
The elevator dings and the doors slowly open. A second later a tiny furry body launches at me. I scramble to catch the small ball of fur with a giggle.
“Colby, I have told you a hundred times, you can’t just launch yourself at people,” Tristan scolds.
I scratch the small wolf behind his russet ears. He’s the most beautiful red color. Colby barks, the high-pitched sound the most adorable thing I have ever heard.
“Oh my gods, aren’t you precious?” I coo at the little furball.
I step out of the elevator with my new little friend and several other small wolf pups tiptoe into the room to investigate the noise. Two of them are so similar they have to be related. Theyhave silky light-gray fur and blue eyes. There is a pure-white pup that would probably be camouflaged in the snow falling outside.
The last one is black—so dark it almost looks blue—with bright-green eyes. He peers at me with an inquisitive gaze before trotting over and sitting right at my feet. He growls and barks at Colby who returns his bark with the most adorable howl I have ever heard in my life.
“Okay, pups. This is Greyson and his friends. Alpha Greyson is going to try to force your shift,” Tristan says.
Colby squirms in my arms and I set him down on all four paws. He rushes over and sits directly in front of Greyson, ready to get out of his wolf body after being stuck for days. He must be terrified. How do they communicate in that form? I’ll have to ask Greyson later.
Greyson squares his shoulder and takes a deep breath. “Colby, shift. Now.”
Again, I have to fight back the urge to show Greyson my throat in submission. His dominance is no joke, especially considering I’m more powerful than him. The little red wolf pup whines before his body transforms before our eyes into a little red-haired boy of about five.
“Shit,” Tristan says, throwing a blanket at Colby. “Sorry, shifters don’t care much about nudity because we shift back to human naked. Clothes just get in the way.”
“It’s fine. Now that I know to expect it, I can just turn away when they shift back,” I say.
“Thank you, Alpha Greyson,” Colby says, his lip trembling. “I was so scared.”
“You’re welcome, Colby. You were so fearless. You volunteered to go first and that’s really brave.” Greyson crouches next to him.
“How can I be brave and strong if I’m scared? Daddy says to never show weakness,” Colby says.
“You know, I read something in a book once that said, ‘Bravery is not the absence of fear but the action in the face of fear.’ You showed that today.” Greyson smiles.
“You really think I was brave?” Colby asks.
“Hell yeah, little man,” Raven cheers.
The little black pup trots over and nudges Colby before sitting in front of Greyson and yipping at him with excitement. Everyone chuckles as Greyson pats his dark head.
“Okay, okay. Let’s get on with it. What’s this little one’s name?”
“Tanner. He needs to learn some patience.” Tristan sighs.
“They have been stuck like this for days. It’s okay that he’s a little antsy to get back on two legs,” I defend the little guy.
