Twenty-Seven

The next few days were a whirl of food, studying, school, and sass. 

The sass was pretty much just teasing banter between Jesse and I. 

We could go back and forth for an hour about something neither of us was even really passionate about—we just liked to argue. 

But the problem with our constant banter? It made me like Jesse way more than I should have, considering we'd only known each other for a week. 

I ignored the liking and tried to focus on school and eating enough so that my body would stop going into panic mode when my damn wolf took over. 

Staying close to Jesse, I managed to keep her at bay until Wednesday. We were on campus, walking to my last class. 

"That was the most boring lecture we've ever had from that guy," Jesse yawned. "You've only been to three of his lectures," I pointed out.

 "Luckily." Jesse went to open the door just as some girl pushed it open. He stepped back in time to avoid being whacked by the thing, but the girl's huge eyes went wide and her lips formed a perfect O shape. 

She was gorgeous; perfect makeup, winged eyeliner, definite lip-fillers, and who knew what other face-work was done. 

And she was wearing a tight mini-skirt and a bandeau bra that somehow managed to make her curves look curvier. I wasn't the girl who envied other chicks. 

My wolf? She was another story. "I'm so sorry!" the girl gushed, stepping up to Jesse and putting both hands on his chest. 

My wolf surged forward, and I barely bit back a scream of pain. I crashed into Jesse's back, knocking him directly into the girl as I tried to figure out how to shove my wolf away. 

Shifting in the middle of campus while there were a bunch of people around? Not a good way to stay alive. The girl grabbed his biceps, pressing every inch of her front to his. 

She was taking full advantage of the situation, and I didn't freakin’ blame her. Jesse was a piece of eye candy that even someone who didn't eat sugar wouldn't be able to resist. I stifled a scream as my spine felt like it cracked. 

"Excuse me." Jesse's voice was more brittle than I'd ever heard as he extricated himself from the girl's arms and turned to me. 

My eyes pinched shut as I tried to breathe through another sharp spasm of pain in my back. Jesse smoothly slid an arm around my waist, the other taking my hand and easing my arm over his shoulder. 

We "walked" quickly to the edge of the campus, toward the thick forest that would hide us from the view of the school's cameras and curious human eyes. 

"Walked," because Jesse was legitimately holding all of my weight. "Push back at her the way she pushes at you," Jesse spoke calmly, his voice quiet. 

"I'm trying," I said through clenched teeth. "What the hell is wrong with her?" 

"She's possessive, same as the rest of us. I don't wear your mark, so she's going to attack anyone who tries to claim me in any way." 

"That girl only ran into you." "To a wolf trying to choose a mate, any one of the other genders is a threat. You saw how my wolf reacted when you kissed our pack members." 

A small shriek tore through me as another wave of pain stabbed my spine. "Plus, she was grabbing me like a damn piece of meat," Jesse sounded annoyed. 

"Can you imagine if I ran into some chick and grabbed her tit the way she was grabbing my chest?" A strangled noise came from my throat as the wolf pushed harder. 

"Stop talking about it," I begged, my knees buckling. Jesse kept holding my weight, not fazed by my loss of strength. 

"We're almost to the forest. Think about something calming. The sound of a waterfall—the way the trees rustle in the wind." 

"River rocks," I struggled to inhale. Jesse looked confused. "Sure. River rocks. Whatever the hell that smells like." I snorted, then wheezed. 

We reached the trees, and Jesse swept me into his arms as I lost the fight with my wolf. He hauled me further into the forest at a jog as my body changed, bones cracking and reforming. I buried my face against his chest, biting down on his coat to stifle my screams. 

"I've got to get these clothes off you," he murmured, as he slowed to a jog and then stopped altogether.

 "I'll be quick." He lowered me to a less-snowy part of the ground, then his fingers quickly worked the fabric off my skin. My body contorted painfully, and I forced my hand to my mouth to hide my scream. 

The forest hid us from everyone else's sight, but we were still close to the campus. If I started screaming, someone would come looking to figure out what was going on. 

Jesse dropped his coat and tugged his shirt up over his head, balling it up. He carefully moved my hand from my mouth and tucked his shirt in its place. 

It was a weird thing to do, but I bit down automatically when the next crack of pain hit me, and I understood why he'd done it. It was sweet. 

"I'm sorry." Jesse's fingers stroked my scalp, brushing beads of sweat away from my hairline. 

"Just try to breathe. Let her take over, and it'll be easier." I warred with the wolf, trying to withdraw from the fight but failing. 

My hatred for being controlled was too strong; I couldn't stop trying to prevent her from taking over. She was intruding on my body. I'd existed long before her; I should've been the one in control. 

My body shifted in one last sharp crack, and my scream of pain became a howl. 

"Shhh." Jesse's arms wrapped around my wolf, tucking her up against his bare chest. 

His ass was in the snow, but he didn't seem to care. He stroked her head and neck, and every one of his touches calmed her. 

"It's alright, Teagan," he murmured.

 "You're my mate, and I've claimed you. I'm not interested in any other human or wolf. You're it for me, remember?" The words pacified her a little. 

Until she snuggled up against his neck. Something caught her attention and pissed her off in a heartbeat. 

"Shit," Jesse muttered as my wolf snarled. 

"She touched my skin, huh?" The wolf snapped her teeth at the air before sprinting through the forest. 

I heard Jesse swearing as he sprinted after her, but he was much slower than my wolf. She shot through the trees, her paws landing on concrete in only moments. 

I had no freakin’ clue what she was doing, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it. 

Though, that one was common sense more than anything. When had I ever liked losing control of my own damn body? 

My wolf's eyes landed on the girl who had run into Jesse, and horror bloomed within me. She wanted to eliminate her competition. 

I banged against my mental cage, trying to figure out how the wolf took control of me so I could replicate it, but the walls holding me were solid. 

Screams rang out from the girls grouped around the chatty, touchy-feely one who'd grabbed Jesse when they saw my pissed-off wolf, who was out for blood. She headed right for them. 

"Run!" someone screamed. My wolf dove toward the girl. The girl's scream pierced the air, a noise that would linger with me for a long time, as her arms lifted to protect her face and throat. 

My wolf's teeth sliced through the skin on her arm and broke through bone. 

The crunch would've been enough to make me nauseous, but her blood-curdling scream made me feel like a monster. 

Her good hand clutched her broken and torn arm, lowering as she kicked and kneed my wolf. 

Wolf Jesse knocked into my side, and my beast snarled at the male who'd kept her from her prey. 

Said prey was already running toward the nearest building, thick mascara tears running down her face as she sobbed. I wanted to cry too, but couldn't. 

Wolf Jesse nudged me toward the woods as someone came running toward us with what looked like a dog collar attached to a pole. 

The sight of the tool scared my wolf a bit, and Jesse's nudging and growling were growing more desperate by the second. 

She finally got the memo that those people were a threat to her and booked it back to the forest. 

Shouts followed her and Wolf Jesse into the trees. He took the lead, taking us back to our clothes. 

Shifting took him no more than two minutes he was faster than me and seemed to be in much less pain swapping forms than I had been in. 

When he was in skin, he grabbed my wolf's face.

 "I need you to shift back," he urged. 

"Those guys are looking for wolves, or at least massive dogs. You need to be in human form to stay alive." My wolf growled.

 I wasn't sure if it was a "no" or a "that's bullshit," or an, 

"I'm growling at you to say thanks.” "Come on, Teagan. I've protected you and marked you; you're mine to protect. Trust me on this, and stop fighting." My wolf finally gave in.

 She withdrew quickly, and I began to shift back. The pain was excruciating. 

By the time I made it back to human form, there were tear streaks down my eyes, and my lashes were probably clumpy from the combination of crying and what little mascara I'd put on that morning. 

"Here." Jesse quickly helped me into my clothes, then put his on minus the bitten t-shirt, and then slipped my arm over his shoulder and eased me to my feet. 

"I can walk," I told him quietly. 

"I know." He released me, bending down to dunk the t-shirt in a handful of snow.

 "Wait." He caught my arm, stopping me before I could walk away. When I stopped, he lifted the snowy shirt to my face. I cringed away. 

"What are you doing?" "You've got some blood." His voice was steady, his eyes kind. 

I lifted my hand to my face and pulled it away. When I saw the red staining my fingers, a strangled cry forced its way out. 

"Shh." His arm wrapped around my waist, his other hand quickly cleaning my face with the snowy shirt. 

"I'm a monster." My eyes burned, my heart beating wildly. "You turned me into a fucking monster." 

"I'm sorry, Tea. Really. If there was any way to—" 

"Stop. Just stop. No more excuses, or reasoning. You lulled me into thinking this is safe and normal, but it's not. I'm a monster, Jesse." I pulled out of his grip, and he let me go.