Page 35 of A Bear's Journey

Chapter Nine

Olivia

Very carefully,Olivia cut a sliver of brie cheese, then spread it onto a tiny slice of baguette. She cast a quick glance over to the side, where another table had also gotten the meat-and-cheese plate, whatever the word for it was.

The guy there was also putting cheese and then meat on his bread, so she took it as permission to do the same, forking a piece of prosciutto onto her creation.

She put it into her mouth, fighting the urge to cram the whole morsel in, and took a tiny, dainty bite.

Delicious, she thought.

As she was chewing, thinking that she should probably add brie and cured meat to her list of good things about being human, and then worrying that the list was starting to really skew toward food, she caught the look on Craig’s face.

It was half shock, half fury, and he was staring at someone behind her.

Mouth still full, baguette slice in her hand, she turned to see what Craig was staring at.

“Don’t—” she heard him say, but it was too late.

Buck was standing there, along with seven other wolves.

Olivia’s heart dropped through the floor. Her pulse skyrocketed. Her vision started to close in, and she dropped the rest of her appetizer, not even noticing where it went.

Another wolf was arguing with the maître d’, but Buck just stood there.

Watching her.

He’s waiting to see what I’m going to do, she thought, and she turned her head back toward the table, staring down at her plate, taking deep breaths.

“Olivia,” Craig said, reaching out and taking her arm.

“I’m okay,” she said.

She could already feel the heat rising, that warm-and-sweating all over feeling that preceded a shift, but she fought it. Her bear starting growing, filling her skin.

Olivia hung onto Craig’s hand, and then Jasper’s, like she was dangling from the edge of a building. Around her, the other patrons were starting to stare, but Olivia barely noticed.

All that mattered was that she not shift in the middle of the restaurant. She held her breath and braced herself, harder than she’d ever braced herself before.

Marshmallows,she thought. Showers, hot water, brie and salami.

Mom and Dad and Papa.

Jasper and Craig.

She gave their hands a hard squeeze, trying to let them know that she counted them among her good things.

Slowly, her bear receded.

Her hands were sweaty and shaking when she opened her eyes again, and she could feel the wetness running in a rivulet down the back of her neck, but she’d done it.

She was human.

“Fuck this,” said Craig. “Let’s go.”

“No,” said Olivia. “We stay. He can’t control my life like this.”

Despite her shakes, she stabbed a piece of meat with her fork and brought it to her mouth defiantly.

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