Page 102 of Taming of a Wolf

“Babe, you made him sad,” Bailey says, pity in their voice. “Jamie. Is he… like, safe?”

“Of course he is. He can still understand you. Right, Anders?”

Lifting my head, I look only at Jamie and woof softly. I’m too nervous to look at anyone else.

“Holy shit…” The floorboards creak, making me whip around to look at Bailey. They freeze, eyes wide. “H-hey, Anders. Remember me?”

My tail wags. Of course. How could I forget them?

Bailey laughs softly, shaking their head. “Un-fucking-real…” Slowly, they offer their hand.

“Bailey,” Jess whimpers, looking petrified.

“It’s okay, babe. He won’t hurt me.” Despite their confidence, Bailey’s scent is heavy with fear. They’re scared, but they aren’t attacking. They’re giving me a chance. Accepting me.

Hope brings me to my paws, and I approach until I’m just close enough to bump my nose into the pink palm of Bailey’s hand. Bailey gasps, and then a smile spreads over their face, bright and joyful. “This is so freaking cool!” They laugh when I lick their fingers. My tail can’t stop wagging, happy whines escaping me.

Bailey accepted me. They accepted me! I’ve never been happier to be wrong.

“You are so fluffy!” Bailey throws their arms around my neck and hugs me tight. I lick their ear, making them laugh. Jamie laughs too. The only one seemingly not amused is Jess, watching from the top of the table with suspicion.

“Bailey, that’s enough. Get away from him.”

My tail droops. I suppose it was too much to hope that they’d both accept me.

“But—” Bailey says.

Jess carefully gets down from the table. “Move over, Bailey.” A smile lights up her face. “I want a turn.”

Next thing I know, Jess’s warm arms are around me, then Bailey’s. My heart aches as they hold me tight, their touches gentle, their voices soothing. They tell me how beautiful I am. How soft. How amazing it is to meet a real werewolf. I never knew humans could be so fearless, so kind. I’m grateful to be in my shifted form. If I were in my human form, I’d have cried tears of joy.

“Uh, guys. I can shift too.” Jamie sounds like he’s pouting.

Jess gives him a challenging look. “Prove it.”

Jamie grabs his fur hood. “Okay, but just a heads-up, I’m way more adorable than Anders.”

I growl. As if.

Jess ruffles my fur. “Let Bailey and me be the judge of that.”

As Jamie shifts to his beautiful wolf and they fuss over him, I can’t even be sore that he is, in fact, cuter than me.

I’ve never been so happy. It’s like I can finally breathe after years of suffocating. Even if every other human in the world fears me, it doesn’t matter. As long as I have my pack, I can take on the world.

Snow falls around us in gentle flurries as Jace, Jamie, and I approach my village. It’s been a long time since I was able to have a proper dinner with my pack, and this time, I’m not coming alone. Jamie will get to know my brothers and my aunt. I have no doubt they’ll adore him almost as much as I do.

Jamie exhales beside me and squeezes my hand.

“Nervous, pet?”

“A little bit. I’ve never had dinner with a guy’s family before.”

I pull him close and kiss his hair. “They already like you. There is nothing to fear.” I wrap my arm around his waist. “I take it your first session went well?”

Jamie has started seeing someone called a therapist. They’re supposed to help people like Jamie cope with intense feelings of trauma. I picked him up from his session, and we came straight to Ulfheim. He’d been quiet on the walk to the piers, but he hadn’t seemed troubled, more… reflective.

“It was pretty good. She’s nice, and I feel comfortable talking to her.”

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