Page 48 of The Return
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“Just what I said. I heard you tell me wolves were more animalistic, but the thing is, I don’t buy it. Everyone is good and loving and kind here. I can’t picture you all turning into slavering beasts. It just makes no sense. Even in this third form you’re talking about, you’re still you.”
“That’s not how it works,” he said. “When we shift, our animals are on the surface. They’re in control. Our human half is buried beneath—”
“Bullshit.”
“Corey, I—”
“No! This is bullshit.” I got up and moved away from Jonas. “The human is still there. I saw it in your eyes. Yes, the wolf might be dominant, but you’re still in the body. If you weren’t, you would have taken me down hard the day you showed me. You didn’t. Not because of the wolf recognizing me as its mate, but because you did. If the wolf was in control, you would have played with me like a wolf would. Instead, you played with me like Jonas would.”
He frowned. “You don’t get it.”
But I did. Being on the outside, looking in at the whole situation, I started to think I was the only one who could.
“Shift for me. We’re going to try something.”
He frowned. “I might hurt you.”
“And you might not. I’m willing to trust that you won’t. Shift.”
He looked up at me, his eyes shining. “I can’t. Please don’t ask me to do it.”
When I knelt beside him and took his hand, he gasped. “Look, you trust in me, right?”
He nodded.
“Then let me show you that I trust in you too. Please.”
Several long seconds passed before he sighed deeply. He sat, his entire body rigid. He gave me a pleading look, like he was hoping I would change my mind, but that wasn’t going to happen.
“Corey, I—”
“Shift. I swear it’s going to be fine.”
Because no matter what form he wore, he was my Jonas. Would always be mine.
“And I want to see your third form.”
He stepped back and held up his hands. “No, absolutely not!”
“Then you don’t trust me.”
“I trust you. I don’t trust the wolf.”
“But I do. The two of you are one entity, and no matter how bad things get, Jonas is still in control.”
“I wasn’t the day I nearly killed Adam.”
“Because Adam attacked me. I get that—why don’t you?”
“My father said—”
“Your father saw you when you were in a rage. How would he have reacted if it had been your mother that Adam beat up? He might not do what you did, but he wasn’t a teenager dealing with surging hormones.” I put a hand on his chest. “Show me your third form.”
Tears leaked from his eyes. “Corey, I don’t know if I can—”
“It’ll be okay, I swear it.”
