He crouched so as not to appear as threatening and folded his hands loosely in front of him. “Well, now that you made me ruin my clothes and took me for a run through the woods, are you going to tell me what frightened you?”
She stiffened but didn’t shift.
He motioned in the direction of the bar. “Was it that pathetic human? Or a different one, because I’ll—”
She shook her head.
“Another shifter, then? Someone from your pack harassing you?” Without the evidence of one, it didn’t seem likely, but he couldn’t imagine what else would’ve sent her running.
Again, she shook her head.
“Okay, then.” He waited a moment, then blew out a breath. “Look, why don’t you just shift and talk to me? Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”
A long moment passed while she studied him through her icy wolf eyes before she eased her tense posture and shifted. He watched in awe as she changed shapes, a sight he’d seen hundreds of times, yet never had the flip in forms mesmerized him the way hers did. For one brief second, a fuzzy image of a white wolf meshed with that of the woman who housed it. A glowing tether connected them, heart to heart. Her wolf’s shape faded and hers gained dimension. In the next moment, a naked female stood before him.
Hand planted on her hip, she raised her chin. “I’m not afraid of you.”
He swept his gaze over her. It was impossible not to. Full breasts, shapely hips and lush thighs—she was beautiful. No, gorgeous. Hell, even that didn’t do her justice, but he couldn’t think of a better description. He only knew he’d never laid eyes on a more perfect female, but if he didn’t tear his gaze from the space between her legs, her opinion of him would be less than stellar.
He glanced into her face. “I’m glad. I didn’t want to scare you, but I was afraid someone was after you. When you took off, I reacted. I couldn’t let any of the humans see a wolf running through their town.”
“You’re right.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s the full moon. Makes even the most levelheaded more prone to act on instinct.”
“That’s what I was trying to avoid by running away from you.”
“Me?” He pointed to himself. “What did I do to frighten you? Was it because I shoved that loser against the wall? If so, you should know I didn’t hurt him.”
“I believe you.”
He pushed to his feet. “Then what did I do?”