Page 12 of My Shifty Bodyguard

But I’m already gone.

Great. Perfect. Excellent coping skills, Violet.

The forest swallows me up, trees blurring past as I run.

I’ve never been truly alone before. I’ve always had guardians. Someone watching.

The Arkansas forest in March is nothing like the tidy, well-ordered packlands I grew up on. It’s wild and a little scary.

Can I do this?

I can do this.

My wolf stifles a whimper.

I think I can do this.

Am I going to die?

I force myself to suck in a deep breath. The air is cool but soft. Last night’s chill still lingers in shady patches, but sunlight spears through the branches in thin, golden shafts that dapple my fur as I weave between the trees.

White oaks and shortleaf pines tower all around me, their branches whispering overhead. Young redbuds flash early splashes of pink. Sweetgum leaves, still small and tender, flutter in the breeze. A few stubborn patches of moss cling to fallen logs, bright green and spongy under my paws.

Birds chatter everywhere—Carolina wrens scolding; cardinals hopping between branches; woodpeckers drumming out a territorial Morse code. Overhead, a red-tailed hawk circles lazily, its cry echoing across the canopy.

I slow down without meaning to.

For the first time in my life, there’s no guardian shadowing my steps. No second set of footsteps. No watchful presence hovering behind me.

The forest smells like damp earth and freedom. I pad across a bed of last autumn’s leaves, every crunch loud in the quiet. Sunlight warms my back. A breeze ruffles through my fur. I stop and lift my head, drinking it all in.

Alone. Unprotected. Unmonitored.

And I like it.

A little thrill skitters through me. I wander deeper, slower now, letting the forest guide me instead of racing through it. Letting myself breathe for the first time in years. Letting myself exist without anyone hovering or warning or controlling.

For a few long, precious minutes…I feel like the world finally, finally belongs to me.

And then— A shape moves ahead.

A bear. A real, actual bear.

Not a shifter. Not friendly. Not rational. Just big, furry, and looking at me with a little too much interest. I’m in danger now, I’m alone, because I’m an idiot, and a bear is going to kill me and Dax will get in so much trouble for it.

Chapter Six

Violet

A cool spring breeze rushes through my fur. The bear stands on its hind legs, towering like a building, roaring with rage. Something in me just…snaps.

All the humiliation. All the pent-up wanting. All the ache of the last day.

I throw back my head and unleash a howl of pure, feral fury.

It echoes through the trees with enough force to shake leaves off branches.

The bear freezes. Considers its life choices. Then does a full 180 and bolts.