The Release (Shifting Passions - Volume 4): Shifting Passions, #4

~Volume Four – The Release~

Eva’s got a problem. She’s smart, beautiful, and a werewolf shapeshifter...but she’s fallen for a regular, normal human. And to make matters worse, her brother is the Alpha of the pack and will definitely not approve.

Eva's sure she's lost Gav, but she still has responsibilities to the pack; she hauls herself together and goes back to them. But a stranger in their midst triggers a wild moment when she opens herself up to Gav—and the pack—in an entirely new way.

Note: Parts of Shifting Passions were previously published as Eva’s Secret.

Also includes Sneak Peeks at some upcoming novels!

~Volume Four – Releasing the Wild~

It was some time before I collected myself enough to stand and walk back to the clearing where things had started. Where we’d gathered as family. Everyone would know something was wrong, even if nothing more happened than Gav and I coming back separately, but I could hardly chase after him and beg him to let me hold his hand as we walked back. It wasn’t like we could fool a bunch of weres anyway. They’d smell our anxiety and upset a mile away. And it would put them all on edge. It might be better if I just didn’t go back. Damn my brother, damn the pack, damn the lot of them. Let them manage on their own for a time, and see if they got along so well without me.

I knew that I was being irrational, that running away would solve exactly none of my problems, but that wasn’t enough to make me stop thinking about it. Along the way, I found one of the caches of simple clothing we all kept out here. Jeans, a t-shirt. Enough so that I was at least a random girl walking through the woods, not a naked woman wandering lost and alone. I’d have enough trouble convincing anyone I was sane right now, with the look that I knew was spread across my face.

It also didn’t help that I knew, down in the depths of my heart, that I’d done nothing wrong. I’d never been less than honest with Gav about who I was, or about what I wanted. I loved him, with all my heart. If that wasn’t enough for him, that was his loss. It would hurt like a son of a bitch to yank him free from me, but if that was what it took? Fine. It’d worked too long to become comfortable in my skin, after I’d discovered that I was going to be furry every full moon for the rest of my supernaturally extended life. I’d thought puberty was bad; combining my hormonal rage with enough strength to bench-press a SmartCar was a nightmare. I hadn’t done all that work to give it up just because my sometimes-boyfriend thought I didn’t care enough.

The thought of being without him, though, dropped me to my knees.

Was it possible to put him first? To stop thinking of the pack? I could tell Michael that I needed to step back, to release my post as one of the Lieutenants. I could give myself over to Gav, love him with all my heart, be who he wanted me to be.

But for how long? How long until I started to resent him for losing my nights of freedom and strength? How long until I started to feel that itch, deep down under my skin? How long until I started to lie and cheat? I’d seen it happen to too many people; pretending that they were okay with something that they thoroughly were not, making believe that it was all fine and dandy. And sooner or later, the game ended, the jig was up, and someone had to come clean. I wasn’t usually around for that part, granted. But it was bound to be ugly.

Easy laughter and the sharp, acrid smell of a campfire came to me on the wind. I was close to the clearing now; I’d walked faster than I’d meant to. I hadn’t meant to walk at all. But here I was, standing on the edge of the rest of my life. I’d have to reassure people, let them know that we were safe, that Gav and I were okay, that they didn’t need to worry. I had to put on my public face, and I hated him for making me do it. But there was no other acceptable choice.

Gav had walked faster. He was lounging in a group with some of the other guys. He’d found a pair of jeans somewhere, but his chest was bare. They were dangling on each other, idling stroking hair and jaws and well-defined arms. The days in the woods were always something of a physical free for all. It was the one place we were allowed to be utterly ourselves, totally comfortable. Sometimes a couple—or more—ducked off into the bushes, and sometimes they merely took each other into arms where everyone could see. Which was an invitation in and of itself, after all.

I walked through the gathered pack, saying hello. Greetings here were physical, not verbal. People bumped their hands into mine, brushed against me before moving off again. Off to one side of the clearing, I saw Ben, Nathan’s little brother who had caused so much upset without ever meaning to, cuddled in the arms of one of Michael’s closest friends. Johnny, I thought his name was. Good; Johnny had been through something similar with his family a few years back. He’d be a good support for Ben now. That was a weight off my mind. I watched them kiss for a moment, Ben’s short, thick cock twitching against his thigh, and smiled. Even as cold as I felt inside, kids in love made me smile, made me wet and warm.

God, that kiss Gav had given me before he vanished. That had been amazing, the most intense kiss we’d ever shared. I didn’t want it to be our last. I didn’t want it to be the end. But I wasn’t going to give up myself, my sense of who I was. Not for him. Not for anyone.

I stepped into the clearing, prepared to tell him so, but as I strode purposefully across the grass, a commotion rose out of the woods behind me. Gav stood, ready for anything. I saw his eyes flash across me, saw the hurt sparkle there before he could hide it, and then saw him swallow it down. My heart caved in, but I was insanely proud of him. For putting the pack first. Even if he didn’t think of it that way.

I drew back as well, facing the danger, ready to flee—unlikely—or fight, if necessary. It was two of our pack enforcers that emerged from the woods, carrying between them a male form that wasn’t giving them any real trouble, but was trying like hell to do so. He smelled fresh and new, human. And familiar. But I didn’t quite get it until he looked up, and I saw his strong blue eyes. They locked on mine, and I didn’t see panic or fear in Nathan’s face, just resolve and strength. Quite a feat, when you’ve just been discovered near the resting place of a pack of werewolves.

Gav’s face was covered with storm clouds. He put himself within reach of Nathan; there was no danger here, and he knew it.

What do you think you’re doing here?

His voice was too level, too calm. My heart clenched with fear this time. Gav was a good man, but he wasn’t perfect, and he was raging inside right now, I’d seen that before he covered it up. He’d take Nathan apart if he thought it would ease the hurt just a little bit. He wouldn’t kill him. At least, I didn’t think so. Not in front of Ben.

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

Did I miss the no trespassing sign? I was going for a walk.

He should have been scared shitless, but if I couldn’t smell the fear coming off him in waves, I would have thought him completely unconcerned.

I’m sorry for bothering you, and I’ll head out.

I looked over at Ben. He was curled up in Johnny’s arms, still, his eyes wide and as scared as his brother’s should have been. I stepped forward, reached out, and brushed my fingers featherlight over Gav’s arm. I felt him soften, but then Nathan’s eyes flicked towards mine, and Gav turned back into a granite statue.

You are trespassing, human, Gav spat the word like the curse he considered it to be, some days. Tell me why I shouldn’t rip your throat out.

Nathan laughed, but there was an edge to it now.

Oh, I don’t know. Murder, that kind of thing?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben shift uneasily. Johnny tightened his arms, but Ben’s eyes were bright and fearful. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but if Gav took it into his head to do damage to Nathan, I wasn’t sure I could actually stop him.

Here, in the middle of the woods? Who do you think would find your body?

Gav stepped in close, tracing one hard finger down Nathan’s neck, from his ear to his collarbone. I saw Nathan’s eyes shudder close—but it wasn’t fear I saw there, not this time.

Oh, that’s very big and strong of you, Nathan said, his voice a touch breathier now. Scare the human into submission. Can’t you face me when I’m not held down? He strained his arms against his captors for a moment, who of course went exactly nowhere.

Ben stood up suddenly, Johnny at his side.

You’re an idiot, Nathan, but I’m not going to stand here and watch you be killed.

The pack tensed. Ben was far too weak to challenge Gav, and Gav was the defacto leader while Michael was gone; if he meant to stop anyone from interfering with Nathan, that was exactly how it would be interpreted. A few of the kids, too young and stupid to know what they were facing, would join him, but not enough for him to have a chance of winning. Enough that Gav would have to defend himself. Who was I going to lose if this all went that incredibly wrong?

Only Ben didn’t challenge Gav. He turned and walked into the woods. Johnny, and a handful of the other very young members followed him. They didn’t smell like rebellion or upset; just distance and fear. They’d be back. Gav wouldn’t have to challenge them upon their return. That was good; one less thing to worry about. I turned my focus back to Gav and Nathan. There was something arcing between them now, some heat or electricity that made my stomach curl. Gav’s eyes were slightly narrowed, and the edge of Nathan’s mouth lifted up. Something crackled in the air between them.

Do you want to fight me? Gav’s voice was low and hard, thick. I knew that voice, knew what was on his mind. His hands were loose at his sides, but there was a building energy, held in his fingertips.

Nathan drew a deep breath, dropped his eyes, and then glanced up through long eyelashes that I hadn’t noticed until right now. Fight? No.

Want growled up in my stomach, curling around my insides and twisting.

Let him go, Gav commanded, his eyes still focused on Nathan.

Those holding him dropped back, smoothly rejoining the circle that had formed around us. Gav and Nathan facing each other, me just a little way off. I could have reached out and touched either one of them, if I’d taken two steps forward. But I held my place. I let the need build.

Nathan rolled his shoulders, stretched out his neck, and then faced Gav.

Here I am, he said.

Indeed you are. But the question, of course, is why.

That quirked smile, the one that had caught my attention in the bar.

My brother has fallen in with you. I wanted to make sure he was safe. That he was being looked after.

Gav’s face still serious stone, his arms loose at his sides.

And are you satisfied?

It seems like you accept him for who he is. A quiet, meaningful silence. For everything that he is.

Gav’s voice dropped even deeper, even thicker with sex and velvet.

We turn into wolves when the moon fills. We don’t quibble over nonsense like who wants to sleep with whom.

Nathan searched Gav’s face; I imagined that he was looking for any sign of falsehood, any hint that Gav was being less than totally honest. I knew that he wouldn’t find it. When he was satisfied, he gave one short nod.

Is that all? Gav asked, his tone still pure molten lust.

The moment froze in time, still and calm, and then it shattered, dropping to the grass around us.

No, Nathan said.

He stepped forward quickly, and his hands went to Gav’s face as Gav’s twisted into Nathan’s shirt. Their mouths slammed together in a way that made me think their teeth might crack, and a hiss went up from the watching group. They tangled together, hard and fast, clinging to each other like they were going to fall off the face of the earth. The need and the want spread like wildfire. I felt hands on my waist, tugging me back into a hard body, hands stroking over my stomach, lips coming to my neck. My own hands went back; my fingers tangled in someone’s hair, stroked up someone’s spine. It didn’t matter whose.

Before, I’d been the one in the center. Now, I was feeding off the energy, smelling the sex that was on the air. Fingers twisted over my nipples; someone caught me as my knees went weak. Everyone dissolved into a pile of bodies, almost ritualistic in their need. It didn’t matter who was touching you, just that you were being touched. And in the center of the group, Nathan and Gav. I watched, my eyes locked on them, as they clutched at each other’s hair, each other’s asses, as Gav shredded both his clothes and Nathan’s. Keeping strong, intense eye contact, Nathan dropped to his knees and took Gav slowly into his mouth. He teased at Gav’s head for just a moment, as Gav’s hands came to the back of his head and squeezed. With impossible slowness, never breaking that intense eye contact, Nathan moved slowly down, filling his mouth with Gav’s cock as Gav groaned. Nathan smiled, drew back, and then came close to Gav again, tonguing his sac and nipping at that flesh, which I knew from experience was prickled and goose pimpled. Gav’s eyes drifted closed for a moment, and his head dropped back, and then came up sharp, his attention shifting quickly towards me.

Eva, he said, quietly.

Nathan went still, and the bodies around me parted, though their actions didn’t slow, just redirected their attention. He reached out a hand to me, and I went to him, like I always did, like I’d always done. There was something softer in his eyes now, something I hadn’t seen in a long time. My heart squeezed shut around the idea that last time wouldn’t be the last, that the brutal anger of our fucking would be softened with at least one last time making love.

And then he turned me towards Nathan, reaching around me and popping the buttons on my shirt one by one.

Ride him, he whispered in my ear. Show the pack what a good little girl you are.

Electricity flowed through me in a wave, drenching my panties and tightening my nipples. Gav’s hands bore down on my shoulders, and I went to my knees before Nathan. On our feet he was taller than me, but here, kneeling, our torsos were similar length, and we were nose to nose. I hadn’t noticed that before.

Hi, I whispered.

Fancy meeting you here, he replied, and then he leaned forward and caught my mouth with his.

His lips were gentle on mine, questing and gently moving, his tongue darting forward to caress my lower lip, but drawing back when I opened for him. He moved softly away, nipping and licking up my jawline while his hands stroked down the tops of my breasts.

So impossibly quiet that I almost didn’t hear him, he murmured into my ear, You okay with this?

I couldn’t help but laugh.

More than okay.

He made that humming growling sound that had so turned me on a few nights ago as he twisted my arms behind my back.

Well then, I think you had better follow orders. Don’t you?

He was rock hard, his cock solid and firm, but with my arms pinned behind me, there was no way for me to get the condom in place, and he had only so many hands. I glanced over my shoulder at Gav, who smiled.

Happy to oblige, Gav said.

I shifted to the side and watched, my body tense and dripping, as he bent over Nathan’s cock. He rolled his mouth down, even more slowly than the torture Nathan had offered him, and watched with appreciation as Nathan’s eyes went wide. One hand teasing Nathan’s balls, Gav gently stroked the condom into place, and then pulled me back into place. He let Nathan keep me pinned as he nestled me against his chest, positioning Nathan’s dick so that I could slide down onto it. I held myself there, Nathan filling up just the start of me, and I breathed in the sparkling energy of being so close, and yet not complete. I took him in, bit by bit, as he gripped my arms, supported by Gav. Gav’s hands came around, teasing over my clit. I could have pulled free of them, could have gotten loose, but it was so nice to be held, so safe, so easy.

I was done teasing. I arched my hips until he was buried inside me, and then rolled hard, dragging myself back up his length and plunging down again. My head dropped back onto Gav’s shoulder, and I could hear both of them breathing hard. Gav’s erection was pressed up against the small of my back, and I could feel the wetness pooling at his head, smearing over my skin. Nathan’s eyes were wide, unseeing anything but the pleasure he was feeling.

You with me? I was surprised at how short of breath I sounded, how close I was already.

God, yes, he said. How do you do this? How do you all do this to me?

I heard Gav over my shoulder.

Her name is Eva. You’re here with us now. You can call her Eva, like we do.

I would have turned in shock if I’d had the room to move. Gav breathed into my ear, his voice pitched only for me to hear, I want you both, together. Can I have that? Are you okay?

I turned my head and caught his mouth with mine, kissing him as passionately as I knew how.

Yes, I said into his mouth, loud enough for Nathan to hear. I’ll stop you if I need to. But yes.

I saw the moment where Gav had to regain control of himself, and then the heat hit his eyes again. He pushed at Nathan’s shoulder, pressing him down until he was lying prone on the ground, and then pressed on my low back to angle me over Nathan. My breasts fell towards Nathan’s face, and he took eager advantage of this, letting go of my arms so that he could bring my nipples to his mouth, sucking and nipping at them eagerly. I balanced myself on my hands and started to move over him, my actions becoming more frantic as the wages of electricity came faster and harder.

And I felt Gav behind me, his finger cold and coated, moving gently into my ass. I flinched at first, and he held perfectly still.

Still okay?

It was an odd feeling, different, but as I pressed back towards him, gently, letting him fill me, I felt so