The alpha waved him on, as if he hadn’t interrupted him. “Continue.”
Dean shrugged one shoulder. “As I was saying, I was sitting in class. It started with my chest tightening. Almost like someone describes a panic attack. My breaths got short, and the edges of my vision blackened. The desk I was sitting at all of a sudden was too small for me, and I felt this desperate need to break free of this body and the classroom and my own skin. It wouldn’t be ignored anymore. So I walked outside. I saw a cluster of trees in the distance, and next thing I know, I was sprinting toward them, like my legs had a mind of their own. I took in this deep breath and...well, the next thing I remember, I was in the woods. Your woods, apparently. I don’t remember a lot about the run. It’s all fuzzy.” He seemed to remember a little more, though, than he’d mentioned to me. A good sign, right? Dean rubbed his temples as though the tiny circle motion would jog his memory.
“But you’re a shifter. Certainly you recognized the sensations.”
Dean’s eyes widened. “That’s never happened to me before. I didn’t know what was happening.”
The alpha, Barrett was his name but no one dared called him that, leaned forward and scratched at his ample salt-and-pepper beard. “How have you never shifted before? Didn’t your parents teach you how to shift?”
Dean blew out a breath. “They’re not like me, not that I know.”
Looking perplexed, the alpha sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, is it your intention to stay here? To learn more about being a shifter? What are your plans?”
Dean looked at me. My eyes were on the alpha’s desk out of submission, but I felt Dean’s gaze on me like a warm blanket covering my bare skin. “I would like to learn more about this, yes. I don’t know anything about shifters.”
“We can assign you someone. I have some people in mind…”
Dean reached out and took my hand in his. “I would like it to be Jillian. She’s been so kind to me when she found me in the forest. I don’t know how all of this works, but if she could be the one to teach me, I would appreciate that.”
The alpha took one look at our laced hands and I managed to lift my gaze to meet his. “I can see that. Jillian, you may teach this male about our ways, though I’m not sure how that will go since there is limited communication. Make sure he is shifting well and contributing to the pack. Get Ruston to find him some work. No one lives here for free.”
Dean nodded. “Of course. I would be happy to earn my keep and figure out all of this.”
The alpha seemed stumped and was still looking at our hands. “Jillian, make sure he knows the rules and that you both follow the rules. You know what I’m referring to, don’t you?”
Of course I did, and I wiggled free of Dean’s grasp. Nodding, I got up and bared my neck.
Dean stood as well and did some awkward neck baring but followed me without another word. I wouldn’t tell him about the alpha’s rules that applied to only me. He didn’t need to know. He wanted me to teach him about being a shifter and nothing else.
One day, Dean would find his mate, someone who could make him happy.
That person wasn’t me.