Eric

The ride to Samantha's took about half an hour but the complete silence in the car made it feel hours long. Though, this was better than Bas and Samantha arguing again.

Not that Bas had had a choice but to drive me and Samantha to her apartment. He'd declared she had to select one of us and that would be final, and she had chosen. Bas had only himself to blame for not specifying it was just him and Dean on the menu.

Of course, the overprotective tiger had no intention to leave us truly alone. He'd stated upon our departure that he would sleep in his "butt-ugly" car next to the building, because he couldn't catch a shuteye at home knowing a "defenseless Omega criminal" was protecting his fated mate.

He had a point there, although I was not entirely defenseless when in animal form. And I intended to sleep furry, since I believed Samantha would feel more comfortable with a big cat rather than a human in her home. The shift would also give my regeneration a boost, helping in getting rid of the bruises and claw marks by morning.

Last but not least, being in animal form would serve as an additional layer of protection against temptation. Because, God help me, Samantha's scent was damn seductive. I could only imagine how tempting it would be once I got completely immersed in it for hours inside her apartment.

When Bas parked in front of the building, the place looked quiet. The police must have finished examining the crime scene because there was only one police car on site.

Samantha unbuckled her seat belt and reached for door handle, not saying a word. I quickly prepared to follow her.

"Panther."

I paused halfway out the SUV and looked back at Bas behind the wheel. He was in a pair of sweatpants only, naked from the waist up. Ready for a nap or an emergency shift.

"You sense any danger whatsoever, you call me. Got it?"

I nodded. Since my phone had been crushed in my back pocket during the fight with Lucian, the pride enforcers had lent me one for tonight.

"Samantha, the same rule applies to you."

She poked her head back inside the car and shot him a glare. "And how about you follow the rule of decent clothing? Driving around town half naked... Ugh."

I was surprised to see Bas grin in reply. It was a bit scary, honestly.

"Why, darlin'? Afraid you'll give in to the temptation of what I can smell you like?"

Samantha sputtered. Then she slammed the door and stomped off to the building.

But not before my sensitive nose caught the faint scent of her arousal.

My nostrils flared and my eyes turned emerald-green as my panther rose to the forefront of my mind. My cock twitched in my jeans.

This was going to be a long night.

I caught up with Samantha in time to see her fish a key from a mailbox by a third-floor door. She then proceeded to unlock a completely different door.

Strange that she had left her apartment key with the neighbors, but I had no time to ask her about that. Because once she entered the apartment, she said, "Night" over her shoulder and disappeared behind a door to my right.

That left me alone in a living room with a kitchen corner to the left and a small, worn-out couch right in front of me.

A long night, indeed.

I used the kitchen sink to wash up as best as I could. Then, having heard a shower running from what I assumed was Samantha's en suite bathroom, I quickly got out of my clothes and initiated the shift.

The change between forms was painful tonight, reminding me of the first several times in my life that I'd had to shift. It had been back in my teens while I was still getting the hang of it.

Growing up at a human orphanage with Monica, we hadn't had anyone to teach us to merge with our animal forms once that had become possible at the start of puberty. In fact, we had discovered we weren't human by accident, the existence of shifters still a secret at the time. Scared out of my wits at growing claws and sprouting fur, I had fought the shift every time my panther had wanted out. Monica had followed my example.

It was when we had come of age and left the orphanage that we had finally mastered the partnership with the animal within, eventually coming into contact with other shifters and learning more about our kind.

While Monica had soon settled into a pride of cheetahs, I had moved from one shifter group into another over the years, never feeling quite at home in any single one to stay permanently.

Everywhere I had gone, I had been given the same advice: let the cat play at least once a month. Otherwise I would grow restless and prickly, a nuisance to everyone around me and even a threat. The shift might become painful, too, as the two halves of my being would be at odds.

The pain I felt now was due to my injuries, though. What should be a fluid transformation of limbs was slow and uneven, my bones protesting at the reshaping that humans perceived as magic. What should have taken a minute was currently taking five.

I still did not regret getting into that fight with Lucian. Regardless of how things would go with Samantha from here onward, I knew I had done the right thing by helping her.

I let out a whine as the shift finally ended, leaving my body exhausted. Maybe I would be able to sleep on the pure excuse for a couch after all–

"Are you all right?"

I turned to find Samantha, hair wet and body clad in a fluffy green towel, peaking out of her room. She had a concerned look as she regarded me.

The sounds of pain coming from the living room must have worried her.

I lowered myself to the carpeted floor and rested my muzzle on my front paws. This was the best way for me to say everything was tip-top.

A small smile spread across her wet face. "Good kitty. Feel free to use the couch as you see fit. I don't mind hair on the cushions since I shed those, too... Plus, it's not like your hair will be distinguishable on the black fabric." After some hesitation, she added, "See you in the morning, Eric."

She disappeared in the bedroom in a hurry after that.

I chuckled inwardly. My fated mate was a shy lady, even without me saying blush-worthy things like her other mates did.

Perhaps I who was often called shy and was as good at flirting as I was at fighting, stood a change with Samantha. Because the physical pull was not enough to make things work between us long-term. Our personalities had to click as well.

Provided I wasn't behind bars at this time tomorrow.

But enough worries about what the next day might bring. It was time to rest, heal and enjoy the enticing scent of my fated mate surrounding me.