AlphainHiding by Lea Barrymire

I’m starving and need a
caffeine fix.” She smiled and finished dressing. “I’ll call you when the food
is done.”
    “What if I want you for breakfast, hmm? I’m not all that
hungry for food but could definitely nibble on you again.” He waggled his
eyebrows at her.
    Emily couldn’t help snorting as she headed for the door.
“That, sir, was a horrible line. Right up there with the whole ‘seeing a
dentist because you’re so sweet’ thing. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
     
    Seth lay in bed for a few moments, reliving the last
twenty-four hours. He’d arrived at the cabin basically a human man who had
happened to be born to shifter parents. Now he was a shifter male, complete
with abilities and thought processes. He felt like a whole new man. His
eyesight was completely perfect, his sense of smell was off the charts, his
body was stronger and more powerful somehow. He could hear Emily downstairs
moving around and humming quietly. Gone was his fear of his wolf. His other
half remained active and pleasantly connected to him. They were both sated and
encouraged by the night they’d spent making love to her.
    The most amazing part of the entire day had been holding her
in his arms as their hearts beat in synch. He didn’t understand it but the
connection was soul-deep during those moments. He had found that his breathing
even mirrored hers. That had to be something shifter related, but he wanted it
to mean something more.
    With a reluctance he found entertaining, he climbed out of
her bed and shuffled through the bathroom to his room. His clothes were still
spread all over the bed from the night before and he chuckled. He couldn’t help
but be happy about the whole experience. He wasn’t one to gloat or kiss ‘n’
tell, but he still found great satisfaction in being given enough trust to make
love to Emily. From things she’d said during the weekend he’d gathered that she
wasn’t close to many people. Being the daughter of the Alpha was a stressful
job, but it sounded very lonely.
    His shirt went on fine, but when he tried to zip his jeans
they wouldn’t close. He looked down to make sure they were really his. Leaving
the button and zipper undone, he wandered into the bathroom to actually look at
himself in the mirror. Yep, everything looked the same, so what the hell was
going on with his clothes?
    Distractedly, he flumped down the stairs and wandered into
the kitchen. He noticed just as he entered the room that he was walking
silently. Well, add another trait to the list. His worried thoughts stopped
dead when he caught a glimpse of Emily standing at the sink. Her back was to
him but he was still taken by the view. She was perfect.
    “You’ve got the predator walk now, I hear.” She turned and
winked. He blushed as she looked him up and down, blatantly perusing his body.
She cocked an eyebrow before meeting his gaze. “I like the pants undone. It’ll
make things easier for me after breakfast.”
    “Yeah, about that. I can’t do them up, but I’m glad you have
plans to remove them from me.”
     
    Emily finally really looked at Seth, and gasped. He was
broader this morning, through the shoulders and hips. He was exuding so much
power that the hairs on her arms were standing. Holy hell. It was almost scary
how fast he was changing. She had seen the changes occur over a much longer
period of time with pubescent males, but this was amazing. Forty-eight hours
had taken a weak, sniffling, glasses-wearing guy and turned him into a strong
Alpha shifter.
    “What? What are you looking at?” His voice held a small
amount of fear and a whole lot of irritation.
    “Well, you just look different. Your shoulders are really
huge. Don’t you feel different?”
    “Yeah, but I’ve been feeling different since you showed up
at my house. Shit, Em. I’ve lost the need for my glasses, I can smell you from
here and know that you find this whole thing entertaining, and I can hear
animals scurrying around