An Alpha's Storm (Water Bear Shifters 1) by Sloane Meyers Page B

at finally shifting out in the open air.
    Brett started to run, keeping his path right at the water’s edge, where the lapping waves would quickly wash away the large paw prints he was leaving in the sand. The fur on his lower legs and belly became wet with salt water, and full of the sand that his quick pace was constantly sending flying into the air. Brett didn’t care. He felt amazing, and let his bear nose breathe in deeply the scent of the ocean air. The wind was blowing in from across the ocean, which made the breeze slightly cold. Brett didn’t mind, though. His fur kept him perfectly warm. He breathed in again, enjoying the scents and sounds of the empty beaches. He could smell people, but they were far enough away that he wasn’t worried about them seeing him. He ran for several more minutes, releasing the angry energy of the day out into the rhythmic pounding of his paws. When he had finally had enough, he turned around and ran back to the spot where he had left his clothes.
    With a satisfied roar, he shifted back and quickly dressed. His human skin wasn’t as good of a match against the cool ocean breeze as his fur had been, and he shivered slightly. He breathed in deeply, smiling as the salty air filled his lungs again. His smile froze however, when he smelled a human close by. And not just any human. It was her. She was here.
    Brett’s heart pounded as he swung his head around, looking for the source of the familiar scent. He had to strain to see her, but when he did, the perfect oval shape of her face and the reddish brown tint of her hair was unmistakable. There, crouching down in the bushes near the Torrey pine, Aubrey was watching him with a look of pure shock on her face.
    He’d been caught.

Chapter Eight
     
    Aubrey saw Brett turn and look in her direction, straining to see into the bushes. An unmistakable look of alarm crossed his face when he spotted her. For a long time, they both remained perfectly still, eyes locked and expressions wary.
    Aubrey had no idea what kind of phenomenon, exactly, she had just witnessed. And from the look of distress on Brett’s face, it was clear that he had not wanted her to witness the phenomenon. Aubrey didn’t even know how he had found this beach. It was one of the most secluded spots within a fifty mile radius of San Diego, and she had never seen another soul out here at the same time as her. What were the odds that Brett knew about the beach, too, and had decided to escape here at exactly the same moment as her? The odds were good enough, it seemed, because here they were, staring at each other and unsure of what to do next.
    Aubrey had gone for a long swim in the ocean, completely naked. She hadn’t even left her underwear on. She wanted to feel the salt water against her skin, fully enveloping her. She wanted to become one with the ocean that had almost killed her, but that she still loved. So she had stripped down to bare skin in this group of bushes, and then run quickly across the sand to splash into the water. No one was going to see her out here, anyway. The whole area was deserted and quiet except for a few seagulls circling above her, squawking now and then. Aubrey had swum for a long time, letting the water wash away the frustrations and anger of the afternoon. When she had finally calmed down, and started to feel at peace again, she had climbed out of the water and made her way back to the bushes to slip back into her clothes.
    Just as she had pulled her pants back on, however, she had noticed a man running down the beach. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, and had chuckled at the thought that the man would have caught her naked if she had waited just a few more minutes before getting out of the water. Aubrey pulled her shirt over her head, and decided to wait a minute to let the man pass before leaving the bushes. Anyone going for a run all the way out here was obviously looking for time alone, and she didn’t want to disturb his solitude.
    But