Human Shifter (Book Three: A Werewolf BBW Shifter Romance) by Aubrey Rose Page B

wrong, making one mistake after another." She snapped the twig in between her fingers.
    "Hey, at least you can shift. I'm the worst pack member ever."
    Mara laughed and tossed the broken twig into the river. It bobbed once and then disappeared under the surface, pulled down by the current. When Mara spoke again, her voice was low and tense and her eyes sparked with a fierce intensity.
    "Do you want to go back to her?"
    "Who?" Julia asked, but she had already figured out what Mara was going to say.
    "The werewitch. I could lead you there, you know."
    "I know," Julia said softly. The sparks in Mara's eyes twinkled as she looked at Julia.
    "We could figure out how to fix you. So that you could shift."
    A chill ran through Julia, making goosebumps rise on her skin.
    "Yes," she said. "I would like that."

CHAPTER TEN
    Damien
    Damien lay in bed. The leg had not broken cleanly, and he was unable to get up without the pain making him yelp.
    "It'll be another week or so before you can walk on it," Jordan said. "This wouldn't be so bad if you hadn't been shifting so much between wolf and human form while I was trying to fix you."
    "I was barely conscious," Damien said.
    "And you still managed to be a nuisance. I'd set up a splint for a human leg and turn my back for two seconds, then I'm back and it's a wolf leg I'm setting, all messed up."
    "So I can't walk? Can I walk with crutches?"
    "A wheelchair, maybe," Jordan said. Julia came into the room. "Or Julia could carry you around everywhere on her back."
    "I don't want to know what you two are plotting about." Julia said. "But I'm not carrying anyone."
    "I'm not rolling around in a wheelchair," Damien said. "I'll wait until my leg heals. A week?"
    "I know you'll want to get up before then, but no," Jordan said. "A week. Minimum. This wasn't a nice little break you can get up and walk away from."
    Damien sighed and turned to Julia. "Your classes haven't started yet, right? How are your carrying muscles?"
    "About that. I need to talk with you."
    Alone .
    Damien blinked at the thought that came strongly from her. He turned to Jordan.
    "Anything else you need from me, Doc?"
    "Nope, and I've got to get back to work on my shelter," Jordan said, getting the hint. He packed up his medical bag and left the room.
    "You need to talk with me about classes?" he asked, knowing that wasn't it.
    "I only have five days before the beginning of the semester," Julia said.
    "And?"
    "And I want to go back."
    "Back where?" he asked.
    "You know where," Julia said sharply. "You've been listening to my thoughts, you ought to know all about what I'm going to do."
    "I don't hear everything," Damien said. "And most of the time I shutter it all out. It's just that one time—"
    "Just that one time when you slipped up." Julia said. "And all the other times when you didn't."
    "I'm sorry. I am."
    "It's not about being sorry," Julia said. "I ... I can't be in a relationship that's so unequal."
    "What can I do?" Damien asked. Her thoughts broke through into his mind and made his blood run cold: Let me go.
    Damien found that he could not breathe. She wanted to leave. Leave him? Forever?
    "Julia—"
    "I want to go back to Trax's territory," Julia said. "To find the werewitch who did this to me. You said I could go."
    A rush of relief flooded through Damien. She wasn't going to leave him.
    "I said we could go. And right now—" He motioned down to his injured leg.
    No.
    "I don't have much time before school starts," Julia said. "And I can't stay here, living with you like this. With you able to read me."
    Not fair. Liar. Betrayed ...
    Damien bit down hard on his lip. The rush of sadness and anger from Julia, the blame that overwhelmed him, made it hard for him to think.
    "Julia, let's wait until my leg is healed and I can come with you."
    NO.
    "No." Julia's voice was as hard as her mind. "I'm going this week, without you."
    "Then why are you telling me this?" Damien asked.
    "Because," Julia said, "I want to bring