The Hunter and the Hunted (Bear Naked 3)

Chapter 37

Brianna

Brianna climbed into the cab of Darren's truck. Jay scooted to make room for her. Amanda climbed into the drivers seat and looked back. She started the engine but waited for the other pick up to pull out ahead of her. Tyee was in the drivers seat with Connor beside him. They waved. Then came Corey in the Volvo with their pack, followed by Charley in the van, driving Tyee's pack. Amanda pulled out at the back of the convoy.

Charley. His pack hadn't come but when approached he had agreed to bring his pack's van and escort the "kids." Brianna should have been excited about his presence, and she would be, except for one little thing.

"Is something wrong, Brianna?" Amanda asked.

"Charley's here," she said, unsure how to explain.

"Yeah, I thought things were going well with you two." Amanda's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Did he do something?"

"No," she replied quickly. "Things are going great, it's just... he's never seen my wolf form." The last was barely a whisper.

"Brianna!" Amanda barked. "You are beautiful. No, don't give me that look, you are. You've let a couple of bullies convince you there's something wrong with you because of how your wolf form looks. It's bullshit. You are beautiful."

"In human form, maybe," Brianna replied. "But that's not what's important to shifters."

"You are beautiful in both forms," Amanda said.

"You are," Jay put in.

"I know, it's just hard to believe it," Brianna said.

"I know," Amanda said, her tone softening. "Believe me, I know. Everyone tells me I'm pretty. All I can hear is that they don't say sexy or beautiful, because I'm heavy."

"You are curvy," Brianna said. "Isn't that what every woman wants to be?"

"No, no," Jay said. "Trust me on this, every skinny girl wants to be curvy, every curvy girl wants to be skinny. Every blond wishes she was a red head, every brunette wishes she was a blond. Society feeds you all the message that you aren't good enough the way you are. Everyone just internalises it differently."

"Wise words," Amanda said.

Brianna nodded. "I know it, consciously. That's the most fucked up part. I know it. But I can't help myself."

"I spent half my childhood wishing I could be half as pretty a girl as you, Jay," Amanda joked.

Jay rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't care if I was an ugly girl, if I could just be a girl."

Brianna threw her arm around him, feeling better.