Clyde let out a snort of laughter, claws still drifting in the water. “Hey, just let me know if this form freaks you out,” he added softly. “I’m not used to staying in it this long in front of strangers.”

“You and I are strangers?” I asked.

He looked somewhat taken aback by my hurt tone. I was equally as surprised; I hadn’t realized I was so attached to the idea of us as friends. “N-no, not like that. I just mean—when you’re in a pack, it’s always the same handful of ...