At least my room here was large enough that I wasn’t literally chasing my tail.
I’d heard humans say it was mentally damaging for their dogs to chase their tails, and I could confirm it sucked for wolves too. It stole sanity from our minds, bringing the chasm between beast and person that much closer. Very similar towhat happened when rogues went without pack bonds and alpha control.
We regressed back to wild wolves, losing reason and rationality.
We lost our human side.
I stopped hearing shouts on my third loop of the room, but I wasn’t ready to shift back yet. I’d be ashamed of my backward spiral into bad habits, but I was too busy trying to survive the mental breakdown.
On my tenth loop of the room I started jumping over the bed, one full leap adding another dimension to the run. I’d learned the hard way to never to make a sound, and still bore the scars from that lesson.
With each circuit, my panicked stress eased until eventually my wolf had complete control. My human side blended into the background, calm and protected from emotions beyond my beast’s comprehension.
There was a simple joy in racing as fast as I could, losing myself to instinct, and letting the human go. I wouldn’t have made it through my childhood without this outlet.
On my twentieth loop, caramel and cinnamon notes wafted through my space, followed by mocha goodness. There was a knock on the door, but I was in no mood to entertain the alphas, so I ignored it and kept running.
I was like that fish from the movie that had to keep swimming.Just keep running. Just keep running.
I forgot everything but my task—to outrun my pain and confusion. It wasn’t until a set of boots stomped to a halt in my path that I noticed I was no longer alone. I spun to head in the opposite direction, only to find a pair of tanned, bare feet which most definitely belonged to Golden Boy.
Kellan crouched in front of me but had enough sense not to touch me. His expression remained super calm and his voice wasa croon. “Pretty girl, you need to stop running now. Everything is okay. You’re not in any danger or trouble.” He held out his hand in what felt like a peace offering, and my wolf desired his touch, so she moved forward. His warm palm pressed firmly against the side of my snout, and then there was a second hand on the back of my skull, carrying the scent of mocha.
I let the two of them regulate my wolf with touch alone. The pressure, their scents, and the feeling of not being alone… it was exactly what my wolf searched for in her endless running.
Kellan remained on his knees before me, while Hunter stood sentinel over the top of us, and I’d never felt so safe and comforted in my life. My wolf released her hold, the shift washing over me before I registered it was happening, and then I was naked between them.
Whoops.I growled at my wolf while she preened at her cleverness. She didn’t always relinquish control to me easily, but when she did, you knew it was for nefarious reasons.
Neither of the alphas reacted, and I reminded myself that shifters get naked without a second thought. Kellan’s eyes remained on my face, and I couldn’t see Hunter, but in my half-crouch he would only view my back and the top of my ass.
“Well,” I choked out. “This isn’t awkward at all. We should totally do this more often.”
Kellan’s smile was fucking dazzling, the pretty asshole. “Shortcake, this is literally my walking wet dream come to life. Can we just stay like this forever?”
There was a snort from behind and I turned to catch the tendrils of Hunter’s smile before his features returned to indifference. “Are you okay, Emme?” he asked as he searched my face for answers.
From his current position, I assumed he could see the scar across my upper back, but he didn’t ask about it.
I was too wrung out and exhausted to lie. “I heard their fight.”
My voice broke on the last word, and Hunter muttered “Alpha idiots,”as he leaned down and scooped me into his arms.
I was too shocked to do more than release a gasping shriek, and by the time my brain caught up, he was already in the bathroom cranking the shower.
He held me with one arm under my ass as if I weighed nothing. When he was happy with the temperature, he stepped in under the spray,fully clothedin his perfectly pressed suit.
“Hunter,” I huffed. “What in the hell are you doing?”
His hard expression told me not to fuck with him. “Your skin is like ice, little omega. You need heat and the energy of your mates to calm your beast. I know your brain doesn’t want a pack, but trust me, your body is telling a different story. You need this right now.”
I snapped back in a raspy growl, “And what about when you’re not here? How do I deal on my own after you get me used to having support?”
Kellan answered from the open doorway of the bathroom. “Easy. You’ll never be alone again. I will follow you to the ends of this world and into the next, Emme. There’s no point to this life without you in it.”
Panic unfurled deep in my gut, but as Hunter stroked his hand across my shoulders, it calmed me like magic. His touch was a firm massaging sensation, and as it brushed down my arm it finally clicked that he was washing me with my cloth. Cleaning my skin and soothing my panic at the same time.
There was nothing overtly sexual in his actions, and I’d never felt my wolf as calm as she was after the run and this attention from her scent match. It wasn’t just her either.Even when Hunter brushed over my deep scar, lingering on the ropey tissue, it felt soothing.
