The creek brokethrough the trees in a flash of blue silver. I tore down the bank and skidded to a stop at the water’s edge, breath burning, heart slamming hard enough to rattle my ribs.
I lowered my muzzle to the stream, letting the cold bite my tongue, letting the surface ripple as if I were nothing more than a thirsty animal.
Beneath the chill of the water, the air thrummed tight and alert. A breeze brushed my ears and lingered.
Then I caught it.
A heartbeat. Steady. Close.
Maybe it was a lost human. Too blind or too arrogant to heed the warnings nailed to the tree line. Maybe it was someone foolish enough to believe four legs and fangs were something they could handle.
My wolf rolled beneath my skin, a pleased rumble vibrating through my chest.Let them try.
I let my shoulders loosen and my stance soften, all the tension bleeding out of me on purpose. Beneath the calm, I reached inward and brushed a thought against my other half.Circle wide. Let’s catch our little shadow.
She moved without hesitation, slipping into the brush behind a jagged boulder that resembled a broken cliff face. We went still.
A muted crunch. A ripple through the air. The fur along my spine lifted, one slow prickle at a time.
Before I could move, the wind turned, and the scent found me.
White musk, warm and living, threaded with heat and wildness. It didn’t just fill my lungs; it sank past bone and blood, straight into the place where my wolf resided. My instincts surged, sharp and aching, tugged forward by an undeniable call.
It pulled at my core, a low summons that bypassed thought and reason alike. Not temptation… more like recognition. As if some part of my soul had lifted its head and gone still, listening.
My breath hitched. My pulse stuttered then roared beneath my skin.
A shadow stepped forward. Black fur caught the sunlight, each ripple of muscle beneath it sleek and fluid. Then I saw the wolf's eyes. Deep, molten brown locked on mine, whispers of forever and secrets traveling between us.
The forest fell away like magic.
The world dissolved into stillness and heartbeats, mine tripping over his. Time didn’t matter, only the distance between us, charged and fragile. My wolf spoke one word in the back of my mind, her tone reverent.
Mate.
The word loosed a shiver that ran down my spine, curling low in my gut. I felt it in my bones, in my breath, in the space between each heartbeat.
Without thinking, I moved toward him. The second my paw pressed into the dirt, he jolted, then ran off in the opposite direction.
That was all the invitation my wolf needed.
She launched forward, joy and hunger colliding as we gave chase. His scent streamed through the trees, heady and addictive. It clung to the back of my throat, making every inhale feel too full.
He glanced back, tongue lolling out in a teasing grin that sparked heat in my belly before he darted faster. The sound of his paws drummed against the forest floor in a rhythm I couldn’t ignore. The chase changed, becoming something else, something that got the blood pumping and my mind running wild. Something… intimate.
Heat surged beneath my fur, and heartbeat synced to the pace of his. Even knowing it was play, my wolf wanted more. Not just to catch him, toclaimhim.
The land shifted, familiar terrain rising in my mind. I angled off, herding him toward the glen, a hidden hollow wrapped in waterfall mist. Perfect place to corner him.
I darted close enough to nip his flank, my teeth grazing fur. He twisted, dodging, breath puffing white in the cool air. Each dodge drew a spark, each brush of movement a promise.
He broke through the clearing, skidding to a stop just before launching himself into the air, heading for the pool of water to escape me. I leapt after him without hesitating.
Bones cracked and twisted midair, fur giving way to skin. I collided with him, tugging him to the side, rolling in the air until our bodies slammed into the damp grass of the water’s edge. His fur was so soft and lush, I wanted to sink my face into it. The strength of that sudden desire nearly made me forget what I was doing.
His weight pressed into mine, solid and burning hot even through the cool night and dense fur. My knees braced on either side of his ribs, my breath tangling with his. For a heartbeat, all I could feel was heat and pulse and skin.Got you.
A tremor rippled through him. Black fur receded like smoke, leaving sun-warmed tan skin beneath my palms. Sweat glistened along the lines of muscle carved by motion and moonlight. My gaze lifted and locked onto familiar brown eyes, wide with shock.
