I glanced over my shoulder. I trusted Nero with my life, but ever since the incident with Klimt, I was paranoid that he’d been following me. My heat scent was definitely leaving a trail. Even if it didn’t bother Nero, that didn’t mean the same for other alphas.
“Something wrong?” Nero asked.
I opened my life to tell him I was fine, but that wasn’t entirely true. I sighed and came clean instead.
“I’m worried about Klimt,” I admitted. “It’s not exactly like we disappeared. He can follow my heat scent right to us.”
“And what about it?” Nero growled, eyes narrowed. It was like a switch flicked on inside of him—he looked ready to fight anything and anyone. “I will never let him touch you. And I won’t let him escape a second time, Remington. Trust me.”
I shivered at the raw emotion in his words, which caused most of my anxiety to vanish. “I do trust you.”
We followed the water until the grassy fields elevated to a high slope. As we climbed the hill, a breeze tickled my face. The air smelled crisp and clean here, even more so than usual. My skin tingled in an oddly pleasant way, like invisible magic sparked in the wind.
“Do you feel that?” I asked quietly.
Nero had paused mid-step, his eyes staring ahead. “I do. What is it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been here before, and this feeling is… different.”
“Let’s keep going.”
Feeling like we were on the cusp of something big, I reached for Nero’s hand. His grip was warm and firm, a promise to protect me no matter what was about to happen.
My heart raced as we neared the apex of the slope. My wolf felt restless, but not in a bad way. I felt Nero’s pulse quicken, too.
When we reached the top, my jaw dropped.
Before us was a beautiful blue pool of water, stretching on as far as the eye could see. It glittered in the sunlight and its soft, foamy waves gently licked the sandy shore. The mild scent of salt lingered in the air.
“I had no idea this was even here,” I murmured. “This place is amazing.”
Nero didn’t speak, but he clenched my hand hard. There was a wild, desperation in his eyes. I recognized it immediately—it was the same feeling I felt when I saw a fresh layer of snow and my wolf wanted nothing more than to throw myself in it. Nero’s inner beast was calling to him.
“Go,” I said with a smile.
Nero took off like a bolt of lightning. I undressed and shifted to wolf form, sprinting down the hill behind him. I was faster on four legs and caught up with him quickly. Nero threw off his clothes as he ran, stripping down to nothing. When we finally hit the sand, Nero launched himself in the air and shifted.
I watched in awe as his body changed. The tall, muscular body of my alpha man became the streamlined shape of a shark, ancient and powerful. He hit the water like a bullet, disappearing beneath its surface except for the telltale fin on his back.
As a wolf, I yelped with excitement. I ran up and down the shore alongside Nero in the water.
“Remmy,” a voice called out. It was Nero’s voice, but different—it was rougher, more primal, influenced by his shark form. “Come join me.”
I wasn’t the best swimmer but I didn’t care. I waded in until the waves hit my chest, then began dogpaddling. The water was crystal clear, and Nero swam freely around me. There was no fear, no anxiety in the back of my mind that he might bite me. I told him I trusted him and I meant it.
Nero swam in front of me and playfully nudged my chest with his broad silver snout. The bite marks from Klimt’s fangs had healed. His skin was soft yet scratchy, like a cat’s tongue. I pawed at his snout gently in response.
“You’re a good swimmer,” Nero said. His voice had the strange quality of being underwater and hearing someone speak nearby.
“Not as good as you,” I replied.
He teasingly poked me with his flipper. “I sure hope not!”
I had to stay near the shore because unlike him I wasn’t a fish, but we played in the water for hours, splashing each other and racing and collecting shells underwater.
“Ah!” I cried out at one point.
“What is it?” Nero said, splitting the water as he swam closer. “You okay?”
