The trail they were following was narrow – little more than trampled grass and shrubs – and Sebastian didn’t want to think about how many ticks and bugs were hiding in the tall grass brushing against his legs.
Even though it was scorching, he was glad he was wearing pants.
“So this is your territory, huh?” Sebastian was breathless and struggling to keep up. Looking around, the trees and greenery looking pretty much indistinguishable to any other point on the path they’d been following, Sebastian wondered what exactly he was supposed to be seeing.
“Yes,” Bjorn confirmed, shooting him a grin over his shoulder. “And yours.”
Huh. Sebastian hadn’t thought of that. He knew that he was part of Viggo’s pack, but he hadn’t given much thought to what that meant.
He had a territory.
“That’s pretty cool, I guess.”
Bjorn seemed satisfied with the reply, sending him another grin over his shoulder. Even glistening with sweat, Bjorn managed to look handsome. The polo shirt he wore clung to his muscles like a second skin, stretching across his broad back and wide shoulders, and Sebastian could see the line of his jockstrap where it framed his meaty ass under the thin fabric of the too-small shorts.
Sebastian doubted he looked anywhere near as good himself.
Glancing up, Sebastian realized that Bjorn had caught him looking and he ducked his head in embarrassment.
Bjorn shot him another look, curious and confused, but then he turned his attention back to the trail.
Twenty minutes later Sebastian was heaving for breath, his once-clean clothes absolutely drenched in sweat. “Hold on,” he pleaded, putting on a burst of speed to catch up to Bjorn who was steadily pulling away. He stared at Bjorn’s thickly muscled legs, resenting howlongthey were.
Bjorn looked over his shoulder and came to a stop, and Sebastian stopped with him. He put his hands on his thighs and took a moment to catch his breath.
“Tired?” Bjorn asked, sounding confused. His brow was furrowed, his gaze moving up and down Sebastian’s body like he was scanning for defects.
Sebastian nodded, standing upright and wiping his brow. The bewildered confusion on Bjorn’s face had him feeling annoyed and defensive.
“It’s hot,” he growled, “and I’m not used to jogging. I don’t think you realize how fast you’re going.”
Bjorn wrinkled his nose. “Slow,” he protested.
“Not human slow,” Sebastian shot back, wishing he had something to drink. He hadn’t asked Bjorn to take him jogging in the woods, and he resented being looked at as weak just because he couldn’t keep up.
It wasn’t like he’d structured his limited workouts around keeping up with a nearly seven-foot-tall werewolf while they stomped around the woods.
Bjorn tilted his head, frowning and looking like he was thinking very hard, before he seemed to come to a decision. He nodded to himself, crossing the distance between them with two long steps.
“Carry you,” he said, moving right into Sebastian’s space. Before Sebastian could say a word, Bjorn turned his back to him and crouched down, grabbing his legs under his knees and hoisting him up with a grunt, leaning forward and folding his legs around his waist. Sebastian squeaked in shock at finding himself suddenly off the ground, torso crashing into Bjorn’s broad, sweaty back, forced to wrap his arms around the werewolf’s neck or fall back.
“What the fuck,” Sebastian cried, clinging to Bjorn’s neck as the werewolf adjusted his grip on his legs and rose to his full height.
“Good?” Bjorn asked, taking a few steps to test the arrangement. Sebastian held on for dear life, only relaxing when he realized that Bjorn’s grip on his legs was secure.
The position wasn’t exactly comfortable – Bjorn’s body was simply too wide – but it was better than walking.
“It’s okay,” Sebastian said, realizing that Bjorn was waiting for an answer.
That was all the permission Bjorn needed. Between one breath and the next, he took off, shooting down the path like a missile, and Sebastian suddenly realized why Bjorn had insisted he’d been going slow. Compared to the preternatural pace he was running at, even Sebastian’s fastest speed would seem like a snail’s pace in comparison.
They ran for what felt like hours, Sebastian’s face buried in the sweaty crook of Bjorn’s neck, the rocking motion of Bjorn’s gait making Sebastian feel woozy.
Eventually, Bjorn came to a crashing halt. Sebastian opened his eyes, glancing cautiously over Bjorn’s shoulder, and was surprised to see that they were standing on the bank of a small lake. There was a sloping grassy area leading into the water, and next to that was a collection of large, flat rocks.
The whole thing was like something out of a postcard.
“This is the end,” Bjorn stated, letting go of Sebastian’s legs and crouching down so that he could slide off his back.
