“Oh, don’t worry. I’m winning,” he said.
I snorted, and then he shouted, “Go!”
I pushed off the ground hard. The thudding rhythm of my feet settled into something steady.
Chris’ laughter rang out beside me, bright and ridiculously loud, and for some reason it pulled a smile from me before I could stop it. My chest warmed, a little from the effort, a little from him being so close.
Pampi barked behind us, suddenly invested now that we were actually doing something.
We hit the curve. I leaned into it, angling my weight just right. I always nailed corners, one of the few times I didn’t second-guess myself.
Beside me, Chris skidded a bit, cursing under his breath before pushing harder, so close I could feel the heat from his shoulder brush past mine.
The finish line came up fast. I dug deep, legs burning, chest tightening in that good way. I crossed first.
Chris slowed to a jog behind me, panting. “Damn.”
I bent over, hands braced on my thighs, laughing through my own breaths. “Told you.”
He shot me a mock glare, which only made me laugh harder. For a long beat, we just stood there, panting, the sound of our breathing loud in the quiet.
I lifted my head and saw Chris staring at me hard. His eyes were glowing faintly gold at the edges. His wolf bleeding through. I swallowed hard. I knew mine looked the same.
Heat prickled under my skin, and I could feel my wolf pushing closer, restless and impatient, wanting to run. Wanting out.
Chris’s chest rose and fell, sweat tracking down his throat and sliding over the curve of his collarbone. I had to drag my gaze back up before I stared too long, but he definitely noticed.
The corner of his mouth lifted like he enjoyed the attention way too much. Then he leaned in just slightly, voice low enough to curl right through me.
“Let’s run for real.”
It was short and simple and shouldn’t have been anything. But it hit stupidly hot.
“Here?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“No one’s around,” he said, eyes still glowing faintly. “Unless you’re scared.”
I scoffed. “Please.”
“So?” he asked. “You game?”
“This is stupid,” I muttered.
And yeah, it was. I wasn’t the kind of person who shifted without a reason. Chris just had this way of making me do things I normally wouldn’t. Things I shouldn’t. And yet, somehow, I couldn’t say no.
“If you get hurt, I’m telling Cooper it’s your fault,” I warned.
Chris laughed, clearly pleased, and then he grabbed the hem of his ratty shirt and pulled it off.
And I instantly regretted looking. Lean lines of muscle carved down his ribs, sweat making every shape and hard line stand out more.
I snapped my gaze away, heat crawling up my neck. “Shut up,” I muttered, flipping him off when he chuckled.
I turned fully away. My heart wouldn't calm down. My wolf shoved at my skin, eager, like it had been waiting for an excuse to break loose.
I didn’t know how the hell we ended up here. Didn’t know why I wasn’t stopping any of this. But I still took a breath, braced myself, and let the shift start rolling through me. Just this once.
We padded back to the starting line, our clothes in a heap to the side. The mat was cold under my paws. Beside me, Chris’s wolf trotted into position, tail high, eyes bright gold in the low hall lights.
