My thoughts dwindled when Hannes’s wolf leaned into me, nuzzling both sides of my neck and scenting me.
Oh shit. I was done.
Heat swelled through my being, its aroma bursting through my pores and making his nostrils flare as he took in my mating scent. I was so fucking ready, and he knew it.
That brilliant smile of his translated into his wolf, showing me perfect canines with which to hunt and provide for me and our future pups. Yes, I was ready.
“Time for that run.”
“What?”I blinked, watching him jump off me and run away.
Not wasting a single second, I rolled to my feet and went after him, noticing him stop by the large double doors at the back of the hall, and press a lever on the floor with his paw. The doors opened for us.
“Come on, hurry!”he called, urging me to reach him.
We crossed into the courtyard, the chilly air of the German Alps immediately surrounding us as we ran toward the forest.
Snow and earth burst into the air with each strike of our paws as we left the meticulously maintained gardens and entered the forest. Every inch of me came alive when the breeze caressed my fur, my lungs filling with the purest air I’d ever breathed.
What felt like raw energy rushed through my muscles. I felt alive.
A husky laughing sound left Hannes’s chest while we ran, reverberating through the pine tree-filled terrain, and I joined him in careless laughter as joy filled my soul.
Our speed increased as we headed toward the curve in the mountain, the path taking us to the next unending peak. Hours or even days could have passed while we ran side-by-side alongthe snowcapped mountain range, guided by nothing but the Goddess’s moonlight and our instinct.
We also could have been going in circles for all I knew, but it was still glorious.
I’d never felt so free.
So authentically me…
Like a true Wolf Shifter.
Before I knew it, I became lost in the vast countryside and the overwhelming feeling of happiness that inundated my heart in this place. I didn’t know how to explain it, but this was home.
I was finally home.
“Follow me!”Hannes kicked up speed, taking the spot before me, and heading toward a dip in the terrain ahead of us.
We descended the mountain until the glow of the Moon Goddess became impossibly bright over the earth, and my heart jumped in my chest.“A lake!”
It was an honest to the Goddess lake and Natasha had never swam in one before today.
She’d been in the water of the small beach back on her mom’s island, but she was too busy making out with André to swim.
Faster and faster my paws struck the earth, the excitement overpowering any logic as I ran past Hannes, straight for the water.
“Wait, Starlight! It’s too cold!”
His warning came too late, I’d already lunged myself into the air.
The prickling of the icy waters engulfed my skin when I plunged into it, becoming almost painful as the water rose over my head swiftly, and I began to sink to the bottom.
Then my own words came back.“We had never swam in one before today…”
Oh shit. Were wolves supposed to know how to swim?
My four legs began to move awkwardly, but somehow, I was still sinking.
