He shoves his head under my hand. I scratch his ears, his neck, down along his ribs to his belly, making his back paw kick furiously. I laugh and brace myself for his weight. “Oh my gods, Ro. You’re so cute.”
Ivy darts in and nips at Rowen, and the three of them tumble into the snow in a ridiculous pile of fur and paws. I snort out a laugh before I can stop myself. Up close, they aren’t nearly as terrifying as they were that night in the club. Actually, it’s… kind of mesmerizing.
Rowen’s wolf isbeautiful. All deep red fur with black shading underneath, and those black-tipped ears I’d recognize anywhere. Ivy matches him, but lighter—gray dusted over her belly like smoke. Red’s coat is ash gray, his paws dark as ink.
They look like wolves in shape, sure—but not really. They’re bigger. Broader. Rowen’s shoulder reaches my waist when he presses against me. They’re so graceful. Powerful. Playful.
It should scare me.
But instead warmth spreads through my chest. I love this. I love them.
The thought slithers in before I can stop it, making my heart sink. I can’t get attached. Ican’t.What if I shift one day and become feral? What if I hurt one of them?
Don’t think about it, Toby. Don’t.
We circle the house, and I take pictures of everything. The trees, the icicles on the roof, the carved paths through the snow from the wolves. Anything and everything makes my shutter finger happy. Before I know it, the memory card is full.
On our second loop around the house, Rowen breaks away from the others, running straight toward me. I barely have time to brace myself before he jumps, paws hitting my chest with enough force to knock the airfrom me. I tumble backward, landing softly in the snow. Then he’s on me, licking my face and whining happily as he rubs his head against mine.
“Rowen!” I sputter, trying to push him off, but Ivy and Red join the pile, tails wagging, snow flying everywhere.
“Oh my god, guys!”
Wrapping my arms around Rowen, I tackle him and pull him to my chest. He doesn’t fight it. I bury my face in his fur and laugh. It bursts out of me, full and unguarded. I laugh until my side hurts, and laugh until everything feels bright again.
When I let him go, he licks my cheek one more time before getting up.
By the time we finally stumble back to the house through the mud room, I’m breathless and soaked. Red and Ivy disappear quickly, cheeks flushed with joy. Mine probably are too.
Rowen shifts easily, and my brain short-circuits. It isn’t his rear end I see this time. Rowen is facing me andholy shit,I see everything. As in,everything.I blink and trail my eyes up his thick thighs and toned stomach to his slightly hairy chest.
I can’t move, or look away. He is so ridiculously beautiful.
Rowen doesn’t seem to notice my fawning, thank gods. He grabs the pair of sweats and pulls them on, saying something about making some hot cocoa. He tugs a shirt on next then grins at me. “Feel better?”
Somehow, I find my tongue. “Y-yeah.”
He unzips my jacket and pulls it off, then helps peel away my sweaty sweatshirt. Once the extra pair of sweat pants are gone, Rowen pulls me against him.
My heart skitters.
The hug is tender yet tight, his face nuzzled into the side of my neck, his breath warm against my skin.
I hug him back, not knowing where it came from—and honestly not caring.
“You’re allowed to laugh, you know,” Rowen murmurs softly. “You don’t always have to hold it in.”
The words hit something deep. I exhale hard, holding him even tighter. It’s like Rowen notices things no one else has ever bothered to.
I change the subject before I get emotional. “You were saying something about hot chocolate?”
Rowen chuckles as he pulls away, keeping one arm around me. “Right, but the real question is, with or without marshmallows?”
I make a face. “Do you even need to ask?”
“Without them, it is then.”
I pinch him. “You’d better not skip the marshmallows, mister!”
