Zeke stiffens inside me, and I can feel that he’s on the verge of finishing. His breath is heavy, and I wrap my arms around his neck and dig my fingernails into his back.
His mouth moves from mine down to my neck, his teeth scraping against the soft skin. “Are you ready for this?” he asks.
“Yes!” I virtually cry out, desperate to feel this connection grow stronger.
Zeke’s body twitches, and he sinks his teeth into my skin. It feels like the world comes into focus for the first time. My entire body convulses under him as an orgasm shoots through me.
It feels incredible. Intensity like nothing I’ve ever thought I’d experience before. My mouth hangs open, and I whimper as every sound, feeling, and sensation of our bodies coalesce and are heightened.
My neck tingles where his teeth cling to me, and I feel our connection grow stronger. I feel myself being linked to him forever, tied to him as his mate. I never knew this was something I wanted so desperately, but now I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without it.
His body settles down, and he pulls his mouth away from me. I come down from my orgasm and look at him as he stares at the red mark on my neck, gently tracing a finger over the divots of his teeth.
“Now you’re mine forever,” Zeke whispers.
I just smile at him. “Good.”
We lie in bed together for a while, luxuriating in the aftermath of what just happened. I feel truly alive and happy for the first time, and I want to enjoy every second of it.
Zeke traces lazy circles on my shoulders as he pets my hair with one hand. I could stay like this forever, and I would never want for anything else.
“How do you feel about going for a run?” Zeke asks after a while. “I think it’s about time our wolves meet each other.”
If he had said this to me two days ago, I would have been so confused. But now, I finally understand what he means.
I agree, and we both get ready to leave. I’m about to put on a nice sweater that Tara gave me when Zeke stops me. “Rule number one of being a shifter is never wear anything you’d care about losing before shifting.”
He hands me an old T-shirt and a pair of oversized pajama bottoms, and I follow him outside. We don’t see anyone else in the house as we leave, which I’m thankful for. Right now, I want it to just be the two of us.
Zeke brings me to a clearing in the woods and undresses, the moonlight dappling through the trees illuminating his form. I do the same, feeling weirdly exposed yet invigorated.
I’ve only shifted once before, but now, standing next to Zeke, it feels natural. Both of us transform, and our wolves are free.
Seeing Zeke like this for the first time is surreal. He’s a magnificent, tall black wolf with dazzling green eyes. If I didn’t know who he was, I would be terrified.
Both of us take a few moments for our wolves to get acquainted, sniffing each other and sizing one another up. All the while, I feel like I’m in the back seat watching all of this unfold. It’s freeing, though. Like there’s an itch that I’ve been waiting to scratch my entire life.
Eventually, Zeke pounces on me, knocking me over playfully. I get up feeling a lightness in my large wolf body that I didn’t expect, chasing him as he runs off. I catch him, nipping at his ears.
Then we take off through the woods. I feel the wind against my fur, and my senses are heightened enough to hear other wolves howling in the distance. The air is cool, but my fur is more than enough to keep me warm.
I feel happy.
Then a flash of something creeps into my memory.
It’s me, like I am now, running freely through the woods. The only other time I’ve shifted was when I escaped the facility. But in this memory, there’s none of the fear or anxiety of being chased. Other wolves surround me, and I feel excitement.
I come to a stop with Zeke running ahead of me a bit. As he hears my footsteps no longer padding against the leaves andtwigs behind him, he stops and turns around to make sure I’m all right.
Through his wolf, I can see that he’s concerned. But I don’t focus on that right now. I focus on the memory, dredging up every detail I can.
I see my wolf running off on its own, a flicker of fear as I realize I don’t know where I am. Then two other wolves come up behind me, one of them licking my face gently and the other picking me up by the scruff of my neck and dragging me away.
Even though I’m being taken, I feel comfort at this moment. Like I’ve been found. I realize these aren’t too strange wolves. They’re my parents.
“What’s wrong?” Zeke asks. I’m surprised that I hear his voice in my head even though we’re both in our wolf form.
I stare at him for a moment, the weight of this memory pulling me back to reality. “I think I just had a memory of my life before the fire.”
