Then Bruce righted himself and started lunging for the barn door, though it wasn’t so easy, given that he had to drag Laddin along. Words and curses flew through Laddin’s mind, but he didn’t have the breath to voice them. All he had was a steady determination to hold on.Hold on!
And then Bruce planted his feet and twisted sideways. He bared his teeth, then bit down hard on Laddin’s leg. Pain shot through Laddin’s nervous system, and he screamed. His hands loosened, but he didn’t let his grip slip until the wolf bucked again.
He couldn’t hold on. Not when he was afraid he was about to lose his leg. Damn, damn, damn. He gathered the energy to shift. It was the only way to make sure he didn’t bleed out.
The change was familiar now, and he dove into the sensations. Heat, then a shocking energy that tipped into pain. Next step, he would dissolve into joy, only to reform on four legs.
But he never made it that far. Just when his body was about to dissolve, Bruce hit him broadside, knocking him over and completely disrupting Laddin’s focus. He lost the change energy and remained completely, vulnerably human. Even more so when Bruce closed in for the kill, putting his mouth to Laddin’s throat.
Panic burned hot and hard. His heart raced, and his mind scrambled to find a solution even as it refused to focus on anything but the teeth at his throat. There was no time to try to shift again, no way to break free, and the blood from where he’d been bitten was soaking his jeans. What to do? What to do?
His wolf mind answered while his human brain was still stewing in panic. He had to submit. It was the only way to soothe the wolf in Bruce. And though neither the wolf part of Laddin nor the human side wanted to do that, he realized it was the only way.
So he lay there, absolutely frozen. His breath was short and tight, and his body rigid with fear. He felt the saliva drip from Bruce’s mouth roll down his neck. Did Bruce understand that Laddin was submitting? He sure hoped so. One good chomp and Laddin was dead.
But the wolf wasn’t biting down. Instead, Laddin lay there, feeling Bruce’s breath hot against his neck, doing his best to remain calm. Why the hell wasn’t the animal doing something? “I’m submitting,” he whispered. “You’re the boss.”
Nothing.
Then a weird sense of déjà vu hit him. This was just like before, when Nero and Wiz had first turned him into a werewolf. It was as if every moment of his life had been leading him to right here, right now. It didn’t make sense. Sure, his becoming a werewolf had been predicted ever since he was born. But this moment hadn’t been foretold by anyone. And yet the inevitability of it settled onto his shoulders and into his very heart.
He relaxed. What would happen would happen. And if this was the end of his very short life, then so be it. His breath eased out, his head fell to the side, and his belly remained open and vulnerable. And though he knew better than to look directly into Bruce’s wolf eyes, he was vividly aware of the wolf’s piercing yellow gaze.
“I submit to you, Bruce. I’ll follow you wherever you lead.”
He didn’t know if the man inside the wolf understood his words. It didn’t matter. The wolf must have felt something, because he slowly released Laddin’s neck. Then he took a step back.
Laddin exhaled and tried to move, but dizziness swamped his awareness. Shit. He’d lost too much blood. He needed to shiftnow. So with a slow hand, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. It was all he could do. Then he threw himself into his change.
He was well practiced at it now. The heat, the tingling excitement, and the joy as his body dissolved in an electric fizzle, then reformed as wolf. He moved his leg and arm—now wolf legs—feeling them healthy and strong. Then he shimmied out of his bloody jeans and shook as he maneuvered onto all fours. It was annoying to still have his shirt on, but it didn’t get in the way.
His vision sharpened, and his world became a kaleidoscope of tastes and smells. But the most important thing he saw was Bruce’s wolf slowly backing away from him.
Now came the difficult part. Bruce hadn’t killed Laddin, but that didn’t mean he’d accepted him either.
Laddin walked slowly forward, keeping his head down in submission. He sniffed the air, noting the burned-cherry smell of the other wolf. Odd, but he liked it. And still he crept closer, trying to invite a friendship.
It only took a few seconds, but to Laddin it felt like an eternity. Eventually Bruce lowered his head, his nose twitching as he too sniffed—nose to nose at first, with Laddin’s head sunk below Bruce’s. Then Laddin kept walking, sniffing along Bruce’s flank and around his tail. The first time he’d done this with Josh, he’d been repulsed by the idea of sniffing someone’s ass. But there was so much to learn down there. And he wanted to know everything about Bruce.
Beneath the burned-cherry smell, he scented Bruce’s family connection with Josh. He knew Bruce was healthy, though there was an acrid tang to the air that meant something. He had no idea what, but it was unique to Bruce. And he knew when Bruce finally relaxed enough to rub against him.
Friends.
The word had never felt so sweet. And then Bruce turned, obviously to head out the barn door.
Shit! He couldn’t let that happen, though the scents out there were really tempting. Well, if he couldn’t talk Bruce into staying, he would have to try playing. And there was nothing Laddin’s wolf liked better than play. So when Bruce was almost out the barn door, Laddin leaped in front of him.
He kept his head down low and his tail wagging high. He moved left and right and then even spun around once, just to see if he could get Bruce into the mood.
The larger wolf watched him, his ears cocked with what might have been curiosity. Did he understand what Laddin wanted? Maybe. Bruce’s tail swished back and forth a bit, and his mouth opened in what Laddin hoped was a wolfish smile.
Laddin lunged forward, nipping without intent. Bruce shied backward, but then he bit back. Not hard. A quick clamp of his jaws before he danced forward. He wasn’t as smooth on his feet as Laddin, but then again, he was brand-new to his lupine body. By the looks of things, though, he’d be a quick study, Laddin thought as Bruce leaped sideways and didn’t stumble. It had taken Laddin a week to master that.
Laddin pressed forward again, closer this time, and Bruce played back. Laddin went left and right, trying to get his mouth on Bruce’s neck. He never came close, though, as Bruce adjusted and fought. He was making a rumbling sound, not a growl, and Laddin wondered if that was his play sound. If so, it was pretty angry, but he’d take it. Especially since he was moving Bruce steadily deeper into the barn.
It was a losing game. He knew that. Eventually Bruce would tire of the game and Laddin would have to think of something else. He needed to get those barn doors closed, and he couldn’t do that as a wolf.
He was still scrambling for options when he ran out of time. Bruce jumped past him, tail held high, and headed for the door. It was an invitation to follow him outdoors, and Laddin even considered it. But the more time Bruce spent as a wolf, the less likely he was to ever come back to his human form. In short, playtime was over. Laddin had to get serious about setting down the rules.
