Ell put a hand on Marcus’s shoulder.“We know our way around.Dom is the most knowledgeable, especially in our territory.Stick with us.”
Marcus nodded.“No wandering off.Check.”
Ell kept holding on to Marcus, who didn’t seem to mind.Dom threw another pebble into the water while I looked around.This area was easily reachable from our property, but it was also relatively close to one of the parking spots the serious hikers often started from, so there was always a chance of running into people.Nothing to worry about under normal circumstances, but with the possibility of a hunter out there, I’d rather be too alert than miss anything.
Dom stretched his arms over his head.“Should we find a spot to sit down?”
Marcus shuffled a fraction closer to the river.“Can I go in the water?”
I cocked my head.“You want to go for a swim?”
Ell shook his head.“Not with your wound.”
Marcus pointed.“No, I mean just go in the water.I just want to take my shoes off and walk in, get my feet wet.Have an adventure, you know?”
Ell rubbed Marcus’s back.“If that’s the most adventure you’re going to have, why not?”
Marcus unzipped his jacket, then stopped.“There’s nothing dangerous in there, right?I read this story about giant catfish once.Nothing like that in this river, is there?”
Dom was more than eager—he’d taken off his own shirt and shoes already.“I’ll protect you, Little Red.”
I started walking around our spot by the water.I didn’t want anyone to see Dom shift, but I didn’t want him not to do it, either.Marcus and Dom had found a tentative rapport between them, I was pretty sure, and it would be best for them and for us to deepen that.It just meant the rest of us had to keep watch.
“Linc.”Ell put the backpack down against a large rock.“Mind me turning as well?”
I nodded.“Go ahead.I’ll stay here.”
Dom was already busy with his pants.Marcus looked from one of them to the other.
“You two realize I just wanted to take a few steps into the river?”
Dom shifted and loped over, circling around our mate’s legs.And then he nipped him on the butt.Marcus hopped around and made the pebbles grind under his feet.
“Hey!”Marcus was red in the cheeks, finally a healthy color.“That’s—hey, Linc, did you see what he just did?”
Dom yipped in pleasure.Ell was smiling while shaking his own shirt off.
“I saw.”
Marcus pointed at Dom, who was now splashing around near the shore.
“Harassment in the workplace.Make him stop.”
Dom huffed in delight, and I did my best to keep a straight face.“I’m afraid this isn’t a work excursion, but what was it you said?There’s lattes to be exchanged for butt stuff?”
Marcus’s eyes went wide.“That’s not what I said.”
I shrugged.“I mean, if someone offered me a really good flat white, I’d consider it.”
Ell laughed while getting out of his pants, which drew Marcus’s gaze.He was staring while Ell got naked and continued to stare as he shifted, exchanging skin for silver-gray fur.
On all fours, Ell was still the biggest among us.I watched him walk up to Marcus and rub his head against his belly, a sweeter gesture than Dom’s nip.What a sight this was though, our human mate and the two of them shifted, keeping him between them and watching over him like this.
There was a story my dad used to tell me when I was a kid, about a wolf and his human mate and how they’d followed the moon to the eternal night of the north, where the sky was awash with color.The wolf had kept his fur to warm his mate, and while there was no danger of Marcus freezing out here, this moment reminded me of that, of taking whichever shape your mate needed to reach the goal you both were traveling toward.
Marcus patted Ell’s side and leaned on him while taking his own shoes off, then he rolled up his jeans.
“Okay, these rocks are not great to walk on.Doesn’t that bother them?Or are toe beans stronger than rocks?”
