River Wolf(109)

Soon. He soothed his beast. First we court. His wolf agreed. Darting away, he dropped his legs and waved his butt before charging toward her and away again. Come and run with me, he invited.

“I don’t understand.” While not a lie, the confusion he scented and the reluctance in her eyes suggested she did, but she wasn’t sure how to answer.

He dashed at her again, then scrabbled away.

“You want to run?”

He nodded, then waited. Better for her to work it out. They’d made her a promise. They would control her wolf till she could, but—they also wanted her to learn, and to be a part of them. Her wolf was their mate as much as she was.

“I don’t know if I can change at will like you did.” She licked her lips. It wasn’t a no, but the trepidation and worry drew him back to her. He rubbed against her and wrapped around her legs. She sank her fingers into his fur and he exulted at her touch. “Can you...Call my wolf? And then I can run with you?”

He nodded once, he could, but then shook his head because he wouldn’t. Choice mattered in mating. He could claim her all he wanted, but if she didn’t choose him, it wouldn’t work. No mate could be forced. It was what his grandfather had told him—he would never be Alpha to his mate. If her wolf needed the Alpha, their mating would have to wait.

Withdrawing, he sat and willed her to meet his gaze. She obeyed, an instinct more than a command. Shifting was a choice, too. One she had to make on her own. He could help, but only if she were willing.

“I want to,” she admitted, then bit down on her lip. The indecision ate away at the joy in her scent. “But I want to remember this, too. I want to remember running with you. I know, I’m selfish.”

His tongue lolled out. He was equally selfish, so he had no problem with her demand. Still, he had faith in her. Colby was strong, determined, and she’d stood up to him regularly. She could do this.

Believing in her was the single easiest choice he’d ever made.

“Okay.” She blew out a breath then tunneled her fingers through her hair and flipped it. “But if we lose another day because I can’t remember, you have to make it up to me.”

A laugh wound through him and came out a half-bark and she grinned. The smile made his heart soar. When she glanced around, he tested the air. They were alone, but she still looked to him for confirmation and pride flooded him. His mate trusted him.

What a precious gift she bestowed upon him. At his nod, she began to strip out of her clothes. She’d hijacked one of his t-shirts again and wore it tucked like a crop top over her capris. The effect, he had to admit, worked for him. In fact, she should always wear his shirts if she had to get dressed. Once she’d stripped to bare skin, she knelt down and he darted forward to slurp her face.

The bubble of tension around her burst with her aggravated laugh. She gave him a light shove and then snapped her teeth at the air. Another wave of happiness danced through him. Returning to his seated position, he waited. Though he and his wolf alike longed to run with her at their side, he hadn’t lied when he said he’d wait forever.

“All right.” She rubbed her palms together then pressed her hands against the grass. “I can do this.”

Yes, you can. He kept his play to himself for now, refusing to interrupt her concentration. One minute stretched into the next and a bead of sweat trickled down the line of her shoulder then over one breast. Willing to share his strength, he opened himself to her, and she closed her eyes. Her fingers clenching the blades of grass were his only warning before her muscles began to spasm. The brutality of her change took a couple of minutes, and he endured all of it in silence, willing her to finish. Only once she stood before him, trembling on all fours, did he let his grin show.

Rising, he padded toward her and rubbed against her. She snapped once, and he replied in kind then rubbed her again. She leaned into him on the second pass, still panting and, when their gazes locked, cunning intelligence showed in her eyes.

Nipping the side of her neck once, he darted away then danced back. She shook once, then bounded after him. When she tackled him, he let her take him down, then flipped her over and nipped at her hind quarters. Her sudden burst of speed to run away left him wanting to howl. They romped, chased and played. She never tried to outdistance him and once, when he pretended to give up pursuit and turned away, she chased him.

Late afternoon bled into evening and finally into night before he herded her toward the house. One day, they would spend a whole night together under the stars, just them and their wolves. But tonight, he had other plans for his mate. The front door opened at their approach and she shrank back, startled.