“Shit, I forgot I can't mindlink you. Okay, I’m going to stay in human form to direct you first, then I’ll shift and you can try to get away from me,” I explain. Her little wolf nods to let me know she understands.
“Okay, so physically you aren’t going to be stronger than most wolves you go up against—not an insult, just an observation—so you need to be smarter or faster. Ideally both.” Her wolf’s ears perk up and her head cocks to the side, showing me she is listening intently.
“You need to seize every opportunity that comes your way; you pause or delay, you’re dead.” Her wolf lets out a low whimper.
“You use every possible advantage you have.” I take my shirt off, but before I continue undressing, I let her in on the plan. “I’m going to get undressed and shift. You have a one-minute head start.”
Her head darts to the door I left open before her gaze flicks back to me. The vibrant green of her eyes burns me with her gaze.
“Run, little wolf. I’m coming for you.”
Her wolf lets out a yip, and she’s gone like a flash. I strip off my sweatpants and boxers before letting the shift come. The pain lasts only a couple of seconds as my bones crack and elongate and hair erupts from my skin.
My wolf is at least double the size of hers, if not bigger. My sandy brown coloring and knowledge of the area will give me further advantage over Emily. But she’s faster than I expected.
I should wait another thirty seconds, but my wolf is ignoring me. He tears out of the training facility in search of my girl.
Thegirl.
Not mine. She’s notmyanything.
My wolf growls his dispute to that idea, but we’re choosing to agree to disagree on this matter. He sniffs around for a couple of seconds before picking up her scent.
Sweet, sugary, and a hint of coffee. Her scent has become stronger and even more appealing since she arrived in Lunar Eclipse. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s close to turning twenty-one or something else, but it’s incredibly enticing.
It draws me in, soothing me and refreshing me at the same time.
My wolf takes off in the direction of her scent. She has zigzagged and doubled back at times, hiding her trail. Good, she’s not making it too easy. My wolf loves to hunt, but he’s getting especially eager about finding this particular prey.
After almost an hour of searching, I finally catch a glimpse of her fluffy white tail. I pick up my pace but take the long way around to get ahead of her. It’s incredibly impressive that she has evaded me for so long.
But I’ve nearly got her.
I hide in the shadows, ready to pounce as soon as she comes my way. One last breath of the fresh pine and damp earth fills my lungs before I go completely still, awaiting her approach. I leap at her at the exact right time to ensure I give her no warning. I tackle her to the ground, rolling her wolf onto her back with me on top of her. My wolf growls as a singular thought fills my mind;Mine.
She snaps at me, making no genuine effort to make contact. She'll need to do better against a real foe. But then she does something completely unexpected.
Her small size allows her to twist under me so that her back is to my underbelly. It's the worst position she could put herself in—zero leverage, completely vulnerable. I growl, frustrated. Is she even fucking trying?
But then she arches her back.
Her hips lift. Her tail moves to the side. It’s not a mistake. It’s an invitation. My wolf surges forward, ready to mount. Her movements are deliberate—teasing, taunting—a clear invitation that her wolf wants to fuck and mine is ready to go into rut. But she’s not even in heat.
She moves from side to side and I step back to see what she’s doing, but she immediately lets out an excited yip and takes off. My human form may have blue balls, but my wolf fucking loves the chase. He takes off after her, dodging under tree branches and jumping over ditches.
She’s fast. Really fucking fast. My wolf is half-wild with lust, but he’s also thrilled, loving every second of the chase. We’ve been running through the pack forest for almost two hours when I see her slip back into the training grounds. I bound after her, just in time to hear the final cracking of her bones rearranging into her human form behind the divider.
I shift into my human form before I follow her. She has already pulled her panties back on by the time I reach her, but her tits are uncovered and I'm completely naked. I walkstraight up to her, and she steps backward. I crowd her against the wall, placing my hands on either side of her head, caging her in.
“What was that?” I growl at her.
She bites her bottom lip and looks up at me through her lashes. “Um, my wolf, uh…” she stutters. A red blush travels up her chest and she looks down.
“Your wolf, what?” I ask, moving even closer, dropping my head into the curve of her neck and breathing in her sweet scent. Her arousal makes her usual sweetness become intoxicating.
“Oh my goddess, this is so embarrassing,” she whines. She sighs and looks back at me. “I’d love to say that was me ‘using my advantage’, but actually my wolf is just a hussy.”
“A hussy?” I say, quirking an eyebrow.
