Page 39 of Howl About That

He began moving, snapping pictures with his phone—capturing the empty clearing framed by ancient oaks, the dappled sunlight on the forest floor, and the way the land sloped gently toward the distant sound of water. Poppy followed him, her boots whispering through the ferns.

As he worked, she didn't just see trees and dirt anymore. She saw it. The lodge, built from stone and timber that echoed the forest, with wide windows drinking in the view. Smaller cabins nestled in the trees, privacy and community in balance. She heard the imagined sounds of laughter from a shared meal in the communal hall, the focused quiet of a strategy session in a meeting room, the powerful, rhythmic thuds of sparring in a purpose-built training yard. Her vision from a week ago, born in a moment of desperate hope, solidified into a tangible, thrilling reality.

This land wasn't lost. It was waiting. For us.

"It's going to be revolutionary," she said, the words escaping. "Not just a retreat. A statement. A place where wolves and lions don't just tolerate each other's presence. They share it. They train in it. They build alliances over a campfire instead of across a battlefield."

Keiro lowered his phone, turning to look at her. The controlled CEO was gone, replaced by a man whose eyes held the same fierce hope. "And we'll keep most of this in its natural state," he said softly. "The hiking trails will be the arteries. The heart will be what we build. But the soul will always be this." He gestured to the dense woods around them, then he put his phone away. "I've got what the contractors need."

A restless energy, pure and primal, buzzed beneath Poppy's skin. The formalities were done. But her lioness pushed against her human constraints, wanting to taste the freedom of this place and to claim it in the most fundamental way.

A playful, daring impulse seized her. "Well, since the contractors have their pictures, why don't we give ourselves a little break? My lioness has been itching to run this land."

The gold in his deep brown eyes flared and a smile touched his lips. "My wolf wouldn't mind stretching his legs. Or keeping pace with a lioness."

Without another word, she reached for the hem of her yellow sundress. The simple cotton slid over her head, and she let it fall to the mossy ground. Then she hooked her thumbs into the lace of her panties and pushed them down, stepping free. Naked before him in the dappled light, she felt utterly powerful, not vulnerable.

His gaze was a physical brand, darkening with a hunger that echoed through the mate bond straight to her core. The air between them crackled, thick with unsaid things.

Right here, right now, her body screamed.

But her lioness roared louder, demanding the run, the chase, the raw, animal connection to the earth and to him.

With a fluid grace that belied his size, he pulled the white henley over his head, revealing the sculpted planes of his chest, the bandages from their fight gone, leaving only faint, silvery lines. He toed off his boots, shoved down his jeans and boxers, and stood before her—a masterpiece of predatory strength, utterly unselfconscious, and her mouth went dry.

Later, she promised herself, and her beast.

She took a step back as the shift began, a cascade of sensation that was both rupture and homecoming. Bones realigned with a series of pops and cracks that were not pain but profound release. Muscle fiber wove into new, powerful patterns. Then her senses exploded—the scent of the soil multiplied a hundredfold, the rustle of a mouse in the underbrush sounded like thunder, and the very air currents told stories. When the world settled,she stood on four massive paws, a tawny-gold lioness with blue-gold eyes.

She turned her head to watch him. His transformation was a study in controlled violence. Where a man had stood, soon a void of black fur and dense muscle coalesced. He was enormous, a wolf of legend, with a heavy, intelligent head and molten gold eyes that found hers instantly. Power radiated from him in a silent, palpable wave.

Her lioness paced forward, drawn to that dark power. She ducked her head, rubbing her muzzle along the thick, warm fur of his neck in a gesture of deep affection and trust. His wolf responded in kind, nuzzling against her shoulder, his breath a warm huff against her coat. It was simple. Profound. Natural.

This is us.

A surge of pure, unfettered joy shot through her. Then she bunched her powerful haunches and launched herself away from him, a flash of gold through the green. A playful invitation and a challenge.

He was after her in an instant, a black shadow flowing over the ground with terrifying speed. He was faster, but she was agile, ducking between trees, leaping over fallen logs, her heart pounding with exhilaration, not fear.

For an hour, they were not Alphas with burdens. They were beasts in a paradise they owned, chasing and being chased, their playful growls and rumbles weaving through the trees. They explored every ridge and hollow, drank from the clear, cold stream, and finally came to a stop at the base of the small, cascading waterfall they'd stood at just a week ago as humans.

Now, as animals, the place felt sacred. The mist kissed their fur. The roar of the water was a primal song. He stepped close to her again, and she leaned her full weight into his solid side, his warmth a fortress against the world. Her lioness purred, a deep,contented rumble that vibrated through her entire being. In this place, with his wolf beside her, she finally understood.

This is the life I can have. Not just duty, not just survival. This freedom. This shared strength. This peace.

Together, they could have it all—the responsibility and the rest, the leadership and the life. They could give each other balance. They could have a life filled with love, happiness, and purpose.

A soft whine escaped his wolf, and he nudged her gently, then turned back the way they'd come. Duty called. Politics simmered. The ninety-day clock still ticked.

She huffed and fell into step beside him, their shoulders brushing as they moved through the woods. The future they'd just tasted wasn't here yet. But it was coming. And she would fight like hell to claim it.

SIXTEEN

KEIRO

The morning sun filtered through the forest canopy overhead as Keiro and Poppy emerged from the wooded area, their clothes slightly wrinkled from being hastily pulled on after their shift back to human form. The euphoria of their run still hummed through the mate bond—wild freedom, primal connection, and the intoxicating promise of what their future could hold. His wolf remained close to the surface, content and possessive after claiming this territory alongside his mate.

He was just reaching for the Bentley's door handle when the low purr of an approaching engine made him pause. A sleek black Mercedes materialized on the gravel road, its chrome gleaming like a predator's teeth. The vehicle moved with deliberate slowness, as if its occupant wanted to be noticed.