Page 25 of Rescued by the Alpha

His mind seemed to expand, and his human side bled through so he could understand and articulate his thoughts better. His mate’s scent grew in power, then he spotted Nic racing toward him.

Nic nudged him some more with his snout, rolling him until they tousled together in the powdery snow. Elam sneezed as some of the flakes made their way into his nose, but instead of laughing, a

snorting whimpering sound came out. Finally, he was on his paws again and a rush of energy filled him. This time, when his Alpha took off running, he was able to charge after him.

After a joyous—yet exhausting—romp in the snow, Elam was back in Nic’s cabin and lay on the rug panting with his limbs like jelly. A sudden chill assailed him as his body went from cozy and warm in his fur to naked and wet in his skin.

Where’s my shirt? It was all he’d had on when he’d begun to shift. Holy fuck. I was a wolf. Iwas a real, live wolf!

“Hey, baby.” Nic hovered over him, caressing his hair back from his forehead. “Are you all right?”

“A bit achy, weak, but overall I’m okay.” He grinned. “That was amazing.”

Nic let out a long sigh. “Thank the gods. I was so worried. I swear I had no idea it was going to happen that fast. We don’t have any recent turnings to draw from.”

“Damn.” Elam gulped. “I don’t know whether to feel special or terrified.”

Nic placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Special. Always special. When I take you to meet the pack, I’ll introduce you to Asha, our wolf spirit guide and healer for the Alliance. She can help answer any questions about being a shifter that I can’t. If nothing else, know that she’s there in case you need reassurance.”

Elam pushed up from the floor with Nic helping him until he’d managed to wobble to the couch.

Nic grabbed the quilt he kept over the back of the sofa then wrapped it around them both. Elam spotted his T-shirt crumpled by the bedroom door.

“I don’t remember taking it off.” He jerked his chin in the direction of his discarded tee.

Nic chuckled. “I tugged it off you as quickly as I could. I didn’t want it to strangle you as your neck thickened.”

Elam relaxed against Nic, not nearly as freaked out as he thought he should be. “So, it’s not like the movies when the clothes explode off the human as he turns into a werewolf?”

“No.” Nic snorted. “We actually have to be careful about that. Not that we haven’t ripped apart many garments, but we usually have to shift right back to finish the job, and you saw for yourself how draining that can be if we do it in quick succession.”

“Huh. That must be why I feel so wrecked right now.”

“I doubt it.” Nic pulled him onto his lap, something he’d never done with another guy before, but had come to love the hell out of doing with Nic. “It’s more likely because we were out chasing each other around for over an hour.”

“We were?”

“Yeah.” Nic chuckled. “I think you’re worn out as a combination of all the romping in the snow

in addition to this being your first shift.”

Elam melted against Nic’s body as he pondered the incredible experience he’d just had. Andthe implications it will have on my life.

“Does it get easier? The shifts?”

“That I think I can answer.” Nic had murmured it against his temple. “We usually have our first shift at puberty and it’s rather unsettling at first. My advantage over you is that I grew up with the concept, so I wasn’t scared. I knew what to expect. And only the initial shift is painful. As you become accustomed to them and know not to fight the change, it gets to the point where it’s no big deal. Like breathing.” Nic gave him a light squeeze. “I apologize again that I didn’t get a chance to prepare you better.”

“I’m okay, I promise. I know you would’ve warned me had you known.”

They snuggled in silence, Elam content to be held in Nic’s arms as he warmed back up. But after a while the heat became almost too much. He wriggled in Nic’s lap.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” Nic angled around to face him, his expression one of concern.

“I…I’m not sure. Do you think I’m going to shift again?” His gut clenched. “Aren’t I supposed to be in control of that?” Spontaneously shifting seemed like a very bad idea.

Nic furrowed his brow. “Yeah, of course. The first shift, no. But after that…” Nic framed his face with his palms. “You’re getting flushed. Is it like before? Are you in pain?”

Elam squirmed again. “Not pain. Need. It’s how it’s been since we met, but the past day or so has been excruciating.” He cleared his throat, the embarrassment making him blush, but he had to talk about the strangeness of what was happening to him. “I want you inside me, to fuck me, like all the time. There’s this driving heat in my…” He cleared his throat. “…body that won’t let go. When you claimed me, my God. I thought I was going to go mad if you didn’t fuck me into oblivion that instant. I didn’t even care if you prepped me or if…” Elam’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Protection. We didn’t use any protection.”