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By the time they had attended all the poetry readings, visits with local authors, and readings from both famous and non-published books, it was well past lunchtime.
“I think we have hit all there was for the day. Are you starving yet?” he asked after one of the last readings.
Her bright eyes turned to him in shock. “You know, I hadn’t even thought about food until you mentioned it. What should we get?” She looked over at the vendors offering a plethora of fair food.
“I have a better plan. If you’re ready to go, that is.”
She looked at him curiously but nodded. “Let’s go.”
They headed back to the car, and then Xavier drove them to the dead end of a dirt road near his house.
He reached behind the seat and pulled up a basket. “Does a picnic by the river sound all right to you?”
She laughed. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
The river flowed behind a small thicket of trees.
“This is perfect!” Sara exclaimed as she headed to the shade near the river’s edge.
Xavier threw a blanket down and spread out their food.
They sat and talked while nibbling on the finest meats and cheeses.
This was even more intimate, filled with more stories than the previous night. Xavier decided that if he hadn’t felt the mating pull to her, he would have fallen for her anyway.
“So, what’s it like to be a wolf?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It’s hard to explain because I don’t have anything different to compare it to. It’s freeing and challenging at the same time. It’s two natures fighting over who’s the strongest sometimes. Like urges and stuff that trigger a wolf can set my human side on edge even more than it should.”
She grew quiet. “Can I see it?”
“My wolf?”
She nodded hesitantly.
The request made him surprisingly joyful. Usually, humans were scared of that. They liked to pretend the wild half didn’t exist at all.
“Absolutely. Don’t be afraid, but I do have to get naked.”
She giggled nervously and covered her eyes.
Xavier stripped down and shifted. He laid down and whined to get Sara’s attention.
She opened her eyes and looked shocked but not scared. Slowly, she approached him and held out her hand. He nuzzled her but stayed with his belly to the ground.
“You’re beautifully intimidating,” she said in awe.
Pride flowed through his wolf that she was taken with his form. He knew his shaggy black form with yellow eyes could run off the best of them. But there his mate stood, enchanted by him.
He stayed that way for a while, allowing Sara to play and become comfortable with his altered form. His heart rejoiced to see his fated mate accept every part of him with no fear.
Xavier finally felt at peace. It had been so long since he had felt this way he had almost forgotten how good life could be. And it was all because of Sara.
THREE
SARA
