He didn’t want to wait any longer.
He rose, tugging her by the hand.
“Shaun—I don’t know about this. I mean, yes, I know it would help, but…”
“What’s wrong?”
“We don’t shift very often back home. Special occasions only.”
Shock socked him in the gut. “You’re shitting me.”
“Shaun!”
He was too surprised to apologize for his language. “Special occasions? I can understand not shifting outside where you could get shot, but really? Are you talking like once a month or only in formal settings? That’s insane.”
She tossed him a dirty look. “I thought we agreed that word was not allowed into this relationship.”
“Gem, no matter what else we have to deal with, our wolves are the pair that need to be free, not formal.”
She shook her hands in frustration. “I know that, but it’s tough, okay? Changing on a casual basis is not what I’m used to.”
He held her tight, resting his forehead against hers. They breathed slowly for a few minutes, the embers of the fire giving a final last gasp before fading away to nothing. Shaun didn’t want to push, but damn it, this was not an issue he was willing to give on.
They were wolves. He would not deny that, and she shouldn’t either.
Still, in the interest of attempting to not caveman her, he offered an out. “If you really don’t want to, we can wait.” He stroked her fingers lightly, thrilling at the smoothness under his fingertips. “But, Gem, I want to see your wolf. I want a chance to admire and run with you. To show you the north through your other eyes.”
She clung to him for another moment before stepping back and squaring her shoulders. “I want that as well. To run with you.”
He stripped, the entire time watching her take off her own clothing. It wasn’t an erotic striptease, but every article she removed, folded and placed on the blanket added to the pressure building in his body.
His wolf snapped at him, reminding him sex would have to wait.
She was beautiful, standing naked in the twilight of the midnight sun. Then she shifted, and he smiled even harder. She was so tiny compared to the wolves of the north. Dainty, delicate.
So Gem.
He squatted and held out his arms. “You’re just as beautiful as I thought you’d be.”
She strolled over slowly, her nose wiggling like crazy. All the different scents of the north—it must be like a smorgasbord to her. His hand brushed her head, and she stilled, letting him stroke her from nose to back.
When he tugged at her front paw, she sat, head tilted to the side as he caressed her.
“So elegant, fragile almost—”
Gem leaned against him, hard, until she’d pushed him to the ground. She planted both front paws on his chest and growled as she stared into his eyes.
Okay, ix-nay on the fragile bit. He laughed, wiggling to free himself and cursed instead as a twig dug into his bare backside. “Hey, no fair. Fine, you’re not delicate. You’re a Viking. An Amazon. The most incredible example—oof.”
She lay on top of him, her meager weight still enough to make him feel each and every rock poking into his back.
Gem lowered her nose to the crook of his neck and sniffed, her teasing growl changing to one of satisfaction. Shaun trembled as he fought to maintain control, but he couldn’t hold back his wolf any longer.
He rolled as he changed, the sensation of limbs and bones transitioning from human to wolf in one easy flow. There was an almost erotic pleasure in the shift, and as he came up on his feet, knowing his mate waited for him made it even better.
She’d rolled with him, finding a safe spot to rest as he stood and took a deep breath in through his nose. If he’d thought she smelled good before, the aroma was nothing compared to now. The extra strength of his wolf nose not only thrilled at their connection, but was ecstatic to find they shared a scent. Shaun threw back his head and howled in delight.
From a distance, a series of long and short yips answered him, and he grinned. Those weren’t shifters—just natural wolves, but it was always exciting to be able to appreciate a good songfest.
Gem sat silently, staring at him.
Was it too much? The unfamiliarity of the change now, or was it that this was the first time their wolves had met? He walked over and nudged her, stroking her side. Silky soft, there was no other way to describe her. Shaun wrapped himself around her and finished by resting his head along her back, the wolf equivalent of a hug.
She wiggled, and he rose to allow her freedom. Once she was on her feet, she shook then walked up to the highest ridge overlooking their camp. She waited, one paw landing on the trail, before pulling back.
Shaun understood. He stepped past her, making sure to brush her as he went by. Then he picked up the pace and ran. It wasn’t a race, but it was far quicker than they’d traveled in human form. The intriguing scents of the night crossed and crisscrossed their path. A covey of ptarmigan. The trickle of the stream much louder as they approached. There had been arctic hare in the area not even an hour ago by their lingering scent signature, and for a moment he considered tracking one down just for the fun of seeing what Gem would do when they spooked it up.
No, no threatening to do something bloody just to freak her out. That was totally immature and not how he was to treat his mate.
There was a crash behind him, and Shaun spun in time to see Gem’s backside disappear between two low bushes. He followed, paws light on the spongy turf of the tundra, scattered rocks lying in flat slabs below bushes that would be waist high on him in human form.
It made a dandy maze for his wolf, so he ignored everything but Gem’s scent.
A scream rang out, and he doubled his speed, bursting into a clearing in time to see Gem holding down a rather bloody hare.
She licked her muzzle then swiped it clean with her free paw, pushing a few strands of fur back into place.
Shaun chuckled and paced forward. The tilt to her head said it all. She totally expected him to be shocked she’d made a kill.
Well, he was. But that was beside the point. He was also tickled that she’d proven to be far more than a princess in lilywhite gloves.
He crouched in front of Gem, his tail doing all kinds of doglike things. Letting it pound into the dirt was undignified, but he simply couldn’t help it. And when she nosed the carcass in his direction, gifting him with the bunny, he sang again with satisfaction.
While the whole mystical wolf-mate thing might be out of his hands, it was good to discover that his wolf was one hundred and fifty percent in love.
And his human side? Not that far behind.
The Moonshine Pub remained crowded, minutes away from closing. Caroline knew all of them were wolves. They would simply take the party over to the pack house, and keep drinking and fooling around until the wee hours of the night.
One of Evan’s more persistent admirers was hanging all over him again. The outfit covering the woman was strategically arranged to ensure maximum legal exposure. A sour taste slicked Caroline’s tongue—the bitch was one of the pack who enjoyed making trouble and watching others clean it up.
The perfect opportunity had finally arrived. Evan wanted to know if she could handle being linked with him? Sex, along with the rest of it?
She’d start with the rest of it—and it appeared a little violence was on the agenda. Fine. All those years of training hadn’t been for nothing. She might lack wolf reflexes, but a third-level black belt and her stepfather’s instruction counted for a lot when facing someone who only had being a wolf on her side.
Caroline removed her jacket to cut down on loose objects for the other woman to grab. She tossed it over a nearby chair and shook her hands to loosen up.