Page 21 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

A minute later, crunching twigs and brush sounded from the side of the house, and a massive red wolf—Alek, I reminded myself—emerged from around the corner. My hand tightened on the backpack I was carrying, which contained a pair of sweatpants for Alek and some snacks.

My legs trembled slightly, and my first instinct was to spin around and run. But I stayed where I was, trying to remind myself constantly that it was Alek.

The wolf whined softly, tail swishing as he came slowly toward me, stepping lightly as if trying to make sure he didn’t frighten me off. I stayed where I was. Soon, he was right in front of me, his face level with mine. Before I could move, his muzzle rubbed against my cheek, and he gave it a gentle, reassuring lick.

I thought that would terrify me, but I ended up feeling the opposite. His tongue tickled, and I let out an unconscious giggle at the sensation. He noticed, his tail wagging, and he did it again.

“Knock it off,” I laughed as he continued assaulting me with licks. I realized at some point that he was trying to put me at ease, and a glimmer of surprise rushed through me when I realized it had worked. My shoulders had unclenched, the knot in my stomach loosened, and I was smiling. I wouldn’t have thought that was possible, given what I was about to do and how my entire childhood had been built on stories telling me to run the other way from wolf men, not clamber on top of them to go for a run. But he’d managed to put me at ease.

Seeing me more relaxed, he huffed before nuzzling against me again.

“Thanks,” I said, still amazed that he had managed to take a terrifying situation and make me laugh. I took a deep breath, some of that anxiety creeping back in. “All right, let’s get going before I change my mind.”

The massive wolf crouched, belly low to the ground so I could climb on top of him.

It took me a long moment to get up the courage to move closer. “Okay,” I said. Unsure of what to do, I straddled him, awkwardly nestling myself behind his front legs like I might a horse. Again, there was something bizarrely comforting about it. It felt almost natural. Alek’s fur was coarse but soft at the same time, and I loved the way it felt when I entwined my fingers in it.

“All right,” I said again.

I let out a soft gasp as he stood up and shook his head briefly. Then, with a brief glance over his shoulder at me to make sure I was secure, he took off.

He started slowly, trotting evenly, getting a feel for the additional weight of me and giving me a chance to get used to riding on his back. Then, he picked up speed, moving at a lively clip as he weaved through the trees. The wind began whipping my hair behind me. My grip on his fur tightened, but only instinctively. The pace was invigorating, making my heart pound harder.

We ran through the woods, dodging trees and leaping over boulders and logs. But Alek was nowhere near his top speed.

He glanced at me again, gave a soft growl that could have meant “hold on,” and then went into a full-on sprint.

I screamed half in shock and half in delight as he shot forward. The forest blurred together, blending into one mass as we raced through the woods. How he was able to navigate in this type of situation was beyond me, but we never hit anything, not even a bug or spiderweb.

I let out an exhilarated whoop that was lost to the wind. My heart pounded with adrenaline, and the air stung my eyes. I leaned forward instinctively, gripping his fur tighter. Sensing the cue, Alek sped up again, charging at a breakneck pace. My scream was lost to the wind, and all I could do was be in the moment, letting my fear and anxiety fall behind me with the rest of the world. It was exactly like I had dreamed so many times, complete with that overwhelming, incredible sense of freedom.

Soon, too soon, he came to a halt, a massive rock looking out onto a view even more incredible than the one at Alek’s house, so high that you could see the mountains for miles.

I collapsed onto the rock, panting heavily. The great wolf took the bag into his mouth and dipped into the trees. A moment later, Alek emerged, adjusting his sweatpants.

“What did you think?” he asked.

“What did I think?” I gave a breathless laugh. “That was incredible.”

Alek broke into a grin. “That wasn’t even the fastest I could go,” he admitted.

I propped myself up on my elbows, looking up at him with raised eyebrows. “Really?” I asked.

“Yep.” He came to flop down next to me.

“It was really…liberating,” I said. “I can’t remember the last time I felt that free.”

“Does that mean you don’t see us as vicious killers anymore?” he asked. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said he sounded nervous.

I sighed, leaning back down and looking up at the clear blue sky surrounded by brilliant green trees. “I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t think so? But it’s not exactly easy to get rid of years and years of prejudice and horror stories.”

“No, I don’t suppose it would be.” There was another pause. “What about me?”

“Do I think you’re a vicious killer?” I turned onto my side so I was looking at him. His face was taut, his eyes mildly anxious. “No.”

He let out a long, relieved sigh, and some of the tension ebbed from his face. “Good,” he said, reaching to brush a strand of hair from my face. His hand lingered on my cheek, and fire erupted all through my body. All of a sudden, it was hard to breathe. “That’s good,” he said again.

All that tension, all that need I’d been holding back, finally snapped, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Without warning, without giving myself a chance to second-guess, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.

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