Page 78 of Entering a New World

He couldn’t answer, not while in wolf form, but he nodded, yipping in agreement.

We followed the path further along, trying to find out if the barrier was particularly strong at a specific location, but the vibrations inside of me were even unless I took a step towards the barrier.

It’d been a fascinating development to find out that mating Rhett had extended his bond with the barrier to me. No one knew why. We’d asked. Gray. The elders. Other packs. No one had an answer besides that it shouldn’t be possible.

Alas, here we were, the vibrations inside my chest getting stronger and stronger the more time I spent at the barrier feeling for it, connecting with it. Which was why I spent at least two days a week hiking along the different parts of the barrier for hours.

“Have I ever mentioned that I’m not much of an outdoor person?” I asked my mate as I shivered. It was fucking cold, and Nix swore up and down that he could already taste snow in the air.

Wolfie huffed, and his breath turned into a white cloud in front of him.

Yeah, if someone looked at me now, they wouldn’t believe my words. All of my clothes were purchased in the local outdoor store, from my pair of hiking boots to the woolen hat. I could do a photo shoot as the poster boy for outdoor wear right this second.

I even had bear spray attached to my belt. Yes, bears were in hibernation, and Rhett said big predators tended to avoid packlands, but he demanded I always carry some with me—just in case. Because I was human and bear spray wasn’t just good for chasing away bears, but apparently worked wonders on shifters, too.

I wouldn’t know. I’d never had to try it.

Everyone in this pack was amazing. From the moment they’d found out I was Rhett’s mate, they’d been nothing but welcoming. I’d been invited to join the knitting circle, the book club, the gardening club. I’d been asked if I wanted to start playing cards with a couple of guys. Hell, even the teenagers had asked if I wanted to participate in game nights because I was barely older than a teen.

Rhett’d laughed his ass off when I’d admitted that the teenagers’ offer had been the one I was tempted to accept the most.

Taking another deep breath, I gently pushed those thoughts away for later. Right now, I had a job to do. As I closed my eyes, I reached out for Rhett and grabbed his fur. The outer layer was coarse and cold, but the undercoat was warm and so incredibly soft to the touch. His warmth seeped into me and the bond between us helped me relax and focus on the task at hand.

I extended my senses, mentally following my bond with the barrier, until I felt the telltale tingling getting stronger and stronger. And stronger. Drawing in a harsh breath, I opened my eyes.

Rhett was watching me intently, warm brown eyes trained solely on me, his massive head cocked to the side.

“Either my bond to the barrier is getting stronger or the barrier is,” I whispered. I always whispered during our rounds. I didn’t know why, it just… felt right.

The forest was quiet and loud at the same time. There were always animals rustling in the underbrush. I could hear the faint crashing of waves on the shore and the wind rustling through the trees, but the usual noise pollution of civilization was missing.

No cars, no people talking, nothing.

“Can you feel it, too?”

I watched Wolfie close his eyes for a while. It was still weird to see this giant wolf act so human. Well, he was human and my soulmate at that, but still. At least it’d stopped making my brain hurt, but I think part of me would forever be confused at the sight.

Our bond pulsed, and then Rhett opened his eyes back up. He didn’t say anything, he couldn’t, but I sensed him agreeing to me through our bond.

I smiled at him and picked up my pace again. The ocean was close, which meant we were almost done.

“It’s still weird coming back here, you know?” I told Rhett, and smiled at him as he cocked his head at me. “The beach, I mean. Or rather, this part of the beach.”

God, I was rambling again. But by now, Rhett was used to it.

“I can’t help but think about what would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t found me that day. What would’ve happened if a real wolf had emerged from the woods? Or if no one had found me at all? So… even though I love the view of the Pacific, sometimes it’s haunting because I still remember their boat getting smaller and smaller, leaving me alone and desperate. At the same time, the beach is where we first met.”

We broke through the tree line, and the view of the ocean opened up in front of me. A strip of sand, dark rocks, huge pieces of driftwood, and the dark bluish-grey ocean stretching behind the beach. The sea spray of the forceful waves hit me right in the face, and a cold shiver ran down my spine.

Wolfie yipped at me, and I pulled the backpack off my back and held one of the straps out for Rhett to take. With the backpack dangling from his mouth, Rhett ran back into the woods to shift.

Meanwhile, I started heading over to a fallen tree that’d been washed ashore a couple of weeks ago.

Climbing on top of it, I looked out at the ocean and took a deep, calming breath as the feeling of desperation threatened to overtake me. I had nothing to be afraid of. I wasn’t alone, and I’d never would be.

“You know,” I shouted, confident Rhett would be able to hear me over the crashing waves, “It’s kind of stupid that you’re hiding to shift. It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked plenty of times.”

Though not enough. I wouldn’t ever have seen him naked often enough.

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