“Wolf’s honor,” I swore. “I promise to be good.”
Nile narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.
“Come on!” I said. “It’ll be fun. Let’s hurry so we have enough time for a good run before Penny’s out of school for the day.”
We made our way out of town on foot. One of the perks of Nile’s house was just how close it was to the forest. Most days, it felt like a tease—so close to the freedom of nature but without enough time to properly enjoy it. But days like today were bliss. Within ten minutes, we had left the town behind us.
Out of sight of any prying humans, we shifted together, our four feet turning into eight as Lavender and Wick ran between the tree trunks.
As promised, Lavender kept our pace slow so that Wick and Nile wouldn’t worry about us getting hurt. I took in the scent of the trees, the crunch of the twigs and leaves beneath our paws, and the beautiful blue sky peeking through the canopy. The weather was pristine, and I could have stayed outside all day.
After a while, I could sense that Lavender was becoming bored with the lack of rigorous physical activity. She began to push her pace faster, daring Wick to chase her. He attempted to swerve in front of her and force her into a slower pace, but she wasn’t having it. Nile’s wolf may have been bigger, but mine was more agile.
Lavender easily avoided Wick, darting to the right and launching herself off a short outcropping.
“Violet, you and Lavender had better stop pulling stunts like that!” Nile shouted.
He had transformed when we’d turned away so that he could make sure we got the message. I transformed as well and hid underneath the outcropping we’d just jumped from.
“Come and make me,” I teased from out of sight.
I had promised not to overwork myself, but I had made no promises about being boring. What was a run without a little adventure?
The sound of rocks crunching overhead made me smile. He had taken my bait. I leapt into the air away from the rocks, turning back into my wolf and bounding away playfully.
Nile followed suit, Wick’s heavier footsteps following behind me.
A circle of bushes a few hundred yards away was the perfect cover for me to hide from him once more.
“In here,” I said in a sing-song voice from inside the thicket.
I had lost sight of Wick when a hand grabbed my wrist from behind. I whipped my head to the side and saw Nile grinning at me.
“Caught you,” he said quietly.
I smiled back at him before pulling him into a tender kiss.
“Guess you did,” I whispered. “And there’s your prize.”
Nile raised an eyebrow at me, still in a playful mood.
“I think I deserve a bigger prize than that, don’t you?” he said gruffly.
I kissed him more deeply, and I realized I wanted much more from him. The forest made me feel alive and connected to him like we had when we were younger, and there was no one around to see us.
“I want you to fuck me right here in this forest,” I breathed into his ear as my hands caressed his back and shoulders.
My hands wandered to his waist, and I unbuttoned his pants before he stopped me.
“Wait,” he said.
I pulled back and saw that he had panic in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What about the baby? Is it safe?”
“For the millionth time, Nile, everything with the baby is great. We are allowed to have sex. I’d say that it will improve both of our moods substantially, in which case it really should be encouraged,” I pointed out.