Page 57 of Redeemed Wolf

Shan came over, and his proud smile made me feel warm. It was like feeling the sun on my face. “I’m really glad to hear you say that, Silas, because I wouldn’t want anyone else to be in charge. You’re the right man for the job.”

“I wasn’t always,” I said. It was a hard thing to admit, but it was the first step to becoming something more.

He shrugged. “Maybe not, but we all have to start somewhere. You have to grow into a role like Alpha. And now… you’ve earned it.” Shan hooked an arm around my neck and gave me a little hug.

“Thank you,” I whispered, getting a little choked up. “For giving me the chance.” It had been a big day for emotions, and I’d just about hit my limit.

“I always knew you had it in you.”

Tristan scoffed. “I didn’t. You were an asshole, and I hated your guts.”

His honesty made me laugh. “Back at you.” Then I surprised us both by dragging him in for a tight hug. After a moment, he brought his arms up and hugged me back.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough of the touchy-feely garbage. I don’t want my mate complaining that I stink like you.” Tristan shoved me back, but not before I saw him wipe away a fresh tear.

It was a night to spend with family, to keep our loved ones close, so that was what we did. While Shan and Tristan went back to their cabins to hug their mates and children, I followedthe length of the mating link from where it was tethered inside me to the other end. I found Carter standing at the back edge of the clearing, staring into the woods.

“What are you doing back here?” I asked.

He rubbed his hands nervously on his pants then turned to look at me, and his eyes were a startling green-gold. His wolf was staring back at me. “I… I think I want to run. I mean, shift and run. Uh, let my wolf run?” He chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry, I don’t know how to phrase it. I’m kinda new at the whole half-animal thing.”

Smiling, I drew him into my arms and kissed the side of his head. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s hard to put words to something you haven’t experienced yet. You won’t be the one running, but your wolf won’t do it alone, either.” He frowned, giving me a confused look. “You’ll see.”

It was a beautiful night for a run. The moon had risen full and bright against a clear backdrop of stars. I reached for Carter’s dress shirt and began to thread the buttons through the holes, baring his chest one inch at a time. Every time my fingertips brushed his skin, he shivered. He stood still and let me undress him, and when I tugged his pants down, I saw that he wasallkinds of excited.

I undressed, hyperaware of Carter’s heated gaze following my every move. I tossed my clothes next to his in the grass. They would no doubt be damp by the time we got back, but I didn’t mind. I doubted we would be needing clothes tonight. I brushed his erection gently, making him gasp. “There’ll be time for that later. But first… you’ll have to catch me.”

“What?”

I gave him a quick wink then let my wolf take over. The stretch of muscle, the pop of bone, was almost painful after so long. It had been months since I’d given up full control to him. He was eager to stretch his legs, but we only jogged a few yards, stoppingjust inside the tree line. We looked back at Carter who was still standing there, gazing at us in wonder.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

In reply, we ran back to him with a light hop and yipped. It was an invitation for his wolf to come out and play.

“Okay…” Carter looked down at his hands, then sighed. “Here goes nothing.” He closed his eyes, and at first, nothing happened. I wondered if he would be able to shift without some coaxing, but then he gasped and fell to his knees, bracing himself with his hands on the ground. He arched his back and tipped his head to the sky, and his brief cry of surprise was cut off as a wolf’s howl echoed into the night.

His shift was slower than mine, not a practiced thing, but joints shifted, sinew tugging into place, fur and teeth and claws. Until at last, Carter’s wolf stood strong before us. His wolf looked almost as surprised as Carter.

Ears perked, nose working, his wolf turned to look at me and gave a bark loud enough to startle himself. His head whipped around, almost as if expecting to see another wolf beside him who’d made the sound.

We let our tongue hang out, pulling a silly face, and lowered our chest, ass in the air, tail wagging. It was a sign we wanted to play.

Carter’s wolf made to follow, his steps almost a little clumsy at first. This was, after all, like a baby’s first steps. He figured it out quickly, though, and leaped forward all at once, taking a playful snap of his teeth. The sound that came out of him was undeniably laughter.

Without warning, we turned and bolted into the trees, stopping only once to make sure he was following. He was right on our tail, so with a burst of speed, we took off.

It was the most fun I’d ever had in my life. He chased us, then we chased him. With each step, our claws dug into the moistearth, releasing the scents of the forest. It was loam and moss, moisture and life. It was green and blue, brown and silver.

When Carter’s wolf caught the trail of a deer, he veered off to hunt. We kept back and watched, but he wasn’t hunting out of necessity. This, too, was a form of play. He was too loud in his tracking, not patient enough, and when the deer was startled out of the bushes, he didn’t bother giving chase. He simply turned back and barked at us, as though saying, “Did you see? Did you see what we found?”

We led him back to the small lake, and he ran straight in, splashing in childlike joy. Once he drank his fill, he ran back to us, fur dripping, and licked at our muzzle. He was ready to shift back.

I shifted first, then knelt in front of him, stroking his coarse fur. “Whenever you’re ready, you just need to ask your wolf’s permission to come back. You share this body, this heart, this mind. It’s a partnership, and you must respect each other.”

His wolf gave me one last lick before he bowed his head and focused inward, the two of them having a conversation. Then slowly, gently, Carter took his skin back. His eyes were bright, cheeks flushed.

“Wow. Just… wow,” he gushed, grappling with my shoulders as I pulled him up. His legs were wobbly, so I kept a hold of him in case he lost his footing. “How did I not know?” he asked. “How was I so oblivious to this whole other piece of me, of my soul!” He seemed to grow a little horrified by that fact as he came to grips with everything that had just happened. “All this time, I thought I was alone, and he… he was just…” His expression turned desperate, and he clawed at his chest, so I took his hand and held it.

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