Page 27 of Cats and Dogs

"Lasagna. Someone is making lasagna."

"Ian's cooking tonight," Christine confirmed. "He was thinking lasagna or risotto."

"Oh my fucking god, what is it with your nose? You shouldn't be able to identify lasagna from a mile away."

Hunter shrugged. "There are only so many things people can do with a Bolognese sauce, extra basil and garlic, and a béchamel."

"You can't smell béchamel, dammit."

"You can when you're fucking starving. I smell cheese browning; I think it's in the oven. We might as well head back now, I don't think we can do much more for today."

They'd removed all the inner half logs, pulled the destroyed insulation out, and cleaned the walls. He was right; there wasn't much to do until the new foam they'd ordered arrived. There was wood coming in a couple of days, too.

They could have started working on the carpet, but tomorrow was soon enough, as they all needed a break at that point.

"I think I'm gonna shift and run on the way back if you don't mind," Hunter asked politely, purposefully looking at her.

Ah, he was wondering if she minded wolves; fair question. A while back, her cat might have been spooked, but, in the meantime, it had run with Vi often enough.

She replied, "Yeah, my cat can also use the exercise."

Hunter's eyes widened and he chuckled. "Yeah, no. Bad idea. I meant, I should run back, by myself."

Christine crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You don't think I can handle your wolf."

"No, I know you don't want to handle my wolf."

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I've seen you with that little dog. You grimace whenever he comes in your space, begging for attention."

Touché. But she didn't like admitting defeat, so she said, "That was a dog, I like wolves well enough. Vi's alright."

Amused, Vi held her hands up in surrender. "Don't get me involved in this. I am a neutral observer. But I'll point out that I purposefully restrain my wolf around the pride."

She did?

But now that Christine had started this little argument, she couldn't let it go. Besides, her cat was egging her on, liking the turn of events.

"Don't be ridiculous, it'll be just fine. You wolf wants to run, my cat wants to run. I bet Vi could also use the exercise."

The she-wolf pointed to her chest, "Switzerland personified. I am neutrality herself." After a beat, she conceded, "But I totally could use the laugh, so I'll tag along."

Rain pouted. "Why can't I shift? I don't wanna miss the fun."

Hunter was shaking his head. "Alright. Let it be remembered that I gave her a fair warning. Whatever happens from here is entirely her fault."

On that note, the guy nonchalantly removed the rest of his clothing. Shifters didn't make a big deal out of nudity. Christine blessed her guardian angels when he pulled down his pants, revealing a seriously biteable rounded ass. She regretfully looked away, peeling her own clothing off and folding them, asking Rain to drop them near the house.

Then the sweet, freeing, and painful bone-breaking shift began, and her cheetah was in the driver’s seat of their body. Her eyes were on the wolf. He was huge - so big he'd have some trouble getting out of doors. His head was at the level of Rain's shoulder. In comparison, Vi's red wolf seemed like a sweet little pup.

The wolf was watching her cat closely, eyes narrowed. Then, he ran, suddenly and at full speed.

Christine's cat dashed out of doors at full speed, and took to a tree, climbing up as high as she could.

Looking down, she found the wolf jumping to get to her.

Christine was starting to question her decision, but her cheetah wasn't scared at all. She laid down on a branch and stretched languorously, as if to tease the wolf, laughing at his poor attempt to get to her.

The wolf moved back, and ran again, head butting the tree as hard as he could. The trunk wasn't thin, but given the size of the monstrous beast, the impact resonated through the whole tree and made her thin branch vibrate. She jumped to another tree and, finding it too thin to hold her weight, she had to jump down to the ground.

Smart, annoying wolf. He was on her before she could get back on her paws.

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