Page 86 of Heroes & Hitmen
Miley’s back arches, fingers curling, the air shimmering around her like diamonds. Then her wolf crashes through, a beautiful beast with pale gold fur and eyes like frozen lightning. She shakes out her coat before snapping her head my way, and for a second, I just stare.
She’sstunning.
Not just in the way all wolves are, but in a way that feels like it’s been tailored to wreck me specifically. She moves with a predator’s grace, her hackles high, spine taut with defiance. My own beast riots with the urge to lunge for her, bow to her, roll in the dirt at her feet. She’severything.
Miley pads toward me, head low and ears pinned. Our wolves immediately begin circling one another instinctively, noses twitching, bodies brushing. It only takes them a second to recognize what our human brains have been struggling to rationalize– the raw,undeniable connection that burns between us. The kind that makes every other thought evaporate, leaving nothing but primal impulse.
She presses her head against my neck and I nuzzle back, dragging my muzzle through the thick fur behind her ear as I breathe her in. She huffs a soft growl, then flicks her tail in my face and darts away, bolting through a gap in the trees.
Oh, it’s like that?
Excitement surges through me as I tear off after her, paws churning up dirt while I push to close the distance. She’s fast. Smart, too– zigzagging to throw me off, then doubling back and nipping at my hind legs before taking off again. I chase, sometimes close enough to snap at her tail, other times left behind as she vanishes over a ridge.
The run is pure, unfiltered bliss– every muscle burns, every nerve sings. There’s no real destination as we weave through the woods, dodging trees and chasing through underbrush. Just the freedom of movement, the rush of being untethered from everything weighing us down.
Out here, there’s no pressure, control, or rules.
Out here, we’re just… free.
I lose track of how long we run– twenty minutes, an hour, maybe more. Time doesn’t matter. At some point, we end up side by side, loping through a sun-drenched meadow spiked with thistles and wildflowers. The afternoon light slices through the trees in long, dappled beams, and we’re so caught up in the run–in each other– that we don’t hear the voices until they’re practically on top of us.
“Told you there were coyotes out here!”
I slam to a stop, muscles locking. Miley nearly crashes into me from behind, skidding to a stop with her hackles raised, ears swiveling.
We both go completely still, eyes fixed on the thick tangle of trees ahead, barely even breathing.
Two figures move through the brush maybe thirty yards away– teens or college kids, if I had to guess. They’re laughing, one of them waving around a vape pen, oblivious to the predators in their midst. But then the other one stops.Stares.
“Dude, holy shit, I think that’s actually a wolf,” he gasps, pointing in our direction.
Miley whips around and bolts.
I’m right behind her, paws digging into the earth, heart thundering in my chest. The carefree thrill of the run evaporates in an instant, replaced by pure adrenaline. It’s ten minutes of full-speed panic, neither of us stopping until we reach the clearing where we left our clothes.
Both of us skid to a halt when we get there, chests heaving, ears straining for any sign of pursuit.
Nothing. Just the soft rustle of trees and the distant call of birds.
We shift back fast, then scramble for our clothes, dressing in a rush as I mutter a string of curses under my breath.
“So stupid,” Miley hisses, yanking her shirt down. “We should’ve been paying more attention.”
I tug my shorts on, adrenaline still firing through my veins. “They won’t remember. Probably think we were hallucinations.”
She whirls on me, eyes wide and wild. “You don’t get it. One sighting, even a rumor, could spell disaster. We have to report it, have to–”
“No, we don’t,” I cut in, shoving my feet into my shoes. “We’re fine. You worry too much.”
The glare she aims my way is glacial. Without another word, she whips around and stalks toward the trail, shoulders bunched with tension.
“Miley!” I call after her, stumbling as I lunge forward, nearly tripping over my shoelaces. “Come on…”
She spins on her heel, eyes blazing with fury as she points a finger in my direction. “You’re too reckless, Ares. You don’t think about the consequences,ever. You just run around doing whatever the hell you want, not caring if you drag everyone else down with you!”
I feel the slap of her words, but they don’t sting the way she probably wants them to. I’m still high from the run, from the rush, from the sight of her wolf so fierce and golden and perfect. I want to laugh. I want to yell at the top of my lungs. I want to throw her down and fuck her senseless right here on the forest floor.
Instead, I reach out to grab ahold of her arm, yanking her in close. “It was just a couple of dumb kids,” I say, steady and reassuring. “We’refine.”
