Page 28 of Alpha's Choice
“She’s already started training me. And she’s going to arrange for me to meet some other human mates.”
“I call that a successful morning. I would have preferred to spend it eating breakfast in bed with you, though.” He pitched his voice low at the end, leaning closer to my ear.
“That would have been nice.” I hummed my approval. “But we can still do the last part of the plans you told me about on our date. The romantic walk where you show me your favorite spots around the pack.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
* * *
Tobias
The pack meeting was as successful as I could expect. There was still some doubt, but with the entire leadership team expressing their support of Emma, I was sure the pack would soon follow suit.
Now I was walking through the trees with Emma, showing her the walking trails we had set up. A box next to a tree resembled a small house with a hinged roof. “We keep clothes in these, so if anyone needs to shift, they don’t have to walk home naked.”
“Do you use the walking trails as wolves, or just in human form?”
I held out my hand, a burst of warmth blooming in my chest when she took it. “Both. Sometimes our wolves like to go off trail, especially for hunting, but the paths go all throughout the pack lands for easier access.”
“How often do you shift? I’ve hardly seen any wolves since I arrived.”
“We don’t need to shift often, though if it goes too long, we get restless. Most people do family runs on the weekend and we do a big pack run to celebrate the full moon.”
“Can you shift from the time you’re born, or does it happen later?”
“We tend to get our wolves around puberty. Some weaker wolves don’t get theirs until closer to eighteen.” We reached a fork in the path, and I guided her to the right.
She glanced at me out of the side of her eye. “Can I see your wolf?”
“Absolutely.” My wolf preened at her request. “He’s excited to meet you.”
“You talk about him like he’s separate from you. Does he have a name?”
“He and I are two parts of Tobias. I’m always aware of his instincts and desires, but I also have my human instincts and desires. Tobias melds the two together.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“It can be. It certainly makes puberty a lot harder, having to learn how to understand and control the wolf part.”
“Must stretch the concept of the moody teenager.”
I remembered my own teenage years, hindsight allowing me to feel sorry for those around me. “You have no idea. Our teachers deserve medals.”
We reached a clearing with a large pond. I led her to a bench along the shore and stepped back, unbuttoning my shirt and pulling it off.
“What are you doing?” She slapped her hands over her eyes as I reached down and started undoing my belt.
“You want to meet my wolf, and I’d rather not destroy my clothes.”
She kept her hands clasped over her face while I stripped. The shift into my wolf was smooth, though the familiar stretching and snapping of bones and muscles stinging still echoed through my body. My wolf walked toward Emma, reaching his nose out to nuzzle her hands.
She jumped, opening her eyes and staring at me in disbelief. “You’re huge. So much bigger than Greg’s wolf.”
My wolf pranced at her words, turning in a circle so she could take in his full form. As an Alpha, the Moon Goddess had blessed me with a stronger-than-normal wolf half. I stood almost five feet tall and was a solid mass of muscle.
Emma ran her hands over my brown and blond fur with tentative strokes. The colors blended in an even mix over my entire body. I stayed still, allowing her to circle me and explore my body, her gentle strokes soothing.
She faced me and stared in wonder. “Your eyes are the same. You’re beautiful.”
