Slowly, she took a step toward him.
Then another.
And another.
Until finally, she was close enough to lean in and sniff his neck.
He didn’t so much as flinch.
Satisfied with his scent, she walked around him, sniffing and nudging him repeatedly.
He didn’t growl or move.
Just stayed where he was, giving her time.
When my wolf finally reached the front of him again, she nuzzled his neck lightly. There was some hesitation behind the motion, but when he nuzzled her back, her worry seemed to melt away.
She barked once at him, almost as if she was telling him to stay.
Then, she took off into the forest.
His chuff almost sounded like a chuckle as she sprinted away.
She wanted a head start, and if Graham’s wolf was anything like the man, he wouldn’t hesitate to give it to her.
A few minutes passed as she sprinted, hurtling over logs and around trees, barreling through bushes.
Her breathing was almost as loud as the branches she cracked beneath her paws.
Though I spent a lot of time hiking, she and I were both too nervous to shift very often outside of Moon Ridge. Being quiet in the forest wasn’t something she’d ever had the chance to learn because of that. Most of our time spent outdoors was while I hiked with Jade, who obviously didn’t know what I was.
I’d tried to talk Maya into shifting with me a handful of times, but she downright refused.
I was pretty sure there was some trauma behind that, and wasn’t about to push for information. If she wanted her past to stay private, that was her right.
It couldn’t have been ten minutes before Graham’s wolf brushed up against the side of mine. She hadn’t heard him coming, but she’d smelled him. He’d made sure he didn’t catch her unaware.
He nuzzled her neck as they ran together, and she tackled him in retaliation.
Or tried to.
They ended up rolling around in the fallen red, orange, and brown leaves instead.
That was just the start of their game.
They spent the night in the forest, playing and then sleeping.
By the time they made it back to Graham’s house the next afternoon, the sun was rising.
I was starting to wonder if maybe my wolf was right about choosing another mate. She’d never been so happy, and me?
Well, I thought I might be able to get there too, if Graham really didn’t reject me.
five
GRAHAM
Stella’s wolfstood watch while I set up her business equipment carefully. The printing and shipping stuff went in one of my spare bedrooms. The painting stuff went in the other. I didn’t need the space, so she might as well get some use out of it.
