Page 44 of Protected Promise
“Do you want to be alone?”
She looked up at me. “No. Can I meet your wolf?”
I smiled. “Of course, um, don’t be scared.”
“Scared? Why would I be scared by your wolf?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know how to explain to her that it was a common reaction.
I stood up and undressed. The heated look in her eyes as she watched me almost made me forget the whole thing and take her back to the hotel quickly.
I knew that would only prolong the inevitable though.
I took a deep breath and let the shift happen.
She gasped at the sight. “Wow!” She reached out and my wolf eagerly went to her. “Magnificent. I’ve never seen such a large wolf.”
And there it was. I’d always been big, freakishly big. Kaitlyn was still sitting at the picnic table and my head was eye level with hers.
“It’s incredible,” she said wrapping her arms around my neck as my wolf wagged his tail happily.
I sat back and howled, calling her wolf out to join us.
She giggled. A little light returned to her eyes where darkness had tried to set in. She stripped down and shifted. Her wolf was similar in coloring to mine but tiny. I dwarfed her even more than I did in our skin.
My wolf turned into a giant puppy as he yipped and danced around her small form before brushing against her and rubbing his scent all over her.
I groaned but it came out sounding like a chuff.
Kaitlyn nodded her head towards the woods and took off ahead of me. I preferred to keep her in my view. It was easier to protect her that way without my Pack at my back. Plus, I had never run in these woods but watching her zip around trees and jump over logs, I knew Kaitlyn was very familiar with this area and that made me happy.
I couldn’t wait to get her home and show her around my territory. I sensed a lightness in her soul in wolf form, like the memories of her human life were distant in this form.
It wouldn’t be the first time that happened. I had seen it before. I’d had nearly feral wolves come through my lands running from ghosts in much the same way. Life was simpler in fur.
We ran for quite a while. I completely lost track of time, but I was getting hungry and knowing there could be other shifter types in these woods, I wasn’t comfortable hunting here. The last thing I needed was to cause an international conflict between shifters for mistaking an elk shifter for the real deal.
I barked and Kaitlyn came to an immediate halt. She gave a nod and led the way back to the picnic area where we’d left our clothes. When we got close enough that my wolf picked up the trail, we moved in to run side by side, with her occasionally brushing up against me, even though my scent was thoroughly covering her. No wolf within five packs would question who her mate was.
A noise ahead caught my attention and I let out a small growl of warning and ran ahead of Kaitlyn to investigate.
I lowered myself to the ground as I watched the intruders pickup Kaitlyn’s shirt and sniff it.
“Oh, it’s Kaitlyn’s. For sure,” one of them said.
“Let’s take them. Just one last time,” the first one’s look-a-like said.
I recognized them both as two of my mate’s friends, but my wolf couldn’t distinguish that from the fact that they were holding her stuff. I let out a menacing growl and bared my teeth as I slowly walked out from the shadows enjoying the look of shock and fear on their faces as I rose to my full height.
“What the hell is that!” someone yelled as they all scrambled to climb up on the top of the table, as if that would help them any.
“Don’t,” I heard Kaitlyn yell as she came running out of the woods completely naked.
It distracted my wolf and made us both irritated. I snapped as she walked past me and ran to get in front of her and cover her body from them as I glared down the males until their knees nearly buckled.
Kaitlyn
Chapter 13
