Page 32 of Moon Destiny

In the space of a heartbeat, my vision sharpened. The trees came back into focus, and now they were a dazzling green. Before I could absorb the change, scents assailed me from every direction. Rich soil, flower pollen, hints of animals hiding in the nearby forest.

And next to me, the evergreen-and-leather combination of the alpha.

MATE. The word rocketed through my brain as my beast sprang forward in my consciousness. I heard her so clearly now, as if a veil had been torn away.

Because, holy shit, I’d shifted. I stood on shaky legs as the last of the aches and pains faded. For a moment, I could only stare at my hands, which were paws. Without thinking, I flexed my claws. They dug into the soft dirt, and I groaned with pleasure at the welcome stretch.

A soft chuckle brought my head up. The alpha smiled at me, his eyes as green as the trees. Power rolled off him in thick waves I could almost see, like ribbons of smoke curling in the air. With him crouching, our heads were level, and that wasn’t right. I ducked mine at once, sinking under the weight of his authority.

“No,” he murmured, sliding his fingers through my fur. His big hands grasped the ruff around my neck and tugged gently, forcing my head up. “You don’t have to hide. Never you.”

Confusion swamped me. What did he mean, never me…?

The wind picked up, stirring my fur and bringing a cacophony of new scents that tickled my nose. I jerked from his hands and sneezed violently. When he laughed, I did my best to glare at him. His smile broadened, and I bumped him with my new snout, sending him sprawling on his ass.

Oh shit. Immediately, my heart raced. I’d struck the alpha—

He grinned, then stood and hooked his thumbs in his waistband. “Wanna run?”

My anxiety melted away. I absolutely wanted to run. I tried for a yes, which emerged as a high-pitched yip.

He dropped his pants, and I was absurdly grateful for the fur that concealed the heat that flooded my face. He was as big there as he was everywhere else. I averted my gaze, but I found myself stealing another look as he turned away, giving me a mouthwatering view of his sculpted ass and muscular thighs. Then he dropped to all fours and shifted.

It was far more elegant than mine—and much faster than the last time he shifted in front of me. He slid from one form to the next, only pausing a moment to shake out his dark brown fur before trotting over to me. He’d been impressive the first time I saw him in this form, but I’d also been terrified and still recovering from the attack. Now that I could really look at him, I was stunned at what I saw.

I was no expert on wolves, but he was a lot bigger than any I’d seen in photos or on television. I estimated him to be around eight feet long and at least two hundred pounds. In other words, there was nothing in the forest bigger or badder than Hugh Dalton.

He bumped his nose against mine, then dragged his muzzle down my flank. It was…different, but my beast hummed happily in my head. Understanding flowed through the link that connected me to my beast, letting me know the alpha was both greeting me and assuring himself I was okay. After a couple minutes of this, he nipped my snout and then bumped my shoulder with his.

The contact wasn’t violent, but it still sent me staggering. What the hell? I rounded on him with irritation spiking my veins and found him staring at me with a doggy grin and a challenge gleaming in his bright green eyes.

Oh. The alpha wanted to play. My heart began to pound, anticipation coiling around me. I felt like a tightly wound spring ready to burst.

Hugh bounded past me, his long legs eating up the forest floor. The race was on.

I let out another yip and chased after him.

* * *

Hugh was fast, but I was smaller and I found I could leap obstacles and dart in and out of the trees more easily. It wasn’t much of an advantage, but it was enough to let me hold my own in our race. I pushed myself, my lungs burning as tree leaves slapped my face. When I spotted a stretch of flat ground, I sprinted past him. The look of surprise on his face was well worth the stitch in my side.

A few seconds later, branches cracked as he flew past me again. We kept going that way, racing neck to neck as we flew through the forest, our claws kicking up dirt and leaves. I heard everything—acorns dropping to the ground, the rapid flutter of birds scrambling to get away, squirrels scurrying into hiding places as we passed. My heart soared as Hugh and I cleared fallen tree trunks and splashed through shallow puddles.

Eventually, the burning in my lungs grew too uncomfortable to ignore. I stopped, chest heaving. Before I could sink to the ground, Hugh was there, nudging me forward.

Annoyed, I growled and moved away. Couldn’t he see I was ready to die of exhaustion? My sides heaved, and I panted uncontrollably. Randomly, I remembered my middle school biology teacher telling us dog sweat glands were located in their paws, and they were pretty much useless when it came to cooling off. The main form of body temperature control for canines was thermoregulation, which dogs accomplished by panting. Heat rose from the chest and escaped through the mouth. It made sense that wolves would be the same way.

Hugh nudged me again, this time with his head lodged firmly behind my rump. Then he did it again, sending me skidding forward until my front paws splashed into—

Water. He’d led me to a little creek. I didn’t stop to think about all the gross organisms that were probably floating in it. I just plunged my face in and went to town, gulping the cool liquid as fast as I could. It tasted amazing.

Something brushed my side, and I looked up to find Hugh watching me. His gaze took in the water dripping from my muzzle, and I couldn’t help thinking back to how he’d warned me about drinking too quickly after I woke from my fever.

But I didn’t feel weak or afraid now. I felt…exhilarated. I’d shifted my body into another form. It was really freaking weird, but it was also amazing. Like a present I hadn’t known I wanted.

Hugh tilted his head toward the water, prompting me to follow the direction of his gaze.

My breath caught.

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