Page 21 of Bandit's Bounty

“Absolutely!” Lake decrees. She’s been helping the girls use the spatulas to remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets. “Is the dough ready to go?”

“Yeah, it’s ready. Don’t forget, roll it into balls then cover with the cinnamon and sugar mix,” I caution. I love snickerdoodles and apparently, they’re Bandit’s favorites as well, so I want plenty made.

Lake rolls her eyes at me as she sticks out her tongue. “As if I’d forget the most important part.”

Long after the men are finished meeting and all the food we prepared while waiting has been thoroughly demolished, I’m riding behind Bandit on his motorcycle as we make our way back to the Iron Howlers clubhouse. Given the option to go back in the club SUV or ride behind my mate, I chose door number two for sure.

“Wanna ride for a bit longer?” he yells over the rumbling engine of his Harley.

“Yes, please,” I all but purr. The vibrations are definitely foreplay as far as I’m concerned and I sure as hell hope my mate is ready to put out the fire he unintentionally started when he helped me climb on behind him.

“Don’t worry, mate, I’ve got you,” he teases, smirking at me through the side mirror.

It’s as if he knows my libido is going haywire right now. Then it dawns on me; he can scent my arousal, which means… holy crap! Every dang time I’ve been turned on,every single male in the clubhouse knew!

My face is undoubtedly blood red at this point, as I bury my head between his shoulders. There’s no way I can ever face any of those men again.Ever. Bandit and I are going to have to relocate to a different state. Maybe even a different country.

I’m enjoying the ride when I notice that my skin is feeling tight and itchy. “Bandit!” I yell. I know he’ll be able to hear me because of his enhanced hearing.

“What?”

“Something’s wrong with me,” I tell him, getting worried because I no longer feel like myself.

“Shit. Hold on, Sloane.”

Within minutes he has us pulled over in a somewhat secluded area and I’m off the bike as he scans me from head to toe. “Tell me what you’re feeling,” he demands.

“I feel like I’m about to come out of my skin,” I reply, tears welling up. “It’s all scratchy, like I get when I’m having an allergic reaction to something.”

“Babe, I think you’re about to shift for the first time,” he advises. “Go ahead and strip so you don’t destroy your clothes since I don’t think you want to ride on the back of my bike to the clubhouse bareback.”

Despite my fear about the upcoming shift, I start to giggle as I begin to undress. The absolute ludicrousness of his statement is hysterical for some reason. By the time I’m naked, I can see that fur is now sprouting on my arms. I stare at him in wonder and ask, “What do I do now?”

“Get down on all fours and don’t try to fight it. You might experience some pain since this is your first shift, but I’m right here. Once you’re a wolf and I know you’re okay, I’ll also shift and we can run for a little bit, okay?”

I go to reply but instant pain wracks my body as my bones break, realign and transition. When I try to express my thoughts, instead of words exiting my lips, a small yip comes out in its place and I realize I now have a muzzle, four paws where my hands and feet used to be and is that a tail coming up from my ass? Bandit chuckles at me as I keep turning my head to see what I look like until I give up and sit back on my haunches, chuffing at him.

“Fuck, Sloane, you’re beautiful,” he says as he reaches out and runs his hand over my head and between my ears. I can’t help the whine that escapes my mouth because it’s such a new sensation, but it feels fantastic. “Okay, babe, hold on,” he states, still chuckling, as he quickly strips then shifts into his much larger wolf.

We nuzzle each other before he lightly nips my back end then takes off into the woods. Soon, I’m chasing him, my howls breaking free as the absolute freedom I’m experiencing coursesthrough me. I mean, I’m in animal form, but I still know what’s happening. My wolf and I seem to be connected on a molecular and familiar level. My vision is sharper, my sense of smell is almost overpowering as every little thing that passes by causes me to react.

When I smell a small animal, my wolf takes over and the predator in me rises, we’re soon stalking a deer. Bandit steps back slightly and nods his head, allowing me to take the lead. With a savage snarl, I pounce on the unsuspecting animal and with little resistance, rip through its throat with my teeth. We eat until we’re full, leaving what’s left for the other predatory animals that I sense are nearby. He leads me to a small stream where we drink our fill of water then he shifts back.

“Sloane, you need to shift back so you don’t get overtired,” Bandit says. “Just think of yourself with legs and visualize your human self. It’s like looking in a mirror at yourself, once you have that image in your mind, it’ll happen.”

“Oh, my goodness, that was wild!” I exclaim, still crouched on the ground.

There’s no embarrassment about being naked in front of him. It feels perfectly natural, to be honest. “You did well, babe,” he compliments, reaching out his hand to help me up.

A slight breeze picks up and I shiver. “I think I need my clothes now,” I tease.

“Well,” he drawls out. “I mean, I know you’re aroused, but I’m partial to some creature comforts, like a bed or a wall.”

“You mean dirt and bark aren’t your thing?” I start giggling as he reaches for my hand to walk back to his bike and our clothes.

“Not when my mate is cold,” he replies, grinning down at me. “Otherwise, I’d throw caution to the wind and be adventurous.”

It doesn’t take long for us to get back to where he parked, and while we don’t talk, it’s not an uncomfortable silence at all. Communication between us doesn’t seem to have to be done verbally. We’re nearly perfectly in sync. Soon, I’m behind him once again as he takes us back to the clubhouse.

---