Page 70 of Wolf Bound

I allow her to deepen it for a moment, then I break the kiss, stepping back and holding out my hand for hers.

“I thought we could go for a run before dinner.” I watch her face, taking in every small reaction and thought that passes through her features. She’s intrigued, but hesitant. “I’ll be with you the whole time, you’ll be safe. If you want to stop anything at any time, you only need to say it.”

“Okay,” she answers while nodding her head. I can see the calm and confidence wash over her. “Yes, I would like that. I don’t let my peryton out as much as she deserves.”

Taking Talia’s hand in mine, I stroke her fingers with my thumb then pull her into my side. We make it out of the house without running into any of the guys. A rare occurrence to say the least.

The walk out to my favourite running place is quiet, both of us enjoying the peace of nature around us. I watch Talia out of the corner of my eye, her teal hair glinting in the dying sun as she looks at the forest around us.

“We’re almost there.”

Talia nods in confirmation, her eyes darting around the forest taking it all in. Watching Talia take things in is one of the most fascinating things I've ever experienced. It's kind of like watching a child experience something for the first time. There's an innocence and curiosity about it that draws you in, urging you to look at it with new eyes.

The green leaves dance in the breeze, letting sunlight peak through in different ways. It flickers and moves in a way only nature can replicate. The scents flow around us, damp earth mixed with fresh grass and sweet sap from the trees around us.

The forest is my favourite place. Having Talia in it with me, just makes me love it even more.

I pull on her hand, guiding her to an alcove of trees off to my right. There's a stretch of open field just beyond that will give us some freedom to run while still being firmly on pack lands and surrounded by trees in every direction. We used to use this field as young pups to get our energy out. We would make elaborate obstacle courses out of branches and foliage and try to beat each other.

Penn would always pull pranks to throw us off our game, but that's only because he couldn't beat me or Forrester to save hislife. Drayton did his best to keep our pack of rascals from playing too dirty, but he had his hands full with that and would rarely participate in the actual races.

Wes, of course, had his nose in a book. Although, when he did join the races, he kicked most of our asses. He's always been sneaky like that. He's book smart, but he's also one hell of a runner and a fighter.

"Here?" Talia asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

I chuckle and nod. "Yeah, we'll shift here. There's a field just beyond those trees over there. The guys and I used to play here a lot as kids."

Talia's eyes light up in excitement. "Really?"

I tell her about those days, making her laugh and her eyes fill up with love and wonder at the stories. Cupping her cheek, I press my lips to her forehead after her laughter subsides and sigh against her skin.

"Thank you for telling me."

"Anytime, beautiful. Now." I clap my hands together and smile. "Are you ready to run?"

"Yes," she says, nodding enthusiastically. The stories seem to have drawn out even more of her curiosity and any apprehension she previously had seems to have vanished. "Let's do this!"

We both shift, at the same time. As much as I want to stay human a few seconds longer to see her peryton with my human eyes, I know it's more comfortable for her if we do it together. My wolf mind takes the forefront, and we both watch her in rapt fascination.

Beautiful echoes throughout my head, from man and beast alike. Her peryton looks over at me and bows her head in submission and my wolf rumbles in appreciation.

I walk up to her, my wolf slightly towering over her, and nudge her snout back up so her eyes can look into mine. The jadesparkle of human Talia shines in the large doe eyes of her animal form.

I nuzzle into her, inhaling her scent while mixing mine into it. My wolf love nips her side and suddenly she's running towards the field. Satisfaction flows through me as I take off after her. It takes longer to catch up to her than I anticipated.

Talia is fast, her doe legs tearing across the field with her wings tucked close to her side. My paws eat up the distance only for her to take a quick left and leave me behind again. My wolf is excited by the chase, while I remind him she's our mate not prey.

I can feel the eye roll from him, the attitude making me chuckle. Of course he knows our mate, he's enjoying playing with her, not hunting her.

In our momentary distraction, Talia beats her wings for a moment, taking her feet off the ground and I slam on my metaphorical brakes to watch in awe. She drops back down with a huff before trying again, her feet tucking up as she beats her wings harder and flies low to the ground for a few moments longer than the first time.

When Talia drops down this time she shifts back to human and I run to her, shifting to man as I get close. Swinging her up into my arms, I place my hands under her thighs and tuck her against my chest, noting the paleness of her skin.

"Holy shit," I breathe out, my chest heaving with excitement and adrenaline. "You just fucking flew."

Talia shakes her head and looks at me in disbelief. "I just flew. I didn't know I could do that. I thought my wings were just a decorative part of my peryton, but she wanted to try."

"That's fucking incredible," I tell her. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?"

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