Page 266 of Labor of Love

I wiggle in his hands, trying to soak my fur in the water dripping off his skin while also rubbing against the inside of his soft palm. “Careful, you don’t want to fall into the water.” I shift some more, ignoring his warning, and crash hard on the bottom of the tub, landing on my paws directly under the spray of warm water.

I stretch my legs, growing bigger. I’m shifting. My relief doesn’t last long when I remember where I am.Oh no, I’m shifting.I shut my eyes tight, trying to fight the transformationbut instinct takes over. My limbs grow longer and my brown fur sheds beneath me.

The man is staring at me in disbelief as I stand in front of him in human form, completely naked. His eyes roam my body, and he takes a step back with his mouth agape. “I’m hallucinating. My depression and loneliness have caused me to see things. I have officially lost my mind.”

“No, you haven’t,” I say. “What you see is real. I’m real.” I step closer and he backs further away.

“You...You’re....no, this can’t be. You were just a rabbit.” He tugs at his hair, eyes wild. “I got you from the pet store. You were just in your cage and covered in fur. You had pointy ears and a tail?—”

“And now I’m human,” I cut him off.

“How?” His head tilts, eyes turning to slits and placing a hand on the wall.

Not many humans know about shifters and most packs prefer to keep it that way. We aren’t supposed to mix with their kind and vice versa. That’s one major reason I tried to hold out here. The last place my father will look for me is in a human's home.

I sniff the air around us. My head is trapped in a fog and I'm unable to answer his question. His scent is heavenly, and his presence is like a giant, warm hug. I've never felt so safe and at home. This only confirms what a part of me has known since the first time he touched me.

Mate.

How can he be when Parker's a human?

My dad said it wasn't possible. Was he wrong? My bunny screams from inside me, begging for me to present myself to the man in front of me. My neck stretches outward with eagerness so it's easier for him to mark me with his mating bite.

I shake my head, trying to fight off my instinctual urges.

He swallows hard, stepping closer to me. "What are you?"

“I’m a shifter. I can change into human and animal form.” My hole twitches and body stiffens as slick drips down my leg. Oh crap. “I think I might be in heat.”

Why did I tell him what I was? I'm putting all my kind at risk. I couldn't stop the words from pouring out of me though, and the lie I was going to use for a cover story catches in my throat when I try to push it out. Lying to him feels wrong. Walking away and pretending this never happened does too. My fever hits again and a dizzy spell comes over me. His hand latches around my arm as I sway from side to side and my skin aches to be covered by more of him.

Mate.

Being in close proximity to him has triggered my heat. I need him. Every fiber of my being does.

Alpha.

Mate.

6

PARKER

Istruggle to form words when he says he’s a shifter. Growing up, we were always told the tales of people who could change into animals, but they were only meant to be campfire stories. One isn’t supposed to be standing in front of me naked. “What do you mean you’re in heat?”

He shudders, placing his hand on the wall. "It's...I need…"

His pretty cock jerks between his legs, leaking with precum and he rocks his hips, stroking himself gently. My eyes fixate on his every move, heat pooling in my groin as I reach for my own erection.

"I need relief!” he cries. “Everything hurts. I was supposed to spend my first heat with my newly bonded mate, but it didn't happen because I was supposed to find you. My first time is meant to be with only you.”

It's hard to register the full meaning of his words when a sweet honey scent floats in the air. My body tenses, cock straining in my tight grip. I don't even realize I'm rolling my own hips until he starts stroking us together. Mind spinning, I press tighter to him, leaning into the wonderful sensations created between us. He said something about his newly bonded mate. Does that mean he has one? A knot forms in my throat, adiscomfort coming over me at the thought. Is it jealousy? It can't be. I don't know him and this can very well still be some dream. Except he feels very real. So real and like everything I could ever need.

"You're bonded mate? Do you mean your boyfriend?"

He shakes his head. "No…" Nothing but incoherent sounds come from him after that.

I release a moan as he moves his smooth fingers up and down our cocks, rubbing his thumb over our tips and smearing our pre-cum together. His eyelids flutter and his mouth parts, calling to me with that cute pink tongue darting out between his lips. I'm unable to move anywhere else. I need this too. I need him. I look at the water behind us and pull us back into the warmth, plundering his mouth with my tongue. I can't stop going back for more. Everything about him urges me closer like a siren's song to a sailor. His tongue wraps around mine desperately and he continues thrusting up into his hand, rubbing his length against mine.

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