Page 43 of Wild Bond
Once his clothes joined Wade’s pile, Alex turned to find his mate watching him with that same hungry expression from this morning. “Who needs to focus now?”
Wade’s response was to shift.
Between one heartbeat and the next, man became wolf. Not the violent transformation from horror movies with bones breaking and screams. Just a fluid transition, like water changing states. Where Wade had stood, a massive black wolf now waited, yellow eyes fixed on Alex with an intelligence that was purely Wade despite the fur and canines.
“Holy shit,” Alex breathed, taking an involuntary step forward. This was power and grace and barely contained wildness all wrapped in midnight fur.
Unable to resist, he reached out and buried his fingers in the thick ruff around Wade’s neck, softer than it looked, warm and alive under his touch. Wade’s wolf leaned into the contact, a rumble that might have been a purr, if wolves did that sort of thing, vibrating through his chest.
“You’re gorgeous,” Alex said, running both hands through the fur now, feeling the solid muscle underneath. “Big bad wolf isn't just a fairy tale reference, is it?”
Wade’s tongue lolled out in what had to be the wolf equivalent of a smirk.
Alex stepped back and let the change take him, world expanding as his body contracted. One moment standing on two legs, the next on four paws with the forest floor suddenly much closer and full of fascinating smells.
Being a rabbit meant experiencing the world through a completely different operating system. Every sound amplified, every movement registered as potential threat or opportunity. His nose twitched constantly, processing information human senses couldn't even detect. Pine sap, decomposing leaves, and something that had marked this tree recently.
Wade’s wolf loomed above him, roughly the size of a small horse from this perspective. Those yellow eyes studied him with an intensity that made Alex’s rabbit brain suggest maybe running right now would be good, except the human part knew this predator would never hurt him.
His mate lowered his massive head, nose touching Alex’s tiny form with surprising gentleness. Hot breath ruffled white fur, and then Alex took off.
His powerful hind legs launched him forward in explosive bounds, zigzagging between trees with an agility that came hard-coded into rabbit DNA. Behind him, Wade’s paws thundered against the earth, the wolf’s longer stride eating up distance despite Alex’s head start.
Running as a rabbit was nothing like running as a human. Every leap felt like a brief flight, his body built for exactly this—quick escapes, sudden direction changes, fitting through spaces that shouldn't be possible. His heart hammered at hummingbird speeds, but that was normal for a rabbit, everything about this form designed for maximum velocity and minimum target size.
Wade stayed close but not too close, letting Alex set the pace and direction. They tore through the underbrush, Alex diving under fallen logs that Wade had to leap over, squeezing between trees that forced the wolf to go around. Not a real chase but something better—play, pure and simple, without stakes or fear or anything except the joy of movement.
After maybe ten minutes, Alex’s lungs started burning. Bunnies were built for sprints, not marathons. His next bound came up short, legs trembling with exhaustion.
He slowed to a hop then stopped entirely, sides heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
Wade immediately halted, circling back to where Alex sat panting in a small clearing. The wolf lowered himself to the ground, belly touching the forest floor in clear invitation.
Getting the message, Alex hopped over and clambered onto Wade’s back. His claws found purchase in the thick fur, and he settled between Wade’s shoulder blades like the world's smallest, most ridiculous rider.
Wade rose carefully, making sure Alex was secure, then started forward at an easy trot. From up here, Alex could see so much more—the way sunlight scattered through leaves, birds watching them with curious eyes, a deer in the distance that froze before bounding away. His nose twitched, catching scents carried on the breeze while Wade’s steady gait rocked him gently.
This shouldn't work. A rabbit riding a wolf violated several natural laws and probably a few fairy tales. But nothing about their relationship had ever been conventional, so why start now?
Wade’s thoughts were probably running along similar lines, if the careful way he picked his path was any indication. No sudden moves that might dislodge his tiny passenger, no running under low branches that might knock Alex off. Just steady progress through their territory, two predators who'd somehow become everything to each other.
Eventually Wade emerged into a small meadow where afternoon sun had warmed the grass to the perfect temperature. He lowered himself again, and Alex hopped off to explore while Wade stretched out in a patch of sunlight, massive frame relaxed but alert.
Alex shifted back to human form, not caring about the lack of clothes as he sprawled next to Wade’s wolf, using the massive furry body as a backrest. Wade’s tail thumped once against the ground, and Alex could practically feel his mate’s contentment radiating like heat from a furnace.
“Never thought I'd end up here,” Alex said to the sky, fingers idly stroking through Wade’s fur. “Naked in a meadow with a wolf, no longer wanted for murder, actually happy for once.”
Wade shifted beside him, fur becoming skin, until Alex was leaning against his equally naked mate instead of a wolf. Strong arms pulled him closer, and Alex went willingly, fitting himself against Wade’s side like they’d been designed as matching pieces.
“Better than the forest floor?” Wade asked, pressing a kiss to Alex’s temple.
“Significantly fewer ants,” Alex agreed, tilting his face up to catch the sun. “Though I noticed you didn't bring snacks. Seems like an oversight.”
“Next time I'll pack a picnic basket for our naked forest runs.”
“See that you do.”
Lying there with sun on his skin and Wade’s heartbeat steady against his back, Alex let himself marvel at how drastically life had changed. A month ago he’d been sleeping rough, convinced he’d either die in the woods or in prison. Now he had a mate, a pack, a home. Freedom to shift whenever he wanted, safety from the demon who'd hunted him, and someone who'd literally fight his way through hell to keep him safe.
Maybe happy endings weren't just for fairy tales after all. Even if his did involve a wolf, a rabbit, and a concerning amount of public nudity.
The sun continued its lazy arc overhead, and Alex closed his eyes, finally and completely at peace.
For the first time in his life, he wasn’t running from anything.
He was running toward everything that mattered.
THE END
