“How rude,” he teased.
I snarled at their retreating backs.
Emmett flipped me the bird.
I growled once more.
Looking around I realized Brady had disappeared. No doubt he was giving us space. I knew I liked that kid.
I suspected living with his brother and Peyton he had learn to respect a mating bond unlike those other two buffoons.
Seeing the coast was clear, I yipped, and tried to encourage Winnie to strip and shift quickly.
Not only was I ready to run, but I needed time alone with my mate. Each day was proving to be more difficult, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Ruby and Bran were right and I should just claim her and worry about the rest later. Still, something was holding me back from doing it.
Winnie
Chapter 14
My heart pounded as we ran across the field out on the open range. It was everything I had hoped for and more.
Having Clay’s large gray wolf at my side curbed any worries I may have had and let me relax and just enjoy the experience. It was exhilarating! I could do this every day of the rest of my life and be happier than I ever knew was possible.
I understood that the freedom to run without fear was only a small part of it. Mostly it was the man next to me. He had made this happen for me. He had listened and he had cared enough to bring my dreams to life.
My heart was light.
I was happy.
Clay made me happy.
When he finally began to slow, I wasn’t even close to ready to turn back. I howled and kept running. I heard him chuff as he scrambled to pick up speed and catch up.
Time no longer existed as I ran and ran. I felt like I could have run forever, but as the sun began to set low in the sky, I finally slowed, sat back, and just stared up at the sheer beauty unfolding before my eyes.
Clay’s wolf moved in to sit next to me and I snuggled into him, realizing my smaller wolf was a perfect fit under the protection of his larger one.
Two pieces of the same puzzle, a perfect match.
I sighed contentedly.
Before it was fully dark, Clay yipped and nodded for me to follow him. We walked this time and he stopped nearby at an established campsite. There were logs set in a circle around what looked like an old campfire. A stack of wood was also there, and I could see the imprints on the ground of what was likely sleeping bags or bed rolls. It looked like something out of an old cowboy movie.
Clay sniffed around the area and then shifted into his human form.
“Looks like they were out here a few nights, probably over the weekend. You seem to be enjoying the views. Would you like me to put a fire on and we can hang out for a while before heading back? Or would you rather turn back now? I didn’t think this through. I don’t have anything for dinner unless I go hunting. There’s probably some small game in the area.”
I was certainly enjoying the view, but it wasn’t of the sunset any longer.
Seeing my mate naked in the open wild hit me harder than I ever imagined possible.
Would I ever have enough of him? Would there ever come a day when I wouldn’t want him like this? I felt like a pervert. He was quickly turning me into a sex-addict.
I shifted and then shivered at the chill in the air.
“I can wait on dinner,” I told him.
“Fire?”