Ephrem
“Ephrem, I want to go for a run.”
I eyed Lily, taking in her classic beauty, something I could never get enough of. Long, ebony lashes framed her brilliant brown eyes, emphasizing them against her pale skin. I loved every detail of her face. It was better than any painting or rare work of art. I wanted to behold it for an eternity, but I instead decided to burn her image into my memory for the times I couldn’t have her in front of me.
“A run? All right. Where to?”
“Anywhere. I need to breathe again. Fresh air. Not this polluted excuse for oxygen. This city gets stifling. How do you stand it?” She closed her eyes, and I could see the strain etch itself on her features.
We’d been sitting at the diner talking about our recent disappointment in court. The magistrate had upheld Lily’s previous banishment from her home, the ArcKnight wolf pack stronghold. She’d gotten her stolen Ardent talisman back, which held an unknown amount of supernatural power—including the ability to control her if it got into the wrong hands—but it had been all for nothing. It was all Elise’s fault, Lily’s former best friend. Now, Elise was dead, Lily remained banished, and I continued as the general of the Outlands Army instead of Second Prince of the MarkTier pack. We were in no better positions, but at least we hadn’t been executed for putting the reigning Alpha of the MarkTier pack in danger when we’d gone after Elise, who had happened to be my brother Etan’s new fiancé.
I was fine where I was, but my heart went out to my love. She missed her family, and it broke her heart to be forbidden from returning home ever again.
“Come on,” I said, motioning for her to follow me as I slid out of the booth. We both needed to get away, and I knew just the place where we could shift in peace without being disturbed. It was part of the neutral territory between wolf packs’ territories, but it wasn’t under any kind of restrictions except that it belonged to the supernaturals of the City of Temple. Humans weren’t allowed unless they had knowledge of those with second natures or a relative who had magical abilities. This kept it open for shifters to roam freely without the worry that we would be spotted, or worse, hunted down by a human.
“Where are we going?” Lily joined me, slipping her hand into mine. It sent a burst of sparks up my arm, and I paused, momentarily admiring her again. “What?” She fidgeted, averting her eyes to the floor.
She was definitely not used to someone blatantly adoring her and touching her at the same time. Royals led such isolated lives, it was a wonder all of us didn’t go insane. Especially wolf royalty. We were pack animals, and royal life kept most of us in constant isolation, even from many of our relatives. We were like fragile vases placed on pedestals, lit up to admire and chat about, but never to touch or feel against the skin.
It was far less glamorous than it would seem.
“I’m taking you to the Outlands Preserve. It’s made for shifters and magicals like us. A place to escape.”
She stopped as we reached the sidewalk, letting the heavy glass doors of the diner swing shut behind us before she spoke.
“Whose territory is it under?” Fear swam behind her eyes. I couldn’t wait to reassure her that she had nothing to be concerned about.
“Not to worry. It’s in the neutral zone between territories. That’s why it’s part of the Outlands, not part of a stronghold.”
She visibly relaxed. Her fear of treading onto forbidden royal grounds again was very real. She was not only banished from the palace stronghold of her pack but also of my pack, the MarkTiers. It was a damn mighty shame, because I could still trek back and forth into my family’s palace with official military business. Otherwise, I’d be ousted from my stronghold like she was.
I’d gotten the better end of the deal, and I wish I could give it all to her.
“Let’s go.”
The City of Temple was vast, flanked on both sides by the two wolf pack strongholds. It was longer than wide, comparable to New York City in size, and full of tall skyscrapers that brushed the clouds. Most of it was considered neutral territory, full of humans who lacked magic, but it was also packed with supernaturals of all kinds. I liked living out there better than in the palace. It lacked the stuffiness of the stringent royal rules.
We followed the streets until the buildings became sparse and the copses of trees grew thicker, replacing the concrete with greenery. Once we hit the trails of the park surrounding Temple, we would be free to walk deeper in toward an area called “Wolf Romp Trails,” just to be sure we wouldn’t be disturbed by humans.
The name itself caused Lily to chuckle.
“Wolf Romp? Really?”
I shrugged. “It had to be obvious yet dumb enough for people to not look into. And it’s enchanted, just in case. Those normal humans who do wander too close will find themselves drawn off onto another trail. Very few have the willpower to overcome the suggestion.”
“That works for me,” she laughed as I led her to a set of trees where there were hollows for placing our clothes before we shifted. In the holes were ledges, several inches below the lip of the entrances, to keep our stuff hidden if anyone was to walk past.
I loved going out there to run. It afforded me the fresh air I craved while giving me the space to stretch out my wolf legs, which rarely happened within the boundaries of Temple.
Lily needed that now, and I was all too happy to show it to her.
“Clothes here.” I motioned to the holes in the trees, and she flushed pink before stripping off her clothes, beating me to the punch. “At least you’re not shy.” I gave her a playful wink.
She grinned back. “Oh, I’m way past the shy stage. I need to feel the grasses on my breasts and the air through my fur badly enough that I wouldn’t care if the Pope was waltzing through here at this very second. Clothes are off!”
It was hard not admiring her stealth and beauty. Her body was hard as rock but sleek and curvy in all the right places. Her thin structure was muscly enough to show off her strength yet soft and womanly enough to arouse my inner beast immediately. That, and her ample breasts, looking perky in the cold evening air, had me turning away, breathing hard as I stuffed my own clothes into one of the hollows.
I was going to enjoy this night. I could already tell.
“Hey, wait!” I called out after Lily as she took off, but she was already morphing. Fur sprung out of her pores, and she began to sprint, faster and faster, until her legs shortened as she jumped into the air to complete her transformation. Her snout elongated, and she landed on four pads. She came to a stop before turning back to eye me with brilliant yellow wolf eyes.
She called out to me, howling as the night air turned crisp and sent a spray of goosebumps over my body. I heeded the summons, running toward her in a quick jaunt before letting the morph overtake me and spread a warm encasement of fur over my body. I skidded to a stop next to her, full wolf, and she stepped closer, licked my face with her tongue and then took off running again.
The woman was fierce, and I liked her energy. I had plans to help her burn some of it off.
Jumping after her, I let the rush of wind jet through my fur. It was exhilarating. My long, coarse hair was black with streaks of tan through it. My eyes were a sea-tossed blue, and when I was shifted, they reflected the moonlight like a mirror. I could still feel my Ardent talisman beating against my chest and hidden in my fur. The closer I got to Lily, the more it warmed, flaring to life and pulsing along with my heart.
Her fur was a brilliant dark gray peppered with black hair. If you faced her one way, she was almost silver in color. From another point of view, she turned a dark, oily black. It was an unusual coat color, but I loved every inch of her, animal and human alike.
The forest thickened before it gave way to a soft, gleaming meadow, a small creek trickling through the center of it. The soft grasses swayed in the cool breeze as the moon overtook the sky and the last remnants of sunlight faded away beyond the canopy of the trees. The night air tickled my nose, an
d as I came up alongside Lily, I buried it in her fur, inhaling her scent like a drug.
It aroused me even more.
She lapped at the water in the creek, panting from our initial run, and I joined her at the water’s edge. As I drank, she let her tongue slide over my head, slicking back the thick fur before nudging me.
We could speak this way telepathically, but most of the time, the silence of nature was the best part of being shifted.
Her gleaming eyes shined in the moonlight, and I could smell her desire permeating the air around us. I could tell she was also taking in my scent as I approached her. She hopped to the side, bringing her legs down as she jumped from my advances, teasing me. It was pure torture, and after a few minutes of this playful romp, I backed away and gave her a stern glare.
I want you.
Come get me.
I don’t want to hurt you.
Like you even could.
Would you be so bold if I wasn’t shifted?
She cocked her head to the side and yipped. Try me.
I changed back to my human form and fell to my knees. She watched me through her wolf eyes, trying to figure out my intentions. Don’t you want to run?
We’ve done enough running, don’t you think? Lie with me.
She pranced forward and stared into my eyes. We were face to face, and her hot breath tickled my nose and cheek. She was scared to let go, scared to love me back. I’d known this before our trial and had brought her here to figure out how she truly felt. That was why I’d shifted back to human form and waited for her to come to me, in the middle of nowhere, out where wild things grew and nothing stood between us like banishment, sorrow or disappointment. She had to choose whether or not to shift back. She could refuse, or she could give herself to me.
It was just us out there amongst the reeds and wild grasses. Just her and me. She could take me or leave me, but I had to know for sure where her heart might lie. Was it actually mine or not? She had told me she was mine at the diner, after our trial, but this ritual would prove to us both that we really meant it.
There was nothing like making love outdoors, naked and vulnerable, while wearing nothing but our talismans to keep us warm, then to shift into our wolf forms and make love again. It was the wolf shifter’s way of sealing a love bond.
“Lily,” I said. My breath puffed out in steamy clouds, for the night was frigid, but I wasn’t cold. My want kept me warm, and my heart pumped the blood to my limbs, desperate to be touched. “Love me. Show me you want me. I know things have been difficult lately, but I am here. I’ll always be here for you. Tell me you want me to be here always, or tell me to go. It’s all or nothing, but don’t tell me one thing and feel something else. This seals our love, here, with only the magic of nature to bear witness to our pact.”
My call to her was the norm. Most shifters mated to one another in a similar ritual. Most wolves were in packs, except for lone wolves. Her and I, we had that in common. We were not of packs. We were alone in this world, and I was inviting her to accept me, love me and shift into a human woman. I was asking her to take from me what she needed out here in the wild. Or she could remain as a wolf and rip my throat out, rejecting me, or leave me to forever nurse my broken heart. I prayed she’d pick my love. I wanted it more than anything I’d ever wanted before.
Her whimper echoed in the night, and she crept closer to me, lowering her head in submission to me as her Alpha. Two lone wolves, and she had allowed me the position of Alpha. She could have made me submit, but she’d given it to me freely, and my heart felt like it had grown to the size of the moon with love for her. I’d make it worth it, no matter what the future brought. I’d be her strength and foundation, and she’d be my light in the vast darkness of life.
“Lily,” I whispered to her, holding out my arms as she morphed back to human form and collapsed into them. I knew her answer then. Pulling her more tightly to my chest, I found her unbearably soft lips and kissed her until the heat of our bodies demanded more. Her beautiful breasts pushed against my skin, and I could feel them beckoning for me to touch every inch of them. My hands explored as she lay back onto the soft pillow of grasses and let me skim her body with my mouth and fingertips until she begged for more.
The night was forgotten, and we made sweet love until our bodies were sore from the earthen bed and our desires were spent. We sealed our love that night with every caress, and each time I took her, slipping into her sweet, wet and ready entrance, her pleasurable whimpers came between words of desire. Again and again. And when as humans we needed to recharge, we shifted into our wolf forms to join bodies once more.
Once fully spent, we held each other close as the night wore on. I ran my fingers through her dark, lustrous locks while her fingers traced the edges of my muscles. In that moment, I knew we would never breathe without each other’s love ever again.
“Lily?”
“Yes, Ephrem?”
“Remember what you told me? It’s you and me. Forever.“
She nodded. “Yes, I remember. I’d like that. Very much.”
“My heart is all yours for the taking. I’m here until the end.”
She smiled, leaning forward to meet my mouth with a tender kiss.
“Always. Until the end.”
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