“Even if that were an option, I wouldn’t want them.” Ryker moves one hand from my face, slowly making its way down where it gently cups the back of my neck. His eyes never leave mine. I couldn’t look away if I wanted to.
“I know, but what if—”
“Pru, shut up,” he interrupts, “because I want to kiss you, and I can’t if you don’t stop talking.”
“Okay.” I barely get the word out before Ryker’s mouth crashes into mine.
You know how in movies when the music starts playing, and the background fades away? That’s what happens when my lips connect with Ryker’s. Suddenly the only thing I’m aware of is how his mouth feels against mine and how I can taste the beer he’d been drinking on his lips. My hands wander up to his chest and grab hold of the front of his shirt, afraid if I let go, he’ll disappear.
I’ve only ever kissed two other guys in my life, and both times felt awkward and forced. But kissing Ryker feels right. My mouth moves with his purely on instinct, and I get completely lost in it. I feel his mouth lift into a grin, and I pull back to look at him. I reach up and lightly touch his face, my hands slightly shaking. Then I smile back at him before leaning up to kiss the corner of his upturned mouth.
“Can you do something for me?” I ask him in between planting small kisses to his lips.
“Anything,” he breathes against me.
“Will you shift for me?” I want to see the wolf when it’s not busy ripping the throat out of something. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about him for months now and want to see him again. He’s basically all I dream about anymore.” I pull back from Ryker and bite my lower lip, worried I’ve asked for something I shouldn’t have.
“Of course.” He kisses me one last time before climbing to his feet and helping me up. I keep eye contact with him the whole time he removes his clothes, throwing them off to the side. Just like at the lake, his amazingly built body and his many tattoos captivate me.
“Do they all mean something to you?” I ask him, reaching out to lightly trace a dark swirling line on his shoulder.
“Most of them.” He puts his arms in front of him and inspects the artwork. “Many I’ve had for so long I don’t really think about them,” he admits before taking a step back from me, his skin glowing in the moonlight. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
The man in front of me crouches, and the sound of snapping bones quickly follows. In seconds, the man is gone, and a large black wolf stands in his place.
When we were in the clearing earlier, I didn’t get the chance to really look at him, but now I see he’s the exact same as in my dreams. Even the white patch of fur on his chest is the same. I smile when I see his right paw also has white fur on the toes. He’s much larger than a regular wolf I have no idea how they have been able to keep their existence a secret from humans.
The wolf walks closer to me and presses his large head into my chest. I reach up and scratch behind his ears. “Well, hello there,” I say to him, and a happy sound comes from his throat, almost like a cat purring.
He looks up and with a quick swipe of the tongue, licks me across the face. “Yuck! Dog breath!” I wipe at my face, trying to remove all the slobber.
Ryker takes a few steps back from me and does something that makes my heart soar. He throws his head back and lets out a low, drawn-out howl. It echoes through the night, cutting through the trees around us.
Since moving to Montana, I’ve heard many wolf howls in the night, but Ryker’s is different. It pulls me in and hypnotizes me.
It’s the sounds of hollering that draws my attention away from the black wolf in front of me. When I look up at the house, I find the rest of the Weylyn siblings, Sawyer and Avery, all shedding their clothes.
“Fuck, yeah!” I hear Ransom yell down at us, before he flies down the patio steps, naked. He leaps down one of the small flights of stairs on the tiered patio and lands in his wolf form.
His twin follows close behind him, also shifting. The two large gray and black wolves nip and bite at each other. Playful growls come from them as well. Remi shifts next and joins in the fun, grabbing onto the scruff around Ranger’s neck, or at least I think it’s Ranger.
A soft whine draws my attention away from the commotion. Ryker is staring at his siblings, a look of longing in his eyes. “Ryker, go over there,” I say with a push on his shoulder, his black coat engulfing my hand. His fur is as soft as I thought it would be, maybe even softer. “I’ll be fine.” He snorts and shakes his head, refusing to move from my side.
“Ryk! Are you coming?” Avery calls down at us, still in her human form. She stands with her hands on her hips, unapologetically naked.
He still stands at my side, but I know he wants to go to his friends and family. “Ryker, I’m not going anywhere. Go have fun with them. I’ll be here when you get back.” I softly brush his face with my hand and look into those bright gold eyes. “I promise.”
That finally does it. I watch as Ryker takes off across the yard, his powerful body
