“I submit to you, Bruce. I’ll follow you wherever you lead.”
He didn’t know if the man inside the wolf understood his words. It didn’t matter. The wolf must have felt something, because he slowly released Laddin’s neck. Then he took a step back.
Laddin exhaled and tried to move, but dizziness swamped his awareness. Shit. He’d lost too much blood. He needed to shift now. So with a slow hand, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. It was all he could do. Then he threw himself into his change.
He was well practiced at it now. The heat, the tingling excitement, and the joy as his body dissolved in an electric fizzle, then reformed as wolf. He moved his leg and arm—now wolf legs—feeling them healthy and strong. Then he shimmied out of his bloody jeans and shook as he maneuvered onto all fours. It was annoying to still have his shirt on, but it didn’t get in the way.
His vision sharpened, and his world became a kaleidoscope of tastes and smells. But the most important thing he saw was Bruce’s wolf slowly backing away from him.
Now came the difficult part. Bruce hadn’t killed Laddin, but that didn’t mean he’d accepted him either.
Laddin walked slowly forward, keeping his head down in submission. He sniffed the air, noting the burned-cherry smell of the other wolf. Odd, but he liked it. And still he crept closer, trying to invite a friendship.
It only took a few seconds, but to Laddin it felt like an eternity. Eventually Bruce lowered his head, his nose twitching as he too sniffed—nose to nose at first, with Laddin’s head sunk below Bruce’s. Then Laddin kept walking, sniffing along Bruce’s flank and around his tail. The first time he’d done this with Josh, he’d been repulsed by the idea of sniffing someone’s ass. But there was so much to learn down there. And he wanted to know everything about Bruce.
Beneath the burned-cherry smell, he scented Bruce’s family connection with Josh. He knew Bruce was healthy, though there was an acrid tang to the air that meant something. He had no idea what, but it was unique to Bruce. And he knew when Bruce finally relaxed enough to rub against him.
Friends.
The word had never felt so sweet. And then Bruce turned, obviously to head out the barn door.
Shit! He couldn’t let that happen, though the scents out there were really tempting. Well, if he couldn’t talk Bruce into staying, he would have to try playing. And there was nothing Laddin’s wolf liked better than play. So when Bruce was almost out the barn door, Laddin leaped in front of him.
He kept his head down low and his tail wagging high. He moved left and right and then even spun around once, just to see if he could get Bruce into the mood.
The larger wolf watched him, his ears cocked with what might have been curiosity. Did he understand what Laddin wanted? Maybe. Bruce’s tail swished back and forth a bit, and his mouth opened in what Laddin hoped was a wolfish smile.
Laddin lunged forward, nipping without intent. Bruce shied backward, but then he bit back. Not hard. A quick clamp of his jaws before he danced forward. He wasn’t as smooth on his feet as Laddin, but then again, he was brand-new to his lupine body. By the looks of things, though, he’d be a quick study, Laddin thought as Bruce leaped sideways and didn’t stumble. It had taken Laddin a week to master that.
Laddin pressed forward again, closer this time, and Bruce played back. Laddin went left and right, trying to get his mouth on Bruce’s neck. He never came close, though, as Bruce adjusted and fought. He was making a rumbling sound, not a growl, and Laddin wondered if that was his play sound. If so, it was pretty angry, but he’d take it. Especially since he was moving Bruce steadily deeper into the barn.
It was a losing game. He knew that. Eventually Bruce would tire of the game and Laddin would have to think of something else. He needed to get those barn doors closed, and he couldn’t do that as a wolf.
He was still scrambling for options when he ran out of time. Bruce jumped past him, tail held high, and headed for the door. It was an invitation to follow him outdoors, and Laddin even considered it. But the more time Bruce spent as a wolf, the less likely he was to ever come back to his human form. In short, playtime was over. Laddin had to get serious about setting down the rules.
But he really, really didn’t want to.
He dashed forward. He might be small for a werewolf, but he made up for it in speed. He got between Bruce and the door, then shifted back to human. He did it quickly, returning to his body on all fours, T-shirt still on but naked ass waving in the wind.
“See how easy it is?” he said to Bruce. “Come back to human.”
He straightened up onto his knees. He’d chosen this location specifically because his discarded pants were in reach. And while Bruce watched him with those burnt-yellow eyes, Laddin was able to grab the shock collar remote where it had fallen to the ground. Then he slowly stood up.
The collar was just in case. His real goal was to get to the barn doors. Unfortunately, the damn things were huge. He would have to slide two heavy doors together, and Bruce could easily slip outside while he was closing them. But he had to give it a try.
“Think about what you want to do, Bruce. Are you hungry? We could grill some burgers. Are you a coffee
