Chapter 22

Kyp

Megan and Sam were excellent company as usual. Megan had made some sort of stir fry that was better than any take-out. We were just finishing dinner, pushing back from the table, when Rachel’s whole body tensed.

“Ooh, guys, I don’t mean to eat and run, but I’ve got to let Wolf out. Now.” Even as she spoke, Rachel raced toward the new addition that had become Sam and Megan’s bedroom. I stood, Wolf on high alert and I felt my face flush as I heard the soft patter of clothes hitting the floor. My belly squirmed.

A minute later Rachel’s wolf poked her head out of the door, and I felt a stirring in my gut looking at her. Mine. My pack. The words heated me up from the inside out, making my flush darker. I desperately wanted to be what she needed as her Alpha.

“Meet you outside?” Meg smiled at her best friend. Rachel gave us a toothy grin and bobbed her head.

As we all took quick turns shifting into our fur, I wondered if Rachel and I would be able to communicate the way we had earlier. The thought sent excited shivers down my forelegs and set my paws dancing on the cold ground beside the steps of the cabin. I decided to try it out.

Race you to the third tree on the right I thought at her. She swung her head around and her wolf eyes narrowed. She looked back to the tree in question and back at me. I tried to send a picture of us running toward the tree.

Yelping, Rachel wagged her tail and turned her body to face our course. She crouched and glanced expectantly at me. Triumph swept over me, realizing that we had communicated with some sort of mental link.

A quick bark and we were off. I could have beat her easily. She was still getting used to running as a wolf, but I slowed some to keep pace with her. Rachel glanced at me with slit eyes, and I chuffed out a breath as she realized what I was doing. She bared her teeth and nipped playfully at my shoulder and my heart sped up. I wanted to knock into her and nuzzle her neck. Wolf pinged my brain and I realized with no small amount of shock, that translated into human terms, I wanted to kiss her. The realization gave me such a pause that I stumbled over a clod of grass and Rachel went shooting ahead of me, circling the tree and coming back as I stood panting, waiting for her, since she’d won. Sam and Megan loped up beside me and I was glad they were there to distract me from my thoughts that were seriously going haywire regarding Rachel. Mine echoed softly in my brain, but I shoved it down. I was well aware she was my pack now. But I wasn’t sure how appropriate it was for me to want to kiss her…though now that I had recognized the desire, it lodged itself like a live coal under my skin.

A picture of Rachel’s cell phone suddenly flashed through my brain. Rachel yipped, and I realized she wanted to go check in with her parents. I gave a bark in return and we loped back to the cabin. Meg and Sam followed, though not close. It was clear they were enjoying the near-frigid air and the crisp moonlight as it dappled over the ground. It was an excellent night for a run. The air was perfect for carrying scents and the way the cold ruffled through my fur was one of my favorite things about late fall. But Rachel needed to check in. She was my pack. And I wanted to kiss her. I shook my head with the barest hint of a growl to clear the image. My heart still raced. Not from the quick run.