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His eyes flash in the firelight, a slow smile revealing teeth slightly sharper than human. “So impatient, my little mate.”

“Not your mate,” I remind him, though the word sends a thrill through me.

“Yet,” he adds, rising to his full height and extending a hand to me. “First, let’s go for a ride.”

He reaches for me, his hand engulfing mine, leading me back out into the night. Once outside, he transforms in a bone-creaking instant, shifting into his massive dire wolf form. His fur is thick and luxurious, and he’s easily large enough to carry a human on his back.

“Hop on” his voice echoes in my mind, an insistent mental command that doesn’t leave room for refusal.

I climb onto his back, clinging to his fur as he bolts into the trees.

The sensation is incredible and exhilarating. Every muscle in his enormous body propels us forward with unstoppable force. I hold tight, the wind whipping through my hair, laughter spilling uncontainably from my lips as we charge through the moonlit forest.

We race across open clearings, steep hillsides, and ravines, jumping and weaving through the dark.

Gone is the girl with the failed engagement and soap-opera family who, despite her betrayal, wanted me to be happy for my sister.

Gone is the mundane world with its heartbreak.

It’s just me and my wild ride, the night and the forest, and the unbelievable freedom of holding on tight while something terrifying and wonderful carries me into the unknown.

Joy bursts out of me as a scream of exhilaration tears from my lungs.

The thrill is incredible, a sensation that races through me, filling every part of my being. The sense of speed and wild abandon makes me feel alive.

He loops me around the edge of the lake, my laughter mixing with the wide arc of his voice in my mind. “Free?”

“Yes!” I shout, knowing he hears, feels, and shares my unfiltered exhilaration. I realize in this dizzying instant that my choices are not just between these three incredible beings, but achoice to embrace all that life can be when you stop playing by its boring rules.

He carries us to a rocky hillside with a final push of speed, slowing to a confident trot as we approach a familiar cave mouth.

He lowers himself to the ground, letting me slide off before he resumes a more human shape. His eyes are smug as he catches my breathless face.

“That was incredible,” I tell him. My smile feels like my face is going to split open.

“I’m happy you enjoyed that, mate. There’s more I want to show you.”

He takes my hand again, leading me past the furs and fire through a narrow passage that opens into a second chamber. This one is smaller and intimate, with a pool of steaming water at its center. The ceiling opens to the night sky through a natural chimney, with stars visible through the gap.

“Hot spring,” Kaelen explains, his voice low and rough. “Natural heat from the deep earth.”

“It’s beautiful,” I breathe, watching the steam curl toward the sky.

“Join me,” he says, and before I can respond, he’s shifting more into his human form.

He’s magnificent—powerful muscles rippling beneath fur that thins as it transforms into smooth skin, leaving his lower abdomen and thighs mostly bare of fur. And between those thighs…

Well. He’s proportional to his considerable height, let’s put it that way, but that’s not the only thing that catches my eye.

His cock hangs thick between his legs, crowned with a golden hoop and studded with three gold bars. As he begins to stiffen, I imagine what those bars will feel like sliding along my clit.

“Um,” I manage eloquently, heat flooding my cheeks.

His grin is wolfish, knowing. “Shy now? Even if it’s what you want?”

“I guess you can smell that, huh?” I mutter, embarrassed, but not nearly enough to dampen my interest. “Fine.” I pull my tank top over my head, trying for boldness, though my fingers tremble slightly. “Wolf ways, right?”

His eyes darken as I undress, tracking my movement. When I’m completely naked, he doesn’t pounce as I half-expected. Instead, he extends his hand again, helping me into the hot spring with gentleness.