Page 54

Nate

H ad I ever had a day this good? In my entire life, had anything ever, even for a second, been this amazing? I doubted it. If I died and went to heaven, this was the day I would relive over and over for eternity. If that was the afterlife, then I welcomed it.

When we woke up, Cameron and I made love again, this time slow and intense and so sweet.

I could never get enough of her lips on mine, her slick heat clenching around me as she came.

We collapsed together in a tangle of sweaty limbs, fully spent for the second time in twelve hours.

Cameron went back to sleep while I headed out to the breakfast buffet.

I made us both a plate and grabbed a couple small bottles of orange juice.

The smell of food woke Cameron. She devoured everything on her plate and most of mine as well.

“I’m still hungry,” she said in disbelief.

I chuckled. “Like I said, until you get used to it, shifting takes a lot out of you.”

After she got dressed, we went back to the buffet.

She ate her fill while I fueled myself. As I watched her eat, I wondered what it would be like to stay in one place.

Maybe a spot in the country sort of like this?

The city did have its appeal—anonymity being the most attractive—but the woods, creeks, and glades of the wilderness?

It called to the deeper part of me, and I wasn’t sure it was only the wolf.

A strange thought to have, as I’d never wanted to settle anywhere before.

After breakfast, my own desire for nature grew. Cameron and I took a walk through one of the nature trails attached to the campground, heading deep into the woods, then going off the path as far away from prying eyes as possible.

“Do you want to shift again?” I asked after we’d gone a good distance.

Cameron’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yeah!” She nodded so vigorously, I thought her head might snap off her neck.

I helped her navigate the process again.

This time, it was quicker and much less painful.

Once I shifted, we took off into the surrounding forest. Our paws glided over fallen trees, through brambles, and around rocky outcroppings.

We played in a small creek until we were soaked, then raced to the top of a small mountain that overlooked the campground.

At the top, we shifted back and lunged at each other.

Our mouths came together feverishly before I bent her over and took her again.

Thrusting into her while we gazed down at the valley might have been the most romantic moment of my life.

Though, Cameron’s cries and shouts of pleasure were more beautiful than any scenery could ever be.

When we were both sated, we shifted back and curled up together in our wolf forms on a thick blanket of moss.

The warm summer breeze lulled us to sleep in seconds.

Later, I taught her how to hunt. We stalked and chased a deer and a couple of rabbits.

I was having more fun with her than I’d ever had with anyone.

The exhilaration and happiness gave the day a dreamlike quality, and I didn’t want to wake up.

When we returned to the campsite, we had lunch at the small restaurant near the reception building, then went back to the cabin to nap again.

Laying there, with Cameron asleep on my chest, I replayed every moment since we got here, a goofy smile on my lips.

It was by far the happiest day of my entire life.

Cameron stirred at my side, stretching and yawning. “How long was I asleep?”

“About two hours,” I said.

“Good lord. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so much in one day.”

“You need it,” I said. “I’ve worn you out.” I ran a finger down her side and around the outside curve of her breast. “In more ways than one.”

She giggled. “True. What time is it?”

“Four in the afternoon.”

“Wow.” Cameron smiled in surprise. “It feels like this day has gone on forever.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t.

“No, not bad. It’s just sort of dreamlike.”

That was exactly how I’d described it to myself. Hearing it come from her made my heart swell, and I leaned down, breathing in the sweet and powerful smell of her new shifter scent.

“What do you want to do now?” I asked.

She grinned mischievously. “I know what I want to do, but if we do that again, I literally won’t be able to move tomorrow. Why don’t we just go for a walk before dinner?”

I chuckled. “That sounds great. Let’s get dressed.”

Ten minutes later, we were strolling hand in hand around the perimeter of the campground. The staff were setting up a big wood-fired grill at the pavilion. When we passed them, I asked the guy what they were doing.

“Sunday night barbecue. We do it every week. Hotdogs, burgers, ribs, all the fixings. Make sure you two come out for it.”

My stomach rumbled even though I’d only had lunch a couple hours before. “We’ll do that.”

As we walked toward the tent and RV area, Cameron said, “This place is right outside the city, and I never knew it was here. It’s amazing. So beautiful and relaxing. I can’t believe it was here all along without me noticing.”

“That could describe a lot of things,” I said.

Cameron chuckled. “Yeah. I suppose that’s true. A whole world of shifters living right beside me, and I never knew it was there.”

“Speaking of,” I said. “Want to go for another run before dinner?”

The grin that spread across Cameron’s face was like sunlight after a storm. Every time I saw it, something in me lifted, as if I was being pulled up from some dark and forgotten place.

“Yes,” she said. Before I could react, she let go of my hand and bolted into the woods.

I sprinted to keep up with her. We ran until we were well away from the campsites and before shifting. Our wolves rushed through the underbrush and into the forest again, nipping at each other’s heels.

When we returned, the sun had slipped low, and the grills were fired up. The savory aroma of grilled food caught our attention. Ravenous again, we made a beeline for the pavilion.

“Are you two here on your honeymoon?”

The question came from a middle-aged woman standing with her husband in line for food.

“Uh, let’s just say we’re celebrating a big event,” I said, smiling at Cameron.

“Okay,” the woman said with a smile. “Say no more. Nothing like the forest to celebrate, right?”

“Right,” I said.

Cameron gave me a quizzical grin as she grabbed a plate.

I loaded mine with a hamburger and a small quarter rack of ribs, along with a pile of potato salad and coleslaw.

Cameron, however, had to get two plates.

A hamburger, a hot dog, ribs, and then potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and a big scoop of some sort of chocolate pudding and cookie trifle dessert sitting on a tub of ice.

“Are you gonna eat all that?” I asked, gaping at her plate.

She shrugged and gave me an embarrassed grin. “I’m starving.”

“No shit.” I laughed and grabbed a couple of beers from the cooler at the end of the makeshift buffet line.

The staff had set up a big bonfire with heavy logs all around for people to sit on.

Cameron and I found a spot and dug into our food.

Much to my awe, she finished before I did.

When the sun had fully set, the staff passed out rolled blankets for us while a guy took a seat and started playing instrumental songs on a guitar.

Was this real life?

I leaned against the log. Cameron settled between my legs, her back resting on my chest as I arranged a blanket over us. A family passed by—a mother, a father, and a young girl of about five.

The girl waved at us and gave us a big, gap-toothed grin. “Hello!”

“Hey there.” I winked at her, then nodded at her parents. “Good evening.”

Cameron’s shoulders hitched like she was laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “It’s just that you act like this big, bad loner, but you’re always chatting up people.”

“It’s easy to interact with people on a shallow level, I guess. An hour or two here, a day or two there. I have trouble with long-term relationships. People like Ollie? I can count actual friends like that on one hand.”

“But why?” She adjusted herself, turning to look into my eyes.

“Don’t know, really. I guess it’s hard for me to trust people enough to make a deeper connection.”

“You obviously trust Ollie. How long have you guys been friends?”

I sighed, unsure how to explain. “We’re friends, yeah, but it’s not like we hang out a lot.

That’s mostly due to the way I live, always going from place to place.

I’ve known him for a long time, but until he called me to come to town for this feral case, I hadn’t seen him in person in over two years. ”

“So, you aren’t super close?”

From the way she asked the question, I could tell she was trying to peer into my mind.

She wanted to see how all the gears and levers in my brain worked.

The problem was, I’d spent very little time on self-reflection in my life.

Too much of my energy had been focused on surviving and getting from one place to the next.

“I guess we are close,” I mused. “Uh, as close as I could be to a friend, I suppose. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, but I probably don’t treat him the way I should.

His job helps me get work, so that helps us stay connected.

It also gives me some interaction with the pack, so I don’t lose my mind and go feral.

In the end, we’re friends, but that relationship isn’t deep.

Not like a relationship with a mate.” I eyed her warily, worried what she thought of me, the lone wolf.

“When there’s no reason to stay in one place, it’s hard for me to stick around. ”

“So, if there was a reason for you to stay somewhere, you would?”

“Maybe.” This conversation was going somewhere I wasn’t sure I wanted it to go.

“But usually, when the job is done, you move on?”

“Yeah.”