Page 65 of The Alpha and the Baker

Felicia

Better Together

I couldn’t believe it, I was about to see Cas’s wolf form after weeks of waiting.

I’d been so hesitant to ask, worried that I was somehow committing a faux pas or that he wasn’t ready to show me that side of him yet, but, as usual, I had been overthinking things.

It turned out that all I needed to do was ask.

I was still getting used to doing that. Just asking. I had gotten so used to doing things on my own that it felt strange to rely on others for anything. But Cas had proven to me time and time again that it was okay for me to want and need help.

He really was the perfect boyfriend.

Not in an impossible, artificial way where he never made any mistakes or accidentally said the wrong thing. But in a realistic, loving way. I knew that if we ever had disagreements, we could talk them out with love and respect. I knew that if I was ever in trouble, he would be there in an instant.

It was a pretty great place to be. And so was walking into the woods with him, knowing that I was about to see the last part of him that was a mystery to me. What color was his fur? Would his eyes change?

Excitement built in my gut, and I supposed it was because there was no downside. Unlike the bake-off or tricking the fairies, there wasn’t any tension or anything negative. No. This would only bring Cas and me closer together.

I supposed if I was anybody else, there was a chance that I’d be scared of his animal form, but I knew myself far too well. The only thing I was going to feel was wonder. And maybe some love. I wasn’t a furry by a long shot, but the idea of Cas trusting me with all parts of him made my heart swell.

“This should be a good spot,” Cas said, grinning as he let go of my arm. We were far enough away that the main bulk of the party had quieted down to a dull roar, but close enough that I could still see scent markers and lanterns hung for the Ramirez pack. “Are you ready?”

I nodded eagerly, more than a bit excited.

I’d been building up this moment in my head ever since that young man had shifted in front of me at the quinceanera, and I realized just how much more dramatic the transformation was for a wolf that wasn’t going through puberty.

And if his had been bigger, then what would an alpha’s be like?

“Oh boy am I ,” I replied, clapping my hands together.

“Stand back. If you’re too close, it can be a bit hot.”

I could have mentioned to him that I’d seen one wolf shift before, but I didn’t see the need. “Show me what you got!”

He shot me a rueful grin that never failed to make my knees weak, and the next thing I knew, he was lurching forward.

My hands went up on instinct, as if to catch him, before I remembered this was all a part of the process. Sure enough, steam billowed out from his body as he was partially obscured from my vision.

But unlike the young man from the Ramirez clan, his wasn’t an explosion that had my jaw dropping and my eyes stinging.

No, his was more of a slow release that started off at the ground where he was half-kneeling until it enveloped the entire area where we were.

Even though it was slower and obviously more controlled, there was so much more of it.

Instead of it just forming a cloud in front of me, it completely enveloped me, shrouding me in a blanket of white.

But I didn’t have time to panic, because less than half a minute later, it slowly dissipated to reveal a truly gargantuan wolf standing in the woods in front of me.

Holy shit!

I stared, completely gobsmacked as my boyfriend stood in front of me in his wolf form. And yet it was so much more than just a wolf! He was borderline prehistoric with how huge he was, just as tall as me despite being an animal and on all fours.

He was a truly magnificent creature. His fur coat looked impossibly thick, enough that if I sank my hand down into it, I still wouldn’t touch his skin.

It was roan-colored, a rich and vibrant saturation with black markings all along his sides.

His belly was pale, almost tawny in color, and his eyes?

His eyes were still that pleasing green but somehow amplified.

I stared, open-mouthed. I was standing in front of an apex predator.

I probably should have been scared—some primal instinct in me was, but it was an incredibly small part, because mostly I was filled with unabashed wonder.

Perhaps it was strange to think it, but suddenly there were little habits and movements from when my boyfriend was human that suddenly made sense.

Like the way he would turn sideways occasionally to get through a door that was plenty wide enough for him.

Or the way he held himself back from using his full strength.

Because now that I saw the massive and truly powerful beast in front of me, I understood that my boyfriend had a power I would never have.

But that was okay. In fact, I would argue that it was what was great about us. We both had different strengths and different weaknesses that almost perfectly overlapped, so we covered for each other.

What more could a girl ask for?

Well, given the situation, maybe to pet a giant wolf.

I reached out, noticing my hand was trembling slightly. But I liked to think that it was out of joy and anticipation rather than any subconscious fear on my end.

“Can I?” I asked, fairly certain that he could understand me.

Strangely enough, except for the reunion and that one time with the young man at the quinceanera, I hadn’t really interacted with any of the adults in their wolf forms, only the younglings who were still dog-sized.

Massive dog-sized, but still small enough for me to think they were working animals on the land.

There was still so much I had to learn. Had to see. Had to experience .

Cas nodded his giant head and slowly lowered himself onto his belly so that I could actually reach the top of his skull without having to stand on tiptoe.

Again, I wasn’t a short woman by any means, being an inch taller than average in America, so it definitely struck me that he needed to adjust his height to accommodate me.

As I approached him, it was so hard to believe that humans had gotten the upper hand against the shifters.

When I thought of every single McCallister and Ramirez having an animal form even half the size of my boyfriend’s, it was hard not to imagine them completely decimating any human force they went up against.

The law of large numbers and our technology really put in the work for us humans as a species.

All my thoughts quieted, however, as I finally made contact with that beautiful fur. Just as I expected, my hand sank down, down, down into his coat. It truly was a wonder. Softer than I expected and impossibly thick. No wonder wolves could run around in a blizzard completely nonplussed.

“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, completely caught up in my reverence of him. I didn’t think I could become any more obsessed with my boyfriend, but as I took in his long snout and those very intelligent green eyes of his, I couldn’t help but marvel at the incredible creature he was.

I still didn’t really understand how a strapping male model of an alpha who was kind, thoughtful, devastatingly handsome, and incredibly responsible for his people while also managing to shapeshift into a massive magical creature saw anything in me, a human baker, but I was past the point of questioning it.

Fate had often intertwined our paths together, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

We were two sides of a very unique coin, and I never wanted that to change.

As if he could hear my thoughts, Cas shuffled forward slightly, until his nose was pressed to my middle. He was close enough that I could wrap my arms around his neck. And God, it was the best hug in the world.

I couldn’t say how long we stayed like that, but it was quite a while.

Long enough that my shoulders began to ache and my mouth became dry after all the boogieing I had done.

But I didn’t move. Didn’t stir. Not until Cas gently pulled away and took a few steps back.

The area around us filled with steam as he shifted back into his human form.

“So, what did you think?” he asked nervously.

I chuckled a little at his silly question. I knew he could hear my heartbeat and smell my pheromones. But still, I supposed there was no harm in giving him a little extra assurance. After all, it wasn’t every day that one transformed in front of their partner for the first time.

“That was incredible. Thank you, baby.” I threw my arms around his neck. “That was exactly what I wanted.”

“Happy to oblige,” he said, giving me one of those winks that never failed to make my heart race.

Gosh, it was hard to believe that I’d spent twenty-seven years of my life not knowing what it was like to be so utterly in love with someone.

It was like I had an entirely different perspective of the world. “But you know, the night’s not over...”

I could see the exact moment his gaze switched over from purely loving to having quite a bit of heat with it. And that heat made my stomach flip.

“That’s true,” I agreed, leaning into him. “Wanna go back to your cabin and see how far of a berth we can make the rest of these shifters give it?”

His responding grin had goosebumps rising all along my arm. “I thought you’d never ask.”

He gave me a quick peck on my lips, then suddenly I was off my feet.

I let out a startled laugh, which only increased in volume once I realized that he had picked me up in a bridal carry.

It reminded me of the time I’d been tired out of my gourd only to perk right up once he ferried me inside and started kissing me.