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S eneca Park seemed both too big and too small under Adler’s paws. He had shifted with the pack as normal, but Gordon hadn’t been there on account of work, though he’d told Adler he’d find him at the park.

This will be our first full moon as mates. He might be scared. About me reading his mind. Adler trotted along with the others, not really paying a lot of attention to where he was going or the scent of grass and water, hydrangeas and half-eaten bags of popcorn in the trash.

Willa gave him a playful nip on the shoulder that was a pretty clear order from his alpha to stop daydreaming and focus on running with the moon. Adler huffed a curt bark at her, and her eyes twinkled with humor. She ran then, powerful muscles pushing her forward and ahead of the pack. Adler followed to the best of his ability.

They ran for a while, crossing the artificial lake where it was shallow and zigzagging through the brush. They’d lost most of the others by that time, which was fine. The full moon was for running and enjoying the freedom of one’s other form. Each conquered the night at their own pace, but in the end, they all would catch up.

Eventually Willa slowed then stopped to howl at the moon. Pack being pack, everyone else joined in as well. The wild run to get the energy brought on by the shift out of their system was done, and from here, everyone split up if they hadn’t already, pups going their way to play, groups enjoying runs of their own, and those with a non-wolf partner running to find them.

Adler found himself joining that last group. His heart was pounding, longing to see that familiar face with the hair that was probably due for another color shift.

I just hope he didn’t do that today. I don’t want him smelling of chemicals and hands that aren’t mine, Adler thought. He knew Gordon wasn’t going to go to the salon instead of joining him in Seneca Park, but then there was the issue of this being their first moon together with the mating bite binding them. And I might be able to sense his thoughts when I’m like this. I can understand why that would scare someone who isn’t a wolf.

A sudden, icy fear grabbed Adler. Gordon might be too scared, feeling too guilty for what was the single best thing that had ever happened to Adler: a true mate bite and its sibling bite on Adler’s skin. He loved the mark, often found himself running his fingers along it at work or in the mornings when he left his vampire sleeping like the dead. Intellectually, he understood how Gordon felt uneasy and guilty, maybe even hurt, now that he wore a mate bite neither of them had realized would take.

I’m Willa’s second in command. The pack is behind me. Even if he’s scared, I can help him get past that. After all, love and time have to be the potion that can soothe a vampire’s heart, right?

Adler yapped, moving into a slow run along a darker path. He’d not even paid attention to where he was going, had been too lost in thought, but then the spot that would have been his wrist in human form pinched, and he smelled roses on the air.

Everything in his being screamed mate, my mate! at him, and Adler ran without giving it a second thought. Gordon stood under one of the bridges, not moving or doing anything, just looking into the darkness that wasn’t as impenetrable to his vampire eyes as it would have been to a human’s. He turned, laid eyes on Adler before Adler could even get close. Thus any chance of a surprise was ruined.

Adler yipped at his mate in greeting but was very careful to mind his manners. Keep it to dog manners, don’t take him to the ground and lick him all over like you want to. You can still do that when you’re person-shaped again.

“Oh, hey there,” Gordon said and reached out to pet Adler’s head.

Adler felt it then, though he’d probably sensed it before if he was being honest. The touch worked like a highlighter, showing him what was his and what was Gordon’s. Not thoughts per se, but emotions, fear and joy both, anxiety easing the moment they touched.

He growled sweetly at his mate, and Gordon chuckled. “Are you complaining I’m late? Sorry. It was that NAU supervisor. I think she made this appointment to make sure the werewolves were out of the building. She mentioned something about how the howling scares her. Bit rude if you ask me.”

Gordon’s emotions eased further, and the more they did, the harder they became to detect, even though Adler knew what he was looking for now. For some reason, that made him want to get Gordon to run or at least jog so that Adler had a good reason to tackle his mate to the ground and rub his scent all over him and—

“Hey, should we head to that bench? The one where I first met you. Well, where I first met wolf-you.”

Adler liked the idea and gave an upbeat doggish bark.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Erm. I don’t remember where that was though, so you’ll have to show me.”

Everything in Adler reveled in that. Especially when it wasn’t the full moon, he would have frowned at deriving joy from seeing his mate lost and helpless like that, but as it was, with the shift, there was no room for that. There was only a mate who was uncertain of where to go and needed to be protected and taken where he was comfortable and safe, and Adler loved it.

He stuck close to Gordon, flank touching thigh, glad to find Gordon burying his fingers in Adler’s fur and letting himself be led.

“Was work okay?”

Adler made an affirmative sound.

“I’ll take that as there weren’t any corpses. I had corpses, but today it was the donor corpses, and I was so proud of that lovely Y-incision Corinne did. I mean, I’m not saying she learned that from me, but she totally learned that from me.”

Adler yipped.

“Exactly. I’m amazing.”

Adler wolf-chuckled and bumped into his mate.

“I can’t fucking tell if that’s supposed to be a high-five or if you’re making fun of me. Hey, look. It’s those runners again.” Gordon bent forward. “If you ever try to make me go for a run in the park, me wearing anything sexy to bed isn’t happening, okay? Okay.”

Adler whined. Then he considered whether it might be worth it to see Gordon run in those tight, tight skinny jeans. Adler’s imagination was caught between a lewd outfit and tight pants. Such was the power of a mate, and especially in his current form, Adler couldn’t do anything but bear the sweet torture of it.

They got to that bench finally, and when they walked past a tree, a couple of bushes, and a trash can, Gordon noticed too, saying, “Oh. You’re such a good tracker. Good boy, Adler.”

Adler huffed.

Gordon sat on the bench, and Adler hopped on as well. Once their eyes were level, he could finally nuzzle Gordon’s face and neck and lick him in a few strategic places. Gordon closed his eyes, giggled, and Adler felt warm happiness bubble up in him, so he kept going.

I wonder if we’ll get to share thoughts eventually. Maxim said our mate bond will develop over time.

Abruptly, the happiness shifted, gave way to something…Adler wasn’t sure what it was, but it was dark and vast and heavy.

Gordon pulled back. Adler sat, making sure to keep touching his mate.

“You look really stunning like this. With the blue eyes and your black coat.” Gordon paused. Adler waited. “Paula would have liked you. I don’t know…the other day, I remembered this conversation I had with her. It was just one summer afternoon, and she dragged me out into the sun—you think that’s funny, detective? I would burn. I was human, but I would burn. The sun is an evil dreadball blister machine, in case you weren’t aware.

“Paula didn’t see it that way, and she would force me outside the house. Well, that one afternoon, we were just lying in the shade and talking. I don’t know what got us there, but she said how she would only date a werewolf if his wolf had black fur and blue eyes.”

Gordon’s voice had unraveled like a poorly digitized recording, like a file compressed over and over, losing substance every time. Adler whined, rubbed his head against Gordon’s to give him comfort. He recognized the emotion now. Grief, cold and heavy, heavier the way Gordon was used to carrying it all by himself.

“She would have liked you. That’s all I was going to say. Sorry. Don’t know why I blabbered like that. Sorry. And I’m still not talking about my sister, okay?” He took a deep breath. “So yeah. Paula would have liked you, and I’m not sure I would have become a vampire if she were still around. That’s really shitty, I know, because then we’d never have met. We’re not talking about that either.”

Adler could sense the pain and guilt, and how it stung. It roused his protector side, something that was difficult to deny in this form, especially where a mate was concerned. In the distance, a pack member howled, but Adler didn’t join. His focus was on his mate.

Gordon reached for him, buried his fingers in Adler’s fur, and leaned against Adler’s neck. Adler resisted the urge to do much more, to lick and caress or grab Gordon’s sleeve and pull him home. He tried to listen to the emotions Gordon felt, muddled though they were, tried doing what he could until they calmed, and in this moment, that meant doing exactly nothing.

After minutes of contact, Gordon lifted his head and met Adler’s eyes. “I watched Corinne be amazing today, and I caught myself being really, truly happy. I thought, wow. I’ve never forgotten why I do this job for this long, I’ve never just been in the moment for this long, and I think that’s your fault. And Corinne’s. Fuck, Maxim’s too.” Gordon leaned forward until he could whisper into Adler’s ear. “I’m changing, Adler. But if I change to the point where I want to go running with you, you need to organize an intervention for me. Promise.”

Adler gave his mate a soft growl and licked a long line across his face. It had Gordon giggle, the kind that helps you let go of heavy thoughts that have been weighing on your chest like iron.

“You should go running now. I’ll wait here. We’ll go home together once you’re done. I stocked my fridge for you.”

Adler gave Gordon a little space, but didn’t jump off the bench.

Gordon scratched Adler behind his ear. “Go run. I’ll be right here. The full moon is only tonight, so enjoy it.” He pulled his hand back. “Go.”

Adler didn’t. He wanted to, yes, wanted to run where Gordon could see, but he could tell there was something still nagging at his vampire’s mind.

“You’re stubborn.” Gordon turned his head, eyes focusing on the lake. “Go run. I love you, so I’ll be waiting here. Check on those puppy wolves and the local waterfowl.”

He loves me, and he told me. Adler’s heart skipped a beat, but he knew not to make a big deal out of it by the slightly happy anxiety that came from his mate. Not wanting to tamper with that, he jumped off the bench and stretched right in front of Gordon, showing off.

He turned back to look at Gordon, who sat there, pale and smiling, a strand of teal-colored hair drifting softly on the night breeze.

“I won’t move from this spot. I’ll be right here.”

Adler knew he would. He lifted his head and howled his own joy into the night. He put some of the sadness and grief into the howl to let it go for Gordon, to share it, but most of all, the howl said, here I am with my perfect mate who was brave enough to make himself bare and confess he loves me. Tell the moon, make her see our love so she can shine on it.

Gordon joined in the howl, not daring a real, wholehearted one. That would come, Adler would make sure of it. As it was, Gordon’s howl was a whispered thing, like a seedling that needed sun and water and care.

With one last look at his mate, Adler swore he would provide all that. Then he ran, pushed his muscles and his lungs. It would make returning to Gordon only that much sweeter.

Get ready for part two!