LARKIN
The cabin was too quiet.
Creven and I had spent almost every moment together in the days since he’d rescued me. And now I was alone, something I was used to since I left the pack, and I longed for company. Not just anyone though. Him, my fox shifter mate.
I sat on the edge of the bed, testing my weight on my injured leg.
It was much better thanks to the antibiotics he'd somehow managed to buy and the attention he'd been giving the wound.
He was resourceful getting the medication with no prescription and without the pharmacy setting the police on him.
But people like us, ones who didn’t belong, had developed skills we'd never needed within the safety of a pack or den.
Creven hadn’t been gone long but I was restless, not because I wanted to bound about.
There’d be none of that for a while thanks to my injury.
I was missing him and wanted him by my side so I would be whole.
It was silly when I knew so little about him but he was my mate. Any other details would come slowly.
I didn’t want to consider what would happen when my wound healed. He and I were not like other shifters and mating wasn’t possible for us. I shouldn’t be eager for him to be here and instead enjoy the slow passing of time.
My wolf had been calm the past few days, basking in our mate's presence and the safety of the cabin. But now, with Creven gone to town for supplies, my beast was pacing beneath my skin. I imagined the sensation was similar to when humans spoke of butterflies in their tummy.
I couldn’t calculate how long it’d been since my beast took his fur because I was fuzzy on days and dates. But he yearned for the freedom of being on four legs with the forest floor beneath his paws. And he wanted to hunt and he was picturing a plump rabbit.
I need to run, my wolf whined. He clawed higher, making me gasp as I pushed him down. He was insistent and I spent the next hour reasoning with him. Not that it did much good.
Please give me my fur. I’m tired of being cooped up inside you .
I twirled a chunk of hair around my fingers, a sign I was frustrated, both with Creven being gone and my wolf pestering me.
But Creven asked us to stay inside while he's gone. I promised .
I clung to the promise and in my mind, it was more binding than any oath a shifter would swear to a pack. Not that I had one. But I was thinking with my human brain and my beast didn’t give a toss about promises. He was trapped in his skin and he wanted out.
Please don’t test me .
A beast could ignore his human’s will and take his fur, but my wolf hadn’t disobeyed me. He was itching for fresh air and I distracted myself by looking around the cabin.
There wasn’t much to see as it was small but the floors had been swept and the dishes washed.
Laundry hung outside but Creven must have washed the clothes by hand.
I studied the handful of books with worn spines on a shelf.
Creven had either read them many times over or he’d picked them up second hand.
Though the place was sparsely furnished, it spoke of a man who was content with being alone. He’d built himself a life away from pack politics and disputes. Me too. We existed in the space between the human world and shifter.
But my wolf grew bored looking at books and clamored to get out. The. Pressure ballooned inside me, much like water building up in a dam until cracks appeared. Despite my limp, I paced the floor and ignored the ache.
I must shift, my wolf demanded. Please, I can’t be in here a moment longer .
"No," I said that out loud rather than in my head as I gripped the back of a chair. He’ll return soon. We can’t… no!
The world flipped sideways as my injured leg gave out and I slid onto the floor. My wolf clawed at me, shoving me aside as he took his fur. My skin erupted and he surged out of me.
I'd never experienced this. Our shifting was a mutual decision. We were partners who could never be separated. Him taking over was as though I’d been pushed in the back seat and he was at the wheel.
Sorry but I need to do this.
I tried to fight him, but I was weak from the infection and though he was me, he’d been resting and had gained some of his strength. My clothes shredded as dark fur spread over my limbs.
My beast landed on four paws but he was unable to heal my injured leg, possibly due to the medication in my body. He howled and I urged him to be quiet. If someone heard him, they might arrive at the door with a gun.
Mate. He inhaled our mate’s scent. I couldn’t deny him that because it smelled different, not as comforting, when he was inside me.
Yes.
I expected him to charge out the door but he lowered his head and sniffed around the room, imprinting our mate’s scent.
He eyed the front door but padded to the bed, and leaped onto the mattress.
Awww he wanted to smell our mate without any barrier between the fox shifter and him.
He curled up in the quilt where Creven’s and my scent mingled.
A big yawn from him and my eyes closed before his.
The cabin door clicked and I was wide awake. “Larkin? I'm back."
Panic threaded through me because I’d ignored my promise not to shift. Or did I agree that I wouldn’t go outside. Maybe they were one and the same. If I took my skin, I’d be naked. That was no biggie to a shifter but my wolf refused to let me take over.
Footsteps approached the bedroom and stopped. My wolf didn’t move, pretending to sleep. Though I couldn’t see him, I sensed Creven’s gaze on me. His scent changed as he registered surprise.
"Well, I wasn’t expecting this. It’s nice to finally meet you.
” He brushed a hand over my wolf’s thick fur.
He moved away from the bed and I picked up the rustle of fabric.
I cracked open an eye and understood why my wolf hadn’t wanted to shift.
Seeing Creven through him was like looking through gauze.
The mattress squeaked when Creven sat on the bed, bare chested and clad in his jeans. There was a rough X on his shoulder that signaled he was rogue. He met my beast’s eyes and the sounds from outside faded. There was just him and me, his fox inside him, my wolf outside.
"Your wolf took over, I’m guessing without permission.”
Put your head on his hand. Show him you’re sorry . My wolf followed my instructions.
“It’s okay, big guy. You needed your fur. Me and my fox understand that.” My beast whined. “It’s been ages since you shifted and I should have taken you outside for a run. It’s not healthy being crammed inside your human.
He paused. "Do you mind if I join you? My fox has been wanting to meet your wolf."
A sudden flap, flap flap on the headboard made it jiggle and bounce. It was my wolf’s tail. Creven laughed and patted his head.
"I'll take that as a yes."
He finished undressing, and I couldn’t look away, eager to take a peek at his cock.
And I wasn’t disappointed. It was thick and oh so pink and if I was human form and wasn’t injured, I would have swallowed it.
But seconds later, Creven vanished and was replaced by his fox whose fur was a glorious shade of red.
His busy tail twitched, a movement that matched the twinkling in his eyes.
His fox approached the bed, but my wolf didn’t move. He lowered his head as if issuing an invitation. The fox leaped onto the mattress and settled against my wolf who curved his body around the newcomer. Red fur against dark. I wished I could take a pic.
He’s smaller than me . My wolf had never been paired with another beast.
This was what I'd been missing. Not just a mate, but a partner in my skin and fur. Someone who understood the dual nature of our existence, who could meet me as human and beast.
The fox kneaded my wolf’s fur which created a rumbling in my wolf’s chest. It was contentment, something foreign to us since we’d been on the road.
Can we sleep like this? You don’t have to go anywhere, do you ?
I withheld a giggle because he’d been desperate to go outside less than an hour ago.
We have nowhere else to be .
I marveled at how we fit together. We were both predators and yet we complemented one another rather than being competitive, though that might change when they hunted. The fox soothed my wolf's restlessness, while my larger beast offered protection and warmth.
My wolf and I had found where we belonged.