trunk inside. How nice that the Carvers had set this up for other wolves in the pack.
“For anyone to change in so neighbors with their two-story houses don’t see us getting naked, though the evergreen trees should shield us from prying eyes.”
They went inside, removed their clothes, and then shifted. Brooke was trying hard not to look at his toned body, though she lost her balance when she tried to remove her panties, and his arm shot out to grab ahold of her. Heat spread through her whole body, despite them being in the cold storage shed. Their eyes locked for a second, his dark-brown ones capturing hers, and she felt as if she were frozen in time. She was way too impulsive when it came to dating wolves, and she had sworn she wouldn’t turn a chance encounter into something deeper. Not right away. She always became disillusioned after the first few dates. And those wolves hadn’t even accused her of committing a crime!
Josh released her, though his gaze had dropped to her lips, and he looked like he wanted to kiss her. Before she allowed him to, she shifted. His lustful look changed to a smile, and he shifted, too, the blurring of forms so quick that if anyone saw them shifting, they would believe they had imagined the whole thing.
He was a beautiful red wolf with a coat that had a distinctive copper color to it. She was more red, though she had a few gray and black guard hairs. The insides of her legs were white, her belly white, and her face partly white. His face was red, except for a little gray on his forehead, and he wore white boots. He was larger than her, a magnificent specimen of a red wolf.
They bolted out of the shed and headed for the gate and wolf door in Carver’s back fence. Josh poked his nose through, making sure the coast was clear. Once everything looked safe, he moved out, and Brooke followed him into the park. Instead of staying on the path like humans were required to do, they ran freely through the forest like animals would, only crossing a path on occasion and then venturing back into the woods.
This was what she’d been missing. The wolf run, feeling the chilly wind in her fur, breathing in the scents of the firs and pines, the rabbits, squirrels, and birds now sleeping for the night. An owl hooted, and another passed on the warning farther away that wolves were on the prowl. Brooke ran through the woods, feeling invigorated and no longer tired. She knew she’d be sore tomorrow because she hadn’t exercised as a wolf in forever, but she didn’t care. She loved running as a wolf.
Not to mention that the male wolf behind her was making the run even more enjoyable. He bumped against her flank, telling her to move to her right. Then he was right beside her, guiding her to a Japanese tea garden. It was just precious: a waterfall cascading down rocks to a pond from above, bridges crossing the waterways, crane sculptures standing beside still waters, and koi swimming across the pond.
For some time, she and Josh walked through the tea garden, then he led her out of the garden to run some more. They were running side by side when she turned and licked his face.
He woofed a little, and she swore he stood a little taller and prouder. She smiled and headed back toward Carver’s house. She’d loved the run, but they had been out there for at least an hour, and Josh still had to drive home. And if she was going to wake on time in the morning, she’d have to get some sleep. She was hoping to do the wolf run on a regular basis. Not with poor Josh though. She didn’t want him to have to come late at night, run with her, and then return home so much later that night. She could do it on her own, now that she knew to go to Carver’s house and change and shift there.
The two of them raced each other back to the house, trading off the lead. They were nose to nose when they reached the gate and wolf door, and Josh waited for her to go through first.
After he followed her through the wolf door, they made their way to the shed and shifted, then hurried to dress. He was buff, looking like he lifted