Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves - K.A. Merikan Page 0,54

hid within. It no longer hurt when his joints shifted, and the familiar tingle of hair pushing through skin was pure relief in this cold.

He looked at Radek again once he was on his fours, but the boy stood much taller now, so Yev needed to raise his muzzle to meet the wide-eyed gaze.

A tear streaked down Radek’s freckled cheek, prompting Yev to whine, because he wanted to lick it off right away. “You’re… you’re like me?” he uttered with his voice trembling.

They weren’t exactly alike, but they could talk details once they were home. Radek stepped closer, but then dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Yev’s thick neck. He remained bigger than Radek even in this form, as werewolves were substantially larger than regular wolves, but what hit him was that he’d never been hugged post-transformation. Not since puppyhood. No human would have approached him, and the women from their village, Yev never allowed close. Now, the slim fingers rubbing his fur made him exhale in pleasure.

“You should have said,” Radek complained, but pressed his face to Yev’s neck, prompting him to moan and pull his long tongue up Radek’s face.

Easier said than done! He couldn’t have revealed himself to someone whose identity he didn’t know, but maybe he would have today when finding out he was dealing with a harmless boy.

Radek laughed at the wet touch of the tongue, and seeing him smile was an unexpected pleasure. It instantly reminded Yev of Ember playing some trick on him then running around and screeching his joy. Radek was still that happy, playful creature even if Yev hadn’t seen him be that in his human form yet.

“You’re massive even as a wolf,” he said as their eyes met, but he was shivering. The snow had to be melting and soaking his pants fast. This was a sign they both needed a hot breakfast and some serious talk.

Yev pulled away from the hug, let out a bark-like sound to urge Radek on, and glanced at his back. He was big and strong enough to carry the weight of a grown man.

The childlike joy spreading over Radek’s face was so new and exciting, Yev wasn’t yet sure what to do with it. A cute little fox was easy to deal with. A freckled cutie with a dirty mouth? Not nearly as much.

“Oh, my God. Really? You sure?” Radek asked, but was already scrambling on Yev’s back with glee.

Ok, so he wasn’t as light as Yev had imagined, but he would not go back on his proposition and growled, nodding toward his pajama pants lying in the snow.

Radek groaned. “Okay, okay. I would have found them later, I’ve got a great sense of smell. But you probably do too.” He picked up the soaked clothes and got back on top of Yev. He pressed them to his chest with one arm, while holding on to the fur on Yev’s nape. “Is this okay? Not hurting you?”

As if Radek could ever hurt the big bad wolf Yev.

Sniggering, Yev took a tentative step forward, curious how Radek would fare as a rider, but when nothing out of the ordinary happened, he sped up, going into a light jog, which prompted Radek to tighten his delicious thighs around him as they slowly neared the wooden lodge.

By the time they arrived at the doorstep, Radek was half laying on top of him, and Yev couldn’t deny that it made him feel accomplished. But true relief lay in knowing this boy, who made his heart beat faster knew the truth now. So maybe he’d broken the rules again, but he’d already been banished. Burian didn’t need to know about any of this. No one did.

Radek slipped off his back and opened the door for Yev. He needed to get some of his own clothes, because in Yev’s he resembled a homeless person who’d lost a lot of weight and was stuck in their old garb.

Also, very cute, so Yev pushed his muzzle into the long sleeve and licked Radek’s left hand, inhaling his scent as the pretty boy looked at him like he might at a beloved dog. They walked into the house, and Radek never attempted pulling his hand away.

“This is so amazing. And you can change whenever? You control it? You think I will learn it too? Will you teach me how?”

Yev snorted and got to his hind paws, placing the front ones on Radek’s shoulders. He was still taller than him in