Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,40

giant cat he was. He was filled with the need to play, to roll around on the forest ground. He did just that, eyes closed and tongue lolling out of his mouth as he lay on his back, paws up toward the canopy of trees. He was so distracted by the new feelings coursing through his veins, that he forgot to watch as Poppy shifted into her animal.

He sat up on his haunches to see that she had been replaced by a panther. The black fur glimmered and shined with health in the peeking sun. Her hazel eyes were larger and wider, but they had the same intoxicating shade. He pounced forward playfully, with a soft roar. He had severely underestimated the power of his beast’s vocal cords. The sound he made was loud, and it echoed all throughout the forest, making the animals run away in fear.

Poppy made a sound that was similar to a laugh. She wiggled her long tail a few times before she took off at a run through the woods. All of Shaw’s instincts were activated, and he took off after her like a shot. His paws were large and crushed the undergrowth, as he chased after his mate. He knew she was his, and there he was, running after her through the wild. It was exhilarating, and he knew he had to catch up with her.

He playfully snapped at her butt, but she veered to the left with a huff that told him, nice try.

His eyes scanned the forest, similarly to how he would examine a new game or a new code, and he spotted where he could cut her off.

He leaned down low and pounced up high on his paws, using all of his muscles to launch himself far. He landed, as he had anticipated, onto a large boulder. He leaped off of it and caught air. He felt the hair of his underbelly move through the wind, and had he been in his human form, he was sure it would have tickled him so much, he would have laughed.

But the animal in him was on the hunt. It was all for fun, but he knew this was important practice. He had to know how his new body moved, how it reacted, how the musculature responded to pounces, launches, and landings.

Those were important things to know, if they were going to have to face the Cain trio in a fight. Nick had been adamant that it would happen, but Shaw would think about that later. He wanted to enjoy this pure moment with Poppy.

He landed right in front of her. She was shocked by his sudden appearance, and she skidded to a halt. But she was a more experienced shifter than he, and she quickly dashed off from his offense.

And so the rest of the afternoon went, the tiger and the panther, roaming through the wild forest. It wasn’t until the sun was setting that they made their way back to the cabin.

Poppy shifted back into her human form, and she pranced around naked to gather up her clothes.

A better man would have averted his eyes and looked away, but it wasn’t possible. Poppy was nothing short of perfect. Her smooth, tanned skin was made up of delicious curves he longed to explore. If he had spent hours in the forest with her, he would spend days in bed with her. He quickly slid on his pants before Poppy could spot his erection.

Shit.

Just seeing her naked, just the thought of lying her down, of slowly easing inside of her, had made him rock hard. He licked his lips as he watched her walk into the cabin. He had vowed to give her space and time, but that thought disappeared from his mind.

He was going to win his mate back.

Chapter Nineteen

Shaw

As it turned out, it would be harder to win Poppy back when his stomach was grumbling. The sound of it was so loud, Poppy giggled.

“You’re not used to the shifter metabolism. Shifting and running around in animal form is very energy draining. Just being a shifter means you burn more energy. You’re seriously going to have to remember to eat. A lot.”

It was a good thing they had a few coolers packed full of food then, because Shaw was pretty sure he could sit down and eat a whole cow. Poppy was fascinated by the old wood-burning stove that doubled, not only as the only heat source of the cabin, but also the