The Millennium Wolves

Sienna

I looked up at the man who I was about to go on a run with—the most intimate experience two werewolves could share—and suddenly I felt a wave of nervous anticipation.

Rumor had it that a run was what had ended Aiden and Jocelyn’s relationship. They didn’t connect at all in wolf form.

What if that happened to us too?

“Ready?” Aiden asked.

That was a goddamn loaded question. When Aiden had first asked me to go on the run, my wolf took over and I blurted out “yes” before I could even process the weight of that commitment.

His expression was so sincerely pleased by the swiftness of my answer that I didn’t have the heart to back out of it.

Now my head was screaming for me to run as far away as possible in the other direction while my wolf howled over it, drowning out my trepidation and telling me to get off my ass and go with him.

I nodded and got up as he took my hand and led me outside to the edge of the woods. We took the first step together, crossing the threshold into an otherworldly experience that would change everything.

“Wait,” I shouted suddenly. “Can we just walk for a little bit first?”

Aiden smiled at my obvious anxiety. “Of course.”

We began walking in silence through the forest, my unease starting to fade as we followed the stream deeper into the woods. There was something calming about the way the water flowed so freely.

I glanced over at Aiden. This was maybe the first time I’d felt I was free to make my own choices—no pressure, no manipulation. Aiden was letting me do this at my own pace, in my own way.

I gasped as we came upon a pond illuminated by the moonlight. Its edges were soft and mossy, and the reflection from the light made the water sparkle like an echo of the starry sky.

We both knew this was the place. It was perfect. My heart began beating out of my chest.

There was no more stalling.

It was time.

Aiden started peeling off his shirt, revealing his flawless abs. He leaned back against a tree and grinned as I clutched my own shirt tighter.

“Turn around,” I said, blushing. “I don’t want you to see.”

“Why?” He laughed. “I’ll see you naked one way or another. It’s only natural.”

He was right. It was another unspoken code among wolves. Nudity before and after shifting was unavoidable, so werewolves didn’t make a big deal out of it. It was the same as losing your virginity when the first Haze hit. But the rules became different for me after Emily.

“We’ve already established that I’m not like all the other she-wolves you know,” I shot back as I fumbled with the zipper of my jeans.

“Believe me, I know,” Aiden said, suddenly looking at me with calming eyes. That look was pure Alpha, not in an intimidating way, but in a reassuring way.

Being an Alpha wasn’t all about control. Sometimes it was about keeping the Pack clear-headed. “Don’t worry, you look beautiful.”

I turned around, but I slowly slid my pants down to my ankles and pulled off my top. Standing in just my underwear, I took a deep breath. I removed my bra and panties and swung around to face Aiden.

He was already naked, letting it all hang out without an ounce of embarrassment. He was the Alpha after all. Still, as we stood completely naked, taking in each other’s bodies, it didn’t feel the way I thought it would.

It wasn’t an aura of lust between us, but one of connectedness. We were one and the same.

Selene was right about this being a spiritual experience, and I was beginning to understand.

“You first,” he coaxed.

I stepped forward and stood directly under the cascading moonlight.

Letting my wolf consume me, I shifted, gracefully landing on all fours. I glanced at my reflection in the pond to see my reddish-brown pelt alight like a burning fire. I’d never seen it shine this way.

Aiden shifted next, and his wolf form was just as huge as I’d remembered it.

His silky jet-black fur and piercing hazel eyes were gorgeous under the night sky. Our gazes lingered on each other in recognition, and any doubts that I had about our wolves not connecting disappeared in an instant.

He turned regally and nodded to the woods, and that was my cue. I dug my paws into the earth and darted into the brush. Now I just had to make sure he didn’t catch me.

It was a game of intimacy, but it was also a challenge. I had to show him how dominant I was to prove that I could hold my own against the Alpha.

The trees blurred around me as I raced through the woods, and the wind in my fur felt exhilarating. If Aiden was going to catch me, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. I knew the first thing I had to do was mask my scent.

I dove into a muddy puddle and rolled around before swiftly getting up and changing my direction. My best bet was to confuse him and cover my tracks as best as possible.

As I darted back and forth, a sharp howl penetrated the night’s silence. Aiden wanted me to know he was closing in. He was toying with me, but he also gave me an advantage. I knew his location now.

I dove into the river and paddled to the other side. Hopefully he was in the mood to get wet. I shook my fur dry once I was on the other bank and continued deeper into the woods.

Hours had passed since we’d begun our chase. I could only imagine the frustration he was feeling. Some might say that you should let your partner feel like he was in the lead, but fuck that, this was a game of dominance.

I found a rocky hill where I’d be sure to leave no tracks. I climbed to the top and tried to get a lock on my bearings. With all the zigzagging, even I had gotten a bit lost.

My ears shot up as, without warning, a heavy thumping started echoing from the east, and it was rapidly approaching me. Aiden lunged out of the brush, claws drawn, drool flying out of his unclenched jaws.

I had only a moment. I threw my body to the side as his teeth nipped my heels. He looked wild and untamed, dirt and debris covering his previously silky coat. I wondered how much of a mess I looked.

We began doing a sort of dance, circling each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. We snarled playfully at one another.

Finally, we’re at the end.

A twig snapped, and I let myself get distracted for just a millisecond. It was all Aiden needed. He charged at me, hitting me square in the ribs.

We both tumbled down the hill, smashing through rocks and bramble, landing in a heap at the bottom.

He recovered first and immediately pinned me. I yelped and thrashed, trying to escape, but he had me right where he wanted me. His tail wagged in excitement as he bared his fangs.

He let out a triumphant howl and sank his teeth into my shoulder, right where my mark would’ve been in human form.

This was the final act of a run between potential mates. I’d now been marked in both human and wolf form.

I was wholly and completely his now. A lover and a potential mate. No other man would dare approach me during the Haze.

We shifted back to human form, Aiden still on top of me, fangs dug into my mark. We stared at each other without moving, without speaking, without doing anything, really.

It was the most intimate and intense moment of my entire life—just like Selene had said—and I never would’ve thought in a million years that I’d be sharing it with Aiden Norwood.

He helped me to my feet and led me to the water. I wasn’t even aware of my nakedness anymore, just my connection to Aiden.

We waded waist deep into the lake, and he tenderly washed the blood away from my mark. It stung, but a mark wasn’t so much a physical pain as it was a mental connection. What I felt in that moment, Aiden felt too.

And what I was feeling was my heart being filled with a longing for someone like it never had before.

I’d fallen for the Alpha.