Chapter 8

I was not meant to be alone.

And I had been. For far too long. If the worst happened and I died of hypothermia or was taken down by a poacher who spotted movement and shot without thinking, it was better than the way I had been living.

I hoped that Nikky, my neighbor’s daughter, would be good to my poultry. I’d have brought them if I could, but how would I have led a flock of chickens, geese, and ducks over the mountains?

I had to press on, no matter who or what had groaned or made a noise that sounded like one. Every step took me closer to where I wanted to be, where I prayed I’d be welcomed or at least allowed to remain. In the distance, the moon’s reflection brightened a lake, and I made for it, ready to replenish my water stores. Luckily, I had a filtration straw, so I wouldn’t have to treat it any other way and ruin the taste. Like with the iodine tablets I’d used before a guest left the straw behind after a visit.

Mike

I hurried down toward the shimmering body of water and crouched on its shores. But then I froze, teetering and nearly losing my balance and sitting in the icy water.

Any doubts that I had been making things up or misinterpreted what I heard disappeared at the low murmur of voices. I straightened, slowly, turning as I did to try to find the location of the men. Where… There. About a quarter of the way around the small pond stood a tent. How had I not seen it? Of course, the lake had distracted me from vigilance of any kind. How childish to allow a moonlit sparkle to do so. If I didn’t make it to my goal, I deserved no better than my fate.

Tiptoeing away from the tent, I worked my way around the lake to the other side and set my pack on a rock. My bottles were nearly empty, but it didn’t take long to fill and stash them away again. I needed to get back to the trail, but I’d have to pass the tent to do so, and so I passed the night among the trees, back in my fur, eyes fixed on the moving sides of the structure. At first, I’d thought they were hunters, and perhaps they were, but if so, they were more than that as well.

The first groan was not the last I heard.

I didn’t want to listen, but it was hard not to, and my wolf’s low howl poured from my muzzle toward the moon in the sky.

Mates.My wolf was talking to me again, apparently.

Of course they are. They are clearly having a private moment that we are unwillingly listening to.

Mates.The queen of redundancy. I didn’t bother to answer, but neither could I draw her attention away from the men in the tent. They had every reason to believe they were alone, giving them no reason to quiet their passions.

It was nice that someone had a love to warm their bones on this freezing night. Maybe I would find my mate at Triple L. I wouldn’t count on it. I just wanted a place to belong, where I could enjoy a few modern conveniences and the freedom to think for myself without constantly being told how a “female behaves.”

I hadn’t even been able to set my own prices for my eggs and other goods. No…a female was not smart enough for that and so others in the pack made those decisions for me. Rarely to my benefit.

If everything I heard about Triple L was true…and it wasn’t just a bunch of rumors and stories, then I might be able to make a good living for myself and contribute to the pack as well.

A shame these males were already mated because I was having stirrings of feelings I’d heard about but never experienced. Living in a small village, I’d overheard others, maybe not as lusty in their cries, but of course I knew what it meant. And suddenly, having stumbled upon these lovers, my body had awakened?

Bad timing.

Bad choice.

Mates.

Yes, of course they are.

I waited for the sun to rise and the men to leave their tent to hunt or whatever they were doing up here.Please don’t let them sleep in! It’s too darn cold.

Liam

His cock is in my ass.

Well, not in it but close enough. Excitement surged through me, and I fought the urge to wriggle in delight. We’d gone our whole life without anything like this happening between us. I’d held back, taking his teasing over my dating life, when I wanted to date him. We were together most of the day and a good deal of the night, but I’d never spoken up. Let him know I wanted so much more with him. While I dated a lot, he rarely did. I’d begun to wonder if maybe he just didn’t want or need a sex life, but the stiffie throbbing between my ass cheeks told me a lot about what he wanted.

Or who.

Could he want me? He was not moving, and for a moment, I wondered if he was asleep. We’d fallen asleep in our fur, entangled as wolves often did with their friends and family as well as lovers, but at some point, we’d shifted back.

How that had happened, I had no idea. I’d never even heard of someone experiencing the shift while asleep and waking to find it accomplished. Much less with a dick in their…well, yeah. It was a new experience for sure.

I’d been in love with Jessica since we were young boys together traveling away from the pack lands, scared and excited at the same time. A lot like I felt now. I shifted, my buttocks tightening around his cock. I couldn’t help it. I wanted him. Even if this was a one-time thing, all about pleasure, as long as he was awake to enjoy it with me, I’d take what I could get.