Chapter Two

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Ashley wasn't afraid of the full moon.

She stood on the second-story deck outside her bedroom, her gaze riveted to the soft white glow peeking through the bright blue of the afternoon sky. It had risen early, and she could feel it caressing every inch of her exposed skin.

Strip, it whispered. Change. Run.

Bask.

She'd heard those whispers before. But now, surrounded by the rest of her new pack, she didn't have to fear them. She could let go, listen and obey. Celebrate the feral strength thrumming through her veins.

Oh, how she wanted to. Needed to.

Jud appeared below her, striding naked across the lawn without an ounce of self-consciousness. Every muscle in his long, lean frame flexed as he paused and turned, shielding his eyes to stare up at her.

His smile held a distinct edge. Heat, the same kind flowing through her. "What are you still doing inside?"

"I don't know." Waiting, maybe, but for what? "Is it time?"

"You know it is." He crooked his fingers, his grin widening. "Time to play."

A delicious invitation, and clothes didn't belong. Ashley unbuttoned her oversized shirt and slipped it from her shoulders. It slid over her skin, eliciting a shiver, and pooled around her feet.

Behind her, someone groaned.

The rough noise prickled heat up her spine, so familiar and intimate that she knew immediately who it was. "Blake." Instead of turning, she clutched the railing in front of her and looked back over her shoulder.

He crossed the space between them and gripped the wood, his big hands framing hers, his arms caging her in. He still wore jeans slung low on his hips, but he'd discarded his shirt, and his skin blazed against her back. "Are you ready?"

Endless possibilities, and Ashley wanted them all. She arched against him with a soft moan. "Yes."

"Hey," Jud called. "I'm sure we'd all have fun watching, Blake, but it's her first full moon with the pack. Let her run a little before you catch her."

Blake's chuckle tickled her ear. "You won't be easily caught, will you?"

Words weren't enough. She lifted one hand to his forearm and scratched her nails slowly across his skin.

He growled. "Harder."

"Mmm, no." Not that simple, not tonight.

"So defiant." He eased closer, his muscles flexing against her. "I like it. Makes me want to spank you until you're sweet again."

The urge to melt into him almost overwhelmed her, but there was something deeper than desire pulsing through her now. "We have to run. I have to, Blake."

"I know." With one last kiss to her temple, he straightened and tugged on her hand. "Come on. Your pack's waiting."

Her pack. The truth of the words flashed through her like a clap of thunder—she wasn't alone, she knew that much. But what struck her just then, in that wild, euphoric moment, was the realization that she never would be again.

Ashley tore free of Blake's grasp and hurried down the stairs. His footfalls followed close behind, and she'd only taken two steps toward Jud when Blake swept her up with a growling laugh. "That was barely even trying. I think you like getting caught."

His desperate intensity from the night before had vanished, replaced by lighthearted teasing, and some of the tension coiling in Ashley's stomach eased. "As much as you like being disobeyed."

Jud laughed and slapped Blake's shoulder. "Figured you out awful quick. Smart girl."

Blake bared his teeth and snarled, but even that was playful and relaxed. Ashley's feet hit the ground, but Blake kept an arm around her as he bumped his shoulder against Jud. "Watch it, smartass."

The laughter was a warm breeze, driving away the chill. "Where are the others?"

"Probably already running," Blake replied, rubbing her hip before releasing her. "Mac and Connor anyway. Lucas might be with them. But we'll all meet up in the clearing. You know the one."

She blushed. From the inflection in his voice, he could only be talking about one place. "I remember."

"So do I," Jud murmured. He took two steps back and crouched to plant one hand on the ground. "I'll meet you two there."

Energy crackled through the air, lifting the fine hairs on Ashley's arms as Jud shifted. He made it look so damn easy, like his two forms were mere steps from one another instead of separated by a chasm, a lifetime of fear and shame.

Envious, Ashley dropped to the ground as he shot off toward the woods. "I'd give anything for that," she whispered.

"Practice." Blake touched her hair, his fingers tugging through the strands. "Connor goes out early because it's still hard for him. He doesn't like for other people to see how much, so Mac helps him through it. You're not like that, sweetheart. Your body wants to shift. You just have to learn to let it."

"It's different like this," she struggled to explain. "The moon..."

He gave her time to complete the thought. When she couldn't, he stroked her hair again. "It pulls," he said slowly. "I can't remember not knowing how to follow...but I guess it could tug you off balance."

"It's not that." The sheer power of it had never been more tangible, sliding over her skin like a thousand seductive little caresses. "I'm not frightened. I just...want to be enough for it all."

"Oh, sweetheart." He knelt beside her and tilted her chin up until she met his eyes. "If you were any more, you'd be killing us. Have a little mercy."

Her heart stuttered before resuming a harder, almost painful beat. She was naked in the grass, anxious and worried, but the way he looked at her made the moment perfect. She wanted to fold her fingers around it before it slipped away.

So she kissed him, one soft brush of her lips over the corner of his mouth before she pressed her cheek to his. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now close your eyes." When she obeyed, he ran his hand down her back. "And give in."

It was just like before—his hands on her skin, distracting her long enough for the aching knot of magic to unfurl deep inside. And once it started, it moved fast, thundering through her. Sweeping away the last bits of rational thought, the human words she kept stumbling over.

Ashley broke free with a short, low yip and circled Blake, watching as he peeled off his pants.

He kicked them away and smiled as he sank his fingers into her fur. "Look how beautiful you are. Always."

She snapped her teeth shut an inch from his arm.

His hand trailed down, curling across her throat in careful warning. "You can nip, but I'll nip back."

In her human form, she might have whimpered, but not like this. A growl rumbled up in her chest, one she knew he could feel, and she closed her eyes and tipped her head back, baring her throat to him.

He stroked it softly, making a low humming noise that vibrated in her bones. Magic followed, a prickle washing over her, and then Blake was gone and a huge, familiar wolf loomed over her.

No more words. But they didn't need them. Ashley swayed closer, bumping her shoulder against the warm bulk of his—and then ran.

The brush crackled underfoot as she dove through it, moving too fast for the shifting leaves beneath her paws to trip her. The trees bent together above her, their branches thick enough to block out the fading sunlight.

Ahead of her, a wolf howled. A second voice lifted from the west, followed closely by a third, and then Blake, low and loud and so close behind her.

She raised her voice to join with theirs. She was still howling when the trees opened up and spilled her into the clearing.

Lucas stepped forward. It had to be him—huge and sure, with thick gray fur that grew darker where it framed his piercing eyes. He watched her, unmoving, until instinct guided her to cross the space between them. She dipped her head just under his, nuzzling the spot beneath his jaw, and he greeted her with a soft noise that wasn't quite a growl.

Leaves crinkled to her left, and she knew it was Connor as soon as the tan wolf danced into the clearing. He raced up to Blake and nipped at his tail. Blake whipped around, teeth bared, and Connor rolled quickly onto his back.

A challenge mitigated by instant submission. Ashley laughed, and, though her new body turned the sound into little more than a huff, she knew from the gleam in Connor's eyes that he understood.

They all did.

Another wolf slammed into her, bearing her to the ground. Mac, whose teeth grazed her ear for a mere heartbeat before he rolled away, back to his feet. Daring her to chase.

So she did. They tumbled through the grass, never quite biting or gouging, until Jud's familiar form crashed into Mac, tumbling them both tail over nose. Before she could follow, Blake knocked into her, using his weight to carry her to the ground.

He held her there. Intensity vibrated off him in waves, so strong that Ashley reacted out of the same instinct that had been guiding her—she whimpered, too low for anyone else to hear. Only Blake.

In response, he rubbed his nose against hers.

Her nervousness evaporated. The power of the moon surged through her, but she didn't have to be anything else to deserve it, to do it justice. All she had to be was Ashley.

As if he heard the thought, Blake backed off and nudged her to her feet. Jud and Mac were still tussling—less gently than before, but still play. Connor crept up to Ashley's side, tail low as Blake huffed and nipped at his flank.

Connor caught Ashley's eye, and she understood his expression on a gut level, beyond words. Tease him. Because Blake was so serious, even now.

She swished her tail across his nose, and he pinned her with an exasperated look that all but screamed, not you, too.

With his tail wagging wildly, Connor tried to pounce. Blake melted out of the way, leaving Connor to land gracelessly on a pile of leaves. His paws slipped as he scrambled upright and gave Ashley a wolfish grin.

Play. She poised to launch herself at him, only to stop short when Lucas threw his head back with another howl. The sound slid over her, warm and comforting, even more when the others joined him, one by one.

She did, too. By the time the howls died away to echoes through the mountains and valleys, the mood had changed. It was still relaxed, easy, but there was an undercurrent of urgency, too.

Run. Lucas was the first to spring away from their loose cluster in the clearing. Ashley was the second. She plunged blindly into the brush, curious anticipation twisting in her belly as she wondered whether Blake would follow.