Chapter 2

The truck barreled down the dark roads, the only light came from the headlights and the nearly full moon. Tess could feel her instincts calling and she nearly had Connor stop the car to give in. She wanted to run and feel the wind whip against her face. But, she restrained herself and the car just continued, further and further.

“How long are we gonna drive for?” she wondered, staring at his face, illuminated by the moon.

“Patience, babe,” Connor replied, smiling, “this place is worth the wait.”

Suddenly Connor’s stomach growled, causing Tess to laugh. She dug for a snack in her basket.

“Good thing I’ve brought snacks,” She said, withdrawing some food from her bundle, passing some to Connor and eating some herself.

Some time passed as they sat in a comfortable silence, both enjoying each other’s company. The road continued to carve a path through dense forest. Tess watched the trees fly past, silhouetted by the stars, and found herself entranced. Her eyelids became heavy and, in the comfort of the moment, she fell asleep.

 

 

“Wake up,” he said, “we’re here!”

Connor roused her from her sleep and kissed her on the cheek. She eased up to her feet and looked around through tired eyes. It appeared to be the same road, with thick trees on both sides, and the moon was still set high in the sky.

“You wanted to show me a long stretch of nothing?” Tess wondered.

“It’s something much better,” Connor said, stripping off his shirt, “but you’ll have to keep up.”

Before she could react Connor was dashing off into the woods. Tess barely even had her shirt off when she heard him howling just ahead of her.

With her wolf getting excited, she began running after her mate and, after jumping, she felt the familiar feeling of her bones reshaping and her senses opening up to her. She could hear the small creatures all around her and smell the trail left by her mate. She hungrily followed the scent into the thick brush as fast as her legs could move.

Connor was stopped a few hundred feet away, waiting for Tess to join him. As she got closer, he would take off again, giving her quarry to chase. Then she lost sight of him. With her nose to the air she tried to pick out his scent, only to have him leap from a bush nearby and tackle her to the ground. Tess nipped at his ears and rolled out from under him. Again he started running.

This time she kept pace beside him as they ran; Connor bit playfully at her ear and she returned in kind with a lick on the side of his face. Their teasing continued as they forged their way through the thinning brush.

When the underbrush cleared, Tess ran as fast as she could. It was something she could rarely do around her pack’s den, and she relished the burning in her muscles.

Connor eventually caught up, beckoning her to follow him with a slight flick of his neck. Tess was exhausted but satisfied. She could smell the animals nearby and dreamed of tearing into red meat with her sharp teeth.

Connor shifted back into a human, leaving Tess confused. Normally they would spend the night frolicking as wolves before falling asleep beside each other.

Tess examined his muscular body as it glistened with sweat from the run. The moonlight dripped from him with each bead that streaked down his perfectly toned abs. Had Tess not been so distracted by his physique, she probably would have paid more attention to her surroundings and the stunning sight that began to unfold around her.

“I found this yesterday after another fight with my dad,” he said, “It felt so peaceful that I wanted to share it with you.”

Tess decided to shift and stand beside him, spent of nearly all her energy. They were beside a large lake with a surface as smooth as glass that perfectly mirrored the night’s sky. Surrounding the bowl of the lake was the dense forest and in the distance she could see the water disappear over a fallen tree. Tess marveled at her surroundings, reaching an arm around Connor’s waist and he in turn hugged her around her shoulders.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Only second to you,” he replied.

Tess giggled.

“That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve heard you say,” she mocked.

“I’m only telling the truth,” he replied, “is it working?”

“Why don’t you kiss me and find out,” she said.

He leaned down while she craned her neck and they kissed beside the tranquil scene. She felt so small while being held by him. But, she felt safe. There was nothing in the forest that could match a shifter, and Connor was the strongest of them all.

Their lips entwined into a passionate kiss, his hands massaged along her back, while the night’s chill made Tess shiver almost uncontrollably.

Connor took her by the hand and led her along the rim of the water until they found a small patch of grass where a large quilt hung from a tree was waiting for them.

“I sometimes manage to plan ahead,” he said, tugging the blanket down.

He wrapped the large blanket around the two of them and Tess could feel life return to her extremities. She welcomed the heat that emanated from his body as she hugged him closer.

Connor smacked himself in the forehead.

“And, sometimes I don’t,” he added.

“The food?” Tess asked.

He nodded with a smile.

Tess laughed and punched him limply in the chest.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, as he sprinted for the car.

She watched him as he disappeared into the forest. Part of her regretted not asking him to bring her clothes as she pulled out the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

It was nearly silent. An owl bleated out its evening call while a zephyr wafted lightly through the leaves of the trees. Tess sat herself on the soft grass and stared at the night sky while waiting for him to return.

From the corner of her eye she sensed movement. First a light swaying of the brush nearby, but then her vision snapped to a deer on the opposite side of the lake, lowering its neck into the still water for a drink. Tess’s instincts flared along with her hunger, she had to fight the urge to shift and hunt.

The echoes of footsteps rang from behind her but when she turned to look the sound was gone. For a moment she thought she smelled her brother, his scent being carried by the wind.

“Hello?” she said in the darkness, “Alex?”

No answer. Tess pulled the blanket a little tighter still and readied herself to fight at a moment’s notice, her wolf instincts beginning to take control. She strained her eyes against the dark and concentrated so intently on finding the source of the noise that she didn’t even notice Connor return.

He carried the small bundle of food from the car. Tess exhaled her anxiety as he joined her again under the blanket.

“Did I scare you?” he asked.

“I don’t think it was you,” she replied, “I thought I heard something in the woods.”

He turned to try and discern what might have startled Tess but waved it off.

“Probably the wind,” he said.

With Connor by her side, she calmed herself realizing that there was nothing to worry about. Tess offered the blanket to him and he accepted, joining their body heat together. From the bundle came a smattering of leftovers that they both heartily dug into.

“How late can you stay out,” he wondered, “it’s so serene. I could just lie out here all night.”

“I told Alex to cover for me until morning, but I think I can stay for a while longer,” Tess replied with a smile, “I have breakfast to make, and a class to teach in the early afternoon. If I’m not home in time, my dad might lock me up on the porch.” She said with a laugh.

Tess knew he wouldn’t, but the thought of it happening was enough to keep her interested in not offending her father.

“You know, dad’s been trying to set me up with some shifters from my pack,” She began, gathering Connor’s interest. “It’s really frustrating. Sometimes I wish I weren’t the daughter of the Alpha. That way, nobody would bother me about my love interests.”

With a laugh, Connor added “Father keeps telling me that if I wait any longer to take his spot as Alpha, I’ll be past my prime.”

“He’s right, I mean, 27, you’re getting old!” Tess joked, causing the two of them to laugh.

Once their laughter settled down, they sat in silence for a few moments, in deep thought.

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m getting worried about my dad.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He spends more time as a wolf than a man. And, it’s been getting worse lately,” Connor said.

He discarded the bones from his meal into the tall bushes and lay on his back. Tess brushed her hands clean of the food and joined him, lying on his chest that dipped up and down with each breath.

“I think he’s starting to lose his grasp on his own humanity,” he continued, “People have started to talk, and it’s nothing good. But, nobody would dare defy him. He’s the alpha for a reason and his need to groom me to become his replacement is making me hate him.”

Tess shifted her head up to his chest and listened to his heartbeat. The rhythmic thumping was relaxing and she could feel her eyes begin to droop.

“Does he know about us?” she asked with a yawn.

“Do you want him to know about us?” he asked in turn.

Tess paused and thought about the question. She knew her own father well enough to know that he would be none too happy to know that she was dating the son of a rival pack. She could easily imagine Connor’s father would feel the same way.

“It’s probably for the best he doesn’t,” She replied.

She heard Connor let out a loud yawn and his arms wrapped around her upper body.

“We should go,” Tess said.

But, she only said it half-heartedly. She was satisfied and comfortable from the food. When she looked up at Connor’s face she could see that he was already sound asleep. Perhaps a little bit of sleep was good. They could wake up after a nice nap and get home before sunrise.