“Casper!” I hissed as he ran toward me. He flung himself into my arms as he reached me, burying his face in my neck. I kissed his cheek and held him tight, breathing in his scent.

“I did it!” he laughed. “I told him I wasn’t feeling well and that I’d see him tomorrow, and he bought it!”

“We must get out of here immediately,” I told him. He was carrying a duffel bag over one shoulder. “What’s that?”

“Just some clothes and things,” he replied. “Where’s your car? Out on the main road?”

“I did not bring a car.”

“What?” he asked, looking perplexed. “You – you didn’t drive here?”

I shook my head. “No. I ran. And you’re not going to be too happy when you hear where from.”

“What…Boston?”

I shook my head again and replied. “Maine.”

Casper’s face almost fell off and I had to stop myself from laughing. “I wasn’t planning on ending up here! I just went for a run and it…went a little longer than expected.”

“How long did it take you?” he asked.

“More than a day,” I told him with a grimace.

“We could hitchhike back?” he suggested. “Or I could steal one of the cars—”

“No!” I said, quickly cutting him off. “No, we do not want to draw more attention from these men. If one of them sees us hitching a ride, we are in trouble. Our only option is to run. Leave the bag here. We have plenty for you where we are going.”

“I haven’t been on a good run for so long,” Casper told me, tossing the duffel bag into a pile of snow.

“Come with me, my fated mate,” I told him, kissing him passionately on the lips. “It is time for us to leave here.”

I shifted, and he shifted beside me, bursting his clothes and transforming into a beautiful fox with rich crimson coat. I wanted to howl, screech and make noise to let the world know I’d been reunited with my mate, but for now all that would have to wait. I leapt away into the shadows, darting through the trees.

Casper followed beside me as we moved with blinding speed, a pair of shadows flickering through the moonlight across the cold winter landscape.

The farther away we got from Sonny’s the better I felt, but I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had Casper back at the cabin, surrounded by the rest of the foxes, and the wolves, and safe in my bedroom.

I wouldn’t be satisfied until he was mine, and everybody knew it. My love was overwhelming, but my desire for him was threatening to overwhelm me at any instant. His body was almost too much for me. The beautiful boy had become a gorgeous man, and I ached to make my claim on him and put a child inside him.

As we ran, images of our future raced through my mind. I could see us happy together, living life at the cabin like the rest of them. We had children, three, and Casper was pregnant again. Our son played with Mikey’s son, Jules, who was like an older brother to him. His happiness no longer made me sad, as Casper and I shared the same happiness now that the rest of my pack experienced.

We ran and ran and ran until the sun came up, and then we ran some more. Casper was slightly out of shape, and needed to take a few short breaks. We found a stream with clean spring water to drink from, and then we were off again. It was the middle of the night when we crossed the Maine border, and another couple of hours before we were home.

I slowed down at the bottom of the driveway that led up the mountain to the cabin. I was filled with excitement – not just to be reunited with Casper, but to be able to introduce him to the rest of the pack. At last I would have a companion by my side.

I shifted and turned to Casper, who shifted as well. “This is it,” I told him. “This is where my pack and I reside.”

“How many of them are there?” he asked.

“Many,” I smiled. “We will pass the wolf lodge first. They were here first, but kindly let us join them. We can meet them another time. For now, we can continue up the mountain to our cabin.”

“I’m nervous,” Casper admitted.

“Don’t be,” I told him, kissing him on the lips. “Everything will be perfect.”

We both shifted back and started up the hill. I could smell a few of the wolves outside. It was late, but we rotated watch just in case any intruders made an unannounced visit. Things had happened in the past that made us all slightly wary of strangers.

Tonight was Bryce, one of the alphas, sitting out on the porch as we came up the driveway. He waved to me, and I nodded as we passed. The lodge belonged to Tate, the leader of the wolves, but he must have been in bed with Kyle, his mate. We continued on.

The cabin was mostly dark when we arrived, despite a small flicker from the hearth in the living room. I slowed as we came up to the steps and took human form.

“This is it,” I told Casper as he shifted behind me. We were both naked against the cold winter air, but I was so warmed by his presence that I didn’t even notice. “Welcome home.”

I took him around to the back door and opened it for him. We stepped into the warmth of the kitchen and I led him through the living room, down the hall and into my room. Gently, I closed the door behind us. I flicked on a single small light in the corner of the room.

Then he was in my arms.

My lips pressed against his neck, moving up to his chin, his cheek and then back down to his lips. His mouth opened and I pressed my tongue inside. My lust was insatiable for him, and I felt my cock begin to grow, pressing against his as we stood naked together.

His was swelling too, and I pressed a hand against his chest and traced a line down his smooth body, across his abs and down to the V that led me to his cock. As my fingers gripped it, Casper let out a gasp and his head tilted back toward the ceiling.

I let out a moan as I kissed his neck and reached around with my other hand to grab his ass. He had a perfect, smooth bubble butt and I gripped it hard. My fingers explored his cock, sending a tingling sensation through my entire body. And when I felt his fingers around my cock, I almost exploded.

“Ahh,” I groaned, letting my head fall against his neck as he began to stroke me. We held each other like that, not speaking, not kissing, not doing anything but exploring each other’s bodies with our hands.

“Red…” His voice came as a whisper that tickled my ear. I smiled.

“Yes?”

“I’ve – I’ve never done this before…”

His words stopped me in my tracks and I raised my head to look into his beautiful baby blue eyes. He was timid, afraid and embarrassed. I had to tell him.

“Casper, my love. Neither have I.”

His eyes went wide with disbelief. I nodded and stroked his cheek. “I may have been a fool, but I always believed I would find you again. So I saved myself.”

Casper looked as though I’d just told him something he’d been waiting his entire life to hear, and my heart swelled as I realized we had both been doing the same thing – he had been saving himself for me!

“I – I love you, Red,” he stammered.

“I love you, Casper,” I told him as I pulled him closer and kissed him.