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“Sounds like a full day.” I grabbed her hand and led her to the backyard.
“Your text definitely brightened my mood.” She stopped and looked around, letting out a low whistle that the forest swallowed. “Is all of this property yours?”
“Yes. Well, it belongs to my family.” I pointed to the tree line. “We have hundreds of wooded acres to ourselves whenever we want to shift.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine having this much private space.”
A gnawing feeling on my back told me someone was watching us. Glancing back toward the house, I caught my dad peering at us from his bedroom window. I couldn’t read his expression, but I assumed he was curious and still disapproving, though he hardly had the right to throw stones. I picked up the pace and led Liza through the forest and into a clearing.
“This is where we usually shift. We run in that direction.” I pointed toward a section of tall oak trees before turning to face Liza.
I could sense the anxiety building in her as she scowled and avoided eye contact. She had to be thinking the same thing as me. We had to undress before shifting unless we wanted our clothes to tear.
“I’ll turn away while you undress.” I jokingly bowed, but the color in her cheeks spoke to how seriously she was taking this matter. “I’m nothing if not a gentleman.” Though, I wanted to look over my shoulder—wanted to see if she was as luscious as she was in my mind—my wolf didn’t need the temptation any more than I did. We were already mid-struggle over whether or not he was going to take her for himself. Mate with her. My wolf didn’t have the same measure of self-control I had, and even I was slipping some.
Of course, that didn’t stop thoughts from running through my brain about what her body looked like beneath those clothes. I stared up at the sky, trying not to think about her exposed skin in the moonlight, even though I could hear the rustling of her pants as she pushed them down her long legs and stepped out.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
My senses heightened as I listened for the sound of a shift. First, I had to live through the torture of hearing her bra unsnap and her panties gently gliding down her legs, then I had to breathe because my lungs were burning. Her scent wafted toward me, and my wolf lunged as if he was going to force the shift. I held him back. Pushed my will forward.
Finally, the tell-tale popping and growling that accompanied a shift occurred, so I slowly turned to look at her. When I did, my wolf whined to be free. I needed him to calm down and looking at her wasn’t going to facilitate that. I glanced away and waited for him to gather himself before I looked again.
Liza stood majestically, her silky white fur reflecting the pale moonlight. Her piercing blue eyes gleamed with an inner fire that was undeniable.
It didn’t surprise me that Liza was the most gorgeous wolf I’d ever seen. My wolf tore free, and as he did, so did my clothing.
Chapter 17
Liza
Ty had turned his back to give me as much privacy as I could have in the open air of a beautiful night, but the sexual tension was overwhelming, like another entity between us as we prepared to shift. He was fully aware that I was stripping down to nothing, so I glanced up nervously as I slipped my panties down my legs. Still, he kept his back to me.
What if he turned around and caught a glimpse of my naked body before I shifted? Part of me would be embarrassed like the proper virgin I was. I would cover myself as best I could with a bent leg or an arm across my breasts, but there would be no covering the desire or the part of me that wished he would turn and take in every inch of my skin.
What would Ty think of my body? Would it live up to the expectations of a fated mate? Expectations that he’d probably been holding on to since he was a teenager. I was curvier than the average female shifter. Maybe he wouldn’t like such a buxom body. Maybe that was why he’d dated Cecily… or thought about dating her. It wasn’t often I compared my figure or my body traits to someone else, but Cecily was long and lean and beautiful. I was lesser, shorter, not so toned. It didn’t bother me, but it was true.
He didn’t turn around, so I shook off the idea of him seeing me naked for the first time and shifted as quickly as I could.
The familiar sensation of my wolf pressing forward washed over me as I embraced her. Every cell in my body tingled with electricity, and for a moment, I lost touch with the physical world. My vision blurred just before it intensified to a razor sharpness that made every color brighter, every edge finer, and amplified every scent.
Ty must have heard me shifting because he spun around to face me. To my surprise, he shifted abruptly, not even bothering to undress.
I supposed Keller money made it that much easier to replace clothing.
My eyes widened as I took in his strong stance. His wolf was the color of midnight, his brown eyes so deep and dark they were almost black. They sparkled with an enthusiasm that was, no doubt, aimed at my wolf.
His sudden shift confused me, but even more surprising was my wolf’s reaction to him. She surged forward, ready to run with him in a way I hadn’t known was possible. Her enthusiasm coursed through every vein of my being. She wanted to explore more than just the territory. There was an instant connection between us as our wolves communicated without words.
It was the first time our wolves had met since fate had brought us together. Instead of acting leery of the new and unfamiliar wolf, mine couldn’t wait to sniff and explore her mate.
Our wolves were eager to meet one another, which shouldn’t have been surprising. The magnetic energy between them was so intense that I didn’t have much control as my instincts kicked in. My wolf yearned for him.
I circled Ty, sniffing the air around his strong body. My wolf stepped closer, nudging her snout into Ty’s side. He didn’t seem to mind as my wolf rubbed against him.
He rumbled with pleasure before finally rubbing against me. The wolves wanted each other, so they naturally exchanged scents, covering themselves in it.
Ty nuzzled my neck with his nose, causing the hairs on my wolf’s back to stand to attention. My instinctive reaction was to bare my neck to him, so I turned my head to one side—a sign of submission.
