“Are you going to do that every time you shift? Because, holy shit, that was hot…” Erik nudged her flank and her wolf took control, teasing and rubbing against her mate. “Whoa, sweetheart. We’re in the middle of a contest. Remember? As much as I enjoy sex with you, now is not the time. Rein her in.”
Maggie dropped her haunches to sit on the grass. TJ and Jared sniffed her before rolling and offering their throats in submission. If there had been time, she would have howled with delight.
The gun went off and they were away, racing shoulder by shoulder through the Yukon scrub. Brush that was thigh high on a human was level with her head, and she trusted Erik and the others as taller wolves to choose the most direct path through the maze of tough tangle.
Suddenly they broke out into the clear, the sky overhead bright blue, not a cloud to be seen. They ran.
Side by side, paws and legs flying, heads and torsos almost touching they were so close together.
There was something wonderful in the freedom of running with a pack again. While last night with Erik had been amazing, today was an answer to another part of the puzzle she’d been missing forever.
Belonging. Connecting. A part of a greater whole. Maggie’s heart pounded in time with their paws on the ground, eating up the miles. Ahead she scented the trail they followed. The more time passed, the clearer it became, almost as if the years of being trapped fell away and musty cobwebs brushed from the corners of her wolf’s mind.
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73
Vivian Arend
They tore down a hill and splashed through a stream at the widest point, spray rising and soaking their fur. The fresh, crisp air and the bright green growth teased and inspired her senses to greater heights.
Ahead, Erik led the way.
Her mate.
Her heart.
She nuzzled his flank with her nose and thrilled at the connection between them. TJ and Jared fell back slightly, letting her and Erik lead, and the moment became even more incredible.
“You’re running well.”
“I’m alive. Truly alive.” It was all she had to say and it meant the world.
They must have run for an hour before the trail veered to the side, upward, forcing them to push harder as they topped the mountainside. Now there were large boulders blocking their way and the trail grew narrower. The teams of wolves joined together, forced by the narrowing path to fight for dominance.
Maggie stuck close to Erik, her heart beating faster as snarls and the clash of teeth rose behind her.
Erik maneuvered her to his left. TJ growled and there was a yipping cry. She glanced over her shoulder to see four large wolves closing in. Jared and TJ had been separated from them, and a raw slash showed on Jared’s shoulder.
“Erik?”
“It’s the cheaters from the river. Darren never was one to learn easily. Do you mind if I teach him a lesson?” Fear skittered across her mind, her throat tightening. Darren. The one who’d leered at her. Then Erik’s will soothed her, strengthened her. “It’s not a challenge to the death, but if I don’t do something, who will?”
That was Erik to a fault. How could she not agree when his sense of fair play and justice was so much a part of who he was? She took a centering breath and reluctantly agreed.
The power within Erik snapped like a live wire, hot and out of control. He turned in one smooth motion and barreled into the leader of the other foursome. They rolled together, stopping with Erik pinning the other wolf to the ground under him. He held Darren by the throat, growling in triumph.
“That was quick.”
“Bullies are usually wimps.”
A low rumble to her right brought Maggie’s attention snapping back. Two of the wolves from the other team surrounded her, their lips curled to show their bared canines. Her knees went weak as memories rushed over her. Growls and tearing pain, sleepless nights and nightmares. She wavered for a second.
“Maggie, fight back. You’re strong, there is nothing they can do to you.”
One of the wolves snapped at her hind leg and she whirled on him. Pulling herself to her full height, she let her anger and frustration at being cowed rise. Too many years. She’d had too many years of being 74
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Wolf Games