Page 23 of Osiris: The Wolves
“Usually, the burger first. The names can be difficult.” He’d had some flops over the years – the Big Cheese, which had literally just extra slices of cheese, or the Hot ‘n Hearty, which was a half-pound burger with pickled jalapenos. Suffice it to say, neither of those burgers had won any popularity contests.
He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “My favorite is the Blue Monster, because it brought you to me.”
She tipped her face up to smile at him. “Mine too.”
“If you have any good ideas, let me know.” He hadn’t figured out next week’s burger yet. He’d been too busy being a good mate and getting to know Juliette.
“You got it.”
Dare came into the kitchen and yawned. “You guys ready?”
“Yep,” Sigh said.
They followed his brother out of the tavern and headed to the houses in the back. It was a cool night, but not so chilly that Juliette would be uncomfortable while he was stuck in his shift.
“We’re going to shift and hustle out to hunt,” Dare said as he and Trick joined them on Sigh’s back patio. He handed a flashlight to Juliette. “Just in case you need it.”
“Thanks Dare.”
His brothers disappeared and Sigh turned to face his sweetheart.
“I’m still me in my shift. I’m not suddenly some feral beast who can’t control himself. You’re safe with me. I have stronger senses in my shifted form – better hearing, better eyesight – so as long as I don’t alert you to something wrong, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“I’m the least worried person around, trust me. I know I’m safe with you.”
He cupped her face, staring intently at her. All the words he wanted to say to her were on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back. For now.
“That you trust me and my wolf means the world to me. Have I told you how precious you are to me?”
“You might have mentioned it when you sexed me up on break earlier.”
He brushed his lips over hers with a chuckle. “That’s my favorite kind of break.”
“Mine too.”
He kissed her once more then stepped off the patio into the cool grass. The back light was on so she could watch him shift. He shucked his shirt and laid it over the back of a chair and she let out a low whistle.
“You need some sexy stripping music.”
He chuckled. “I’ll do a little sexy dance for you some other time.”
“Looking forward to it.”
He stripped fully and watched as her skin flushed and the sweet scent of her arousal spiked in the air. He loved that he affected her, because he was certainly affected by her too. His sexy female.
Calling for his wolf, he let himself go into his shift and landed on four paws, covered in thick fur. Unlike his brothers who were mostly black-furred, his fur was a mixture of white, gray, and rust.
Juliette gasped and walked to him, lowering to her knees.
“Oh my gosh, I honestly didn’t know it would be like that! You’re gorgeous! Holy crap, you’re a wolf.” She laughed and splayed her fingers over his cheeks and slid them down his neck. “So freaking soft. And I love your fur color.”
He hummed and sat on his haunches while she stroked his fur, and then she leaned in and hugged him with a happy hum, her head against his neck. “Thank you for sharing this with me tonight. I’m so glad I met you. I’m so glad you’re mine.”
He let out a low, soft bark of agreement.
She rose to her feet and turned on the flashlight to illuminate the ground in front of her, and they walked, side by side, away from the houses.
She was quiet for a while, seemingly lost in thought, and then she started talking – about her past and her family, the life she’d carved for herself with Cass and Emery, her love of the bookstore and the former boyfriends who’d led her to believe that love at first sight wasn’t a real thing, despite all the romance novels she devoured.
