a Primal Pursuit

twenty five

Asra's wolfy eyes stared at me with confusion, and I held my breath as I awaited his answer.

Instead of his creepy-ass voice in my head, he lowered his snout and whined softly. My fingers dug into his fur, not understanding his answer. Perhaps I just imagined his voice in my head? That would make sense, right?

"Just tell me, dammit, as creepy as it is. I am not having a one-way conversation." I huffed, agitated.

His eyes darted between mine. 'About ten minutes.'

My eyes widened, definitely not imagination. "Ten minutes! Did I drown? Ten minutes!"

'Ten minutes.' His wolf licked his snout. 'I carried you out of the water, but then I was forced to shift.'

"Why?" I frowned, cocking my head.

'You marked me. It's a full moon.' He cocked his head in return, ears flapping at the side of his head. 'My body betrayed me and I shifted.'

"Why would that happen? Can you not just change back?"

He snorted, hot breath fanning my face. It was funny how mere months ago I was terrified of these creatures, and now I lay naked against one.

I heard him chuckle in my mind, reading my thoughts.

'Wolves get a little excited after they complete a mate bond, that is all I will say.'

His wolf barked a laugh, a strange sound for an animal if you ask me. It was like he was trying to heave something up, like a hairball. Was he perhaps not a bunny-wolf, but a cat-wolf?

Silence wrapped around us, and it drew my attention back to the lake. My towel was still floating like a turd, having somehow been swept back into the water. I must've not chucked it far away enough when I aimed for Asra's smug face.

"I never got to swim." I pouted.

'You were teasing me.'

"You threw me in the water." I crossed my arms. "Plus, that lake is... Magical."

'It's enchanted. Of course, it is magical.'

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Less sarcasm would be great wolf-boy."

He growled softly, moving close to nibble his front teeth on my arm. I laughed, jerking it away from his teasing.

"I mean, when we are in that water together, I feel such an intense pull. I cannot describe it." I explained. "Everything feels warm and then when we..."

'Made love?'

My nose crinkled, another laugh tumbling from my lips. "Right. Is that what happened? Seemed like fucking to me."

He huffed, moving to bite me again, but I landed a tap on his jaw and pushed him away. He grumbled, my back vibrating with the sound.

"When we fucked..." I shot him a look, amused. "I felt like my whole body was... floating. Like I was on fire."

He cocked his head. 'You did?'

"It didn't for you?" I frowned.

'I didn't feel like I was about to combust into flames, but it feels ethereal. Out-worldly.'

"I felt it the first time, too." I mumbled, ignoring his amusement. "When the entire pack was in the lake and they forced me to get naked to feel the magic."

'So did I.' He admitted. 'I didn't think you did since you are human.'

My eyes widened. "I barely knew you back then, but I couldn't understand the strange... pull that wanted me to get closer to you."