Tender Mate

Wild Side

Midnight

                Everette had ended his first date with his mate and future daughter around an hour ago, following as an escort in his truck when the roads became icy and wanted to be sure they made it safely. He'd gotten out and helped unbuckle sleeping Emma from her car seat and carried her to his mate, not being able to resist kissing the tousled curls of his dreaming Sunbeam. When he looked up at Noelle, her admiration and confusion and desire were all fighting for dominance on her features. He'd taken the liberty of first kissing the back of her hand and holding it just long enough to take in her scent fully, intoxicating himself with her in the process. And then he bid them both good night. Walked away as a gentlemen. Pure joy and longing coursing through his veins.

                You enjoying the chase or something, Ev?

                 He chuckled to Mr. Bennett through the mindlink, Nothing like getting all worked up before a run under a full moon. 

                 The pack didn't question him further on how slowly his courting was going. Though he'd expected them to considering how they'd witnessed his and Noelle's very strong pull and his seeming hesitance even after his long wait. Questions should have been flooding his mind or ears, but they somehow seemed to understand that there was something else in the mix and were leaving it alone for at least tonight.

                 "Pack Nelson," Alpha Lavada called to the werewolves now assembled with nerves taut and muscles shivering in anticipation, "tonight we let out fully our beasts within. It is a feast under the full moon where we give ourselves over completely to our wolves. You know the limited rules we can even hope to place on this night, and so all I can say is happy hunting and congratulations to our members who have found their soul mates with the blessing of the moon."

                  Howls began to go up, first as humans and then slowly as a chorus of wolves as fur sprang forth and tear-away clothes were forcibly removed with the shift.

                 Noses turned to muzzles, smiles to wolfish grins, hunched shoulders to hackles raised, spines elongating and sprouting luxurious pelts, hands and feet turning into roughed paws and claws. Finally every wolf was loose, and the strength of the pack was rebonded under the mystical light of the harvest moon. A frenzied song was woven into the night as their feet could no longer be still and one by one the Nelson Pack wolves dove headlong into the depth of the woods.

                 There was nothing like it. Everette could feel the chill of the night finally touching him in his most natural form. Cooling him, driving him, reviving him. His dark chocolate fur streaked silently through the wind, massive paws hardly making a sound as they lightly upturned the rich loam. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth as he loped on, gaining speed. He'd never run so fast in his life. He felt so strong, not just from this moon, but from this harvest moon that had brought with it his mate.

                  It couldn't have been more than an hour or two when Everette found himself overlooking the bay from a rock outcropping. The golden moon reflected across the waters and shimmered in the seafoam, and the beauty of it brought a long and grateful song from his wolf to howl out over the waves. He hadn't even hunted yet. Just went straight for as long as the land allowed him, and ended up looking out at the beauty of it all, thankful. More thankful for the life he had than any other time in his 27 years. He knew his family could hear him. They had tailed him as best they could and were getting closer.

                  Everette! I'm so happy for you! When do we get to meet your beautiful mate? His mother called to him exuberantly.