Looking To Belong (A Runt's Story)

Chapter 16

I chuckled as I darted under a huge rose bush and kept going. Will had to go around due to his sheer size. I found it quite amusing to choose the path that required him to detour the furthest. At least he was getting more exercise than he would if he was just running beside me.

Our lazy run had turned into a game of catch me if you can and Will hadn't been able to get close to me for almost five solid minutes despite the fact that I hadn't stopped to hide. It was a pretty impressive feat for me considering I had never been in this part of the forest before.

The situation was starting to rile him up though; he could see me, but couldn't get to me. This had the mate bond goading him into moving faster and trying harder to get to me.

I used my senses to ensure that no other pack member was anywhere near our trajectory. I really didn't want anyone to stumble between Will and me when the distance between us already had the mate bond agitating Will. We hadn't had much time to get used to the mate bond and how it made us react, so we weren't exactly prepared for unusual circumstances.

Will was still enjoying the game despite the side effects that the game was having on him, but I wasn't sure how he would react if someone came between us. His control had been quite good so far, but it wasn't something you wanted to test with pack members in unexpected situations.

I changed my direction suddenly to weave my way under another rather large bramble bush. Such low sprawling plants were getting fewer and fewer as we went along, and they were the real reason that Will had not yet caught me. I heard a faint huff of frustration from Will; the plants were keeping him a decent distance away. If I changed direction, he had to make a large detour to get near the bush I was running under. It was keeping him on his toes though.

My choices were getting fewer. There were only a few trees around here, nothing that Will was unable to get between or around with ease. The various bushes were thinning out as we approached a rather large meadow, and the spaces between them were getting larger.

I put on a burst of speed to cross the distance between two such plants. Will charged forward, but I just managed to dart under the plant before he got to me. I didn't slow down my run as I planned my next crossing. The neighboring plants were further away. I aimed for the closest one and went full tilt.

Will put on a burst of speed that I wasn't aware was possible as he rounded the previous shrub and headed for me. I tried to weave, but he used his forelegs to block my exit as he slid to a stop. He crouched down and trapped me between his forepaws before laying down and gently pinning me under his neck.

I wiggled a bit before simply laying there and panting from my run while my tail attempted to wag as I wolf-grinned. That run had been fun, and I had definitely gotten my exercise. I was surprised to notice that Will was breathing somewhat heavily as well. That was odd, such a run shouldn't have tired any normal wolf, let alone an Enforcer. I tried to squirm out to no avail; he was simply too big.

I could feel the sparks rolling across my skin where his fur touched mine. I blinked as I picked up an undercurrent of powerful emotions in Will's mind. I had only been keeping tabs on his surface emotions since I didn't like prying. The emotions beneath the surface had gone unnoticed by me simply because of the distance previously between us and the fact that he had been suppressing them. I carefully extended my senses towards him and was stunned at the swirl of emotions that were starting to overpower Will.

It was a wonder that he had been enjoying himself seconds ago. I have no idea how he had suppressed it so well or even how he was still mostly in control. Our little game had the mate bond in severe overdrive, and it had somehow tapped into the Enforcer's desire to protect. At the moment, his control hung on by a thread - and that thread was the fact that he had me in direct contact with him.

My brush with his emotions left me somewhat stunned from their force. I had no idea that the mate bond could produce such powerful emotions. It was a good thing that it had only been plants keeping him from me. He would have destroyed anything else. The waves of protectiveness that had started rolling off of him were practically visible at this point.

I could feel the mate bond's drive for him to mark and claim me as his. He was fighting it, but the mate bond was only focused on the fact that we had been separated and my shoulder did not show his mark. A mark warned off other males, and he was having some control issues without that mark on me as a declaration that I was his.

I stopped moving, hoping that the mate bond would ease up now that he had caught me. Hopefully he could regain control quickly. I was fervently glad that no one and nothing was near us; nothing he could consider a threat. At this moment, he would probably snap if anyone or anything approached. I decided my best course of action would be to remain still and wait until he regained control.

Five minutes later, I nudged Will and whined lightly; he hadn't moved yet, and I was still pinned. I felt his emotions shift more towards concern. I was surprised when he suddenly shifted into human form and crushed me to his chest in a bear hug as he sat on the grass. I nuzzled the side of his neck as reassurance since I still felt his fight for control. Thankfully, he was starting to get the upper hand on it as the mate bond eased up.

His voice was gruff with strain. "Give me a moment. I almost lost control back there."

I rubbed my head along the front of his shirt as I tried to comfort him. I slowly felt him regain control. Eventually, he sighed and loosened his grip so that I could slide down into his lap. I looked up at him in concern, but his eyes were closed as he still tried to calm himself down. It had been bad enough for me just brushing along his emotions. It must have been much worse for him since he had actually felt the emotions and the direct effects of the mate bond.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes. "Sorry, I had no idea that the mate bond would have that effect on me."

I tilted my head before shifting as well. I was now sitting sideways in his lap, and I wrapped my one arm as far as it would go behind his back. I said, "I knew you were starting to get riled up, but since I could feel your happiness, I kept going. Perhaps, next time, if the mate bond gives you problems, just shift and let me know."

The fact that I was sitting on his lap had him momentarily stunned, but he lost no time in wrapping both arms around me and pulling me to his chest. He dropped his face against my neck to inhale my scent, and I felt him relax. His voice was muffled and the heat from his breath sent goosebumps down my back. "I will have to keep that in mind, although I hope it never gets to that point again. At first, it wasn't too bad, but then it just seemed to magnify without warning."

It was my turn to struggle for control as his breath, scent, presence, and voice all made dirty thoughts appear in my head against my will. That conniving mate bond was starting to play dirty... I could sense that Will was almost back to normal now. It was just me who had to get my head on straight.

He chuckled as he lifted his head. "I think we had better get going. If your arousal gets any more noticeable, we won't be leaving this forest for quite some time."

I flushed beet red before shifting into my wolf shape and hopping out of his lap. I was thankful that it was impossible to tell if a wolf was blushing, although my body language would still tell tales on my embarrassment. He grinned before shifting as well. He padded forward to give my ear a few licks that sent more goosebumps down my back. I reached up to give him a lick under his chin. I turned and started trotting down the trail before I gave the mate bond any more chances to mess with my head and body.

I kept to the main trail, and Will walked alongside me. I could sense his amusement at my reaction as well as a few firmly suppressed flickers of desire. Thankfully, his flickers were disappearing as my arousal faded. Neither of us was in a hurry to leave the forest; we both wanted the side effects of our run to completely fade before reaching the town.

I knew for a fact that if Will could pick up any trace of arousal on me, that he would not let me step foot in the town while I was unmarked. Unmated males could be hormone-driven idiots at times. The presence of a mark would make them keep their distance since the female would have no interest in them and her mate wouldn't tolerate any advances.

We shifted at the edge of the town and walked towards the pack house while holding hands.