We sit and talk for about an hour, the sun set long past. It is getting colder in the evenings now being so close to winter. It doesn’t bother us shifters much but we could feel the nip in the air.
The more I get to know Ashleigh the more strongly I feel about her. I have never felt love before, not from a girlfriend or any of my fuck girls at least. They may have loved me or my status but I was always explicit in my intentions. Everyone knows that wolves have mates, and I was not going to give mine up for some one night stand or some girlfriend I could barely stand or know.
I try not to make her uncomfortable, she is still sitting so stiffly on the other side of the lounge, not even budging to move closer to me. I am a bit surprised she doesn’t lean into me and relax a bit. I've felt the itch to be closer to her all evening.
'Kia says she wants to know us before doing anything further,' Jace mumbles, answering my thoughts for me.
'That makes sense I guess,’ I reply.
I remember the comment Kia made before about going for a run and meeting Jace, maybe that will help her relax a bit more.
"Would you like to go for a run around the backwoods?" I ask.
"Um, sure, are we allowed to be out there?"
I nodded, "yep, the backwoods are a national park, you need a permit to be in there so it should be ok for us to go for a run for a little while, I saw a stream before heading into town so there might be a watering hole they can swim in if you want."
"Sure, I have to be back home in an hour and a half, if you think that will be enough time then I’d be happy to do that. Kia would love to have a run and meet Jace. Although I don't have a change of clothes to swim this time. Maybe next time if we are going to be meeting here more regularly."
"That's fine, too" I shrug. I jump up and grab her hand helping her up. She seems a bit startled at the action. "Come on, if we don't have much time let's head out now then."
I lead her to the back door next to the kitchen. As we step out we see the moonlight shining through the thick trees.
The backyard was very much the same as the front, all overgrown trees and shrubs you could barely move through except for a little paved pathway leading out towards the backwoods.
I hold onto her hand and move towards the back. I can feel Jace getting all excited to be let out and meet Kia officially. They can communicate now on some level but not huge amounts since we aren't marked, but it would be nice for them to meet in each other's forms.
We pass another gate to the woods, I turn to face her to see if she is ready to shift. She stands there looking a bit confused.
"What's wrong?"
"I, erm, don't have any other clothes..." she mumbles.
I frown, looking at her trying to decipher what she means.
Jace rolls his eyes at me. 'She doesn't want you to see her naked.'
"Ohh, okay. Uhm, I'll turn around and you can shift." Fuck! I wanted to steal a look. I've been dying to know what her tits are like.
'Don't let her know you're been thinking that,' Jace teased.
'Just take it easy with Kia. Ashleigh still has to be comfortable with everything you do,' I warn him as his emotions become more prominent, with lust and excitement overpowering.
I turn around to let her strip and shift. Jace pushes forward to shimmer into our black fur, and within seconds I am on all fours.
I could feel Kia moving around behind me. She nips Jace's tail letting him know she’s ready. Kia is a bit more playful and relaxed than Ashleigh. I stay at the back of my mind and let Jace take the lead just watching through his eyes as he chases and plays with Kia.
Jace has more control when we are shifted but I still get to retain some control. Wolves are mostly instinct. In the past if the wolf has more control over the body than the human, they can turn feral especially if they don't have a mate to ground them. We’ve seen this happen when someone’s mate passed away or with a rejection. They lose their mind, and the wolf takes over.
It is rare to be rejected, and it is rare to not have a mate, especially more so nowadays since everyone knows about the supernatural and all the rules and laws around mates it makes it a lot easier to find your mate.
Kia and Jace run around for about 40 minutes to an hour. I think both of them enjoy being out in the open and at peace, with no responsibilities, no drama, and no issues.
It's just us.
At times like this I wish I wasn't the Alpha Heir, that I could just be a kid and be myself, and maybe our situation won't be as complicated. But at the end of the day, I'm still the Alpha. I have responsibilities, I have a pack, my dad, and everyone relying on me.
I have no idea how we are going to bring up the subject of moving forward when the time comes. I just hope my father won't make me reject her, I already like her so much and so does Jace. He would never choose someone else to replace Ashleigh, especially now that he has met Kia.
After a while of playing around in the trees, I tell Jace we need to head back so she can go home to her family. He grumbles but gives in, heading back in the direction of the house.
Ashleigh hides behind a tree and quickly gets changed while I just stand there getting changed in the open.
"Thanks for that, Kia loved it," she replies with a smile.
"Any time, so did Jace. Maybe next time it can be longer." I reply happily.
I lead her back through the cottage and to the front door.; "Don't you need any help cleaning up?" she asks.
"It's all good, all throw away, so it won't take any time at all."
She nods, opening the front door and turning around to face me. "Thanks for tonight. It was nice to just sit and chat."
I nod in response, agreeing with her. I move my hand closer to her testing the waters. Will she be comfortable with a goodnight kiss?
Her eyes keep darting to my lips as she moves her tongue along her bottom lip. This girl will be the death of me! I’m already supporting a semi and I am definitely going to have blue balls again tonight.
Or … was she going to hesitate again? Her cheeks blushed furious pink as my hand softly stroke her cheek. I love that I have that effect on her. Moving in slowly to kiss her I could feel the hesitation as I get closer.. As I am just about to reach her lips but she turns her head just enough for my lips to land on her cheek.
I could hear Jace chuckling, 'smooth.'
'Shut up,' I snap back. Damn, I guess she still isn't ready.
"I'll see you Monday!" She says, stepping out into the night.