Chapter Eleven
Ronny
Animals offered lots of opportunities for shifting to their employees and even guests of the club if they were in the know.
The cliff where I’d seen those shifters emerge the day I arrived was my favorite location, but the path down the cliff was quite steep, and I wanted Brach to get a look at it before agreeing to follow me down there.
“How do you feel about heights?” I asked as we were strolling out of the caves and toward the parking area.
“They don’t bother me,” he said. “Why?”
“Have you ever come out the kitchen door and seen the benches that are toward the back of the parking lot?”
“Yes, I have. It’s a nice place to sit and watch the desert below. There are so many animals and birds swooping past.”
“And some of them are actual animals and birds, but there are a fair number of shifters who take advantage of the path down and go run and play down there.” I guided him toward the top of the path. “Before you agree, take a look and see what you think.”
I had never considered myself to be afraid of heights, but the first couple of times I went down that path, I’d been a little nervous. But my mate? Brach walked right to the edge and looked over.
“That doesn’t seem so bad. Do you shift here or…oh, look. There’s a lion coming up. Shifter, you think?”
“Let’s hope so.” But I laughed. “Unless there’s been a zoo escape somewhere or a wildlife rescue, any lion coming up that path is going to be a shifter.
I’ve seen more bears than anything. Warren inherited this land.
His sleuth historically lived in the caves, and I understand they were much rougher before they redid them with all the modern conveniences. ”
“The apartment is very nice.”
“So, if you want to try walking down a little, or I can just shift here and you can see me that way.”
He smiled, his eyes sparkling. “I’m all in for going down into the canyon. I have wanted to go down there but wasn’t sure if it was safe.”
“You’re safe with me. As long as you’re okay with the path.”
“When I was a teenager, I did a lot of hiking and a little rock climbing.” He leaned over again. “I don’t think it will bother me.”
“Okay, then I’ll get ready and shift, then you can follow me down and see what my wolf likes to do.”
He gave a little bounce. “You’re so lucky to be a shifter with two separate forms. It is only two, right?”
“Yes. There are a few of us with more forms, but they are extremely rare. Why don’t you have a seat and watch me shift, if you’d like.” I pulled my shirt over my head. “My wolf is dying to meet you.”
“I want to meet him, too.” He took my shirt and folded it. “Just give me your clothes and I’ll make sure they don’t end up all wrinkled.”
“Thank you. That’s so kind.” Usually I just laid them over the back of the bench without much thought.
When shifting, if a person didn’t actually shred anything, they called it a win.
I handed him each item as I took them off, leaving my shoes side by side under the seat.
We’d just both been naked together, but shifting was a different kind of naked, and I didn’t know how to explain that to my mate who was watching me avidly.
Shifters didn’t ogle in this process…but mates were the exception, and my wolf was loving it.
“Okay, don’t be alarmed at what you observe.
If you’d rather just see the finished product, turn away.
” It could be a little startling for someone who didn’t grow up with it.
“I want to experience everything about you.”
Heart hammering, I nodded. If he freaked out and wanted nothing more to do with me, a life I’d never dreamed of having would evaporate before I’d even marked him.
He’d be free, but I never would. He’d gotten under my skin from the first call, and by the time I returned to the club, scenting him, I marched right into his arms and his bed.
Of course I was no virgin, but if I’d known the difference between sex with my mate and anyone else, I’d have saved the effort and waited. Searched for him everywhere until I found him and not wasted a moment of our life together.
“All right. I just don’t want to scare you.”
“You never could.” He sat on the bench. “Ready.”
I felt like I was on stage, performing, but my wolf shoved that thought right down. Time to meet our mate. For the first time since I was a teenager, he took over and shifted without waiting for me to agree. And it was fast.
A soft gasp from Brach, and I stood on all fours. “Oh, you’re magnificent.” He dropped to his knees and buried his face in our fur. “So beautiful. Such thick white fur.”
My wolf preened, standing perfectly still while our omega examined us in detail. He had something nice to say about every part of us, from our neat but razor-sharp claws to our perky ears and our bushy tail.
When he finished, we paraded down the trail to the desert floor, and my wolf showed off for a bit before we climbed back up and I shifted back.
“You really were comfortable with that trail,” I told him while dressing. “I’ve seen shifters who were nervous. It’s pretty narrow and has no railing or wall or anything on the outside.”
“It’s a steep drop,” he agreed. “But I love hiking. I wish we could do it together, but I’ll never be able to keep up with your wolf.”
“Oh, Brach. First of all, I also enjoy hiking but if it’s my wolf you’re with, he will pace you. He has no desire to leave you behind. He’s already crazy about you. He says you’re our mate.”
“I’ve heard some people talking about mates at the club. They say it’s like marriage but more?”
We stopped in the kitchen where there were pastries laid out for the staff members and grabbed a couple to take home with us.
Once we were on our own again, I explained more.
“Mates are more than a human marriage. They are forever, and separating is almost unheard of. We believe a true mate is a gift of Fate and extremely special.”
“Does every shifter have a true mate?” he asked.
“No. Not everyone.”
“And you believe I am yours? Your wolf thinks so too?”
“Yes.”
We arrived back at the room and went inside.
“Coffee?” I asked. “With our snack?”
“Thank you, yes. Should I make it?”
I laughed. “I was going to say I knew where everything was, but you know better than me. Let’s do it together.”
While we were putting the pastries on saucers and preparing the coffee, Brach asked, “What is marking?”
“The alpha bites the omega on the throat or shoulder and leaves a sort of scar that shows any shifters that they are bonded.”
“And the omega can’t mark the alpha?”
“They can if they like.”
He liked. We made love again and this time, I didn’t hold back. And after I marked him, while we were still bound by my knot, he returned the favor. His teeth were blunter, and tore a bit, but I would not have traded the ragged mark he left for diamonds.