We paused by a stream for a drink. A big log had fallen across the creek, and the way it was propped up against the far bank, it was partially off of the ground. I glanced at Will, who was still drinking, and I quickly scrambled up on top of the log. He raised his head and tilted his head as he gazed at me in curiosity.

I was now sitting on the log and was level with his head. I grinned at him, my face had not yet been level with his face in any form. He had been standing beside the log while drinking and hadn't moved yet. I knew I would never win a wrestling match with any wolf, let alone an Enforcer, but that didn't stop me from launching myself into a leap to land on his back.

I wasn't sure if he even felt the impact of my fifteen pound body as I landed on his shoulders. I did know that my toenails would be unable to even reach through the thick fur on his back, let alone scratch him. They did help me hang on as I grabbed a mouthful of fur and tugged side to side playfully. I felt his chuckling laugh underneath me as he flopped down to his stomach. He hit the ground with enough force to dislodge me.

I rolled onto the ground and twisted into a play bow with a wildly wagging tail before launching myself at his neck. His amusement rolled off of him in waves. I could only imagine what someone would have thought of our wildly unequal game. A nearly black wolf the size of a small horse being playfully attacked by a wolf the size of a cat. His head alone was almost as big as I was.

Will rolled onto his side as he gently mouthed my neck. I halfway climbed on top of his head to grab onto his ear. He twisted his head to the side and sent me rolling to the side. He rolled back onto his stomach as I charged forward again to try and wrap my forepaws around his muzzle while gently tugging on the loose fur on his cheek.

He raised a paw larger than my head and gently used it to pin me to the ground as he grinned at me. A rogue had once taught me how to get out of this particular position; it was a move that only worked for someone as small as a runt. I twisted my body in that special contortion and slid out behind the back of his paw before renewing my assault on the front of his neck. I could feel Will's surprise before his amusement and love overpowered the emotion.

With a chuckle, he dropped his head on me, effectively pinning me upside down. I wiggled a bit to the side, pushing against his neck to slide out until my head was lying on his forearm. I lay there on my back, panting in silent laughter. Will lifted his head to examine me as I used his foreleg as a pillow. He leaned down and gently licked underneath my chin. I wasn't that dirty from rolling around, but he proceeded to wash most of my fur anyways.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

It tickled. I squirmed and tried to make a break for it, but he used his paw to catch me and drag me towards him to wash my back. I could sense his amusement as he foiled my various escape attempts. He eventually let me go as his tongue rolled out the side of his mouth in silent laughter. I stood up and shook my damp fur to try and straighten it back out.

I may have smelled like the forest before, but now all I smelled like was Will. Even my nose couldn't pick up any trace of greenery in my scent. If he had planned to keep my mate status low on the radar for the next day or so, that had been blown right out of the water. Anyone who came within scenting distance of me would smell him on me with ease. It shouldn't surprise me that an Enforcer would ensure that any male who came near me would keep their distance as soon as they caught my scent.

I narrowed my eyes mischievously at him and skipped backwards a few steps until my feet were in the creek. With a hard swipe the water, some water droplets flew into Will's face. He jerked back in surprise, and I took that as my chance to jump over the tiny creek and make a run for it.

I forgot to take his speed as an Enforcer into account. Mere seconds later, Will loomed over me and gently grabbed me by the scruff of my neck as he picked me up off the ground mid-stride. He was being gentle, so his hold didn't hurt. He proceeded to show off his speed as the forest blurred by us.

He launched over logs and obstacles with ease; those huge jumps left me slightly scared in a way that the tree highway never had. I had never traveled at such speeds before, and I could tell he wasn’t going at his top speed either. It had taken us several hours to get out to where we had met the sentry, and we covered the same amount of distance in under fifteen minutes. He slowed as he reached the edge of the forest and put me down.

Our fast run had dried my fur, although his scent had dried into it. Simply rubbing against a few plants was not going to mute it any either. I shifted forms and stretched before draping an arm over Will's furry neck. It wasn't the easiest since his shoulders were still higher in wolf form than mine were.

He leaned lightly against my side, and I ran my one hand through his fur absentmindedly as we gazed at the town ahead of us. It was a small place, maybe eight or nine small blocks of stores and offices, most of which were very likely small family-owned businesses. It was about average for a pack of this size.

Will shifted to his human form and put his arm around my shoulder. We stood there for a bit longer before heading into the town.