Hunting Wolf: Black Mesa Wolves #3 by J.K. Harper

joyful howl, then another. She sped around a tree, leapt onto a boulder, then bounced off it sideways to land full throttle, still stretched out racing. Her tongue lolled out as she put on another burst of speed, pulling ahead of him even farther.
    Caleb easily loped to catch up to her. He bumped her hip with his. She shoulder checked him, then cackled with wolfish glee as he stumbled a bit in surprise.
    “Gotcha!” The triumph in her voice held such giddy joy in the moment he felt it spreading over to him as well.
    “Oh, yeah? Catch me now if you can!”
    He barreled past her, hearing his own paws thud on the ground as he banked hard right to shoot past her. They raced through ferns, played tag around the base of a huge ponderosa pine tree, and practiced stalking and pouncing.
    “Ha!” Rielle barked with laughter when she managed to get Caleb to trip over his own tail as he twisted in mad circles trying to catch her. She grinned at him, teeth gleaming. Her thrilled attitude was contagious.
    She was light and quick on her paws, bubbling over with giddy excitement. Caleb felt himself loosen and relax with every passing moment he spent in the company of this playful, almost silly wolf. She was and wasn't Rielle—which was confusing. The indecisive, cautious Rielle he knew as a human was still there, but this Rielle as a wolf was her and so much more. It was as if in wolf form, Rielle was more herself than he'd seen in a long time.
    She's happy like this. His human's voice was thoughtful. She's letting her true self out.
    Caleb liked it. A lot.
     
    ~
     
    Three, two, one... pounce. Rielle giggled again as she leapt out at Caleb from behind a fragrant mountain mahogany. As if propelled by pogo sticks instead of legs, he leapt straight up in the air, yipping with mock alarm. He zagged to her zigs, then pounced back.
    She took off again, loping clean and easy through the trees, weaving around them with a grace and ease she'd nearly forgotten she possessed. The feel of the breeze ruffling through her coat stirred all her senses as it flung the mountain scents to her sensitive nose. The rich earth combined with the summer-happy smells of green growing things reminded her she was a part of it: she, too, was wild. Wild was good. This was her home, this was where she belonged.
    They raced and rolled and tumbled and mock battled throughout the sprawling property. Rielle's human stayed mostly quiet in her mind, but it was a peaceful, appreciative quiet. Woman and wolf ran together in a harmony she'd forced away for some silly, unknown human reason. This was so much better. She had to remember this. She must.
    Eventually, they tired out and padded slowly back to their clothes. Rielle breathed in the deep scents of the forest as they walked, committing each exquisite individual odor to memory. She would not allow her human to forget this again so easily. Running without care, without burden, was part of her.
    I know, her human whispered. I do remember. This is me.
    Rielle slipped back into her human form with some regret. She pulled the simple sundress she'd worn earlier back over her head, tugging it down into place. However, she left off her bra and panties. Who really cared? No one at the den cared about her underclothes. Her skin felt deliciously sensitive as the satiny fabric of the dress whispered against it.
    Turning to watch Caleb shift from his brawny huge wolf back to his brawny huge human was a calmer experience than the opposite shift had been earlier. After he gained his human form again, she admired it for a long moment, feeling the mix of human/wolf appreciation of him without feeling any uneasiness about how close her wolf still stayed near the surface. Feeling light and effortless, she stood in the lengthening sunlight, head thrown back. Letting her eyes close, she allowed the smells of her home to drift to her vastly inferior human nose. Although all her senses were sharper than a mere human's, they still fell far