Page 4 of Mated By Sunrise

His wolf reveled in the freedom, the sheer joy of running with no purpose other than to let go. His paws pounded against the earth. His breath came in deep, steady bursts. The trees blurred around him as he leapt over fallen logs, dodging branches with instinctual precision.

Then he caught the scent. Familiar. Pack.

The other wolf joined him. Its fur was a sleek mix of brown and gray. They ran side by side, their wolves moving in sync, chasing each other through the woods. There was no need for words, no need for explanations. Here, in the wild, they were free of the complications that tangled their human lives. Here, they could just be.

They played, darting between trees, weaving around each other, testing their speed and strength. Caleb’s wolf let out a playful growl, nipping at the other wolf's flank as they dashed through the underbrush. The other wolf responded with a snarl, quickening its pace.

As the sun began to set and the moon rose higher in the sky, Caleb felt the familiar pull of the man inside, wanting to take the reins. Slowly, he made his way back toward the hotel. Caleb shifted, finding his pile of clothes and slipping them on, his skin still humming with the residual energy of the run.

The hotel room was quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight spilling in through the window. Caleb left the door open as he entered, his breath still uneven from the exertionof the run. Moments later, the soft click of clawed paws on the forest floor approached. He didn’t turn as he heard the shift behind him, the familiar sound of bones cracking and skin stretching.

Then there she was.

Rochelle walked into the room, her hair tousled, cheeks flushed from the run. She was still catching her breath, but there was a wildness in her eyes, a spark that hadn’t been there earlier.

Caleb’s heart was usually a slow, steady rhythm that he could control. But not tonight. Not after the run through the woods. Not after feeling the undeniable pull of the bond that tethered him to Rochelle, no matter how far she tried to distance herself.

Rochelle's gaze met his. Her eyes—those eyes that always managed to undo him—locked on to his. There was no hesitation in her gaze. No guarded wall of independence she’d worked so hard to maintain. Not here. Not now.

The calm façade Caleb had worn for years—the mask of patience, of quiet waiting—slipped. The knot of restraint he’d carefully tied to keep his wolf in check loosened with every step she took toward him. His senses flared with the scent of her skin, earthy and wild from their run, mixed with the faintest hint of lavender from whatever soap she used. It was intoxicating.

He didn’t speak. There were no words that could cover the depth of what he felt. No words that could convey the pull that had kept him tethered to her, silently waiting, even when she turned away from the bond. But tonight… tonight, his patience was gone.

In one swift motion, he crossed the room and pulled her to him. Her soft gasp filled the air as their bodies collided. The heat between them was unbearable. He felt the rise and fall of her chest against his. The rapid beat of her pulse matched his own. For a heartbeat, they stood frozen, inches apart, eyes locked.

And then it broke.

They rushed each other. Mouths met in a desperate, hungry kiss. It was chaos and fire and need all wrapped in one. It was years of tension and longing bursting through in a single, explosive moment. His hands tangled in her hair, fingers threading through the wild strands as he pulled her closer, pressing her to him as if he could fuse their bodies together.

Rochelle's hands clutched at his shirt, pulling him toward her like she’d been waiting for this just as long as he had. There was no hesitation in her movements. No walls. No distance. Just raw need.

Caleb groaned low in his throat, deepening the kiss. His wolf surged beneath his skin. The bond flared between them, hot and electric, crackling with a force neither of them could control. It pulsed in every cell of his body, the connection that had always been there but was now impossibly strong, undeniable.

He backed her up against the wall, the sharp sound of her back hitting the wood sending a jolt through him. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she pulled him closer. Her fingers curled into his shoulders. Her nails dug into his skin as if she feared letting go.

Their kiss was frantic, all-consuming, the years of pent-up desire spilling out in waves. Every touch, every brush of lips and skin, was a wordless confession—I’ve waited for you. I’ve always been yours.

Beneath the rush of adrenaline, there was something more. Something deeper. The bond. It was always there, simmering beneath the surface. But tonight it roared to life, wrapping around them both and pulling them together in a way that was so much more than physical. It was primal, instinctual, a connection that had been written into their souls long before either of them had the chance to deny it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Rochelle padded into the hotel room. Her body was still humming with energy from the run. The full moon's glow seeped through the windows, a reminder of the wild freedom she'd just experienced. Her senses remained heightened, attuned to every sound and scent.

Only with Caleb did she feel safe enough to let her wolf run free like this. Only far from prying eyes, in a town where no one knew them. Only when the moon hung fat and luminous in the night sky.

Before Rochelle could fully push the door closed, Caleb's lips crashed into hers. Or had she moved first? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered but the fierce hunger of his kiss.

His tongue plunged into her mouth, mimicking another intimate act that she had only experienced with him. When they were younger and he'd kissed her there, she had first felt the wildness in her. Still, only with him. Rochelle moaned, overwhelmed by the assault on her senses.

"Caleb," she gasped between kisses. "I need?—"

"I know," he growled, nipping at her lower lip. "I need it, too."

Rochelle's head spun. The lingering wildness from their run, combined with Caleb's passionate onslaught, left her dizzy with desire. She clung to him, returning his kisses with the same intensity."

Suddenly, Rochelle felt her back slam against the wall. Caleb's quiet demeanor had vanished. It was replaced by raw, animalistic need. His hands, usually so gentle, now gripped her hips with bruising force.

"Caleb," she gasped, her voice a mixture of surprise and arousal.