THREE

Val's pov

*TWO DAYS BEFORE THE RUNNING*

"I have to be back early in the morning to help prepare for the Running." Ozzie murmured to me as we walked back home from my shift at border patrol.

My steps faltered and I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. My wolf wanted to force out a growl, but I held her back. We didn't like that he would be leaving. He was finally starting to grow on me, and the imprint bond was becoming much more evident to me and my wolf. He stopped walking and turned to me with a look of worry.

"What's wrong?" He murmured to me, taking a step closer and examining my body to see if I was hurt.

"Nothing, I just... will I see you at the Running?" I said after a moment, not wanting him to know that I wanted him to stay here with me.

"Is that what you're worried about? Of course, I'll be there," one of his signature grins plastered over his face and he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I allowed this to happen and placed my hands on his chest as I looked up at him. "I plan to chase you through the forest and then let everyone know that you're mine at the banquet." A smirk played at his lips and his eyes flashed red for a moment before he took over.

"Oh," I felt my heart flutter a little at the thought of him catching me in our wolf forms. I never thought I would be the one to be interested in that. "I guess I'm okay with that then." I mumbled under my breath.

"Val," he placed his free hand on my cheek and I almost had to hold my breath at how intently he was watching me. "Do you mind if tonight... Can we go run in our wolf forms?"

I didn't expect that to come out of his mouth. I thought about it over my head. My wolf was eager to come out and meet him finally and I would like to go for a run. "Sure, let's go to the house so I can grab an extra pair of clothes to change into; then we can head out."

His smile brightens at my reply, but he doesn't pull away from me just yet. His hand trails down my cheek and his thumbs slides gently along my bottom lip. I simply stared at him, barely holding my wolf back and controlling my emotions of want for him. His eyes were staring at my lips hungrily before he slowly looked up at my face.

He was waiting for me to stop him, and finally I mustered the strength to push him away. He took a step back and let out a grumble before we began walking our way back to the house. Once we made it in, we went upstairs and I grabbed a pair of shorts and a sports bra before changing in the bathroom.

When I came out, Ozzie took one look at me and had an angry scowl on his face. It looked cute, and non-threatening. "What are you wearing? I don't want the other guys to-"

"Ozzie, I've lived around these people my whole life. This is normal shifting attire," I said to him with a look before I moved past him. He let out a scoff but followed me outside to the back area. I pulled him towards the wooded backyard and traveled a little further in before I turned to him. "I'm going to go behind that tree-" I pointed at a big oak tree nearby, "-and shift then I'll come out."

I walk over to the tree and take off my clothes before I let my body shift into my wolf. It felt good to be out like this, I felt more free. My wolf tried to take control, but I held her back. I couldn't have her mating with Ozzie just yet. I needed more time.

I walked out from behind the tree, seeing the familiar auburn fur of Ozzie. My wolf reached out once again and I held her back, just barely. He looked me over and began to trot over to me. I held still and eyed him cautiously, although I could see he had control of himself. He was even wagging his tail.

'You are perfect, my mate,' he said in a mindlink to me as he rubbed against my fur, digging his head into my neck and inhaling my scent. I took this moment to lean up and inhale the scent of his neck, breathing in his musky scent of rain and Earth. I couldn't get enough of it.

After a moment of us just taking each other in, we began to take a walk through the woods. With the sun going down, it was close to the perfect time to be out in these forms. 'Is this a sneak peak of what's to come at the Running?' I asked him.

'I expect there to be a lot more running involved, and possibly marking,' he said with a little chuckle. I had a thought, why not really make this like a sneak peak?

'I expect it to go something like - this,' I said before I darted off through the woods without giving him any warning. I heard him growl from behind me before taking off. He was quick, but I knew these woods better than him and my wolf was smaller so I could dart around more easily.

It felt great to run through the trees, small shimmers of the moons' light shining through the leaves. This felt right to me.

After a few moments I decided to slow down a tiny bit. Little did I know that Ozzie would be tackling me to the ground. I let out a growl and looked up at him, seeing his dark red eyes staring at me hungrily. My wolf pushed once again to get out, but I didn't relent and stayed still under Ozzie. He growled again before sticking his head in my neck and he began to nip lightly at my skin, the crevasse where he would mark me.

As his nips became more harsher, I wondered if I'd be able to stop him from marking me. 'Ozzie,' I said through our mindlink and he froze above me, letting out a few small growls as he took control of his wolf. I was relieved that it didn't get any farther. I did enjoy it, as well as my wolf, but I still didn't think it was the right time.

After a few more moments Ozzie got off of me, moving to lay beside me and nuzzle into me. 'You stopped me before I could get to the fun part.' I could imagine him pouting in my mind and inwardly smiled at that, laying my head beside his.

We had a lovely view of a small pond, where a few frogs and other small creatures hopped around. We stayed like that, just talking to each other about nothing and everything for a few more hours before we made our way back and shifted closer to the house and went back home.

He held my hand as we went upstairs and I let him, feeling the bond growing stronger with every moment we interact. Soon, I'm sure he'd be all that I think about.

I pulled him into my room and glanced down at his makeshift bed on the ground. I almost wanted to offer him to sleep in the bed with me, but pushed those thoughts away as I grabbed my pajamas and got changed in the bathroom. Once I came out, I already saw him lying on the ground.

I made my way over to the bed and laid down, letting my hand fall off the side of the bed. On cue, his hand found mine and he held it. We had been doing this the past few nights and it comforted me. "Do you want to sleep up here tonight?"

I'm not sure if it was me that said it, or if my wolf forced it out of my mouth, but I wasn't taking it back. He didn't hesitate to climb onto the bed and cuddle into me, wrapping his arm around my waist and holding me as close as he possibly could to him.

"Okay, casanova, just don't let those hands wander," I warn him, but he's already sticking his head in my neck.

"You make me so happy," he murmured into my skin, making me shiver. He didn't acknowledge what I said, but I trusted him to not try anything without my permission. Instead, I found my fingers playing with the ends of his hair, subconsciously pulling him closer as he placed gentle kisses on my neck. I was tired, yes, but I still had the urge to have his lips on mine.

He tensed his body and brought his lips up, slowly trailing along my skin before he placed one kiss on my cheek. I could see the want in his eyes as he glanced down at my lips, and I did the same to him.

"Can I-" I cut him off as I pressed my lips against his, both of us aggressively sucking and nipping at each other, almost like we had both been holding ourselves from doing this. I didn't know how badly I wanted him. I could feel the overwhelming emotions course through me and it took all of my strength to pull away from his lips.

His hands tightened on my hips and he growled as he looked down at me. I could see the fight between him and his wolf and that he wanted to take it farther but was stopping himself. He finally gained control and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

I let out a sigh and rested my head on his chest. Now that that is over. I was going to sleep. As I fell asleep, I voiced a concern I had been thinking about all afternoon. "Please don't leave." He didn't reply, but I felt him hold onto me tighter while I drifted to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up and he was already gone, leaving me alone cold in the bed.