Bailey’s eyeglasses are on the rug with a bunch of rose petals.
The pup yips and wags her tail.
“Bailey?” I say again and hold my hand out.
She ignores my hand and yelps at the steak on the rug, then turns to the unopened container of food and noses the lid open. This one is also steak, a smaller tenderloin, loaded baked potato, and green beans. Bailey’s wolf goes right for the steak and yanks it out of the container, dropping it on the bed.
“Shit,” I mutter, then laugh as she pushes this one with her nose and yips at it, looking down at the rare steak on the rug.
She launches herself from the bed and tumbles twice on the rug before she pauses on her back.
She yips a high-pitched sound before she lunges and lands on four paws, going for the bigger, rare steak. I reach for it so I can cut it for her, butshit– she catches my hand with her tiny teeth, drawing blood.
“Rrr.” She warns, baring those little teeth diving in with intent to scarf the meat down before I can steal it.
I watch her for a minute, then snatch her up by the scruff, lifting her up in the air, examining her.
“Arf!” She licks the air as if licking me.
“Holy shit, this is fuckin’ funny.”
She was pissed she lost the big, rare steak and wanted nothing to do with the smaller, non-bloody one.
She stretches her neck and belts out the cutest little howl I’ve ever heard.
I sit on the edge of the bed and set her on my lap, running my fingers through the soft fur on her back. She scampers, putting both front paws on my chest, stretching up so she can lick my face.
“I suspect your little wolf isn’t mature enough to understand anything but food right now.”
She licks my hand now, cleaning up the droplets of blood she just spilled from me, wagging her tail.
I laugh again because a mating night between two wolf shifters often includes the exchange of blood on both sides. I had no idea going into this that Bailey would be consuming my blood tonight, too.
She’s sniffing the air now, about to hop off my lap and I suspect she’s ready to explore the house in her four-pawed new state, but I grip the scruff of her neck a little more firmly.
“Bailey,” I look into her eyes. “Shift!”
The tiny wolf quickly becomes my mate who is now naked and on my lap with very wide eyes.
“What in the fuckity fuck, Jase?” she exclaims.
I wrap my arms around her nude body and bust up laughing. “You’ve got a wolf after all, Bay.”
“I shifted!”
I laugh some more.
“I shifted, Jase!” she exclaims excitedly before she bursts into tears.
My arms wrap tighter around her, and I kiss her quick, saying, “It’s okay. Don’t be upset. This is good news, isn’t it?”
“It’s the best news, Jase,” she cries. “This is happy-crying. That’s the pup I’ve been hearing! I thought maybe it was our child but, but…”
“Breathe, baby.”
Her heart is racing and her body’s shaking.
Out of nowhere, purring comes from my chest.