Sapphire.

I heard him behind me, his steady footfalls gaining on me quickly.
I knew that he had the upper hand on me now and the only way I would gain leverage against him was to shift.
Moments later a sleek Gray-silver wolf stood in my place.
I darted easily in and out of the trees and brush hoping that my pursuer wasn’t close.
A part of me was afraid of what he would do if he caught me, the other WANTED him to catch me.
I ran like a wolf possessed, though if anything so much as THOUGHT of demonizing me, my father would turn it to dust.
I heard an eerie howl from behind me.
The owner was signifying that the chase was on. And that I didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.

*Gabe’s POV*

Neither me or my wolf expected her to change.
Nor did we expect the reaction our body had when we saw her sleek silvery wolf.
Damn, she was beautiful.
She is MINE.
And I am going to damn well make sure she knows it.
Bones cracked and creaked as I shifted into my black wolf form.
I let out an eerie howl upon changing fully, making sure she knew that the chase was on, and that I WOULD catch her.
I sniffed the air and caught her scent.
She smelled so fucking good.
My wolf growled in agreement.
“Go! Get her!” my wolf forcefully commanded.
Moments later my wolf was darting through the undergrowth after her scent, going as quiet as our large body would allow.
My wolf felt like surprising her.
I sniffed the air around me once more, catching Phire’s sweet scent as she darted through the forest.
But another scent was mixed with hers.
Wolf.
MALE wolf.
Oh, hell no.
I darted through faster throughout the forest, the thought of another male going anywhere near MY Phire had me snarling.
I burst through the undergrowth into a meadow.
In the middle of it was a cornered Phire against a tree and a large brown wolf staring at her.
Well, he wasn’t s big as me, per se, but he was still larger than Phire.
Well, now that I mention it, EVERYONE is larger than Phire.
He was speaking softly to her, but I wasn’t close enough to hear what he was saying.
That was about to change.
I crept so that I was in hearing distance.
“Hey, baby. Your in heat. I could help with that.” He flirted-badly-with a lick of his chops.
“Ummm. That’s quite alright. I have got somebody to…help.” Phire’s little voice was so small.
I hated to hear her like this and I damn well was going to kill anyway who made her that way.
I growled in warning at that large brown wolf.
His head turned towards me and he turned, his stance protective in front of Phire.
Protecting her?
Who does this faggot think he is?
“Step away from my mate.” My command was deadly calm.
His voice quaked when he spoke again, “Mate? I’m so sorry! I had no idea!”
“Get away from her.”
He jumped away like his tail was on fire.
He bolted into the woods.
I quickly ran over to Phire, enfolding her in a hug.
“You okay, sweetie?”
“Yeah. I…just…can’t…breath.”
I quickly pulled back.
“Sorry. You’re just so tiny!”
She blushed adorably.
Hell, she was always adorable.
Her body was soft against mine and I reveled in its feel.
It was like she was made for me, and according to the Fates, she was.
“Sapphire?”
Her beautiful green eyes gazed at me curiously.
“Yeah, Gabe?”
“I am going to kiss you.”
She gulped cutely.
She’s killing me with cuteness, really.
I bent down and captured her lips with my own.
She had no experience-if she did I would have killed the bastard-but I was a willing teacher.
Her response was tentative at first but slowly she came into the rhythm.
I nibbled my way to her pale neck, peeking at me from the modest neckline of her T-shirt.
“Phire?”
“Hmmm?”
“I’m going to mark you.”
I never expected her to say yes but it tickled me to no end when she did.
But it’s what she added to it that pleased me the most.
“I love you, Gabe.”
The sincerity of her declaration was branded to my heart forever.
“I love you ,too, Phire.”
For the first time in my life, I love someone and someone loves me.
And I will NEVER let her go.