---
They ran next to each other, their paws pattering over the soft ground that was still damp from recent rain. The scent of deer stuck to the clean moisture-saturated air, and they came to stop and sniffed the breeze. Mike turned to Julia and barked at her. He tossed his head to the left and slunk down, creeping through the trees.
They came through the trees and found a deer with blood leaking out of a bite on its left hind leg. Julia tensed, ready to spring, when the deer's ears perked up and caught their scent. But it was too late. As the deer got ready to spring away, Mike charged into it and ripped into its underbelly. The deer bleated weakly as Mike quickly put an end to it.
After eating their fill of the hot meat from the deer, they lay next to each other and licked the blood from their fur and muzzles. Mike then got up and looked at her intensely, his body warping as he began changing back to human form. While he lay back on the ground, panting from the change, Julia started her own change back to human.
"I don't know what's happening Julia, but I can feel this urge. I don't know how to describe it. It's a different feeling from the burn of the moon fever. It feels more powerful," said Mike.
"I can feel it too This moon is like our first together, but more intense," said Julia, creeping closer to him.
When Julia brushed against him he shuddered and moaned. "Oh god, the wolf wants something desperately."
"Mine does too, and she's ready to take it," purred Julia. She surprised him and launched herself at him, digging her jaws against his neck. Mike bucked under her as she brushed against his groin, feeling his hardness ready for her.
Mike groaned as Julia let go and pushed her tongue down his throat, bucking against her again as she struggled to hold him in place. Mike broke their kiss and growled, "My turn."
He tossed her off him, and lunged at her when she tried to slide away from him. He locked her writhing and bucking body under him, and clamped his jaws securely over her neck while she twisted and writhed under him, trying to get out from under him. She moaned as Mike rubbed a finger across her throbbing bud.
Mike released his hold on her neck, and then plunged his tongue down her throat, devouring her mouth. He lifted his hips and thrust himself deep inside her writhing form. She cried out into his kiss as the pleasure blasted through her. Mike broke their kiss and growled huskily, grasping her hips. Julia knew what was to come, and her wolf waited eagerly for her mate to proceed. She grasped his hips as he began sliding in and out of her quickly as he could manage.
"I know what it is now Mike. Our wolves have mated together. I think this is their way of getting us to accept that and let this happen. My wolf is all eager and wants this to continue," panted Julia huskily as Mike thrust into her.
"Yes, that must be it. It feels as though I have no control over this. My wolf is being very forceful and wants to do this so much," panted Mike as he slammed into her.
"It's got to be a mating bond of some kind," gasped Julia as Mike slammed into her. Mike was past the capacity for speech and growled, slamming into her harder and faster, grasping her hips tightly. Julia cried out and dug her nails into his back. Mike leaned forward and grasped her mouth in a deep kiss as he slammed into her. Their eyes seared into each other's as their orgasms crested and broke over them. They howled out into the night as a bright glow surrounded their bodies.
They gasped as the light passed through them both, and then there was a flash as they collapsed against each other. They lay panting against each other, unable to move as they were suddenly aware of what each other was feeling and thinking. "Wow," panted Mike.
"This feels amazing. Now I know why my wolf was so eager for it to happen," said Julia.
"Yeah, my wolf does feel different now. Somehow he feels really happy," said Mike.
"It's strange that they can feel emotion so strong when they aren't completely real and are a part of us," said Julia.
"I know. Let's rest up bit before we head back," said Mike. He kissed her softly as she laid her head on his sweat-sheened chest.
---
They lay in a moonlight illuminated clearing in the forest, Julia's head resting contentedly on Mike's sweat-sheened chest "We should be able to reach San Francisco in another two nights. We need to see what's available so we can go look for suitable accommodation," said Mike huskily. Julia groaned. "That would be nice." She rolled off him, looked at him hotly, and then growled. Mike growled back at her and was ready to lunge onto her when his ears picked up sounds coming from the trees surrounding them. Mike got up and growled.
"What is it Mike?" asked Julia as she heard the sounds.
"Change Julia. We've got company," growled Mike as he fell to the ground. His body began shifting as his thick black fur coat burst out of his skin in rippling waves.
Several shapes began emerging from the trees into the light of the clearing, illuminating several large wolves, multi-colored, from pale blonde to ebony black. With many more pairs of eyes glinting at them from the darkness of the trees, a massive wolf with a shaggy brown coat stepped out in front of the assembled wolves and snarled viciously at Mike.
Mike stared the wolf in the eyes and growled at him. The brown wolf's eyes glinted menacingly, then it lunged forward and slammed into Mike, digging its jaws into Mike's shoulder. Mike yelped and threw off the attacking wolf, dodging his snapping jaws.
Julia stood back in her wolf form and watched warily, knowing that if the brown wolf got the best of Mike she would step in.
Mike turned and latched his jaws onto the other wolf's back leg, and it yelped and kicked at Mike. Mike just dug his jaws in deeper, ignoring the pain coming from his nose and shoulder as he determinedly held his grip on the wolf's leg. The blood began to run down his throat and almost made him gag and choke.
With another powerful thrust, the wolf knocked Mike away from him and limped as his injured leg dragged on the ground. He launched at Mike again and sank his teeth into his chest. Mike yelped as the wolf dragged its jagged teeth down, slicing up his chest. When the wolf's jaws released him, he spun around and charged the wolf directly. He backed up, hoping to avoid Mike's charge, but Mike slammed head-on into the wolf.
Though dazed, he quickly recovered and went for his neck. Disorientated from the unexpected attack, he was unprepared for Mike's front claws digging into his chest and pushing him up, exposing his neck and allowing Mike's jaws to grasp him around the throat.
The wolf struggled against Mike's neck hold, but was unable to shake him, and he began to weaken as the blood flowed from his neck. The wolves tensed as they watched their alpha's life fading away. There were howls from the trees as the wolf fell against Mike limply.
Mike released his hold on the dead wolf and looked up at the other wolves, snarling at them, his eyes glinting dangerously. They backed away unsteadily, and then fled once they got to the trees.
Julia came over to her mate and licked the blood off his muzzle. She brushed her tongue through his thick blood-matted fur, cleaning his wounds. She nudged him and then raced off into the forest, and he followed her with a slight limp.
---
"That was interesting," said Mike as they collapsed into bed together in the motel room they had booked.
