Isaac woke the following morning from the best sleep he could recall having to find that they had shifted during the night and Cass had spooned into his front with his arm over her side, her deliciously firm rump pressed back against his morning wood.
'I can't think of a better way to wake up than with the love of my life in my arms. God damn I feel like a king.'
He lay there with a contented smile, breathing in the fruity shampoo scent of her hair splayed out in front of him. Some time later after having dozed off again he was woken by Cass shifting and rolling over, he sleepily cracked an eye open to find her softly smiling face on the pillow bare inches away, her crystal blue eyes sparkled in the soft morning light filtering through the blinds.
"I'll never get tired of waking up to your beautiful smile, Cass." He mumbled happily.
Her soft smile shifted into a sardonic smirk as she replied, "I'll never get tired of waking up with that monster stuffed between my butt cheeks."
They both chuckled quietly at that, exchanging a sweet gentle kiss before Cass tossed back the covers and padded quietly to the bathroom.
Isaac got up and did some stretches, and went through a slow series of movements he'd honed over the last several years in a martial arts gym near his university.
He enjoyed the challenge of balance and control in executing those movements at a glacial pace, for him it was as good as a coffee to wake him up. Not that he would forgo his morning caffeine fix, but all the same it got him warmed up and ready to face the day.
He initially started at the gym as a way to burn off some energy, his preference would be to find somewhere to shift and run but since there were very limited places to do that in the built up area near his school he'd sought out other options. Given that fighting arts had a pivotal place in shifter society it was an obvious choice.
He was going to miss that gym, the mixed martial arts coaches and even a couple of their semi-pro fighters there had become good friends over the years.
That was especially true of the muay thai specialist coach Datu Alviso, a Filipino man of deceptively diminutive stature who had mentored him closely after seeing what he considered to be Isaacs poor form at the heavy bag.
As a shifter Isaac was stronger and faster than pretty much everyone in that gym, including the aspiring pro fighters, but Datu had quickly put paid to any delusions of grandeur he may have developed.
The little man happily took several bare knuckled strikes to the abdomen from Isaac without breaking a sweat to show him just how important proper form and shifting of weight was.
To be honest Isaac had grown addicted to the challenge of honing his technique, and while he had no interest in fighting competitively, after working with Datu for several months he did step up to spar and train with some of the guys and girls who were on that track.
His strength, speed and stamina, not to mention his ability to take a big hit, made Isaac a suitable whetstone for those aspiring fighters and he ended up working out an arrangement with the gym where he trained basically for free in exchange for a certain amount of time in the ring with their fighters.
It was a win-win arrangement since his shifter resilience gave the fighters a solid sparring partner who they didn't have to pull punches for, and he got near free access to high quality gym facilities and coaching along with plenty of ring time to hone his craft against talented opponents.
As he worked through his forms he didn't immediately notice his future wife leaning against the doorway and watching him with a grin, not until he stepped into a high kick and balanced on one foot slowly executing the leg extension at head height as he was interrupted by a rather unfeminine snort.
He lowered his foot and turned to her with a playful scowl, "What's so funny Miss Sherman?"
"Oh honey, you looked so serious and focused, then when you raised your leg like that your dick flopped out of your boxers, I couldn't help it!" She snickered and stepped forward to put both hands on his chest and nuzzle into the crook of his neck.
As he wrapped his arms around her he considered that mental image for a moment, then chuckled, yeah that was pretty funny.
Cass sighed into his shoulder and slipped her arms under his and around to his back, then lifted her head for a kiss, her sweet little pecks of affection made his heart feel light and free.
"We should throw a couple bags of clothes and stuff in the car. If the girls are okay with us staying a while it would save us a trip back." Cass said while patting his cheek affectionately and drawing his attention to their plans for the day.
They were going to drive out to the Whitepaw pack lands and meet the Wintergreen sisters, and he was more than a little anxious about how it would all play out. He grabbed that anxiety by the scruff of its neck and tossed it away. He reminded himself that what happens, happens, and Cass would be with him throughout. He had no doubts that whatever the outcome of their meeting, he had a beautiful life to look forward to with her at his side.
"Cass, will you marry me? I don't have a ring yet, or I'd be down on one knee right now, I promise you I'll get one as soon as I can but I don't want to go another minute without being able to call you my fiancee."
Cass' eyes shimmered with unshed tears, "Of course I will Zack, I'm yours."
They embraced for a long time, holding each other tightly, and only broke apart when Isaacs phone beeped an alarm.
"Time to get ready I guess. Let's go meet your potential wives wolf boy." Cass playfully jabbed at him.
Zack ran his hand through her hair and placed his palm on her cheek, kissing her gently, then smirked and responded, "one down, two to go." she swatted at his chest with a false scowl and they both set about packing their things.
_________
It was a beautiful day, the blue skies broken up by a handful of wispy clouds, a gentle breeze blew a strand of Cass' hair across her face as she sat eating her burger at the picnic table beside Isaac.
They'd been driving for a couple hours, chatting like old friends and holding hands like the new lovers they were.
They had stopped for fuel and lunch in this little town as it was the last stop before the reserve that housed the Whitepaw pack lands. They were ahead of schedule and decided to enjoy some sun in a small park as they ate.
Cass leaned against his shoulder and asked, "You nervous, honey?"
"Mmm, yeah, a little. Not about meeting them, but what comes after. It's a minefield of expectations. The potential for new relationships, the political stuff reviving the pack and managerial concerns of running the pack businesses too. It's just a lot.
"I got a feel for the pack businesses from the documents the lawyer gave us, and it seems they're in good shape and pretty self-sufficient, but it's a multimillion dollar portfolio and I'm not exactly a business major."
Cass wiped her hands clean on a napkin before interlacing her fingers with his free hand, "I'll help where I can, I don't have any real world experience but I did more than a few business subjects in my marketing degree.
You're not doing it alone. Besides, the girls may know a thing or two about how to run the pack businesses since their mum has been doing it the last 15 years. Who knows, she might have taught them all about it."
"I hope so, gorgeous. It'd be nice to have someone in the know, I'm worried we'll be flying blind."
"Let's get going handsome, the sooner we get there the less time you have to worry."
As they drove out of town the landscape quickly shifted from houses and small farms to rolling woodlands and meadows with the occasional small mountain, it was picturesque countryside to say the least.
The turn off was marked with a single sign for "Whitepaw Lodge", a single lane bitumen road winding up a wooded rise.
After a short while the road turned to well packed gravel and ended in a large circular loop next to a two story wood lodge building with a wraparound deck and a wide open grassy area off to one side.
Pulling up to the lodge Isaac sent off a message to the sisters letting them know they'd arrived.
Isaac slipped his hand into Cass' and she interlaced their fingers with a small smile.
They wandered for a few minutes to check the place out, enjoying the light breeze that crossed the grassy area, before finding a set of comfortable wicker chairs tucked on the deck next to the lodge.
The lodge itself was locked up, the windows covered in earthy coloured blinds and from what little he could see through the gaps the furniture was covered with drop sheets inside, it seemed the building was not currently being put to any use but it looked to be in good condition, well maintained at least.
Isaacs ears picked up the sound of running feet barely a second before a sleek dark-grey and tan wolf streaked into the clearing across from them at a run.
Isaac was on his feet in a moment, his instincts kicking in hard at this unknown wolf racing toward them. It took him a couple seconds to consciously overcome the growl that had started in his chest with a deep breath, obviously this was one of the sisters he was here to meet coming to guide them.
As the wolf slowed to a stop ten or so meters from the deck Isaac found himself appreciating her sleek form, her fur looked almost a metallic dark grey, the brown over her shoulders rich, thick and luxurious.
Instead of shifting as he expected the wolf simply cocked her head slightly before turning towards his car and taking a few steps, then looking back at them over her shoulder.
The look was dripping with sass, and quickly getting the message Isaac and Cass got back in his car and followed after the wolf who led them to a dirt path and further into the woodland.
A short drive later a beautiful, and quite large, wood cabin came into view with an expansive covered deck beside a pool bracketed on the far side by a three walled bali hut with log walls and a grass roof.
Standing at the open side of the hut in a light yellow and cream sundress was a tall slender young woman with glasses and a book in one hand. She raised a hand and waved demurely signaling them to join her as the wolf trotted off toward the cabin.
Cass gave Isaacs hand a brief squeeze before they got out and walked to the hut.
