Grim tossed his shirt on the bench and gazed back at me.
“Hey, wait, what’s wrong? I can feel you’re nervousness?” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms and I bit my lip.
“I just don’t think I feel comfortable riding you out in the open. Plus, it’s kind of cold.” I shivered.
Grim stared at me for a long moment until his smile grew wide, and a joyous laugh erupted. He had his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. I wasn’t sure why he was laughing.
I chuckled nervously. I didn’t think it was that funny. My poor tits could freeze in weather like this, and what if it started snowing again? He was all about keeping me warm, and now he wanted me to strip naked?
Grim’s laughter calmed, and he leaned against a tree. “Oh, little mate, I wasn’t asking you to do that.”
I cocked my head, not understanding.
“I meant, ride my wolf.”
“Ohhhh.” I pulled my sleeves down to cover my hands.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea either.”
Like… I’m just not sure about that at all.
Grim shook his head, his hand running over his face to hide a smile. “Oh, Journey come here.”
He pulled me into his arms and rocked me back and forth. “I’m saying you can ride on my wolf’s back and run with us in the forest.”
“Ohhhhh!” I hid my face in his chest utterly embarrassed, but he didn’t laugh any longer.
Instead, Grim leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Not that I wouldn’t love to rut you in the forest once the weather turns warmer.”
A shiver ran down my spine, and he smacked my butt which was padded with several layers.
“Let me shift, and you can climb on. We’ll come back and find a tree when we’re done.”
Grim took off his clothes, not shy in the slightest. I could see the tattoos that crept up his back. I hadn’t had time to admire him when he was naked, he usually pounced on me and had me screaming into the pillow.
I blushed, looking away but I could hear the deep chuckle from where I stood. He walked away, stepping into the forest, but I called out for him to stop.
He turned, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Can I watch?” I asked quietly. He heard me. His head perked up at the mention of it, but he shook his head.
“You don’t need to see it…”
“Grim,” I said more firmly. “I do need to see it. Because I’m going to be doing it, too, one day.”
Grim’s face fell and immediately his mood went somber.
“Why do you avoid it?” I stepped closer to his naked body, the sun hitting his chest muscles, giving his tattoos a lighter appearance. “Why won’t you talk to me about it? It’s going to happen, and I need to know how it will feel, what will happen. I don’t want to be blindsided by it.”
Grim balled his fists and didn’t look at me. Instead, he looked at the setting sun and tightened his jaw.
“He’s afraid you will die.” Leif said.
Grim groaned, rubbing his temples. “Yeah, he’s going to get annoying.”
“Die? Why would I die? The goddess said I am going to shift, that I am the first…”
“You will be the first if you shift fully, Journey. There was one other woman that tried to shift, but she didn’t make it.” Grim’s voice was strangled, a deep sorrow embedded in his face.
