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I look at myself in the mirror and say my real name aloud. "Felicitas."

What was a strange word at first is growing on me. I feel like the name Felicitas embodies the new persona that I have gained since coming here. Felicitas is the new me, the woman that can shift into a wolf and has two soulmates. Felicity is my human self in my eyes. There was nothing wrong with her and I'm never going to say fully goodbye to her, but my mother wanted me to be Felicitas and I feel closer to her here and with this new-but-old name.

I read the text for the hundredth time, the one from Altus, asking if he can come round after 10 to go on a run with me. It's just a run through the forest, I don't know why I'm so excited about it.

Well, that's a lie. I know why I'm so excited about it. It's because it's a run with my mate who is finally accepting the bond. It's like when you're first dating your crush, except this time, I have two crushes. I'm both terrified and excited to see how this dynamic is going to work between us.

Altus arrives as I'm lacing up my trainers. I answer the door with a wide smile, which he returns, if a little hesitantly.

"You ready to go?"

It's a silly question because he is already in his gym gear, but it breaks the silence and gives us something to focus on momentarily. Altus has tied his l up on the top of his head with a couple rubber hair ties. He is wearing a dark green tank that shows off his gorgeous arms that are decorated with ink that isn't too many shades off the colour of his skin. From a long distance, they may look like birthmarks. They make me want to get closer and study each intricate design.

He is paired the look with a pair of baggy basketball shorts that fall to just above his knee. His trainers, like mine, are special running ones. He rubs his hands together in front of him.

"Yeah. Wanna go round the back of your house?"

I nod and pull the front door closed behind me. He waits patiently for me to lock up and hide the key. I realise how natural it was for him to call it 'my house'. It's still very much my aunt's house in my mind.

We follow the path around the building to the back garden. I follow Altus, who circumvents the fencing and heads straight for the forest. I watch his back muscles. They're a little bigger and more defined by Altus.

I find myself comparing their physiques, but no clear favourite comes to mind. I guess my body is naturally hard-wired to not have a favourite. I'm equally attracted to the both of them.

He turns around, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Want to start with two legs and end with four?"

The wording of his question makes me smile. "Sounds good to me."

Altus lets me set the pace of the jog. He doesn't say as much, but he keeps me in his peripherals, and I notice that he adjusts his speed to match mine without complaint.

At first, I'm conscious about how loudly I'm breathing and how out of breath I sound. After a while, I forget my embarrassment and focus solely on running with my mate. We don't talk due to the pace we're running at, but we stick close to one another, our elbows brushing occasionally when there are narrower gaps between the trees.

When it gets to about half an hour, I slow my pace to a stop. I place my hands on my knees and bend over slightly as I take deep breaths. Altus doesn't look even the least bit affected by the run. He watches me with his dark eyes as I recover.

Once my breathing is back under control, I ask him if he wants to shift. He agrees and immediately peels off his vest. My eyes nearly bug out of my head as he casually drops the material to the ground. The incredible mass of muscle underneath his smooth skin ripples with his movements. I'm entranced by the beauty that is his body.

Unbothered by my presence, he starts to pull down his shorts. It's only when the material of his boxers become visible that I snap out of it and rush behind one of the trees. It's not that seeing a half-naked man makes me uncomfortable, it's quite the opposite. We shouldn't be moving as fast as my body wants us to.

I strip out of my own clothing and leave it in a neat pile at the base of the tree. My shift is faster than before and almost pain-free, giving me hope that, one day soon, I will be able to have shifting down to a fine art.

An odd sense of shyness fills me as I come out from behind the tree. Altus is in his wolf form, a sleek creature of great size with fur a couple of shades off being black. I recognise him from my dream. In contrast to my onset of nerves, Altus seems to have lost his because he walks straight up to me and bumps his nose against mine. He licks my face in a wolfy kiss and then turns, gesturing towards the trees with his head.

I know that he is asking us to run and I'm happy to accept. He takes off and I set off immediately after him. Adrenaline is released instantly, hyping my body up for a chase.

Time is a foreign notion in the wood. The trees are tall enough that they obscure the direction of sunlight, making it difficult to predict how far the Sun has moved throughout the day. All I know is that it was light when we set out and it is still light when we finally come to a stand-still.

I fall to the mossy ground, appreciating the feel of the soft sphagnum against my belly. I close my eyes and rest my snout on my front paws, breathing deeply to get my breath back. Altus rubs his wet nose against mine and I peek open one eye. He has crawled on his stomach towards me and is now lying down opposite. He looks adorable with his back head on one side. The angle has made one of his ears bend backwards so it is almost inside-out, it only adds to the cute look.

He shifts back without warning. I get to see the beauty of it in action. It happens so quickly and with such ease. Fur gives way to skin, bones reshape under the sinew, leaving his toned body lying on the earth. He strokes his large hand through my fur, and I savour his tender touch.

I keep my eyes firmly on his face, refusing to let myself look lower. If I don't address his nudity, I can pretend it doesn't exist. His hand moves higher and rubs the back of my ears in an affectionate way. I look up and him and he gives me a genuine smile.

"Shift back, Felicitas," he murmurs.

Unable to ignore his request, I close my eyes and concentrate on my human form. My shift is much less graceful than his. There are loud popping sounds of my bones shifting into different shapes and it takes longer for my fur to change to skin. Eventually, I am laying on my side in front of him. My arms cover most of my breasts and my legs are crossed to hide the short stubble of hair between them.

His eyes briefly drop down to my boobs, squashed and pushed up by my arms. He quickly checks himself and they shoot back up to my face. It's too late, though. The fleeting glimpse of lust I saw in his eyes has ignited a spark inside me. Desire rushes to the surface of my skin and I lean forwards to kiss him. Altus meets me eagerly, his mouth bumping against my own.

There is a moment of adjustment as we get used to the feel of each other's lips, changing pressure and angle. Then we sink into the kiss like it is the most natural thing in the world. I shuffle over the moss to be closer to him. He wraps his arm around my waist and presses his hand firmly on my lower back, just above my bottom, pushing me against his body. He feels like a taught elastic band, tight with controlled need that is ready to snap at any moment.

His hand slides up and across, skimming over my arm until he grasps it and pushes gently. Knowing what he wants, I keep our mouths locked together as I fall back against the moss. The sun-filled sky is bright against my closed eye-lids until Altus shifts himself above me, blocking the light. His tongue teases the seam of my lips at the same time his hand caresses my thigh in a silent question.

I answer with my own wordless response. I part my thighs, granting him access to the one place I am desperate for him to touch me. He wastes no time bringing his hand higher to the wet folds between my legs, swollen with arousal and sensitive to touch. He merely strokes one finger up and down my slit, but the simple action has me gasping into his mouth. He presses his finger inside me and pulls out when it is soaked, with practiced skills, he rubs my clit in small, fast circles until I'm moaning around his tongue and covering my thighs in sticky juices.

There has been such a build-up between us, between all three of us, that it has culminated in a pent-up tension like nothing I've ever felt before. I know when the three of us are finally together, it will explosive.

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