ReidHis wolf-form’s vision cast the night in shades of grey, black, and white as he ran along the sand. The waves soft whisper dimmed beneath the pant of his breath, the beat of his heart, and the pound of his footfalls. His nose was filled with the scents of the water, the sharp briny scent of seaweed, and somewhere the wet, slightly sweet smell of some creature rotting.He loved to run along the sand, feeling the grit of it give beneath the pads of his feet, the spray of it kicking up behind him. He loved the way the moon reflected in the water, the sparkle and splash as fish leaped in pursuit of the bugs that flittered over its surface. Summers were spent on this beach, surrounded by the pack, the children playing in the shallows, the sun baking his skin until he took to the water to cool off. And almost every full moon of his adult life, he had joined the pack to run across the night-cool sand.He could hear other wolves around him, see them in his peripheral vision, identifying

Jasper It was a long and awkward limo ride. Jay kept up an easy, pleasant conversation with Charlotte and Tamara whilst Jasper tried to silently communicate with his dad how much Jay’s presence was fucking up his plans for the night. Sebastian avoided Jasper’s eyes, his attention on his phone. “Don’t you think?” Jay asked Jasper. “What?” Jasper jolted back into the conversation. “Don’t mind Jasper,” Charlotte laughed covering for him. “His mind is probably on his paints. Jay and I were just discussing another masquerade ball, Jasper, and what theme we should use. I was saying that I think a circus theme could be fun.” “Tacky,” Jay wrinkled his nose. “Horror movie Halloween.” “Just eww,” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Vampires would be cool. Sort of an inside joke, werewolves pretending to be vampires, right?” Jay made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. “What do you think mum?” Charlotte appealed to Anastasia. “I think it should be something soft, pretty, and romantic,”

ReidAs Jasper made his way up the stairs, Reid made his plans. He crossed in front of his mate, heading to the bar, keeping his back to Jasper. As he’d hoped, Jasper understood his intentions and made his way to the bar so that he stood at Reid’s side to order, very carefully not touching in any way.“Whiskey please,” Reid said to the bartender. “Not the cheap shit.”“Same,” Jasper added. “Not the cheap shit.”“Good choice,” Reid told him. “The cheap shit could strip paint. You don’t want to drink that unless you enjoy feeling like your brain has melted and your insides are outside in the morning.”Jasper laughed. “Definitely not in my plans for tomorrow morning,” he replied, his eyes dancing. Over Jasper’s shoulder, he saw Jay Turner with his two favorite shadows, Oscar, and Allen, crossing to join them, their expressions growing concerned as they saw Jasper next to Reid.“Hey Jay,” Reid leaned his elbow on the bar. “This one of yours,” he gestured to Jasper with his head. “He’s got

JasperThe fight was brutal with the two opponents evenly matched. The sawdust on the floor showed the tracks and slides and falls of their battle and was sprayed with blood. The two men sweated and bled, their muscular bodies pressing tight, straining against each other.“Time!” The ring master called, breaking them up. Each combatant went to opposite sides of the ring where their support team wiped them down and offered water whilst they sat and recuperated, their eyes glued to each other as they continued the battle mentally.“I’ll be back,” Reid gripped Jasper’s shoulder as he rose.Jasper watched as his mate threaded his way down the stairs and through the crowd to where Marcella flirted with the omega. They exchanged words, Marcella glaring up at Jasper. Reid’s body language was conciliatory. Marcella knew, Jasper thought, and disapproved of their plans.“This is an interesting development,” Jay slid into Reid’s empty seat. “You and Morrison are thick as thieves over here. What

ReidIt was the first time that they’d walked through the foyer together, rather than one at a time, and Reid shifted his overnight bag too his other shoulder and took Jasper’s hand as they entered the door. Jasper glanced at him, startled, and then down to their joined hands, before smiling sweetly.“I guess there’s no point in hiding it, is there?” Jasper agreed, his hand squeezing Reid’s.They crossed the foyer and stood waiting for the elevator, their eyes meeting in the mirrors beside the door. Behind them, the activity in the foyer continued indifferent to the significance that short stroll had meant for them. Reid laughed under his breath and released Jasper’s hand, instead sliding his hand around Jasper’s waist, pulling his mate closer to him.Jasper put his arm around Reid’s shoulders and leaned his face into Reid’s hair. “Can it be like this?” He wondered aloud. “Can it really be this simple and this easy?”Reid blew out his breath. “Here, in a hotel where no one knows who w