^ Picture of Leo

"At last my love has come along. My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah. At last the skies above are blue."
~Etta James, 'At Last'

~~~

*Leo's POV*

The sun blinds me as I blink my eyes open for the first time in years. Seeing the world through Landon's eyes is fine, but I can't see clearly defined details. It's like having impaired vision for 90% of your life, and only wearing glasses for the other 10%. Everything is so much more clear now, with every little detail popping out to welcome me home.

The skies above are blue, vibrantly so; rather than the dull grey-blue I've become used to. The leaves on the trees are a mixture of green and brown as they fall onto the forest floor, blanketing the grass and dirt.

My body aches after the rough transition of shifting; my bones and muscles not used to it anymore. I stretch, arching my back as I dig my paws into the soil beneath me. Satisfaction flows through me from feeling connected with the earth once more, breathing in the fresh air.

The scent of honey and vanilla hits me, much stronger than it is when Landon is in control. My heart leaps at the scent of my mate, and I raise my head to see him for the first time with my own eyes.

Ryland looks absolutely radiant, standing in the middle of the forest with the sunlight streaming onto his smooth skin. I can see every silky strand of his dark brown hair dipping down into his eyes.

His eyes.

Those deep abysses of melted honey, pulling me in and drowning me. His lips are pulled into a wide smile, and I nearly turn into a puddle.

'How are you not already in love with this man?' I ask Landon, who's resting comfortably in my mind.

'I'm getting there,' he responds with a gentle fondness before fading back to give us some privacy.

Ryland approaches me, clutching Landon's clothes to his chest. He smiles brilliantly at me, reaching out one of his hands. I push my nose under his hand, gliding it up to my ears. His fingers sink into my fur, making me purr as he softly pets me.

"You're so beautiful," he breathes out in awe, and I puff out my chest with pride. I've known that Ryland thinks Landon is beautiful in his human form, but it means so much to me to hear my mate compliment my wolf form.

Ryland kneels down in front of me, and I take the opportunity to flick my tongue out and lick his face.

"Leo!" Ryland shrieks while giggling, wiping the slobber from his face. I bark out a laugh, rolling over onto my back. Sitting on the grass, Ryland sets Landon's clothes aside and scratches my exposed belly experimentally. I narrow my eyes at him for treating me like a house pet, but let him continue since the contact with my mate is too enjoyable to stop.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs softly, and I cock my head to the side. "I know you want to meet River. He wants to meet you too. Whenever he senses you, he tries to break free to get to you. Even with the herbs, I can feel him stirring at your presence."

My heart soars knowing my mate wants to be with me, even if he's feral and doesn't know why. He can sense our bond, and his natural instinct is to be with me.

I'm already in love with River, and I haven't even met him yet.

"It's unfair to both of you that you have to wait until Landon and I mate to meet each other," Ryland continues apologetically. "Landon isn't ready, and I can't put that kind of pressure on him. So what I'm asking is... please don't guilt him for it. I know it's hard for you not to be with your mate, so I'm really sorry to be asking you this, but please do it for Landon. The last person he marked was Easton, and he's not ready to mark me. The last thing I want is for Landon to mate with me out of obligation. It's selfish of me to ask you this, I know."

Rolling over onto my stomach, I nuzzle my head into his hand. If I could talk to him, I would tell him that I understand. River is my mate, but Landon is my human. I hurt him once by disappearing for years. This is the least I could do to make it up to him.

Since I can't say any of that to Ryland, I settle for licking his hand and purring. Ryland smiles and throws his arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.

"Thank you," he whispers, burying his face in my fur. I nuzzle my head against his neck, inhaling his magnified scent.

I nudge Ryland with my nose, making him pull back to look at me curiously. Throwing my head back, I nod towards my back and hope that he understands what I'm saying. His brows furrow adorably, and I huff in frustration. After Landon and Ryland mate, we'll be able to use our mind link to communicate. Until then, I'm stuck being a fucking mime.

Standing up, I nudge him with my side and nod again to my back. Ryland tilts his head as the gears in his mind slowly turn, and his eyes light up when he finally catches on.

"You want to give me a ride?" He asks excitedly. "Are you sure you're not too weak? This is your first time being in wolf form in years. Don't you think you should take it slowly, maybe try running by yourself?"

He does have a point, I should be taking it slowly. But this is a really big deal for me, and I want to experience it with my mate. Resolved in my decision, I nudge him again with my side. Ryland beams and nods, throwing a leg over my back and straddling me. I grunt while he squirms around to get comfortable. When he clutches tightly to my silver fur, I look back at him to see if he's ready. He grins and gives me a thumbs up.

Starting off at a trot, I give my muscles a chance to warm up before I pick up the speed. The familiar strength in my hind legs causes me to mentally smile as I work up to a run. Ryland clutches my fur tighter, hanging on as I break into a full sprint.

The wind whips around us I weave between the trees of the Crescent Sun Pack. I yip joyously, elated to be back in my true form, making Ryland laugh and cheer along with me. The forest hums with life, connecting me to my surroundings. I'll have to remind Landon later to let me run while the Moon is out so I can feel connected to our goddess again.

I run for what feels like hours, until my legs grow weary and I need to rest. Spotting a field of roses in the distance, I dash over and sprawl out, sending Ryland flying.

He grunts as he hits the ground, lifting his head to glare at me. "Asshole."

I bark out a laugh, rolling around in the bed of roses. Ryland lays down next to me, staring up at the clouds peacefully; my little prank entirely forgotten.

I wish we could remain here forever, away from all the troubles this world seems to bring us. However, I can sense River starting to shift around more in Ryland's mind, and I know our time is up.

Standing to my feet, I trot over to Ryland and look down at him. He smiles up at me, dark hair covered with red rose petals. I let Landon's subconscious peek through so he can appreciate how beautiful our mate is with me.

Leaning down, I lay another gentle lick to his cheek, kissing him in the only way I can. He pets my face softly, with honey eyes shimmering.

"I'll see you soon, Leo," Ryland promises, kissing the top of my head.

~~~

THIS CHAPTER WAS SO CUTE TF

Uugggghhhh Leo is so sweet, and I have such cute things planned for him and River

Thoughts??

Q: Favorite animal(s)?
[Sea lion and bengal tiger]

See you next time!
-Gumbie