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RUNNING WITH THE WEREWOLF
BONUS EPILOGUE
© 2025 by Laurie London
Daphne
The text came when I wasn’t expecting it.
I was closing up the shop for the evening, and my hands were full, so my phone sat in my pocket, unanswered.
Sister Mary Francis had been having trouble sleeping lately, so I’d made her a special tincture I wanted her to try. I also had a stack of Miracle Balm jars balanced under my chin. Even though Unholy Grounds was just down the street from my apothecary shop, the Sisters insisted on carrying a few of my products and sold a shit-ton of the balm. Seemed I was always replenishing their stock.
As I fumbled with the lock, my phone buzzed again. Maybe Travis was texting that he’d landed already. I hoped so. He was scheduled to fly in from Vancouver, and I really missed him. He’d only been gone for a few nights, but that huge alpha bed of ours felt entirely too empty without him.
Speaking of huge…
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I headed off down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop.
We’d been sending each other nudes whenever one of us had to go off-island without the other, and he hadn’t sent me one today. Yet.
I started the tradition last year when I flew to my old apartment to pack up my stuff. Travis had a table reading in Vancouver, so he wasn’t able to join me until the following day. I had snapped a very suggestive pic and overlaid a cute font that said, “Wishing you were here.” He caught a red-eye to Atlanta that night.
As I stepped inside Unholy Grounds, the smell of freshly ground espresso beans and various sweet treats enveloped me like a warm hug. Sister Elenor finger-waved at me from the community bulletin board mounted on the wall. She was hanging a new poster advertising an upcoming island event—a home tour of haunted mansions.
After stacking the jars of Miracle Balm near the register, I headed around back to the kitchen where I found Sister Mary Francis pulling out a batch of peanut butter cookies from the oven. I instructed her to put two drops of the tincture under her tongue before bedtime then hold it there and recite the alphabet before swallowing. She promised to let me know how it worked.
I said a quick hello to a few folks, then zipped out of the coffee shop and pulled out my phone. Licking my lips in anticipation, I couldn’t wait to see what my man had sent me. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to check out his nudes in a coffee shop owned by nuns.
The text was from Travis all right—three photos, to be exact.
I clicked on the first one and let out a low whistle when it expanded to fit the screen. He’d angled it so all I could see were his hip flexors, his amazing abs and a bit of manscaping. At the edge of the photo, his hand was barely shielding his thick erection from view. And the tips of his fingers were claws.
Damn, that’s hot. Heat curled deliciously between my legs. Being in love with a hotter-than-hell werewolf sure had its benefits.
The second image was of my desk at the apothecary and beneath it, he said, Look in the bottom drawer, little prey, and put it on for Daddy. I’ll see you soon.
I snorted and clamped a hand over my mouth.
What had he stashed there? Sexy lingerie? A blindfold? Fuck-me shoes?
Now I was really soaked.
Clearly, Travis had been planning this since before he left town.
I swiped to the last picture and metaphorically scratched my head for a moment. It was a colorful Lion King meme with a hard-to-read font.
Why would he send—
I parsed out each curly letter. Just three little words.
It is time.
Confused, I mouthed the words, hearing the way the character said it in my head. Then I knew.
“No way,” I whispered to myself, reaching for the lamppost beside me for support. “No fucking way.”
My heart thundered in my throat as panic and excitement raced through my veins like dueling wildfires. It couldn’t mean what I thought it meant, could it? After all, we’d only been discussing the particulars at the last full moon while he was balls deep inside me. It had simply been a fun discussion topic while we waited for those painful barbs of his to retract.
A quick glance at the timestamp showed he’d sent the photos fifteen minutes ago.
Two things occurred to me simultaneously. 1) Travis knew I could get to my desk, which meant he’d checked my location or was watching me right now. And 2) I had only forty-five minutes left.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I took off down the sidewalk, dodging folks left and right, and headed back to my shop. As I unlocked the door, I forced myself to take a deep, calming breath and sort through what I needed to do.
After all, this was my idea. My dark fantasy. To be chased through the woods at night by a werewolf.
Even though I wasn’t expecting this, which was literally the point, I sure as hell didn’t want to make it easy for Travis to catch me either.
I flew to my desk and opened the bottom drawer.
“Oh my god, is he serious?” I pulled out a little-red-riding-hood cape and a flashlight. Okay, so I had called him my big-bad-wolf the other night, but I was only joking.
Be careful what you wish for when you’re getting thoroughly dicked.
Thankfully, my gym bag was still stashed behind the counter, because I didn’t exactly want to run through the woods in a sundress and sandals. I pulled on a pair of running pants, shoes and a sports bra, but I needed a long-sleeved t-shirt as well. Dashing to my merch shelf, I grabbed one that said Keep Your Herbs to Yourself and tore off the tags. Then I spritzed everything, including the cape, with an unscented room-deodorizing spray I’d developed. I was fairly hopeful it would act as a scent-mask, but I’d had no time to test it.
A short time later, with the crescent moon rising, I turned onto an old forest road in the Witching Wood north of town. After driving a little way on the bumpy gravel, I found the perfect spot and parked my car behind a rotted tree trunk covered in lichen. Kaori, the magical herbalist who supplied me with many of my raw ingredients, had taken me foraging here a few times, so at least I was somewhat familiar with this part of the island. I hoped to hell that Travis wasn’t. The Wood wasn’t known to be welcoming to men who didn’t have permission to enter.
He’d probably complain later it wasn’t fair I came here, but I was a human woman about to be chased by a giant werewolf in a dark, dark wood. I needed to take full advantage of everything I could since I had a distinct disadvantage, not him.
Crickets and other night creatures made noises in the nearby bushes, while the pale light of the moon peeked through the treetops. I flung on my cape and grabbed the flashlight. Then I stuffed a rock into an old sock of mine and threw it in the opposite direction from where I was headed.
If he found my car— Who was I kidding? When he found my car, hopefully it wouldn’t be easy-peasy to pick up my scent.
Just before I stepped into the underbrush, I checked to make sure my phone was set to silent and gasped when I saw the time.
In three minutes, the werewolf would be chasing me.
***
Travis
The hunt was on.
Still in my human form, I left the Oasis but kept to the shadows, not wanting to be recognized and have to sign autographs. My focus was on my mate and only my mate. Nothing else would distract me.
I’d flown in about an hour ago, texted her from the rooftop bar where I had a partial view of Nightshade Avenue, and waited until it was time. If only I could’ve seen her face when she checked her phone and stumbled into the lamppost. Clearly, I’d surprised her. I hope she liked my selfie. It took me a while to get the lighting just right.
A group of young women loomed up ahead, so I ducked into an alley to avoid them. At least one of them, if not all, would surely recognize Drake Valentino, and I couldn’t deal with that right now.
When I arrived at the darkened storefront of the apothecary, Daphne’s delicious scent, though faint, still clung to the night air. I longed to breathe her in and kiss every inch of her body. Soon, very soon, I thought as I adjusted myself. Her scent was my own personal aphrodisiac, as if she’d concocted it just for me.
Which reminded me of the Ranch Challenge.
Had it really almost been a year ago? I ran a hand over my beard, courtesy of Drake, whose storyline this season required me to grow one, and I thought about how much my life had changed since then.
To be honest, I could hardly remember my world without Daphne in it—the way she softened my hard edges and didn’t put up with my bullshit. Don’t get me wrong. I was still an asshole, just a nicer one. My family and co-workers had certainly noticed.
Jada now consulted with me on business matters, and we were expanding Darkaway Ranch to include more cabins and a petting zoo. Date-a-Wolf had sold to one of the networks and would be airing soon, so she wanted to be ready for the uptick in business. Rhy and Reece came to me for advice about girls and dating, something they’d never done before. I irritated them to no end when I reminded them to “make good choices,” “always ask for consent,” and “wrap it before you tap it.” And my nieces said I wasn’t as grumpy.
Because of Daphne, I was the proud Alpha of the Darkaway Island pack, instead of a figurehead who occasionally visited. She made me a better man, and I’d hang the moon for her. She was my goddess, my fated mate, and I’d do anything and everything to make her happy.
Including shifting into a wolf and chasing her through the woods at night. Who was I to deny her that pleasure? I was simply here to serve.
The wolf clawed at my insides, eager to get started.
Down, boy. Just a few more minutes. We’re going to be kind to our mate and give her a head start.
Might as well make Daphne think she had a fighting chance to elude me, because as soon as I reached for the moon’s energy and changed, my wolf would pick up her scent and easily track her.
A low growl rumbled in the back of my throat. I was about to make my mate’s darkest fantasies come true.
***
Daphne
A lone wolf howled in the distance.
My legs went boneless for a second, and I almost stumbled off this nonexistent trail.
He’d picked up my scent. The wolf was tracking me.
I turned off my flashlight, blinked a few times to get used to the darkness, and sprinted. Branches cracked beneath my feet, sticker bushes tugged at my cape, and I nearly ran into a tree.
I tried to recall what the rules were. What had we actually agreed to? We hadn’t exactly written them down as we back-and-forthed various scenarios of our shared fantasy while being intimately locked together. I had thought it had been just a naughty little game to pass the time.
Wouldn’t it be fun if—?
Yes, and how about this?
Possibly, but we also need to consider this.
Good point.
Had I known it was going to be an actual encounter three days later, I’d have put a pen and paper on my nightstand along with the snacks.
The only rules I remember were no technology and a one-hour head start. If his wolf caught me within a certain amount of time—thirty minutes, I think—he won. If he didn’t, I won. What the winner got had been the subject of a fierce debate. Travis was convinced he would prevail, so he’d listed off the various “prizes.”
His favorite, one that caused his dimples to pop as he told me, was that for a week afterwards, at the snap of his fingers, I was to drop to my knees and blow him.
“But what if we’re out in public? You wouldn’t do it then, would you?”
He gave a little chuckle which jostled the barbs. I’d have poked him in the ribs but didn’t want to risk it. “Then I guess you’ll have to get creative. As long as no one can see what’s going on from the waist down, you should be fine. I do enjoy a good roadie.”
So I did poke him. Right in his ticklish spot. Then I instantly regretted it.
As a businesswoman in town and a fairly recent island transplant, I had my reputation to consider. Travis, on the other hand, the island’s favorite son, could get away with murder.
After doubling back a few times in an attempt to throw him off my scent, I pressed forward. An owl hooted from somewhere above. The cool night breeze brushed against my skin, encouraging me to keep moving.
Something large rustled in the bushes twenty or thirty yards to my right. I darted left, heart racing, trying to put more space between us. I couldn’t forget there were other things that lived in these woods and that I was on an island filled with monsters. The wolf behind me wasn’t the only thing that could bite.
A few minutes later, I had to stop and put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Through the trees, I heard the gentle sound of running water nearby. A little stream or brook, maybe? Crossing it might break my scent trail and give me a little more time.
I was somewhat conflicted. Although I really wanted to win so I could gloat the hell out of it, I also fantasized about him catching me in his dire-wolf form—fangs bared, saliva dripping—then shifting into a man and fucking me in the middle of the forest.
A few blow jobs in public weren’t that big a deal, were they?
A branch cracked behind me, and I jolted upright.
Screw that. Even though my panties were soaked just thinking about it, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. I flung my cape back over my shoulders and bolted.
He could be right behind me now, but I didn’t dare slow down and check.
The ground slanted downward toward the water. It wasn’t a ravine though, more like a shallow gully, but I had to slide on my butt to keep from getting hurt. Twisting my ankle right now would suck.
The creek wasn’t more than a few feet wide and looked fairly shallow, but you never could be sure with dark water. I sprinted along the edge and around a bend to a narrower spot before stepping in. One foot. Then the other. And then I was on the other side.
Using my hands and feet, which was difficult to do given this stupid red cape, I scrambled up the bank. Once I got to the top, I took a chance, looked over my shoulder and gasped.
On the opposite side of the creek stood an enormous dire wolf, watching me. His silver fur was as pale as the moon, his glowing yellow eyes affixed to mine.
The predator had found its prey.
Then he lifted his head and howled at the moon.
To my complete and utter shock, from somewhere out in the dark, several other wolves answered in return. WTF! He brought the pack with him? In what rulebook was that even fair? A girl all alone in the woods, surrounded by a pack of wolves?
Like hell if I’d let him win now. I ditched the cape, gave him the finger and fled. All I had to do was elude him for a few more minutes.
As I sprinted through the trees, stickers and branches grabbed at my t-shirt and running pants. Something crashed in the bushes to my right, so I veered left and found myself in a small clearing.
On the far side stood a mossy-roofed hiking cabin awash in silvery moonlight. My heart soared. Once inside, he wouldn’t be able to get to me without shifting into his human form, and I would win.
I’m going to make it, I thought as a sprinted across the clearing.
I totally didn’t make it.
When I rounded the corner of the cabin, there stood his wolf, right in front of the door. Teeth bared and growling, hair on his back raised, saliva dripping. And I screamed.
I staggered backward, and he moved with me, feral eyes not leaving my face. How much control did Travis have over his wolf, I wondered, as panic rose inside me? He was terrifyingly beautiful for sure, but he was also capable of ripping out my throat.
I tried to remind myself that this was my mate. That I was safe with him.
But the voice in my head was telling me to run. I turned, but my foot caught on a tree root and I fell to my knees.
The wolf stalked forward, his silvery coat glimmering in the moonlight.
He put an enormous paw on my shoulder and pushed me to the ground. I tried to scramble away, but he was too strong. The wolf loomed over me, fangs at my throat, breath hot on my skin.
Then the air between us crackled.
“You lost, little prey,” Travis said in my ear, his powerful human body caging mine.
It took me a moment to realize he had shifted. “Only because you cheated.”
He gave a low growl that rumbled through my core. “I did not cheat.”
“You hunted me down with your packmates,” I said, pushing at his chest, but he didn’t budge. “That’s cheating.”
“All they did was maintain the perimeter.”
“To make sure I didn’t get out.”
He rolled his still-golden eyes. “To make sure other creatures didn’t get in. There are other monsters on this island, you know. I howled to let them know they could leave.”
He shoved a knee between my legs, spreading them apart. “Tell me no right now and I’ll stop. Otherwise, I’m not finished with you yet.”
Although I wasn’t exactly thrilled that he’d apparently shared my fantasies with his packmates, I set my jaw and said nothing.
“Good girl.” He kissed the tender spot under my ear, sending goosebumps up and down my arms. But when he slid a hand beneath the waistband of my running pants, he hesitated. “What is this?” he said, tugging at my underwear. “I told you. No panties.”
“What? When? I don’t remember that.”
“At full moon. When I was right here.” He slipped two fingers inside me and pressed his thumb to my clit.
Pleasure shot through me, and I hissed, arching into him further.
“We went over this, Daphne,” he said, curling his fingers slightly as he stroked me. “Don’t you remember?”
“I don’t…exactly…think clearly…with your…giant cock inside me.” Oh god, I was almost there.
He chuckled and withdrew his hand. “Point taken.”
My muscles clenched around nothing, the pleasure gone, leaving behind an intense need for more.
“I take back what I said about you being a good girl,” he growled, hauling me to my feet. Before I could protest, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, white rope. “Give me your wrists.”
“Why? What are you doing?”
The corners of his mouth quirked. “Just do what I say, Daphne.”
I held out my hands. I was a sucker for those dimples still visible above his thick beard.
He quickly bound my wrists together. Then before I knew what was happening, he threw me over his shoulder like the spoils of a viking raid and set off through the underbrush.
Blood pounded in my ears as I bounced against his back. I asked him where he was taking me, but he didn’t answer. A few minutes later, he set me on my feet. “There. This should do.”
I looked around. The trees were so thick here, I could barely see the night sky above us.
Brows knit in concentration, he lifted my arms up and secured the rope to a branch just above my head. Suddenly, I was naked from the waist down. I gasped at the speed of it. Then he brought my legs to his shoulders and spread me wide before him.
“My mate is so fucking beautiful,” he breathed to himself, and I almost melted right then and there.
Everything he did and said made me feel like a queen. I loved this incredible man—and his wolf—more than I ever thought was possible.
Then he lowered his mouth, and my whole body shuddered with pleasure.
“You’re soaked,” he mumbled, his beard rubbing my inner thighs. “And you taste so fucking good.”
I wanted to grip handfuls of his hair to guide him, but I was powerless and totally under his control. Then he drew my clit into his mouth, scraping his teeth gently against me, and I nearly lost my mind.
“Travis!” I hissed as electric heat shot everywhere, curling my fingers and toes.
I gripped the branch above me. I was there. Right there.
But then he pulled away.
“What are you doing?” I choked, my inner muscles tightening around nothing again. “Why are you stopping?”
Untying me, he said, “Because I decided you need to come on my dick instead.”
He turned me around and placed my hands on the tree trunk that had just been at my back. I heard a zipper as he stepped between my legs. Wordlessly, he gripped my hips, and I arched my back obediently for him. We’d done this a time or two—just not in the woods like this after his wolf had chased me.
I knew deep in my soul that lovemaking would never get old with this man. I held my breath in anticipation and relaxed as the thick head of his cock easily found my slick entrance. He reached around and played with my clit as I sank deeper onto him.
“There we go. That’s it,” he said encouragingly. “You feel so fucking good on my dick.”
I gave a little laugh. “And you feel so fucking good in my pussy.”
He withdrew slightly, then pushed in a little deeper as I fully opened up to his thick girth. I moaned at the friction, the delicious stretch of him.
He gripped my hips and gave one final, powerful thrust. “Daphne!” he groaned.
Even though his knot wouldn’t form under a crescent moon, I could still feel its faint vibration. I felt his release and cried out his name as I came.
Later, after we were back at Darkaway Ranch, freshly showered and snuggled up in the alpha bed, something suddenly occurred to me. “How were you able to find me in the Witching Wood? I didn’t think it took kindly to men who didn’t have permission to enter.”
Travis pulled me close and cupped a warm hand on my breast. “So you’re admitting you cheated?” he asked, his beard tickling the back of my neck.
“It’s not cheating. A human woman being chased by a werewolf needs to use every advantage she can think of.” I rubbed my ass against his growing erection. “So how were you able to enter the Wood with no repercussions?” I asked again.
He twisted my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “I guess you wouldn’t know this—and how could you?—but the Witch of the Wood is a big fan of Secret Shadows. She lets me come and go as I please.”
I turned, pressing him back on the mattress, my hair dangling in his face. “That is so unfair! I can’t believe I’m foiled by the island’s favorite son again.”
He gripped the back of my neck and pulled me down to kiss me. “Then maybe you should punish me.”
So I did.