Out of the Woods

by Sophie Stern

  I stood there for a moment and just watched Cole. He was such a sweet kid. Parenting had been hard, and even Cole had his moments where he would throw tantrums or be upset about things, but for the most part, he was easy: easier than my sister and I had ever been for our parents.

  “Hey, kiddo,” I finally said, announcing my presence.

  Cole looked over and smiled at me.

  “Mom, do I smell...cookies?” Cole jumped up when he said the word cookies and started dancing.

  I laughed and nodded.

  “Come on, let’s get you some sugar,” I said. Then I took his hand and led him downstairs so we could get a head start on the treats before Dale got home from work.

  13

  Dale

  LIFE WITH A FAMILY of my own was heaven on Earth.

  Walking into a house that smelled like fresh-baked cookies after work was damn fantastic. In fact, I couldn’t even begin to believe how fantastic it was.

  For a long time, I’d thought that living alone was the best way to live. I could do what I want when I wanted, and I had my own space, but coming home to a family truly was calming. Being around a woman who loved me and a little boy who was always laughing was just incredible.

  “What did you do?” I asked Ruby, laughing when I saw the kitchen table. It was covered with three different kinds of cookies. They were literally covering every inch of the table.

  “I baked,” Ruby smiled, looking over at me. There was still a little smudge of flour on her nose. Damn, she looked adorable as hell. I liked her like this. She looked happy and calm, and she looked relaxed.

  I still regretted that she’d struggled on her own for so long. She’d had to do so much without me around to pick up the slack. I promised myself that she wouldn’t have to feel like that again. We were a team now, her and I, and I wasn’t going to let her down.

  “I can tell. What did you make?”

  I walked over to her and grabbed her waist. Then I cupped her face and kissed her.

  Oh, it had been far too long since I’d kissed her.

  “Oatmeal cookies,” she whispered, kissing me.

  “I love oatmeal.”

  “And chocolate chip,” she said, kissing me again.

  “My favorite.”

  “Sugar, too,” she groaned as I slipped a hand between her legs and started rubbing her over her jeans.

  “You’re the only sugar I need,” I told her, nipping at her bottom lip.

  “You’re going to get me all horny.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “Maybe,” she whispered.

  “Then I’d better not stop.”

  I kept my hand between her legs and rubbed her faster and faster as I kissed and nipped at her neck. The sweet scent of her arousal flooded my nostrils as she groaned and started writhing against my hand, taking her own pleasure.

  I loved it.

  I loved the way she went after what she wanted. She didn’t hold back on my account. She didn’t play the shy, quiet girl. She knew what she wanted, and she took it. She claimed it.

  “Fuck,” she whispered.

  She was close.

  She was about to have a damn orgasm right on my hand and we hadn’t even taken our clothes off.

  “Come for me, princess,” I whispered, nipping at her ear. “Let me hear you come apart.”

  She moved faster against my hand, and I kept rubbing her until she got closer, and closer, and...

  “I’m coming,” she whispered, and I kissed her as the orgasm swept over her. I kept my hand between her legs, rubbing her, enjoying every little shudder she had to offer as her body was enveloped with pleasure.

  “Oh, that was hot as hell, baby,” I said when I pulled back.

  Her eyes looked happy, but she looked tired, too.

  “That was...wow...”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this,” I chuckled.

  “Tired of what?”

  “You,” I told her.

  I meant it, too. There was no way I’d ever get tired of hearing her come, of hearing her fall apart. The way her body shook and shuttered with each orgasm was wildly incredible to me, and I loved it.

  I wanted her more and more with each passing day.

  I wanted everything she had to offer and more.

  Already, Ruby had agreed that we were mates. She’d promised we were meant to be together, but there was still something else.

  I hadn’t marked her, and I wanted to.

  Not every shifter couple went for mating marks. My parents hadn’t, but many couples did. I was one of those guys who wanted to mark the person I loved. More than anything else, I wanted the world to know that she was my bride: my beloved.

  I just had to ask her.

  For now, though, I had the feeling that Ruby needed a break. She’d spent the day taking care of Cole, cooking, and then having the hottest orgasm I’d ever seen.

  “Why don’t you take a break on the couch?” I asked her, kissing her softly. “I’ll take Cole outside.”

  Ruby nodded and went to sit down. She made herself comfortable on the couch that overlooked the back of the house, and she promptly fell asleep.

  “Wow,” I smiled at her. I had never met someone who could just pass out like that.

  I scurried around the house until I found Snowball and Cole. They were sitting in the upstairs hallway. Cole was gently trying to convince Snowball to give his stuffed bear back.

  “You know you don’t like bears that much,” Cole said, holding his hands out.

  Snowball didn’t say anything.

  “I like bears a lot,” Cole whispered, urging Snowball to turn over the stuffed animal.

  “Come on, Snowball,” I laughed and scooped the cat up in my arms. Snowball meowed as I gently took the plush away from him and tossed it to Cole. “Here you go, buddy.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” he said, smiling at me.

  Dad.

  He’d called me Dad.

  There had been a few times where Cole had called me Dale, and I wasn’t going to push the issue. I figured that he’d call me Dad when he was ready. Well, now he’d called me this officially, and I felt like the happiest damn person in the world. I couldn’t wait until Ruby woke up so I could tell her.

  “Let’s go play outside,” I said.

  “Yeah!”

  The two of us went downstairs and out into the backyard. Snowball followed, albeit reluctantly.

  “Is he allowed to come outside?” Cole asked, looking at the cat.

  “He’s allowed.”

  “What if he climbs a tree?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with climbing trees,” I pointed out.

  “Won’t he get stuck up there?”

  “Nope,” I shook my head.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. Besides, even if he got stuck, I’m here. I’d catch him if he fell.”

  Cole gasped. His eyes widened.

  “Has Snowball ever fallen?”

  “Nope.”

  Cole looked at the trees surrounding the yard carefully, and then he turned back to me.

  “What about me?”

  “What about you?”

  “Can I climb a tree?”

  I glanced toward the house. Ruby was still sleeping, and I was tempted to ask her what she thought. After all, despite the fact that Cole belonged to both of us, she was the one who had raised him this far.

  I was nervous about doing something that might upset her. She was used to the idea of a human kid. She wasn’t used to being around a shifter child.

  Shifters were different.

  No matter how you looked at it, shifter kids could do things that regular human kiddos couldn’t. They could climb like crazy, for example, and even if Cole fell, he wasn’t going to break any bones. Shifters were more durable than that.

  I’d have to ask, but I would venture a guess that Cole hadn’t had any serious injuries in his life. He’d probably fallen plenty of times and walked away wit
hout a bruise or a cut.

  “Sure, you can climb a tree. You have to shift first, though.”

  “Why?”

  “If you fall in your animal form, you won’t get hurt. None of these trees is really high enough to hurt a bear cub who falls out.”

  Cole looked up at the tree. Then he turned back to me.

  “You’ll catch me?”

  “If you fall? Yeah, I’ll catch you if you fall.”

  “Snowball doesn’t fall. I won’t fall.”

  “Exactly. Do you remember how to shift?” As far as I knew, Cole had only shifted once before.

  “Yes.”

  “Close your eyes and think about your animal. Then-”

  Poof.

  The sound of clothing ripping reminded me that I had a little bit of work to do before I could be considered an expert at this entire “dad” thing. I’d forgotten to tell Cole that shifters usually took off their clothing before changing into their animal forms. Clothes couldn’t change size with us.

  “Don’t worry,” I said, as Cole looked down at the torn t-shirt and pants. “We can buy you new clothes.”

  He stood before me in his bear form. He was tiny and round, and he looked very much like the little teddy bear he’d been obsessed with. I wondered if that was what I’d looked like as a kid. I didn’t have any pictures of myself in bear form when I was little, which was too bad. Suddenly, I wished I had them.

  “All right, kiddo.”

  I looked at the tree in front of us. It wasn’t particularly high, and there was no chance that Cole would fall.

  “Let’s see what you can do.”

  That was all the permission he needed. Instantly, he darted up the tree, climbing as fast as he could. Before I knew it, he was at the very top.

  Well, shit.

  I’d figured he would up about halfway, or maybe not even that much.

  Nope.

  He was a little daredevil, all right, and he’d gone all the way up.

  “Are you a bear or a monkey?” I called up.

  Obviously, he couldn’t reply because he was in his bear form. He seemed happy, though, and I watched him carefully as he climbed from branch to branch. Finally, after a few minutes, he seemed to get bored, and he started climbing back down.

  He made it about halfway down before he stopped.

  “Cole?” I rushed to the bottom of the tree. The scent of fear wafted down. “Cole, what’s going on, buddy? Are you feeling nervous?”

  “Cole!” Ruby’s scream echoed as she ran out of the house. Apparently, naptime was over. “What the hell? What is he doing? What are you doing up there?”

  “He’s fine,” I said. “He was just practicing his climbing, and he got stuck.”

  “Practicing his climbing? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? He’s not even five. He can’t practice his climbing! Are you insane?”

  Irritation washed over me.

  I wasn’t insane, and a bear did need to practice climbing. Hell, even regular, normal little boys needed to practice climbing. There was nothing wrong or crazy about wanting to have some freedom to stretch your legs or your body or just explore the world outside of a house.

  “I’m not insane,” I managed to grit out.

  “You let him climb a tree!”

  “It’s just a tree, Ruby.”

  I bit back the urge to tell her to calm down. I didn’t want to be another walking cliché that told a woman to “calm down” just because she was upset.

  “I know you’re scared, but he’s fine.”

  “He’s not fine,” she said. Her own agitation gave off a really strong scent, and Cole was already scared. I knew that if Ruby didn’t calm down, her own anxiety could make things even worse for Cole. I needed her to calm down, so that he could calm down. Then I’d be able to urge him to finish climbing down the tree.

  “Ruby, I need you to take a deep breath.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Ruby!” I raised my voice, and when she turned her head toward me, I got a very different scent from her.

  Anger.

  Embarrassment.

  Disappointment.

  I didn’t have the time to deal with any of that, though, because Cole had started to shake. He looked like he wanted to cry, but he didn’t know how to in his bear form.

  “I need you to calm down, so that Cole can calm down.”

  “I’m fine!”

  “Your scent,” I tried to tell her.

  “What’s wrong with the way I smell?”

  “Your scent is really strong, Ruby, if you can’t calm down, he’s going to panic.”

  “What?” Ruby looked at me sharply. “Are you serious? He can smell me?”

  “He can smell you,” I said. “Now, please, take a deep breath. Cole is totally fine. He’s just practicing his climbing skills, and I’m right here. Even if he were to-”

  But then it happened.

  He let go.

  The little bear pulled both of his paws off the tree, and he let go of the bark. Ruby screamed as Cole fell backward off of the tree, falling down, down, down. I stepped forward and caught him easily, but he was a heavy bear, and we both fell backward onto the grass.

  I broke the fall, hitting the dirt. Cole landed right on top of me and instantly shifted back into his little kid form. He was laughing.

  “That was so cool!” Cole squealed, jumping up. “Did you see me, Mom? Did you see me?”

  “I...”

  Ruby looked like she was going to throw up.

  I jumped to my feet and went to her.

  “He’s fine, Ruby.”

  “I...”

  “He’s fine.”

  “You both scared me,” she looked up at me, and she shook her head. “You should have told me you were going to let him climb a damn tree, Dale.”

  I knew what she was thinking. She didn’t have to remind me that for years, she’d been the only one looking after him. She didn’t have to tell me that she was the one who had looked after him, cared for him. She was the one who had made sure that he was ready for anything the world wanted to throw at him.

  It had all been her.

  “I’m so sorry we scared you,” I said.

  “It was so much fun, Mom!” Cole was running around, still buck naked.

  “Go get some clothes on, sugar,” Ruby said.

  Cole grabbed Snowball and ran inside with him.

  “Come on, kitty,” Cole said. “Let’s go get dressed!”

  A moment later, Ruby and I were alone outside, and she was looking at me like I had completely betrayed her.

  “I didn’t think about this,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “I didn’t think about the fact that you might make choices that are wild like this,” she whispered.

  My heart sunk.

  This was it, then.

  She was going to break up with me because she didn’t think I could be a responsible father. Raising a shifter kid was different than raising a human kid. We both knew that. Still, I hadn’t considered the fact that something like this might make her feel like I was putting Cole in danger.

  We’d promised to just stay friends. We’d promised. We’d immediately broken that promise, of course, and we’d embraced the idea of being true mates, but now I’d gone and messed it all up.

  My heart hurt as I realized what this meant. She was going to leave. She had a sister, Elizabeth, that she would probably go live with. She’d go stay with her, and they’d live together and raise Cole together. That would be good. At least he’d get to be around family.

  I swallowed and nodded because I didn’t know what to say next. I didn’t want to tell her that this was going to break my heart. Losing both of them in the same day was going to absolutely kill me, but I’d respect her decision. If she really thought this was what was right for both of them, then I’d respect that.

  “I might have overreacted,” Ruby whispered, looking up at me.

  “Wait...what?”
/>
  “You’re shifters,” she shrugged, gesturing around at the yard. There were ripped pieces of fabric all over the yard. After Cole had shredded his clothing, Snowball had destroyed the rest. Sometimes I got the impression that Snowball thought he was a dog and not a cat.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, the way that we raise Cole is going to be different from what I imagined,” she said. “That’s okay, though.”

  “It is?”

  “It is.”

  Ruby reached for me and pulled me close, kissing me. Then she pulled back, suddenly.

  “Wait, why are you surprised?”

  “Because I figured you were going to dump my ass.”

  “Because I got upset?”

  “You were a little more than upset, Ruby.”

  “You scented my emotions,” she accused.

  “I did.”

  “Sometimes emotions are just emotions, Dale. They don’t always need to be this big, dramatic thing.”

  “So, you aren’t going to run away with our son and go live with your sister?”

  Ruby threw her head back and laughed.

  “Absolutely not,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve been getting sex twice a day, Dale. I’m not giving that up. Not even if you let our kid climb a tree.”

  14

  Ruby

  I WASN’T AFRAID TO admit an overreaction when it happened.

  I had definitely overreacted when I’d woken up from my nap and seen my kid struggling to climb down from a tree. The truth was that Dale had been with him the entire time, and he was a good father. He was an incredible guardian.

  He wasn’t about to let anything happen to our son.

  Besides, the reality was that Cole was our son. We both had to have an active part in raising him. I had to learn to let go of the idea that I was going to have this sweet, perfect, human family.

  I wasn’t.

  Cole and Dale weren’t human.

  They were shifters, and they were going to act like shifters. I’d be the first to admit that I needed to learn to let go and to start embracing the changes that were happening around me.

  Once Cole was fed, bathed, and tucked carefully into bed with his plush, I turned to head downstairs. Snowball slipped into the room as I was leaving, and I turned back around to look at the little cat. He made his way to Cole’s bed and hopped up onto it. Then he settled down by Cole’s feet.