Three days have passed since we left the small town of Rochelle. So far, we have stayed off the main road so that we can all work on leveling up. I was now at level 10, and it felt amazing! But even more impressive was that my cute little Smaug was now as big as a horse, which meant he was strong enough to carry me on his back for short periods.
Wolfe did not enjoy it when I rode on Smaug's back; he would growl at me and ignore me for hours after I snuck off so I could go flying. He was such a party pooper. And I swear the man's fuse was growing shorter and shorter by the day.
We were continuing through the thick forest, which was getting rockier as we made our way up the mountain, and my oh-so-graceful self caught my foot on a rock and went tumbling forward. Thankfully Kingston had been in front of me and managed to catch me before I went face-first into the rock-filled dirt.
Wolfe, who had been behind me, did not like this and growled, baring his teeth at poor Kingston, who was smart enough to let me go and back away slowly.
Wolfe clenched his fists as his whole body began to shake, and dark brown fur began to spread all over his body.
With a sigh, I decided to be brave and reached out to touch his arm, which was starting to swell in size as his body prepared to shift. "Wolfe, please calm down," I said in a sweet voice, then ran my hand over the coarse fur on his arm, hoping to distract him, "He was just helping me; I would have been eating rocks if he didn't catch me."
Wolfe's whole body was vibrating with anger, and the look in his eyes meant he was on the edge of losing control. He looked even scarier than when I first saw him because he wasn't entirely shifted yet, his teeth were elongating, and his hands were tipped with those razor-sharp claws.
The change in his demeanor was instantaneous as he looked down at me, his body stopped shaking, and the fur began to recede. I sighed in relief when he pulled me closer to him to wrap me in a hug. I happily hugged him back, thankful that he was able to calm down.
"Are you okay now?" I asked as he took a step back.
With a nod, he turned towards Kingston, who was now standing with Kyrah and Princely, who was staying a safe distance away.
"Sorry about that. The moon will be full in a few days, so my wolf is close to the surface."
Kingston just shrugged, apparently not too bothered about what happened, "It's okay, I read a few books about werewolves, and I figured you would probably be more irritable than usual."
"Oh, I didn't know that werewolves were forced to shift on a full moon," I said, feeling like an idiot. Being new to this world can get frustrating, and I didn't have the years of growing up and learning from books like these guys did, who were all born and raised in the Kingdom since infancy.
Wolfe sighed and rubbed his face. I noticed that he did this when he felt conflicted about something, and I wouldn't say I liked it when Wolfe had a look on his face that he had done something wrong and was probably beating himself up for it.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about it, " He finally says, pulling me in for another hug.
How could I ever be upset when he acts like this? This man was a level 100 werewolf knight, who was forced to shift every full moon and was twice the size of an average man, but somehow managed to look like a scolded puppy when he thought he did me wrong.
With a sigh, I wrapped my arms around his waist, then laid my head on his chest, "There is no reason to beat yourself up about it. We have all been so focused on this mission that it's easy to forget that I am still new to everything."
"Umm.. guys," interrupted Kingston, " I'm sorry to cut into your sappy moment, but it's getting dark, and I still need to find a place to camp for the night."
We reluctantly stepped away from each other, then followed Kingston back towards the others.
That night after everyone was gathered around the fire, Wolfe explains the situation with the full moon approaching.
"During the week of the full moon, I will be forced to shift every night until the moon wanes. The wolf takes over when I am forced to shift, and I cannot control what it does. You three need to be at least a day ahead of us while Harlow and I look for a cave to stay in for the week of the full moon," He explains, then looks at me, "You will have to stay close to me if you follow them, I fear what my wolf would do if he saw another male close to you. My wolf will not harm its mate so you will be completely safe. Be prepared to be pampered, though; he will probably want to take care of you while he has full control.."
I smiled when he rubbed the back of his neck; I had no clue Wolfe could be shy...It was freaken adorable!
Since we were already in the mountains, finding a large enough cave for us to stay in was easy. We had to part from the others yesterday so their scent wouldn't be near us while Wolfe was wolfed out. He even made me rinse off in the creek to be safe; he wanted to make sure there was no scent of another male on me for both their safety and mine.
Two nights later, Wolfe kissed my lips before slipping out of his leather vest and the leather bracers on his arms. Next, he removed his kilt, leaving him utterly bare before me. This man was built like an Olympic god, but seeing all the scars covering his body made me sad. Wolfe calls them honor badges proving that he has survived many horrible situations.
"It won't be long now; I can feel myself losing control," says Wolfe, stepping closer to the mouth of the cave, "Do not move closer to me while I shift, I could hurt you, and I would never forgive myself."
I nodded to reassure him, "Okay, I promise not to move; I will wait until your wolf comes to me."
With one last nod, the moon broke free of the clouds, illuminating the forest in an eerie glow.
The moon bathed Wolfe in its light, unlocking the wolf from its cage. I knew watching him shift would not be pleasant, but I was not ready for what I saw.
Wolfe's whole body tensed as his muscles swelled, and dark brown fur covered him from head to toe. I watched as his hand and feet became claws, and his bones began to break. They popped and snapped, echoing through the cave as his body morphed into that of a beast.
The last time I saw this form, Wolfe had been covered in blood and looked like a demon straight out of hell, but now that I knew that he was my mate and would never harm me, I wasn't scared, and I was excited to meet this other side of him.
After the transformation, the wolf remained on the floor; I couldn't even bear to think of his pain every time he had to shift.
I stayed perfectly still as I watched the wolf, trying with all my might not to make any noise. I tensed when the wolf rose to its feet, and I could hear his joints snapping, crackling, and popping as he rose to his full height. The beast had to be close to 8 feet tall, covered in coarse brown fur and had the same dark green eyes as Wolfe.
The wolf cocked its head, then sniffed at the air. I couldn't help but flinch when the wolf finally turned its head in my direction, then took a few steps closer to me.
Now he was so close that I could reach and touch him, but I had to be patient and wait until he was ready. I tried not to tense up but failed when he crouched down to where I had been sitting on the cave floor.
He cocked his head, then slowly leaned in to sniff me from top to bottom; once satisfied, his tail began to wag.
"Hello, Wolfe," I said with a smile, "I'm happy that I finally got to meet you."
"Mate," he replied in a deep growly voice, then leaned down to nuzzle my cheek.
Very slowly, I placed my hand on his head, and when he didn't react, I knew I could relax. Then courageously ran my fingers through the thick fur on his neck.
I was shocked when he wrapped his arms around my waist, then pulled me onto his lap to nuzzle his big head against me. I couldn't help but laugh; this massive beast that could easily disembowel me with one swipe of his claws was nuzzling me like a big cat.
My stomach chose the worst moment to growl. Wolfe froze, then looked down at me, cocking his head.
Wolfe stood, gently set me on my feet, and said, "Mate, stay, Wolfe hunt, get food."
It seemed difficult for him to speak correctly, but it amazed me at how intelligent this beast was. I smiled, then caressed his fuzzy muzzle, then placed a kiss on his nose.
"Be careful; I will be here waiting when you return."
Wolfe made this low rumbling purr sound, then with one last nuzzle, he turned, then hurried from the cave to look for something to eat.
While Wolfe was out hunting, I decided to go into the forest to grab some kindling to make a fire. Smaug was with the others, so I felt lonely without them here, but it was better than Wolfe ripping them into shreds for being too close to his mate.
Once I had an arm full of dried wood, I turned to head back towards the cave.
I gasped in fright, dropping the bundle of wood at the sight of the most frightening creature I had ever seen.
This creature was almost as tall as Wolfe, stood on two hind legs, and looked like a zombified male deer, with its skull and most of its skeletal structure exposed, and had the most haunting blood-red eyes.
I quickly grabbed Scorpius, who materialized before me, more significant than I had ever seen her. She was usually the size of my hand, and now she was almost as big as Smaug.
"Holy cow! I didn't know you could materialize that big!"
"The bigger I am, the more of your life energy I take. You have grown much stronger, so I can now show you my true size, but this isn't important. You must return to the cave; this beast is too strong to fight by yourself."
"Wolfe went out to hunt, so I'm alone until he returns, and what the hell is that thing?"
"This a level 15 beast called a Wendigo; cannibalistic creatures that were once human but sold their soul for greed and were cursed to live the rest of their lives atoning for their sins by feeding off people's worst fears."
"Oh, just great; Wolfe will kill me for leaving the cave! That is if I make it back alive..."
"You will make it back alive; I will ensure it...Now go! Run! I will distract the Wendigo while you run back to the cave!"
"What about you? I thought only I could see you?"
"By using some of your energy, I can become corporeal for a short time. It should be enough to distract the Wendigo, and I'm already a ghost; damn it, it can't hurt me. Now go!"
Reluctantly, I scooped up the wood pile, then ran like a bat out of hell towards the cave.
I was so focused on running that I ran into something solid and furry. I screamed when two strong arms wrapped around me, causing me to whimper from the fear of being eaten.
"Mate!"
"Wolfe?"
My whole body relaxed as I looked up at Wolfe's furry face; tears poured from my eyes at the relief of being safe.
The beast whimpered at the sight of my tears, cupping my face gently in his massive claws. "Mate, safe now."
Wolfe scooped me up, holding me close as he carried me back to the cave.
"I'm sorry I left the cave," I told him as I sobbed against his furry chest, "I was just going out to get some firewood, but I couldn't even fathom the idea of running into a creature like that.."
Wolfe stepped into the cave, sat on the floor, then held me close, caressing my cheek with his knuckle. He was gentle and careful not to scratch me with those dagger-sized claws.
"Mate, okay, mate, safe," he repeatedly repeated until I eventually fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, the cave was engulfed in the red light of the rising sun.
As I became more awake, I noticed that I was lying on top of something hard but smooth at the same time. Under my ear was the thump, thump, thump of a beating heart, and wrapped around me were two muscular arms, holding me close and keeping me warm.
With a happy sigh, I snuggled into Wolfe's warmth. The arms around me tightened as he woke.
We stayed like that as the sun rose higher in the sky, then sadly, nature was an asshole and forced me to peel myself away from Wolfe so I could use the bathroom.
When I returned to the cave, Wolfe was fully awake and dressed in his kilt. I now understood why he wore that; it was easier to get on and off when he needed to shift. But then I remembered him wearing it when he saved us from the bandits... Oh well, I wasn't going to complain; seeing him, butt-naked was worth it.
He stood when I moved in closer to him, then wrapped his arms around me in a hug. I missed this grumpy asshole last night, and he wasn't the same, even if the wolf was his alter ego.
"I need to ask what happened last night. The image of you crying is seared into my brain. But I don't know what made you cry," He explained, looking completely deflated again, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
I shook my head, "No, it wasn't your fault; it was mine. You went hunting, and even after you asked me to stay, I went out to get some kindling for a fire. On my way back, I was lucky to run into a Wendigo."
Wolfe's body tensed at the name of that horrible beast, then sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. I stood there, unmoving, waiting for him to blow up about me wandering off alone.
"How did you return without a scratch on you?" he finally asked as he paced back and forth.
"When I leveled up, my whip did too, so when I grabbed my weapon, Scorpius appeared, and she was huge! She told me I was too weak for her before, but now that I'm stronger, she can materialize in her true size now, which is almost as big as Smaug! But she was the one who told me what that horrible creature was. She became corporeal and distracted the Wendigo while I ran back to the cave and into you. I was so scared last night, but your wolf was sweet enough to hold me until I fell asleep."
Wolfe stopped pacing and sighed, shaking his head with a smile, "You have turned my beast into a sappy puppy. It's just.." He walked over to me, then cupped my face, "I'm just glad you're okay. I don't know what to do if something happened to you."
And with that, all was forgiven, and the two of us spent the rest of the week getting to know each other a little more and enjoyed our time alone while we could.
After seven amazing days with Wolfe and his alter ego, we reluctantly left the cave to look for our friends.