She's Golden

Phase Forty-One: We Belong, pt. 2

The rise of the sun may have marked the beginning of the day, but George herself had no idea of where to begin.

The morning went by in a blur, marked with faint flashes of taking a shower and slipping on that comfy silk lounge dress she felt compelled to wear.  The memory of Julian's quiet voice assuring her that he would do the laundry he couldn't do yesterday echoed inside her head, and she realized that she'd wanted to look nice for him for when he returned.  Now, she was sitting at the edge of her bed, staring over her reflection in the vanity mirror, fascinated by what she saw.

It was her reflection, no question.  Yet, it wasn't her reflection.  She felt like she changed somehow, even if the change was a slight one.

She ran her fingers through her hair over and over again.  She could hardly believe it how it managed to be like this once she found the strength to shift back to her human form last night.  Normally, the state you were in before you shift was the state you were in after.  She shifted with curly hair, so when she shifted back, her hair should have still been curly.  But silky straight it was, and silky straight it remained, spilled across her shoulders with wisps stroking her cheeks.  Looking at herself, she felt she'd grown older - more mature and more open to the world around her.  As she remembered Julian's soft hands all over her wolf's arctic white fur, she felt her suspicions about the ouside world begin to ebb away, eased by the promise a hope born out of fated love.

You change a little, her wolf murred, still buzzing from last night.  You change more when you mate with mate.  Happy happy hump day...

George shook her head, ridding herself of her wolf's amorous insinuation.  Besides, she had more important things to think about.  There was still a lot that needed to be said.  There was still things to hash out.  But she would be okay - they would be okay.  Of that much, she was certain.

Another thing she was certain of was her best friend's accuracy - Julian was not completely human.  She could see it in his eyes before and after the change, the way they radiated with that familiar, untamed intensity she possessed herself.  She would have continued to resist the change and incur even more pain had her wolf not connected to that savage energy he gave off.  Even if that energy escaped her human understanding, her wolf did not suffer the same fate.  Instead, it was overcome with an otherworldy elation - for her wolf, there was no mistaking the energy. 

Mine, it howled over and over again.  All mine.

The longer she remained a wolf, the more she understood what her wolf meant.  As Julian embraced his, whispering into his fur his love and devotion for both her and her wolf, she too felt the powerful pull of Julian's mysterious aura.  It reminded her of her two distinct souls, the complicated yet calm human and the untamed yet loyal wolf.  And while she still couldn't make sense of it, she knew that this energy, this power was meant to mix with hers.

She was meant to be his, and he was meant to be hers.  And most importantly, she had nothing to fear from it.

What exactly are you, Julian? she pondered.  You are like me, but you aren't like me.  You are human but not completely human.  Yet somehow, I feel there isn't much difference between us, and there's a reason that you're mine.  But still...I don't understand...

George's ears perked up at the sound of his footsteps moving closer and closer, rising up the stairways and along the hallways.  Her breath hitched as he unlatched the door, and her heart slowed as he walked inside.  Giddiness tickling her insides as he appeared in the doorway, a basket full of folded clothes in tow.  The room was rich and heady with his distinct scent, and while she was firmly human, her excitement was so feverish, she wanted to jump up and howl.