Taming the lion

Chapter 17

++++++++++++ Heaths pov+++++++++++++++++++

Nervously I looked out the window. Deciding that wasn't such a good idea, I put my head down on my paws, stretching out on the back seat. I had never travelled in a vehicle before. They seemed large and cumbersome, plus the stink they gave off made my nose itch. Ethan had insisted this was the way we were to travel to the Bakura pride,

Not that we were heading there just yet, I hadn't caught a glimpse of Jacey for almost a week. I would miss her; I longed to be back in her presence, if just for a short time, touching her skin and inhaling her scent. She intoxicated me; she made me feel whole and safe, which is why we were now driving around her property to say goodbye and tell her I would return. She had looked so miserable and withdrawn when I had last seen her that day at the lake, asking me to shift and id refused. The others had been trying to cheer me up and had been delighted to see their first human that wasn't also a pride member could feel the sadness engulf her when I refused to shift. She needed to know what was going on. I didn't have the courage to face her on my own she had seemed startled when I spoke into her mind, so this time Ethan was along to do the talking for me. The car had stopped

‎peeking out. I saw we were at the lake, not our special place, the other one. Seeing her reaction to Ethan as he exited the car, I wondered if bringing him along had been the best idea. I looked at the handle on the car door and thought to myself, soon I will be able to open this myself, how I wished I could open it right now and run to her,‎

It seemed like hours before Ethan opened the door to let me out. I looked around, expecting to see Brax as well, we had started off a little rocky, but I was really getting to like the guy.

I watched as anger clouded her features, and she began to shout, this isn't how I imagined it would go. I ran to her, entwining myself in and out of her legs in an attempt to calm and reassure her we meant no harm. She seemed to settle a bit <well done, young cub> I shot Ethan an irritated look; when was he going to stop calling me a damn cub? I was full-grown, for god sake.

I sat at her feet, only half listening to what Ethan was saying to intent on studying her, committing to memory the flawless details of her face The way one strand of hair fell to cover part of her eyes and when she was concentrating, her nose crinkled and shortened her lips were pink they reminded me of a delicate spring bud, I was jolted out of my study of her by the sound of a door slamming Ethan had retreated to the car leaving me with my mate I looked up at her the lion version of a smile on my snout, she wrapped her arms around me, and I felt at home <we have to go>

Ethan broke into my head, and I released her, turning and jumping into the car. To start my training, the pain of leaving her was greater than I imagined. I could hear the emotion in her voice and felt it coming off her in waves as she addressed Ethan. Then before I knew it, we were away, heading off to make me into a man.

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I was panting by the time we reached the top of the stairs, and Declan, to my irritation, was lounging next to me, looking totally at ease; We had just finished what Declan referred to as a circuit.

‎The circuit was a set of exercises and movements devised to help me get used to using my human body in natural ways; we started outside in the pool and swam several laps. I found this terrifying, as I was not a lion that enjoyed water heart, the sensation just freaked me out; having a shower had been the most harrowing experience of my life, but ill get to that later; then we moved to a series of balls and bats I had to use each of these with Declan hitting and throwing the balls into hoops and things lastly came the stairs we started outside. After doing a lap of the house, we ran up the stairs to the top and stopped; what amazed me the most was how differently my body moved; in lion form, leaping up the stairs was easy, but in human, after the first time around we had to do this about ten times each day before Declan was satisfied my legs would burn and feel like a million burrs had pierced them all at once.‎