Ariadne: Almost an Alpha | ✓

Chapter 20 - Embarrassment

Chapter 20 - Embarrassment

Both of us don't make any attacks for a while. Eventually, he makes a strike at my side with his jaws, and I roll away, pushing him back with my hind legs. I run forward and try pouncing on him, but he dodges my attack easily, lightly swatting at my head on his retreat. I lunge forward again, snapping at his neck, but he knocks me aside with his lower body, turning at the last second. As I try to regain balance, he goes for my neck, lightly biting into the fur, not piercing any skin with his canines, abiding to the rule of sparring. Strike 1.

Mateus backs off and barks, clearly unimpressed.

I growl back, keeping my distance, trying to plan the best offensive attack.

Rushing forward, Mateus doesn't give me any time to think, and I have to dodge him, running to his left. His momentum keeps him going forward for a split-second, and I use that time to lightly bite the fur of his hind leg. Strike 1 for me.

Before I can let out my own bark, Mateus has turned around and pounced on me again. Strong front legs push into my belly, and I quickly put my fore feet up, pushing his chest away. My hind legs come up also, curling up slightly in order to try and push his front legs off. He backs up a little, and I snap at his neck while I have the chance. My teeth only catch air, and he jumps back onto my lying form with more force. The upper part of his front legs keep mine pinned down to my body, and he rolls me a bit, forcing my left hind leg to the ground with his lower body. Still, I try to kick him off with my right hind leg.

His paws press more firmly into my chest as he opens his jaws, muzzle coming closer for the final strike. Saliva glistens on the sharp canines, and hot breath rolls over my face. Suddenly, I'm 15 and small again. My body goes rigid, and my hind leg freezes. I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to see my own death, and a small whimper erupts from my throat.

Just as my heart starts to beat too rapidly and my lungs can't seem to take in enough air, the pressure on my body goes away. I try to focus on my breathing, on every inhale and exhale, but my body feels as if it's spinning around on a rotating platform. My eyes open; I desperately try to focus on something, but my vision is blurry. It feels like someone is vacuuming the air out of my lungs, and I open my mouth in a desperate need of oxygen. Quickly, my throat starts to burn. The oxygen is choking me. The hands desperately clawing at my throat start to tingle, and my chest feels heavy, like my bones are filled with rocks, weighing down on me, breaking me. I'm going to die.

The blurry halogens disappear, replaced by a blurry figure. My eyes blink, and I focus enough to make out two blue spots staring at me. Eyes. Mateus's eyes. Mateus. He's here. He's alive. I'm alive.

"Are you ok? Can you breathe?"

I concentrate on those blue spots, taking in small amount of air.

"Breathe, Ariadne." A fuzzy shape at the bottom of my field of vision moves. A mouth. Mateus's mouth.

You're alive. Breathe. I focus on the blue spots, but the air is not going in right. I'm trying, Mateus. I'm trying.

"Come on, inhale."

Inhale, Ariadne. I gulp at the air, forcing it into my lungs.

"Hold it in, Ariadne." A finger touches my bottom lip. "Good, now exhale."

The air rushes out, and I gulp for more.

The blue specks come closer, getting larger. "Slower this time, Ariadne. Count with me in your head, okay? Alright, inhale deeply."

I open my mouth, taking oxygen in.

"Hold it. 1... 2... 3..."

1... 2. 3

"Good. Now exhale slowly. 1... 2... 3..."

1.2..3

"Let's try again. Inhale. 1... 2... 3..."

1... 2... 3...

"Exhale. 1... 2... 3..."

1... 2... 3...

"Again."

Eventually, the blue dots get clearer, and brown specks start to emerge. The world stops spinning, and I feel the hand on my forehead, smoothing my hair away from my face.

"Again." The finger under my lip rubs a small circle into my skin.

When I regain my senses enough to realize that at some point I changed back into my human form, my cheeks burn up at how very naked I am.

The finger under my lip freezes, "Ariadne? You're turning red. Come on. Inhale."

Then, I notice Mateus's bare shoulders at the very bottom of my vision. I force my eyes to remain concentrated on his, knowing he's very naked also.

"I'm fine," I say my first words. "Just red from the headache."

"Headache?" The word comes out as a question, and I notice his full eyebrows slope down in confusion.

His eyes haven't moved from my face the whole time, but I use his moment of confusion as a distraction to move my arms up to my breasts without getting his attention.

"Yeah," I try to laugh the whole situation off. "Very painful migraine. Made me forget to breathe and stuff haha."

The hand on my forehead moves away, and I follow the tanned arm down to his elbow, where it rests on the ground, supporting him above me.

"So you're okay?" he asks for clarification.

"Oh yeah, of course," I say easily. "That was probably pretty weird, right? Haha."

He blinks. "Yeah... weird."

"Anyways." I let out another fake happy-go-lucky laugh. "If you could close your eyes and turn around that would be great."

"Huh?"

"You know, so I can get up. We may be werewolves, but I still like being modest, you know? I haven't looked away from your face either, by the way."

He must not have realized we were naked until then because, with my words, he immediately squeezes his eyes shut and backs up.

I stare at the ceiling as I hear him getting farther away to my left.

"I'm sorry... I didn't realize..." He struggles to find the right words. "I swear I didn't see anything."

Against all of my wants to see his bare backside, I twist to the right while getting up, wanting to give him the same privacy he's giving me. I rush to the bathroom and change back into my clothes. Feelings of embarrassment and awkwardness wash over me, and I decide to leave the bathroom through the outside door, not wanting to have to face him again.

On the way out, I grab a towel; I need a nice, relaxing swim right now.

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