Salt to Her Sea ✔️

7. in the skin

Pressing my nose into her cheek with a huff, I rubbed myself against her before reluctantly agreeing. I nudged her back towards the packhouse, miles North of our current position. With an easy trot, we headed back towards the hub. I was struck with the want to build out own house, seeing her prance along beside me. I wanted something that was all our own.

Eventually, we came across a clothing shed and began to shift back.

Akesis' low, pained whine turned into a groan as she turned back in slow agony. Her paws slowly peeled back to reveal fingers that clawed into the damp soil.

Fog began to roll into the woods, coiling around her body, concealing us from the calves down.

I remained in my fur until she was fully shifted back, even then I stayed in my fighting form. Waiting for her to control her labored breaths and search the shed.

"I'm okay." She murmured when I slid my tongue over her mark from behind. Soft hands reached back and touched my head. "Go ahead and shift."

It was just about as painful for me to shift back, my own growls of discomfort slowly becoming low grunts. I was mid-shift when he appeared.

"Everything alright?"

Akesis spun around from where she had been opening the shed with a yelp. Modesty kicked in and her arms sprawled over herself before I could move. My legs buckled beneath me as I snarled.

Vayne stood not far from my naked mate, eyes round in delight, pupils blown out nearly all black.

Shifting back to fur was easy, I slammed into my other form and stood before her. She slid behind me easily, hands grasping the fur of my flank. Holding me in place.

I roared at him, he was still standing there, staring. His spine folded in and he looked like a tree falling in slow motion. Splintering into a million fragments. His eyes would've been eaten by me had Akesis not been gripping onto me so tightly. Rooted in spot, I snarled and growled until he scampered away like the prey he had become.

Whipping around I nudged Akesis into the shed to grab some clothes and kept watch outside. My fury was untamed, boiling inside me, vibrating my body. A consistent growl was streaming from my curled lip.

No way in hell I was shifting back.

"It's alright, Tide." I turned as hands pressed into my ruff, stroking softly. "He's gone now, let's go." Her easy voice betrayed the way her body trembled fear, the scent of it permeating from her skin.

We walked back, her tight against my side, treading on two feet while I was on four. Ears pricked high, taking in every sound in our vicinity, nose tipped up to take in all the scents. I kept her right next to me, my skin was crawling, unnerved by that male. So much so, it had me simmering with rage that was barely held onto. The haze plumed in the back of my mind, but with her hand on me, I blinked it away.

Akesis had a tired slowness to her bare-footed step and I realized how long her day had been. She had learned so much about herself.

I lead her up to my room, her hand never leaving my flank. She stripped back down to nothing, causing a quiver to my entire body. Shirt pulled up, one hand grasping the hem and tugging it over her head in one easy stroke. Her hair pulled through the neck of the shirt last, spilling across her arched back like a waterfall. The shorts went next, one tug that sent them down to her ankles where she stepped out of them gingerly. A low noise escaped my throat, somewhere between a groan and a grunt. I coughed to clear it up but she didn't seem to notice. The female had practically dove beneath my sheets. Within moments, her deep breathing signified she was out. So easily she had forgotten about what had happened in the woods.