Caged

Chapter 25

Another howl went off and despite the unfamiliarity of the sound, we knew exactly who it was.

Gabriel.

He was by our side in seconds as we bounded forward, into the brush, past the trees, over stumps, and under branches. We ran and kept going even after our legs tired and our lungs were ready to explode.

When we found a deer, we charged, slamming into the creature, and using our powerful jaws to kill it. Our mouth filled with delicious blood and I growled before tearing into the poor animal. The deer never had a chance against my hunger. Gabriel was right along side me as we enjoyed the meal together until our stomachs were full and my hunger content.

I sniffed around for a few seconds before taking off again, pushing myself. Maybe if I did, I would pass out. Maybe then, I'd stop thinking. I'd stop wondering. I'd stop hoping.

Another hour passed before I collapsed in a small meadow, the grass tall enough so that when I lay down, I disappeared from view. I liked that. Gabriel came up next to me, panting just as hard as I was. He nudged my body and I ignored him, curling up into a ball and closing my eyes.

Gabriel's playfulness was evident when he kept nudging me. He wanted to play, I wanted to sleep and block out the world.

I growled a warning. He paused for a second, his ears flickering, but then he went right back to moving around me, wanting to play.

When was the last time my wolf played?

She wondered the same thing because her curiosity hummed through my body. She peeked an eye open to watch Gabriel dance around. He was a nice looking wolf. His underside was white and then as it went up his sides, it grew into a soft orange, before blending into a brown on his back. What caught me were his eyes. They were still blue, so captivating and full of life.

When he came close enough, my wolf nipped at his front right leg playfully, making him dance away. He was an annoyance that wouldn't go away and the longer he stayed it, the longer he called to my playful side.

He came at me again, and I let out a growl, but there was no heat behind it, no real warning. He came over and licked my face, making me jump up. I shook my head before snapping at him. He jumped away and just like that we played. We tumbled around, nipping at each other, tackling each other, rolling around.

Gabriel made it so easy to just be free. The new sensations were becoming an addiction. I liked the way the blood pumped through my body, but not out of fear. I liked how we rolled around and I didn't need to worry about protecting my belly. I liked that we could tease each other and not worry about the other snapping and deciding to attack instead. This was safe. Fun and safe.

I never had that before. Ever.

I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time and I never did that before either. Happy tears. They would be happy tears. If I could, I would be crying happy tears right now.

Finally, we both flopped down in exhaustion and it was a good kind of exhaustion, not from fighting too much or trying to heal, or from lack of sleep. This exhaustion was the kind you got after a long time of playing.

I dozed, feeling Gabriel coming up next to me, cuddling close, his wolf's heat keeping my wolf warm. She liked it. We liked it. This feeling of content. We could get used to this if it were possible. I took in his scent. The initial scent was different again, a little breezy with a slight sweetness underneath that, but beneath it all was Gabriel. Passionate. Free. Natural.

"Sang," a deep voice sang out in a slightly husky tenor. I peeked one eye open. Gabriel sat next to me, completely naked as he grinned at me. "We need to head back now before the others come out as a pack."

I just stared at him, noting the defined lines on his body. Gabriel was muscular like all shifters, but he wasn't bulky like Silas or North. He was on the slimmer side to match his slightly smaller frame, but he still looked good. His body was tanned from all the sun shifters got from being outside so often. His brown hair fell to his shoulder, the two blond locks framing his slightly sweaty face. He had the leg closest to me bent for some modesty.

I snorted. I'd seen it all before. I'd seen more than I wanted while in The Gallows.

Gabriel frowned. "It'd be so much easier if you could talk to us in wolf form."

I stood up and shook out my body, ignoring him. I wasn't ready to shift back and I had nothing to say. I was broken. I'd never been able to speak to others in wolf form, and I'll never have that pack bond that allows for the mental link. I wasn't cut out for a pack.

Not even the Blackbourne Pack.

I didn't say anything and went into a light jog. Gabriel cursed before coming after me. He managed to shift back into his wolf quickly and then catch up with me.

When we got back to the house, Gabriel shifted back to his human form, his body glistening from the sweat and strain of shifting so often. He went over to a nearby bin and pulled out a pair of sweats he pulled on before facing me.

"Are you going to shift back?" he asked.

I shook my head. I wasn't ready to be human again. I knew the moment I did, all the emotions were going to come back. The anger at my stepmother was going to come back.

I didn't want that.

There was a peacefulness to being a wolf, and I wanted that right now.