Fractured

Chapter Two, Part II

Hey guys, just for the sake of clarity, I decided to make chapter two into two parts. xxx

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It seemed to last for hours until I finally saw my hand in Garrett's become a paw.

And then finally, finally, it was over. I'd rolled onto the floor and was now standing on all fours. The position felt new and unusual, but somehow natural to this new form.

I lifted one leg after another, testing for stability. The bones had stopped shifting and were starting to feel more natural. The fur covering me was a russet brown, almost red in the light.

I looked up at Garret. Fine, you were right. Now what?

He was silent a moment and looked at me almost contemplatively. Whatever he'd been expecting, I'd surprised him somehow. The way his eyes roamed my figure as if checking for imperfections, made me start to feel self-conscious. Was there something wrong with me?

My wolf whined, making Garret, beta, my wolf corrected, notice my discomfort.

He finally met my eyes, my new eyes, and I felt a jolt crash through me. Mate, my wolf said. It was a statement, no doubting, and no questioning. Mine, I echoed.

He smiled a little. "Well, this is... a surprise."

He cleared his throat and tried like to hell to stay the objective beta he needed to be for a few moments longer.

"You survived, that's all that matters right now. The changes get easier with time. The first one is always the worst."

I nodded my head in understanding.

My nose picked up the scent of burning wood from the fireplace, the smallest trace of must from the rug on the floor, and several others I was unable to identify.

My mate's scent was more complex, and it took her a moment to decipher it. I could tell his was heady with barely controlled lust.

His heady aroma of sex and male made my pupils dilate and a shiver runs down my spine. I need to touch him. Preferably with human hands.

As soon as I decided to figure out how to change back, my body responded in kind. I finished with a huff of pain on the floor. Again.

"You're fast for a newly turned wolf," he remarked.

I looked up at my mate. He was still kneeling, the same place he'd been all through my change. He was close, so close he was able to reach up and brush my hair away from my face and tuck it behind my ear. His fingers grazed down her cheek and marveled at the soft skin there.

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He'd had women before. Many, if he was being honest. But never one that had been his. Almost ten years after he matured as a wolf, he'd never found his mate. Because he'd been waiting for her. He wondered at the miracle of her. That she'd survived her attack, that he'd found her in time, and that she survived the change. That she was his. Caroline.

As he'd expected, several moments after she changed back her lids started to droop and she sagged against him. She was asleep in seconds. The first change was known to take a lot of energy. He lifted her back onto the couch, but then thought better of it.

She sighed softly as he placed her on the antique four-poster bed. She made an unhappy noise when he turned to leave. A small smile touched his lips. He didn't want to let her go, either.

He'd watch over her, he decided. He laid beside her and drew a blanket up and over them. Her fingers tightened around him as he carefully slid his arm around her waist. And waited.