Outliers

Sixteen

A groan escaped as I shifted myself into a more comfortable position, the movement pulling at my still healing flesh.

Silver eyes locked onto mine as his head lifted slowly towards me. We remained still, fixed by each other's gaze for what felt like agonising minutes until I broke the silence.

"How long was I asleep this time?"

He continued to stare at me, making no move to shift back into his human flesh.

"You're wolf isn't what I would have expected."

Still my words were only met with silence.

"My brother-in-mating trained with your pack you know?" I murmured, eyeing his large form. He didn't make a sound, continuing to watch me. "He would tell me stories about your pack... about you. Nothing too detailed of course, your mysterious reputation remained intact. But I know he thought highly of you, respected you a great deal."

I offered him a small smile, unsure why I was telling him all of this. Perhaps simply to fill the uncomfortable silence, or perhaps I no longer wished to avoid the tension between us. I didn't know what else to do under the heavy weight of his gaze.

"Of course, I had dreamed of joining your pack ever since I was a teenager and began to understand the full gravity of my situation, so I was eager to hear anything and everything about you all. They felt a bit like fairy tales at the time, nothing more than stories of an ancient, wild tribe of wolves, of creatures to fear. And yet, all I've felt amongst your pack is admiration, and an overwhelming sense of pride that you would allow me to join you. Mitchell - my brother-in-mating sends his regards by the way."

He shifted on the bed, turning to rest his large head by my hand, still watching, attention completely on me. I'm not sure what possessed me to run my fingers through his fur, but he made no sign of disproval, so I continued. His course fur was thick, and even in the daylight was so dark, an endless pelt of black so dark it seemed to absorb the light that dared to touch it. It felt surreal to be so close to something that I had thought impossible.

"That day, at the Alpha meetings, I thought for sure you had rejected my transferal. But you hadn't, and suddenly I was packing my bags and saying my goodbyes to my family and Jack..."

He huffed besides me, the action sounding strange coming from a wolf, but his distaste for my old Alpha was clear.

"Can you shift back, please." I rolled my eyes. It felt ridiculous to be speaking to a wolf that couldn't offer me any words in return. I was tired of running from him now. Nero had been right, it had been fear to hold me back, and it would be cowardly to continue to hide from whatever it was that drew Thane and I together.

Strong muscles shifted beneath flesh. Dark, coarse fur danced with the movement, the streams of light from the nearby window shining against it. The bed dipped with his weight as he rose steadily to his feet and then to the wooden floor, each board creaking under his weight. He was a powerful creature.

Padding over to the far wall of the cabin, I watched in fascination as he began to shift, his back towards me.

Just like the night of my initiation, his shift was a painfully slow process. I could see the bones break, the skin tearing itself apart as fur transformed into dark hair and pale skin. When he was human again, he was left panting on his knees, reaching for black shorts that laid crumbled on the floor.

When he turned back to me, wearing nothing but the shorts and an impassive expression, he fixed me with his dark eyes and said nothing.

I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering, my mouth suddenly dry as I asked, "How long are we staying here?"