~ Ethan's POV ~
I wake up in a cold sweat, my body trembling, and my chest heaving as I sit bolt upright in bed. Last night was rough, I remind myself, using that thought to bring my heart rate back to normal. You'd think after so many years I'd get used to this, but I still have to remind myself of the events of the night before in order to calm myself down. However, even after regaining control of my breathing, the hairs at the back of my neck are still standing up on end, and Im still on full alert. This cant be good. Reaching for my phone, I see that I have no notifications, and my blood runs cold. It's 6am, and (Y/N) still hasnt texted me to say that she got home from that party last night. She's not usually one for parties, and she was anxious about attending last night, so I reassured her that I'd talk to her once she got home, and she said she'd text me as soon as she was at her door. Could she have just forgotten? I'd better make sure she's safe. That thought rotates around my head, repeating itself like a mantra as I rush to get dressed and dash out of the front door of my apartment building.
Perhaps she got drunk, one of her friends took her home and she just collapsed on her bed, or maybe she stayed the night at a friend's house, Im sure she's fine. But if she was, I'd feel a lot more in control of my body temperature. My pace quickens as I catch sight of her front door, and once I reach it, I gently knock my knuckles against the wood.
No response.
I ring the doorbell, which I know is absurdly loud from inside her home.
Nothing.
My nerves getting the better of me, I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial her number. I didnt want to call her, in case she was asleep, but there's no way she'd sleep through that doorbell. The phone rings for what feels like an eternity, before I hear her voice, and my heart leaps, until I realise it's her answer machine. Shoving my phone back inside my pocket, I take off running towards the party venue, following her scent to figure out the exact route she took.
I reach the bar where the party was held, and the place is dead, everyone must have already gone home. My head darts to the left as her scent hits me from another direction, stronger this time, and I break into a sprint, following the route she began to walk home. Her scent is the only one on this part of the street, meaning she was walking alone, and I can tell from how her scent trial wobbles unevenly that she was intoxicated, who let her walk home alone while drunk!?! When I round a corner, several other scents, or I should say stenches, add to her trail, smelling distinctly male, and drenched in alcohol. My blood boils, and I continue sprinting down the trail, until it stops suddenly, and before I can even question where to go next, I hear male laughter coming from my left. Turning towards the sound, I see a group of men huddled around something, or someone. My eyes lock onto a pair of red heels, and my hands clench into fists at my sides, I'd recognise her favourite pair of shoes anyway.
"Get the fuck away from her!" I bark, and my unexpected outburst causes all four of the men to jump back in surprise, revealing my sweet (Y/N), lying mangled on the concrete floor of the alleyway, the bottom of her dress covered in mud, and pulled up to her waist.
Each individual piece of scum turns to face me, and I make sure to lock onto every single one, because this will not be the last time I see them. A low growl erupts in my throat, and the monsters laugh, until they see my eyes flash yellow, and their laughter quickly fades out.
"Yo man, we were just havin' a little fun with our new lady friend, no harm done!" One of them speaks up, before laughing nervously, while gingerly stepping away from me, not knowing how to react to the sudden flicker of colour he just saw in my eyes.
"Get. The FUCK. Away. From her. Now!" I bellow, my vocal chords transitioning without my control, adding a low rumble to my every word.
The pieces of scum slowly back away from her with their hands up by their heads, and my eyes flash yellow again, this time they dont change back, and the guys shout in confusion before stumbling down the alleyway. My gaze fixes back on (Y/N), and in an instant Im kneeling at her side, gently lifting her limp head with my hand. Her eyes are barely open, but she still smiles at me.
"Ethan, I missed you!" Her words are slurred, and considering the amount of bruises and cuts I can see on her body, Im glad of her intoxication, hopefully she's in less pain.
"I missed you too baby." I tell her in a soft voice as I pull out my phone and call an ambulance.
"What happened? It's so dark here, I can barely see. How are your eyes doing that?" (Y/N) asks me in drunk confusion.
Instead of answering her questions, I talk to the emergency services over the phone, while absentmindedly playing with her hair. The sooner she's safe in a hospital, the sooner I can pay each of those fuckers a visit.
As I sit at her hospital beside, the doctors explain to me that (Y/N) had been severely beaten, shoved up against walls, and the cuts on her body were caused by small knives, carried by the men who attacked her. When the police arrive, I convincingly explain to them that by the time I had found her, the men had gone, and she was too intoxicated to clearly remember anything about them, my point was proven when she awoke and couldnt remember a single feature of the men, but she remembered that there were four of them. This is something I have to resolve myself, because nothing the police can do will serve as acceptable justice, not in my eyes.
Placing a soft kiss on her forehead as I lie (Y/N) in my bed, I tuck the covers in around her sleeping form and then step away from her, my eyes glancing out the window at the night sky. Given the extent of her injuries, she's been on strong pain relief medication since she got out of the hospital, and it makes her incredibly drowsy. Considering what Im about to do, the number of hours she spends in a deep sleep is almost convenient. After double checking all the locks in my apartment, which is where we agreed she would stay until she feels safe enough to be back in her home by herself, I make my way to my front door, and speed walk out of the apartment building. I return to my regular spot in the forrest, away from any possible dog walking trails. Sinking to my knees, I finally allow the anger of what happened to my love to consume me, my body begins to tremble violently, and my breathing grows heavy. Here we go.
My claws scrape against the concrete beneath my paws as I stalk the street, the rain dampening the thick black fur that covers my body. Their faces are etched into my mind, their individual stenches stain my nostrils, and Im more certain than ever that tonight they will each take their last breaths. A single fresh scent hits my nose, and as soon as I recognise it to be one belonging to the group of scum, my heckles flare up, and a low growl ripples in my throat. I break off into a run, the steps I tread being heavier than they would have been if I'd chosen to do this in my human form. I couldnt have done that even if I wanted to, I know I wouldnt be able to keep my own anger at bay enough to resist the transformation. The scent gets stronger the closer I get, and I find the monster stumbling home drunk once again, singing to himself, but this time he's chosen to do so without his friends. Not that having company would have presented any sort of challenge for me. From a few feet behind him, I release a guttural growl, which, despite sounding far more animalistic, is not too different from the growl the scum heard from me the night he participated in attacking my girlfriend. He stops singing, and struggles to turn around steadily, but as soon as he sees me, his expression is one of pure horror. I snarl in disgust, and pace back and forth in front of him, displaying my fang-like teeth. I take a moment to relish the terror he's frozen in, before I stop pacing and face him head on. With inhuman speed, I pounce on top of him, and the sound of his agonising scream that pierces the air is quickly silenced. One down, three to go.
I wake up in a cold sweat, panting heavily once again, my naked body trembling beneath the bed covers. The extent of my fatigue would usually be greeted by frustration, but given what I did last night, I welcome the extreme exhaustion. Turning onto my side, Im startled to find that (Y/N) isnt lying in bed beside me, and I jump to my feet, pulling on a loose pair of pyjama pants and jogging around my apartment until I find her in the living room, with my laptop on her legs as she sits on the couch, watching the tv.
"What're you doing up early birdie?" I ask her sweetly, using a gentle tone as to not make her jump.
She doesnt look away from the tv when she responds "Ethan, look at the news!"
I frown in confusion and glance at the tv, to see a reporter discussing four gruesome animal attacks last night, all of them within a five mile radius of this apartment, and all ending in murder, but leaving no inclination as to what sort of animal could have done such a thing.
"I got an email from the cops this morning, saying that from what was left of the corpses of those men, their fingerprints matched the ones found on my clothes. Those four men, they were the ones who attacked me, and they were all killed in one night." (Y/N) tells me, looking over her shoulder at me, and I can see this is stressful for her.
I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around shoulders, kissing her head softly "Im sure it had nothing to do with you, they were probably all just in the wrong place at the wrong time, when a wild animal just so happened to be on the loose."
She wraps her hands around my forearms "Do you think the creature is still out there?"
I kiss her head again "If it is out there, it wont ever hurt you."
She sighs "How can you know that?"
I smile slightly and rest my head on top of hers, so that she cant see my expression "It'd never get past me."
Months pass, and after an extensive recovery period, my love has decided to attend her first party since she was attacked. I pace the length of my apartment, sighing into the phone as I hold it to my ear.
"Baby, are you sure about this?" I ask her, feeling uneasy about the whole situation.
(Y/N) laughs slightly "I swear you're more worried about this whole situation than I am. Yes, Ethan, Im ready for this, it's going to be fine! I've already arranged a cab to pick me up and drive me home at a certain time, and I'll text you once Im home, alright? Now, stop stressing, and enjoy a night to yourself!"
I cant help but chuckle "Alright, alright, I'll take it easy. Have fun, but be careful, ok? I love you!"
I can practically hear her smiling through the phone "I love you too, and Im sure I will, bye!"
With that, we both end the call, and I bolt out of my apartment, heading back to the forrest. Im sure nothing will happen to her, but Im not taking any chances.
My form is completely hidden behind the foliage, situated at the back of the parking lot of the party venue. I've been here for two hours, just standing, guarding her. After being around her for so long, my senses are finely tuned to her, meaning that if she was in trouble, I'd know within seconds, and from here, I can take immediate action. Letting people see my wolf form and live is not something I choose to do, but to protect my love, I'll launch myself into the bar with full force, not caring how many people are witnesses. My ears twitch, and then prick upwards at the sound of the backdoor of the bar being opened, and my bright yellow eyes widen at the sight of (Y/N) casually strolling out of the bar by herself. She perches on a small wall, swinging her legs as she looks up at the night sky, smiling softly at the stars. I feel myself being physically drawn to her, pulled in by her beauty, and several twigs snap between my weight as I subconsciously step towards her. My girlfriend's body jolts in surprise, and her eyes fix on the foliage that Im hiding behind. She brings herself to her feet, and holds herself anxiously. Completely forgetting my form, I step out of the foliage, towards her, because my first instinct when seeing her anxious is to hold her. At her shocked gasp, I stop dead in my tracks, my form fully revealed to her, and I can see nothing but terror in her eyes. I force myself to focus on her expression, and then I turn away from her, my head hanging low in shame as a painful whine erupts in my throat. Im more of a monster to her than those men were. Bringing my paws up, I head back into the bushes, feeling utterly disgusted at what I am.
"E-Ethan?"
My movements are halted at her calling my name, and I look over my fur covered shoulder to read her expression. She's no longer scared, but intrigued .
"I-It was you who killed those men that attacked me, wasnt it? Only you knew who they were, not even the police did. A-And when the animal attacks were broadcasted on the news, you were so certain I wasnt in danger, because Im never anything but safe around you. It's you, isnt it?" Her careful, but confident words reach my upturned ears, and Im in shock.
Unable to speak in a way that she could understand in this form, I nod at her.
And then, the impossible happens. Rather than the immediate fear I expected to read from her expression, a bright grin spreads across her face, and she runs at me, swinging her arms around my furry neck. I nuzzle against her with my head, gleeful whines escaping my lips at her accepting me even after finding out my biggest, darkest secret. She really is the one.
"Can we go home now? The party is actually super boring, I was originally planning to call you when I came out here to come and pick me up." (Y/N) asks me curiously, and I nod into her side.
I use my head to gesture at my back, and she raises an eyebrow, before jumping up onto my back, and grabbing fistfuls of fur at my shoulders. Smiling to myself internally, I set off running down the dimly lit street, in the direction of my apartment.
As soon as we get to my door, (Y/N) asks me to change back into my human form so that I can talk to her, and I head into the bathroom to do so. The second I set foot into the hall, Im greeted by her excited squealing as she messes my hair up.
"You're the cutest dog EVER!" She squeaks.
I sigh "Im a wolf, baby."
My love reaches up to pat the top of my head "What a good boy."