*I'll fix the formatting on this chapter someday.
c h a p t e r
t w e n t y t w o
e v e l y n
When I next opened my eyes, I expected to be in my wolf form, possibly already chasing after Alexander or something like that.
What I wasn't expecting was to be naked, curled up on the floor of a damp cave, with Alexander's equally naked but much warmer body wrapped around mine. The sun was just coming up, light filtering through the mouth of the cave a few yards away. A heavy, coarse blanket was over our bodies to reduce exposure.
I sat up, shaking my head. Surely, this must be a dream. I swear I just blinked - it couldn't already be morning. I couldn't remember anything from the previous night - not since he ordered me to shift. Something was wrong.
I nudged Alexander nervously. He didn't even budge or make any noise alluding to waking up. "Alexander," I called, shifting back down under the blanket as a chill ran over my bare flesh. We needed to get clothes on. I pressed myself up against his side again, but lifted one hand to gently pat his cheek. "Alexander, please."
The massive man groaned, throwing one arms around me and rolling until I was underneath him and he was nuzzling his face into my ribs, his scratchy, unshaven jaw tickling me. I squealed out a giggle, tugging on his hair. "You're tickling me!"
"We've only been asleep for like an hour," he muttered. "You need more rest, little wolf."
"An hour?!" I repeated.
Alexander lifted his head, looking at me curiously. I didn't miss the way his eyes flickered to my chest for a moment before moving back to my face. "What's wrong, Evie?"
I ran my fingers through my hair, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, as if relaxing my breath would bring the memories back to me. "I... I can't remember anything from last night. Nothing at all."
Alexander pushed himself onto his elbows, frowning. "Nothing? When do you last-"
"When you told me to shift, it went black for a second. Like it usually does when I shift or you help me shift. But when I opened my eyes, I was here. That's it."
"Maybe they'll come back with some more sleep. You were awake all night, darling. I'm sure it's just sleep loss."
Alexander moved our positions so that I was on top of his chest, my cheek resting on his flesh so I could hear his pulse beating steadily under my ear. "Did I do anything embarrassing?" I whispered. "Something feels wrong about this."
His fingers stroked down my spine and back up, massaging my scalp for a few seconds before repeating the whole action. "No, you didn't do anything embarrassing, silly. You did wonderful. Everything was perfect. And now you smell like me. And I carry a piece of your scent on my body as well."
I sighed in relief, but something still felt weird. Off. I looked up at his throat and that weird urge to bite flooded my senses. "I want to bite you," I blurted out.
The hand on my lower spine froze. His jaw clenched and he blinked at the roof of the cave for several seconds before lowering his gaze to mine. "Do you, puppy?"
I nodded. "It's the second time I wanted to."
"Hm."
He was hiding something from me. That much was obvious. "Why do I want to bite your neck? Females don't do that."
"Females who are common wolves don't."
"But I am a common wolf."
Something he said to me once floated through my brain. Something I had brushed off and forgotten about. It seemed he had murmured it to me so long ago yet it wasn't even a month ago. You won't be like them much longer, he had told me. At the time, I thought maybe he just meant I would understand why Verum wolves weren't anything to be afraid of. Or perhaps I assumed he simply met I'd be his mate.
"Am I changing, Alexander?"
"Yes and no, my sweet little wolf. It... it isn't uncommon for female wolves who are mated to a Verum to begin acquiring some of the traits and strengths that we do. It may be the same with common males, but we haven't had that record of that type of relationship in decades. When my kind was the norm, females and males could mark each other. And they would. Both would carry the mark of their mates."
I shook my head. "But we aren't mated."
"You won't experience the full changes until we do. But just being in such close proximity to me and my wolf accepting you as his mate will cause small changes to appear."
"Does this have to do with why I can't remember last night?"
"Perhaps. It could be that your wolf took much more charge than you did. That is, you are beginning to have somewhat of a separation of spirits, of instincts. Like I do. But I'm sure the memories will come back to you. The very first time I shifted, I remembered nothing as well," he explained, before grinning down at me in admiration. "All of this means that we are very well matched, my love."
Again, I felt a sense of relief. My mind couldn't comprehend the idea of my wolf being... separate from me. It was confusing. But as long as there wasn't anything wrong with me. "There's nothing wrong with me?" I tested.
Alexander chuckled. "No, Evelyn. There isn't anything wrong with you."
"Are people going to want to kill me if I become like you?"
Once again, this made him tense up. "Let's not think of that."
I nodded in agreement. Not ideal to worry about being murdered after Alexander and I just did something that was supposed to be celebrated. I reached out and tried to tug the blanket up, but Alexander had to help me. I giggled as he pulled it fully over my head, leaving our feet in the cold. I pressed my toes into his ankles and he let out a hiss as if they were ice cubes. "I'm cold," I whispered.
His fingers lifted the blanket over my head just enough so that we made eye contact. "I can tell. It feels like there's two pebbles on my stomach," he said with a wicked grin.
It took me several seconds to realize he was referring to my breasts, and I pinched his side in retaliation. Alexander snickered, covering my face with the blanket again. "Am I going to be able to convince you to go back to sleep here or do we need to go to our bedroom?"
"I think I need to be in a real bed," I admitted. "But I don't want to walk on the property naked." I could tell by the heaviness in my limbs that I was going to be too fatigued to shift again. "I can't believe I don't remember anything from last night. I was so excited."
"I'll tell you all about it at home, puppy. Come on, I hid clothing in here for us yesterday. I knew I'd end up bringing you here to sleep."
As the man stood, I rolled off of him and wrapped myself in the warm blanket, watching as he walked to a pile of clothing off to the side I hadn't noticed in my panic earlier. He tugged on a pair of gray sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt before holding a hand out for me.
"Come here, let me dress you."
"Does that mean I have to come out of the blanket?" I asked.
He barked out a laugh. "Yes, darling."
"Are there fuzzy socks in that pile of clothing?"
Alexander playfully rolled his eyes before bending down and producing a pair of pink, thick, wool-lined socks. I stuck both of my feet out from the blanket, wiggling them invitingly to send the message that I wanted him to put them on me. "Little minx," he grumbled, but happily obliged. Once my toes were warm, I pushed myself into a standing position and dropped the blanket. Alexander gave me a quick once over with a warm smirk. "You are so beautiful."
"You're handsome," I countered as he pulled one of his own sweaters over my head. Next, he had me step into a pair of leggings.
"Forgot to grab you underwear, sorry," he muttered while pulling the fabric over my hips. Once he was satisfied with it, he patted my bottom gently. "Pretty girl."
Finally, we both donned a pair of hiking boots and I wrapped the blanket around me again. "Do you have today off?" I asked. "I wanna be with you all day today."
Alexander gripped the edges of the blanket and tugged hard so I stumbled against his chest. His mouth captured mine in a deep kiss that I melted into. "I'm yours today and tomorrow, little wolf. And the rest of eternity, but I will have to return to my duties in two days."
"I want us to be mated. I... I want to complete everything with you. I'm ready," I claimed, letting him sponge kisses all over my face and neck.
"Soon, Evelyn. I promise."
****A/N: I know a lot of you were looking forward to seeing what the scenting would be like. But trust me, there's a method to my madness.
Also, I'm sorry for how slow my updates have been. Tell me, do you like it when I explain why it's taken me a while to upload or would you rather me just upload and not say a word? I feel like you guys deserve an explanation but I had a reader chew me out because they hate when I do that.
Anyone else on Wellbutrin? I started it a week or so ago and it's really kicking my butt. This is me breaking the stigma on taking medication for mental health. OR taking medication period.
I love you guys!