Hunting Human - Amanda E. Alvarez [73]
Her coat shone pale silver in the moonlight, except for her Prime Mantle. Slate gray fur tipped her ears and spread down her neck to wrap over her shoulders and cover her front legs like a cloak. She backed herself into the corner of the room, ears pressed flat to her skull, snarling and hunched as if prepared to leap. Scared blue eyes tracked his every move.
Braden swallowed his pride and dropped to his belly, whining as he pushed himself toward her. He tried to convey his submissiveness through his body language and his intentions through his eyes. She let him get within a body length before she snapped her jaws, bristling and backing as far away as the tight corner allowed.
Undaunted, he rose slowly and pushed his head forward. He didn’t think she would attack him. Instinct would tell her it was a fight she couldn’t win. She kept her teeth bared and hackles up, but didn’t move as he made a final push forward, rubbing his muzzle against her cheek and toward her ear. Relieved that she’d allowed the contact, he laid his head briefly on top of hers and pulled away.
Braden backed off, allowing enough room for Beth to move out of the corner. He sat and cocked his head, anxious to see what she’d do. She sat back into the corner, dropping her hackles and pulling her teeth behind her lips. She regarded him, with the same ice blue eyes that always captivated him, for so long that Braden wondered if they’d remain in this strange standoff until the sun rose.
Unsure how to encourage her without crowding her, he curled up on the floor a few feet away. Slowly, Beth emerged into the room. From the spot he’d chosen on the floor, Braden watched her carefully circle away from him. For the moment, he was content to let her. It gave him the opportunity to look his fill.
She was truly magnificent, but he could tell she had no idea how to care for herself. She was too thin, her ribs too defined under fur that, despite the beautiful color, was dull and thin. As she moved across the room, gait unsteady, her muscles continued to spasm as though the shift had just occurred. She wasn’t eating right. Probably wasn’t exercising during the shift either.
And why would she?
How could he expect her to know how to handle this; how to ensure that the change was easy, that she and the wolf stayed healthy? No one had helped her.
Braden couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been. The fear. The desperation. He’d never regarded the change as something vicious, but he’d never faced it alone, either. Beth settled wearily on the rug in front of the bed, curling tightly into herself, her eyes never losing track of him.
He rose and padded over to her. She tensed as he settled next to her, but didn’t growl or jerk away. He lay his head down gently over the back of her neck, thrilled when her muscles relaxed and she faded into sleep.
I won’t let her face this alone. Not ever again.
Braden blinked groggily and scanned the room.
The murky gray of early morning wrapped the room in shadows, but nothing moved and nothing appeared out of place. Next to him, Beth quivered and exhaled on a whimper. Blue eyes, hazed with fear and pain caught his. Another shudder racked her thin frame and she whimpered again, curling tighter into herself and he understood. Her muscles began the cycle of cramping and flexing, the first rays of sun only minutes away. The moon’s power waned, forcing Beth back into her human form.
Braden pulled away. If the sun was that close…
He willed himself to shift forms. It was a little early, but Beth was already suffering the first onslaught of spasms.
I can do this.
His muscles warred against his attempt to shift. Braden focused on the sensation of human limbs and human senses, and forced the change to come. It took longer than usual and even as hands and feet replaced paws, he knew he’d be sore for the rest of the day.
He knelt near Beth as he struggled to catch his breath. Her body