Chapter 9 #2
An intense wave flowed in my veins, beating like the rhythm of my pulse.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to release him. The feeling was childish, and selfish.
If I let Poppy go, I wouldn’t be holding him anymore.
He’d be out of my reach, like a doll inside a locked cabinet.
I wouldn’t be able to protect him with my own claws.
Poppy’s warm breath ghosted across my scaly chest. The core of his body was warm, too, despite the crag’s cool depths.
The moment lingered. I didn’t want to stop, and he made no attempt to move. Then he coughed. I jumped to release him, hoping I hadn’t squeezed his frail chest by accident.
“Sorry. I think I swallowed some dirt,” he croaked.
A relieved chuckle escaped me. “I’ll say. Your fur’s practically brown,” I added, reaching over to pat his furry flank.
He ducked his head shyly, then pulled away. “I’m sorry. I know I look and smell awful...”
“I don’t care about that,” I said honestly.
Poppy had already craned his neck over his back and frantically licked his flank. But a few mouthfuls later, he coughed again.
“You need a real bath,” I said. “Where’s your—”
I stopped myself. I’d nearly asked where his room was, but instinct told me that wasn’t the right way to handle it. For whatever reason, Poppy didn’t want to return home, so his room was out of the question.
“Where’s the closest place you can wash?” I asked instead.
Poppy glanced into the distance. “Um, there’s a river down there.”
“Cool. Let’s go.”
He seemed surprised, but reassured. “You’re coming with me? I was just going to wash and come back...”
If I was honest, I’d admit I didn’t want him to leave my sight, but that sounded creepy. I tried to play it casual.
“Four paws are better than two,” I said, waving my front claws. “Besides, I can warm up the water with my fire so you won’t freeze your balls off.”
Poppy managed to smile at my joke. Then he led me to the river.
Except he didn’t really lead. Every time we walked parallel to each other, he slowed to walk a step or two behind me.
I didn’t notice it at first, but I caught on when he glimpsed at me from the corner of his eye, then suddenly halted to awkwardly lick his paw until I passed him.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Um.” He hesitated as if it was difficult to explain. “It’s not correct for me to walk ahead of you, or even beside you.”
I felt like he was speaking a different language. I seriously didn’t understand a word out of his mouth.
“Huh?”
Poppy’s ears flicked back. “Omegas aren’t supposed to walk equally with alphas...”
I barked out a laugh before I realized he was serious. My laughter cut short as Poppy watched me with a puzzled expression.
“That’s fucking bullshit,” I declared. “Come here and walk next to me. Seriously, what a load of crap.”
Poppy balked, but then put one paw in front of the other until he stood adjacent. He looked vaguely uncomfortable, like I’d asked him to walk a tightrope beside me instead of being squarely grounded.
Ignoring the stiffness in my joints, I reached my wing out to hover over Poppy. He blinked at it before I explained, “Stay under there, okay? I’ll notice if you lag behind.”
It was light ribbing, not a command. Poppy’s ball of anxiety seemed to unwind, and slowly, he looked more comfortable with each stride.
By the time we reached the river, Poppy’s nerves had visibly eased. Until he faced a new anxiety-riddled situation.
Poppy lifted his paw, then grimaced at the matted fur on his wrist. A little water and a tongue bath weren’t enough.
He sighed. “I think I need hands for this...”
When I understood what he meant, my heart fluttered. Was he going to shift into human form? I’d never seen that side of him before, and the idea excited me for reasons I didn’t understand.
I rolled my shoulders and nodded. “All right. I’ll shift, too. Only fair, right?”
“O-oh. Um, sure. If you want.”
Poppy hesitated. It wasn’t strange or awkward for shifters to be nude around each other, yet Poppy seemed shy, so I took the pressure off him by leading.
It had been a while since I’d assumed human form—back when I said goodbye to my brothers—but the feeling was impossible to forget.
When summoned, it came as easily as breathing.
As the shift washed over me like passing rain, I opened my eyes.
The stiffness in my wings was still present, but it manifested in my shoulders.
Tentatively, I rolled them back, then winced.
Yup. Still hurt. But the rest of me felt fine enough.
In any case, my pain was a dull background afterthought.
I was more concerned with Poppy’s comfort than my injuries.
“Here I am,” I announced with a grin.
I sounded confident, yet on the inside, I felt unusually timid. But I wasn’t a shy man. Hell, I wasn’t even naked—my enchanted outfit allowed me to shift to human form fully clothed—so why did I feel apprehensive?
Poppy’s wolf eyes widened as they raked over me. He took me in, his focus wandering. My skin grew warm beneath his curious gaze. I found myself wondering if he liked what he saw.
That thought hit me like a brick to the face. I cleared my throat.
“So, you gonna ditch the fur or what?” I teased.
Poppy’s expression cleared like he’d been pulled out of a daze. “Oh, yes, I’m sorry.”
He closed his eyes in concentration. In the next seconds, his body’s image became fluid and began to transform. Like a mirage, Poppy changed from a four-legged wolf to a slender, naked two-legged human.
He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life.
Fluffy white hair flowed down past the nape of his neck. His skin was pale and smooth, nearly glowing in the sunlight. Long pale lashes framed his gentle amber-brown eyes—and when he lifted his gaze to meet mine, my heart skipped a beat.
My eyes were glued to him. I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t stop. My body was frozen, as if lightning had struck me dead. I didn’t even think I was breathing.
As the seconds passed, a ribbon of warmth flowed through my chest, snaking between each rib and gently squeezing until I was breathless with awe.
“Violet?” Poppy asked.
I jerked back to reality.
“Sorry.” The truth tumbled out of me. “You’re... really cute.”
Poppy’s eyes widened as a pink blush crept across his cheeks. “Oh, um...” He rubbed his arms. “Thank you.”
His reply was soft and unsure, like he’d never been complimented before. That, to me, was a crime. He was stunning. I knew from the second I saw him that I’d never meet a more beautiful person in my life.
“I should probably wash up,” Poppy murmured.
“Oh, right.”
Finally, like two chains snapping, Poppy finally tore his gaze from mine. I was dazed for a moment, like the world had shifted beneath my feet. By the time I steadied myself, Poppy had slipped into the river and was scrubbing the dirt from his arms.
As I stood there watching him, I felt a little awkward. I didn’t want him to think I was a creepy voyeur, but was it weirder to offer my help?
His hair, like his fur, was covered in a layer of dust and dirt. I figured that would be the most normal area for me to touch.
“Hey, Poppy,” I said. “Do you want me to wash your hair?”
He shot me a surprised look. “That’s very kind, but you don’t have to. It’s a hassle.”
I smirked. “Are you saying that because you don’t want me to? Or because you’re too polite to accept my help?”
My blunt honesty took him aback. He blushed harder, looking embarrassed as he murmured, “Ah, um... I guess the latter...”
I chuckled. “Don’t be shy. If you want something, just say it. Otherwise, how’s anyone supposed to know?”
Poppy’s concerned expression baffled me. Had I said something strange?
“You can go ahead,” he told me.
Notes of both excitement and nerves mingled in his voice.
But as he turned around to continue washing his arms, I gratefully accepted his invitation.
I kneeled behind him on the river’s shore, sitting cross-legged in the grass.
His beautiful white hair was caked in dust. I reached my hand into the flowing river to scoop a handful of water, but the freezing temperature startled me.
“Geez,” I yelped, jerking my hand back. “The water’s cold as ice!”
A bell-chime of a laugh escaped Poppy, who quickly covered his mouth. “I’m sorry. I forgot you’re not used to it.”
“You bathe in this? How do you still have balls?”
He stifled another laugh. “You’re funny, Violet.”
I gaped at how casually Poppy washed himself in the cold-as-fuck water. He barely even had any layers of fat to keep him warm. How the hell did he manage? I could barely stick my hand in the river without shrieking.
“Screw this,” I said, standing up. “I’ll warm it up for you.”
“You were serious about that?” Poppy asked, brows rising.
“Course I am. Just wait a second. It’s harder in this form, but...”
I shut my eyes and focused on attaining a partial shift, just enough to configure my throat properly.
When I felt confident everything was in place, I blew out a burst of fire upstream.
For a few seconds, fire danced on the water’s surface.
The bright flames reflected in Poppy’s wide eyes, then vanished in a puff of smoke.
I sat down and touched the water. It was noticeably warmer now. It was no hot tub, but it wasn’t shrivel-up-your-testicles freezing, either.
I scooped up handfuls and poured them on Poppy’s hair. Soon his darkened wet hair clung to his neck. I combed my fingers carefully through his locks, rinsing away the debris.
At first I was too focused to realize, but after a couple minutes, it struck me just how intimate this was: Poppy naked, sitting with his vulnerable back to me. He trusted me enough to wash his hair while he was utterly defenceless.
Out of nowhere, tears welled up in my eyes.
Startled, I blinked them away. Why was I getting so emotional?
“Is this okay?” I asked while threading my fingers through Poppy’s hair.