Cherry
As I lie by the fire, the last bits of dampness cling to my fur, as a slight chill crawls through me, but the warmth of the flames eases it a little.
The guys sit around the blaze, talking about the forest as they pass around food.
They already fed me until I refused to take another bite, too full for any more.
I close my eyes and replay what happened earlier today at the pond. I almost drowned. If it wasn’t for Bain reaching me so quickly, I would have died today. And the way he and Maddox, and even Hunter, cleaned me... I’ve never felt anything like it.
It was all I could do not to run my tongue up Bain’s neck as he held me.
He smelled like the forest floor, earthy, woodsy, with the faintest trace of maple sap and smoke.
And the way their fingers and hands ran all over me had me relaxing so much, I practically melted into Bain’s chest. I hadn’t realized I could feel that safe.
When he carried me out of the water, I felt the chill of the air. He put me down to dry and got dressed. I shook off the last drops, but the cold and the knowledge that I’ve only known these men for less than a week reminded me I can’t let my guard down completely.
I stare into the fire, letting it warm me as I think about what to do next. These men were slowly chipping away at my walls. If I let them in, if I stopped pulling away, would it help me shift? Being in my human form, I’d be able to tell them about my past.
Glancing around at each of their faces without lifting my head, I wonder what they’d think if they knew what happened to me, if they knew what I’m capable of.
I’m not even sure how to describe it, how to define what I am.
Am I immortal? Kind of. It doesn’t seem like I can die, but there must be something that can kill me.
I don’t know what they did to me to make me this way. My parents never mentioned anything about us being immortal, and since they all died from gunshots to the head, they definitely weren't.
What would it take to finally kill me? Decapitation?
They never tried that, not that I knew of, anyway.
They tried damaging every organ in my body, one at a time, and in every combination, but I always came back.
The thought makes my chest tighten. Maybe my family was like me.
Maybe that’s why we moved so much. To hide.
Maybe a gunshot to the head was all I needed to die too.
Trying to push those morbid thoughts aside, I decide to focus on my future instead.
I need to learn how to live in this world. I was taken when I was fourteen and never gained the skills needed to obtain a real job or even know how to get one. I don’t know how to live as a shifter hiding amongst humans, and I don’t have a clue how to take care of myself. I can’t even hunt.
I’m screwed.
I squeeze my eyes shut and wish I knew what to do, which path to take. Something brushes my face beneath my eye, and I snap my eyes open, jerking my head back to see Maddox kneeling in front of me.
“You’re crying, little wolf. Are you okay?” he asks, concern etching his features.
“I don’t understand. Wolves can’t shed tears,” Gage says from somewhere to my side. But I don’t look his way. Instead, I’m caught by Maddox’s intense green gaze as my heart hammers in my chest, as if it knows something I haven’t figured out yet.
Am I crying? I hadn’t even realized, and this… alpha, not only noticed but came over to check on me.
The pull to him, and to the others, is undeniable, especially in moments like this. They could be faking it to get me to lower my defenses, but it would be one hell of an act. And it isn’t like I’m not already at their complete mercy if they want to harm me.
What choice do I have? Maybe it’s time to talk to them, to tell them what I’m running from.
With my mind made up, I close my eyes and try to force a shift. My body trembles in determination as I search for that pit of magic deep in my core that will release my human side.