Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
By the time Daddy declared that Olivia was ready to shift, she was crawling out of her skin. He had spent the last hour holding her, rocking her, and stroking her skin. When she’d needed more, he’d fingered her until she came. When she was thirsty, he offered her another bottle. When she cried from frustration, he wiped her tears.
“I’m scared, Daddy,” she admitted as he stood her on her feet in the middle of the living room.
“You’ll be fine, Baby girl. Every female goes through this. You are no different.”
“None of them are under the kind of stress I’m under,” she pointed out. “None of them have spent years wondering if they might be able to regain some of their vision.”
“I know.” He squatted down in front of her, holding her hips. He kissed her tummy. “You’re right. I’m sure you have worried a lot about this. Like I said before, we will learn to live with whatever hand you’re dealt. I will always be with you. I know you will be disappointed if you can’t see, but we’re going to live full lives no matter what happens.”
She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. She was naked. She’d been naked for hours. He had on shorts.
“Are you steady enough for me to step back a few feet and sit on the couch, Little mate?”
“Yes.” She righted herself and released him. She was so hot and trembling. Her wolf wanted out badly. She knew it was time.
When he released her, she shuddered.
“Close your eyes, Baby girl. Go into your head and let your wolf come to the surface.”
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and released the air in her lungs. Her body settled slightly for a moment before her wolf pushed its way out of her. It felt like tiny pin needles as her body shimmered for several seconds before she was forced to drop forward onto all fours.
She could sense her total change in form, but for long moments, she remained in this position, not willing to open her eyes. She could sense her Daddy even stronger and knew he was sitting a few feet in front of her. She could hear his breathing, smell his musk, sense his nervousness, and even taste his essence in the air.
Finally she opened her eyes.
And the entire Earth stopped spinning as her world shifted.
She almost wasn’t able to believe it. There he was. Her mate. Her life partner. Her Daddy. She could see every inch of him. Every detail. Her vision was beyond perfect.
She couldn’t move or breathe as she stared at him. Maybe she was smiling, but would he know that?
His brow was furrowed, but he was smiling.
Finally she bounded forward, jumping into the air so that her front paws landed on his shoulders as she knocked him over backward.
Daddy fell into the cushions as he grabbed on to her haunches. He laughed when she licked his face. “I guess you’re pleased.”
She tipped her snout back and howled, the volume shocking even her. The ability to do so was instinctive.
Daddy rubbed his hands all over her fur. “You’re a gorgeous Little wolf, Olivia.”
She pushed her front paws back, putting several inches between them. And then she stared, letting her gaze soak in every one of his features.
Damon had a dimple on one side. His hair was as thick as she’d imagined with a slight wave. His eyes were intense brown orbs. His skin was a shade lighter than hers.
He hadn’t shaved in almost twenty-four hours, so there was a shadow on his cheeks and jaw. That part wasn’t unexpected. For one thing, she’d touched his face over and over. For another thing, he’d rubbed his slight growth across her inner thighs many times in the night.
Eventually she shoved off him and dropped down onto all fours in front of him. She lowered her gaze to take in the rest of his body. He was so built and strong. His muscles bulged. She stared for a long time at the front of his shorts before glancing up at his face.
He chuckled. “Really?”
She cocked her head to the side.
Finally, he lifted his hips and pulled his shorts down, letting his erection out.
Sheesh. It was bigger than she’d imagined from touch. It was also gorgeous. The bulbous head was enormous, and his semen was leaking out of the slit on top.
Satisfied, she nodded and sat on her haunches to continue to stare at him.
He let her, not moving.
She didn’t want to move away or even look to one side or the other out of an unreasonable fear that this might be the only opportunity she ever had to see him. What if it didn’t work the next time she shifted?
She was also curious to find out if the act of shifting might have given her back her human vision. That remained to be seen. Literally.
When she’d convinced herself it was okay to look around, she turned from him and took in the rest of her surroundings. The colors were so much more vibrant than she remembered from her childhood before she’d stopped seeing anything with enough sharpness.
She stumbled several times when she started to walk but quickly got used to the rhythm and pranced around the entire great room, memorizing every detail. The location of every piece of furniture, including the playpen. She peered over the edge and let her gaze wander around the space, noting where everything was.
When she was satisfied with the great room, she pranced toward the rest of the house, scanning every room. She took in the height of everything, the exact location, and the colors.
She spent the most time in the nursery, noting the details her Daddy had not left out when he’d furnished it for her. He had padding on the corners of everything, a bumper in the crib. Her stuffed eagle, Ava, which she hadn’t seen well in years, was more worn than she’d remembered. She was sitting in her crib.
She shuddered as she forced herself to note the aspects of the changing table, especially the multitude of straps. He hadn’t even begun to tap into the ways he could secure her to that table.
She sensed him as he approached before he squatted next to her and rubbed her fur. She leaned into him and nuzzled his chest. Her eyes were burning from not blinking, but she didn’t care. Blinking was for wusses.
“I’m so damn happy for you, Baby girl. Do you want to shift back and tell me about it?”
She shook her snout and pulled away from him. As much as she loved the contact, she wasn’t done exploring. Granted, she could peruse her environment for ten hours and it wouldn’t have been enough, not after years of growing darkness.
She raced from the nursery and entered every single room again, spending as much time as she wanted, absorbing the details until she was exhausted.
Daddy stayed right next to her at all times, not touching her but letting her take her time. He had to be at least as tired as she was, but he didn’t pressure her.
Finally she entered the master bedroom, leaped into the air to land in the middle of the bed, dropped down onto her haunches, and closed her eyes. She felt confident that even if she couldn’t see when she shifted back into her human skin, she would be able to let her wolf take over at any time and fill her world with color again.
Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath, let it out, and returned to her human body. She was seated on the bed. She knew Daddy was right in front of her. She didn’t like the amount of light not coming through her eyelids, so she wasn’t shocked when she opened them.
Trying not to be disappointed, she sighed. “Well, darn.”
Daddy was on the bed in a second, pulling her into his arms. He lined them up facing each other on the mattress and cupped her face. “I’m so sorry it doesn’t seem to want to transfer to your human, but I’m so fucking happy for you that you were able to see in your wolf form, Olivia.”
“I guess I got half my wish. It’s better than nothing.” She cupped his face and smiled. “You’re the most handsomest man in the world.”
He chuckled. “You don’t know that. You haven’t seen another man in years.”
She giggled. It felt good to laugh. Everything felt good. It was such a huge relief now that it was over. Now she knew. It was a blessing her wolf could see. It sucked that her human still could not, but it could have been worse.
Daddy set his forehead against hers. “Hungry? Thirsty?”
She shook her head. “I’m so tired. I want to sleep for two days.”
“You can do that, Baby girl. Take some deep breaths. I’ll be right here.”
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Little rebel?”
She licked her lips and got brave. “Will you put a diaper on me?”
“Of course.” He slid from the bed and returned a minute later to spread her legs and rub cream into her folds.
She tried not to wince. Everything was tender. It would heal fast. After all, she was a wolf shifter. But she needed rest.
As soon as he had the diaper snuggly fastened around her, she felt her body relax deeper. He kissed her forehead. “In a few hours, I’ll feed you a bottle. You won’t even have to wake up all the way.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” She drifted off almost before the words left her mouth.