Chapter 2 - Clearings

When she entered the clearing after him, her sharp canine gaze immediately located him, standing in the middle of the small meadow, shoulders back, and head held tall. A sight that would have crippled her in her human form for the way it would turn her knees into jelly. 

Aiden Black stood in the middle of that clearing, as he always did, like a tanned herculean Greek sculpture, with very nearly every muscle on his body left on display for her to drink in. His face was framed by those thick locks that were blacker than a midnight sky, messy and unkempt from their playful game, just the way she liked it.

His vibrant green eyes reflected the forest in them and were filled with pride, delight, and an emotion that she was far too afraid to identify but knew was there because it was always there, staring back at her with an almost painful glimmer of hope that it too would reflect back at him through her eyes. 

Something that left the feeling of lead in the pit of her stomach and made her a tiny bit nauseous to think about. But also something that was undeniably present in each of his gazes in his smile, in the way he moved his body to match hers, and more importantly, something she could feel through their bond that linked their very souls together. 

And when she admitted it to herself, it absolutely terrified her. He motioned her over and she trotted toward him with a grace she had never known she possessed until 3 months ago. Her tail was wagging lazily from side to side behind her as she approached the man before her, another thing she never thought she’d think about. 

She stopped beside him, practically feeling his warmth radiating from his body to hers, even in the heat of the summer sun. Even in his human form, he was taller than her, she came up to his shoulders in this form. He had told her as a wolf she was on the slender side when compared to other wolves, less muscular, smaller, but no less toned and no less powerful than the others.

But then again even as a man he towered over her human form, always forcing her to have to look up to meet his gaze, something she still struggled with since her change. His six-foot-four frame was built like he was made by some ancient and long-since-dead Greek sculptor, for even though he wasn’t hulking, in any way, he was still muscular, and it made her mouth water.

Compared to that her five-foot-five stature was nothing as he towered over her even in this more powerful form. At first, she’d been a little vexed that she’d been a smaller wolf than others, having already been a small human before, until she learned that size did not determine strength or power.

‘Great Job! Your control is getting much better,’ he complimented as she stopped before him. She gave a shake at his words, very canine-like in her mannerisms, a sign her wolf wasn’t too far beneath the surfice of her mind. 

The snow-white wolf practically purred at the sound of his voice, the deep baritone sending shivers to the ends of her nerves and back. The human in her chastised the wolf for her reaction, but she too was secretly pleased, something easily broadcast through the pathway between their souls.

‘Right, now it’s time to change back,’ he took a step back and looked at her expectantly, that smile still on his face.

The fur on the back of her neck raised at his suggestion and she growled in displeasure taking a step back and falling into a defensive position. She didn’t want to change back, she hated changing back.

His smile dimmed a little but did not fall from his face as he let out a tired-sounding sigh before taking a step closer to her. He looked into her shocking blue eyes, the wolf shining through, and took in the irritation within them but did not allow it to deter him.

‘I know you hate it. I know you still struggle with the change but the more you practice the more control you’ll have over the wolf,’

Alexa let out an irritated huff and rolled her eyes at the man, he gave her a pointed look that only added to her annoyance, which she knew he could feel. Then she gave in and closed her eyes, trying to imagine her human form.

‘That’s it, deep breaths and make sure to relax. Try not to think of it as exchanging one form for another but rather one form that holds two shapes and you are merely morphing between them,’

Aiden coached her through it as he always did and she allowed the sound of his voice to relax her, allowed him to guide her through the change. She focused on what it felt like to be human. Bit by bit Alexa felt her wolf recede into the recesses of her mind and with a whimper of pain the change began.

Aiden had once described the change as something exciting, an itch you couldn’t quite scratch, but something completely natural like breathing. But for her, it was one of the most excruciating things she had ever gone through.

Her entire body shivered in pain, and then her bones began to break…