In The Beginning, Chapter 144

Daniel POV

I couldn’t move, partly from fear of what my wolf would do, partly because she was the most beautiful wolf I had ever seen. Tiny by Lycan standards, she wasn’t even as big as an adult male American Grey, her fur was a soft white that became blonde at the tips, making her seem to glow in the moonlight. But her eyes... they were exactly the same colour as her human ones, the ring of stormy blue at the edge more prominent against her pale fur. Wolves didn’t have eyes like that, but hers were so beautiful.
“It’s the colour, right? I have no idea why I can’t make it grey, or-”
“How?” I heard myself ask as I exhaled a shaky breath, I could feel my wolf’s almost rabid excitement as I struggled to remain in control.
“Matter reconfiguration, also known as a glamour.” She explained via the link. I could feel her doubt, and anxiety, but I couldn’t do anything, my wolf felt like he would tear us in two before he stopped fighting. He surged forward so fast my body responded before I could stop it, sending us both sprawling into the snow on our knees.
“CHARLIE RUN!” I tried to warn her as he forced a shift. I dug my claws into the ground as I sensed her move closer and not away.
“He won’t hurt me.” She calmly asserted, before she licked my cheek quickly, and nuzzled into me. Instantly my wolf calmed, if we had shifted completely, he would have been pouncing around her like an excited pup. “Told you.” She teased as she pulled back, my heartbeat finally returning to normal.
“Why?” I finally asked, my voice betraying how shocked I was. My wolf growled at me in warning.
“Because I love you.” She shrugged, the self-doubt creeping over her again.
“Can you... shift back a minute, please?” I asked, needing her, she nodded her head and then she lit up, like she had the first night, it was so bright I had to cover my eyes. When the light was gone, she was back and dressed. “Where did your clothes go when you shifted?” I asked.
“Nowhere, it’s not the same as shifting.” She admitted, unable to look me in the eye. I could feel how hurt she was, and how pissed my wolf was getting at me.
“Charlie?” I tried to get her to look at me, but she had retreated inside herself. “You didn’t need to do this, my wolf and I love you, you are perfect, and I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t do it for you.” She finally muttered and tried walking back to the house her shoulders slumped. I grabbed her hand, preventing her from going further.
“Who did you do it for then?” I asked quietly, I could feel my wolf’s ears perk up.
“Me, and Wolfie.” She shrugged, her eyes still on the ground.
“You didn’t have to; we both love you!” I cried, the guilt of making her feel she had to do something like this eating away at me.
“I wanted to... so we could do the Lycan stuff I haven’t been able to...” She whispered, embarrassed.
“Please look at me?” I begged, getting down on my knees, I pulled her against me, at this angle she couldn’t avoid eye contact. “I don’t feel worthy.” I admitted through the link, although the patrols weren’t stupid enough to stay too close, they would still hear our conversation.
“What?” She asked, and it was my turn to avoid.
“I... I couldn’t protect you, my one job and I failed, I almost lost you, again! I don’t deserve you, or this.” I confessed, giving her a glimpse of how angry I was at myself.
“You did save me, I’m here-”
“But you were almost taken, and that... that thing was able to touch you!” I cried.
“Daniel, that- it wasn’t- I was the one-” It was like she couldn’t pick a sentence with so many things swirling around in her head. Groaning in frustration with her own inability to pick one.
“I was supposed to protect you.” I insisted, while she stared at me.
“I don’t want you to protect me, I-” She cut herself off biting her lip in an effort to silence herself.
“Then what do you want?” I asked, my arms tightening around her to prevent her from running away.
“You!” She shrugged, looking anywhere but at me. My hand wove its way into her hair, almost like muscle memory, as I pulled her lips to mine.
“Don’t you understand by now you have me? I’m yours, Charlie!” I swore.
“I know...” She said softly, barely audible even with my advance hearing. “But your wolf is a part of you, and we’ve been struggling to connect.” I thought about it for a moment, my wolf’s anger had been replaced with immense longing.
“Your wolf is beautiful.” I informed her, her cheeks colouring adorably.
“Thank you.” She replied shyly.
“I’m scared she’s so beautiful... my wolf won’t stop.” I tried to explain, she took several long ass moments before she spoke again.
“Wolfie?” She called, and he forced me aside to get to her. “I told you I would try, but you have to go slow, and listen, okay? Or I’m never doing this again.” She firmly informed him, and while I felt like a passenger in my own body, my wolf seemed to be listening and taking her seriously. He whimpered and rubbed our head against her chest, as she cupped our face and kissed our lips softly. “You understand the rules?” She asked, he made that fucking husky groan again, but nodded. “Good!” She smiled, she closed her eyes, and a few seconds later she began to glow again. I still couldn’t watch her transformation, but when it was over, she was once again the tiny white wolf. “Tag! You’re it!” She suddenly yelled through the link, I had taken a couple of steps back when she was shifting, she leaped forward, bopped my stomach with her head, spun around, and took off really quickly through the trees.
“Charlie, wait!” I called after her aloud, before linking the patrols not to attack a small white wolf if they saw it. I stripped my clothes off frantically, shifted and chased after her. “Charlie?” I called via the link, she was so quick, I couldn’t see her at all.
“I thought you were supposed to chase me?” She teased back, not realising I had already found her scent, and therefore her trail, I sped through the trees after her.
“Be careful what you wish for.” I replied, I got about fifty feet into the forest when her scent disappeared. Panicked, I used the link to find her, technically cheating, I know, but I had to check the patrol was near too, just in case. She was at least twenty feet to my right, heading east, I took off in her direction as fast as my legs could carry me, running around the trees, eager to get to her. I thought I had caught up to her in a small copse of birch trees, their bare branches and trunks, along with the snow, providing her with the perfect camouflage, but when I got there all I found was her scent. I caught her trail going North, I couldn’t work out where she was going, as she kept rapidly changing directions. I was beginning to get frustrated when I saw a flash of something white ahead, moving fast. I dug deeper and increased my speed until I was a few feet behind her, she must have noticed me as she increased her speed slightly and pivoted. Her sharp change of direction was at too severe an angle for my larger body to copy, costing me vital seconds, as she ran full pelt towards the training grounds. A group was returning from their training, she ran through them easily, her tiny body and quick reflexes allowing her to zip through them, while I had no chance, and had to go around them. I could hear the questions of the men as they watched my wolf seemingly get outmatched by a runt, until I heard a whine that stopped me in my tracks.
“Sorry! Still getting used to running on all fours.” I heard Charlie say.
“Luna?” Several voices asked at once, I saw a flash of curly blonde hair as they respectfully stepped away from her. Our eyes locked as the warriors parted, then she was gone, a few pale purple sparks were all that was left.
“Is my Luna cheating? At the chase?” I teased in mock disapproval.
“It’s not cheating to use any and all of my abilities, in a game where I am at the disadvantage.” She replied.
“Up there!” One of the men called a fraction of a second before I spotted her, once again in her wolf form, she was looking over the edge of a ridge roughly thirty feet above us. My wolf let out a playful bark of warning, as we propelled ourselves up the steep incline, covering ten feet in one bound of our hind legs. She squeaked in surprise, which was hilarious coming from her wolf, and disappeared from sight, dashing back along the ridge. The cheering and hollering of the men soon died as I sped north after her, gaining on her as she fought the heavy snow and the mountains steeper incline. It wasn’t long before she was veering west, in an attempt to put more distance between us. I crossed her trail, so I was above her, then sped west to intercept her, it didn’t take long for me to spot my chance. She looked over left shoulder, expecting to find me, her steady pace faltered slightly when she didn’t see me, and I pounced. She must have heard me a second before I landed, my intent was to land over her, my paws either side of her body, it would have forced her onto her side, but it wouldn’t have hurt. Instead, she darted quickly south, but not quick enough, though, so I ended up landing over her hind legs, while her body was turned, so she was able to manoeuvre herself free. I batted her tail with my front paw as she tried to sprint away, not enough to injure, but it did throw off her balance, and she fell into a fresh drift on her side. We were over her instantly, growling softly until she submitted.
“Now what?” She asked, even through the link she sounded a little breathless, steam was billowing around us in the cold air from our ragged pants. My wolf rubbed his head against hers affectionately, and moved behind her, circling her body in his.
“Whatever you’re comfortable with.” I replied, my wolf made a contented grumble as he lay his head on his paws next to hers.
“Will you teach me how to howl?” She asked quietly. My wolf’s head shot up in surprise, frozen for a second before he rubbed against her affectionately.
“We will, but it doesn’t have to be tonight, we are happy just being here with you, like this.” I replied, my wolf licked her snout to show he was in complete agreement with me.
“If we did... mate... could I get pregnant? Would my implant still work? And... I didn’t factor in the size difference... I think I need to talk to a doctor, and maybe Theia, before we... try that. But I would like to know how to howl, for... after?” She very hesitantly, and awkwardly explained. My wolf sent me a bunch of images, including when we first shifted, and came across a wild teenage wolf, he had begun playing with us, but we didn’t know our own strength, and hurt him. Then an image of Charlie in pain, finally the night of her birthday, and how scared of him she had been.
“I think my wolf feels the same way, he’s afraid of hurting you, and you being afraid of him, or rejecting him.” I told her. She lifted her head to look at my wolf, who avoided her eyes, so she changed back and grabbed our face with her hands.
“I know I haven’t shown you how much I love you, and I’m so sorry for that, I was scared before, but I know you would never hurt me intentionally. I trust you, and I love you, please don’t be afraid of something that will never happen. If it hurts, I will say, if it doesn’t work, we will look for a solution.” She swore placing her head against ours, her fingers moving through our fur, I was lost in the sensation when my wolf shifted us back to our human form, but still in control.
“Do you have enough energy to get us back to the house?” I asked, as my wolf shared control.
“Which room?” She asked with a smile.
“Our bathroom, I need to rinse this dirt off, then I want to make you a mess.” I teased, my arms wrapping around her.
“Promises, promises.” She retorted, before our lips met.

THE END