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"Hey, you!" A voice called out. "What's going on?"
"Please," I gasped, my voice strained from exertion. "They're after me."
"Can I help you?" A soft voice cut through the haze of panic clouding my thoughts, drawing my attention to an unexpected sight. My eyes met those of a startled woman, her wide-eyed gaze mirroring my own fear and desperation. The intensity of her stare felt like a bolt of lightning, jolting me back into the present moment.
"Help...me," I managed to gasp, my breath coming in ragged pants. The weight of their spell and my own curse bore down on me, its insidious magick twisting its way beneath my skin, threatening to transform me against my will.
"Wh-what's going on?" The woman stammered, her eyes darting between me and the entrance of the store.
"Chased," I gritted out, my pulse racing at the mere thought of the council members catching up to me. "Hide...please."
"Okay, okay," she whispered, her fingers trembling as she reached for my hand.
When I reached for her, I knew there was no stopping what was about to happen. My fingers started to contort, a wave of nausea rolling through me as the curse's power surged through my veins. My vision blurred, and I felt an indescribable pressure building within me.
"Dammit," I cursed under my breath, feeling the helplessness wash over me like a tidal wave.
A sudden burst of magick gripped me, and I felt my body contorting and twisting into a new form. The pain was unbearable, but it was over in an instant, leaving me with a surreal sense of disorientation. I was no longer a man, nor a polar bear... I was now a champagne bottle, helpless and vulnerable on the cold floor.
Damn witch, I thought bitterly, cursing the one who had inflicted this torment upon me.
As I lay there, I heard frantic footsteps approaching and felt myself tip over, rolling across the floor like a discarded plaything. Panic surged through me, but there was nothing I could do.
"What the fuck?" The woman's voice cut through my despair, her fingers deftly snatching me up from my roll. In that moment, she became my savior, my safe harbor from the shifters that wanted to exploit me.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." She whispered, cradling me gently as she concealed me beneath her baggy sweater. Her heartbeat was a steady thrum against my glass form, a soothing reminder that I wasn't alone.
She sprinted toward the back. I couldn't see a thing from my place under her sweater as she made her way through the store. Aside from hoping they didn't find me, I couldn't do a damn thing. My glass form vibrated with each of her rapid footsteps. Her breath came in short gasps, echoing in the emptiness of the store.
The sound of a metal door handle clanging met my ears, followed by a loud klaxon. What I assumed was a back door slammed against a wall. The alarm continued to blare, its shrill sound piercing and unnerving as I waited for us to be discovered.
A commotion of noise in the front of the building revealed the retrievers' presence in the store. So much for thinking I could escape.
"Damn it!" Her voice shouted. "How dare you barge into my store!"
A sudden surge of emotions... fear, longing, and something else, something I couldn't quite name but knew was undeniably powerful filled me. It was then that I understood... This woman, this brave human who had risked herself to save me, was my Tsigo.
Protect her. My instincts roared, drowning out the cacophony of the alarm and chaos. Show them they cannot take what is yours.
But how? How could I protect her when I was trapped in this helpless, cursed form? Desperation clawed at me, threatening to consume my sanity as the heavy footsteps of the council members drew closer.
My heart raced as I waited for them to figure out her deception. If they realized she was my Tsigo, my fated mate, they wouldn't hesitate to seize her. I'd heard the horror stories of what happened when a shifter claimed a human as their mate. Except, she stood her ground.
"Where is he?" one of the council members snarled. I wished I could see what was happening, but if I could, then they'd be able to see me. I couldn't risk that. No, I had to trust in my mate to handle this situation.
"Who?" she feigned confusion. "Oh, you must mean the guy who just burst in here! He ran out the back door!"
"Who the fuck else would we be talking about?" The man used a tone I didn't like when he spoke to her. I wanted to shift into my bear form and destroy him for daring to be rude to her... but I hadn't been able to shift since I was cursed years ago.
"Through there," she insisted. "He was so fast, I barely had time to react. You should hurry if you want to catch him."
Their footsteps echoed, announcing that they'd taken her words as truth as they began their futile pursuit. As the door slammed shut behind them, my mate stood still for a long time, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Relief washed over me, mingling with the despair and longing that filled my heart.
A shudder of relief trembled through the woman's body as the threat disappeared. Her soft hand grasped the neck of my bottle as she retrieved me from under her sweater. Then she cradled me gently in her hands.
"Alright," she whispered, her voice smooth like silk. "You're safe now." She carried me back to the counter and carefully set me down.
The warmth of her hands lingered on my glass surface, and I longed to reach out and touch her, to feel her skin against mine... but I was trapped, powerless as this bottle. My frustration simmered like a cork ready to pop, but my body remained still, unresponsive to my will.
