He sighs and spreads the towel out on the floor. “Want to dry yourself, then?” he asks, standing.
She stares at the offering, allowing me to see the splash of white cotton against the obsidian marble floor. Then she dives into it as though she expects it to be a big fluffy cloud and starts rolling around, happily scenting herself off his towel.
The Alpha chuckles, clearly amused. “Well, as sad as it makes me to see a shifter be so far separated from her animal, I’ll admit you’re kinda cute.”
My wolf huffs.
“Verycute,” he corrects, squatting to rub my now exposed belly. “Are you going to let me brush you, pet?”
My heart skips a beat.
Or it feels like it does, anyway.
Because the way he said that shoots warmth through every inch of my being. If I were in control, my body would be on fire right now.
My wolf sits up and cocks her head, clearly interested in his tone.
He sits on the floor, his jeans still sopping wet, and leans back against the sink cabinet behind him. Then he meets my gaze again as he lifts a hand toward my neck.
I can’t see what he’s doing because my wolf is staring him down, but I feel the comb gliding through my fur. I almost purr with delight, the sensation making me want to lay down and let him do whatever he wants with me.
His reputation haunted my teenage years, following me into adulthood.
Yet I can’t help but give into the sensation he’s evoking now.
I’ve never experienced anything like it, and it’s… it’sheavenly.
I sigh, as does my wolf, leaning into his touch as he chuckles again. “You just need a little love,” he says. “Maybe that’ll help calm you down enough for your human to take charge for a bit, hmm?”
My animal doesn’t seem to hear him or care what he’s saying. She’s too lost to his touch.
But I hear him.
And I understand just fine.
He wants to encourage my wolf to retreat, to allow me to shift. Because he knows she’s in charge.
Why?I wonder.Why are you helping me? And how do you know?
Is this normal?
Do females often find themselves disassociated from their wolves?
I’ve never heard about it in my pack, but it would explain why so many females weren’t allowed to shift, even after their mating.
Or maybe… maybe they didn’twantto shift for this very reason.
Why would my pack design this failure? I understand the point of focusing on procreation and ensuring the health of the children, but this feels debilitating.
Controlling, I think, recalling what Tieran said about how males probably do this tocontroltheir mates.
My insides burn for an entirely different reason now.
My mother always said it was about letting the males think they’re in charge.
But they suppressed our wolves on purpose.
They told us it was natural, that all packs did this.
