Wolf's Heart

Ulric held me for a few more minutes, grumbling quietly as I continued to cry. When the worst of my sobs passed he gathered me in his arms and pressed me against his chest. When I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his chest he began climbing the mountain. With my face buried at the indention between his shoulder and neck I ignored the world around me as he climbed on, only stopping when we reached the cliff.

Still I didn’t lift my head, instead I held on tighter as he walked through the colony. Even without looking I knew the Creatures around us were staring, I could feel their gazes everywhere. Not to mention Ulric would let out a snarl every once in a while, the sound more of a warning than anything else. When he didn’t enter a hut after another five minutes of walking I finally lifted my head and glanced around. Ulric was walking a barely used trail through the forest, the grass and weeds overgrown so much that the trail was partially hidden. He didn’t slow down until he reached a small clearing, the middle of which held a secluded hut.

The hut was larger than any of the others I’ve seen, big enough to fit Ulric’s Creature form comfortably. There was a garden of wild flowers that lined the outer edges of the hut while grass grew all around. The entrance to the hut was a slab of wood instead of the fabric the others had. Ulric walked us into the hut, sitting me down by the large bed that was just to the right of the door. He disappeared behind a sheet of fabric that was located across the room, leaving me here alone to wait for him.

The bed beside me wasn’t like any cot I’ve ever seen. There were multiple thick layers of sheep wool and duck down and the blanket that covered it was thick and made of the softest fabric I’ve ever felt. At the top of the bed were oddly shaped fabric and when I pressed my hand against one the fabric sank with my weight.

“Those support your head while you’re sleeping.”

Jumping from the large cot I turned to see Ulric in his human for entering the room, a pair of trousers and a loose shirt covering him, “What?”

He nodded to the bundle of fabric at the top of the bed, “When you go to sleep you lay your head against that. It supports your head so that your neck isn’t stiff in the morning. Try it.”

Frowning I laid back on the bed and slowly rested my head against the bundle. Immediately I felt relaxed, my neck unstressed as a sigh escaped my lips. My eyes closed in bliss as I heard Ulric chuckled, then they shot back open when I felt him lay beside me. His head was resting against his own bundle, his eyes closed as well. I watched as he took a relieved breath, his chest expanding as a smile stretched his mouth.

When his eyes opened I quickly looked away, embarrassed that he caught me staring at him.

“Roana?”

At his softly asked question I rolled my head back over to look at him. He swallowed deeply before he spoke again “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I left you on that peak, I’m sorry that I couldn’t control my reaction. You were right. I do run when things get tough or complicated. I’ve done it ever since I was a kid and it only got worse as I grew older, but do you know what I’m most sorry about?”

I shook my head when he paused, not able to say anything because it felt like my throat had tightened closed.

He locked his gaze to mine, “I’m especially sorry that I let you down, that I disappointed you, and that I couldn’t be there for you when you needed me.”

The pain in his dark eyes clenched through my heart, leaving the organ with an ache all its own. Not knowing what to say I rolled into his arms, nuzzling my face against his neck as he held me tightly.

He pressed his face into my hair, “I’m going to make sure I never leave you again. I’ll always be here when you need me and if I run again you have permission to beat as much sense into me as you want.”

I held him tighter, “I just need to know that I can trust you to be there for me. That when I look for you, you’ll be right by my side, just like I will be for you.”

He nodded against my head, “From now on I’ll be there. I am wondering about one thing though.”

I lifted my head to look down at him, “What is it?”

“Why are you forgiving me so easily? After what I did I don’t deserve it, not after making you cry.”

I placed my hand against his cheek, rubbing my fingers against his skin, “Because you never had someone give you a reason not to run.”

“And what reason will you give me?”

I stared into his dark eyes, wondering if I should tell him or show him. Do I really have enough courage to do what I want to do? Or will I balk just before it happens?

Deciding that after telling Ulric, Kyros, and my new found brother off I should have just enough courage left to do it, I gathered all the boldness and bravery inside me and leaned forward, pressing my lips against his firm ones.

I gasped the moment we touched, a shock of electricity shooting between us. My eyes closed of their own accord as Ulric shoved his fingers through my hair, using that as leverage to press me closer as his upper body lifted from the bed. His moan echoed through me as he tilted his head, the movement bringing us even closer.

All I could think before my mind went blank was ’thank God I saved my first kiss’.