Howl

"Sandra, you need to calm down. I can't help you unless you're calm." Axel said as he slowly started to move towards me.

Sure Buddy, the same way you helped by turning me into a werewolf? I don't think so.

"I was trying to save your life. I wouldn't have chosen this life either." Axel told me.

Woah. How did he know what I was thinking? I wonder if that's some freaky werewolf thing....

"Yes it is. Now will you please calm down so you can change back?" Axel asked, "I can tell you everything you want to know."

I sighed at his logic and slowly started to control my breathing and heart rate. I didn't know how, but it just felt like I knew exactly what to do to change back into my human self. My real self. It wasn't long before I heard my bones starting to crack and went through the entire painful process once more. Before I knew it, I was myself again. All ten fingers and all ten toes. The only difference was I didn't have any clothes.

I curled into a ball and tried to hide myself from Axel's gaze which was transfixed on me. I could feel his eyes staring at every inch of me and the intensity made me turn away from him. Somehow I was able to get a sense of what he was feeling. It seemed like he felt ashamed for staring and rejected by my response.

I heard his footsteps as he made his way closer to me. I was frozen in place. Should I run? I don't think he'll do anything to me. But that's when it hit me, I knew nothing about this man. Nothing at all.

While I was lost in my thought, I hadn't noticed that he had stopped right in front of me. When I looked up, I noticed he wasn't wearing his shirt and instead was holding it in front of him.

"Here. It might not be much, but it's something to wear." He said, looking away as I rose to take the shirt from him.

As I put the shirt on, I couldn't help but notice what he smelled like. It was an earthy, musky smell. What you'd you expect a man to smell like.

"Thank you." I told him as we started the long trek back towards the house.

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We had been walking for half an hour before I started to stumble around in the dark, not being able to see what's in front of my feet and I slowly started to lag behind him. Sensing this, Axel turned around and without a word picked me up and started to carry me.

I began to protest, but based on the look he had given me, I decided against it.

It seemed like hours of listening to the leaves crunch beneath his feet and his rhythmic heart beat. I must have fallen asleep at some point because I came back to consciousness when I heard voices buzzing around me.

"Where did you find her? And why is she naked? Axel you didn't....." I heard a voice say.

"Aww man, how come Axel always gets the girls?" another voice said.

"Quiet Charlie, she's awake." The voice said again, "Put her upstairs in your room, we still haven't got hers ready yet."

I still pretended to be asleep as Axel padded up the stairs and opened the door to his room. He gently laid me on his bed and pulled the covers up around me.

He started to leave and I couldn't help what I did, it just happened.

"Axel?" I asked in a small voice.

He slowly turned around without saying a word.

"I know that you don't really know me, but will you sit with me a little while? I don't want to be alone." I asked, not daring to look at him.

Without hesitation he replied: "Of course. For my queen, I will do anything."

He walked slowly over to a chair near his bed and sat down. He looked towards me as if asking what next.

I scooted more under the covers and slowly fell asleep.

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I woke up shivering under the covers of his bed. I didn't want to say anything though. Geez can you picture it? You just saved my life, now fetch me a blanket. That would be so embarrassing. So I settled with toughing it out.

After about two minutes of roughing it, I casually glanced in Axel's direction. He was staring out the window into the night.

Without looking back he asked: "Are you done trying to deal with the cold?"

"Yes..." I replied in a small voice, I'm really going to hate this whole wolfy mind reading thing.

Axel relinquished his post from the window, walked over towards the bed and laid down next to me on the bed.

I moved closer to Axel on the bed until my arms and legs were touching him.

"This is only for warmth buddy. No funny business." I said.

"Of course, my Queen." He replied. I didn't need to look up to know that he said a smirk on his face.