Lone Wolf.

Since Serena hadn't brought anything with her this time around, we slept out in my truck bed. I'd stayed with her in wolf form, since stroking my fur seemed to comfort her. I tried the best that I could to console her, but it was hard to do that when I couldn't talk and she wouldn't say a word.
I woke up before her so I could shift and slip on my jeans before taking her back in my arms. She folded right into me, as if she had been waiting for my lanky human body to come into contact with hers.
Her features seemed a lot less relaxed than the night before. She seemed troubled in her sleep and I'd been worried the whole night on what could have possibly happened. She'd looked so weary.
My hand runs up and down her back when she begins to stir. I sit up slightly as she opens her eyes. She smiles softly and I cup her cheek. "Hey," she mutters.
"Hi." I press my lips to her forehead before pulling away, staring at her intently. "Why were you so sad yesterday?"
She winces as if the memory disturbed her and nestles back into my chest. "It's not important."
"Of course it's important, Serena," I say in a gentle but firm voice. "Seeing you like that made me realize how little I know about you. And that matters to me, Ser, because you know the one thing not another single person in this world knows about me. So I want to know everything there is to know about you, darlin'." I take her hand in mine, my hand running along her knuckles. "You can talk to me."
She sighs, looking up at me. "My life isn't as extraordinary yours, John. That's why I've never said anything about mine."
I half scoff, half laugh. "I wouldn't exactly call it that, but okay. Now stop trying to change the subject." I give her a stern look. "What happened?"
Biting her lip, she holds my gaze, the deep blue of her irises almost making my head whirl.
"Do you remember that guy?" she starts slowly. "From when we first met and you, uhm, scared him off?"
My jaw clenches, remembering the scumbag all too well. I nod, signaling for her to continue.
"When I wouldn't sleep with him, he started saying things. I mean, I'd hardly known him for about a month and he already was trying to get something out of me. So after that night, I told him to fuck off. I'm not easy like that." I notice her eyes well up and she messes with a button on her shirt. "But somehow he's gotten all of my friends to think differently."
I rub her back when she sniffs, shaking her head. "Now everyone I know is either calling me a prude or a slut." She forces a laugh. "Well, my friends think I'm a slut, his know I'm a prude."
"Hey," I cut in, my eyebrows furrowing. "You're neither of those things."
"It doesn't matter anyway," she mumbles, hiding her face in my neck. "That's why I didn't answer my phone yesterday. I was getting nasty messages and I didn't hear or see any of it." She shrugs. "But I had to eventually to delete them all."
My face softens. "Ser-"
I hear her whimper and figure she doesn't want to hear anything more about it. Instead, I take her tightly in my arms, resting my head above hers. I did as my wolf self would do and bopped her nose. A tiny smile plays on her lips. I hated seeing her like this.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," I mutter, running my hands through her hair. I wanted to kill that guy, but I wouldn't bring it up until I knew she was cheered up. "Is there anything I can do?"
She shakes her head. "Not really. But I appreciate it."
"C'mon there has to be something," I muse. "Even if it's just to make you smile."
A slow grin creeps onto her face. "Well...know any tricks, boy?"
~
The afternoon is spent begrudgingly doing flips and a whole bunch of commands and I think how the hell I got myself into this. A few weeks ago, I would have turned away from her trying to get me to do any orders. But here I was rolling over just to get her to laugh.
I think she could tell I was getting fed up and giggles. "C'mere."
Dropping at her feet, I dramatically play dead. That trick I could do all too well. I was beat.
"I'm sorry I didn't bring any food with me this time," she hums, reaching out and rubbing gently between my ears. I welcome the feeling gratefully as she adds, "I would've picked up some doggy treats."
I huff, snapping at her fingers, though I'd never actually bite her.
She smirks. "I'm just teasing you. But I'm serious. I need to make you dinner one of these days."
The idea makes my skin flush and I walk in a short circle before laying down by her side. Being near her was enough. She didn't owe me a thing.
But she sure as hell better have enjoyed all of that.
There's a squeak in the distance, and my head shoots up involuntarily. I could smell the little rodent before I could see him but he zips past a few trees before coming to a stop a few feet in front of Serena. I growl and slowly rise to my paws, crouching down.
"John, it's just a squirrel," she giggles but I feel my mouth lifting. This was one more chance at amusing her and cheering her up. I wouldn't pass that up.
C'mere you little punk, I think as I dart forward, chasing it. He has nowhere to go, as I block off any chance he has to shoot up a tree. I wag my tail and lean down. It dashes right and I go after it until it beats me to a large trunk. Regardless, I turn back and hold my head high, watching Serena laugh breathlessly.
Giddy, I tuck my head beneath her hand, trying to draw her to her feet. She stands chuckling shakily and sighs. "What is it?"
I pounce around before leading her towards the lake, gesturing that I wanted to go in. There was something I wanted to show her on the other side of the lake, but I also needed to talk to her.
She seats herself and dips her feet in the water. "I'll wait here."
Whining, I duck beneath the water and take a deep breath, forcing my bones back to where they belonged. They stretch and extend and soon, I break through the surfacing, gasping.
"You're not going to get that squirrel just because you're taller," she teases and I roll my eyes.
"Very funny. Pass me my clothes?"
Her lips curl and she holds up my boxers. "Oh, you need these? Come get em, boy."
I shoot her a look. "Serena."
"I'm not going in. You're going to get them wet anyway! You're in the water, genius. You have to come out."
I blush deeply and begin walking towards the shore. "Alright fine, look away."
She swivels around and I quickly lift myself out of the water before shaking and drying myself the best I could. Slipping on my underwear, I make my way over to pick up my jeans and look down at her now that my modesty was covered. She smirks and begins to stand. "You should really invest in a towel."
I roll my eyes, holding out my hand. "I never had to worry about someone seeing me. But now that you follow me everywhere I go like some puppy...."
"Touché." She pouts. "Why did you change back?"
Holding a hand to my heart, I pretend to act offended for a moment until she crosses her arms. I laugh. "I want to take you somewhere. And I want to talk. Just you. I want to know about your life. Your family, what you like to do, anything. I won't say a word."
"So why didn't you just stay as a wolf for that?"
Licking my lips, I let my eyes fall over every little feature of her face before meeting hers. "I can't hold your hand that way."
Her bright blue eyes stay wide and I watch her cheeks turn red. My mouth pulls into a slanted smirk but I keep my mouth shut. This was my way of getting to know her the same way she got to know me; a silent understanding.
I lace my fingers with hers, taking a few steps backwards and tugging her along. We walk past an endless amount of trees and tread up a few more hills.
Serena clears her throat. "So what do you want me to talk about?"
I smile but remain tight lipped, pressing them together and shrugging, indicating that the floor was open.
"Okay, family," she sighs. "A brother and a dad. My brother moved out a couple months ago, and I'm saving up until I can afford a place of my own. My mother passed away a few years ago..."
I stay as silent as I would a wolf, absorbing every detail about her life. Her dad was a sheriff and her mom had fought cancer, but ultimately died in a car accident. My hands squeezed hers a little tighter when she told me that.
She said she worked at a local bookstore (which I remind myself to visit) and loved to take photography. She even mentioned that she was hoping to photograph me in my 'natural habitat.' I don't argue because, well, I can't. Not that I'd have turned her down anyway.
Her father and her lived not too far down the street, and her family would sometimes come here on vacations together. After her mom died, however, those stopped. But Serena still came here, sometimes on her birthday and mother's day to get away from things at home.
As I guide us over a few rocks, she huffs and pauses in the middle of talking. "Okay, I'm sick of hearing of me. Please talk."
I smile and release her hand, walking toward the edge of the cliff. "We're here."
Serena walks up beside me, gasping at the sight. The view of the treetops glowing with the setting sun was breathtaking, and you could see over them at the road and the cars rushing by. Hills swiveled in and out all around us at our sides. Directly beneath us, was our little campsite and the glistening lake. Out here, it felt like you were connected to nothing and everything.
"Oh, John," she whispers, her hand finding mine again. "This is..." She looks up, seemingly at a loss for words.
Edging away from the cliff, I approach a familiar splotch of dirt and lean down by the rock, where a white wildflower always seemed to sprout. I pluck the flower from its stem before standing back up. I gently weave it into her hair behind her ear. The white brings out the blue of her eyes and I'm soon enraptured in her stare.
Serena smiles softly, my heart racing a mile a minute. "You're still not talking."
"I don't know what to say," I mutter truthfully. I couldn't think of anything aside from how beautiful she looked.
"Okay then," she whispers, her body inching closer to mine. "Make me not talk."
My lips press to hers like a magnet, realizing it's all I've waited for. I'd been at her whim and I still was.
I take her in my arms, gripping her shoulders and kissing her deeply. Her hands go into my hair, shivering as she tugs me closer. I brush down along her arms until I reach her waist and hold her hips. Our tongues together almost effortlessly as she rises on her tippy toes to bring her face closer to mine. I do her the favor and bend down, taking her legs to hoist her up. A sigh escapes her lips, the simple breath sounding like music to my ears.
I peck her a few more times before pulling away to look at her and set her down. Her eyes looked so much more lively than this morning and it made my heart swell. I'd done something right.
Before I could open my mouth to speak, she loops her arms around me and buries her face in my neck. My hand splays across the small of her back as I hold her, our skin warm.
"Thank you," she mumbles.
I press my nose into her hair, breathing in her scent as I nod. "Always, darlin'."
When I peak down at her, I see her grinning. That smile was contagious.
Her fingers lace through mine again. "You make me never want to leave here."
I bite my lip softly, wanting to tell her she didn't have to, but she had somewhere to be.
"Lemme take you back down," I mutter.
She grins. "What, you mean we're not jumping from up here?"