Page 20 of Wolf's Prize

“Everything will be well, Kathryn,” he murmured, stroking the fur on her neck. “I am here now. I will look after you and keep you safe. You have no need to fear.”

She placed her big, furry head against his chest, his heartbeat steady and strong against her ear, and she found comfort in it. An unfamiliar quiet descended. The two warring factions that had fought for supremacy in her mind, for once were silent. Free of the restrictions she had placed on herself, she relaxed.

The sense of peace did not last long.

It started as a whisper and built to a roar in her ears, a heat in her blood and an undeniable longing she could neither contain nor ignore—an insistent urge to be in her beloved forest, running through the trees.

Struggling to free herself from Aimon’s grasp, she growled deep in her throat, resenting that which only moments ago had comforted her. Now it kept her from what she craved. She snapped at him. Her large canine teeth barely missed his face, her only thought to escape, to run. He tightened his grip and whispered words she struggled to comprehend. Desperate to heed the call of the forest, her claws raked his chest and her teeth snapped at whatever she could.

“Kathryn. Listen to me. Listen to my voice.”

Kathryn.She recognized the word. He said it again and its meaning swirled close.Kathryn.Shewas Kathryn. She stopped snapping at him. Her lips peeled back in a snarl, but she listened. A part of her recognized he spoke toher, was trying to reachher.

“I know you want to run, to feel the earth beneath your paws and the wind in your fur. Iknowthe forest calls to you. It calls to me, too, Kathryn, but you must be patient. Now is not the time to run.”

Run. Yes, I want to run.

“Kathryn, focus on my voice. You need to return to human form. Now.”

No. I do not want to.

She growled and bared her teeth at him, but he kept repeating the command over and over. For it was a command, not a request.

“Find the place inside your mind where your wolf cannot reach, the space where only you can go.” As he spoke, he stroked her fur. “You can do this, Kathryn. Find your center and will your wolf away.”

She stopped fighting him, and the quiet place in her mind, the dark space where Kathryn lurked, heeded his words and clawed back control. As her wolf retreated, awareness of the intimate way he held her against his broad chest, cradled between his muscular thighs, seeped in. Shewantedto be human again.

Her snout shortened, her claws and canines retracted, her spine and hips transformed and her wolf slowly receded. Her dress torn and her shoulders bare, she clung to Aimon.

“That is it, Kathryn.” He smoothed her hair off her face. “You are doing well. You are almost there.”

She did not look at him, could not face all that had transpired. She snuggled closer, hiding her now human face in his tunic, her secret as exposed as her shoulders.

Aimon held Kathryn close as her body continued its shift from wolf to human, letting her press her face into his tunic. He had expected her transformation, had been ready for it when it had happened. His own reaction he had not. If he had thought her captivating as a woman, as a wolf, she took his breath away. Never had he seen one of his kind with such beautiful fur. His own wolf had stirred, pushing for its release, and it had taken all his concentration to focus on aiding Kathryn.

A strangled groan had him glancing up at Farren’s horrified face. Aimon cut him a glare, and Farren turned away.

“Gascon,” Aimon called out.

Farren gaped. “No!”

Gascon entered the library, his gaze falling on Kathryn, her clothing torn from her transition and her fur slowly receding. He disappeared back out the door.

“Look what you have done.” Farren clasped his head in his hands. “Now everyone will know. They will hunt her down.” He covered his face with his hands as Gascon returned with a blanket. “I should never have let you do this, Aimon. My daughter is ruined.”

“Please calm yourself, Seigneur Farren.” Gascon handed the blanket to Aimon. “My family has served the d’Louncrais for centuries. Believe me, Seigneur, we have witnessed far stranger things than this over the years. We helped care for your sister during her turning. Monsieur Aimon, too. And we will care for your daughter now.”

Aimon wrapped the blanket around Kathryn’s shoulders and pulled her close, rocking her gently. He ignored Farren’s agitated pacing.

“You have done well, Kathryn. You made it through a change and back again. I am proud of you.”

And he was. The last decade would have been pure hell for her, resisting the call of her wolf, hiding her true nature and believing herself all alone with this terrible secret. Aimon marveled at the woman in his arms. The force of her will was astonishing. It took mere moments for her to find her way back. It had taken him much longer when he had first transformed, to listen to Gaharet’s voice and to fight the overwhelming call of the wolf threatening to consume him. For all her strength of mind and self-control, right now Kathryn clung to him, seeking comfort. And he gave her what she needed.

Anne shuffled in with steaming mugs of chamomile and honey. She offered a cup to Farren.

“Go on, drink. It will do your nerves good. Here, Kathryn,” she said, wrapping Kathryn’s hands around a mug. “There, there, child. It is all done now. Drink this. It will help calm you. One for you too, Aimon?”

He smiled but shook his head. “No, thank you. I have drunk more than enough of your chamomile and honey in the past.”

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