Page 34 of Wolf's Prize

Aimon shrugged. “Not that I am aware of. I once stayed in wolf form for an entire week, and I had no problems changing back.” He looked thoughtful. “I suppose it could happen if you stayed wolf for an extended period. But I do not think it would be that you could notchange back, but you would not want to.”

Despite his reassurances, Kathryn wanted to unbolt the door and escape into the sanctuary of the forest. She repressed the urge to flee. She could do this. Kathryn clenched her hands into fists. Sheneededto do this.

“How do I begin? Do I just think I want to be a wolf? Do I command it to come forth? Every other time it has rushed up on me, uncalled for.” Her voice wavered.

He pulled at his tunic, and the hem rose to reveal a bare, muscled abdomen. “First, we will need to remove all our clothes.”

Kathryn gaped at him. He could not mean… She clasped her hands across her chest, her face heating. No man had ever seen her naked. She could not undress. Not here. Not in front of Aimon. Not with him standing there as naked as she.

Aimon dropped his tunic, covering the tantalizing glimpse of bare flesh. He cleared his throat. “Shifting form is not compatible with clothing.” He paused, his gaze darting about, settling on anything but her. “Remember what happened to your dress the other night?”

She gulped. She remembered.

He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “My apologies, Kathryn. I have grown accustomed to some aspects of our existence, and I did not consider this may be uncomfortable for you.”

“You are shifting, too? I did not expect that.”

Heat flooded her body, and an awareness crept over her that had little to do with embarrassment or modesty. Her wolf pressed forward. She looked Aimon up and down. Lean and muscled, he was a grown man. Seeing him naked would be far different from those village boys she had spied on so many years ago. Would shedarelook? Would she be able to stop herself?

Aimon’s nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened. He took a step back, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and a slow flush crept up his throat. He tugged at the neckline of his tunic as though the room had suddenly become too warm. She was not the only one discomfited at the idea of them locked in a room together naked.

“I will wait until you have completed your transformation so I can talk you through it. If I need to shift to bring you under control, I will. So, I will also need to be unclothed.” He searched the room, his gaze landing on the cot. He strode over to it and snatched up a blanket. “I will cover myself until the need to change arises.” His brow furrowed. “Normally, under these circumstances, you would undertake your training with a woman or your mate, your husband. Those options are not available to us. I am sorry, Kathryn. There is no other way.”

“Can you turn around? Please?”

Aimon paused, then nodded. “Very well,” he said, turning his back to her.

“No peeking.”

“Of course not.” He sounded offended she would think he would.

“Are there no other women like me?” she asked, as she turned to face the wall.

The silence hung between them, broken only by the rustle of his tunic hitting the floor. The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she itched to turn around, to catch a glimpse of him.

When Aimon spoke, his tone was subdued. “There has not been a female amongst us for some time.”

Aimon’s boots hit the floor, and the slide of fabric as he shucked his breeches had her inner thighs clenching.

“Oh.” What had happened to all the females? Is that what Anne meant when she had spoken about all those lives lost?

“Kathryn, if we are going to train today, you will need to undress.”

“Yes… I… Yes, of course.”

She unlaced her boots and set them aside. Grabbing the hem of her over-dress, she removed it and dropped it to the floor. With trembling fingers, she fumbled with the first few buttons on her under-dress, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not reach the rest.

“Aimon?”

“Yes?”

“I might need some help with my buttons.”

Chapter Fourteen

Buttons. Aimon closed his eyes and let his head drop forward. Her dress had buttons. And she needed his help with them. He looked down at his naked body. It had no problem with her request, rising to the occasion. What had he done so wrong God sought to punish him like this? Tempting him with something he could not, should not have? He sighed. There was no help for it. Steeling himself, he turned, his cock pointing unerringly at the object of his desire.

She stood with her back to him, the buttons of her under-dress running from her neck down to the curve of her bottom. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to pad over to her, praying she would not turn and see him thus. With trembling fingers and a throbbing groin, he started on the buttons.

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