A large, intimidating, hairy-ass wolf stood right in front of me. Its head was enormous, easily the size of my torso alone. He licked his lips and shook out its fur, briefly showing the way-too-many-inches teeth that hide inside. His tongue darted out next, lapping at his nose before he fell to his haunches.

I eyed the rippling muscle as he shook his fur, how they bent and stretched as he forced himself to sit. At sitting height, he still towered over me. His paws, large and dark like the rest of him held two inches claws that could easily tear my skin like paper.

I gulped, my eyes wide as I finally raised them to look into his eyes. Deep blue, just as the sky above us, blinked back at me. He cocked his head, studying me, and a part of me wondered if he was going to come closer or stay where he was.

"Asra?" I whispered.

His head bowed, dipping as his nose twitched. A nod.

How was this the man I had grown accustomed to? How was it even possible that he could turn into a monster, a beast? The laws of physics and nature made no sense. Everything they ever taught us in the past, we ever believed, was ruined.

I pushed myself to my feet, stumbling slightly on the uneven ground. It caused him to growl softly, dipping his head again. I nervously wrung my hands together, my heart pounding in my chest. I was sure he could hear it. His ears had to be bigger than my hands.

Despite seeing him in fur before, it still made me nervous.

He barked softly, a whisper of communication that had me jerking. The bond tightened, the strange string tying us together shaking as an ache formed in my head. He was focusing on me, the feeling tightening as he hesitated his next step. He moved slowly at my sudden fear, dropping his head and shoulders so he appeared my height.

Now just two feet away, I could smell the musky earth that coated his fur. It was as dark as a shadow, fluffy and soft looking. I wanted too... I so wanted to touch it again. Was he truly Asra, or just an animal? Could they lose their minds? Forget everything and kill a human?

Nature was curious. Why did they shift into a fluffy dog?

"We are one, you know that, not two separate entities but one whole..."

I sucked in a soft breath as my fingers whispered a touch over his forehead. His fur was still soft, tickling the skin beneath my nail. The bond held me; wrapped me in a little bubble and whispered that things were great. I felt the ache in my temple, and a fullness in my chest.

It was a weird feeling, but for once, I let it take over me.

My palm fell into his fur; thick and dense. My fingers scratched, stroking along his pale skin beneath. He cocked his head, allowing my hand to go further down his neck and into the soft, baby fur at the back of it. I noticed this last time he let me pet him, and assumed it was so thick here to combat any attempting kill shots.

My hand moved back up, mesmerised by the way his fur felt through my fingers. Fingers trailed up to his head, stroking along the softness of his ears. They twitched in my hand, which caused a small giggle to escape my lips that had the wolf freezing. With two fingers, I trailed the slope of his eyes, pausing when those dark blue eyes locked onto my own.

His head was so large compared to my hand, and my fingers were inches from being torn off. It would be so easy, and I couldn't stop it from happening.

Intrusive thoughts were strong tonight.

A sudden wetness along my wrist alerted me back to the present, and my eyes dropped to find the wolf lapping at my wrist. His tongue was flat and wide, slightly rough to the touch as he wrapped it around my wrist. I stared wide eyed, watching as he began to groom me. His tongue moved upwards, along the crook of my elbow and bare shoulder. Goosebumps rose on my flesh, pebbling my skin at the strange sensation. And just when I finally thought he was done, those sharp teeth got too close to my face and a large wet slobber wrapped itself around my mouth and jaw.

My lips pinched closed after a surprised shout of complaint, my eyes squinting at the abomination that now coated my skin. A wolfy grumble that oddly sounded like a laugh caused me to peek an eye open, finding him sat back on his hind legs. We were almost even height now, barely a visible difference.

I raised my hand to wipe the spit off my face, glaring at him. His tongue fell out of his mouth, his head cocking playfully.

Could dogs have facial emotions? I was pretty sure he was finding this amusing.

He growled suddenly before the tension in my head disappeared and left me feeling smug. He heard me call him a dog. Good.

Now clean, I cleared my throat to study his eyes again. "What now?"

He rose to all fours, turning around so his massive back faced me. Slowly, he lowered himself until he was laid on his belly and I eyed it sceptically. What was he implying? A ride?

"No chance, wolf." I shook my head. "I am not that brave."

He grumbled, but turned around begrudgingly. Swallowing the finality of my nerves, I turned back to the picnic blanket and gestured with my hand. He huffed, pillows of air hitting me full force in the face. It stank, my nose wrinkling with disgust at the smell of iron and dirt.

"Someone needs a breath mint." I muttered, turning to sit on the blanket.

A sharp nudge to my ass had me falling onto my knees, a squeal of surprise filling the air. The wolf snorted, pushing me further until I fell onto my ass completely.

Disorientated, I shot him a glare. "Dogs have no manners."

A sharp nip to my shoulder, what would most likely scare me, seemed to do the opposite. I squealed, sliding away from his playful teeth and shoving his head away from me. He huffed, dramatically falling to his side, his paws flying in the air.

I laughed aloud at the goofy wolf, waiting for him to sit back up. When he did, he stretched his paws out in front of himself with a yawn, his tail swaying across the blanket. Silence enveloped us. The wolf and I. The moon was brighter than ever, casting a glow across the sky. I was glad there were candle lights on the blanket because I could not see shit without them.

Asra's wolf's fur blended effortlessly with the night. The only obvious feature were his teeth or the whites of his eyes when he would sneak a glance at me.

I hummed with appreciation, hesitantly placing my hand on the side of the wolf's head. He leaned more weight into it, closing his eyes as my fingers dug into his fur. It was comforting, whether it was the bond or not. I found solace in his presence.

"Does the Moon Goddess live on the moon?" I wondered.

His wolf head turned, rising from where it lay on his front paws. We had been sitting in silence for quite a while, but I appreciated the quiet.

A low, gruff harrumph left his lips that I took for a no.

"So... is she like a spirit of the moon? Like she represents it."

A longer, higher-pitched whine came next, and I clicked my tongue in thought. Humans once believed there was a man in the moon.

"Your wolf... he is rather spectacular." I mumbled.

He was watching me, lowering his head onto his paws as his eyes followed my every movement. But at this, his head rose, fully turning to look at me. I shyly smiled at him, and he whined, wet nose poking into my thigh. Licking it once sent shivers down my spine, the skin too sensitive for him to touch.

Suddenly, he stood, shaking out his fur as he stretched his back.

"Where are you going?" I wondered as he began to walk away.

A gruff bark in response apparently was enough for my human mind as he disappeared into the trees. I huffed, crossing my arms as I sat alone. An owl hooted overhead in the silence before I heard the crunching of sticks tell me my wolf was back. I turned, narrowing my eyes at his behaviour, but it surprised me to find he had a mouthful of... flowers? They had to be flowers in his teeth.

He stood above me, his head casting darkness over me more than the sky ever did. The flowers slowly fell, tumbling down my head and shoulders and into my lap. I laughed, picking a few pretty pink ones up to admire. Plucking a petal, I turned to tease him.

"He loves me... He loves me not.... He loves me... He loves me not... He loves me... He loves me not... He loves me..." I came to the last petal, widening my eyes with a gasp. "Oh my, he loves me! My secret crush finally loves me back!"

The wolf growled, and I squealed with laughter as his large body pushed mine to the floor. His paws landed either side of my head, fur tickling my face as his weight pressed down on me. I laughed, closing my eyes and raising my hands to dig them into his fur as the wolf growled, playfully nudging my cheek in return.

"Okay, okay! I'll confess!" I laughed, pushing the wolf's head away from me. "I don't have a secret crush... I have... a secret lover!"

His growl deepened, teeth nipping at my skin as his tongue trailed across my face. I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut as slobber coated my entire face. My hands left his fur to wipe it away, disgusted by the consistency. Whilst I did that, I felt a shift in his weight and warmth, wondering where he had gone.

It wasn't a moment later until I heard the sharp cracks and pops of bones before they replaced the furry warmth with an entirely new one.

My eyes and mouth popped open, hands coming to push at Asra's broad chest as he pressed himself into me. I was suddenly very aware of the distance between us. I was in a thin, tight dress, my hormones going absolutely haywire with an added dose of two glasses of wine. Asra was the same, except he was driven by an instinctual bond, more so than I was. Plus, he was naked.

My ears pounded with every heartbeat, my cheeks flushing with warmth as an entirely new feeling crept over me. His face was inches from mine, his nose and lips so close to a kiss. His arms, bent at the elbow, were resting on either side of my head, one of his hands tangling itself in my hair. Although he kept most of his torso and weight off me, his legs lay tangled with mine. I could feel him press against me, resting along my thigh. He was so damn tall; I was not expecting it to reach there without him even trying...

"You naughty girl."

"I am?" I wondered, breathless.

"Yes. Teasing me of other men." He growled, baring his canines.

"You covered me in slobber, mud, and grass."

"Flower, Tulip, I covered you with flowers." He rolled his eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh, my chest shaking as my breasts pushed into him. His right hand moved, tracing my cheek and jaw as a strange look crossed over his expression. My eyebrows creased, trying to read what he was thinking of.

"What is it?" I wondered.

"Hmm?" He replied, looking into my eyes.

"What does that face mean?"

"It means I am simply admiring you, Tulip."

"Oh." I blushed. "I see."

"Do you not want my admiration?" He smirked. "Do these other men give you it better than me?"

I licked my lips, my spine arching slightly as I adjusted myself. My tongue brushed his lips, causing a bolt of adrenaline fuelled high to race through me. My lips slowly touched his, a feather-light kiss before I let my head fall back onto the blanket.

He grunted, eyes darkening. "Little tease."

I hesitated, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Only for you."

He groaned, his eyes closing as his head fall back. "Tulip... You drive me insane."

My breath was shaky, my chest heaving as I fought to keep my sanity. I don't know what my body was doing to me, but I enjoyed it. The feel of his weight on top of me, the warmth of his body, the delicate touch of his hands and lips. Asra was slow with me, gentle in his attempts, yet he wasn't afraid to tease me. He knew my boundaries and right now; he was winning me over.

"What you gonna do about it?" I whispered.

He groaned, his lips colliding with mine. My back arched, core clenching at the exhilarating feeling that shot down my spine. I drank him in, tasting his lips for a moment of passion.

He pulled away too soon, heavy-lidded eyes gazing down at me. "I will show you just what."