‹ K O L B E

When I came to I was laying on something much comfier than the forest floor, it was probably the softest surface I'd played on in a long time. Letting out a huff I rolled upright to take in my surroundings. I didn't know where I was but it appeared to be some kind of... house? I was laying on a very comfy giant pillow like thing, in a room with a couch and TV. Some of the few human things I remembered from my childhood.

I was surprised to find that I was still in my second form and that blood still stained my coat. I was also surprised that I wasn't in full out panic mode, but for some reason, I felt perfectly at ease as if this place was my own territory. It was strange. I sniffed the air curiously, interested in what the scents around me could tell. As soon as the first whiff flew into my nostril I was hit by the overwhelming scent of him. The man from the side of the road. My heart began to pound and if I was in human form, I think I'd be blushing.

The room was dark but I could easily see everything in it. Light from the moon was streaming in from the cracks in the curtains and I noticed that it was still night time or maybe just early morning. I heard footsteps from somewhere in the house, someone was shuffling around in a room somewhere. I wasn't left in suspense as my rescuer came walking into the room.

Again, I was thankful to be in my second form, because of course, he wouldn't be wearing a shirt. His chest looked like it was carved from stone. He was wearing a simple pair of sweats and that was it as far as I could tell. My rate sped up and if he was a werewolf, I knew he'd be able to hear it.

"Hey there big guy, are we still friends?" He greeted as he took small non-threatening steps towards me. I let out a sound resembling a whine and a bark, the closest I'd get to laughing in this form. Hell, we can be more than friends if you want. my wolf said smartly.

The man raised a brow curiously, his eyes filling with amusement. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you just laughed at me," he said as a smile pulled at his full pink lips. There was still a few feet between us and I wanted him to hurry up and close the distance. My tail began to way from a mixture of impatience and excitement, thumping as it hit the pillow-thingy repeatedly. I gave a bark, followed by a whine as I lurched my head toward him, my nose twitching as I took in deep whiffs of his wonderful scent.

"Alright," he said, quickly closing the gap "Stop moving before you open your stitches." I immediately stopped but my tail was still happily wagging. "Huh..." confusion etched onto his beautiful face. He just shook his head murmuring under his breath as he brushed it off.

My tail picked up speed once he was crouched in front of me. I was almost embarrassed by my behavior, I was acting like a puppy who hadn't seen Its owner all day. It took everything in me to not wiggle around excitedly but I didn't because my mate had told me to not move. I couldn't wait to learn his name, I bet it is as beautiful as he is.

I watched him as he silently went to work checking the stitches he must have given me when I was passed out. "We have to hurry up and get a cast for that ankle-" his brows pulled together as he suddenly cut off. "W-What?"

I mentally winced realizing that my ankle was almost fully healed now that it was out of the trap. One of the perks of being a werewolf, I guess. I stared at the man uneasily, to him my ankle should be broken bad enough to need a cast but now it was almost healed, for a human, this must be a lot to process. I waited for him to freak out or something but got nothing but silence.

He blinked slowly as if still trying to process the newly discovered information. I gulped, if he thought that was trippy, this was going to blow his mind. Without thinking about it I shifted into my very naked human form and his chocolate eyes became impossibly wide.

"Hnhmm," I tried, only to blush. I haven't used my human vocal cords in years, I was a little rusty. The dark adonis in front of me took one slow blink before standing up, turning around and walking out the room. My heart sank, maybe that wasn't the best decision, but how else was I going to be able to explain the situation to him? "Ahh-" I called out for him only to end up coughing at how uncomfortable trying to talk was.

My stomach was twisting itself into nervous knots. About ten minutes had passed and I was at a loss at what to do. Going to find him was probably the worst thing to do, after all, I did just shift in front of him with no warning.

I hope I didn't scare him too bad, I honestly just wanted to see him, the separation was killing me, so was the suspense. "H-Hehh," I tried again, calling out to get his attention and once again failing. I couldn't help the frown that pulled at my lips. This was not going the way I wanted it to. When I used to envision how I would meet my mate, I definitely didn't imagine scarring them for life.

I sighed running a hand tiredly over my face. Finally, I decided to inspect my injured ankle. It was slightly swollen but for the most part, it was healed and for that I was thankful. If my mate came back in here with a bat and a swing first ask questions later mentality at least I'd be able to run. The thought caused my chest to ache. I seriously hoped that didn't happen.

The suspense ended when I heard the shuffle of feet and shortly after I was once again staring at my mate who made sure to keep the whole of the living room between us. My wolf whimpered, and I also couldn't deny the flash of hurt I felt. He leaned against the far wall, arms crossed as one hand covered his mouth as he stared at me unflinchingly. I couldn't help but stare at his muscles as they twitched and bulged even though this was probably not the best time to be admiring my mate's physique. I gulped and tried to concentrate. It was obvious that he wasn't going to say anything anytime soon so, I guess I'd have to. Hopefully this time I wouldn't make a complete fool of myself. I took a deep breath deciding to take it slow as I tried to remember how to sounds together to form words. I opened and closed my mouth a few times before finally speaking.

"Kolbe." It was a little croaky but also the best I could do at the moment. My mate heaved a shaky sigh, allowing his hand to slip from over his mouth.

"Kolbe, uh-" he chuckled running his hand down his face. "I'm going crazy. " he murmured to himself. He used the same hand to rub the back of his neck. "Well, Kolbe, I'm Beau." I couldn't help but smile despite the situation. His name was sexy just like him.

"Beau," I said, wanting to test it out. I was happy that my voice hadn't cracked or anything, that made me happy. Beau swallowed thickly, crossing his arms over his toned chest.

"You can't talk much, huh?" He asked rhetorically but I still found myself nodding anyway. "So, you're a werewolf?" He continued questioning.
I nodded, nibbling on my lip absently.

"Man, this is one trippy ass dream." He muttered shifting his weight. My forehead creased as I frowned.

"Not a dream," I said seriously. Beau raised a brow.

"That's the only logical explanation I've got for having an injured werewolf in the middle of my goddamn living room," he practically growled.

I pouted crossing my arms. "Not a dream," I said more firmly this time. He sighed again, this time in defeat.

"Okay, let's say this isn't a dream, and I'm not losing my damn mind." He began "How the fuck are you a werewolf?"

I shrugged casually. "My mother, werewolf too." It was getting easier to create full sentences and use my vocal cords properly. Beau just blinked at me.

"Right." He said deciding to just drop it. "This is insane!" He groaned running both hands down his face.

My wolf whimpered at our mate's distress. Go to him. He urged. Beau was staring intensely at the ground, one hand was rubbing his beard as he was deep in thought. I blushed as determination filled me. If he wasn't going to come closer then I would.

I stood shaking, probably resembling a baby deer standing for the first time. I can't even remember the last time I walked in human form. My injured ankle didn't make it any easier either. I'd shuffled about two feet before my leg buckled and a startled gasp escaped me. Beau's head snapped up as he crossed the room in a few large strides. His thick arms encircled my small waist pulling me to him as I tried to regain my balance.

‹ AUTHOR'S NOTE

Just an idea that I had and wanted to share...
Hope you like it.
Please comment, they make my day. 😍😙

-J.T.