Wild Magic One: By the Light of the Moon-- A Wolf Shifter M/M Romance

7- Awake and Hungry

EDON

After reassuring me that I could stay as long as I needed, and he would find a job for me if I wanted to continue to stay after I was healed, Lhiam left me to rest. It was only once he was gone that I noticed the pair of clothes that hung on a wardrobe on the other side of the room from the fire. I quickly dressed in the loose shirt, undergarments and cotton leggings, before falling back into the warm bed.

I was woken what felt like moments later, but I knew must have been hours. The light outside the window was different, and I could see that the sun was about to set. The doctor, Gerard, was leaning over me, his fingers lightly fingering my injuries. He was muttering, seeming almost distressed, or confused, but another voice, one that had me pressing myself away from the doctor to be closer to that voice, quieted him, calmed him.

I whined deep in my throat, but Lhiam's hands clutching mine calmed me instantly and I felt myself falling back under.

The next time I woke, I was alone. The fire was still high in the hearth, but the chill that had pervaded my bones for as long as I could remember was gone. I was warm, inside and out. I pulled myself from the bed, scenting the air. It was just after sunrise, and I could smell the morning dew evaporating in the weak autumn sun.

The bandages on my body were gone, leaving behind scars and a few bruises and raised welts that were healing a bit slower than they should.

I jumped from the bed, shifting in midair and landing in my wolf form. I stretched, reveling in the feeling of my muscles crying out at the unfamiliar freedom I had. I wanted more than anything to run. To find my way into the woods, to simply run, and to never stop.

But Lhiam's face flashed in my mind, pleading with me to give him a chance to prove himself trustworthy. His voice soothing me. His hands on mine warm, kind, and gentle. And I knew I would stay. I couldn't leave, because something about him drew me in.

And I could only hope that wouldn't be the end of me.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by a frustrated scream. I recognized the voice immediately— it was Lacy. I could hear no fear in her voice, nor smell it in the air, but she was annoyed, and she was angry.

I scratched at the cracked-open door with my paws until it swung open, and was immediately met with a sight that had my hackles raised and a growl rising in my chest.

Lacy was backed against the wall, her face red with barely suppressed fury. A man, at least three times her age and size, hung over her, leering down at her.

He was in the middle of a sentence, but my growl cut him off and he jumped and turned.

"Fucking hell," he muttered as he began to back away. I saw Lacy's amusement as she positioned herself behind me. I began to move towards the man, bearing my teeth and putting as much menace behind my growl as I possibly could. Before long, he turned and ran, looking back a few times to ensure I wasn't following him.

When I was sure he wasn't coming back, I turned back to Lacy and whined gently.

"I'm fine, Edon," she answered my unspoken question. "Thanks for that. He's one of Lhiam's councilors, and he keeps trying to get me to..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "Well, let's just say they're all a bunch of power-hungry assholes and leave it at that."

I chuffed in amusement just as my stomach growled loudly, the sound echoing off the stone halls around us. Lacy smiled and then laughed.

"I came to see if you were awake and hungry. I guess you've now answered both questions. C'mon, I have a breakfast ready for us."

I followed the young girl with an almost bemused sort of acceptance. I had never met someone like her before. She spoke to me as if there was nothing strange about me being a man who could turn into a wolf (or a wolf to a man— I was never really sure which I was), as if we had known each other for years, and were dear friends. Something about that attitude had me following like a pup follows the alpha female.