Heart of a Beast

Chapter 25 | Part 2 - Tiberius

After leaving the cell, they went back to Crystal's parents' house. She carefully washed his paws in a bowl and cloth, gingerly working around his scabbed over nail-beds and digging out dirt between the creases of his callous pads. Once she was satisfied, she drew him a bath and scrubbed him up with a brush.

He lapped up the attention like a lovesick puppy.

She was so gentle in her movements, stroking him in such a way that made his heart sing and his throat to vibrate in a pleasurable purr. She hummed along herself, a tune he didn't recognize. But the love was there in her touch, in the stolen glances over heated cheeks, in the perfume wafting up from her and drowning him in bliss.

At one point, his maleness slipped out and she froze. He quickly covered it with a paw and drew her attention back up with his other paw, pointing at her eyes and then his.

She nodded, her cheeks bright red.

His bath mostly done by then, she drained the water and rinsed him off with the shower nozzle before excusing herself. Once he was alone, he rose up on his hind legs to dry himself off with a fluffy towel and tuck things back into their proper place.

When he exited the bathroom, Crystal was in her room sitting on the floor with her back against her bed and her sketchbook open on her pulled-up knees.

She looked up, blushed, and patted the floor next to her. Her scent beckoned him forward and even if he wanted to resist the pull, he would be unable to.

He took his rightful place at her side and gave her cheek a little lick. She scratched him behind the ear and turned her attention back to her sketchbook on her lap. Following her gaze, he saw a half-finished drawing of him. The human side of him. His cowboy hat was tilted down, covering half his face with a knowing grin gazing back off the page.

She missed him last night.

He nuzzled her neck and she flipped the page to a drawing of his wolf head resting on the edge of her bed, an adoring look in his eyes.

"I drew this one last night," she said, trailing her finger along the edge of the page.

His throat rumbled as he nuzzled her again. Her heart was hammering, drumming away in his head as the heat in her cheeks intensified. The scent around her grew heavier and he closed his eyes to inhale the intoxicating aroma as his head swam in bliss.

"And when I drew it... I realized... Even then... The first time you looked at me like that... You loved me." She swallowed. "And I was too scared to see it for what it was."

"Cris! Tiberius! Lunchtime!"

Crystal groaned and was about to protest at her mother's interruption when Tiberius' stomach growled hungrily.

She mashed her lips together as she lifted her hand to cover them, her eyes laughing. She gave her head a shake, grinning broadly, as they got up from the floor and went into the kitchen for lunch.

Rhonda gave him a steak and the leftover roast he didn't finish the day before. Or was that two days before? Goddess, he couldn't remember. The days blurred and he couldn't recall when one ended and the next began.

Not only that, but it was harder for him to think straight. To see the big picture and look into the future. Crystal occupied his every thought. Her scent over-powered every sense. He was stuck in the present with her and the furthest into the future he could muster was when she would say those three little words, break their curse, and seal the matebond in a frenzy of passion.

She would break the curse soon. He believed it. But then what? Would she return to Arizona with him?

As much as he loved basking in her presence in the moment, he knew they needed to talk more about the future. Did she want to live with his pack? What if she didn't? It was already made clear that lycans wouldn't be welcome in a pack of werewolves. He wanted her happiness above all else. What if she couldn't be happy in his pack?