The 27th

Chapter 23

Little A.N: I'm going to change all the name banners to romantic pictures since I've decided to write in third person instead of first. The name banners don't make sense anymore.
His gaze remained unwavering, his eyes locked on my own, gaging my reaction. His large body took up most the hall walkway, easily having the ability to take up the entire hall if he wasn't curled up the way he was, submitting to me. Ears still flat to his head, he inched a bit closer, his tongue tentatively licking my shaking hand before rubbing his cheek against it. When she made no move to take her hand away from his nose, he nudged against it again, pushing it upwards until her hand rested on his snout, expressive eyes still staring directly into hers. A few moments later, he pushed upwards again, moving his body closer so his head was resting on her thigh, her hand on his head.

Tentatively, she curled her hand into his thick, coarse yet soft fur. His eyes fluttered shut at my touch and when I stoked his head, he let out a rumble which she could feel as his torso side was against her leg. At the sound, she yanked her hand back and he let out a high pitch whine, eyes opening to plead for her hand back. When she didn't return her hand, his nudged her again.

"No." She pushed his head away, shuffling across the floor to add space between them. "This is so wrong. You are like me. We are not supposed to do that."

Knowing she wouldn't return to him, the wolf stood up from the floor, head hung as he trudged into the room. She remained sitting in the hall, the floor cold and hard beneath her, bringing her back to reality, her reality, one that was distorted every tine she looked into his eyes. The snapping of bones also brought forth this revelation. This was wrong. It wasn't normal. This wasn't how human function. She needed to be human. They needed her to be human. It's the only way to make the pain stop. They promised.

He existed the room, looking down upon her still seated on the floor but she avoided his eyes. She didn't want to get lost in them again, sinking into his depth of deceitful words. It was easy to give into him and she couldn't afford to lose her progress. She was so close.

"Come." He offered his hand out to assist her off of the floor. She didn't take it. He felt bad enough for frightening her but the fact that she was cowering on the floor in front of him, as if he held all the power, made his heart sink to him stomach, filled with dread and a feeling of oncoming illness.
"Please." He insisted, begging for his own sanity.

"No." She denied his hand, pushing herself from the middle of the floor to curl herself back into the wall, finding protect and support in the structure pressed against her back. "That is so wrong, what you did. You're going to get us in trouble."

"Why is wrong?" He crouched down in front of her. If she wasn't going to get up, he was going to make them equal, as they are and forever will be.

"Why is it wrong?" She repeated, eyes wide, speaking as if she were talking to an insolent child. He almost found it amusing, the way she was speaking to him. At least she wasn't scared of him at the moment.
"We are monsters. Vile and foul beasts that roam the earth in disguise."

"We be beasts, you say? We be bad? Tell me why."

"We are not normal." She spat the word. "Nothing about what we are is. We are not supposed to be this way."

"No." He gently took her hand. She tried to pull away bet he held it in a loose grip, just tight enough to keep her hand in both of his. He shuffled closer, putting her hand flat on his chest, pressing her hand to his heart with both of his.

His chest was warm; broad with the strength he carried, his body hardened from work. She could feel his heart beating strong and proud. He took a deliberate deep breath breath, allowing her to feel the movement as her hands raised up and down.

"Our kind is nature. Our kind older. We come first. We right." His choppy sentences were affirmative, his tone gentle. "We born this way. We right."

"But we are bad. They told us we are bad." She looked up from her hand to meet his eyes, hears full threatening to spill tears.

"We bad to you?" He held eye contact, hers a set of burning embers, searing his. "We no give you enough? No care enough? You want more? We give more." He held her hand tighter, pulling her hand away so that he way curl his fingers between hers, holding his other large hand over there conjoined hands. "The humans hurt you. We never hurt you. I never hurt you."

"You lie." She yanked her hand away and this time, he let her go, no wanting to upset her and further.

"I no lie. I never lie to you." He bowed his head, baring his neck to her even though she didn't understand the meaning of the gesture. "They lie. They hurt you." A tear finally fell but she didn't deny his claims. "A gift to be wolf. You nature. You wolf. We help you. We feed you. We care for you. We are wolf. We stay together."

"How do I know you are not lying?" Another tear fell, the droplet of water catching his attention as it reflected the light, shining silver, contrast to golden eyes he fawned over. "How do I know if you aren't just the same as them. How do I know if you are right and they are wrong?"

He brought his hand up again and she allowed him to brush away the tears from her cheeks yet her eyes were still rimmed red from sadness.

"I show you." He bent down and connected their forehead, an act his kind only preformed with family. "I show you what being wolf is."