Witch, Wolf, Woods

CHAPTER 31: WOLF'S REQUEST

Wolf extended a hand, and, feeling like she was in a dream, Katja took it, rising to her feet, even though she had no awareness of doing so, before allowing Wolf to escort her onto the dance floor.

Other couples quickly joined, watching them with friendly curiosity. Wolf led her to the very center of the dance floor, and as she heard the musicians arranging their instruments, she gazed up at him nervously.

"I can't dance," Katja whispered. Trying to swallow down her embarrassment, she explained, "I've never danced before."

Wolf turned to face her.

"Put your hand on my shoulder," he whispered back, so she did, and he placed his free hand against her waist, causing a small bolt of lightning to shoot down Katja's spine.

"Now, just follow me," Wolf said confidently.

The musicians struck up a tune, a lovely waltz that wasn't too fast, and Katja's breath caught as Wolf stepped forward, nudging her foot with his. For the first few movements, she was so nervous she kept glancing down at her feet, but after a moment, she realized there was no need.

"You told me you didn't dance," she reminded Wolf as he guided them around the floor.

He nodded. "And normally I don't. But I never said I couldn't dance."

A mixture of sadness and fondness filled his dark eyes, the look he got when he was remembering something about his old life. "Before I was what I am now, I had three sisters. They all loved to dance, and I was happy to be their partner. At most village dances, I had to beg them to let me rest every few songs."

He fell quiet, and Katja let him have a moment to himself, before saying, "Thank you. For what you did just now. I'll never forget the look on Elise's face for as long as I live."

Wolf smirked. "Part of me still thinks she deserves a good nip, but I didn't want to do anything that might get you in trouble. Public embarrassment was my second choice for retribution."

"Where did you get these clothes?" asked Katja, having never seen him in anything other than the clothes he'd been wearing when he first transformed from wolf to human. They seemed as much a part of him as anything else, and she found herself surprised he'd been able to change out of them.

Had they disappeared when he'd taken them off, and, perhaps more importantly, would they reappear when he changed out of what he was currently wearing?

Wolf chuckled and spun her around so quickly, she automatically tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"Let's just say our friends were particularly helpful," he said, inclining his head towards Tante Winola and Tante Hedda, who appeared to have just arrived.

Tante Hedda smiled proudly, looking for all the world like Katja had just won some impressive award, and she'd cast the final vote naming her the winner.

Tante Winola, on the other hand, was so giddy, she was unable to remain still. She clapped her hands and giggled, then grabbed Tante Hedda's arm and dragged her onto the dance floor, much to the shopkeeper's surprise, although her expression soon turned to one of pure joy.

"After you left, I realized I didn't want to miss out on experiencing tonight with you," said Wolf, moving them in a smaller circle within the larger group of dancers to the one-two-three beat of the music. "So, I took advantage of the Helferin messaging system, and your aunts magically produced this outfit. I'm extremely grateful."

"They both like you so much," smiled Katja. "I'm not surprised they helped."

"I'm not surprised they helped, either," agreed Wolf, spinning them in a wide circle. "But they didn't do it for me—they did it for you."