Duke Charming | Craig

Thirty-Six

Blake dropped the barrier so I could exit the circle on wobbly legs. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping me standing, that and the part where I'm moving on all fours with only one person in my sight.

Craig's body began its morphing as I approached, his limbs shortening to their normal length until he sat before me, human. One by one, the others transformed back as well, immediately rushing to their loved ones to see if they were alright.

But I didn't know how to do that yet. So, I just focused on crossing the distance to my mate, and crouched low at his feet, still flooding with guilt that I nearly killed him. I could forgive myself many things, but that would be impossible.

"Lass," Craig breathed in astonishment, reaching out to run his hands over my head and neck. His fingers glided across my fur and evoked a purr to rumble out of me. "Just...look at you. You're breathtakin'. You're...a cat."

A werecat.

I stared at my reflection in the tiles, this time paying close attention to how I looked. My fur resembled the colour of my hair as it did with werewolves, but it was short and smooth and silky, shining in the light of the chandeliers. Unlike a wolf, my facial features were rounder and shorter, but my eyes were intriguing. They were big and curious, curving downward, pupils fully dilated as they would do when humans saw something they loved.

And that's when I realized that I loved the face I was staring at. I loved what I have become. It never occurred to me how I could never find my place among the wolves of my old pack – I was never a wolf to begin with. And after what my father told me on the road, I was never supposed to belong in a pack.

I was a solitary creature, and the only reason I stayed was because he kept me there.

Craig's chuckle brought me back to the present. "Well, tha' would explain a lot, now tha' I think o' it." To prove what he meant, he twisted his head back to study the claw marks I left on his back after our first night together.

But as he did that, he exposed the fresh wound I inflicted on him while Lucine controlled me...and I froze. It was on the verge of bleeding, the marks deep enough to require stitches had he been human. Still, it wasn't healing as it should, and I was overcome with more guilt and remorse than I already carried.

Our bond betrayed what I felt, and Craig rushed to hold me in place before I could scamper off. "Nel, look at me, listen. This was not yer fault. Alright? Lucine turned you into somethin' yer not, but you were stronger. You tuned 'er out and saved us all."

'But I hurt you,' I whimpered in my thoughts, knowing he could hear them.

"It'll heal."

'Those on your back didn't.'

"Then I'll wear it proudly to show the world I'm a marked man." He smiled and winked. "Lassies like lads with scars, right? Makes us look tough." Before I could protest any further, he wrapped both arms around my neck and pulled me flush against him, pressing comforting kisses onto my fur.

Behind him, I caught glimpse of Rheon, Ash, and Rieka handing out blankets to the others to wrap around their naked forms. The former stopped at his uncle's side to hand him two, one for him and one for me. For a moment, Rheon could also just stare at me with eyes blown wide. This was probably the first time any of them had seen a werecat in the flesh.

Hell, it was my first time seeing a werecat in the flesh.

"I think Nel here's going to need some help shifting back," he told his uncle calmly. "The first few times are usually the hardest." With that said, he respectfully moved along to pass out more blankets.