Run With Me

Chapter Twenty One

Kirk felt the cold stone against his back, giving his brain a few extra cells to use as the shock of Terri's admission and her kiss rocked his world. Since she had first uttered the words that he was a good mate, admitting that she saw him as a mate. Not necessarily that she was ready for the bond, but acknowledging that he was acceptable, had his wolf howling and dancing with joy. And it turned him on to no end. Terri was not free with her compliments. And she said this one so quietly that he thought he was imagining it. When she repeated it, every fiber of his being screamed to mark her. But he withheld that urge. He was one step closer to Terri accepting their bond, and Kirk wanted to shout in triumph at the progress he had made. A month ago she would barely tolerate his presence. And now, she was initiating contact between them.

Terri shifted to get a better angle on their kiss and swept her tongue against Kirk's lips. He smiled and purred as he gave Terri what she wanted, his own tongue flicking out to dance with hers. She tasted like freshly melted snow in the springtime. Kirk pushed that thought out of his head, currently having a distaste for snow, but reveling in the taste that was Terri. Running his hands over her sides and up her back, he kept the friction going to keep her warm. Their blankets had fallen down and were barely covering Terri's hips and legs. Gripping her upper arms, Kirk started to sit up, keeping her against his chest as she slid down his lap. They were both breathing heavily when Kirk broke off the kiss. Leaning back slightly, he saw the slight press of her lips form into a pout. He pressed a small kiss to her lips again, giving her a soft smile.

"If you keep kissing me like that, you're going to push my ability to remain a gentleman to it's breaking point," Kirk gave her a very pointed look and she started blushing again, pulling one of the blankets up to cover herself. Looking at the entrance to the cave, Kirk couldn't see evidence of either wolf. He knew if he shouted, they would both return, but they were obviously following his orders. He felt as Terri laid her head on his chest, listening to his racing heart. He had always been aroused around her, especially when they were discussing the finer parts of her projects. Or in a debate about some theory or a book they both enjoyed. But her kissing him? He was ready to cum just from that kiss. Kirk could smell her arousal, making it even harder to hold back.

"I would apologize," Terri spoke, "but I wouldn't mean it." Kirk chuckled. They were silent for a few minutes when her voice fluttered over his skin. "There's a lot that I have to say, I had some time to think before I passed out," she shivered from the memory, "but I want to be dressed and somewhere warm before I even speak half of it out loud," she raised her head and looked down at him, "I don't suppose one of you brought dry clothes with you?" She gave him a lopsided smile and looked over at the pile of her discarded clothes. They were soaked and well on their way to being frozen again. Kirk could feel the freezing temperatures in the cave, imagining how much worse it was outside of the cave. Where John and Nolan were being forced to keep a vigil.

"I sent Zoe back for help," he realized that he hadn't told her to bring clothes back, "I suspect that she'll bring something for you to wear. Or...." His voice trailed off and he set Terri back from him slightly, "you could just shift into your wolf." It was a gamble to say this. Kirk had broken through so many barriers with Terri and that one statement risked putting them all back into place. Terri's face paled and he watched as her eyes flickered from green to blue once before she scowled, pushing away from him completely and wrapping the blanket tightly around her.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" She snapped angrily, looking towards the cave entrance, "I don't have a wolf. I'm latent." Kirk could hear the faint tremor in her voice. Not anger. Fear. She was scared, hiding it behind her angry tone and the chip on her shoulder.

"You do," Kirk reached for her again, pulling at her until she was forced to look back up at him, "I see your wolf in your eyes Terri," he said, holding her gaze, "When you are happy. When you are angry," leaning forward, he placed a kiss just above each eye, lightly skimming the brows, "I see your wolf shining through every time you run. She's there, you're the one holding her back." Tears started flowing from Terri's eyes again and she fought back the sobs. Shaking her head violently, she pushed Kirk away from her again.

"No!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her body and burying her face from sight. It took everything in Kirk to not yank her into his arms. Instead, he moved to his hands and knees, crawling towards her, ducking his head so that it was below hers.

"Why Terri? Why keep her hidden from everyone? Why keep her hidden from you?" Terri's shoulders shook with the force of her sobs. Kirk's head snapped up when John's massive head poked into the cave, concerned etched all over it. Kirk gave him a look that said to get his ass back into whatever snowbank he had just left. Terri's icy walls were crashing down and she would not want anyone to see this. Her vulnerability was for his eyes only. It would only ever be him that saw this strong, confident genius come unglued, be it from emotion or from pleasure. 

And this was important.

Terri rocked back and forth sobbing for several minutes until the cold started to get to her and she started to shiver as much as she sobbed. Kirk took that moment to pull her back into his lap, wrapping her in his arms. The cold was biting into him too, he had pulled the thinnest of blankets over himself to give him an air of modesty. Not that he wanted to cover up in front of Terri, but there was a time and a place for such connections. A frozen cave in the middle of nowhere was not one of them. He was grateful for his ability to see in the dark, otherwise he would have missed every little nuance that was Terri. Finally, her sobs quieted and she spoke.

"What if she's as broken as I am?" The whispered question didn't come from the grown woman in his arms, but from the broken child that had been abandoned by her pack. Kirk choked on a growl. She had buried her wolf merely for the fact that her wolf might be less than perfect. Kirk held her tighter, pressing his lips to her hair as she leaned into his shoulder.

"You're not broken," he responded, his voice gentle and soothing, "you are strong, resilient, and beautiful. And you're wolf is going to be just the same as you." Terri's tears continued to flow, dropping down on his skin and freezing seconds later, "there is nothing wrong with you, you are exactly who you needed to be for me to find you," he drew in a breath, debating his next words for a moment before continuing, "I see you, Terri Waller. I see everything you have fought for, everything you have accomplished. And I see endless possibilities for your future, whether or not you let me walk beside you." Terri looked up at him, the fear and trepidation in her eyes. Pulling the blankets up, Terri held out her left leg. It was the first time Kirk had seen it without pants or prosthetic. He didn't count the times it had been left behind in the snow during their tobaggon date, he had turned around at her request so she could fix it. The scar tissue was old, smoothed out as she had grown and taken care of it. Kirk watched as she put both legs together and they both looked down at them. He could see that her left leg stopped a little less than halfway down her calf, the sock that had been covering her had been as soaked as the rest of her clothes, so he had tossed it in the pile. He hadn't even considered her leg when he was stripping her naked, all he had wanted was to get her warm. Terri's voice shook when she finally vocalized her greatest fear.

"What if her legs look like mine?" He could see the tears falling on the blanket. That was it. That was Terri's fear. She didn't want her wolf to feel the shame her family and her pack made her feel every single day for being less than what they all wanted her to be. For being less than the "perfect" they all expected. Very slowly, Kirk laid his hand on her knee, gently brushing it down her leg until her rested right above the scar tissue. He held his position there, not daring to go any further. Finally, after what seemed like an age, Terri laid her hand on top of his and moved it over the end, the scars raised but soft, like the smooth texture of the rest of her skin, only buttery soft from all the care Terri put into it.

"Then she will be as beautiful as you," Kirk ran his hand back up her leg before turning her to face him again, "I will only ever see you and your wolf as beautiful." He touched his forehead to hers, watching as the tears continued to flow. "Do you trust me?" He asked quietly. It was only a moment, but that moment stretched out as if it was hours to Kirk. Then she nodded.

"Yes, I trust you," she said, smiling shyly up at him. Kirk kissed her again, the pressure gentle and reassuring.

"Then I need you to do me a favor," he said when they finally came up from a lingering kiss. Terri nodded, biting her lip again. Kirk help up her hands in his, kissing the still raw wounds on her palms. The cuts had allowed him to find her, but they should never have happened. "Surrender your control," he held her hands gently in his own, "Just relax and trust me." Terri nodded again. Kirk held her eyes with his and gave her a command. The first, and likely last, time he pushed the power of the alpha onto her.

"Shift."