Feral Obsession

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When Ruby awoke, she half expected to be alone. But when she stretched, her feet connected to a lump at the end of the bed, causing her eyes to blink open in surprise. When she sat up, Atlas was curled up at the end of the bed, still in his wolf form.

Truly like having a dog. Ruby smiled to herself when she wondered if she should buy some kibble, just to make a joke. She didn't think Atlas would appreciate it.

She stepped out of bed quietly, tiptoeing to the door and looking back at the sleeping wolf. She tried to ignore the warm feeling swamping in her chest as she snuck down the stairs and into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

How nice it was to get two nights of sleep. She could feel life slowly returning to her as she hunted down the coffee maker, one of those expensive ones that took a single pod. She dug around, finding the necessary means to make a cup of coffee, and she hoisted herself up on the counter as she waited for it to brew.

She looked out of one of the windows, watching the sun catch on the falling red leaves. She wondered briefly what that meant for the flowers in the field, but by the time her cup of coffee was finished brewing, she banished the thought. Atlas would know what to do on that front, and it wasn't worth her concern.

She dug around for sugar and cream, pleased to find Atlas was rather organized. She was spooning sugar into her coffee when she heard the bounding of a dog on the stairs, and she set the spoon on the counter when Atlas rushed into the kitchen.

She barely got a hello out of her mouth before he was on top of her, his weight causing her to fall backwards onto the kitchen floor. His tongue was lapping up her face, not quite giving her enough space to breathe.

She rubbed his sides, letting out a stream of giggles as his tongue tickled the sensitive skin of her neck. "Hey! That tickles you goofball." She squirmed away, breaking off into full blown laughter as Atlas doubled down, licking her down the length of her neck and collarbone.

She squealed with another round of laughter as she tried to wriggle her way out from under him. "Stop! Atlas, stop!" She gasped with another round of laughter.

He backed off of her, tail thumping against the ground, his tongue out as he panted. When Ruby was sitting, he let out a bark, head gesturing to the back door that led into the back yard. He moved towards the door with a whine, then bounded back towards her to guide her to the door.

"Wait! Let me grab my coffee." She laughed as he nudged her hip with his head, barely letting her grab the coffee mug before he was pushing her to the door. She tried not to let the coffee slosh over the rim as she unlocked the sliding glass door and pushed it open.

She stepped out onto the back porch, a shiver running up her spine at the chill morning air. Atlas shot past her, running into the yard. He let out a few happy barks, running in circles. "I'll be right back!" She yelled out, rubbing her bare arms. "I need a sweatshirt. Or something." She stepped back into the house, rushing up the stairs.

She rummaged through Atlas's closet, not quite caring about whether or not he'd be pleased that she was wearing his things. She found one of his hoodies and pulled it over her head before she rushed back outside.

Atlas was still running around. She watched him race into the woods behind his house as she sat in one of the chairs, pulling her legs underneath her, holding the coffee close to her chest.

Something akin to homesickness hit her chest. She realized that she could see herself here, waking up every morning to sit on this porch with a coffee in hand. It would be easy to let this become her life.