Oceanside

Chapter 36

Odette

I sat curled up on a single chair in the living room as I watched Silas zip up his last bag.

He really did need a lot for his shifts. He packed extra food, clothes, restraints, and what looked like bolting items. I wasn't sure. Half of it looked like camping gear mixed with miliary.

Up until now I thought that he just went out into the woods far away from civilization and waited there. Watching him proved me wrong.

My mind spun as I watched him. I worried about the unknown again. He thought I would be scared of him in his Lycan form and while I reassured him I wouldn't, I wasn't sure. I hadn't actually seen him that way since the attack in the woods. I thought that I was stable enough to see him but I wouldn't really know until it happened.

I worried about my reaction. I didn't want to have a negative one even though I knew he would understand. I had a right to be scared but I didn't want to be.

I also worried about him. Would he be in pain? What if it didn't go right like last time? He said he was going far off so what if he didn't make it back to me in time to fix it? What if he got hurt while in that state, or something else went wrong?

I knew I was overthinking this, obsessively trying to work out every little detail. I couldn't help it. I didn't know everything that was going to happen or things that could go wrong.

He looked up from his bag then made his way to where I was. Without a word he picked me up and sat down, situating me so that I was now curled up on his lap. I sat sideways, my arm draping over his shoulders. His fingers brushed the side of my temple, lightly moving down my face then he pushed some of my hair over my shoulder.

"You're worried," he said. His voice was soft, concerning yet understanding. "Tell me why."

I didn't even ask how he guessed that. I assumed my facial expression was enough. I could never hide them well. My mother used to joke that she could guess every thought I had based on my face.

"It's a number of things," I admitted. "I'm worried that you'll react like last time. If you're too far you might not be able to make it back in time. Plus I have no idea how this works. I hate to think you'll be in pain."

His hand moved to take mine. "I can already feel the shift setting in. It's not like last time, there's no restriction."

My eyes flicker over him. He didn't appear any different.

"It won't be a visible change for a while. It's a warming sensation, like adrenaline building," he explained. "And as for the pain there's hardly any. I feel pinches here and there but the worst will be tomorrow. Again more sore and tired than anything else."

I relaxed with the information. "But don't you break all your bones?"

He nodded. "Yes but I've been shifting for over a decade now. The pain lessens each time."

"That's good."

He brought my hand up to his mouth, kissing the back of my hand. "You have nothing to worry about. I will be fine."

I nodded, my gaze dropping to our hands then my lap. That did ease most of my worries. I was still a bit nervous for him to leave. There was no way to know how things were going. Still, I trusted when he said it was okay that it really was.

"There's more," he said.

I bit my lip. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I knew how much it meant to him that I wasn't scared of him anymore.

He tilted his head to caught my eyes. "You can tell me Odette."

"I don't want to upset you," I admitted.