Wanted.

Chapter Three.

I watched as Rye's face became contorted with emotions. Desperation. Confusion. Realization. Emotions washed over his beautiful face like clouds. Then he went blank; his eyes moving over my wolf body.

I whimpered, unable to talk. Is he mad? Does he still love me? These questions racked my brain, and I desperately tried to speak with my eyes.

"Eve?" Rye finally whispered, his eyes sparkling in the dim light of the Cave. "Is it you?"

I nodded my huge head, attempting to show him that I understood. Yes! Yes! It's me! I wanted to scream.

Rye gaped. "You...understand me?"

I rolled my eyes, as if to say, "Well yeah."

He chuckled and stepped cautiously towards me. "Can I...pet...you?" I saw his mouth twitch at the word 'pet'. I rolled my eyes again, nodding.

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Eve as a wolf was so huge. She seemed to understand me, nodding her huge head at my continuously spewing questions. When she rolled her eyes, I had to keep myself from doubling over in hysterics.

Her eyes. They were the only thing that made me remember that she was still my Eve, not just a huge red-bronze wolf.

As I approached her, she slumped lazily to the floor, almost like a tired dog. And that's what she looked like, laying down with her feet on her paws. I slipped down next to her, a million questions running through my mind.

How did this happen? How long ago was she changed? Who did this to her?

Rye? I heard a voice in my head. Her voice. I must be imagining it; I slapped my forehead.

Don't slap yourself! Can you hear me? Eve whispered in my mind.

"Yes. I can hear you," I turned to look into her huge golden-brown eyes. "I can actually hear you!" I clapped loudly, and Eve let out a happy bark.

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He can hear me! He can hear me! I shouted in my head.

"Hello?" I heard an older male voice come from the entrance to the Cave. "Any one in there?" Rye went stock still; my head shot up.

Who?! I shouted desperately into Rye's mind. We weren't too deep in the Cave, but we were deeper than an average human being would go; we both had great eyesight.

Rye's alarmed eyes looked back at me. "Change," he whispered to me. "Then follow my lead."

In a few seconds I was human again, shivering against the sudden cold; being in wolf-form tends to be a lot warmer than human-form. Rye grabbed my hand, pulling me silently towards the entrance. "Rye?!" I gasped.

Rye shook his head; his index finger flew to his mouth.

When we were a few feet towards the mouth of the Cave, I saw the sillouette of a man. He was about six feet and I would say about in his early forties.

My breath became short with panic. No one knew about the Cave. No one knew about Rye and I, or our "abilities". Rye squeezed my hand.

The man stepped into the Cave, and I almost lost it, until Rye pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. He wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground, hugging me the way we hug after not seeing each other for a long while. I giggled, forgetting the overly curious man.

"Follow my lead," Rye repeated into my ear. "I love you."

I sighed. "I love you, too." I heard footsteps; I searched for Rye's hand.

The man's footsteps came closer and closer. And when they were almost to our little hiding nook, Rye swept me off my feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. Rye kissed me sweetly, passionately. Instantly, I replied.

We kissed, making up for the weeks of Rye's absence. It wasn't until our breath was coming in pants and the man who was approaching us awkwardly cleared his throat that we broke apart.

Rye set me down gently, letting go of all but my hand. He looked the stranger in the eye, but I sheepishly hung my head.

Being closer to the mouth of the Cave, I was able to make out the features of the stranger. His hairline was recedeing and the hair that he did have was speckled with gray. His green eyes glinting curiously in the light of the setting sun. He was quite built, for an older man. His longsleeved shirt outlined his muscular arms and chest. Sneakers, jeans, and a gray zip-up hoodie was all he was wearing; a blue backpack was slung over his left shoulder.

"Sorry to interrupt. I was just looking for a place to camp. Been a rough trail tonight," he mumbled, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"This Cave is really full of bats," Rye lied smoothly. "And if you stay close to the entrance, the bears might become a little to curious to find out what a muscled man like you tastes like." Rye chuckled a bit.

The man shivered in the slight breeze that filtered into the Cave. "Alrighty then. Guess I'll be going." He turned to walk off, but then he faced us again. "You know, you might want to get back to your parents."

"We are heading that way now," Rye told him.

"Goodbye, sir," I nodded in parting to the man.

We parted ways, the curious stranger heading into the trees, and Rye and I heading back to the clearing. I yawned; it had been a wonderful day, but wonderful days tend to drain a lot out of a girl.

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