Shudder

26

Roman

I was restless.

My thoughts were completely jumbled.

Why?

Because of her.

This day had gone so much more smoothly than I had ever thought it would. The mishap with the 'witches' was smoothed over, our slight argument was smoothed over, meeting the pack and my family went over absolutely great, I finally got Rori to crack some about the simpler things about herself while she asked me about myself. Then at the end of this day, oh, the end of this day was so amazing.

I had never thought things would've went so well. Despite ignoring my urges to look at her as she undressed to shift, playing together in our Lupus forms was far better than I'd expected. It was the first bit of contact we'd had besides holding hands and me tilting her head so she'd meet my eyes. Her reaction to seeing the sunset view of the forest and into the night, it was great. So great I couldn't resist going to her and nuzzling up next to her. She had frozen, but playfully nipped at my ears and sent my body into a frenzy. I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms, to kiss her lips, but I had settled for laying next to her, breathing in her scent and knowing she loved what I showed her.

We had bounded back after the night continued to darken and shifted back, slipping our clothes back on. We walked hand in hand to the house that was quiet and full of sleeping wolves. I had made sure to drop her at her room and gave her small hand a slight squeeze, she flashed me a smile that was glued into my memory and making it hard for me to sleep now.

I rolled over and wished so much that she remembered me from that fateful day of me saving her. I didn't know how I'd tell her, but when she trusted me more, when she realized I wanted her for a mate, then I'd explain. It was just too soon now, I feared she would run away from me and call me some psycho stalker.

I groaned and tossed a pillow over my head, I needed to sleep. Especially if I was going to monitor her training with my father. He had been harsh in the past, but he had taken to meeting Rori well and I prayed he had healed some over the years. I couldn't imagine him beating Rori to a bloody pulp.

A growl slipped through my lips at the image and I knew I'd never let that happen. I'd chosen Rori as mine and I would protect her as such. Not even my own flesh and blood would stop me.

**

I awoke the next morning rather early and despite being nervous about Rori training with my father, I couldn't wait to see her face again.

I sprung from my bed, skipped a shower, dressed in a black, long-sleeved thermal and jeans, swept a comb through my brown curls, sprayed some cologne on and dashed out my bedroom door, sliding Converse on as I went.

I had nearly run into the object of my desire as she was coming down the hall and steadied her with my hands as she wobbled from our impact.

"I'm sorry, I just--"

"Wanted to see me?" she finished, smiling at me.

I grinned, but didn't give her any sign of confirmation that I had, in fact, wanted to see her. Now that she was before me I couldn't help myself as I took in her sparkling, sea green eyes, ashy blonde hair that looked silky and the fitting, black V-neck shirt paired with jeans she wore. Her scent wrapped around me and I wanted to run my fingers through her hair and dip my head into the gentle curve of her neck just to get a better sniff of the delectable scent coming off her.

"Uhm," she murmured, blushing slightly as she noticed my eyes taking her in, but I hadn't missed the way her own eyes had wandered shamelessly over me.

"Breakfast?" I said, snapping out of my Rori induced daze.

She nodded, flashing me another bright smile and we headed down the stairs.

Breakfast was much easier today than it had been the day before. Rori received a few glares, but no one dared to utter a growl since Yorik only warns you once unless you happen to be a pup, but no pups have been born since Lilith who now knows better.

After scarfing down a hearty breakfast, Rori practically drags me to find my father, but stops when she's not sure where he'd be.

"He's probably out in the fields himself, training with my brother," I told her and instead of dragging me out, she looked at me with a question lingering in her eyes.

"Why are you never training?" she asked quietly.

Because my father already wore me into the ground...

"Because I finished my training. I know all that he knows and so now I just build muscle by exercising," I said, rather than scaring her from my father. I was confident he wasn't so brutal, if he was I was sure Damion would let me know.

The question in Rori's eyes vanished and she took my hand, now dragging me out to the fields. My lips curved into a smile at her eagerness, but I still had little worries floating in the back of my mind, still I wouldn't allow her harm.

We approached my father, now walking hand in hand rather than Rori dragging me. He was throwing punches at my brother who blocked almost all of them, but suddenly my father jumped, morphing into his rather large black wolf and taking Damion down.

Damion grunted, but upon seeing Rori, being new and not used to the immodest ways of Lupus, he just surrendered rather than shifting himself and having no clothes. I was sure my father had packed an extra pair of shorts somewhere, but just in case I turned Rori away as the black wolf began to shudder and gave way to my naked father.

"You need to be prepared for a Lupus shifting still, son," he grumbled to Damion. "Should've shifted and fought back."

Daimon nodded, but then motioned to the both of us with Rori turned away. "I would've, but since Rori is new to our ways and still modest, I decided against it."

"Speaking of modest, do you have any shorts laying around, Dad?" I said, grinning slightly.

My father scowled, but trudged to the tree line, picked up a pair of jean shorts and slipped into them. "We'll call it a day, Damion."

Damion nodded and jogged off to the house. I turned Rori around again, who seemed to be forcing away the faint blush she wore on her face as my father approached.

"So, what are you both doing here?" he eyed us. "It can't be you, Roman, since you're already well trained. Rori?"

"Yorik said you'd be willing to train me and I want to learn," she said, her voice calm, though her hands twitched nervously.

"Ah.. and why would you want to learn?" he asked, not unkindly.

"Well, that's something to tell you another time. Just know I want to kill the Jaecars," she said boldly, green eyes staring into his dark blue ones.

"Hmph. Jaecars, eh?"

And then he burst out laughing, doubling over in a fit as tears streamed down his sweat stained face. When he'd managed to compose himself, he looked at me.

"Roman, my boy, you've got yourself a definite keeper. Let's get to it, miss."