Page 26 of Oath of Revenge

Olive returned from the washroom as he practically fell into the other cushioned chair.

“Be careful,” Scarlet snapped, glaring at him as she dragged a kitchen chair to the hearth and turned it backward. “You’ll open your stitches.”

She straddled the chair, resting her arms along the smooth wooden surface of the back. The stretch of fabric brought a delicious friction against her clit, and she squirmed against it.

His eyes twinkled even as his lips were pursed in pain. “Aw, I didn’t realize you cared, love. If I did bust a stitch, would you kiss it and make it better?”

“When the hells freeze over,” she shot back with a glare.

He grinned wider and chuckled. The sound sent a shiver down her spine, straight to her pussy. Damn him, why hadn’t she just killed him when she had the chance?

Olive chuckled too but didn’t take her eyes from her knitting basket. “I see I made the right choice. That settles that.”

Olive pulled out her knitting and sat in the other cushioned chair as she hummed softly, the needles making a soothing click-clack that brought memories of her childhood.

Scarlet’s body relaxed at the comforting sounds as she processed Olive’s words. “What do you mean, right choice? In saving him?”

Olive waved a knitting needle. “Never mind that. Wulfric, you are going to reclaim the alpha title, yes?”

He nodded, wincing as he stretched his side. She watched him warily, surprised that he fit in the chair at all, and refused to acknowledge the worry about his stiffness and healing.

“Wonderful. You’ll take Scarlet with you and convince the Elders to reverse her curse,” Olive said.

Scarlet’s jaw dropped. “Are you fucking serious? There’s no way I’m going into the heart of Growler territory.”

Olive frowned, giving her the look, the one that said there would be no arguing.

Not that Scarlet ever heeded the warning. “Come on, Grandma. You just want a human to walk into the Growlers camp and say, hey, help me break a curse, will you?”

Olive shrugged, “Except you’re not exactly human anymore, are you?”

Dread settled in her belly like a brick.

Wulfric stroked his chin, the blanket thankfully covering his lower half with his enormous feet stretched toward the fire. They were hairy paws but long like human feet. The dichotomy was confusing and made her head hurt.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Scarlet on this. It’s not a good idea. I haven’t seen a non-Growler in camp since I joined them ten years ago. I’m not sure what they’d do. Probably turn her into a Growler at the very least.”

Panic crept up in her throat at the thought of losing control and causing chaos, yet a small part of her longed for the freedom and power that came with being a Growler. It would eliminate this rabbit’s nature to fear everything and everyone. It was a never-ending internal battle for Scarlet, one that left her feeling conflicted and torn between four sides of herself. To be a normal human, to be a fearful rabbit, to run from trouble like a deer, or to face it all and fight like a Growler? Gods, she hated being pulled in all these directions.

Scarlet snorted and sat up, hands gripping the back of the chair until her knuckles turned white. “The hells I’ll be turned into a Growler.”

“You already are a quarter Growler, child,” Olive said softly. “Your tail?”

Scarlet glared. “I’m nowhere near the mindless monster. Maybe a wolf, but not a Growler.”

Olive arched a brow and slowly turned to stare at Wulfric. “You’re not a mindless monster, are you, dear?”

He smirked. “Only when I have to be. Or when a girl begs for it.”

While she didn’t want to be seen as a mindless monster like the other Growlers, she also couldn’t deny the animalistic tendencies that had been growing inside her the past six months. And now, with Wulfric’s teasing smirk and Olive’s pointed question, she couldn’t ignore the undeniable attraction she felt towards him.

But as tempting as giving in to her primal instincts and desires may be, there would be severe consequences. She was already struggling with being accepted in this world, but adding on a Growler transformation would just alienate her even more.

Even if it would be fun to rut with him in mindless abandon, forget her curses, this human need to fit in, the desire for companionship and partnership.

Scarlet’s chest tightened, and an image of him turning into an animal in the bedroom made her cheeks flush. “And that’s not even addressing the fact that I’m female. They’ll lose their heads! The full moon is next week. No, no, no, no.”

Wulfric ran his hand through his hair, the thoughtful expression on his face sending her panic higher. “Actually, it might work.”

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