Page 34 of Lycan

“Why do you smell of fear?” He snapped, moving toward me. I put my hands up.

“J-just make it quick,” I croaked and squeezed my eyes tightly shut. I couldn’t believe he’d already gotten tired of me. Tears pushed behind my eyelids.

Seconds passed where nothing happened. The panicked shroud that stalled my thoughts slowly lifted. He exhaled hard and blew my hair back. If he wanted to devour me, he wouldn’t leave anything behindtobury. I peeked out of one eye. He studied me from only an arm’s distance away.

“What are you doing?”

I blinked quickly. Even though doubt had already crept forward, I had to hear it from him.

“Are you going to kill me?” I whispered.

He recoiled like I’d smacked him.

“Why would I kill you?”

“You’re digging a hole in the ground . . . for the dead.” I was so confused. He chuffed and he’d never sounded more annoyed.

“This is for your . . . family.” His voice dipped slightly as if unsure about the word.

“My . . .” Pam.

I’d mentioned the human custom of burying humans after he said they did nothing for their dead.

This was for Pam?

Tears prickled my eyes. I’d been avoiding entering her bedroom, but a smell was starting to seep under the crack of the door. I didn’t have it in me to enter.

“You believe I would kill you?” He rumbled. “You are my female. I protect mine.”

I scrubbed my face with my palms.

He turned around, his large form retreating. His tail swished behind him. He didn’t stop at the hole to continue what he was doing but continued past it.

“Where are you going?” He didn’t stop at my question. “Fenrir!”

“Leaving. My female does not trust me.”

Wait, what? Panic squeezed my chest.

“Don’t leave. Wait!”

He ignored me. I chased after him, but his stride was too wide for me to keep up with him. My heart pounded in my chest like the wings of a hummingbird and running after him wasn’t helping my pulse. He was right, I hadn’t fully trusted him, but it stemmed from fear. I’d lost everything already, and I didn’t want to lose him too. I pushed myself to run faster, even as I lost sight of him in the brush.

“Please, Fenrir,” I cried. I didn’t realize how much I cared for the monster. He was much kinder than I thought a monster could be, and I struggled to trust it.

“Do not panic, little human, I am right here.”

I whirled to face him. He stared at me from a few feet away. As if he’d been standing there the entire time. I hadn’t even heard him approach.

“Don’t do that.” I ran up to him and threw my arms around his waist. His vibrating purr reached through my body and squeezed my heart.

“I will not leave you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my cheek against his soft fur.

“Never?” My voice trembled.

His palm pressed me closer to him.

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