Page 24 of Destined to the Lycan
She gave me a stunned look, then shook her head with an amused expression. “Not at all. I’m just a chandler and perfumer.”
“Okay, that was also my understanding. Seeing you casting a spell threw me,” I said, still confused.
“That’s because, over the years, the demand for witch candles has grown exponentially. So I learned candle magic and some basic spells to imbue my candles with unique properties. My mother disapproves,” she added, scrunching her face. “She’s very reluctant about anything to do with the arcane. But that’s a story for another time.”
“What does this candle do?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
“It’s a Wayfarer’s Candle made of beeswax and a centaur’s hoof dust,” she explained. “It helps with walking, running, healing leg injuries, and restoring weary travelers. We’ll feel a bit more refreshed in the morning.”
“That’s excellent,” I said approvingly.
“We’ll need it,” she added while casting a less-than-impressed look at the rock slabs that served as beds.
I mentally berated myself again for not bringing the mat regardless. We could have left it at the inn. But we were already overly burdened.
Shifting uneasily on my feet, I scratched my nape.
“The rocks are indeed quite hard and uncomfortable for humans to sleep on,” I said carefully. “I could offer you an alternative, but I don’t want you to think me too bold.”
“Oh?” she said, perking up. “What alternative would that be?”
I cleared my throat, feeling ridiculously self-conscious. “Normally, when Lycans sleep in the wild, we do so in our wolf form. We’re quite massive and furry. It would be a lot more comfortable and warmer for you than that stone slab,” I said, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Amara’s eyes widened. “Are you offering for me to use you as a mattress?”
“Only if you wish,” I said quickly. “I’m not trying to be weird or anything.”
Seeing her chuckle immediately quelled the panic that wanted to rear its head.
“It’s okay. I don’t think you’re being weird. But now I’m curious as I have indeed heard that your wolves are huge. Can I see?”
The eagerness in her voice sent a warm feeling spreading through my chest.
“Gladly. But I must strip out of my clothes first so as not to ruin them,” I added sheepishly.
“Right, that makes sense. I’ll just turn around while you do,” she said enthusiastically before spinning around.
A part of me regretted that she did. Lycans had no problem with nudity. We regularly stripped in front of each other before shifting and strutted about naked after reverting to our human form following a hunt. Another part was just grateful that she seemed so comfortable around me when people usually feared us because of all the rumors about us being feral.
I swiftly stripped out of my clothes. Before I even finished, my blood stirred again, my skin heating as my woman’s scent shifted ever so slightly. It wasn’t full on arousal, but the thought of me naked behind her excited my female.
This was a good sign for the future.
“Just so you know,” I added quickly before initiating the shift, “once in my wolf form, I can’t speak. I’ll understand everything you say, and I remain fully sentient. I just won’t be able to form human words.”
“Understood,” Amara said, stopping herself in extremis from glancing at me over her shoulder.
I almost said that wolves could communicate telepathically with each other, and that the day we bonded, she would gain the ability to hear me as a wolf. But this would be a conversation for a later time.
The familiar pain of the shift washed over me. A soft gasp escaped my woman when the sound of my bones cracking and rearranging themselves reached her ears. I’d grown so used to it that I no longer paid attention to it. But now, I realized how scary and ominous it likely sounded to a human, especially isolated as we were, and with her not seeing the transformation that was causing it. She shuddered, and hugged her waist, but remained still, looking away from me.
The transformation only took a few seconds, but I didn’t doubt it felt like an eternity to her. I emitted a soft growl followed by a whine to let her know I was ready. Amara started turning around, her slow movement clearly designed to give me a chance to balk if I needed more time.
Her jaw dropped, and her mesmerized look as she took in my wolf form turned me upside down.
“By the gods!” she whispered. “You’re magnificent!”
Pride swelled within me, and I puffed out my chest as I carefully approached her. She met me halfway withouthesitation. No words could describe how it felt for her to fully accept me in both forms.
