Still, my voice drops to something deep and primal.
“You are not broken.You are not weak.You are not theirs.”
Her leopard leans harder against me.
“You’re free,” I breathe.“And you’re safe.”
She closes her eyes and rests her head in my lap.
I stroke the top of her head gently.Her fur is softer than I imagined, warm and sleek under my fingers.She shivers at the first contact but then melts into it.
Her tail curls around my leg and her breathing slows.Her leopard presses her forehead against my chest, scenting me clumsily.My entire body goes still.She doesn’t even know what she’s doing, her leopard is acting on instinct, on safety, on connection.
On trust.
My wolf roars inside me.
Mate.Ours.Protect.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay grounded.“Aria?”
She lifts her head slowly, golden eyes meeting mine.
“You’re incredible,” I whisper.
She pads closer and nudges my shoulder.The last of my restraint almost snaps.
“Easy,” I breathe because she doesn’t know the effect she has on me like this.“You’re okay.”
She leans her full weight against me now, warm, trembling, and exhausted.My arms go around her on instinct, pulling her gently into my chest.She doesn’t resist.She purrs.A deep, rumbling sound that vibrates through both of us.
The bond flickers brightly.Warm and alive.
She’s too tired to shift back, her body too drained.So, I do the only thing I can.I sit there in the grass, holding her leopard form against my chest, letting my body curl around her scent, her warmth, her heartbeat.
And as the sun dips behind the trees and shadows lengthen across the clearing, she falls asleep in my arms.Safe, shifted, and free.
And I know everything changes after this.
