SEAL Wolf In Too Deep(57)
The bedsprings moved.
She sat still in anticipation. Was he going to shoot her with a sedative? Shoot her with silver bullets? Wish he’d never taken her home with him?
Should she get ready to pounce?
Chapter 16
Allan was wolf tired. Listening to Debbie howl all night was not going to happen. Hell, everyone with wolf hearing within a two-mile radius could hear her. And with her in a tiled bathroom connected to his bedroom? Even worse.
She reminded him of a puppy that was being isolated from the pack. But she wasn’t a puppy, and he knew she was frustrated with him and with what she had become. As much as he didn’t want her attacking him any further tonight, he couldn’t make her stay in the bathroom any longer while she was in her wolf form. Not when she was howling like she needed a rescue—from him.
Hoping this wouldn’t be an awful mistake, he sighed, pulled his covers aside, and left the bed. She immediately grew quiet, which meant she heard him coming and was listening to his footfalls on the carpeted floor as he approached the door and making decisions about what she would do next if he opened the bathroom door. At least she hadn’t been clawing at it.
Wearing only a pair of boxers, he felt vulnerable again, but he wasn’t going to get dressed just to let her out of the bathroom.
He hoped she wouldn’t lunge at him again when he let her out. If someone had shut him up in there, he would have been furious, but then again, he could shift at will. Then he wondered if she had to pee. Since she was still in her wolf form, she would have to relieve herself outside. He was sure she wouldn’t be happy about that at all, but worse, she couldn’t have any privacy. He’d have to put a collar and leash on her, and he could imagine just how unmanageable she would be.
All the things they did naturally as wolves would be first-time experiences for Debbie. All of this was just part of their nature, but dealing with a newly turned wolf, he realized just how much he took for granted.
“Debbie, I’m opening the door to let you out. You can either return to your guest bedroom, or you can join me in bed. If you have to go out to relieve yourself, I’ll take you outside.” Which meant he’d have to bundle up for the snowy cold first. “It’s hard to say how long you’ll remain in your wolf form, a couple of hours or longer. It all depends on the individual. But it won’t last forever.” He didn’t want to mention that she would have no control over it for some time.
He really didn’t think she’d join him in bed, the way she was so antagonistic, and he wasn’t sure that was a good idea anyway. But he wanted to offer, just in case she felt more comfortable staying with him.
Slowly, he started to open the door, but he met resistance as the door bumped into her. She was sitting in front of it, and he had to wait for her to back up a bit so he could open it further and let her out. She was so unpredictable, he wasn’t certain what she would do, and he tensed for the lunge. Instead, she brushed by him, tearing out of the bathroom, running in a couple of tight circles in his bedroom, then grabbing the hem of his boxers and giving them a tug, nearly pulling them off. Wolves had a hell of a grip. Then she released his boxers that now had teeth marks in them and dashed down the hallway to the living room.
Like a wild wolf, she raced around the couches. Before he could follow her, she tore back down the hallway into his bedroom.
Like a mad animal, she turned on the proverbial dime and raced back down the hallway. She needed to burn up some of that excess energy, and he was glad she wanted to just run and not attack him again. At least for now.
“When you’re done playing,” he said, tired and hoping that if he acted like this was no big deal, she’d settle down eventually, “you can join me or go back to your own bed.” He climbed back into bed and hoped she would feel better and wear herself out. Wolves didn’t like confinement. If running around the cabin got rid of some of her pent-up anger and frustration, so much the better.
He loved her howl, loved her beautiful, agile wolf form, and loved her high-spirited race through the house. If she broke something, it didn’t matter. Just as long as she didn’t injure herself in the process. He could envision taking her to the clinic and having to explain to the doctor how she had broken a leg.
Debbie raced up and down the hall, making hairpin turns in his bedroom as he folded his arms behind his head and watched her. The full moon shone through the uncovered windows. He hadn’t thought he’d ever witness a newly turned wolf running into his bedroom and out again. She looked as wild as any genuine wolf. He thought of running with her in the forest as wolves, enjoying the crisp cold night in their fur coats, but he didn’t believe she was ready for that. Not if they encountered a wild wolf pack or the hunter they still hadn’t caught.
She began to slow down, tiring, her running spirit spent. She was trotting at first, then walking, cooling down, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. She stopped to peer at him as he observed her. He didn’t smile because he knew how serious the situation was. How vulnerable her feelings had to be.
“If you want to join me, you’re welcome.” He wasn’t certain it was a good idea, but he would do anything to make her feel welcome in his life.
She still hesitated. Then, before she made the leap, he saw the sparkle in her brown eyes, the way she crouched and then sprang into action.
She jumped over him, startling him, landed on top of the bed with one huge lunge, but her jump was too strong. She ended up hitting the bed with way too much force and slid off the side, taking half the comforter with her.