Instinctual

Chapter 16.5

There was no command in her careful voice, but the pure compassion alone was tugging at Declan’s heartstrings, and he wasn’t even the focus of it.  Liz’s gentleness translated right now into her hands as she cupped Marcus’s skull, which, after a moment, reshaped itself into a human one.  Panting in gulps of air like he’d forgotten how to breathe, Marcus knelt in his human shape in front of Liz, eyes searching her face desperately.  

Declan knew he had to speak up.  Even if his Betas somehow knew what had happened, he needed Marcus to see it from his point of view - and if his Betas did not know the truth of the last few minutes, he needed to say it because they were thinking he’d hurt the young man across the room.  “Marcus, it was natural for you to react like that, but you didn’t bite me.”  He glanced at his Betas to add, “He was asleep on the couch and startled when you came in.  I shouldn’t have grabbed him without thinking.”

“And I shouldn’t have tried to rip into your arm-!” Marcus started to shout, voice high and thin with something close to hysteria.  

“Shhh,” Liz cut him off.  She transferred her hands to his shoulders and gave a little shake.  His frenzied eyes snapped back to hers, and whatever Marcus saw there confused him and then settled him grudgingly.  “I’m sure that if Declan says he’s not mad, he’s not mad.  All right?”

Catching onto the conversation quickly, Kobi added in his imperturbable voice, “And Declan’s not bleeding anywhere.”  Declan stretched out his arm obligingly as evidence, and watched as Marcus’s mouth compressed into a thin line, not willing to forget it all so quickly.

Liz wasn’t to be denied, however.  “Declan, did you tell him about how he might feel better as a wolf?”

“Yes.  And it seems to work.”

Having glanced back at Declan for that quick exchange, the red-haired young woman now turned back to Marcus, one eyebrow imperiously raised.  “Well, then what are you doing in your human skin, Marcus?”

“But if I bite-”

Marcus’s fretful argument was cut off quickly by Liz saying slyly, “Oh, I think that if you bite Declan with your human teeth it will be much more embarrassing.  But if that’s what you’re worried about, fine.  I’m not making decisions for you.”  

Everyone was gifted with the sight of Marcus’s cheeks going absolutely pink, and then he glared at Liz in a way that said he’d get her back for that comment (her grin said she relished the challenge), before he once again focused and molded himself back into a four-legged shape.  Surprisingly, as soon as he did so, he timidly inched his head forward until he could barely - just barely - nudge Liz’s shoulder with his nose.  Then, before she could get over her surprise at the miniscule gesture of affection, he was hopping nimbly around her.  Tail tucked low, he cast Kobi a look as if apologizing for the offense of touching his girlfriend, but Kobi merely shrugged. He wasn’t in any way bothered. Assured that everything was okay in that quarter, Marcus trotted up to Declan.  It was still painful to watch the way he held himself, almost slinking, but at least he looked up and then repeated the nose-nudging gesture that he’d done with Liz - only the closest bit of Declan within reach was his knee, so it got the gentlest of shy touches.  Declan suddenly wondered if this was something familiar from Marcus’s old pack, because it had an air about it of something that Marcus had once done regularly.  

He decided to accept it for what he assumed it was: both an apology, and a silent question about forgiveness.  Dropping down to his haunches to put them on level ground, tawny, smiling human eyes met blue, uneasy lupine ones.  Declan flashed a sudden, broad smile and reached out to ruffle Marcus’s ears, earning a terribly amusing yip even as Marcus danced away.  

“Hey, it’s only fair,” Liz told Marcus, who was managing to look affronted even as a wolf, “If we ever play-fight and start mouthing at Declan, he’s totally allowed to ruffle our ears.  Right Declan?”

‘I wasn’t mouthing,’ came Marcus’s rather petulant voice.  Apparently the link was still working.

‘Well, you sure as hell weren’t hurting me,’ Declan thought right back, and was pleased by the way Marcus looked surprised, then a bit more relieved, and finally just sat down on his fluffy white tail.  Out loud, Declan said airily, “Totally true.  We’ll tell you the rest of the roughhousing rules later, Marcus.”