Wild Love

Chapter 15

If Kira had woken up and gone to her kitchen at that moment, she would have caught a bad fright.

Jael was heavily leaning on the counter as he opened the freezer to steal a brownie. He was covered in a large blanket that trailed on the floor, his wild hair the only thing visible.

Jael picked up a brownie and sniffed it, it smelled delicious, and it made his mouth water. He had gotten a good whiff of it earlier but his wolf’s nose worked differently and he hadn’t found it special but now he wanted to throw the entire roughly cut rectangle in his mouth.

He forced himself to stop in time, taking a very small, tentative bite instead. His eyes widened in surprise when he did and he immediately threw the rest of the brownies into his mouth, reaching for the second and third before remembering that he wasn’t supposed to be able to eat them.

He couldn't bring himself to return them though, closing the freezer before he gave in to the urge tto carry more.

Hunched over the counter, Jael stared at the brownies in his hand. He quickly swallowed the first one he ate to make space for more.

“Br… Brow… nie.” He mumbled to himself like a toddler before plopping another chocolatey brownie in his mouth.

“Brownie…” He said confidently after finishing the mouthful of the second one.

It made him smile absently, his soft smile dipping to one side. He wished he could tell Kira what he thought about her brownies but he couldn’t even speak.

They were delicious, the best thing he ever tasted. He shoved the last brownie in his mouth and munched on it while crawling back to the living room.

It was uncomfortable moving around like this, especially with the blanket trailing and the leg warmers threatening to fall with his every move but it was also the position in which he was the most stable. It was very bizarre.

Jael got on the couch, tucking the blanket around him as he did so. ‘Was it always this cold?’ How did Kira stand it? No wonder she was always wearing lots of clothes and knitting for him.

Jael had been in his wolf form for close to a decade without shifting even once and during that time, his body heat regulated to adapt to every weather so it was jarring to be exposed like this. And to his disadvantage, all he had for cover was the blanket.

The heater was left on, Kira had told him about it but he couldn’t help but wish he still had a coat of fur. There was no use whining about it though, he was doing this for a reason.

His plan was to watch shows to help him speak better, he could just mimic the things said, it wasn’t like he couldn’t understand. It was just that after so many years of not saying a single word, he had forgotten how to.

He would also learn how to walk while he was at it, it was a foolproof plan. If for some reason, Kira woke up, he could always shift back to wolf form. She wanted him to watch shows alone after all.

So Jael got comfortable on the couch, grabbing the remote to stare blankly at it for a few moments before fiddling with the buttons. It made him smile a bit more, curiously switching stations before finally settling on something to watch.

As he watched, he mouthed the words said by the characters, speaking out loud occasionally. The night went on in that manner.

A few hours before dawn, Jael returned to Kira’s bedroom. He had already shifted back to his wolf form.

Relief washed over him when he shifted back because now he had full control of his limbs. He had tried walking again sometime during the night and although, he hadn’t made a lot of progress, he didn’t fall down again.

Jael found Kira sleeping peacefully exactly the way he left her and he resumed his position by her bedside. He wished he was in his human form so that he could join her in the bed but Kira would probably kick him out. He could understand that, he didn’t belong there.

Jael slept very lightly and the moment Kira roused, he woke up as well. He watched her beautiful face as she turned towards him even before she was fully awake.

Her face felt like the sun to Jael and he wanted to smile but he couldn’t so he settled for a quiet howl.

“Good morning to you too, Jael.” Kira beamed at him, her hair had come undone in her sleep and it streamed over her shoulders.

Jael straightened up, stretching when both of his paws were on the ground again. This made Kira giggle and she leaned over to ruffle his fur.

“Do you want me to let you out?” She got off her bed and straightened out the sheets, remaking the bed.

Jael let out an agreeing huff, waiting for her to lead the way even though he could let himself out without her help.

“Don’t forget to not kill any poor deers!” Kira called after him when he dashed into the forest line.

Jael’s response was an answering howl that made her shake her head fondly. Kira pattered to the kitchen after closing the front door, she just remembered her brownies and she was itching for a taste.

She had soft, furry, bunny slippers on and was dressed in a thick sweater, knitted pants, and socks. The cottage had heating so she didn’t have to wear thermal underwear inside.

Kira looked longingly outside the kitchen window, maybe it was to check if the snow had started to thaw or to catch a glimpse of Jael, she could never tell.

She shook herself out of her reverie and walked over to the freezer, bringing out the platter where she had put the brownies. She looked them over and frowned. Was it just her, or did there seem to be a few brownies missing?