Winterlust (COMPLETE)

Ellie

Violet

At the door to her suite, Violet turns to face Travis. “I had a really nice time, Travis”, she says softly. “Me too, Peanut”, he answers as he lowers his face to hers. Violet stands up on her tiptoes to meet his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Travis wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her to him, crushing his lips on hers. Gently, he teases her mouth open with his tongue, nipping her bottom lip with his teeth. As quickly as he went in, he breaks away, panting. He runs his hand over the back of his head and shifts his weight from one leg to the other. “I uh… we can’t…”. Violet lowers her head and sighs, “okay”.

Travis

Travis has never wanted anything more in his entire life as much as he wants Violet right now. Using every ounce of energy he has, he fights the urge to take her right then and there. Six days. Loosening his tie, he walks to his room alone. Swiping himself in, he is greeted by the sound on his TV blaring and all of the colour drains from his face. “What are you doing here,” he growls. Vanessa hops off the bed and throws herself at him, clinging onto him. Travis pulls her off of him and sets her down. “I told you we’re finished”, he says curtly. “Baby, you don’t mean that”, Vanessa pouts at him. “You saw me with my mate. I choose my mate, Vanessa”, he answers in a stern voice. “She’s a f*cking child, Travis. What will you do until she turns of age?”, Vanessa asks, tilting her head at him. “Get out”, he says in a low voice, “and don’t ever come back”.

Travis takes her by the arm and drags her to the door. When he opens the door, he’s horrified to see Violet staring back at him. “Violet, I, no-“, he stammers. “Bye bye, baby. See you soon!” Vanessa chirps and plants a kiss on his cheek, smirking as she passes Violet. Violet turns on her heel and runs down the hall, disappearing into her room before Travis can even gather himself. “You f*cking b**ch!”, he roars at Vanessa as he sprints down the hall to Violet’s door. “Peanut, please. It’s not what it looks like”, he links her as he knocks on her door. “You didn’t want me because she was waiting for you? Seriously? Why did you even bring me here?” Violet links back, yelling. Travis can hear her sobbing behind the door. “Please believe me, Violet. I left in such a hurry to come get you, I forgot to get her key disconnected. Please let me in.”

“You found me last week! Why does she still have a key?”, Violet is screaming from the other side of the door. “Peanut, please. There’s no one but you. Please let me in”. There’s silence on the other side of the door. “Violet?”, Travis tries again. His heart is thudding out of his chest, there’s terror washing though his whole body. Slowly the door opens a crack. Violet’s eyes are red and puffy and makeup is running down her face. “Violet, you would have felt it too, if I had touched her. You’d feel pain”. “I can feel how afraid you are, I think”, she whispers.

Travis pushes the door open and scoops Violet up into his arms, bringing her as close to his body as he possibly can. “There’s only you”, he murmurs into her hair. Travis can feel her heart rate steady itself as he sits on the chair, cradling her in his arms. “I will never. Ever. Hurt you.” They sit in silence for a few minutes before Travis clears his throat. “What brought you to my room?”, he asks tentatively. “Ellie wants to go for a run, she told me”. “Does she still want to?”, he asks softly. Violet nods.

Violet

Despite her hesitation, Ellie is whimpering for Travis. What he has said must be true, she probably could feel if he was with that woman. She is certain she can feel his terror at the possibility of losing Violet.

As they make their way downstairs and outside, Violet regains her confidence. He has his arm around her in the most protective stance, pulling her as close to him as possible without crushing her. They make their way across the courtyard to the woods in silence. Travis stops at a tree, and takes off his coat. “Would you like me to shift first?”, he asks her. Violet is nervous, and nods. Travis continues to undress until he’s completely naked and turns his back to her. Violet blushes at the sight of his incredible body. She can feel herself getting warm and wet. His member was at perfect attention before he turned around. He’s excited, too.

Travis throws his head back, letting out a guttural howl. Violet hears a couple of pops from his bones and in the blink of an eye, he lands on all fours. Before her stands the most magnificent creature she has ever seen. Shadow is pure black with a broken grey streak running from his ear and down his back. He’s taller than her and has piercing yellow eyes. Shadow lays down at her feet, nudging her hand with his nose. She shakily puts her hand on top of his head and begins to stroke his coarse fur. He wiggles his head so that she can scratch his ear. Shadow lolls his tongue out and rolls onto his back. Violet giggles and crouches down to scratch his belly.

“Ready, Peanut?”, he links her. Violet stands as Shadow flips back over, landing on his haunches. “You can stay in your clothes, but they’ll get ruined. Take your coat off so you’ll be warm on the way back in.” Violet takes off her coat and puts it down with Travis’s. “Close your eyes and put your head back. It’s pretty simple, just call Ellie in your mind”, he guides her, “it might be a bit painful the first couple of times until your body adjusts. Especially since you’re older, your bones are more set.”

Violet looks up at the moon high in the sky, and gently closes her eyes. “Ellie? You can come out, now”. Ellie doesn’t need to be told twice, and instantly Violet feels like there are shin splints covering her whole body, and she howls in pain. As fast as it began, Violet feels herself land comfortably on all fours. On the ground she can see her front paws. They’re a deep chocolate brown. In front of her paws are two much larger black paws facing hers. She looks up and Shadow nudges her shoulder with his nose. “You are absolutely perfect”, he tells her, “Ready to run?” Ellie takes off like a shot, running and leaping through the forest. “Let’s see if you can catch me!”, she calls over her shoulder.

They run for an hour, and Violet has never felt more uninhibited in her life. Ellie runs and runs, teasing Shadow. He may be bigger and stronger, but she is definitely faster. They collapse back at their coats, panting. Shadow nuzzles Ellie to keep her warm as they slowly even out their breath. “All you need to do now is call for Violet”, Travis assures her.

Once Travis is shifted and dressed, he holds out Violet’s coat so he can immediately wrap her up when she shifts. He carries her bridal style back to the packhouse and up to their floor. He swipes into her room and places her gently on the bed. “Travis, I’m so tired. Will you stay with me, please?” He grabs a blanket and wraps himself around her, covering them both up. Violet is so spent, she falls asleep in minutes.