Woman of the Woods

Ch. 4 The Awakening

The day had faded into evening and Silas still hadn't returned. Celendria enjoyed the peace and quiet. She located the bathing room in a small room tucked within the far right corner of the bedroom.

She heated up enough water over the wood stove to fill the tub to her preferred height. She then allowed the dirty clothes to slip from her form into a puddle on the floor beneath her. She delicately lowered herself into the steaming pool of refreshing water. She laid within the bath letting her worries melt away for a long while. She attempted to wrap her head around the overwhelming mix of emotions coursing through her. She hated being here, she hated being his prisoner. Bound with these four walls. She wasn't built to be couped up inside. Yet, still there was a hint of something else squirreling around her insides that was unfamiliar but not uncomfortable. When Silas was around, she felt oddly safe, she felt....at home.

After a probably too long amount of time getting lost within her thoughts Celendria pulled herself from the water and pulled the plug in the drain. She paused for a moment in front of the small mirror above the wash basin. Her long verdant curls framed her face well even when wet. Her burgundy eyes were lined with fatigue and stress. Her ears twitched in frustration when realizing she didn't have any clean clothes.

She knew she wasn't going to put back on those dirty clothes so she made up her mind and began riffling through the dresser in the bedroom. Luckily, Silas was much larger than her. She gathered one of his grossly large shirts and pulled it over her head. It certainly was baggy, her shoulders nearly slipped through the head hole. But, for the most part it kept her decent. The fatigue of the day began to ware on her and she curled on top of the covers, quickly succumbing to the weight of her eye lids.

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Silas almost collapsed through the door, stumbling around in a liquor aided daze. That is until his eyes met Celendria's form, strewn across the bed in his shirt.

"U...Uhhhh, Little one....C..Cell...Shite."

Dammit!

He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes fighting back the hunger welling up inside him. The liquor he housed quickly burned off, yet he still couldn't drown the need. He sat in the chair next to the fireplace facing away from the bedroom.

I can't wake her, she can't see me like this, she will never feel safe here if I can't control myself. He clenched his eyes shut and his fingernails dug into the wooden arm rests.

I can't...

Before he could even catch up the wolf inside him was standing before her peaceful body in front of the bed. He stopped himself from attempting what he craved. But he did crawl onto the bed behind her. The frame and mattress buckling under his weight, he hesitantly wrapped an arm around her waist, but the wolf pulled her close.

He fought till the call of sleep overtook him...

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Celendria woke to the joyous chirping of the birds outside the house, the sunlight barreling in. She attempted to rise from the bed and was startled to find herself pinned beneath Silas's massive arm. While using the strength she had to try and remove his hold, Silas sleepily huffed and his arm pulled her flush to him.

She froze in his hold. She hated to admit but it felt great. It felt more than great. She sensed the warmth gathering in her center. Her cheeks flushed. The ach was almost untamable. She was too beside herself to even notice his eyes open and take to looking her over.

"It's okay, little one. I promise you are safe."

As the gravely words rolled from his mouth his eyes darkened and he turned her towards himself. He buried his face in her neck and... growled?

"Gods, you are making this unbearable very quickly." He pulled himself away with a deep huff and hastily moved to the living room out of sight.

"What the HELLS is going on?"

She threw herself over in the bed, burying her face into the mattress and holding a pillow over the back of her head she screamed into the mattress.

What is happening, my mind was terrified but my body was ready, my heart was ready. I don't even know him. Why can't I control anything. If he wouldn't have pulled away I don't think I would have stopped him, not that I could even if I wanted to.

The tears begin to spill quickly and freely. She threw the pillow across the room and pushed herself upright against the headboard.

Silas could hear her shallow cries from across the house. It killed him to sit there and do nothing, but he had to wait till he regained full control. As his wolf settled he rose from the chair and made his way back to the bed. siting at the end of the mattress, gazing at Celendria.

Her knees where clenched to her chest and silent tears still streamed from her eyes. She knew he was there but she didn't bother to speak, she knew that even though he was a stranger she was in no danger with him.

He made to reach for her but his hand settled as soon as the thought fleeted. His eyes met hers and he clenched his teeth as he patted on the bed next to him. She blindly obeyed, honestly scared at the outcome if she didn't. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, holding her steady.

"I'm sorry, I never meant to scare you." His words were rigid and tense but drenched with truth.

"I know that." She didn't know how, but she did know he was telling the truth. She found herself leaning into him and resting her heavy head on his arm. She didn't bother to pull away. It was calming and honestly everything she needed in that moment. Everything she craved.