Kash:
Even her father’s eyes widened. Jas stood frozen, clearly stunned.
She looked at first, then her gaze snapped to Walkin. Her body lowered, shoulders tightening as she prepared to spring.
I moved quickly, stepping between them and raising my hand.
"No, Iris," I said firmly.
She froze. The others tensed up, but she stopped at my voice.
Everyone watched as she stepped closer and lowered her head to sniff my hand. A strange calm settled over when she did. Her ears twitched, and her breathing slowed. I saw recognition settle into her eyes. There was no fear or rage, only familiarity. She knew .
She stepped back, glancing toward her father and Jas. Maybe she sensed their kind in her blood too, because she did not attack them. Instead, she turned and bolted deeper into the woods.
"I’ll go with her," her father said, bending slightly, ready to shift.
"No," I said, raising my hand. "I’ll go."
Jas and her father exchanged a look. Walkin did not seem pleased either.
"A werewolf near her might trigger her anger," Jas warned.
"No. It’s fine," I insisted. "She and I need to learn about each other like this. You saw how she reacted to . We’re mates." My voice stayed low and steady.
They still looked unsure, probably wondering how I could stay calm around a lycan in my own territory.
I knew the history between our kinds. Werewolves had not treated lycans well. They had feared them, hunted them, hurt them.
There was an old story I had heard as a child. A she-lycan fell in love with a werewolf alpha.
He pretended to love her back, then killed her, cut her apart, and sent her remains back to her people as a warning. He died soon after, they said, but that did not undo what he had done.
Stories like that stayed with you. They explained why lycans did not trust us, why they saw us as a threat even when we offered peace.
I did not want Iris to carry that sa fear with . I wanted her to know I would never harm her for what she was. If trust was going to exist between us, it had to start now.
"Are you sure you don’t want any of us to co along?" Walkin asked.
I gave him a small hand gesture and a reassuring nod before stepping away. I pulled off my shirt and tossed it aside, unfastened my belt, and started to remove my clothes. I glanced back when I felt their eyes on .
"What?" I asked.
All three quickly looked away.
"Damn it," I muttered, finishing and letting the change take over.
My bones shifted fast, the transformation went smoothly for . Within seconds, I stood in my wolf form, large enough to match the size of my lycan mate.
I followed her scent into the deeper woods and found her pacing in a tight circle, still restless. The mont she saw , she growled. Her senses were sharp, every movent was tense around each other.
After a lot of glaring, she lunged at first. I dodged her first swipe, sliding past her shoulder. She snapped at empty air, then spun back toward . I understood the reaction. She had grown up hearing the sa stories of cruelty between our kinds. Seeing in wolf form must have triggered those fears.
But I did not leave.
When she ca at again, I lowered my head and slowed my steps, letting her approach. I saw the hesitation in her. Her nose flared as she caught my scent. She stopped short.
I brushed my side gently against her shoulder. She stiffened, then leaned back into . I ruffled my fur along her neck, and she responded by pressing closer, her head nudging under my jaw.
We stayed like that for a while before the tension eased. Then we ran. Fast, side by side through the trees. When she clawed a tree, I did the sa, showing her I could match her strength without threatening her.
By the ti we circled back, the sun was high, well past morning. We returned to the clearing and found Jas, her father, and Walkin sitting against the trees. As soon as they saw us, they stood and turned their backs.
"I’m so glad they ca back instead of making us go after them," Jas told her father.
"Yeah, I was worried too. I was afraid she would fight him," her father admitted, explaining how scared they had been for us.
"Well, I have to say it. Looking at her and him side by side, the two of us seem to have t for a reason. They both look huge, unlike any normal lycan or werewolf," Jas added.
I wondered if Iris heard that comnt. She must be very proud of herself if she did.
We shifted back at the sa ti. My change was quick. Hers took longer, her first ti still rough on her body. I dressed quickly, then held her clothes out without looking at her. She took them quietly and got dressed.
After she finished dressing, her father turned around. She ran straight into his arms, hugging him and bouncing on her feet like a child.
"I shifted! I did it!" she laughed.
The joy in her voice made smile despite everything.
She stepped back and shook Jas’s hand, then pulled him into a quick hug too.
"So, Uncle Jas, did you see my wolf?" she asked excitedly, watching his face for a reaction as she pulled back.
Jas looked at her, then turned to her father, and I noticed her smile fade. Concern showed on her face, and even I wondered why he suddenly stopped praising her. Or was it praise when he said she was just as tall and big as my wolf?
"Is there anything wrong with my lycan?" she whispered, her eyes showing concern.
"Should I tell her?" Jas asked her father with fear in his eyes.
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