To Leave Not To Feel

To Leave Not To Feel
For just a second, she allowed herself to sink into the warmth of him.
Adolphus was still speaking, his voice a low, gravelly rumble vibrating against her cheek where it rested against his chest.
His words were clipped, serious, something about territory and agreements—pack business, no doubt. But even as he handled it, he never stopped holding her.
His hand moved in slow, steady circles over her back, the motion soothing in a way that unsettled her. She wasn’t supposed to find comfort in him.
And yet, here she was.
Her fingers curled slightly into his shirt, gripping it without thinking. She could feel the heat radiating from him, the slow rise and fall of his breathing.
It wasn’t supposed to feel this natural.
Adolphus shifted slightly, adjusting his hold, making sure she was secure. His body was solid, unwavering, a pillar in a storm she didn’t realize she’d been bracing against.
Her heartbeat slowed. The fear from before melted into something quieter, something that had nothing to do with heights and everything to do with him.
She should step back.
She should move.
But for now… just for a second… she stayed.
After breakfast, the women gathered, their voices a mix of laughter and chatter that filled the air like birdsong.
Seraphina found herself pulled into their rhythm, hesitant at first but unable to resist the warmth of their easy companionship.
They weren’t as cold as she’d thought—well, most of them. Some still watched her with wary eyes, but Adolphus’s mother had a way of smoothing over tensions with a single look.
“You’ll help me with the washing, won’t you, darling?” the older woman asked, already handing Seraphina a basket of linens.
Seraphina sighed but nodded, rolling up her sleeves. Better than sitting around thinking.
They gathered at the washbasins near the back of the house, where the sunlight filtered lazily through the trees. The water was cool against her fingers as she scrubbed, and soon enough, she was caught in the rhythm of it—soaking, scrubbing, wringing.
The conversation swirled around her, stories of old feuds, mischievous children, and the latest pack gossip. They spoke of Adolphus, too, but not in the way she expected.
“He’s been different since he found her,” one of the women said, her voice teasing but not unkind.
Seraphina stiffened, wringing out a cloth a little too harshly.
“Love changes a man,” another chimed in.
Adolphus’s mother just hummed knowingly, glancing at Seraphina with a glimmer of something unreadable in her eyes. “Love, or fate?”
Seraphina pretended not to hear, dunking another linen into the water.
But the heat creeping up her neck betrayed her.
Seraphina shook her head and her eyes hardened
This isn’t a good thing she thought.
She needed to leave this place.
She was freaking kidnapped.
How could she start to relax? And smile?
She sighed.
She needed an opportunity and she’d grab it and leave this damned place, she had rights!
The river shimmered under the mid-morning sun, reflecting the sky like a sheet of molten silver.
The women had gathered along the grassy bank, their skirts hitched up as they waded into the cool water, washing clothes, rinsing their hair, or simply letting the gentle current lap at their feet.
Laughter rang through the air, light and unhurried, blending with the rustling leaves and the steady murmur of the river’s flow.
Seraphina sat at the edge, her bare feet sinking into the wet sand.
She had rolled up her pants, the water licking at her calves as she absentmindedly traced patterns in the damp earth beside her. It was strange, this easy companionship.
She had never been one for gossiping with women, never one to join their circles, but here… here, she wasn’t entirely unwelcome.
Adolphus’s mother sat a few feet away, combing her fingers through her wet hair. “You should swim, darling,” she mused, tilting her head. “It would do you good.”
Seraphina scoffed. “I don’t swim.”
A few of the women laughed. “You live near a river now,” one of them teased. “You’ll have to learn.”
She rolled her eyes but said nothing, watching as some of them splashed further into the deeper part of the river, their movements carefree and easy.
The sun climbed higher, warming her skin. She leaned back on her hands, eyes half-lidded as she let the breeze cool her cheeks. It was peaceful. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she could breathe.
But then…
A shift.
A presence.
The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up before she even turned.
Adolphus was back.
She didn’t see him right away, but she knew. The weight of his gaze was unmistakable.
Her fingers curled slightly into the sand as she lifted her eyes toward the tree line.
And there he was—standing just beyond the shade of the forest, his arms crossed over his chest, watching her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.
He hadn’t approached, hadn’t called out, but he might as well have.
He was a shadow against the golden light, his posture unreadable, his expression dark and unreadable.
Her heart thudded against her ribs.
How long had he been standing there?
Maybe this is my chance to run, Seraphina thought.
I would wait for when he relaxes or goes away and I’d leave.

The sun hung high and bright in the sky, casting an amber glow over the river as Seraphina waded through its shallow waters, her breath visible in the mucky air of the werewolf kingdom.

The other women were still resting, slightly bathing and playing further upstream, their laughter echoing in the distance, but Seraphina had drifted away from them, her mind focused on escape.

The water was icy against her skin, a sharp reminder of the alien world she was trapped in.

Adolphus had been watching her closely, his obsession with her growing each day.

His instincts told him that she was planning something, and when he noticed her moving away from the others, he knew he had to act.

The cold of this kingdom wasn’t meant for her fragile human body, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering.

He made his way toward the river, his senses heightened, but when he reached the water’s edge, Seraphina was gone.