Chapter 115 What do I get if I win?
Ira's POV
The door opens slowly without warning and I freeze mid-motion, my brush caught in my hair. The moment Ruel steps inside, my heart swells so much it hurts.
He came back. He really kept his promise.
“Ruel,” I mutter standing up so fast, heat creeping up my neck at my obvious delight.
But in a second I realize that I'm not crying anymore, and now I do not know if I am still allowed to throw myself at him the way I did when everything felt sad.
My arms twitch at my sides with uncertainty.
Ruel nods awkwardly, then steps fully into the room, closing the door behind him. His gaze sweeps the space before returning to me.
“Uh… how are you feeling?” he finally asks.
I cannot help the small smile that pulls at my lips when I realize he's shy to show affection.
“I’m okay now,” I tell him. “You don’t have to be worried.”
He shakes his head quickly. “I wasn’t worried.”
The lie is so obvious it almost makes me laugh.
“Really?” I ask, tilting my head. “Then why are you here?” I tease.
Noticing my expression, he closes the distance between us in three long strides. My pulse jumps painfully against my ribs at the proximity.
Ruel stops right in front of me, slowly bending until our eyes are level. His voice drops, warm and rough at the edges.
“I just missed you. That’s all.” he says.
My cheeks burn and I actually feel the flush spread down my throat. Ruel’s mouth curves into a sly grin at the sight.
“Come with me,” he says. “I want to show you something.”
Without questioning him, I follow. He leads me through corners I never knew existed and after about thirty minutes, I realize we're outside the base.
For one wild, dizzying minute I think he is setting me free.
The thought crashes over me so hard my steps falter. But I know Ruel will never let me go. And the worst part is that I am no longer sure I want him to.
Still, what of Anna and Oren?
“Are you alright?” Ruel’s voice pulls me back. His hand gently takes mine, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb.
I nod quickly, “Yes. I’m fine.”
After studying me for another second, he nods.
“Where are we?” I ask, glancing around at the open land stretching in every direction.
“You’ll see.” he smirks.
“What is it, Ruel?” I laugh despite myself. Smiling only because he's grinning.
The way his eyes crinkle at the corners, strangely makes me feel light.
Ruel reaches out and runs a tender hand through my hair, tucking a strand behind my ear.
“Let’s play a game,” he says and I listen. “Up ahead there’s a field of wild sunflowers. You’re going to run when I say. And I’ll chase you.”
“No,” I gasp immediately. “I’ll lose.”
“What?” His brows lift in mock offense. “Is that defeat I smell?”
“Fine. What do I get if I win?”
He considers for half a second before saying with seriousness, “We fuck.”
I roll my eyes, smacking his shoulder. “Be serious.”
He sighs dramatically. “Alright. If I can’t catch you, I get to spend the rest of the day with you. No interruptions. But if I catch you…” He pauses, letting the words hang. “Then I have to return to duty.”
He's barely done speaking when I let go of his hand and sprint.
Behind me I hear his surprised laugh, deep and warm, but he does not chase me right away. I make it twenty steps before I slow and glance back, frowning.
Then a growl tears from his throat, low and primal, vibrating through the ground beneath my feet. And in an instant, he shifts.
A massive dark brown wolf stands where Ruel had been only a heartbeat ago, its golden eyes locked on me.
My eyes widen. He is bigger than I imagined, with shoulders broader than any wolf's I've seen, and fur dark it's almost black.
I barely have time to take him in before he charges.
“This is cheating!” I scream at the top of my lungs, running like my life depends on it.
Adrenaline explodes through me. I leap over a fallen tree trunk, my knees bending as my body feels light with sudden joy.
Branches set out like deathtraps cover my path. I duck under them without slowing, my heart beating madly as I realize Ruel is Catching up.
Suddenly a sharp crack echoes behind me as Ruel’s wolf crashes into a branch.
I laugh, the sound bursting easily out of me. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so loud and free.
“I am so close!” I cry to myself as field of sunflowers appears ahead. My lungs burn and my legs ache, but I push harder anyway.
But then massive paws hit my back. He twists in mid-air, taking the fall himself so that my body lands on his.
We roll together across the dirt until we finally stop. I land on my back, out of breath.
My laughter rings out again before I even open my eyes.
And when I do, the huge black wolf is staring down at me. His golden gaze is so intense, completely focused, as if nothing else exists.
As though I am his entire world.
I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. Then carefully I lift both hands, sinking them into the thick fur at his neck.
It is impossibly soft, and so warm beneath my fingers.
“You’re so big,” I whisper, giggling when his rough tongue sweeps across my sweaty cheek. “And fluffy… and cute,”
He growls, low and indignant, but I only smile wider.
“I like you,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them.
The sound of bones shifting is heard first before in one smooth shake, the wolf becomes Ruel again. He's naked and warm yet he feels perfect right on top of me, with his forearms braced on either side of my head as he leans down until our noses almost touch.
“I believe that confession was meant for me,” he says with a smirk. “Not Krist,”
“Krist?”
“My wolf,” he explains. “The idiot is prancing around in my head right now.”
I smile, heat flooding my face again. I lift my head and softly kiss him.
“I like you,” I say against his lips, feeling my heart tremble.
Ruel makes a sound close to a groan then kisses me back, deeper this time and slow, as if he has nowhere else to be.
When his tongue brushes mine, something inside me loosens completely, and I melt beneath him without resistance.
“I like you too,” he whispers, the words so quiet they feel meant only for me, like a secret he is trusting me to hold.