Dylan
The moment Eren broke through the thick vegetation I realized two things. One, Rae was braced to attack, and one single thought from me would release her and she would attempt to rip him apart. And two, he was naked!
The second seemed to be the biggest issue and while Rae seemed to be unphased by it, I definitely wasn't. Living in the orphanage did not come with much privacy when I was younger, but as we started to get older we were separated by gender and no longer used communal spaces.
As much as I hated to admit it, the sight of Eren's naked form in front of me was disgustingly appealing. Damn me and my lack of experience with, well, everything. If things had been different and I was a normal part of this pack, I would be so accustomed to shifting in front of others that nudity wouldn't bother me like this.
But, since I am who I am, this was well outside my comfort zone and I was beyond grateful that he came upon Rae and not me. The look on his face shifted from one moment to the next and I wasn't sure exactly what to make of it.
At first he seemed worried or annoyed, but if I wasn't mistaken, he seemed to look a little embarrassed or nervous. His pale skin looked pink, but that could have been from running or the chill in the air. I would not let my imagination get the best of me and try to cast my own thoughts onto him.
It was dark and his hair fell over his eyes so I couldn't tell if he was about to shift or not, but his demeanor seemed different than any other time we have been around each other. Hell, for all I knew he was terrified of the vicious beast standing in front of him in such a vulnerable state.
Time seemed to move so slowly as I tried to focus on him without focusing on all of him. F*ck me, I really need to get my sh*t together! It's not like I haven't read so many romance books in my free time or studied the human anatomy while in school. This is nothing but a healthy, large, gloriously built male standing in front of me and nothing more.
Rae was standing so still, the only movement was the trembling of her lips that were stretched wide to show her gleaming white fangs as she continued to snarl at him. Even the air around seemed to pulse with the tension surrounding us.
Eren stood there just as still as the trees that surrounded us, but after a moment he slowly started to lift his hands in front of him and softly spoke. "Dylan, please listen to me."
Rae didn't move an inch, but snapped her jaws at him as I heard her say, Why. I knew Eren couldn't link with us but, his almost invisible twitch made it seem as if he knew what she said.
He was still slowly moving his hands, but not in a way that seemed aggressive, he was just lifting them up, palms out and fingers slightly spread apart. Again, he spoke softly, I know I have no room to ask you for anything, but I need you to please listen to me."
Rae snapped again, but he didn't pause, he continued talking. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but for the safety of Dylan you need to get away from here, now."
Well damn. He was right. We had no reason to believe what he was saying and no obligation to listen to him, but the moment he mentioned my safety that way, Rae immediately searched our surroundings.
The scent that she had originally been following was no where to be found, but off in the distance there was howling that seemed to be getting closer.
I could sense some of Rae's thoughts, but she was good about keeping her emotions in check and not letting me in on what she didn't want me to know about. Her attention went back to Eren and slowly slid her front paw back a few inches, but no more.
Eren's attention never left Rae, and though it was hard to look at him just standing there with his hands up, I could sense that he might be telling her the truth.
Someone must have spoke to Eren because his head tilted up just enough that I could get a good look at his eyes and there was no sign of the animosity and anger that usually radiated from him.
Eren's face seemed to harden just a bit, but it looked more like a pained expression. Whoever it was who was speaking to him was not someone who he seemed very thrilled to talk to.
Rae slowly took a full step back, but kept her focus on Eren. She had even stopped snarling, but her teeth were still bared as a warning to let him know that she could still attack if needed.
"They will be here any minute, and they can't know that you were here. There is some, um, something that they are hunting and they can't know that you were anywhere near it. Please! Please get away from here, now!"
The howls were getting closer and though it seemed unbelievable that Eren of all people would be trying to help me, there was no other explanation to describe what was going on.
Rae began to retreat backwards, and I could see Eren's chest rise and fall so quickly as if he was letting out a huge sigh. Eren's focus shifted slightly and I knew that he was listening to someone again.
It was becoming easier to focus on his face, and again I saw a slight pained expression there. We were moving further away from him, but I heard him perfectly, "I'm going to shift and draw them further north so please get away quickly."
This time he didn't wait for Rae to acknowledge him and he shifted right on the spot. This was my second time seeing his wolf and I was struck by not only his size, but his beautiful rich brown fur.
He was already leaping away into the forest and for some reason I wanted him to look back at us, just once.
Gods, what the hell was wrong with me? This guy literally beat the shit out of me so bad the other day that he knocked me unconscious. But I couldn't deny that I wanted him to see me. The real me.
Rae didn't say anything to me, but I could feel her affirming touch on my thoughts as if she was letting me know that what I was feeling was okay. He was almost completely out of sight when I caught him glance back at us.
Had I just willed that to happen?
Gods, I was so glad that we were in our wolf form. Rae tried to keep her giggle. What the hell was wrong with me. Why did I even care about this, about him?
The moment Eren was finally out of sight, Rae broke out into a sprint back towards our house. I thought we would go back to the beach and see if Brea might still be there, but no, she was headed straight home.
"Little one," Rae's voice filled my mind, "no one must know that you were out there tonight, no matter what." Unsure of what Rae may know that I didn't, I just let her know that I understood even though I had so many questions still.
When our home was just in sight, I noticed that my door was ajar. I mean, I know that we live on pack lands, but damn, does anyone wait to get permission to go inside someone's home.
Rae shocked me because instead of trying to figure out who may be inside she ran straight in. The moment we were inside, the door closed behind us and she immediately forced us to shift.
I was stumbling forward with the force of the shift and was immediately covered by something from behind. "Ahhh!"
The momentum from the shift and the shock of what might be about to happen propelled me forward and I was sure that I was about to fall, when someone wrapped their arms around me and stopped me before I did.
Rae's voice and another's spoke at the same time.
"It's okay little one, do not be afraid."
"Dylan it's me, Lecia, calm down."
I was sure that I was about to have a freaking heart attack. Lecia was holding me in an awkward position and the fact that I was nude under whatever she had thrown over me made it that much harder to try to calm down.
"Rae told Brea to come here and get everything ready. Your clothes are right there on the couch and I have water boiling on the stove. Hurry!"
Lecia sat me on the edge of the couch and I realized, as my eyes adjusted to the soft light in the kitchen, that she was moving to the fridge.
"Rae, what is going on." I was a little hurt that I hadn't known what she told Brea and Lecia to do, but I'm sure she has her reasons.
Rae was quiet for a moment too long, but finally answered, "the hunter's will be here soon to confirm that you are still here. Lecia will help with that. Please do not be angry my precious one."
Dressed, but still shaken, I went to the kitchen to find Lecia practically emptying my fridge. She had pots on all four burners and the little counter was covered with all types of veggies.
"Are you cooking for a party," I laughed out when I saw the amount of food, but Lecia only responded without taking her eyes off her chopping board. "The hunting party will be here soon right?"
What?
Did she think that we were going to feed them. I don't get visitors, like ever, but Lecia was on a mission. "Rae, what is going on," I asked her. I was more nervous now than earlier.
Rae tried to calm my nerves, but I needed to know what she knew. "They are not hunting something out there, they are hunting someone, and if they find them you may be in danger."