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The Human Side
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The pack doctor, Lesley, had arrived shortly after Zeke left, she was kind and funny and immediately put Merlin at ease. After a thorough physical examination, she had dressed the minor cuts and given her some painkillers before leaving her to get dressed and rest. Finally alone, Merlin fell asleep, the day's events having caught up with her.
Night had fallen by the time Merlin awoke, blinking slowly as she looked around the room, she realized that someone had turned on the lights. She hurriedly sat up in bed, her eyes scanning the room when she spotted Zeke, asleep in a chair in a corner of the room. She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the pillows, feeling safe now that he was here. She watched him sleep for a while before he seemed to sense she was awake and his eyes snapped open, momentarily startling her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you", she apologized and surprisingly, she found that she actually meant it.
"It's fine, how do you feel?", he asked, a look of genuine concern on his face. She took a deep breath and exhaled before answering, "Ok, I guess......physically anyway". She shook her head, trying to dispel the memories of her ordeal in the forest as a frown appeared on her face. "Hey it's over, you're safe now", Zeke assured her as he moved to sit down beside her on the bed, "Nothing like that will ever happen to you again while you're here, you have my word". She nodded and attempted a smile but it came out more like a grimace and she self-consciously looked down at her hands. Zeke reached his hand out to hers just as the door opened and Sandrine walked in.
"Oh Zeke! I didn't know you were here. I thought Merlin was alone and thought to come check on her", her voice, shattering the moment as Zeke surreptitiously let his hand fall back down in his lap while a faint blush colored Merlin’s cheeks. Oblivious to the atmosphere in the room, Sandrine continued making her way to the bed while holding a tray of food. "I brought you some dinner", she said brightly, setting the tray down on the bedside table. "Thank you, it's very kind of you but please don't trouble yourself on my account", Merlin replied softly. "No trouble, I'm just glad that you're ok", Sandrine replied while smiling, although the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
Sensing Merlin’s discomfort, Zeke intervened before Sandrine could sit down and get comfortable, "Merlin is still quite tired and needs more rest but you can visit her tomorrow ". A look of surprise spread across Sandrine's face as her eyes flickered between the Alpha and the witch before she responded, "Of course, I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night". Sandrine nodded at Zeke and quickly left the room.
Alone again, Zeke turned to look at Merlin and found her gazing at him with a strange look in her eyes. "What is it?", he questioned her, wondering if he had upset her somehow in sending Sandrine out of the room. "It's nothing ", she sighed, "I just didn't expect you to be so.......".
"Human?", he finished for her.
"No! That's not what I meant.....I don't know what I meant, I'm just tired and not thinking straight"
"I'm a werewolf, Merlin, but I am also human and what happened to you today shouldn't ever happen to anyone regardless of who or what they are", his voice was firm and he kept his gaze steady on her face to make sure that she understood that he meant it. "Thank you.....for everything.....I truly mean it", her voice shook and tears rolled freely down her face, as all the emotions she had kept inside came pouring out. Zeke reached out and took her in his arms, holding her close against him as she cried.
He didn't know how long they stayed that way but at some point, she had stopped crying and he felt her body relax against him while her breathing had deepened and he realized that she had fallen asleep. Gently cradling her head, he leaned forward and laid her down on the bed before arranging the covers over her. Just as he was pulling back from her, he felt her grab his arm, "Don't leave", she whispered sleepily. He briefly paused, thinking to grab the chair in the corner and move it closer to the bed when she rolled over to the other side of the bed to make space for him to lie down beside her. Again he paused, before he quickly climbed into bed beside her and lay down on his back, one arm behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling and listened to the sound of her breathing.
Merlin dreamed of running naked through the forest while being chased by a wolf that eventually caught up to her and pushed her to the ground as his open jaws drooled saliva onto her face and he viciously tried to stab her between her legs with his enormous erection. She whimpered and tried to push him away as her hands met with a solid, bare chest, the skin warm and smooth beneath her fingers. She felt strong arms wrap around her as the smell of the forest after the rain and fresh pine filled her senses. She recognized his scent and the feel of his body against hers and she relaxed into his embrace without a second thought, her body molded perfectly against his.
It was still dark, the sun's rays just beginning to creep over the horizon when Zeke woke up and gently untangled himself from her and climbed out of bed. Looking down at her asleep with her fiery red hair spread out over the pillow and her full, sensual lips just slightly parted, he felt a strange sensation in his chest. His thoughts drifted back to her lying naked in the forest, tears streaming from her eyes and blood seeping from her lips and he remembered that something inside of him had snapped at seeing her hurt. He had never meant to hurt her but now he wondered if none of it would have happened if he hadn't captured her and brought her here and he resolved to let her go. He could find another way, he had to, she was affecting him in ways that he couldn't understand or control and killing the boy, without knowing or meaning to, was proof of that.
Making up his mind to take her back home later that day, he took one last lingering look at her before dragging his eyes away and heading for the door. But for the second time, just as his hand touched the door knob, he heard her call out to him again, "Zeke?"
"It's still early, go back to sleep", he answered without turning around.
"I'll do it, I'll help you"
He froze, his whole body going numb as he turned back to the bed, his mouth open to say something when he noticed that she had fallen asleep again and probably wouldn't hear him.
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