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Sylvie, donned in her favorite green hooded cloak, makes her way through the forest carrying a wicker basket full of goodies to bring to her granny. She had fallen ill and Sylvie was asked to bring her some bread, cheese, desserts and a bottle of wine for when she was feeling better.
Why her dear old granny lived deep in the forest away from town baffled her, but she didn’t mind the trek. Armed with her trusty machete, Sylvie could handle any danger that may lurk in the forest. She wasn’t afraid to use her weapon against some would-be attacker. Carrying food was always a risk, and a full basket would make her a target for any human or animal.
In all honesty, she wasn’t even that fond of her grandmother. She was mean and tried to hunt Sylvie once for some reason she wasn’t quite sure of. Something about there being too many timelines? They worked out that it was all a dream, but Sylvie definitely thought she was a bit crazy after that. Her granny was the only family member she had left so she may as well try to be nice to her.
Sensing a presence somewhere nearby, Sylvie moves her hand to the hilt of her machete as a precaution. The forest is filled with animals running around, but they never trigger her sense of being followed. This felt different and she wasn’t taking any chances. In one swift motion, Sylvie grabs her weapon and spins around to place it on the neck of her attacker.
“I assure you I mean you no harm.”
Standing in front of her is a tall male with long dark locks and piercing blue eyes. The hands that are placed in front of him in a defensive manner are big with long fingers. He’s an attractive man, but something feels off and she can’t quite figure out what. There was also something familiar about him somehow, like they’ve met before and she was excited to see him.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Sylvie asks as she presses her machete harder against the stranger’s neck.
The man makes a noise that sounds like a growl at her action. “I am Loki, the rightful King of this forest. I should be the one asking you questions.”
Sylvie narrows her eyes at him. King of the forest, is this guy for real? “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you, King Loki of the forest?”
“Again, I mean you no harm. I was actually saving you from potential harm. A man has been following you for quite some time.”
Sylvie presses harder on his throat with her machete. “Yeah, the so-called king of the forest has been following me!”
“Would you quit doing that!” Loki groans. “Yes, technically I have been following you, but there’s another man lurking around watching you. I’m merely trying to help you.”
She rolls her eyes at him. “I don’t need your help, your majesty. I can take care of myself.”
“I can see that,” Loki gestures at her machete that’s currently grazing his throat. “But as the king of this forest, I feel it is my duty to make sure a fair maiden such as yourself arrives at her destination in one piece.”
Sylvie snorts at his words. If what he says is true and someone else is following her, maybe it would be smart to have Loki escort her to her grandmother’s house. Gods, she can’t believe she’s letting a handsome stranger help her out. Something inside her trusts him so he can’t be all that bad, right?
She slowly removes her machete from Loki’s neck but keeps it between them. “Fine, you can accompany me. But make one wrong move and this is going straight through your heart. Got it?”
“Such a feisty maiden! You have my word, my dear,” Loki flashes her a mischievous grin and that’s when she notices how big, long and sharp his teeth are. Freakishly big for a mere human, like they could break through bone. “May I ask your name?”
“Sylvie,” she says as she places her machete back into her sheath and stares at Loki. “What big teeth you have. Why are they so long and sharp?”
The grin on Loki’s face falls and his eyes widen in panic. “Big teeth? Long and sharp? Why, Sylvie, I have no idea what you mean. They’re just normal, human teeth! See!” he smiles wide with his teeth bared, still looking the way they were.
Sylvie shakes her head. “Still big and sharp.”
“Damn, why aren’t they shifting back?” Loki says under his breath.
She watches as he closes his eyes and starts mouthing something. There is something very suspicious about Loki that's unsettling but also intriguing. And dare she say it also excites something inside of her?
“How about now?” he gives her a big grin with his arms outstretched to the side. His teeth aren’t big anymore, but she notices that his eyes have grown wide and the color changed from blue to bright green. Two big furry ears that were definitely not there before sit atop his head with some more black fur appearing in spots on his body. She knows she should be afraid of him, but he still looks mostly human and a part of her doesn’t see him as a threat.
“What are you? Why do you have big eyes and ears now? And why do you have fur, Loki? If that's even your real name!"
“Isn’t it obvious, Sylvie?” Loki puts his arms down and glares at her. “What big eyes you have! The better to see you with,” he takes a step closer. “What big ears you have! The better to hear you with. What big teeth you have!” he growls and bares his teeth which have now reverted back to being sharp. “The better to eat you with, my dear Sylvie.”
Before Sylvie can react, Loki grabs her arm to pull her in closer to him. As soon as his hand touches her, a green light appears from his hand and shoots up her arm. Sylvie’s eyes shine the same bright green as Loki’s. Her teeth become sharp and her own set of furry ears appear on the top of her head. She looks down at her hand and sees fur covering her knuckles.
Loki looks down at the place where his hand is touching Sylvie and his eyes trail up her arm to her face where their identical bright green eyes meet. Sylvie can feel her heart bursting with what feels like familiarity and dare she say, love?
“What did you do to me?” Sylvie questions.
“You’re a wolf, too?” Loki asks excitedly.
They lock eyes for a few more seconds until Sylvie moves her arm from Loki’s grasp. Her features slowly revert back to her human form as she lifts her machete so it’s pointing at him.
“I’m not a wolf, but you definitely are. Remember what I said about making one wrong move?”
Loki puts his hands up to lower her weapon. “Yes, I am a wolf, but you are as well, Sylvie. I didn’t do anything to you. When I touched your arm, your wolf responded to my wolf.”
Sylvie looks at him in shock and tries to comprehend what he said. “Wouldn’t I know if I was a wolf? And how come you didn’t look like one when I first saw you?”
“Well, I learned how to control when I turn into a wolf with magic. I can freely switch between my human and wolf forms,” Loki notices Sylvie’s green cape and reaches out a hand to touch it. “I presume your cloak was given to you as a young child?”
“My mother made it for me when I was younger, told me to wear it to protect me from creatures, especially during a full moon,” Sylvie chokes back a small sob. “And now I know she was protecting me from myself.”
Loki looks at her with sad eyes. “Have you ever taken it off during a full moon? My guess is your cloak was infused with magic to prevent you from turning into your wolf form during a full moon.”
“There was one time, a year or so ago when I did take it off. I don’t remember much about that night, other than waking up in a clearing not too far from here, naked and next to someone. I took off before I could see who it was.” If her mother was still alive then, she would have locked Sylvie in the house and forbid her to ever go outside again. Or maybe she would have told her the truth.
Loki’s eyes light up when her words register in his brain. “A year ago, you say? In a clearing near here? I knew you smelled familiar somehow.”
Sylvie looks at him curiously. “What are you getting at? Have we met before?”
Loki places his hands on her shoulders, letting her wolf react to his again so he could get a better look at her. “We haven’t met as humans, but our wolves have. I woke up in that same clearing that same morning but alone. I remember what happened, but I didn’t know who the other wolf was until now,” he looks at her and takes a deep breath. “Our wolves mated, Sylvie.”
Sylvie’s eyes widen in shock. This has all been too much, but it seems right somehow. “Mated? As in…had sex? Took each other as a mate?” That would explain why he seemed familiar and why a part of her wasn’t afraid of him.
He chuckles at her expression. “Yes, that is what mated means. I knew there was something about you, you’ve had me enchanted since the moment I spotted you walking through here,” He moves one of his hands to caress her cheek. “I’m so glad I found you.”
Sylvie leans into his touch and lets out a content noise, her wolf happy to be back in the presence of her mate. “So, there was no other man following me, was there? And are you really the king of the forest?”
“Oh no, there was a hunter with grey hair and a mustache following you. He may have been actually looking for me, but I ate him before he could get to either of us,” he pats his stomach with his free hand. “A quite tasty fellow I might add. I didn’t think I was going to be able to eat you after him, so that’s why I offered to escort you to give me time to digest. My wolf was excited throughout our whole conversation though, and now I know why. And no, I’m not the king of the forest. Not officially anyway.”
They both smile at each other in their partial wolf forms, both glad that they’ve found each other again after so long.
“So, what happens now? Could you teach me more about being a wolf?” Sylvie asks him hopefully.
Loki grabs one of her hands and brings it to his lips to kiss it. “Of course, my little feisty wolf. It would be my pleasure to show you the ways of the wolf. I can even show you how to use magic to control when you turn. Let me bring you to my humble abode and we can get started.” He keeps her hand in his and starts to lead her to his home.
Sylvie lets him guide her but then remembers the basket in her hand. “Oh wait, I was on my way to drop some goodies off to my granny who is sick in bed. Could we stop by before we start our lives as mated wolves?”
“Lead the way, my darling,” he squeezes her hand and allows her to lead him in the direction of her grandmother’s house. “She’s sick, you say?” he asks while licking his lips.
“Hey, that’s my granny you’re thinking about eating, mister. I may not like her that much, but she’s the only family I’ve got left. Well, now I also have you, but you know what I mean.”
“Are you sure I can’t eat her?” Loki asks.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she playfully hits him in the arm. “Probably. Maybe. We’ll see.”
And so, they walk hand in hand to Sylvie’s grandmother’s house in their half human, half wolf forms ready to start their new lives together.