10 Gaining Control, Part 3

Alone, I looked around the cave, then lay my broad head onto my paws. I was a bit tired after our run, but I felt good. My muscles felt stretched and relaxed. What was it that Dakota said? The key to shifting? He told me last night that I had to calm myself and think a happy thought to phase back. While he was gone, I decided to try it myself. Let's see... happy thoughts... my family... happy, but not enough to do the trick. Michelle... that wouldn't work, she always made me laugh. Dakota... now that was a happy thought. I closed my eyes as a vision of the first time I saw him in class came to mind... his russet skin... gorgeous warm brown eyes... shiny long onyx hair. Then as I breathed deeply, thinking my happy thought, I felt my body quiver and waver, my vision shifting as my body pulled itself back together, morphing until I was in my human form.

It worked! I sat up quickly, but as I looked around, I realized that I was sitting on the gray dust of the cave floor completely naked. I glanced toward the cave door, and Dakota hadn't come back yet. I quickly grabbed my clothes that Lexie left for me and put them on a gray tank top and navy shorts. It felt good wearing clothes again and a bit strange at the same time. It was the first time I'd worn clothes since yesterday. I stood up on my two legs, stretching and wobbling a bit. It was a bit disorienting going from my wolf to my human form. It would take me a bit to get used to this.

A moment later, Dakota came into the cave, carrying firewood in his human form. "Darn, I missed it," he said aloud, teasing me, imitating what I had said about him taking off his clothes before he shifted prior to our run.

"Thanks a lot," I said, throwing a small pebble at him. "You weren't supposed to have heard that."

Dakota shrugged, stacking the firewood on a wall of the cave. "There's not many secrets in the Pack."

"I can see that," I replied. "But it has its advantages, too."

"Yeah, nudity can definitely be an advantage." Dakota smiled mischievously.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Are you this way with all the girls?"

Dakota thought for a minute. "No, just with the special ones." I smiled, and he cringed. "Did I really say that aloud?"

"Yes, you did," I said, laughing. It was easy to be myself with Dakota.

"Are you hungry?" Dakota asked, making a fire.

"Are you kidding?" I laughed. "After what we just ate?"

Dakota laughed. "Well, you have a point."

I got up to help and, before long, we had a blazing fire going.

"It keeps stray animals away," Dakota said about making the fire in the cave entrance. Together, we stoked the fire until it was blazing. I sat down, while he poked at the fire, causing the blaze to reach new heights, as if pulling away from the earth, stretching toward the heavens. Night was falling outside the cave entrance, creating a black backdrop for the blazing pyre. After a moment, he sat beside me and we watched the fire together. Then, he turned his glorious eyes toward mine. "So, what was your happy thought?"

"Oh, no!" I replied, laughing. "Not a chance!"

Dakota chuckled. "Come on now! It can't be that bad."

"Wanna bet?"

"Yeah," Dakota's eyes were suddenly serious. He turned his head sideways, looking at me. His beautiful onyx hair fell over one side of his face, then he brushed it back. I sighed. He was so very beautiful that it hurt. My heart pounded within my chest as I watched him, then I had to turn away before my eyes gave my heart away. "I tell you what. I'll tell you mine if you'll tell me yours."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" I joked.

Dakota laughed. "Well, if you like, I won't object...."

I pushed him playfully on the shoulder. He sat up and scooted closer to me.

"I'm serious, Jess," Dakota said, his eyes smoldering. Then he softly asked, "Jessica, what is your happy thought, as you call it."

I smiled, looking into the fire. I knew at that moment that I could spend the rest of my life like this. "You'll laugh," I softly replied, turning away.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders in comfort. "I promise I won't."

My heart fluttered with him sitting so close. He was so gorgeous that a lump rose within my throat, making speaking impossible. I just shook my head and forced my gaze back to the fire. It was intoxicating, being so close to him, but I didn't pull away. I'm never met anyone like him before, and I probably never would again.

"Try me," Dakota said, encouraging. Taking my chin gently into his hand, he carefully turned my head toward his until our eyes met and held. "Jess, what's your happy thought?"

And without hesitation, looking directly into his eyes, I simply answered, "You."

As promised, he didn't laugh, but very gently and slowly, he slid his hand from my chin to my cheek, his eyes melting mine. Very slowly, his lips met mine, first in a gentle caress, moving gently over mine. Then my lips moved with his in a synchronized dance. As passion enveloped us both, he wrapped his arms gently around me, pulling me close. His lips hungered for mine, until I was breathless, then he moved slowly down to my neck, then back to my lips again, until I finally pushed away, breathless. Then, he wrapped his muscular arms around me and pulled me gently to his chest. Laying my head on his chest, I could hear his heart beating fast, matching mine, as he, too, tried to catch his breath. He held me in silence for a long time before he finally pulled away.

"I care very much for you, Jess. I know we've just met, but there's something about you that makes me feel as if I've known you my whole life." He looked into the fire for a moment, then back into my eyes. "You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that, for me, this isn't a game." He sighed. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way, but I just wanted you to know."

I pulled his lips to mine in an answering kiss, letting my lips answer every question that his asked. Our lips moved together with a passion unbridled until his hand moved down my back, pulling me close. He held me within his arms, cradling me across his lap. I laced my fingers into his lovely hair, pulling his lips to mine. His lips moved gently to my neck to let me catch my breath, then back to my lips again. He kissed me with all the pent up passion that he must have been feeling for a long time, and my passion matched his until I pulled away and looked directly into his eyes, still cradled within his loving arms. "I care very much for you, too, Dakota."

And it's true. We must have known each other in another life, waiting patiently in this life until we found each other again, our love transcending time and space. I felt as if I had known him for eternity.

Then outside the cave entrance, we heard a guttural growl, unearthly, then a blood-curdling scream.

"What was that?" I yelled, jumping up from Dakota's lap, breaking the magic of the moment.

"I don't know," Dakota said with a worried look in his eyes. "But there's a full moon out again tonight." We looked at each other for a few minutes, then out the cave entrance. He finally said, "I'll be right back."

"Not a chance!" I replied, jumping to my feet, beginning to slip from my clothes, not caring what he saw. There were more pressing matters at hand. "If you go, then I go."

"Wait a minute," Dakota said, stopping, listening.

I froze as another unearthly animalistic growl resounded outside the door, sounding closer.

"I'll be right back," Dakota yelled, stripping off his T-shirt as he ran out the door.

Quickly, I took off my clothes and let the red haze with black edges fill my sight, giving myself over to the wolf. Answering my body's plea, tremors ran down my arms until I was in my silver wolf form. Without reservation, I ran out the cave door into the darkness of the night.

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