42

As fast as I could as a wolf, I sprinted through the gloomy forest and hardly took my surroundings seriously. My paws hit the hard, uneven forest floor at an uncontrollable pace, and yet I seemed to be too slow.

The smell of the vampires was fading, as was Juniper's, and I was beginning to regret my decision not to stay with Jamal.

But I couldn't help it... It was almost like a captivating compulsion that drove me further and further to follow Juniper's trail. An urge I couldn't resist at all...

After a while, when I arrived at a wide clearing, completely exhausted and breathing fast, and just wanted to rest for a while, I suddenly looked up at the sky and my eyes widened in shock.

Hanging from the tree directly above me, high in the air, were the very three vampires Juniper had been chasing earlier. They were lifeless before, but now they didn't even give off a spark of smell.

I immediately forced myself to stop staring at her and wanted to run on as quickly as possible, but then I felt very clearly that someone was behind me and seemed to be watching me. My fur stood up, but I already knew from the sweet scent that it was Juniper. I suddenly couldn't understand my wolf anymore and wondered why she was reacting in such a hostile manner, but before I could think about it further, Juniper's soft voice rang out.

"Aria?" she whispered almost silently and when I turned to her slowly and thoughtfully, her eyes widened at my wolfish appearance as if she were seeing something like this for the first time. "You're so beautiful."

She came towards me with cautious steps, crouched right in front of me and gently stroked my fur with her hands, which made me close my eyes despite these strange doubts and enjoy her closeness.

This feeling towards her was completely new to me. Not even in keno did I feel like this. It was like I was sleepwalking in love. Or as if someone gave me a love potion...

"Would you please change back," she spoke quietly into the silence between us and stood up again at the same moment. "I would like to talk to you."

I nodded, but also hesitated. If I were to transform back now, I'd be stark naked in front of her. A thought that made me extremely uncomfortable.

Juniper didn't seem to understand my hesitation and eyed me curiously until she raised her eyebrows and turned to face the forest.

"Where are your clothes?" she asked, which made me doubt her again. As a wolf, she should know that there were probably no more than shreds left.

When her eyes met mine again, I cocked my head thoughtfully and studied her until she smiled and touched her forehead theadrally.

"Oh yes, they must be torn. You didn't have time to undress," she said and came back to me. "But don't worry. I know where we can scrape up some clothes for you. Come with me."

She ran ahead of me in the opposite direction I had fled from Jamal, which worried me, but what else could I do but follow her? Nothing... So I padded slowly after her, but always remained alert.

"You know," she started a conversation after walking silently for a while, looking over her shoulder at me for a moment. "This forest is really magical, isn't it?"

But she still knew that I couldn't answer her, right?

I looked around and all of a sudden I felt totally weird. I got slightly dizzy and even had trouble putting one paw in front of the other. It was as if I was on drugs and the weather changed so suddenly that I looked up at the sky, slightly startled, from which it was suddenly raining cats and dogs.

"And this weather, too," Juniper punctuated my observation with a soft chuckle that kept echoing in my mind, causing me to get sick again and have to stop.

"Oh, sweet Aria," I heard Juniper and then felt her hands on my fur-covered cheeks, so that I opened my eyes again and looked at her desperately.

Her green eyes showed me no emotion, and yet, I felt so much. Her hands gave off a warmth that was almost electrifying and when a moment later I felt something like a spark that rushed through my entire body, I gasped for air in panic and noticed how my wolf was slowly fading out pushed out of me.

Instead of my fur, she now had the pale skin of my cheeks in her hands, and instead of standing with my paws on the forest floor, I now sat naked on my knees, supporting myself only by supporting myself on my hands.

"Everything okay?" Juniper asked, but nothing was okay! Something was completely wrong here!

"Get away from me!" I whispered, upset and agitated, wanting to push her off me, but I was so weak I could barely raise my hands.

"You're mine now, sweet Aria," Juniper breathed excitedly into my face and I looked past her with wide eyes, where I recognized Yasha leaning against a tree, who was studying me with folded arms.

I was ashamed to kneel so powerless and naked in front of them, but my she-wolf had left me and I, as a weak human, could do nothing but fall on my side like a sack of potatoes.

With my tired eyes looking up at the dark sky above me, I felt lost... Nothing made more sense than it was all gone. No more memories of a life, no more hope of a future...

In addition, this desperate urge to understand what was going on and yet not come to any conclusion because I couldn't even finish this thought.

"We should have taken the Alpha," Yasha's voice penetrated my head, making it pound again as I began to count the stars in the sky above me.

"No! I want her! She's pure passion," I heard Juniper's voice sound slightly aroused and moments later I saw the two of them above me looking at me and my naked body and seeming amused at my fear .

"Then let's have fun."