Forest Freak (GxG)

Chapter 26: Further Steps

It's warm...I feel as though I am in heaven.

Opening my eyes, I awakened my senses from my slumber. I took note of four simple things; I was in a familiar bedroom, Opal's scent was overpowering my sense of smell, I could feel something wrapped around my waist and a comfortable barrier on top of me that stretched over the bed and I could hear soft breaths being taken on top of my head. One question passed my mind though.

When did I fall asleep?

"The shock from assaulting a royal got to you, you ended up falling asleep within Opal's grasp due to the mental exhaustion." Answered Ximena, causing me to let out a small sigh.

I felt slightly disappointed in myself for having such a reaction, but I doubt things would have gone differently if I had stayed awake.

"You needn't be ashamed or disappointed Udeline, you did what you thought was correct, you wanted to protect yourself and your mate." She said reassuringly.

That may be true but what is to happen now? What if my scent has not left Regina's neck from my attack? I hold so many doubts within my thoughts it's almost unbearable. I did not want to bring harm to Opal, not like this.

Within the confines of my mind, I did not notice the body behind my move, I only noticed their movement when my vision was invaded by a veil of blond hair and something soft pressed against my cheek.

In my shock at the sudden sensation, my eyes darted to the source only to be met with the beautiful ruby eyes of my soulmate, instantly calming me with their rich scarlet glow.

"I thought I sensed something was wrong, why are you so tense?" She asked, her voice soft and concerned.

One of her hands went to my cheek and lightly turned my head to face her while she held herself up with her free arm. To make it easier to look at her I simply turned my back.

Now Opal's hands had taken place at either side of my head while her hair shielded me from the world around me.

I felt an urge of sorts to hold her, so with small movements, I put my arms around her neck and gently tugged her down. Opal seemed to understand what I was doing and did not resist my small pulls.

Soon we were both wrapped in each other's arms, each indulging in the scent of the other. Opal was on top of me while I snuggled into her neck, I felt as though I was in bliss. The bliss had to wait, I needed to answer Opal.

"I do not know what I am supposed to do Opal, I assaulted royalty. What is going to happen now?" I answered, voicing my worries in a few words.

Opal to my surprise released a chuckle against my neck and nuzzled herself closer.
"Nothing's going to happen. Even if something does we'll be ready." She said.

Now I was confused.
"How can you be so sure?" I asked.

Opal moved her hand to the top of my head and gently stroked my hair - which I just noticed had been undone, at the side of my head.

"I already told mum and dad about what happened, since she appeared outside of pack territory there's no way for her to accuse me or you of anything without starting a political disagreement between her family and my pack. Plus, as far as anyone's concerned, you don't exist yet. No one knows who you are except me and the others." She said.

Hold on, pardon? Letting go of opal I turned my head to the side to make eye contact with her.
"Wait you already discussed everything with your parents? When did this happen?" I asked.

She smiled at me and placed another kiss on the side of my head.
"Well, I woke up before you and went to talk to everyone. You, however, slept till' midday." She said, releasing a chuckle.

Within seconds I was sitting up with Opal in front of me, my hands on her shoulders as I was shocked.
"What?!" I yelled, I did not think I would sleep so carelessly and for so many hours as well.

Though Opal was surprised by my sudden movements she let out a little laugh at my reaction to the news.

"Hey now, you don't have to worry. Besides, you sleeping so much gave me an excuse to go back to bed." She said, letting out another chuckle.

I remained agape at her words and stare.
"Why exactly are you so relaxed?! Why did you let me sleep for so long?! Opal this is serious! I do not want Regina to cause trouble for anyone, what I sensed in her, it-"

"Woah Woah Woah, hold your horses, Marielle and Ophelia already ran laps around the pack and security tightened for good, there's nothing to worry about, ok?"

I was shocked by all this news, despite having only just awoken, half of the day had vanished. I was already behind. I let out a sigh and allowed my head to droop down in defeat. Did I have nothing to worry about?

"Then what should I do now?" I asked, bringing my head back up so I could look Opal in the eyes. She smiled and placed a hand on my head, patting it lightly.

"Well for now, how about you get changed and then come with me to get some lunch?" She proposed.

I nodded my head and proceeded to slide the cover off of my legs so I could properly exit its confines of comfort, only to find I was not in the dress I wore last evening.

It seemed I had been changed in my sleep into a rather large shirt, my undergarments were still on my body though.

I looked at Opal with a raised eyebrow and back down to the shirt.
"Did you do this?" I asked, looking behind me so I could get a look at every angle of my clothes.

Opal tensed at my question but I saw her slowly nod her head.
"I thought you were uncomfortable so got you out of the dress...don't worry, I didn't peek." She said in a quiet tone.

I looked to see her cheeks and ears had become flushed and red and her eyes looked to the side to avoid mine. I snorted and tried not to laugh at her reaction.

"Opal, what I have is not something you have not already seen. I do not understand why you are acting so flustered." I said.

Opal tensed her entire body in shock at my words and her face only grew redder.
"I-I, I mean, I guess that's-um, I guess that's...true," She said hesitantly, stuttering as though she was at a loss for words.

She took a deep breath and then turned to meet my gaze. "But that's not a reason why I shouldn't respect your privacy. You shouldn't be naked around anyone to be honest, not in your human form anyway. It's just what we do to protect our human bodies from people we don't want to see," There was a pause before she spoke up again.

"We wear clothes for many reasons because society's been adapted that way, but it's not a prison. People, including me, wear clothes to customize ourselves into our favorite styles and make us feel good about ourselves, that's why we wear clothes over here." She explained, and from that, I gained a better understanding of what wearing clothes meant to this pack.

It was not only a way to protect their bodies from people's gaze but also something of genuine enjoyment and discovery.

I nodded my head and smiled sleepily at Opal.
"It seems I have greatly misjudged the social value of clothing, I apologize for what I said. That was most likely the last thing you wanted to hear when all you wanted to do was make sure I was comfortable." I said.

Opal let out a chuckle and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You don't have to apologize Udeline, you're not used to how things go around here so I'm not surprised that you think way differently to the people here. Just, remember to take your time when learning everything ok? I don't want this place to feel like a chore to you, I want you to enjoy yourself like I do every day I'm here." She said.

I could not help but smile at her words. She was truly a caring wolf, I felt as though I was the luckiest creature in the world. With that I slid closer to her and proceeded to wrap my arms around my body and hug her, to which she happily returned by wrapping hers around mine. It was a quick hug but it felt perfect and as sad as I was for separating myself from her hold I still had questions.

"So, what exactly are we doing today?"