Forever Mine

TWENTY FIVE

The glow of the full moon made Roxy's golden coat shine as she shifted. With her nose pointed in the air and the magnetic pull inside of her, she followed after Isaac's trail. Deep recesses of his large paws were left in the cool and soft dirt. Branches of trees were snapped, limp and hanging. She could smell him, not too far away, surrounded by thick clouds of pine. Roxy moved her legs into a steady jog, keeping her nose to the air as she made her way through the forest. Isaac's heartbeat filled her ears and she stilled before slowly creeping forward to peak through a shield of limbs. Isaac was sitting on a mossy log in the centre of a clearing. With his back to her, the moonlight cast shadows over every crevice of each muscle and tattoo, tattoos she wanted to trawl over like a visual story. His eyesight was locked onto a thick tree in front of him.

Ever so slowly, Roxy shifted down from her wolf form and pushed through the screen of leaves. Isaac's head shifted slightly at her presence, but that was the only acknowledgement he gave to her presence even as she sat on the log next to him facing the opposite direction. The heat passing between their naked bodies was almost visible in the cool air. Tremors in the atmosphere. Roxy didn't speak as she sat with him, staring out into the shadows of the forestry. She could almost hear the turmoil crashing inside of Isaac like a distraught ocean, feel it radiating from him with their close proximity.

'What are you doing here?' asked Isaac eventually. It wasn't the fact that he'd broken their silence that startled Roxy, but rather the foreign sound of his voice. The power, the authority which boomed with every word was gone. In its place was a gravelly tone; exhausted and beaten down.

Roxy glanced over her shoulder, her hair sweeping across her bare skin. 'I came to make sure if you're alright.'

He gave a scoff. 'I'm the one who hurt you, Roxy.'

Roxy couldn't help but reach a hand back to brush across the five high ridges which now scarred her right shoulder. The trenches where Isaac's large claws had cut were glossy and red. It was strange. She didn't remember it happening, nor any pain afterwards. Despite it being common knowledge in the werewolf community not to approach an angry Alpha, something had made her rush to Isaac. She hadn't wanted him to do something he'd regret. She hadn't wanted him to hate himself. Yet, by putting herself in harm's way she'd done just that.

'This is my fault, Isaac,' said Roxy sincerely, looking over to him, wishing he'd look at her. 'It was stupid of me to approach you when you were too far gone.'

Isaac shook his head slowly. 'You trusted me to be able to hold myself back. You should be able to trust me. I shouldn't have... I could've killed you.'

'You didn't though, Isaac. As soon as you saw I was hurt you knew what you'd done. Something in your mind, no matter how ravaged it was, told you you'd gone too far.' Roxy slapped her hand over his and gripped it tightly. 'I shouldn't have put you in that position, Isaac, and I'm sorry I'm the reason you're feeling this way.'

'Does it hurt?' It was the first time Isaac looked at her and her heart broke at the anguish in his emerald eyes. They flickered to her shoulder and she made a subconscious effort in using her hair to try cover the scars.

'No. The adrenaline which was flowing through my system meant I didn't feel a thing, and I was too concerned about you.'

Isaac nodded slightly, his eyes now darting off her. 'Did she use­–'

'The serum?' Roxy interrupted gently. 'Yes. The scars will be completely gone within the week.' She swallowed. 'Maria said no one needs reminders of these things.'

Isaac had resumed to glaring at the tree ahead of them. Roxy glanced at the tree. To her, it was identical to the others surrounding them with rough bark, dark leaves and branches creating a canopy. But the way Isaac was looking at it made Roxy wonder why he'd chosen this clearing to escape to.