Chapter Four Liam

I closed my eyes as Cory scrubbed me down and tried to concentrate on the sound of the water. Being touched by my mate was something I hadn't felt in over two years and even though I loved it, I couldn't let myself get turned on, not in wolf form. That was weird and the last thing I wanted was weirdness between us. It was cool. I could be cool. It was just a bath, nothing else.

"So, I'm not gonna scrub your balls," Cory giggled, rinsing his hands off and grabbing the shower head to rinse me off. "That feels a bit too personal. So, when you change back, you can scrub your own. Fair?"

I gave him a small grunt, trying not to think about him touching me like that.

"Alright."

The heat of the water washed over me as Cory rinsed me off. My silver fur seemed to wash away in clumps. I wasn't sure if I just needed a brushing or if it was because of malnutrition, but it wasn't hanging around. A quick glance assured me that I wasn't developing bald spots, so that was a relief at least. The last thing I needed was to have picked up mange on my trip across the country to Shifter Grove.

While Cory was hosing me down, I was hoping that my scent would finally come through and he'd recognize me. But thanks to the extremely scented shampoo he used on me, I could smell nothing else but lavender and vanilla. In fact, I'd gone nose blind to pretty much everything except that. And he probably couldn't smell anything either.

I sort of wanted him to recognize me before I got the chance to shift back. Not only would it assure me I wasn't making this all up, but it would just plain make me feel better. Plus, I didn't know what I was going to say to him yet. At least in wolf form I didn't have to talk. But once I was a human, I was sure he'd have a million questions for me and each of them would be harder to answer than the last.

It became hard to think when Cory began to towel me off. He rubbed me down vigorously, drying me as much as he could before he pulled out the hairdryer. I enjoyed the contact until the blaring drone of the dryer filled my senses. After that it was at least ten minutes before I was warm, clean, and looking like a puffball made of silver fur.

"Are you feeling better?" Cory asked, giving me a good once over. "You sure look a lot better."

I grunted in the affirmative and he patted my head with a smile.

"You know, I used to know a wolf your color," he said absentmindedly. "A long time ago." There was a sad faraway look in his eyes for a moment before he shook his head. "Do you think you can walk now? You've kept all your food down, so I figure I can give you a little more, huh?"

Did he remember me? My heart leaped at the thought. He was getting closer to figuring it out, but there was nothing I could do just yet to push him those last few inches that he needed to connect the dots.

Pulling myself to my feet, I kept my own weight aloft on shaky legs and gave him a nod.

"Alright," he smiled. "We'll take the elevator and if you need help, just let me know, okay?"

Fat chance. I might not have been in line to lead my pack anymore, but I was still an Alpha wolf. I'd let him carry me up to the shower only because I couldn't walk at all. But now that my strength was finally starting to return in some small way, my pride would no longer allow him to do that for me. Besides, it was embarrassing to be carried around like a puppy. I was a grown ass man. I had to keep some shred of self-respect, right?

We took the elevator to the third floor. From there I followed Cory down the left side of the building all the way to the furthest door just before the emergency fire exit. There he unlocked a door and ushered me inside.

The moment I stepped over the threshold, I was nearly bowled over by the scent of sweet cherry. His scent. It took everything I had not to jump on his bed and roll around in his sheets like a dog. I wanted so badly for that scent to cover me from head to toe, to be in his arms once more. The excitement welled up in my chest and the sudden burst of endorphins made me begin to shake once more. As much as I wanted to jump for joy, I was so exhausted in that moment that I nearly collapsed.

"Woah there, buddy," Cory said, catching me before I could fall. "Take it easy."

Without asking, he scooped me up and lifted me to the bed, sitting me down in a nest of comforters, sheets, and pillows. It seemed Cory still slept like I remembered. He liked to curl up in a ball in the center of the bed surrounded by all the bedding. He was a serial nester, and it was adorable.

"I'm gonna order some food for the both of us, okay? There's a place in town that does burgers and stuff. I'm sure they can just make you a plain burger to snack on."

I growled at the suggestion.

"Hey," he warned, booping me on the nose. "Don't be grumpy. You're half-starved still and your stomach can't deal with all that grease and fat right now. I don't want you to get sick in my room." He gave me one of those motherly looks that said, ‘ you know I'm right '. "And you're still in wolf form. There are some things you just can't eat right now. When you turn back into a person again, I'll get you a real burger, okay?"

I huffed and gave him a nudge with my nose. That made him smile and my heart felt suddenly lighter. Seeing him happy was all I ever wanted out of life. Well, that and his lips against mine. But that would come later. A human making out with a wolf would be not only weird, but toothy.

"Good boy," Cory said patting me again. Then he froze, his face turning beet red. "Uh… sorry. I forgot you weren't a dog there for a moment."

He crawled up to the head of the bed and propped himself up on a couple of pillows. Taking his phone out, he dialed what must have been a familiar number and pulled the phone to his ear. The moment the voice came on the other side, he started to put in our order.

Seeing my chance, I crawled up the bed and flopped down beside him. Trying to act as natural as possible, I leaned against him and laid my head on his thigh. I heard him inhale slightly, and a smile crept into his voice. A hand came to rest on my head, scratching the space between my ears as he finished up his order. As soon as the phone was off, he glanced down at me.

"Cuddly little guy, aren't you?" he smiled. "I'd love to ask you so many things, but I can wait for now. You need rest anyway." He paused, leaning forward to meet my eye. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

I nodded, blowing air out through my nose.

"Perfect." Cory picked up the remote and flicked the television on. "I hope you like Disney movies because that's the only streaming service I have at the moment."

That was perfectly fine for me. I wasn't so old that I'd outgrown all the classics of animation. Not that I could tell him that because I was a wolf and lacked the ability to speak at the moment. You'd think after all these centuries of werewolves running around, they would've learned to speak in their shifted forms. But nope. Hadn't happened yet. There was probably some scientific explanation for that, but I was too dumb to know it. My whole life had been training to be the next Alpha, not math, science, and grammar.

Music drew my gaze up to the screen as that familiar white castle rose up on a blue background. The logo flashed and it was only a few seconds before I heard the familiar French- themed music.

The Aristocats .

It was one of my favorites. Sure, was it a little odd that a wolf liked to watch a movie about French cats? Maybe. Did I give a shit? Not even a single turd. Old Disney movies were the best. If I could've been anything except an Alpha werewolf, I would've trained to be an animator like those guys back in the good old days of animation. Drawing every single frame by hand and leaving all those sketchy little lines behind… it just gave the movie so much character compared to the hyper-soft computer graphics everyone leaned on now.

I settled in with my head on Cory's lap. He stroked my fur, and I stared up at the screen, watching the adorable kittens run across the screen.

I'm not sure how far into the movie I got. All I know is that at some point I slipped into my dreams seamlessly without noticing. I was so comfortable and happy with Cory at my side that I couldn't help but relaxing fully for the first time in years.

I never even got to eat my dinner.