He lay there, watching her, as the rhythmic drip of water from the eaves outside synchronized with the beat of his own heart. His eyes followed the gentle slope of her shoulders, the way the moonlight glided over the curve of her collarbone like liquid silver. As she moved, the water rippled around her, her fingers weaving through her hair, now white and stark against the night, liberated from its tea-dye disguise. That whiteness revealed a vulnerability, a truth exposed. He grasped the significance of such revelations. The scent of soap wafted through the air, mingling with the mineral tang of the bathwater. Cleanliness.
A sensation he hadn’t experienced in weeks. The forest’s grime clung to him like a second skin, matted with blood and old sweat. The offer lingered between them, unspoken yet undeniable. A bath. Not solely for her. For him as well. He exhaled sharply through his nose again, steam rising from his nostrils into the cool night air. A bath. For him. The absurdity of it prickled beneath his fur, an executioner reduced to this, crouching at the edge of a wooden tub like a pampered hound.
Yet the aroma of rosemary and lye soap sliced through the musk of old blood that clung to him, as insistent as a blade pressed to his throat. His claws flexed against the floorboards. The moon illuminated her in shades of monochrome, pale shoulders, darker shadows where the bathwater enveloped her waist. He could refuse. Retreat into the trees, allowing the filth to fester until it hardened into armor. But Eizen’s voice echoed once more.
Dignity isn’t pride. It’s knowing when to yield.
With a growl that resonated deeper than his wolf’s throat should permit, he advanced. The initial touch of water scorched through his paw pads, shockingly hot. His muscles tensed. Every instinct screamed against the vulnerability, soaking wet fur, scent masked, defenses submerged. He noticed that Ell’Hanna watched, unwavering, as he compelled himself further. The waterline rose to his legs, his belly, until it brushed against the old wound on his flank. The sting caused his lip to twitch.
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