Eleven

After the race with Whisper, Zane led them back to where his friends were waiting, then shifted and pulled on the shorts. Whisper was a fast wolf, playful at best when her problems were forgotten. If he got ahead of her, she'd nip at his legs or tail, growling softly as if to say he was cheating, though he didn't know how. So, he let her win. She knew it too and nuzzled him in thanks for ruining his pride.

When Zane told the others to go off a little, he turned back to the she-wolf and knelt again. She went straight over and nuzzled her head into his neck, content to be alone. But she needed to shift, and Zane wasn't sure how to help her with that.

"Okay, little wolf. I have clothes for you, but you need to turn human again so we can talk," he said with a soft sigh.

Whisper sighed. Pulling back she lay down and flattened her ears, closing her eyes. Zane tilted his head in confusion. After a minute, she opened her amber eyes and stared at him with determination. He realized that Whisper wasn't in full control here.

"Whisper needs to come back. We need to talk. She must tell me what happened to make her run away and shift in front of everyone."

Whisper's wolf growled low in her throat, a threat.

Zane sighed. "Please? I know neither of you want it to happen, but I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

Now the wolf whined, came up and licked his face once, then pulled back and sat. The cracking began and soon, fur turned to skin and wolf became human. Whisper huddled in a ball, naked and shaking, hair about her face as she avoided his gaze.

"Whisper?" he said softly.

Her body tensed instantly and she hugged her legs tighter. Zane knew something must have happened if she was suddenly afraid again. He backed up, grabbed the dress Wren gave him then carefully set it at her feet.

"Get dressed, Whisper. I'll give you privacy." Zane stood and turned around, walking a short distance. Behind him, he heard her shifting and fabric rustling before nothing again. He started to glance at her, then hesitated. "Are you finished?"

"Yes," she said so softly, he almost thought he imagined it.

He turned and saw her once again, curled up in a ball. "Whisper, can you tell me what's wrong?"

Large fearful eyes looked up at him. "They hurt me, Zane. Not with a stick, but with liquid. They hurt me and made me dizzy. My wolf…Zane! We couldn't take it! It felt like fire!"

Slowly, Zane approached her, sat down and wrapped her in his arms. "Hush, little wolf. Do you still feel it?" She nods vigorously. Carefully, he pulled out his phone which Nico thankfully left him and texted his Beta to bring medication. Afterwards, he held onto the sobbing woman tightly, rocking back and forth on the forest floor.

It was only a minute or two before he heard Nico approach and felt Whisper try to pull away, but Zane held her tightly with one hand and grabbed the item from Nico with the other. Once the man left, Zane replaced his arm around her, holding the medication but not letting her feel it.

"How did you like being a wolf?" he asked softly to take her mind off the pain.

She thought for a moment, pausing her tears to answer. "I loved it. Well, at first, it was hard because I was near people who wanted to kill me, but then it got fun."

"What are some differences between that form and being human?"

She pulled away and pushed hair out of her eyes. "I'm stronger, faster, able to hear and smell things, and heal fast."

Zane smiled. "Being a wolf has it's perks, but also it's downsides." He turned serious now. "Whisper, you can't shift in front of people like you did. It's too dangerous."

She nodded. "My wolf was just trying to help. I could hardly see or walk. And my body hurt so much. Once I was a wolf, everything went away."

"Yes, but now people are looking for a rabid dog they call a 'vicious beast' and that means you're in more danger than you were."

"Why?"

"Because they'll be looking in the forest for you with guns and arrows. You've already been shot once, we don't need a repeat of it in the heart."

Whisper nodded. "What did they say when you went into the hospital?"

"That you were gone. They wouldn't tell me where. Then your caretaker shows up and says you're dead."

Whisper tilts her head to one side in curiosity. "Did you believe her?"

"Honestly, I thought she was hiding you and was pissed she'd have the balls to say otherwise." Whisper giggled at the use of language before settling back against him. Zane sighed then remembered the medication. "Whisper, I'm going to try to help you feel better. But I don't want you to struggle when I do it, okay?"

She stiffens then pulls back. "What are you doing?" she asks in fear.

He holds out the little device. "No needle, I promise. No tubes, and nothing that will make you feel weird."

Whisper stared at it in confusion. "Then, what?"

"Just air pressure." He took her hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of her palm. "Think of it like a light tap on your skin. Afterwards, it might feel like there's mist settling but it doesn't hurt."

Whisper nodded and relaxed a little, watching as he put the device above her skin near her wrist then he did something. Pop! She jumped a little but felt no pain at all. Zane set the device down and scanned her face. He saw her flex her hand before closing her eyes and a sigh escaped through her lips. He smiled, pleased it was working.

She suddenly looked a little healthier and had more color in her skin. When she opened her eyes, they seemed less dull than before. The medication wasn't in anyway supposed to be like laughing gas but it took pain away and any remaining minor injuries. Even though she's underfed, it made her look alive again and more alert. It was almost like a shot of adrenaline, but with more healing factors to it.

Whisper glanced behind Zane and looked a little nervous. When the male turned, he saw his friends approaching. "It's fine. They're with me."

Catching him by surprise, Whisper crawled into his lap and curled up like a child, her arms around his torso, her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and seemed at peace for now, so Zane was content to let her be while his friends sat down and stared at the girl in his lap. It was Wren who spoke up first. "She's so tiny compared to her wolf!"

Whisper didn't stir so the Alpha nodded. "That she is."

"Looks like she's feeling better," Nico observed.

"Some. There are going to be issues later though that I'll need to work through."

"What do you mean?"

He looked at all three of them with a grave look. "My appointment for one thing. And I have to call that wolf back and make him hand over the papers. He doesn't want to see me pissed off if he refuses again."

Anton shifted and glanced at Whisper. "Zane, just a thought, but maybe we should take her with us?"

"I thought about it too seeing as people think she's dead. I guess I'm not sure if she's ready."

"She doesn't need to meet anyone," Nico commented. "Hell, if she wants to see you and stay by your side, then let her. I don't see any problems with that."

"Except for all the females," Wren hissed.

"Wren, take care of the females," Zane sighed. "Whisper isn't going to be hurt again by anyone else. And I won't allow her running from me again. Not when she's this calm."

"I'll finish the paperwork for next week," Anton offered.

Zane nodded as Nico said, "Maybe I should stay near Whisper if you're busy? She more or less understands who I am and that I won't hurt her."

"Maybe, but something tells me males are her one weakness. If you're to be with her, then be gentle. Anything like yelling or throwing something might set her into a panic which is when she has some of her hallucinations." He turned back to Anton. "Speaking of which, get a hold of that doctor. Tell him it's an emergency and have him down here in two days."

Anton nodded. Nico looked at the woman in Zane's lap and tilted his head a bit in wonder. "She recognized me earlier, in the truck."

"She must have recognized me or my truck, because she ran right out in front of me, and let me touch her without so much of a struggle,"

Zane mused. "It's only when she's scared is when she loses touch with reality."

The three nodded. Wren yawned and stood. "I'm heading back. It's late."

The other two followed suit and Zane just sat staring at Whisper. After a long moment, she opened her eyes at him. "Ready, little wolf?" She nodded.

"Where are we going?" she asked sleepily.

"Home," he said and carefully stood up with her in his arms.

She let out a soft giggle. "I thought you said this was your home?"

He smiled down at her. "The forest is my home, but I'm talking about my home where I can sleep in the privacy of walls and doors."

"A house?"

"More or less. It's not like what you're used to, but it should be easy for you to get comfortable."

Whisper nuzzled her nose into his chest. "As long as it's not white." Zane chuckled and made it to his truck, where he proceeded to place Whisper in the passenger and buckle her up before going to the driver's side and making his way home.