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She’s never run so fast in her life.
She’s huffing breath, feet- no- no it's her paws. Her paws are hitting the ground, leaving prints, a trail. She didn't even realize she’d shifted. Couldn't stop. Couldn't stop her own heartbeat in her ears.
Not when she can smell their distress, the girls. Her girls.
She can't stop moving, can't think about what she is, can't think about what will happen. She needs to get there . She needs to move faster. Her girls. Her girls .
Her wolf has betrayed her before, in soft moments, whining to be closer. Chuffs in her mind about how they're hers. Hers to care for. To love. To protect. Her heart in two pieces.
Even as they hunt her kind. Even as SHE hunts her own kind. But they're trespassing. That's all she can think- they're trespassing on her territory. Threatening her girls. She could use that as an excuse to wound them. Drive them out. Even kill them, when or if they stand their ground. When they push her too far.
But the smell of wolves burns in her nostrils. Distress from her girls, scents long memorized since they spend basically every waking moment together. They were in danger .
She growled, forcing herself to move. Hit the ground harder . Don't stop. Never stop. She has to get there. Before something happens.
It's barely a moment later, she registers the smell of blood.
Mira's blood.
Everything slows down. No. No. No. No nonono nono-
She pumps her legs faster, a furious Howl emerging from her throat before she even dares to stop it. It's violent, and angry, and FULL.
It sends a message.
You've sealed your fate. You've crossed a line.
You're DEAD.
And she means it. With her whole heart, her whole chest. Her whole soul. Mira could be dead, or alive, or mangled. But they spilled her blood. And she will return the kindness tenfold.
She's growling with every step, inhaling air like it burns, finally focusing on her targets, wolves. Males.
5 of them.
She howls again, deeper, shorter, ANGRY.
Betrayal.
She even smells him.
Jinu. That fucking brat.
She bursts through into a clearing and, without even processing the full scene, has teeth in his neck, dragging him onto the ground as she slides to a stop. She's growling, low and drawn out, tightening her jaw and listening to his pathetic whining. She growls and bites down harder, piercing his skin, and using the leverage to swing around, throwing him across the clearing. His shoulder slams into a tree, a near-sickening crack echoing from his direction before she rounds herself back to the other four.
Her territory. Her girls. Her battle.
There are two light red males, one scrawnier than the other, a dark grey male who seems to be the smallest and the youngest, his ears pinned back and eyes full of shock. And one outlying white male, with thick fur on his hackles and ears.
She growls, taking several steps forward, not taking her eyes off of them. She sees the fear they have. Sees it in their stance, their flicking ears, their eyes.
Good. Be afraid.
She knows what she looks like. Knows she isn't normal.
Not human. Not wolf. But some horrifying mix of the two. She's always been bigger, stronger, and angrier. Her wolf doesn't look normal- she's muscled, far beyond what a full-blood would be. Her ears are strangely rounded, and her canines are long. She'd once compared herself to a sabertooth- even if they weren't so dramatic as that.
But they ripped when they needed to…
The bigger red wolf chuffed and rushed to the right. She then registered her girls.
Oh, her girls.
Zoey was taking a brave stance in front of a tree, and Mira was pressed against it with blood flowing from her leg. The taller girl's eyes were shaky but determined. They were still fighting.
And so was she.
It was a blur, really. She slammed into the red male and clawed at him with her full strength. Knew in seconds the other three were on her. A horrific amalgamation of teeth and claws and blood and chunks of fur. She didn't care. She'd let herself be ripped to shreds as long as Zoey and Mira were safe. Alive. She felt flesh bend between her fangs, separate between her claws, and bruise under well-placed and desperate kicks.
She wanted them DEAD.
She'd thrown two of them off her, and she ended up facing two more- both of the red males. She growled, animalistic and long, and dragged out of her like she was a demon.
She registered the other two backed away by Jinu, the white male breathing heavy and limping, the small gray male bleeding heavily from his face and back- part of his muzzle ripped open to show parts of his teeth.
Yes. Good.
She was treading forward, still growling, fire still burning deep in her eyes. They saw it. She knew they did. They scrambled. The smaller red male was quicker, BUT she caught the back leg of the larger one, crunching hard down onto his bone and taking a sick satisfaction in his weak yelp. She released him after, watching all the mutts scramble away.
Go. Go tell your pack. Tell them how I shredded you all to pieces. That this place is MARKED.
She met eyes with Jinu, huddled by the tree she threw him against first. She left no rage unclear- the last time they met, she thought he understood. No. But now he did.
She bared her whole mouth. Stay away.
He whined and limped off after his crew.
The deadly silence that followed had her resetting her brain a few times before she smelled the blood again.
This time, Mira AND Zoey's.
Her head whipped around to see them leaning against each other and the tree from before, weapons still in their arms but not raised.
But their faces.
Both shocked, both tired, both sets of their eyebrows creased.
Worry and fear permeated the air, their scents full of uncertainty as they looked at her. Of course they would be, she was shifted, fully, claws and teeth and fur and-
She finally whined at the pain spread over her body. Felt the lingering ache of fresh bites across her legs and back. The bloody stick of fur against her right shoulder and left hip. She wobbled a bit and, without thinking, took a step toward them.
Zoey raised her throwing knives, stance tensing.
No. No please. Don't. I can help. My girls.
She whined again, shaking her head and stepping backwards a few steps. Zoey relaxed.
Good. I'm sorry. I know I'm too much like this.
She wanted more than anything to rush forward, lick at their wounds. Stop the bleeding. Carry Mira gently home, her form so fit for the task. But she would scare them. And that was almost worse.
They needed her to be Rumi . Not… this .
She took another step back when Zoey grunted and both girls collapsed. Her ears perked up and she unconsciously whined at their pain.
Zoey was panicked, looking at the pale form of Mira and then the Dark, dangerous eyes of the beast. For a moment, she seemed unsure, but then leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed.
“You helped get rid of them. Now… help her live.” Her knives were still in her other hand, but Rumi knew what that meant.
Save her. Please save her. Be good, be the wolf I hope you are.
She bolted forward, pausing for only a moment to listen to Zoey's heart beating so close and smell the concern washing over. Then she moved down and nipped at Mira's shirt, pulling her upwards slowly.
Gentle. She had to be gentle. Had to- use her body.
She groaned, willing her shift to ease, for her movement to extend-
Her body shrank, just a bit, her legs elongated behind her into more human form, her arms changing into clawed, elongated things. She tucked her paws shakily below Mira's form…
And Zoey's.
The smaller girl squeaked, but then they were both tucked side by side in Rumi's arms.
Still not knowing it was her.
And she was running. Carefully but quickly, weaving through trees at a familiar rate, toward home. Toward the house. Toward their bonded place.
No. Her place. They weren't a part of it. Not really. Not how she dreamed them to be. How she wished to have her scent mingled so tightly with hers, how she wished to mark their bodies and souls with her wolf's mark. All the inner thoughts that didn't matter. They were hers, but the girls needed PROTECTION, not her wolf's ownership.
She could hear them both breathing, Zoey clinging onto Mira and sometimes looking up at her. Confusion was fading, and now it felt more like... wonder.
She slowed, cautiously, outside the house, making a noise in her chest as she set them down. Zoey was standing quickly, shuffling to try and lay Mira down in a good position.
“Hold on, Mir. Hold on for me.”
“ Rumi- ” Mira answered, shaking her head weakly
“Where’s- where's Rumi ?”
Zoey flinched, leaning down. “I don't know, Mir. I'm sorry. But I have to focus on you right now. Please hold on.” Zoey begged, stumbling upwards and towards the door, freezing and looking back at her.
Still a beast, but her eyes weren't afraid.
“You’ll… help us.” She managed, shoulders tight as she seemed to wait for an answer.
Rumi breathed slowly, glancing down at Mira, and gently holding her shoulder down so she would stop wriggling. Her eyes felt watery, and she looked back up with a huff of air.
Understand. I'm here. I'm with you.
Zoey opened her mouth to say something, glancing at Mira's weak body, then rushed inside. Presumably for the nearest medkit. Rumi shifted down, her wolf pathetic and begging to be closer.
Lick. Lick Wounds.
Not appropriate. But she did press her nose gently against Mira's uninjured side, letting her heartbeat and smell soothe her for a moment. Selfish, perhaps. But Mira was so weak. She'd never seen her this weak. Her heart could barely stand it. Violence still hummed in her veins. But she was here. Her girls were here. That is what mattered most.
She did feel her heartbeat slowing, a slight fear that it meant she'd detransform. Would that be a relief to her hearts? Or would that sense of betrayal wound them? She didn't know. But she couldn't leave. Not like this.
Not her girls.
She whined, choking it back as much as she could. Zoey returned, sliding to Mira's other side and murmuring sweet things to comfort. Rumi immediately reached and pulled gently on her arm and thigh, turning her upright enough for Zoey to be able to clean the wound on her back.
They moved around, shuffling and gently easing Mira into positions to help her, cleaning and wrapping to the best of their abilities. Rumi felt her form shrinking, but didn't stop.
She would detransform soon.
Zoey noticed.
Her eyes were more focused, meeting bright yellow, processing the human features starting to come back. “What… are you?”
She seemed shocked that she spoke, and tensed. “Who. I mean- I mean who? Where did you come from? Why- why help us? We're hunters.”
Rumi wanted to speak, but couldn't. Not yet. Instead, she shakily moved forward, pressing her nose against the girls cheek, and chuffed. Here. I'm here. I'm yours.
She whined as a pang of something hit her limbs. It wouldn't be long. She pulled away, grunting, and used her arms to shakily pull herself away from the girl, leaning into a post on the porch.
“Where- what are you-” Zoey was breathless, tired, nervous. All wrapped into one.
Rumi just shook her head and tried not to fight the pain of Detransformation. Her hands smoothing into humans’, her jaw shrinking back into place. Her eyes suddenly became darker and blinked. When her chest finally clicked back into place, she groaned and couldn’t open her eyes.
But she felt it. The eyes on her. Zoey's eyes. The smell of- something. She was too tired to think.
“I'm… sorry.” She managed before she blacked out.
***
When she blinked her eyes open next, she was looking at the ceiling. The ceiling in their living room. She was warm. So warm. Stiff, but also bandaged.
Her girls.
Even beaten to hell, she sat herself up, instinct to make sure they were okay overwhelming everything else. But hands were on her shoulder and holding her firm and still.
“Rumi...”
The voice was weak, tired, shaky, and strained. Zoey never sounded that way. She finally focused on the poor girl, eyes softening. Zoey looked messy, eyes red like she'd been crying, hands shaking as she tried to keep Rumi from moving.
Nothing could stop her from moving. She felt like she had bared everything, and all her emotions were spilling out of her chest. She took in a sharp breath and turned, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and hip to pull Zoey's hands close to her face. She just needed to smell. To feel her. For a moment.
Zoey made a small noise, and it snapped her from her stupor. She let her hands fall back down. “Zo- zoey- I-”
“I nearly lost you.” The girl managed, tears threatening at her eyes again. “Both of you. I was so scared, Rumi. They ambushed us- and you-” she paused, looking down at her hands intertwined. “I got Mira upstairs, but you're so much heavier, all that muscle, I'm sure…but- I could only drag you to the couch. You weren't moving. Barely breathing. Bleeding everywhere.”
She brought up her own arm to wipe at her eyes. “You were so STILL.”
She melted, moving forward and tucking herself into Zoey's neck. The girl stiffened for a moment before sobbing and leaning into her. Rumi felt a sense of relief.
I'm here. My girl. I'm here for you. Shh…
She wanted to whisper these things, but bit her tongue, just pressing into her neck and breathing. Saying I’m here without having to speak such things out loud.
“You- you’re-”
“I always have been,” Rumi answered, soft, as if that truth would break them. “I'm sorry. For lying. I couldn't- I couldn't risk it.”
“You saved us. You came for us.” It sounded like disbelief.
“I always will.” Rumi managed, almost a growl. How had she let them doubt that? Think for even a moment that they weren't under her protection. “ Always. Human or wolf.”
“You were… larger. Than other wolves.” Curiosity peeked into her tone, and Zoey pulled back, trying to meet Rumi's eyes. “I- I'm just-”
“I would never hurt you,” Rumi said first, eyes watering. “I know I was scary, like that. I know what I LOOK like. But I wouldn't. I swear. I could smell it. The blood, the wolves, I lost it. I wanted- no, I mean-” she shook her head. “I needed to get to you. I'm sorry it frightened you.”
Zoey blinked, then furrowed her brows. “What? Rumi, that's not- I mean-” she shifted, scooting a bit closer. “I mean, yes, obviously at first I was frightened… but… You helped us. Carried us home. Helped me get Mira patched up.” She squeezed Rumi's hands. “By the end, I was much more scared FOR you than OF you.”
Rumi didn't believe her for a moment, but Zoey looked at her- really looked at her. “You… but I’m- I'm what we hunt. I'm-”
“You're Rumi. You're OUR Rumi. That comes first. Always has. This? This isn't even an obstacle- Rumi I SAW you.” She leaned forward. “I saw you come to our defense. I saw you hesitate because we were afraid. I saw you carry us home. And I saw you use every ounce of willpower to help us.” She breathed out, eyes downward. “And I saw you collapse, bloody, because you fought so hard for us to live.”
She whined without meaning to, and Zoey snapped her head up to be met with teary eyes.
“I thought they'd killed you. Killed Mira. Taken you from me.” A weak growl gurgled from her throat. “I- I couldn't- I can't lose you. Either of you. You're the two pieces of my heart. My soul. I can't live without you.” She was whimpering then, pressing her face back into Zoey’s hands. “I could pretend before that the wolf wasn't mine. But you know now. And it's STRONGER. And it yearns for you. Whines when you're gone, wags when you come back. Purrs like a cat when you've allowed me any amount of closeness. So I can't- I can't do anything else but live and die for you. For Mira.”
Her eyes widened when the name spilled out of her mouth. “Mira. She's upstairs- Zo-”
Her chest was tight. She needed both of them, needed to see them, hear them, smell them. Know they were still here. She lurched upwards, but Zoey was still gripping her hands.
“Rumi-”
“Please. Please, my heart. I need- I- can we go to her?” She sounded pathetic. The kind of weak, pathetic wolf Celine always told her she was. That's why she's kept it secret from her birth. Wolves were strong creatures when they could be, but blubbering weak pups any other time. Instincts were a hindrance on duty.
“Okay, okay, Ru- just- breathe. Walk slowly- I don't want you to start bleeding again-” she stood up, hands shakily finding the edges of Rumi's bandages. “Please. For me.”
She nodded, begging her heartbeat to slow and letting Zoey lead her upstairs, every step getting her closer to the soft, cool smell Mira always had. Despite the smell of medicine and blood, it still urged her forward. She gripped softly at Zoey's hand, needing her too.
Mira was face down in the bed, Zoey's bed, specifically. Hers was the closest to the stairs. Their scents were mixing satisfyingly in the air, and with her hand still in Zoey's, she rounded the bed and kneeled at Mira's side, reaching to run delicate fingers over Mira's knuckles.
The girl breathed, one eye barely cracking open. Rumi felt immediate relief in her chest and turned silently to Zoey. The smaller girl smiled and knelt beside her.
“Ru…?” Mira managed. Zoey shushed her and ran a hand over her shoulder, avoiding the bandages.
“She's here, Mir. We both are. We're all okay.” She glanced at Rumi again, then back at Mira. “She wanted to see you.”
Mira's hand twitched, flipping and grabbing at Rumi's, catching the poor girl by surprise. “You- you scared me. Thought… thought they-” Mira was struggling, throat dry.
“No, no, my heart. No one could take me from you.” She blurted, setting her head on the edge of the bed and suppressing the pathetic noises in the back of her throat. “I wouldn't leave you like this. Nothing could stop me.”
The taller girl huffed, winced, then relaxed, opening her eyes again. “Not even five aggressive Werewolves?”
“Not even 10 aggressive Werewolves,” she answered, voice quieter. “Not even twenty. Thirty. I'd come back to you.”
“That's stupid,” Mira responded, chuckling but wincing again. “Shit, hate that it's all over my back. Can't even- can't even breathe right.”
Zoey ran a gentle hand over the two hands already clasped together, all three of their hands touching now. “You'll heal. You heal fast. Just- take it easy, Mir. Please.”
Rumi had her attention on the smaller girl again, and pulled her hand away from where she held it at their sides, and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her in tight and furrowing into her neck. “We won't push ourselves, Zo. All of us. Resting. Don't worry.” She nuzzles into her skin without thinking, trying to get the poor girl to relax. She'd cried enough. Worried enough. Hurt enough.
“Ru-”
“Please relax. Please trust me. I'll watch over you. Both of you.” Rumi begged, willing the worry in both of them to dissipate.
“No, Rumi, that's not-” Zoey huffed, almost a laugh. “You're tickling my neck.”
The girl pulled away, eyes wide. “I'm sorry- I don’t- it's the wolf. I mean, not like- I just- you look like you need rest, Zo. You're not- I guess my mind is a bit all over the place. I'm anxious. The wolf is anxious.”
Zoey shook her head and wrapped her arm around Rumi's shoulders, pulling her back into her neck. “We are all a bit fried right now. Sensitive.” Her fingers curled and traced comforting lines down Rumi's neck. “I can rest now. We can all rest now.”
They stayed like that for several minutes before Zoey sighed, pulling herself away and crawling into the bed, careful to lie on the opposite side of Mira. Rumi watched for a moment, her head lying sideways on the Mattress and watching her girls.
“Rumi, come up here,” Mira grunted, reaching out again. Brushing Rumi's neck by accident. “Why are you on the floor?”
Rumi tensed. “I- I don't want to crowd you. I'm okay.”
“Nonsense,” Zoey muttered, already half asleep. “We want you here. C’mon.”
She hesitated still, but couldn't tell her girls no, so she shakily climbed up, slow and cautious, lying on her side with several inches in between her and Mira. Much to the girls' clear displeasure. She huffed again, grabbing at Rumi's shirt. “Rumi, if you don't COME. OVER. HERE.”
She smiled, for the first time since everything went down, and scooted forward, Mira's arm landing wrapped around her ribs and Rumi's head lying on the pillow above hers. “Sorry, Mir.”
Mira grumbled, relaxing back into the bed.
Rumi didn't. She didn't relax, didn't let herself sleep. Just stayed, breathing them in. Watching them. Steady breathing, heartbeats, and calm, soothing scents that made her feel like she'd done it. They were safe. The scars, the pain, the worry- it was all worth it.
They didn't flinch away.
Zoey had barely even blinked, determined to let her know that Rumi was still Rumi. Their Rumi, she'd said.
Of course, she was theirs. Wholly. Whatever they needed, wanted, or could ever ask for. Her wolf would go back to battle. Rip and tear, be torn. And her human? She would be this- soft, gentle, holding them for comfort. Being whatever they needed. She'd meant what she said to Zoey earlier-
“You came for us.”
“Always will. Human or wolf.”
She did close her eyes after several hours, as morning faded into afternoon. But she didn't sleep. Couldn't. Just listened, just felt. Enjoyed the peace. Fragile as it felt. Fear still at the edges of her mind, her chest, her soul. They still wanted her here, but that didn't mean they wanted her. Didn't mean they wanted all of her. That was okay. It hurt, but it was okay. She wasn't that greedy.
She just needed them safe.
***
Zoey woke up first. She heard it in the shift of breathing. A soft huff. Then she was sitting up, holding her bandaged arm and yawning. Rumi's eyes were open, watching her lazily.
“Does your arm hurt badly?” She asked, slow and gentle. Zoey turned to her, eyes still sleepy.
“My arm?”
“How bad is it?” She clarified, trying not to sound whiny about it.
“A scratch. Nothing, really. Not compared to you and Mira. It stings still, but… I put the right stuff on it.” She blinked a few times. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Couldn't.” She answered simply.
Zoey frowned. “What? Why?”
She hadn't expected her to question it. “I- I just couldn't. I closed my eyes for a bit. Just… couldn't sleep.”
“You deserve to. You, of all of us.” Zoey was slipping out of the bed and walking around to the other side, still rubbing her eyes. “Can I help you sleep?”
Rumi opened and closed her mouth a few times. “You- no, Zoey. You're okay. It isn't about deserving, I just- you didn't have to get up, my heart.” She flinched when it slipped out of her mouth. She'd called her that several times now. Her and Mira. Had they noticed? Today had been a bit of a blur.
Zoey smiled, shifting forward and crawling over her, straddling her hips and lying down on her chest. “I like that you call me that.”
Oh.
She couldn't breathe for a moment, then a shaky hand wrapped around Zoey's shoulder. “It's- instinct.”
“To call me your heart?”
Rumi flushed. “Yes.” Quiet, nervous.
“Did you mean it, though?” Zoey questioned, shifting a bit to have her head more on Rumi's uninjured shoulder. “What you said. That… that me and Mira are both a piece of your heart?” it was whispered against her skin, and Rumi shivered.
“I’ve said and done a lot of things today. It's blurred together a bit.” She tried to laugh, but it came out dry. “I- I was still more wolf when I said that. I still feel more wolf than human.”
“Does that make it less true?”
She breathed in and out a few times, nervously flicking the sleeve of Zoey's shirt before managing an answer. “No. Not really. I just- wouldn't have said it out loud if I didn't- if I wasn’t-”
“How long have you… not said it out loud?”
She was bare. She couldn't lie. Not to Zoey. Not to half of her heart.
“Forever.”
Silence fell between them, and for a moment that horrible fear clenched tight in her chest, that she'd said too much, been too honest. That somehow Zoey would rise up and disappear, disgusted. It wasn't rational. But she wasn't very rational right now.
Zoey lifted her torso, looking down at Rumi now with something in her eyes Rumi didn't want to trust. The soft hand on her chest. The movement of a thumb moving in circles.
“And is that just your wolf? Or is it you?” she asked, sounding far too out of breath to not send a dark feeling to Rumi's chest.
Another small silence, but not the same as before. Not scary. Patient. Zoey wanted an answer, an honest one, and Rumi wouldn't deny her. She just had to word it right.
“Both.” She finally breathed. “The wolf, and the human. Both. All of me.” She swallowed thickly, wanting to shift her increasingly anxious body to relieve the buzzing under her skin. “The wolf knew first- immediately. And… it wasn't long after that that I accepted it. But I couldn't- wouldn't allow myself to think-”
Zoey's hand moved to her neck, a finger gently tracing upwards from her clavicle, to her throat, to her jaw, slowly wrapping around her cheek as Zoey looked at her with a different emotion. Rumi whined, hands shooting to Zoey's hips and words fumbling out of her. “Zoey-”
“Shut up.” She said, voice low, quiet, and full of sadness. “Shut up. Stop.”
She snapped her jaw shut, hating the tears pricking at her eyes in response to the same thing in Zoey's. Those shaky eyes looking at her, seeing her.
“You could've let yourself think, Rumi.” She finally said, thumb reverently brushing across the apple of her cheek. “Think you could feel this. Think you deserved it. I- I'm sorry we made you think you had to hide.”
She tried to open her mouth, but Zoey furrowed her brows, covering her lips with her hand, firmer against her face to keep her quiet. “I don't want your excuses. I don't want reasons; I don't want begging for me to let it go. I don't want to let go. I don't need you to say you're okay. I don't need you to lie and try to play this all off. You kept yourself from us. We made you afraid, to be honest. You never should have felt that way.”
Rumi shook her head, lifting a hand to grip at Zoey's wrist, gentle as she could ever have managed. The girl's face softened, and she let Rumi pull it away. Rumi's eyes were shaky with emotion. “It was never about how you made me feel, Zoey. It was about protecting you. Everything I've ever done, even the lies, the containment, it was to keep you safe. I never would have let you see me if I hadn't had to. And it was never how you made me feel. I'm safe with you. I know that. I've always known that. But hiding? That was about not dragging you into that life- of knowing everything I suffered. Of worrying you. It was never fear. Not of you. It was fear FOR you.” She breathed out, and with everything else out now, turned and closed her eyes, pressing Zoey's wrist to her mouth, breathing in her scent, and placing a practically worshipful kiss against her veins. “I couldn't let either of you hurt for my sake.”
“You don't get to make those choices for me. For me or for Mira.” Zoey said, firm but quiet, hand shaking in Rumi's grip. “We love you. We've loved you. Love means sharing your burdens. No matter how heavy. Love means not keeping us away. Love means hurting, because love hurts you. It always does, no matter how good it is.” Zoey leaned forward, hips shifting. “You carry the hurt together. Because of love. You carried it for so long without us, didn't you? You did. But you didn't have to. You never did.”
Rumi was shaking, meeting Zoey's eyes again.
“Thank you.” Zoey kept on, emotion staining every syllable. “Thank you for carrying it. But you don't have to, not alone. Not anymore.”
“Zoey-”
Zoey moved towards her at an unexplainable speed, turning her face and pressing their lips together with a stuttered sigh. Rumi felt her whole being shudder, and her hand was at the back of Zoey's neck the next second, a shaky whimper sputtering out of her at the contact.
Yes… Yes, my heart. Come home. Come home to me.
She kissed back, greedily, maybe. She didn't want to fight it. Zoey certainly didn't either.
Her head was turning, small hands holding her throat and jaw with such tender care it made Rumi whimper, over and over, but Zoey didn't seem to mind. She was returning it with as much want.
Soft licks against her lips made her shiver again, and her hold on Zoey's waist tightened. A low, grumbling growl emerged from her throat, causing Zoey’s breath to hitch as Rumi returned the licks much heavier, mouths finally opening for each other as she lost herself in the heat, the want, the need .
But only half of her heart was hers. She tensed, a sliver of guilt tugging her away, holding Zoey's face with shaky hands. “Mira-” she manages, Zoey's eyes meeting hers for only a split second before-
“I want to kiss you too.” A small voice came from beside her, a flush overwhelming her cheeks. Mira's eye was cracked open. “Just, not able to like this. Not until my back is better.”
Rumi whined, smaller, and reached one hand to land gently against her other heart's cheek, the angle not quite right, but Mira sighed with just a bit of relief.
“I'm sorry.” Rumi managed, throat still tight.
“Not your fault,” Mira grunted, breath stuttering as Rumi's warm hand traced around her face. “Probably would've been worse if not for you, actually. So.”
She hated the thought, but loved the attempt at soothing her anxiety. She let her eyes flutter close at the weight of it. Of her girls, both of them, this close. Zoey was tucking herself into her neck again, also reaching out to touch Mira's face.
“You're both so sappy.” The injured girl said after a while of them petting at her face, but her voice was sleepy and without real bite to it.
She was quick to fall back asleep, but Rumi still watched, felt. Zoey was tugging at her gently. “You need sleep.”
“I need you.” She answered without a thought, blanking and turning with a flush. “I mean-” she sputtered a bit. “I mean just- i- I'm okay-”
Zoey giggled and moved to place a sweet kiss on her nearest eyelid. “Well, you have me. Now sleep. Sleep with me. Rest. Please?”
She let out a sigh, turning to nuzzle into Zoey's hair. “As you wish.”
Zoey huffed and shook her head, but settled back down.
***
It feels like they're sleeping nonstop. For days.
Nearly four days after Rumi woke up the first time, Zoey and Mira aren't there when she wakes up, and it makes her whimper without a second thought. It eases quickly when her nose picks up both their scents downstairs.
It's not even a question that she's down the stairs as fast as possible, wincing once for the ache in her hip but not caring as her girls came back into sight.
Mira was sitting shirtless on the table, Zoey carefully unwrapping her bandages, no longer bloody but still necessary to keep the cuts clean. Rumi was quiet, as if she would disturb the moment, when Mira winced, turned, and caught sight of her over her shoulder.
“Rumi-”
Zoey turned too, face breaking into a soft smile. “You could've stayed in bed, love.”
Her heart melted, and she shook her head, moving closer. “Not without you.” She sat down next to Mira, one of her hands finding the injured girl, and looking back at Zoey. “Can I help?”
Zoey softened, smiling and nodding, handing off the bandages she'd already removed. “Keep undoing them. I'll gather the cleaning stuff from upstairs.” She was up on her feet and walking back toward the stairs when Rumi turned around and followed instructions, delicately unwrapping Mira's torso.
It was silent for only a few seconds before Mira was talking.
“Y'know… you were kinda badass.”
Rumi paused, before continuing. “…what?”
“As the wolf.” Mira clarified, hissing again when a piece of bandage caught, but forcing herself to relax so Rumi could finish. “I mean, half dead, and I couldn't even help but gawk. You were nearly twice their size. The way you tossed that black one- shit, you MUST'VE broken a bone. Like- in his leg.”
“I was aiming to kill,” Rumi responded automatically, a low tone that nearly formed a growl. “I- He hurt you.”
Mira paused, then spoke again: “Well, actually, it was the gray one that got my back. But, y'know. They all intended to kill us.” She breathed out as the final wrap around came off. Rumi hadn't realized she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Well, obviously. Her back had claw marks all over it. Not really appropriate to put on a bra.
But her smell invaded Rumi's nose and before she could think- which was happening a lot- she was pressing her nose and mouth to the edge of Mira's shoulder, fluttering her eyes closed.
“...Rumi?”
She bolted upright. “Sorry.”
Mira had one raised eyebrow, lips twitching into a smirk. “Sorry for?”
She flushed, whining instinctively and whipping her head down, trying to submit as an apology. Shit. “Sorry for smelling you?”
The other girl furrowed her brows, turning with a wince to reach out. “Ru-”
“I'm having trouble with all the intrusive wolf thoughts. But that's not an excuse. I can do better. Be better. Behave-” She shrank a little more. “I won't do it again.”
Mira's eyes softened, and she turned all the way around, ignoring the pain in her back and reaching to pull Rumi's face back up, hands gentle on her cheeks. “Rumi, you didn't do anything wrong. You don't have to ‘be better’ or ‘behave’. Wolves scent each other. It's natural. I'm not offended. Actually-” she smirked. “-maybe I'm a bit flattered that you like how I smell so much.”
Rumi had to laser focus on Mira's eyes, because- chest. And tensed her shoulders. Her mouth opened but quickly closed again. She closed her eyes. “Yeah?”
Mira giggled. “You're so bashful, Rumi. We've changed in front of each other so many times.”
“Not like this. It's different now,” she muttered, fighting the urge to rip her head away and face downwards again. Something clearly wolf-related.
“Yeah?” Mira asked, thumb caressing Rumi's cheek.
The other girl nearly choked. She sputtered for a moment before opening her eyes again. “Yes.”
Rumi didn't even get to blink before Mira pressed her lips against hers. It didn't last long, not like the semi-heated and emotionally loaded kiss she'd shared with Zoey several days ago, but it still sent her head spinning.
Home. My home. Here with me.
When Mira pulled away, just enough for Rumi to feel her smiling against her lips, Mira spoke quietly. “I like different.”
“Man, I leave you guys alone for like, three minutes.” Zoey scoffed.
Rumi shot back onto the couch, flushed, eyes wide like a spooked animal. “I-”
“Oh, hush. You got to kiss her the other day.” Mira huffed, leaning back on her hands but wincing as her back pulled tight. “Shit, I gotta remember I'm wounded.”
“You really do.” Zoey huffed, moving to sit next to Rumi again. “Turn around so we can get you wrapped up again,” while Mira scooted to turn back away from them, Zoey turned to Rumi. A silent question.
Are you okay?
She didn't know. Didn't know if these feelings were what okay felt like. She felt- disarmed. She felt wanted . She felt AFRAID. She felt- needy.
Like one kiss wasn't enough. One touch. Not enough. She wanted to curl into them. Be surrounded. She wanted to be sure that they meant what they were saying- but was afraid if she asked, they'd make her regret it. That inescapable fear that she was WRONG.
She just nodded. That was simpler.
Zoey didn't believe her. She saw it in how her mouth pulled tight and her eyebrows tensed a tad lower than they had been. But she looked away, back to Mira. “I'm gonna start on the left side, if you'll go from the right. Gently, obviously. But make sure all the marks are covered.” She set some kind of salve between them and began tenderly covering the gash on Mira's left shoulder.
Instructions. She could do that. She followed Zoey's lead, except starting on the right side, at the thin point of the scratch.
Several minutes passed in soft silence, Mira flinching but breathing out in relief as the salve soaked in. Rumi relaxed as it went, comfort in both of them being here. That's all she needed. Existence. The smell of salve sadly buried the scents of the two girls next to her.
Mira's arms relaxed the further they got, the salve cool against her skin. It burned at first, but numbed the pain a bit soon afterward.
The girl glanced over her shoulder with a sleepy smirk. “My heroes.”
“If being a hero means seeing you hurt, I think I'll pass.” Zoey muttered, smoothing a batch of salve over the end of the final scratch mark. “You're so whiny. And I hate seeing you in pain.”
“Trust me, these are not something I'm aiming to feel again. Though if anything, they will scar pretty wicked. You can't tell me it's not hot to have giant werewolf scratches in your skin.”
“It's not the mark I wanted for you,” Rumi grumbled, pausing her hand movement to furrow her brows as she studied the scratch. “I'll have to think of them every time I see it. Instead of-” she froze, that line of thinking was definitely inappropriate and poorly timed. Thankfully, the phone began ringing in the other room. She stood straight up. “I'll get-”
“Don't.” Mira hissed, turning to Rumi with such anger in her eyes that Rumi wanted to shrink.
Zoey didn't seem phased, and actually looked up too. “It's no one worth talking to.”
Rumi tilted her head in question. They didn't get random calls to the house. Who would-
Mira groaned, apparently recognizing Rumi's line of thinking, and turned away. “It's Celine.”
The girl froze, heartbeat shuddering softly into her ears as she felt her whole being shrink. Celine.
Zoey read the look on her face and chose to explain. “She's been calling all day today and yesterday. We've picked up, but she just starts- starts on and on about how stupid you are, how weak and foolish. She just started shit talking you like we are supposed to agree with her. We've been letting it ring since yesterday afternoon. She can rot.” The smaller girl reached over to grab Rumi's hand. “We don't need her. We have each other."
Rumi glanced down at the hand, which was soon joined by a third, more hesitant one. Mira had turned back around, torso still bare.
“I-” she needed to say something. Needed to soothe them. The flush of anger flooded her nostrils, and she whined at not having her first instinct be to agree with them. “I won't. Answer it.” She sat back down.
Zoey was looking at her again, eyes gentle. Mira looked up, gaze more intense.
“What are you thinking, Rumi?” The taller girl managed, lips pulled tight into a line. “You look like something's on your mind. Talk to us.”
She breathed, grateful and disappointed that they could read her so well. “I have a lot on my mind. But I guess- besides Celine, it's mostly about- where we go from here. Us.” She let her hand twitch nervously in their grasp. “You've both- kissed me.”
“We have.” Zoey stared, like Rumi needed the verification. Maybe she did.
“What does that mean for us? I just- I'm not-” she tried to breathe. “It's hard for me, being so open. My whole chest feels raw, because I'm not hiding the big thing anymore. So everything else feels small, but then my mind reacts like it still is-”
“When you start going against what you're used to, it's hard,” Mira explained. “Think about how sometimes people end up learning something the wrong way- all the time. And relearning it the right way is incredibly difficult. It takes time. It takes patience.” She squeezed Rumi's hand. “And it takes support. All three of which you have, right here, with us.”
“I think-” Zoey began, looking between the two girls. “We've forgotten how intertwined we have always been. Never more than hunters, not at first glance. But always more than friends. When you look at us.” She leaned forward, looking into Rumi's eyes that were shaking with emotion. “I can't speak for either of you. But I know what this means to me. And I don't want to keep on letting you think it doesn't mean as much as it does to me.” She paused again. “You mean everything. Everything to me. I love you. Both of you. And it's as easy as- no, not even. It's easier than breathing. It's right. It's where I know I'm meant to be.”
Rumi's heart soars while her stomach drops. It's a strange emotion, pulled from her very core. But her inner wolf is preening.
My home. My heart. Easier than breathing. You love me. I'm right here, and everything you need.
“Love has never been… easy for me.” Mira interrupted, both girls snapping towards the girl. She still looked smaller than she should, hunched and half-naked on the table. “I never felt like I understood it. But- “ she met each of their eyes, flicking between them. “I know I would trust you. Both of you. With anything. Explicitly. It's the closest to love I know how to give. Even if it seems like I know- like I know how to love you without thinking so hard my head explodes. Love for me is scary. But I trust you both to catch me.”
Rumi choked on her own throat, tears threatening her eyes as a pathetic, whining gasp escaped her. Both her hearts turned to her, concerned, before she shuffled forward, kneeling on the floor and pulling their hands forward close to her face. Without even needing to think, she was kissing both of their knuckles, whining softly as she tried to get her voice back to speak. One more shaky breath, and then- “I would do anything for you. That is the scary thing. I've known, our whole life together is the only life I've ever needed. You're my life. Without you, nothing makes sense. It's lonely, and cold, and… what would I be? I Love you. Both of you. So much that my being can't fathom not having you. I lost my mind when I thought you were gone. Violent, pure rage. I wanted to kill. To rip. To tear their flesh until they'd paid the price.” She was growling with every syllable, and forced herself to reset.
“I told you, that first morning, Zoey- that you two are my heart. Two pieces that keep my blood pumping and my body functioning. I meant it. I meant it. I can't function without you. I wouldn't want to. It's such a heavy thing to say, something I've carried so far buried within me that I can't help it now. I'll give you both my everything. Because that's what you are, my everything. ” She nuzzles into Mira’s palm, eyes glancing up while nervous energy fills her. She wanted to faint at the look in her heart's eyes. “If that means waiting, if that means moving forward, if it means taking it slow. I will do it. I'll prove to you that I mean it.”
Mira was quiet, before her face shifted into an emotion Rumi couldn't read. But her scent was flooded with sadness, gratitude, and love. Even if Mira didn't know to call it that yet.
The smell alone had her melting forward, and she was then lying on Mira’s lap, breathing heavily while squeezing at Zoey's hand and pulling it toward her mouth to kiss along her wrist. She couldn't form words anymore. Not in the heaviness In what they'd all said.
But Zoey did. Zoey was good at words, no matter how tense things were.
“I love you two.” She started quietly. “Love how you love. How Mira will give me every ounce of patience she has, and will listen to me even when I don't make sense. How you- Rumi, how you'll always be at my side. You always were. Before us- nothing made sense. I didn't have anywhere I felt at home. But I do now. And the thought of losing that, of- of really I almost lost that , had me a mess.” Tears were falling down her cheeks, Mira and Rumi both quick to shoot upwards and cup half of her face each, wiping them away. “I don't want to leave that unsaid anymore.
Rumi let out a breath when Mira pressed a gentle kiss to Zoey's cheek, and she moved forward to copy her on the other side, small breathy whimpers pushing out of her without her meaning to.
They stayed like that, pressed into each other, breathing, and just holding the precious thing they now shared.
Love.
And Rumi had it. Messy or not. She had it now.
When it hit her, really hot her, she made a low sound in her throat and nuzzled into Zoey's neck. The giggle in response was immediate, and Zoey grabbed at her face to pull her away. “You've always been so nervous to touch us. Now you're like a… all over us.”
Rumi flushed, breathing out. “I like how you smell. I like how we smell together.” Her fear was barely a tinge at the back of her mind. “You're warm. And soft. And I like touching you.”
Zoey's hands were gently caressing her face then.
Mira chuckled. “Well, at least you're saying it now. You're allowed to. We can learn about your ‘ wolf ’ behaviors as we go.” Mira's hand came to run gently over her forehead. “But it should be noted all these little snuggly instincts you have? They're not a problem in the least. We don't mind you being close.”
“It makes me feel selfish.” She admitted.
“You're not. You're the least selfish person I know, Ru. Especially since this? You've had to hide this ? And you did it for us. We don't want you hiding anymore. Even if you're a little weird.” Mira smiled softly, thumb brushing against her hairline while Zoey nodded in agreement.
For a long moment, she was silent, her mind processing the permission. But her body relaxed for her without her even trying, still half in both of their laps. Her eyes fluttered, but she fought to keep them open, watching both of her girls with unmatched affection. She didn't need to say it. They knew. And they softened right back, hands holding her.
As if she were the most important thing in their lives.