Rescuing His Captive Mate: Saving The Future Luna

Chapter 98 - Artem - Shifting Back

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Artem

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Star looked at me with that apprehensive look she was still wearing and asked me something in a serious voice.

'Can I shift back now?' The nerves in her voice were making her words shake.

"Yes, by all means, go ahead." Doc encouraged her, a smile on his face and a nonchalant and carefree attitude guiding his behavior.

"IN THE BATHROOM!" I shouted, my heart racing from the thought of her shifting back here where Doc could see her. What the hell had that man been thinking, tell her to shift out here.

'What's the problem?' She looked at me with a worried look after my outburst, almost as if she were afraid.

"If you shift back you will not have any clothes, you will be naked and I don't want you doing that out here." I personally would love that view, but I'd be damned if I let Doc see it. He's seen enough of her body already.

'Really?' There was genuine fear in her eyes now. 'I will go in there then.' She turned and started to walk away but then she suddenly stopped, her head dipping low like she was scared. 'Um, Artem, h-how do I sh-shift back?' I had never heard a wolf stutter before but it sounded so cute that all I wanted to do was smile. Too bad this wasn't the proper time to smile and laugh.

"It can be difficult the first time. I can imagine that it's scary. I will probably have to guide you through it."

'Guide me?' There was a lot of apprehension in that one simple sentence and her voice shook with fear.

"It's me or Doc. I promise I won't look at anything. I will keep my eyes closed."

'Is there no other way?' She still looked nervous. 

"You can wait until your body shifts back naturally. It might take a few hours though." How would she feel if she had to wait that long for her body to become hers again? Just so recently she was a slave to someone else, and now she was potentially a slave to her wolf.

'I don't want it to take that long.' She looked at me imploringly then, her resolve firming. 'Will you help me Artem?' I detected fear and apprehension in her voice, like she wanted help but was not certain she would get it.

"Anytime." I tried to give her a sweet smile as I followed her into the bathroom, but I couldn't help but think that I had failed at that.

I followed Star into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. The bathroom was large and had more than enough room for a large wolf and me with lots of extra space. Star had walked toward the middle of the area, near the large tub that was in the middle of the space. When she stopped moving forward she turned to look at me.

'I'm nervous.' Star was looking at the tiled floor instead of at me.

"I know." I rubbed my hand through my hair as I looked away from her. "I know you're nervous, but there is no other way around it. And this isn't a reminder of my finest of moments, but I have seen it all before so it should be a little less embarrassing."

At those words Star the wolf lifted her front paw and put it over her face, across the eyes. 

'I'm still so sorry about that.' She sounded mortified. I shouldn't have mentioned anything. I really was an idiot.

"I'm sorry Star, I was trying to make you feel better about this, but I just made it worse didn't I?"

'It's not that, I'm just embarrassed because of the reaction I had. I'm sorry.'

"Let's forget that it ever happened, so we can get a move on with this, right."

'Alright.' She was still looking nervous, but I noticed a little less mortification on her green face, and at least I knew the green wasn't because she was sickened by the sight of me. OK, that little joke was almost enough to make even me groan, good thing she didn't hear it.

"I'm going to put my hand on your head now, alright. Then I am going to use that connection to help walk you through your shift. Eventually we can practice your shifting, so you can do it at will."

'OK, thank you Artem.'

"You don't have to thank me, Star, I love you and I would do anything for you." If she only knew the extent of what I had done for her already then she might be frightened by me. "Alright, close your eyes."

She did as I instructed as she sat on the floor before me. I put my hand on her head, right between her ears. I had been right about how soft her fur was. And I smiled when Star tilted her head to press it even further into my palm. She seemed to be enjoying it.

While I smiled down at her, I thought about Star in her human form and did my best to give her my strength.

"Now, think about the way you are in your human form. Think about your wolf legs returning to how they are in your human. Think about your hair changing color and returning to the brown that it normally is. Imagine yourself standing there as you would normally be when you're just looking in the mirror."

As I finished speaking I saw that the transformation was taking place, and it was happening quickly. One second she was standing there in front of me as a green wolf, the next she was sitting on the tiled floor completely naked.

I had to look away quickly. I had promised to close my eyes but had never gotten the chance to. She had shifted so fast once I had instructed her on what to do, I never expected to see her as a human again so soon.

"Is that all better?" I asked her, with apprehension in my voice. I didn't want to let her know I had seen her naked on the floor. I had felt that her head was back to so I could always pretend not to have noticed anything at all. 

"I think so." She pulled away from my hand and spoke like she was not certain of what she was saying. "I can't see any more fur, and I feel like myself again, but I am naked, just like you said."

"Yeah, the clothes you were wearing got destroyed when you changed, not that it consisted of much at that time anyway."

"Yeah, you're right, I was just wearing my underwear." She laughed like she was finding it all very funny.

I heard her get to her feet then and grab something but I was turned away from her so I couldn't see what it was.

"I-I'm going t-to go now." I wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could. I didn't want to hurt her anymore, emotionally or any other way.

"Artem?" She called my name and I stopped myself from taking the step I was in the middle of, instead I just put my foot down and continued looking away from her.

"Yeah Star?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be?" She was not making any sense now, what was going through that pretty little head of hers?

"You just seem to be acting weird right now, like you're upset about something." Goddess, she was killing me here. Didn't she know how hard this was on me. Didn't she know that I was fighting with myself for my very sanity and self control?

"I just want to respect you, Star. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. And this is very hard on me right now."

"Why is it hard on you?" I love her, I truly fucking love her with all of my heart, but sometimes I thought that this naivety of hers was going to kill me.

"Star, you're naked. You're naked and I am a man that loves you, everything about you. That means I love who you are as a person, your sweet, kindhearted nature. And I also love your body, the sexy way you look, the soft supple feeling of your body, all of it. I'm struggling here, Star, I really am. I want to be with you, I want everything I can get from you, but I refuse to scare or hurt you in any way."

"Artem." Her voice was soft and quiet, that sound of it made me think of someone who had learned the truth about something only to respond with, 'you silly boy'. What did she want from me? What was I supposed to do? Only time and words would tell.

"Artem?" She said my name, this time as a question. I almost turned around. I almost looked at her, but I fought the urge.

"Star?" I questioned her right back.

  "Artem, will you look at me?"