Page 31 of Bound

I glance over to where she’s still lying in the cave entrance and grind my jaw in agitation. She looks miserable. It’ll take time, but I’m determined that eventually I’ll get her to crave my company. I’ll make her so happy that she can’t imagine a day without me.

“All right, Blue, time for a bath!” I rub my hands together, trying to feign excitement, but she doesn’t even lift her head as her eyes move in my direction. Maddox walks over to her and gestures toward the rest of us as we start heading down the trail.

“Come on, little wolf, we aren’t going without you.” She lifts her head and stares at him for a full thirty seconds before she finally gets up, practically dragging her feet as she follows me at a snail's pace. She takes her sweet time walking to the pond. Luckily, it isn’t too far.

When we get there, Gage asks if she wants to bathe, but she shakes her head and moves to lie down on a patch of grass under a nearby tree. He looks at me and I shrug, then take my clothes off so I can jump in the water.

We’re not going to force her to bathe. She hasn’t done anything to get dirty since her last bath, anyway. And to force a wolf who can’t swim into the water when she’s already skittish… that right there is a recipe for disaster.

I dive in and swim underwater to the waterfall. That’s the best part of this place for sure. The water is cool and refreshing,but not cold. I scrub my hands through my hair and notice Hunter and Gage on either side of me.

“This place is nice, but I like our pond better,” I say with a sigh as I scrub my body. Bain steps through the waterfall to the cave-like place underneath. I follow him in and look around. It isn’t huge, but we can all stand under here, out of the spray.

“I can’t wait to sleep in a real bed,” Hunter says, stepping beside me to observe the cave.

“Do you think she’ll like our home?” I ask nobody in particular as I glance back at the waterfall. I can’t see through it to spot her, but I know she’s not going to move from where she’s lying until we make her walk back with us.

“It’s hard to say. We don’t know anything about her human side. We barely know her wolf side,” Gage mutters.

“I wonder what she looks like.” I haven’t really considered it before because it doesn’t matter. If she’s my mate, I’ll think she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.

“She probably has bright red hair,” Maddox says as he joins us. Our wolf’s color doesn’t always transfer to our human form, but in strong colors like black or red, it often shows in some way.

“It doesn’t matter what she looks like,” Gage says, shaking his head. “The first thing I want to know is her name.”

How is it possible we still don’t know that?I wonder if it’ll suit her.

“We could probably figure it out by asking her to respond to guessing letters,” Gage adds thoughtfully.

“I would have agreed with you a day ago, but I have a feeling we won’t get much from her right now,” Maddox says with a sigh. “On that note, how do you all feel about asking her to come back home with us today?” He looks at each of us as we all glance at one another.

Hunter replies first. “I think it’s a good idea.Things aren’t going great as they are right now, and I do think it will help her connect more with her human side.”

“But it’s not like her human side is… missing,” Gage adds. “If anything, her human side is more present than her wolf side.”

“What do you mean?” Bain asks, leaning back against the side wall.

“Think about it. Her actions and reactions have all been purely human. She only eats cooked meat, like a human. She’s skittish and scared most of the time, like a human. She doesn’t growl or show teeth at all. She gets emotional and she cries… actualtears.” Yeah, none of us are going to forget the sight of her wolf shedding tears anytime soon.

“I see what you’re saying…” Maddox starts. “But what does that mean?”

“I’m not sure. But I don’t think the issue is that her human side can’t get out. I think her two sides may have merged. She can’t push her human side to the front because it’s already there. To shift, she’s going to have to tap into something else,” Gage answers thoughtfully.

“What?” I ask, unsure what it could be.

“I don’t know.” He sighs, scrubbing a hand over his head in frustration. “Maybe when we get back, I can consult with some shifter doctors to see what they think?”

Bain lets out a growl. “I don’t like the idea of other males being around her.”

“Well, what do we do, leave her as she is?” Gage asks, throwing his arms out in exasperation.

“Okay, this is getting us nowhere,” Maddox says, taking control of the conversation. “The question right now is, should we ask her to come back to our house? Hands up for yes.”

Hunter and I throw our hands up first. Slowly, Maddox and Gage follow, then we all turn to Bain. He glares at eachof us for a moment before he lets out a sigh and raises his hand.

“Okay, as soon as we’re back at the campsite, I’ll ask her,” Maddox says with a determined glint in his eyes.

“What do you think your uncle will say?” Hunter asks, making him frown as he looks away.