copy cat || paul lahote

paul muttered a breath of relief, his voice barely above a whisper, "you're okay."

nora stood frozen, her mind struggling to process the weight of those words. for so long, paul had kept his distance, pushing her away with sharp words and even sharper actions, as if proximity alone would shatter whatever fragile boundary he had built between them. and yet, here he was, his arms wrapped securely around her, his warmth enveloping her like a shield against the chaos around them. the shock of it paralysed her at first, her body stiff in his embrace, but as the seconds stretched between them, she let herself sink into him.

she hadn't realised how much she craved this, the simple yet overwhelming comfort of his touch. his scent—woodsy, warm, and unmistakably him—wrapped around her, grounding her as the tension in her muscles began to unwind. she closed her eyes, momentarily allowing herself to drown in the sensation, the rhythmic thumping of his heart against her ear a steadying presence amidst the storm still raging in her mind.

the world around them blurred into nothing. the distant murmurs of the pack, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the faint sounds of footsteps shuffling against the ground—everything faded into irrelevance. it was just paul and her, standing in the remnants of shared relief and unspoken understanding. it felt absurd, almost ridiculous, that something as simple as a hug could make the world feel like it had tilted off its axis, but she couldn't deny it. something had shifted.

but as quickly as the moment had come, it was gone.

paul shifted, his arms loosening just enough for nora to lift her head, her gaze meeting his. there was something unreadable in his expression, something hesitant yet resolute, as if he was still at war with himself over whether or not he should be holding her at all. the thought made her chest tighten, but before she could fully process it, she felt the sudden shift in the air around them.

one second, she was standing against him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath. the next, she was being guided gently but insistently toward the treeline. it happened so fast that it took her brain a moment to catch up—one minute, paul was a solid warmth against her, and the next, he had stepped back, his form trembling slightly, his muscles coiled as if preparing for something monumental.

then, in the space of a heartbeat, he shifted.

it was effortless, fluid, as if he had been born for this, his human form dissolving into sleek, silvery fur before her very eyes. the transformation should have been jarring, but it wasn't. it was natural. seamless. familiar in a way she hadn't realised it would be.

the massive wolf that now stood before her was powerful, his sheer size intimidating, but to nora, he was still just paul. his amber eyes locked onto hers, an unspoken invitation shining in them, and then he bent down, lowering himself toward the ground in a silent command.

it took her a moment to understand, her thoughts still tangled in the remnants of their embrace. but then it clicked. he wanted her to climb on.

for a brief second, she hesitated. not because she didn't trust him—she did, against all logic and reason—but because the intimacy of it, the sheer act of being this close, riding on his back, holding onto him for stability, was something neither of them had done before. it wasn't just about necessity; it was about trust. and that was something paul didn't give her lightly.

swallowing down her nerves, she took a cautious step forward, fingers brushing against the thick fur at the base of his neck. it was softer than she expected, warm and strong beneath her fingertips. taking a deep breath, she hoisted herself up, carefully maneuvering so she was pressed close against him, her arms wrapping securely around his thick shoulders.