"Not without you!” he snarls. “I am done with these games. Now shift to your wolf so I can take you home to my pack!" He throws every bit of command he has into demanding she shift to her wolf. He sees a slight ripple flow across her skin and her green eyes flash feral and then slit like a cat's. It shakes something in him.

*

"I can't!" She retorts.

"You can and will! I saw you shift at the farm." he insists.

"Did you see me shift into a wolf? Think hard. What, specifically, did you see?" Krish compels him sternly. She is using dominance on him again, he struggles then crumples under the weight of it. He does not like this feeling, the power she has. It was unnatural for an Arch to be commanded. 

"You were moving too fast… all I caught was the end of your tail." he grudgingly rasps out.

"And what, precisely, did that look like?" she pushes.

His eyes go wide, "Striped. No, it was a trick of the light." He gasps, scooting the chair back a bit warily regarding her. A flood of realization hits him as all the pieces fall into place. Thompson had said "Get that damn cat out of here." Davin had fallen quiet when introducing her, leaving something unsaid after the "She's not in our pack" statement. When Cungr fell into the river all he smelled was her, even before blacking out, it was always her scent. Looking at the embroidery on his tunic, it depicted rampaging tigers, the tea cups looked impossibly ancient and had delicately painted jungle orchids on them, even her rocking chair felt suddenly ancient and full of history.

"You are the Tigraata?" he mouthed quietly.

She let out a long breath, "Glad you finally caught up. Guess you understand this complicates things."

Shaking his head in disbelief, "You can’t exist... can’t be my…” his words trail off.

She shrugs "Perhaps, then again you can't deny this.”

She touches his hand again. The sensation over takes him, he wants to feel her next to him again, doesn't care the consequences. He looks at her his heart drowning in confusion and turmoil.

Then he remembers, his pack.

"I have contact my pack, they will be searching. Why can’t I hear them?" Here he is, an Arch Alpha, cut off from the thing that makes him strongest, his pack. Suddenly he feels the weight of what she is and why she views him as a child. His entire life he has been confident, sure of the next course of action. Now, here with her, he is frustrated and cast lose without the ability to navigate.

She twists her expression into one of half remorse, "That is my fault. There’s a blocking ward tied to the oak outside as a safety precaution. Helps me stay hidden from prying eyes. Most wolves move away from the warded area not knowing why they are avoiding it. I know for your kind being solitary is difficult."

“Ward? As in magic?” he inquires skeptically. “Never mind.” He replies wearily, “That is most likely the least of my worries at the moment.”

Krish rises slowly and steps towards him reaching out to touch his shoulder. His body sags slightly and she moves to hug him from behind, nestling her face into his think hair. He shivers as he feels her inhale his scent.

Her voice softly purrs, “Eat dear, you should be healed enough to head out in the morning and contact your pack. The Tree only blocks the link for a 5 mile radius.” She slides a plate of shaved venison towards him. The idea of eating raw meat as a human is not appealing.

Seeing his hesitation she offers, “I can sear it if that will help.” He nods.

Krish sets a trivet on the fire and rests a flat skillet on top to heat. The potato pot has been simmering for a while, she fishes one out into a wooden bowl, it opens easily with a spoon. She takes the last few potatoes out, sets them in the bowl in front of Cungr sliding salt and pepper over to him. Eating her plate of meat she waits for the skillet to get hot enough. She hates the smell of burning meat, it harkens back to the odor of battlefields full of fallen friends and foes. If she doesn’t eat now her appetite will be gone completely when the odious smell pervades the small cabin’s interior.

The entire time Cungr has been silent. Mostly due to the shock of his situation, partly because he doesn’t know what to say. He watches her fish the potatoes out of the pot and set them in front of him. As she eats the raw meat he notices she has not taken any of the potatoes for herself.

Cungr, “I don’t need all of these.” Offering some to her.

She gives him a soft smile, “I eat those when I can’t find game, but thank you.”

“What time do we leave in the morning?” he asks.

Krish tosses some water onto the skillet eliciting a hiss popping from its surface, then begins to sear his meat on it. The smell nearly gags her.

“We, are not going. You are.” She replies flatly.

Earnestly he retorts, “I’m not leaving you here. I can’t leave you here. I can’t protect…” His words trail off when he realizes the absurdity of the unfinished sentence. As an Alpha his drive was strong to protect his mate, he couldn’t shut it off, his wolfblood railed against the notion of leaving her here alone and vulnerable. His rational mind completely understood, a Tigraata was what you protected from not the other way around. How could he bring a creature as dangerous as her into his pack? It was his job to guard them against harm.

“So you are going to stay with me?” she says, her back still to him as she lays another thin strip onto the skillet, sears then flips sears and tosses back onto the plate. The pile of seared meat is piling quickly.

“My pack needs me, I can’t stay here.” He insists.

Krish rises and sets the pile of seared meat before him. “There you are.” It was hard to tell if her comment was directed to the food being cooked or their vexing situation.

She turns, walking towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Cungr inquires.

“Not far, come outside when you are finished and prop the door open.” Her stomach is churning, the cabin has closed in on her and she needs to smell pure air.