All because I wore the wrong shoes...
The day was long, and the office building was too tall for how many things had gone wrong. I had finally finished all the paperwork for ths evening, my mind foggy from the overtime I wasn't being paid for. The elevator was conveniently "Out of Order"
"You have got to be kidding me..." I pinched my nose and made my way to the stairs.
The last thing I remember was my foot catching the edge of the top step
A sharp, horrifying moment of weightlessness. Like I was flying. Sharp pain.
And then, nothing.
The next thing I knew, I awoke to warmth against my body. Strangely comfortable.
A bed. Silken sheets cradling my legs. The smell was weird—different. It was woodsy and wild, tinged with something musky and unfamiliar. My lashes fluttered open. I blinked. A high ceiling made of stone and carved wood. Unknown.
"Where am I? This..this isn't a hospital"
I sat up slow for a moment. Holding me head. Then my hand brushed against something. No. Someone.
A man. There was a man next to me.
A naked man.
Not just that—but he was unlike any man I'd seen. His hair was long and silver, cascading like moonlight over toned shoulders. His skin was bronze and smooth but also rough with scars. Muscles, sculpted from years of keeping his body in shape. He was beautiful, terrifyingly so. Thick white lashes framed eyes the color of amethysts, now opening to meet hers.
And then I noticed—
The ears. White-furred and twitching gently atop his head.
And a tail, swaying lazily against the sheets.
My breath caught, I wanted to scream—
But before I could, the man murmured something in a deep, velvety voice.
A language I couldn't understand. Strange. Lyrical. The words filtered into my ears.
He reached for me—
And pulled me in.
My cheek pressed up against his warm chest. His strong arms wrapped around me, possessive yet tender. I squirmed.
"W-What?! Hey! Let go—! Who—what are you—!?"
He didn't understand. Instead, he let out a low, soothing hum, his nose nuzzling into my hair.
"Mnn... Va lirae…" (Mnn... Good morning...)
He was purring.
What the hell is happening?! - I thought to myself.
I wiggled harder, face now burning red. "G-Get off of me! I'm not—! We're not—!"
Still no reaction except a soft yawn, a deeper cuddle, and a happy tail wag. His warmth was like a furnace, his chest vibrating slightly with every exhale.
I froze.
Looking around frantically, I realized the room wasn't familiar. It looked like a mixture of a rustic lodge and a temple. Woven rugs. Hanging herbs. Tall windows with heavy curtains. The light outside looked too golden, too dreamlike. It wasn't a place. No. A world I recognized.
It wasn't my world at all.
I clutched the blanket to my chest, slowly whispering, "This... isn't..."
And the naked wolf-man holding me...
He smiled in his sleep, arms refusing to let go.