Taming the Werewolf - 3
#3 of Taming the Werewolf
Jacob had fallen asleep sitting on the patio chair he had brought into the basement so he could watch over Amanda during full moon nights. It was the least he could do because he would have felt guilty about sleeping in a warm bed upstairs while his wife struggled with her curse down below. Still, it was better than having to sleep leaning against the cold basement wall, as Amanda did, with wrist restraints keeping her body upright. He felt regret about that, but the werewolf was always awake on these nights as the beast thrashed against the shackles that kept her imprisoned. They hadn't thought about how Amanda would rest if the treatment they had devised had worked, and the animal, at least most of it, was kept at bay.
She was restless all night, pleading with her husband to open the restraints so she could be let go. She had even said she was exhausted and wanted nothing but sleep, under a warm comforter with Jacob. But her pleas were always punctuated by some hint of feral intent, to live under the full moon and play with her lover and pounce all over him. That, and the diminished but ever-present features of the werewolf throughout her body, were enough to give Jacob pause. Amanda promised him she would remain shackled on the first full moon after they started their little experiment to filter out her blood of the impurities of the beast, and Jacob held fast to their commitment, even if she had tempted him all night long.
They had managed to weaken the beast inside Amanda so much that after hours of squirming and struggling, she finally fell asleep. It took a few false starts, because once her body went limp against the wall, the wrist shackles snapped taut, pulling her arms up. Restless, Amanda would return to alertness to lash out at her husband once again. It wasn't her fault, Jacob thought. She just wasn't capable of controlling herself. He figured it was a little after three in the morning when Amanda was too tired to struggle, and drifted into unconsciousness for good one final time. Only then, and after one look at a finally peaceful face, did he slouch on the patio chair and closed his eyes for the night.
It didn't seem to last for long. The next waking instant, Jacob heard Amanda moan. A dull moan at first that turned into a soft cry for help. Her whimpers grew louder, followed by the rattling of her restraints.
"Jacob..."
He woke up, not at all satisfied by how little sleep he had gotten. He opened his eyes to the view of Amanda's naked frame, save for the few patches of fur that survived her treatment. Those sharp claws and fangs, those swollen muscles, those feral eyes. Other than that, Amanda's features were still mostly human. And they seemed to become more so. He heard the chirping of birds outside, meaning morning had approached while they were asleep.
"Jacob, I'm changing back."
It should have been said with a tinge of relief, if not for the pain Amanda was experiencing. She shuddered as the changes began to reverse themselves. Her body seemed to shrink, like a sponge being squeezed, leaving trails of sweat running down her forehead, streaking beside the thickest patch of fur that had sprouted on her chest. That hair, too, was receding back into her skin, with a few strands of werewolf fur falling away from her body completely.
Jacob stood up and rested Amanda against the wall, as if that provided any relief. He pinned her by her shoulders while he examined her. When fully transformed, the werewolf would roar loudly and thrash about violently as the changes reversed. This time around, Amanda could do nothing but cry. The transformation into the beast was agonizing, and no doubt the change back was equally painful.
He clutched his wife's head, with one hand resting on her still furry cheek and the other stroking her hair, damp with sweat.
"Just a little bit more, okay?" he said, prompting her to nod slightly, as if she were bracing for another wave of pain.
Her hands were fully open, and they could see her fingernails receding, dulling from the sharp points they had formed during the full moon.
"They...hurt so...much," she managed to say in staggered breaths. She cried out again, this time letting drool slip from her fully open mouth. He could see her sharp fangs slowly retreating into her gums, red with stains of her own blood.
"I'm here, Amanda, it's okay," he said, pressing his forehead against hers as the changes continued. He breathed deep breaths, as if to tell her to breathe with him to calm her down.
The last of the changes took hold, and now Amanda was smaller, weaker, more human. When it was over, her pained whimpering turned into mournful cries as her face collapsed onto Jacob's shoulder. This wasn't the way the curse had manifest itself - the changes at sunrise were painful enough to knock her unconscious, leaving her with a splitting headache when she awoke - but she wasn't fully werewolf this time. She was forced to endure the changes fully conscious, and it took an emotional toll on her, apparent from the layer of tears and sweat that had stained his shirt.
"Okay, it's okay," Jacob said to a sobbing Amanda, "It's over. You're okay now."
"Jacob...I can't...stand this," she said, struggling to speak in between tears.
"You did very well. We're going to be okay, I promise."
He looked into her eyes, and they were fully human. She was fully human. Amanda had come back to him, weakened and terrified of the night they had endured. He brushed aside her hair, and he could see how swollen the layer of skin under her eyes had gotten from crying. If she was confident she could be cured right after the changes had only partly manifest, she was completely uncertain she could live with her curse now. But Jacob would be there to take care of her.
After a few tender moments of embrace, Jacob undid the restraints, making sure not to let his wife fall to the ground after a completely exhausting evening. She collapsed into his arm as his free hand undid the wrist shackles. There was something arousing every sunrise about her naked body resting on him, but the earthy scent of the werewolf that was all over her body dulled some of the excitement. He was just happy to get her in the shower and into bed once she was free.
Amanda, however, had other plans. Once the ankle restraints were open, she held Jacob by the shoulders and leaned him against the wall. Her cheeks were still stained with tears, but her smile was happy.
"Thank you," she said softly, before kissing him.