"Matt?" Aleksasha spoke softly, stepping closer to her husband's naked form. She marveled at the way the muscles in his back moved beneath the freshly smooth and hairless flesh.
"Wait," he murmured harshly, like he had forgotten how to speak. His massive chest heaved as he pushed himself up from the ground. He rose to his full height and looked down at his wife through loose strands of hair.
She stared at him, blushing fiercely as she suddenly removed her cloak. "Here, this is not much but it should cover you in case the guards return." She shyly held out the fabric to him.
Matias blinked down at her, his movements slow, almost uncertain, as if his body still belonged to something else. His breath was unsteady, shoulders rising and falling with the effort of regaining himself. He clenched and unclenched his fingers, testing their shape, their bluntness. The beast was gone, but its ghost lingered beneath his skin.
