Chapter Eighteen

Magic

It didn't take Syaoran long to discover that what he smelled was a deer. The animal saw the wolf coming towards itself and ran away in panic, but he was much faster. Within seconds he was running right behind it, less than a metre away.

Just as he was about to dig his claws into the deer's back, a blow deflected him and prevented him from doing so. He dug his nails into the ground, turned angrily and snarled at the mahogany wolf that had pushed him, baring his fangs.

Take control, Syaoran!

The brown wolf blinked several times in confusion at the sound of Sakura's voice, flicking his ears back as he realized what he had been about to do.

Fuck! I almost killed a deer. And I growled at you.

The other two wolves approached them, stopping next to Sakura.

Don't worry, it's your instinct - Tomoyo replied.

He looked at Sakura with pleading eyes.

Sakura, don't let me hurt any animal. I would never forgive myself.

The she-wolf nodded.

Don't worry, I won't leave your side until you know how to control yourself perfectly.

How about a race to the top? - Eriol proposed, trying to get Syaoran to think of something else.

The four wolves howled and ran at full speed through the forest again.

It was already dawn when Sakura and Syaoran returned to their cave home. They had spent the entire night with Eriol and Tomoyo, helping the new werewolf train his self-control.

After closing the door, he approached the window, gazing at the sunset with a blank stare. He felt Sakura's arms wrap around his waist and her hands run up his chest.

"What are you thinking about?"

Syaoran sighed and turned to look her in the eyes.

"So... I'm not a wizard anymore?"

Sakura watched him for a few seconds, not knowing what to say.

-I have no idea, I've never heard of a wizard becoming a werewolf. Try it," she suggested, taking a few steps back.

Syaoran nodded and clasped his hands together, turning them slightly. He was relieved to see that, as he pulled them apart, a dense blue mist emerged between them where his sword was forming, as always. When he held it in his right hand, he glanced at Sakura with a big smile on his face.

"A wizard and a werewolf... what a blast," she murmured, grinning back at him.

He made the sword disappear and approached her, staring at her eyes.

"I'm having a hell of a time resisting you," he growled, wrapping his arms around her neck and breathing in her scent.

Syaoran left a deep kiss on her mark and Sakura moaned. She felt his smile on her skin.

"Now I can get revenge for all the times you tortured me like this," he whispered, brushing the tip of his tongue over that sensitive area.

Sakura pushed him away with her arms and Syaoran saw that her green eyes had darkened.

"It's too obvious that you want me too... and I can feel it," he added, raising an eyebrow as he took a step towards her.

"I won't let you get your revenge."

Before Syaoran could react, Sakura opened the door and ran out of the house. His lips curved into a mischievous smile and he followed her.

Looking up, he saw her scaling the hillside behind their cave house. He took a big leap to chase after her, surprised at how easy it was for him to climb. He barely had to exert himself, it was as if he had claws instead of hands.

When he reached the top of the slope, Sakura was waiting for him in a fighting stance, knees bent.

"You can't come near me," she said, frowning.

Syaoran smirked again.

"You forget that I know martial arts... and that I'm stronger than you now."

He leapt at her. Sakura tried to defend herself, but in less than a minute he managed to catch her, pushing her to the ground.

She snorted, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't get used to it, you won't be so strong in a few weeks," she growled under her breath.

Syaoran started laughing until she lifted her head slightly and silenced him with a kiss. Sakura kissed him passionately as she caressed his body with her hands. As she pulled away, she saw that his pupils had dilated so much that his eyes looked black.

"You may be stronger, but you still don't know how to control your urges," she commented with a smile, watching his eyes.

"Shut up," he grunted, catching her lips again and removing her clothes.

She sighed and set about undressing him as well, trailing kisses down his jaw until she reached his neck, where she tasted his mark and felt Syaoran shiver.

He moved until he was fully on top of her. Syaoran trapped her hands on either side of her body and ran his lips all over her skin.

"They'll hear us, Syaoran," Sakura muttered, thinking that the others' houses were only a hundred feet below.

"Don't make any sound, then."

He continued to tease her with his tongue, not letting go of her hands so she couldn't move. She rolled over and pushed him, until they were both sitting on the rock, panting.

"You said you like it better when we both enjoy it," she whispered, lowering her head and kissing his chest.

Syaoran sighed. Now that he could go for hours without having to rest... Sakura would have to hide to escape him.

He pushed her down again and used the weight of his body to pin her to the ground, entwining his legs with hers. They both stifled a moan as their most private parts brushed against each other.

"That's what it said? I don't remember."

Syaoran moved down her body again, torturing her with the touch of his lips while his fingers were amusedly roaming her inner thighs.

He continued down and looked at her with a mischievous spark in his eyes, causing her to frown.

"What...?"

She couldn't finish the question because she felt his teeth on her left thigh. Sakura covered her mouth with her hands so that her shocked cry wouldn't be heard throughout the valley. He chuckled and continued to kiss her in that area.

"Syaoran, stop it. Everyone will hear me."

His right hand covered her mouth.

"Problem fixed."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle, but when she noticed his tongue getting closer to her core the laughter disappeared. She couldn't stop squirming and he couldn't be enjoying himself more.

Syaoran moved back up, leaving a trail of kisses on her body until he could look into her eyes. He gave her a wicked grin before speaking.

"I'm going to be good, so you don't want revenge later," he whispered, kissing her on the lips as he pressed his body against hers.

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate so she wouldn't make a sound.

A week later, Syaoran's eyes had already returned to their normal amber colour and he had managed to transform twenty more times.

He was getting better and better at controlling his impulses as a wolf, though he still had a lot of work to do. Luckily, it was in the middle of the Christmas holidays and he didn't have to go back to university yet.

One Sunday afternoon, after a great run with Eriol, the two friends were walking through their town in search of their mates to have dinner with them.

Syaoran felt that Sakura's scent was stronger and turned around. What he saw made him feel so angry that his whole body started to tremble.

Yukito and Sakura were standing on a nearby street. They were both smiling and had just melted into an embrace.

Unable to help himself, Syaoran gasped and crouched down, transforming into a wolf. Eriol turned his head towards his friend, startled at crunching noises, and froze as he saw what was happening.

"Watch out!" he shouted just as the wolf lunged at them.

Sakura broke away from Yukito and saw a brown furred wolf running towards them with a dangerous gleam in his amber eyes. She pushed Yukito behind her and frowned, glaring at the wolf.

Syaoran, react now or you'll hurt me!

Hearing that in his mind, he tried to control himself and managed to stop before jumping on them. He fixed his gaze on Yukito and growled, furious.

Suddenly, Touya appeared running at full speed.

"What's wrong, Yuki? I felt your fear."

Seeing Syaoran and understanding what was going on, he gave him a look of hatred and transformed into a dark brown wolf instantly, standing in front of Sakura.

If you want to hurt him, you'll have to go through me first - he mentally warned Syaoran.

A blue-furred wolf also stepped between them.

Relax. I'm sure it's not what you're thinking - Eriol said to his friend, looking him in the eyes.

Syaoran growled again, but sat back and tried to calm himself as he let out a snort.

"He just came to ask me how everything is going with you, Syaoran. And to wish me that we'll be very happy together," Sakura explained, glaring at the brown wolf.

The wolf snorted, shaking his head.

"You have to avoid getting jealous, you could have hurt us. Don't you trust me?"

He approached Sakura, giving her a lick on the face.

"Then you know you have no reason to be jealous."

Syaoran ducked his ears in regret. If he had hurt Sakura or Yukito, he would never have forgiven himself.

"Don't worry, I understand. At first, Touya couldn't stand me getting close to Sakura either," said Yukito, who was also smiling as if nothing had happened.

It won't happen again - said Syaoran to Touya mentally.

I hope so, or you'll have to deal with me - the brown wolf replied, baring his fangs.

"I'm sorry," Sakura murmured, looking at both of them.

Yukito waved his hand, implying that she didn't have to worry about anything. Touya walked over to him and the two started to walk away into the forest. The wolf kept looking back and baring his fangs at Syaoran until they turned a corner.