Uncensored Nudity

A comforting warmth greeted me when I awoke. My eyes opened slowly. The wind was still howling outside, the windows revealing nothing but a wall of white. At least I had a good stock of food. It would last longer than I needed - even with the Wolf.

…Unless she started eating like a wolf.

It was then that I noticed I was now lying properly on the couch, not in the slumped sitting position I remembered. I was still covered in blankets, but I had somehow shifted toward the edge, far from the back cushions. More importantly, I was nearly naked - down to just my boxers.

I definitely didn’t remember taking my clothes off. And I definitely wouldn’t have done so voluntarily, considering how cold the night had probably been. Yet I was warm. Cozy. Even my face, exposed to the frigid air, was warm.

And then I saw the Wolf.

Or rather - felt her.

Hidden beneath the blankets, her arms were wrapped around my torso, her bare skin pressed firmly against mine. Heat radiated between us like a shared fire. My heart lurched as I identified where her thighs touched mine, her hips fitted against me, her chest rising and falling against my ribs, her head nestled on my shoulder.

I gingerly lifted the edge of the blanket. She stirred. A flash of silver hair shimmered as she raised her head, peering up at me. She blinked a few times, then stared with calm indifference - as if nothing about this was remotely unusual.

My mouth opened. Closed. Opened again before words finally stumbled out.

“Wh-what are you doing…?”

Her expression didn’t change. She simply yawned, then muttered:

“A ‘good morning’ would’ve been nice.”

I blinked, brain stalling out, then made a slow, painful recovery.

“G-good morning…”

She smiled. The first smile I’d seen from her.

“Thank you. Did you sleep well?”

I tried very hard to ignore the small, absent little hip movements she was making as I replied.

“Good… uhm… what’re you doing?”

She scowled.

“Keeping us alive. I thought you would’ve picked up on that.”

She sighed, exasperated.

“But then again, you’re human. I suppose you wouldn’t understand.”

Then she smiled again - bright, smug, utterly sure of herself.

“But that’s okay, because I’m going to teach you.”

My heart thumped sharply.

“Teach me? What? Why?”

She frowned as if it were obvious.

“My, you are a dense one. I need to teach you everything about Amaroks, hunter. What’s your name?”

Only then did I realize I hadn’t introduced myself. Heat rushed to my cheeks.

“E-Elam.”

She smiled, pleased.

“Well then, Elam. My name is Mahlah. I’m an Amarok. And from this day forward, I’m also your mate.”

My poor heart was truly struggling.

“My… my mate?”

She nodded proudly.

“That is correct. You courted me. You took me to your den, you fed me and cared for me, and I accepted when we slept together.”

She smiled sweetly.

“But I am confused. Why did you save me? I eat your kind.”

I hesitated. Words evaporated somewhere between my brain and my mouth.

“I… I…”

She grinned, triumphant.

“Or did the sight of a helpless but beautiful girl bleeding out in the snow twist your heart?”

My mouth opened. Closed. Again. She laughed.

“As I thought. Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re mine now. That means you’ll take care of me, and I’ll protect you.”

Money signs practically lit up in my mind. With an Amarok protecting me, I’d barely have to work. I could spend my time taking care of my side of the deal. I nodded eagerly.

“That sounds good.”

She grinned.

“Good. Because when Kowhao gets here, you’re going to need to protect me as well.”

My mind hit a blank.

“Who’s Kowhao?”

She stared at me with mild amusement, as though I had asked what snow was.

“You don’t know…? You really are ignorant.”
She sighed, long-suffering.
“A Kowhao is an evil spirit that takes a physical form and wreaks havoc on whatever it can find.”

Before I could respond, she pushed the blankets off with a sweeping motion - yet somehow the cold didn’t touch me. What did touch me was the sight of her bare body as she slid her thigh up to my stomach, gesturing to the bandage wrapping around it.

“And that’s what it did to me.”

My face went numb. Something strong enough to injure a Great Wolf - an Amarok - and I had probably walked right past it. She noticed the way my expression drained and laughed softly.

“No, don’t worry, you were nowhere near him. He left me for dead.”
She smiled sweetly.
“And he would’ve succeeded too, if it weren’t for you, my husband.”

My breath caught. She laughed again at my expression.

“You’re going to need to get used to that. That is, of course…”

Her eyes softened - melting into something so gentle that even though she was unclothed and lying almost entirely on top of me, she somehow radiated adorable.

“If you do want me as your wife?” she asked quietly.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I considered everything at once: I had no real hope of finding a human woman. I spent so little time in settlements that interacting with anyone was nearly impossible. And who would choose a life in a forest cabin, self-sufficient and lonely, waiting for a man who spent most days trekking through year-round snow?

They all had better options.

But an Amarok…
Was that even possible?

Her whisper reached me, trembling at the edges.

“Uhm… before you answer, just so you know, I… I can’t have kids…”

I answered instantly.

“I do want you as my wife.”

The words shocked me more than they shocked her - but I knew, in my heart, they were true. Her eyes widened, glowing with sudden emotion, and then - poof - wolf ears sprang out from her hair.

“Really? Even though I’m infertile?”

I nodded, smiling as a fluffy tail burst into existence behind her, wagging so dramatically I felt the movement through the couch.

“Really. In fact, that seals the deal.”

Her smile stretched wider and wider, fangs glinting in delight, before she threw herself forward and wrapped me in a tight, trembling hug.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!”

I was still incredibly confused about the entire situation - but decided to just roll with it. I stroked the back of her head, ignoring the warm, firm pressure of her chest against mine.

I was scared of the Kowhao.
I was frightened of whatever future I had just stumbled into.

But in my arms, I held a beautiful girl who had declared herself my wife.

No complaints formed on my lips.