Hideaway Strath novocaine

When she first touched his throat, Charles shouted Hey! and instinctively withdrew. A moment later he realised that her touch had not been aggressive, but soft, and he realised that he longed for that more than anything. He'd endured a lot of hate, had endured some pain and inflicted some more on himself when the hate was not followed by the expected pain, but he always missed the last part of the story. He always missed being cradled by his mother's side and being whispered how sorry she was, how much she loved him, how she would never do it again...

The coywolf realised suddenly that here was his opportunity and he leaned in again. Only after a moment did he also mouth back gently, hoping that would not stop the train of affection.