To Mary's surprise, Thomas smiled and shook his head. "So," he said at last, "you really are a werecat, a werelioness at that. Damn, you're a real beauty! Not gonna lie, I sometimes wondered if you might be hinting at it, but I figured the odds were off the charts. I mean, what are the odds I'd bump into another one of us here in civilization?"
"What do you mean?" Mary asked.
"Another werebeast," Thomas answered. "I thought my pack was the only one to place members in the civilized world to protect our interests among humans."
"So you're a werecat like me?" asked a very confused Mary.
"Not quite," Thomas laughed. "I'm actually a werewolf."
Mary nearly fell over. "Excuse me?!"
"Watch," Thomas said as he fiddled with a ring. He'd always told Mary that he'd been given it in some college fraternity ritual, but now Mary doubted that had been the truth. Thomas grew taller while his muscles bulged. Most fat on his body seemed to evaporate as silvery fur grew all over his skin. A popping sound echoed through the air as the bones of Thomas's feet reshaped into digitigrade paws. His clothes shredded as he continued to grow, leaving him nude. His face pushed out into a lupine muzzle as his nails sharpened into savage claws. Lastly, a furry wolf tail erupted from Thomas's backside.
"Holy shit!" Mary gasped. She'd thought she would be surprising Thomas. She never expected that it would be the other way around!
"Yeah, holy shit!" Stacy agreed. "Thomas is a werewolf?! Since when! Next you'll be telling me that Brianna's secretly a werehyena or something!"
"I can't see it," Thomas shook his furry head. "Your wife lacks a certain look in her eyes that Mary has, Stacy. I'm pretty sure you married a human lesbian."
Mary bit her lip. "This complicates everything. The alpha of my pride will have doubts about letting a werewolf join the pride, and it's not like I can turn a werewolf into a werecat!"
"Have you been recalled?" Thomas asked, concerned.
"Yes," Mary groaned. "Stacy, Monica, Rose, and me. We're all supposed to return to the pack with our families... which includes a werewolf, in my case."
"We'll work something out, I promise," Thomas reassured his wife.
"Let's go break the news to Brianna in the meantime," Stacy suggested. "At least she's a huge cat lover. That should help."
"Doesn't your wife joke about wanting to BE a cat?" Mary asked.
"I'm honestly pretty sure it's not a joke," Stacy smiled. "This confession should be Easy Mode."