Connor stirred as the morning light shone through his blinds once more. He blinked groggily, his eyes still heavy with sleep—and memories of the night before. For a moment, he thought it might have been some vivid, twisted dream, but the truth soon settled in.
”They’re werewolves. Logan, Zack, all of them…and now, me.”
He sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. The same tingling warmth coursed through his body, a constant reminder of his changes. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, hesitating as he glanced toward the mirror across the room.
The faint muscle definition he’d noticed the day before had definitely become more pronounced, his chest and shoulders broader, his arms a bit firmer…
He quickly shook his head, pushing himself up and moving to get dressed in order to keep his mind busy. He wasn’t ready to face all of this yet, but the day didn’t seem inclined to wait for him.
- - - - - -
The smell of coffee and bacon wafted through the air as Connor descended the stairs, the faint creak of the wooden steps under his weight sounding louder than usual—or perhaps because his hearing had grown sharper.
“Morning,” he muttered, entering the kitchen. His dad was at the stove, flipping pancakes, while his mom was grabbing her cup of coffee from underneath the coffee machine.
“Morning hon,” his mom replied cheerily. She moved to take a sip of her coffee, though she paused to glance at him. Her brows furrowed slightly. “You feeling alright?”
Connor shrugged, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. “Yeah, just didn’t sleep much last night.”
His dad turned away from the stove, looking him up and down. “You look different,” he said bluntly. “You working out?”
Connor froze, gripping the edge of the counter. “Uh…no, not really. Just been busy lifting stuff at the new job, I guess.”
His dad gave him another look before turning his attention back to the stove. “Well, whatever it is you’re doing, it’s helping,” he said, taking a pancake out of the pan and putting it on a plate. “Your old man might need to get back in the gym if you’re bulking up that much.”
Connor forced a laugh, taking a seat at the table. “Yeah…guess so…”
His mom set a plate of pancakes in front of him, her brow furrowed. “Are you sure you’re not coming down with anything? You’ve been eating a lot more than usual too.”
Connor shook his head quickly. “No mom, I'm fine. Just hungry, I guess.”
His mom didn’t look convinced, but she turned her attention back to the coffee maker to brew her husband a cup. His dad returned to manning the stove, but Connor couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still being watched.
He poked his pancakes with a fork. Was this how it started? The subtle signs, the strange looks from people who knew him…how long would it take before they really started noticing? Before they started asking questions he didn’t know how to answer?
The sound of a knock at the front door startled him from his thoughts. He started to stand up, but his mom had already gone to answer it. His stomach twisted slightly as he caught a hint of a somewhat familiar scent. Surely that wasn’t…
The door opened, and the sound of a familiar voice drifted into the kitchen.
“Morning Mrs. Callahan! Is Connor up yet?”
Zack.
Connor barely had time to brace himself before Zack strolled into the kitchen, a wide grin plastered on his face. He was dressed casually in a dark hoodie and jeans.
“Mornin’ C!” Zack greeted, leaning casually against the kitchen doorway. “Took me a minute, but I remembered where your house was from when we hung out back in high school.”
Connor’s mom stepped around Zack to get back into the kitchen. “Connor, you didn’t tell me that your friend Zack worked with you!” she said, a faint note of surprise in her voice.
“It hadn’t occurred to me to bring it up,” Connor mumbled.
Connor’s dad took the last of the pancakes out of the pan before turning around. “So, Zack,” he said, eyeing the younger man up and down. “What brings you by this early in the morning?”
Zack shrugged, crossing the room to stand next to Connor. “No real reason,” he said, his trademark grin not fading. “Figured I’d come in and check on him after his first day, especially since the shop’s closed on weekends.”
Connor swallowed hard, glaring half-heartedly at Zack. “You could’ve texted first.”
“And miss the chance to see your lovely family after so long?” Zack shot back playfully, flashing a smile in his direction. “I don’t think so!”
Connor’s mom smiled warmly. “Well, I think that’s very nice of you Zack,” she said. “Connor could use some good friends. He’s been so busy bouncing between jobs, I was starting to think he’d never settle in anywhere.”
Connor’s face went red, and he quickly stood up and grabbed his plate. “Alright, we get it. I’m going. Just let me finish breakfast.”
Zack smirked, leaning closer as Connor passed him. “Take your time, dude. It’s not like it’s the full moon or something.”
Connor nearly dropped his plate, spinning around to glare at Zack, whose grin widened devilishly. His parents didn’t seem to catch the comment, but Connor’s heart was still pounding in his chest.
“Zack,” he hissed under his breath.
“What?” Zack asked innocently. “Just making conversation.”
Connor shook his head, finishing his breakfast in record time. The sooner he got Zack out of the house, the better.