"Seriously?" you ask, getting a nod from Claire's mom, as well as
Claire, who blushes nervously again.
"It's real, James," her mother says, smoothing your hair out of your
eyes. "Very, very real." You pause to consider what you've been told.
"And.." you begin, staring at Claire not just as a friend, not just as
an attractive girl, but as a girl who's chosen to confide something
very potentially dangerous about herself to you. "Have you told anyone
else about this? Any other guys?"
Claire shakes her head slowly, giving you a shy smile. "No," she said
softly, barely above a whisper. "Nobody outside this room."
You shudder slightly, considering what's being offered. It's not just
something like her asking if you'd like to go to the movies. This is
LIFE CHANGING.
"I...wow.." you say in reply, laughing nervously. "That's quite the
bombshell."
Claire immediately stares back down at the floor, a frown on her face.
"It's okay if you don't want to...you...you can leave. Just..just
don't let it make things weird between us, okay?"
You stand up slowly, unsure even then what you're going to say. You
just can't stand that hurt look on her face. Without speaking another
word, you walk over to her, reaching out and tilting her face up to
look at you. Closing your eyes, you whisper "Yes," before kissing her
deeply on the lips. She returns the kiss just as deeply, wrapping her
arms around your neck and pressing against you tightly.
"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that," she said
with a smile as you stop kissing. "I've been wanting that for years!"
Suddenly, she's pushing you back toward the bed, and you tumble
backward onto it as your legs catch the footboard. She follows you,
pinning you beneath her, kissing you again, her hands roaming all over
your chest, and she tugs a bit at your shirt. Her eyes snap open
quickly, and a shocked gasp escapes her lips. She giggles a bit as she
slides back off of you. "Sorry...I'm gonna blame the moon. This close
to moonrise, inhibitions kind of disappear."
You smile in return, taken a little aback by her somewhat forceful and
aggressive kissing. "I'm sure I'll understand soon enough," you reply.
She nods. "I gotta warn you, James...I'm not quite so pretty when the
moon's in the sky," she tells you.
"Don't let her lie to you," her mother says, giving her an adoring
look. "She's a gorgeous young she wolf." Mom glances at the assembled
girls. "Girls, why don't we give these two their privacy, hmmm?"
The girls nod, listening to mom, each one giving Claire a lingering
hug and kiss, a couple touching noses with her, the rest running a
hand through her hair. Each one comes up to you in turn, giving you a
hug, and sniffing your neck, sending shivers up your spine.
Claire's mom is the last to leave, stopping to give Claire a
reassuring hug. "You'll be fine, honey," she told her daughter before
walking over to you and embracing you tightly. "So will you, James."
She steps back, staring at you. "Let me get one last look at you," she
says. "I think I'll always see that little boy, at least to some
degree when I look at you, even once you're the alpha male of the
pack." She gives you another tight hug, kissing you on the forehead.
"Welcome to the family, honey." The hug lingers, and her hands begin
to roam over your back. She steps back away from you quickly. "Sorry,"
she says with a strained smile. "It's just...." she shakes her head
forcefully, "Well...you'll understand soon enough."
Mom leaves, shutting the door, leaving you and Claire alone. "There's
still time, you know," Claire says, glancing out her bedroom window.
The last few sunbeams are glowing on her face."I can see the moon now,
but it doesn't affect us all the way until the sun's totally down. You
can still leave. You can sneak out my window and head home. I'll bring
your stuff over tomorrow." She's still got a little bit of a frown on
her face.
"Why would I do that?" you ask.
"Because I'm a freak," she said. "Because in a few minutes, I'm going
to sprout fur, grow fangs, and my button nose is gonna turn wet and
leathery. Why would you even want to be with me? I understand that I
put you on the spot with the whole pack watching...but you can still
go. It's fine. I...I won't hold it against you."
"I'm not going anywhere," you say, walking back over to her, wrapping
your arms around her from behind. "I made my choice, and it's YOU,
Claire."
She twirls around in your arms, her eyes slightly sparkling with
tears. "You're seriously fucking awesome," she said, kissing you hard
on the lips, intertwining her fingers with yours. "So..." she asks,
pulling the curtains all the way open, giving you both a fine view of
the setting sun and the barely risen moon. She turns away from you but
leans backward into your arms, resting against your chest. She's still
holding both your hands, pulling them to rest on her stomach. "Any
questions before things get wild in here?"