“So..uhh..Matt..” I said, suddenly feeling a bit woozy-headed. “Whassa deal with...with yer wife?”
My mouth didn't feel right. My tongue felt thick and lazy, and my temples throbbed with pain. I tried to focus, but my vision was becoming blurred. I suddenly dropped to my knees, feeling as weak as a kitten..or in my case, a pup, I guess?
The room spun, and suddenly everything simply faded out as muffled voices somehow echoed around me. I couldn't tell what they were saying; it felt like my ears were stuffed with cotton.
I don't know how long I was out for-I'm guessing only a couple of minutes. I opened my eyes and squinted at the light in the room as I forced them to focus. I was aware of Kate's human face staring down at me and then nuzzled under my chin and stroked frantically at my cheek.
I slowly reached a hand up to stroke hers, and I heard a slightly choked inhalation from her. I forced myself to sit up as she continued to cling to me, and I rubbed her back lightly in an attempt to reassure her. “What happened?” I asked in confusion.
“You changed back. It's really not uncommon after your first change...once your adrenalin from the shift and the sex wears off, your body basically starts to balance out the new hormones you produce. It can unfortunately be a bit traumatic and sudden,” the alpha said, wryly glancing at Kate, who sure didn't seem to think that this was so normal at all, “and traumatic to more than just the new werewolf.”
“So why did SHE change back?” I asked, acutely aware of just how hard Kate was clinging to me.
“Emotional connections..can cause sudden shifts back and forth..” the alpha replied. “she reacted strongly to what happened. Since she was in werewolf form when it happened, she reverted to human.”
Kate mumbled something softly and sniffed my neck, then my chest. She stared at me with bleary eyes as she finally let her grip loosen a bit.
“Hey..I'm fine,” I said with a smile that was probably more confident than I was. I still felt weak and shaky.”
“You scared me,” she said as she kissed the tip of my nose. “No more doing that, okay?” She was no longer the gothy seductress. Now she was a scared lover. I could smell the fear on her, though I don't know how I did. I just somehow knew that she was scared..deeply. There was something else in her scent, something deeper, but..nah. I realized my brain was processing this new heightened sensory input, but it was hard to understand.
“Katherine was born a werewolf. She's never seen anyone undergo their first change,” the alpha helpfully informed me. “At least not a human that had been turned. It just caught her off guard.”
“That's not going to be a thing I do, right?” I asked. “The whole passing out thing?”
Matt laughed. “No, buddy. It's cool. Your body should be adjusted enough.”
The alpha's tone took on a slight commanding air. “Katherine, why don't you go have a dance for the people out there, up on the runway? I'm presuming your clothes are in one of the private rooms?”
“I..don't feel like dancing tonight,” Kate said, her grip tightening on me.
“Come on now,” the alpha said, her voice still firm, but slightly more gentle. “Just one more dance. If you don't feel up to more..I understand. But we've got people to entertain, and humans' money to take.”
Kate reluctantly got up and slowly trotted to the private room where she'd turned me, coming back out a minute later fully dressed. I'd managed to stand up without any real difficulty and took an offered chair at the table. Strangely it didn't feel strange to be naked in front of these women and Matt, despite the fact I was hardly an exhibitionist. Now the nudity felt..oddly normal.
Kate slipped an arm around me and kissed my neck, then nipped my earlobe. “Don't go anywhere,” she said softly. “They might get to look, but YOU get to touch..” I almost pointed out that she'd been touching me when she'd been dancing, but then I heard the DJ announce her, and she prowled out through the curtain onto the runway.
“The rest of you...out,” commanded the alpha. “That includes you, Matthew. I need to have a private discussion with our newest pack member.” Everyone filed out slowly, heading through the door that led to the floor of the main room of the club. After they'd left, Gloria fixed me with a serious gaze.
“Your senses haven't fully blossomed yet, but I don't think you're a fool. You DO understand that Katherine is growing rather quickly attached to you, I presume?”
“Yeah, I noticed. It would be kind of hard not to,” I replied.
The alpha female's gaze softened. “She's still somewhat new to the world of humans. She's only worked here about six months. I took her in after...some unpleasantness happened. I'll spare you the details, but..she's had some struggles in her personal life.”
“She lost someone,” I said, speaking almost before I realized I had.
“She lost many,” the alpha sadly replied. “What Matt told you wasn't a lie. I can look at a person and find the perfect girl for them, but that wasn't what I did with you.”
“No?” I asked, rather confused.
“No,” she said with a smile. “I could smell the inner wolf within you begging to be released. Truthfully, you would have been pleased and still accepted the gift from any woman here, because you've always inwardly wanted to be one of us.”
I shifted a bit uncomfortably in my seat. “Uhh..yeah. I suppose so.”
“When I made this pairing, I made it more for her sake than yours. She NEEDED to be with someone, at least for tonight. What I'd forgotten was how quickly many naturally born werewolves bond with someone they've decided is going to be theirs,” she said. “Very few natural borns ever really interact with the bittens of the cities...so it was a bit out of my common scope.”
“So what are you saying, exactly?” I asked. I wasn't sure how to feel about the way she seemed to feel the need to dance around the issue.
“All werewolves do it..the bonding..the claiming..even bitten ones. But bitten ones often don't feel the strength of the call to bond nearly as quickly as our natural kin. The problem is..once a werewolf has chosen a bondmate, it closes them off from all others, even if that affection isn't returned as strongly, or as well. Do you understand?” Her tone was serious, and her face was almost pained as she explained it.
“Are you telling me that she's falling in love with me after a few hours?” I was almost incredulous at the concept. Even high school kids weren't that quick to declare love.
“Yes,” she nodded. “Though it's something that runs far deeper than what most humans would refer to as love.”
“Wow..that's intense..” I said, summarizing the evening's events so far in a rather amazing understatement.
“To say the least,” Gloria replied with a soft chuckle. “I will not tell you that you should love her. I only request that you not lead her on. If you don't feel the bond with her, you need to let her know sooner, rather than later. The longer you wait, the more she'll bond with you, and it will hurt her worse if you bide your time.”
“So how long are we talking?” I asked.
“About a week, before she'll shut herself off from ever loving any man, even if you abandon her. You'll utterly crush her heart. She'll make a fine warrior at that point, and probably a very profitable dancer, as she'll have no heart to tell her to stop hurting the pack's enemies, or to tell her to stop seducing clients for more money. She'll hardly be useless. But she won't be herself any longer.”
“Fuck-that's a TON of responsibility you're throwing on me here,” I told Gloria.
“I saw more than your desire to join us when I felt your aura and saw your soul,” she said. “I may have made this match with her in mind, but that doesn't mean she wasn't your perfect match..” She gave me an enigmatic smile. Was she toying with me, trying to manipulate me into believing something that wasn't true?
Kate's music ended and she bounced happily back through the curtain before plopping right down on my lap and smiling widely. Her scent was salty from the sweat of her dancing, and I could smell the wolf on her skin. She kissed me hungrily, and I returned it, feeling the odd sensation of my eyes flashing amber as hers did the same. I nuzzled her eagerly and found myself letting out a soft growl that caused her to press up against me more tightly. She spread her legs and straddled me as our eyes flashed again.
Suddenly, the world seemed to fade away-only she and I existed in that moment. Every inch of my body was on fire for her, and she was the only thing that mattered. All I could see was her, and all I could smell was her. Then I heard Gloria clear her throat, and was startled out of my reverie. The pack had apparently wandered back in and were watching us with a mixture of awkwardness and amusement. I blushed hard and Kate giggled softly as she watched my cheeks grow flushed.
“Well...” Gloria said, seeming to have an extra bit of a knowing edge in her mostly-unreadable smile, “Why don't you take the rest of the night off, Katherine? I know it's been rather exciting for you. You're also free to leave, though I expect both of you to be back here tomorrow night. Katherine has to work, and you are expected to be with the pack most nights as well.” There was no denying that she was used to being obeyed. My instincts kicked in, and I realized I had little choice in this matter, unless I wanted to risk fighting the entire pack over her command.
“I'll be sure to come by around dark,” I replied. Kate got up off of my lap and headed off to get changed into street clothes, while I headed to the room to get mine. When I'd gotten dressed, I found Kate hovering in the break room, clearly waiting on me.
“So..” she said shyly, “Care to come back to my place?”