Chapter 26
26
EMMA
“Johnny? Johnny, come back!” I stood at the doorway to the bunkhouse, wrapped in nothing but a sheet. The air was chilly, the night somehow alive. And–my boyfriend was a werewolf.
Shit! HOLY SHIT.
I didn’t know how to process that. To even get my head around it. One second we were having amazing sex–the next, he bit me!
Oh God. Was I infected? And if so, with what? Was I going to turn into a furry creature with big teeth?
When my sister went and did crazy things, I bet she didn’t have something like this happen to her. Oh, no. It was possible I finally won the bat-shit crazy sister award .
I’d fucked a werewolf. I just told him to come back, too.
What had I been thinking? I couldn’t stay here. Couldn’t wait for a wolf to come back and… and what? Eat me? Tear me to bits? Bite me again?
I put my fingers over the spot his teeth had nipped. There was a trickle of blood, and it only stung a little.
I couldn’t stay here. Couldn’t be by myself, so I started my way up the hill to the main house. Marina would be there. The others, too.
Before I could figure out what to even say when I got there, Marina called out. Thank God.
“Lyssa?” She was running down the gravel road toward me, followed by Audrey, Natalie, and Becky. “Are you okay? What happened?” The women surrounded me, hugging my shivering form.
“J-j-johnny.” My teeth chattered.
“What happened?”
I reached up and tapped my shoulder. It was hard to catch my breath.
“He bit her,” Audrey said in a calm, doctor’s voice. She tilted her head to examine my wound although it was really too dark for her to see anything well. “Come up to the house, so I can look at that for you.”
The four women led me up the path toward the ranch house. They didn’t seem surprised. Didn’t seem freaked out .
“H-h-e’s…” How did I say it? How did I explain what I just saw? That my boyfriend turned into a monster at the full moon.
I’d read all the Harry Potter books. I knew how this worked. Johnny had said it was a full moon, and I hadn’t thought anything of it. But in the story, Professor Lupin was a wonderful man who couldn’t help what he became at the full moon. That must be what was happening with Johnny. Why he sometimes lost control, like at the bar the night before. Why he was afraid that he would “go too far“ with me tonight.
I couldn’t fault him for that, could I?
I knew Johnny didn’t want to hurt anyone. That he cared deeply about those around him, including me.
I had great compassion for his plight. It must have been horrible to be subject to another side of yourself every time the moon was full.
I wasn’t going to reject him over this. I loved this guy. Warts and fur and all.
I definitely didn’t want them to go hunt him. Should I keep it to myself?
“Johnny…”
“Did he really bite you?” Becky asked kindly. Calmly. Too calmly.
I looked at her with wide eyes. How could she be so matter of fact? Did she know?
My hand came back to the place on my neck where his tooth had nicked me. They didn’t know my little cut was from a bite. I could have cut myself all kinds of ways.
Which meant they knew.
“He’s a wolf.” I said it as a statement, not a question.
“Yes, honey,” Becky said in the same tone of voice that a parent used when they had to admit Santa wasn’t real.
We were at the ranch house now, and they hustled me into the kitchen. Audrey grabbed a paper towel, folded it up, and pressed it to my neck to stop the bleeding. “Get me the medical kit,” she said to Marina.
So they knew about Johnny, and they accepted him anyway. I knew they were nice people. I was so glad they had his back.
But–oh God–what were the implications for me?
“Am I infected now too?” I squeaked.
Natalie pushed me into a kitchen chair and sat down in one facing me. She held my hand that wasn’t holding my sheet around me.
Her eyes pinned mine. “You’re not infected. It’s not a disease. They’re a different species from us.”
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly very dry. “ They ?”
Did that mean…
Wolf Ranch! The very name of the place was a giveaway.
“All the guys are werewolves? ”
“Wolf shifters.” Marina arrived with a first aid kit, which she set on the table and opened. “Not werewolves.”
Becky immediately pulled out alcohol swabs, ripped one open, and handed it to Audrey.
“What’s the difference?” I asked, my eyes darting between them.
“Werewolves don’t exist. They’re the things of horror movies. Lore handed down through history from humans who saw wolf shifters and didn’t understand them. That’s why we keep their existence a secret. Otherwise, they’d be hunted and killed.”
Audrey cleaned my wound and inspected it which stung now from the alcohol wipe more than anything else. “This isn’t too deep. And it looks like it was just one tooth.” She met the gaze of her sister over my head, but I couldn’t interpret their look.
I didn’t have time to ask though because I heard Johnny shouting outside. “Lyssa? Fuck, Lyssa?”
The door flew open, and my boyfriend stood there–buck naked in front of everyone–his wild eyes seeking out mine. He was dirty, sweaty, and had a piece of grass in his hair.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” He walked toward me, fast, at first, then stopping a safe distance away, as if making sure I had space. “I had to get away, but then I couldn’t. Tell me to be here. Or tell me to run. ”
“Cover yourself, Johnny.” Becky grabbed a dish towel and threw it at him with a laugh. He caught it and put it in front of his crotch.
“We’ll give you some space,” Marina said, patting my hand, and the women disappeared. They wouldn’t leave me if I was in danger, would they?
I remained sitting, still in shock. Trying to digest it all.
His gaze roved over me, as if cataloging everything he saw. “I didn’t mean to bite you, baby. I’m so sorry. It was an accident–I got too excited. Then my wolf was all enraged that you were hurt, so I just ran to get myself under control. I should stay away, but I fucking can’t. Are you okay?”
I nodded, standing. Was I crazy for being okay with this? Whatever this was? Was this me, Emma, wanting Johnny or my crazy Lyssa side? Would Lyssa want a shifter? A naked guy who turned into a wolf and ran with the full moon?
I would. I did.
“I’m okay.”
“Thank fuck.” Johnny rushed forward then stopped short again. “Can I touch you? Can I pick you up?”
I loved that he was asking permission. That he was taking care with me, even from himself.
I was so confused. So overwhelmed. And yet, without thinking, I threw my arms around his sweaty neck. “Pick me up,” I said.
He scooped me up, sheet at all, and carried me back in the direction of the bunkhouse, the screen door slapping behind us. “You’re okay? You’re not scared of me?” His brows were down low, and he walked swiftly, like he couldn’t wait to get me safely back to our bed.
“I’m… I’m okay,” I said again.
“No, you’re not.” He sounded so distressed. “Lyssa, I never ever meant to harm you. It’s just… biting is something wolves do with their mates. But you’re human, so, of course, you didn’t know. You don’t heal quickly like a she-wolf would, so it hurt, and there’s still a little cut. I’m so sorry. Rob warned me not to be with you tonight with the moon full, but I couldn’t stand the idea of being away. I fucked up. Again.”
I leaned my head on his. “Really. I’m okay. It was a surprise and a lot. So, you do turn into a wolf at the full moon?” I had so many questions. “They said you’re not a werewolf, you’re a wolf shifter.”
He wasn’t even breathing hard carrying me around. “That’s right. The moon affects us, for sure. It brings out our wolf side. We usually run as a pack to let off steam. Tonight I tried to skip the run to be with you, but it was a mistake.” His gaze held an ocean of pain.
I kissed his temple. “I’m okay,” I repeated softly. “We’re okay. ”
His gaze jerked to mine. We’d arrived back to the bunkhouse and were in the bedroom now, and he laid me carefully in the center of the bed. “We are?” Hope shone in his eyes.
I nodded. “We’re okay,” I murmured.
Johnny flopped down beside me in relief. “Oh, baby.” He wrapped me up in his arms. “That’s the best news I’ve ever heard.”
I swore for one second I thought this big, strong cowboy–this wolf shifter–was going to cry. I wrapped him up in my arms, too, holding him right back.
“We’re okay,” I repeated a third time, closing my eyes and listening to the crickets singing and the soft, far off chuffs of the horses in the stable.
To the sound of our mingled breaths.
To the beating of my heart and his as one.
Maybe I was even crazier than Lyssa.