Chapter 17
1719 Words
“Throttle him? Wait, you know him?”
You study his face as it runs through a myriad of emotions. He sits with his arms on his knees, his hands clasped together. You can tell he’s trying to come up with the right words.
“Yes, I know him. I’ve known him my whole life.”
“What? Your 'whole' life?”
He nods, “You could say we grew up together.” He's wringing his hands, he isn't comfortable discussing this at all. You next comment floors him.
“Oh, so is he like a pet?”
An involuntary growl comes out and Gregory’s irises flash larger and then recede. He snickers at your terminology. “I think he’d say that ‘I’ was the pet.”
“Okay, I’m confused. If he isn’t a pet but you grew up together then what exactly is he to you?”
Gregory turns to you and takes your hands in his. “I asked him to wait until you knew us better. The damn wolf doesn’t have any patience and has to have things his own way.”
You sit patiently, watching him but he isn’t making any sense.
He blows out a breath and lifts one of your hands, kissing the back of it. “You sure you’re ready for this discussion?”
“Well now you’re scaring me. How am I supposed to know if I’m ready for something if I don’t know what that something is? Why are you acting so weird? Is this something bad? Is Fenrir dangerous?”
He stares directly into your eyes, “Yes he is. But not to you, NEVER to you. He would do anything to protect you, even give his life.”
You raise your eyebrow as if saying, dramatic much?
He nods, “Yes, I know it sounds dramatic but it’s true.” He removes a hand and rubs the back of his head, looking slightly terrified. You reach over with your free hand and stroke his face, “Whatever it is, I’ll handle it. Okay? And if I can’t, you’ll help me understand right?”
He just continues to nod his head and then shake it in disbelief. “I had no idea he was visiting you, that sneaky bastard. I guess I should have known he was up to something, he kept asking and then he just suddenly stopped.” He looks over at you with a resigned look. “I just wasn’t quite ready to explain everything this early in our relationship.”
He’s rambling and you’re letting him because you really have no idea what to think or do. After another few minutes of silence you try again.
“Who is Fenrir? And how is he real to you but showing up in my dreams?”
He squares his shoulders, looks determined and decides to begin answering your questions.
“Fenrir is a lycanthrope. He can show up in your dreams because he can sort of ‘mind meld’, if you will, with you. He can only do that with you because you are our mate.”
“Our mate. He said that same thing to me. When I mentioned him to you he said 'Gregory and I are one. Sam is our mate.' What does that mean exactly? How can I be mated to a wolf…lycanthrope and a human?”
“Because I am a lycanthrope. Fenrir and I are one, but separate. This is why I was waiting to talk about this so that I could find the words to explain it better. You’ve heard of werewolves right?”
You pull back with a chuckle in disbelief. “You’re saying you’re a werewolf?”
He laughs, “NO. That is actually an insult. We are lycanthropes, we existed before werewolves. Werewolves are a lesser being to us. We are larger, smarter, stronger and are considered an upper class. We lycanthropes rule over the werewolves.”
You weren’t prepared for that, or the fact that he said it all with a straight face and so matter of fact. You don’t know what to say so you just say, “Keep going”.
“Fenrir and I are one. Both of my parents are lycanthrope; therefore I was born with Fenrir’s spirit, along with my own. Until you are old enough and strong enough to transform, it’s sort of like having an imaginary friend with an attitude that gets you into trouble.”
He's smirking and all you can think is what a handle the two of them as a child would have been.
“Changing for the first time is very painful and unlike werewolves we don’t need a full moon; we can change any time, anywhere we want.”
You hold up hand. “Wait. Are you saying you could produce Fenrir, right here? Right now?”
His eyes flash larger and then a minute they return to normal. You lean in closer, “Wait a minute. I recognize those eyes. That was him wasn’t it?”
Gregory nods. “He wants to prove to you that he is real, here and now. He doesn’t want to wait for the explanations to be done.”
“So I could speak with him now?”
“If you wish.”
“And you and he are the same so it would be his voice that I hear in my head, coming out of your mouth? And you eyes would change just like they did a minute ago?”
He nods again as you begin to digest the full meaning of what he’s saying.
You shake your head. “But I see him as a wolf. You’re a human. Is it like having a split personality?”
He thinks about that for a minute and then agrees. “Actually yes.” He points to his head. “Unless he’s sleeping, pouting, or I’ve pushed him back; he’s always here. He hears everything and responds in my head. It takes quite a bit of getting used to.” He turns towards you again, “But, when he comes forward and we shift, I and my human form go to the back and he, the wolf, takes over.”
“I don’t understand. How can your body…” you stop as the hand holding yours suddenly has long claws. “OH.”
The claws recede and he lifts your chin to see your eyes. “Please don’t be afraid of us. It would kill us to lose you. We would never hurt you. As our mate you are the most precious thing in the world to us for the rest of our life. We would do anything and everything for you. Are you frightened?”
You take a deep breath. “I don’t think frightened is the right word. Perhaps…astonished, curious, even perplexed? If I ask to speak to Fenrir, how do I know that it isn’t just you using a different voice?”
He’s quiet for minute, as if discussing it with himself but then his eyes change and when he looks back up, you see Fenrir’s eyes.
“Mate”
You jump back at the different voice and eyes but then lean forward, looking closer. “Fenrir?”
“Yes mate. He has finally allowed me to speak with you. He was not happy that I broke our deal and visited you in secret.”
“Are you being punished?”
“No. Now that I can speak with you I don’t care if he pushes me back later. This is what I wanted.”
“But how do I know it’s really you? This is all sort of, unbelievable. I thought you were a dream.”
A wicked smirk plays across his face. “I told you I was real. You did not believe. We are lycanthropes, we have powers. Besides healing quickly and having super strength, each lycan has a different ability. Mine is mind sharing with my mate. Since you are human, I can only share with you when you are sleeping.”
“So the fight in my dream last night? That was real? That was where Gregory and you got hurt? You mind shared everything while it was happening, so it was like I was there?”
He nods. “Yes. I want mate to see that we are strong when we fight but we are just. We do not kill just because we can. We obey the law of this land.”
"But any of you could have died."
"Yes. It is so in any battle but we heal fast, faster if our mate is close by to share healing energy."
"Why Philip brought you to me."
"Yes. We were severely injured and I did not have enough strength to heal us fully. We needed mate."
Your eyes melt at his words and you stroke his cheek. A sound like a purr/growl issues forth and you smile.
“Wait...Could you transform here? Now?”
He goes silent for a moment and then returns. “Yes, we believe we are healed enough.”
He looks around the room at the small space. “It will be tight.”
You both stand and you push the small couch forward so there is a tiny bit more room. Unsure of what to expect you move to the archway in the kitchen. For a moment Gregory comes back. He’s examining your face as he walks toward you.
“Are you sure?”
You take a breath and nod, now or never!
He leans down and kisses your lips softly. "Okay." He starts removing his clothing, handing them over to you. He walks back to the center of the room and a loud cracking sound can suddenly be heard. Your eyes enlarge as you watch different parts of his body start morphing into longer, more muscled limbs. When his face starts changing you can’t handle it anymore and cover your eyes with your hands.
The deafening cracking finally stops but to be honest, you're afraid of what you’ll find in the middle of your living room.
A wet nose touches your arm, a large furry forehead touches to yours. You remove your hands, looking straight into Fenrir’s gentle eyes.
“Mate.”
- Writer
