Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane, Chapter 14, By Ruth Nalio

Trystan…

“What are the two of you doing back so early?” Father asked as he looked from Autumn to me.

“This i***t made a mess of everything! He ruined the entire evening!” Autumn began yelling.

“Excuse me for defending your honor!”

“Next time do it a bit more quietly, will you? You made me look like a fool!”

“I made you look like a fool! That man was about to accost your neck!”

“Wait a minute!” Mason said and held up a hand to Autumn’s would-be retort. “Just what the hell happened?”

“I was dancing with this man…”

“This man just told her that he’d like….” We both started at the same time.

“Enough! Trystan, I want you to tell me your side of it, then you can tell me your side, Autumn, fair enough?” Mason reasoned as he held up his hand for silence.

Autumn shook her head and I took a deep breath. “I was dancing with this lovely young woman while Autumn was dancing with this man when I heard him say that he’d like to see her hair spread across his pillows then asked her to sneak out into the hall with him, and he looked as if he were about to violate her neck. I don’t think any man should talk to a proper lady in such a way, and I simply told the man that. That’s when he told me to mind my own business and I simply informed him that it was my business, that’s when he became exceedingly rude. He told me he’d love to be the one to teach Autumn her place.” I gritted my teeth as I remembered the conflict.

Mason’s eyes were wide with shock and his jaw tight with outrage. “And just what is the problem that you have with this, Autumn?”

“The way he handled it! He pushed this man away from me and had it not been for me I believe he would have started a fistfight with him in the middle of the ballroom! He could have simply whispered something in his ear to get the man to step away from me and acted as if he was simply cutting in, he didn’t have to declare to the entire gathering that we were engaged to be married!”

Mason’s eyes grew wider and Father’s face lit up with the biggest grin I’d seen in months. Mason looked at me, “You told everyone that you were engaged?”

“It was the only way I could make it any of my bloody business, it's not like I wanted to tell anyone of an engagement that neither of us wishes to be in.” I gritted out.

“Would you just stop!” Father yelled. “The two of you are beginning to piss me off! You keep telling us that you don’t wish to get married yet you came to her defense tonight and claimed her as your fiancé! When will you admit that this marriage will work?”

“When will you admit that it won’t?” I yelled back.

“I told you! You ruined everything we’ve been working for! Damn you!” Autumn yelled at me.

“I’m so sick of your complaining! Shut up!” I yelled at Autumn then turned to my father, “This, this is why it will not work! We cannot get along, no matter how hard we try! We were not even dancing with each other tonight!”

“Enough!” Mason said. “If the two of you were not trying so hard to convince us of something you know nothing about, then none of this would have happened!”

“Ha! We know plenty about it! We cannot stand each other! We cannot have a marriage if we can’t stand each other! We cannot even stand to be in the same room with one another without fighting, or wanting to fight!” Autumn yelled at her father.

“You’d best be quiet, Autumn.” Mason threatened. I watched as Autumn pushed her shoulders back and glared at her father.

“Mason, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take Autumn to a real party, one that I’ll find fun and one that I’ll not be able to crash, and if we both come back happy or saying that it was bearable then we will stop telling you that we do not wish to be married. And I give you my word, to be honest in the opinion of the evening.”

“What do you mean, a real party?” Mason asked.

I smiled, “That’s for me to know and you to find out. I’ll give you my word no harm will come to Autumn.”

He looked contemplative for a moment then asked, “And if you don’t both come back happy or bearable?”

“Then we continue to try to convince the both of you that this will never work. Think about it. I’m volunteering to take Autumn someplace, it’s a chance you don’t want to pass up.”

“He’s got a point, Mason. I think it might be a good idea. If it doesn’t work out to our advantage then nothing changes. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

Mason looked from my father to me, then to Autumn, “You have a deal.”

“Now wait a minute!” Autumn protested, “I didn’t agree to anything!”

“Autumn, do you really think we BOTH will come back agreeable?”

She was quiet for a moment, “Fine.” She crossed her arms and glared at the wall.

“Let’s all have some drinks before the two of you leave, shall we?” Father said with a sigh to Mason and Autumn. We all followed Father into the sitting room and had the butler make a scotch for everyone. “So, other than this little incident that has everyone all upset, did the two of you have fun?”

“When I was dancing with men who didn’t insult me, yes.”

“I don’t care much for balls,” I said dryly.

“Would you excuse Trystan and me for a moment? I’d like to have a word with him.” Autumn said as she stood.

“Yes.” Father began to stand as well.

“Don’t bother yourself. Trystan, would you accompany me to the hall?”

“Why not.” I shrugged and got up to follow her into the hall.

Once we were down the hall a few feet Autumn turned on me. “What the hell are you doing making a deal like that with my father?” She asked in a harsh whisper.

I smiled, “It kept us from getting in trouble, and let’s face it, you’ll hate this party I’m taking you to, and if you don’t, you’ll hate that I’m there.”

“You better hope I don’t have fun because I can’t lie to my father.” She downed her scotch, turned on her heel, and marched back into the sitting room.

“Well, that was productive,” I said to myself as I walked back to the sitting room.

“Trystan, when will you be taking Autumn to this party?”

“When my father and I get back from our business trip.”

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow night. We’ll be gone for a week or so.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see you then. Since Autumn and I seem to be done with our drinks I don’t think you’ll mind if we take our leave.” Mason smiled and stood up.

“We’ll see you to the door,” Father said as he too stood. We walked them to the door and Father and I wished them both good night and saw them off. “You devil. You’re starting to like her after all.” Father said as we closed the door and began walking down the hall.

“What on earth would make you think that?”

“Well the way you acted when that man said such to her and acted the way he did, and the way you’re volunteering to spend more time with her.” He winked.

“I’m only volunteering because I don’t see Autumn enjoying anything with me. Remember hunting?”

“Still, I can see it, you want to enjoy yourself for a change.”

“That’s not going to happen with Autumn. If you’ll excuse me, Father, I think I’ll just go up to my room and get some sleep.”

He laughed and shook his head as I bounded up the steps. Once in my room I silently cursed myself. This entire thing was getting way too complicated. If I had not stepped in at the ball then Autumn would have made a worse scene than what I did and I would have had to kill the man, for he would have hit her. I would just have to do my best to not enjoy myself at all.

I knew it was coming, I could hold it back for a few more hours if I wanted, but why? I wanted it and I was going to make it come faster. I closed my eyes and began removing my clothes. I knew what part of me it was that changed; all I had to do was let it out. I clenched my gut, forced my muscles into spasms, opened my eyes, and let a howl roll through me.

I waited for the pain as my body changed but instead, all I felt was a light burning all over my body as hair grew and limbs twisted and shifted. I fell to my hands and knees with the force of it and arched my back into it. Paws, snout, ears, and fangs, all grew rapidly and it all felt like hot water running over my body, so hot I could hardly stand it, yet it felt amazing at the same time.

My vision blurred and then became sharper. I became overwhelmed with the smells of the forest around me. I whipped my still-forming tail back and forth. I could feel it grow longer with every move I made. I stood and began walking on all fours while the change reached its final stages. I could smell the other wolf and knew he must have changed before me. I threw my head back and let out a howl at the moon that vibrated from my feet to the tip of my wet nose. Here I come, Wolfy. I thought as I raced after the smell of the other werewolf.