Damaged Mate

18

It was, by far, the strangest afternoon I had ever spent with someone. While Clyde did his best to show me a few defensive tricks, most of it was just him gallivanting around the forest, demonstrating all of his wolf-like powers. From clearing the bank jump with ease to slashing through an entire tree’s trunk, Clyde was a blur of activity, absolutely giddy to share a secret I was sure he’d kept since birth. I happily watched him tear across the grass and show off his physical prowess, completely enamored and fully aware I was feeding an already massive ego.

At the moment, he stood over the riverbank, staring down at its reflective surface with intense concentration. Then, with a flash of his hands, the water exploded around him, revealing his palms cupped and filled with water.

I leaned over, startled to see a dozen or so minnows swimming about. “Okay, okay. I’ll write to the newspapers and tell them to change it to dog-like reflexes.”

“Damn right, you will.” Clyde grinned. “You wanna hold ‘em?”

I gave him a bemused smile, mimicking his hands as closely as I could. His were so much bigger than mine, somehow just as delicate as they were dangerous while he held the fish. Once I cupped some of my own water, he carefully tipped his hands over, dropping two or three tiny fish into my makeshift pool.

“So, this is what country folk do for fun,” I teased.

Clyde nodded, eyes fixated on his own pool as the silver fish swam in gentle circles. “Vanessa and I would always compete to see who could catch more. Loser had to eat them all,” he added smugly. “But I think for your sake, we’ll consider me the winner for life.”

“Oh, so very generous,” I crooned, easing my hands back into the water. The poor little minnows scurried back to the darker shallows, regrouping in a swarm of silver before vanishing beneath dangling tree roots. Clyde followed suit, our lack of conversation soon filled by the sounds of nature.

“Just so I’m clear,” I asked, “you don’t hate me anymore, right?”

Clyde shook his head, curls of hair and fur flipping about. “I sorta feel dumb for being such a jerk. But when you said you were a Harvey, I just sorta… panicked?” He frowned slightly. “I dunno. Maybe ‘panicked’ isn’t the right word.”

“You shoulder-checked me on the first day of school and proceeded to make my life a living hell,” I pointed out. “I think ‘panicked’ is the perfect term for that.”

Clyde let out a snort of laughter, claws still drifting in the water. “Hey, just let me know if this form freaks you out,” he added softly. “I’m not used to staying in it this long in front of strangers.”

“You and I are strangers?” I asked.

He looked somewhat taken aback by my hurt tone. I was equally as surprised; I hadn’t realized I was so attached to the idea of us as friends. “N-no, not like that. I just mean—when you’re in a pack, it’s always the same handful of people you shift with.” Clyde smiled, flicking up a spray of water as it caught against the sunset. “I dunno, it sounds stupid. But it’s nice to be like this with someone new.”

I wanted so badly to tease him for saying that. To point out that what he probably liked was the fresh attention, to be marveled at for his superhuman abilities. But as I stared at the serene look on his face, I just didn’t have the heart to ruin it. What was so wrong with getting attention, anyway? As far as I knew, Vanessa was his one and only confidante about this werewolf stuff. His only real friend in Ayersville. “Hey, Clyde—”

My sentence tangled into a startled gasp as my phone’s buzzer loudly went off.

“Shoot, is that your dad?” Clyde asked as I fished it out. “‘Cause, you know, it’s not technically evening yet. You can still be here in the forest, especially if I’m here.”

The panic in his voice was sort of cute. He really didn’t want to get on my dad’s bad side. “Oh, right.” I shook my head while pulling up my messages. “It’s Aiden. He says he’s on his way to the park with the others.”

Clyde’s face screwed up like he’d just sucked on a lemon.

“You know, you could come with us,” I offered. “Trevor’s coming, too, so it’s not like you’re the odd man out. Plus,” I added sweetly, “I’m there, too, so that’s two friends on your side.”

Clyde scoffed, running his hands over his face as the fur seemingly shedded away. Fingers returned to their normal length, claws becoming nails, and soon, his human form stood before me once again. “I still don’t think you should be friends with Aiden.”

I sighed softly, standing up to brush off the back of my pants. “Do you really think he had a hand in your dad’s… you know…?”

“Not him specifically,” Clyde growled. “But his family should have to answer for what they did. I should’ve—” He paused, as if reconsidering his words. “They shouldn’t have taken over like they did.”

This was way too delicate of a subject to stick my nose into. As much as I wanted to know, I had to let Clyde tell me on his own terms.

“Do you remember how to get back to the park?” he asked. “I don’t—I really don’t want to be there when he pulls up in that junker of his.”

“S-sure,” I replied. “Just gotta follow the blue path back, right?”

“You got it.” Clyde rolled his shoulders and stretched, seemingly getting ready to dive into a sprint.

Before he left, I made sure to place a hand on his shoulder, and his head slowly turned my way. “I want to be friends with the two of you,” I said softly. “I want that to be okay with you.”

Clyde was quiet for a moment, scrutinizing me with those golden-amber eyes of his. Then, he flashed a smirk, running a hand through his curly hair. “It’s not okay with me, but I don’t think that really matters. You do you, Safety Patrol. Just remember what I said.”

I nodded, lifting my hand free as Clyde bolted off into the forest. He easily tore across the river, spraying water everywhere before vanishing back into the brush. I couldn’t help but linger where he once stood, softly sighing before turning away.