Bound to the Wolfless Moon

Chapter 2: What Are You?

I was mesmerized and confused. I couldn’t tell if they were a man or a woman. Their hair was straight and dark, framing a sharp jaw and soft glossy lips. They were much taller than me and slender, but without looking unhealthy. They wore ripped skinny jeans and a simple white v-neck shirt, but the way it clung to their body accented every inch perfectly.

With every step they took, I grew more and more engrossed with their immaculate features.

“You’re staring.” The words startled me out of my trance, suddenly very cognizant of the fact that this beautiful creature was now a mere two feet away from my body. Instinctively, I hunched my shoulders to make myself as small as possible.

“I’m so sorry… I was just… I mean…” It was as though I had completely forgotten how to speak. I tugged on the bottom of my dress again, completely uncomfortable with my own body upon spotting such a perfect specimen. One of the straps slid down my bare shoulder, which didn’t surprise me in the least since I knew I didn’t fill it out like Juno does.

The beautiful stranger reached forward and gently brushed my strap back into place on my shoulder while gazing down into my eyes. “I’m Hikaru, and I use they/them pronouns.” They flashed me a gentle smile and pulled their hand back from my shoulder.

“I’m… girl.” Those were the words that unfortunately slipped out. “I mean.. Gabby. Is my name. I’m Gabby. And I’m a she.” I felt heat rising into my cheeks at the embarrassment of my bumbling introduction. “Sorry.” I stared down at my feet and instinctively tried to back up, forgetting that I’m against the fence. My body made a thud against the sturdy wood and my eyes widened in the awkwardness of the situation.

I heard a soft laugh escape Hikaru. “It’s very lovely to meet you, Gabby. The girl.” They tilted their head down in an attempt to make eye contact. “If I’m making you uncomfortable, please let me know.”

“No!” I blurted out, then cleared my through as though it were entirely an accident. “I mean, no it’s fine. You’re fine. I mean, like, this is totally fine.” I could not figure out why I was bumbling like an i***t. Internally I reminded myself that I’m a master of the language, about to graduate med school, and totally a fully functional adult person. “Sorry.”

They reached their slender hand in my direction, and with two fingers they softly tilted my chin upward to lock eyes. “You keep apologizing, but there isn’t any need for that.” They inhaled deeply and closed their eyes. I couldn’t help but stare at the exposed outline of their clavicle. “Your hair smells like honey. It’s delightful.”

My posture shrunk a little more at the compliment, something I wasn’t used to. “Thanks, I washed it. I mean, my shampoo. It has stuff in it. Stuff like honey. Specifically.” I convinced myself to stop rambling.

They reached down and gently brushed a lock of hair behind my ear, and it felt like time stopped. I’ve never been comfortable with strangers touching me, but it wasn’t so bad coming from them. “I love the way it shines in the moonlight.” Their voice dropped to just above a whisper, like they were telling me an intimate secret.

My knees went weak, and I became dizzy. I reached forward to brace myself in an attempt to keep from dropping to the ground. When my hand cupped their shoulder, they let out an almost primal moan. Their eyes, already intensely fixed on mine, start to brighten with an unnatural red hue. They placed one hand on the fence behind me, inching in even closer. “There’s… something about you…” they whispered in a hungry tone.

As much as I wanted to focus on their words, I was only able to notice their increasingly sharp teeth. I glanced at the hand on the fence behind me and saw their nails were morphing into razor sharp points. Since I was already incapable of speech and unable to process what I was seeing, my instinct was to scream.

Before the sound could escape my lips, they pressed a warm hand tightly over my mouth. “Shhh… you don’t want to do that.” They gracefully remove my hand from their shoulder. “I haven't lost control like that in years, but when you touched me I just couldn’t help it.” They take in another deep breath, breathing me in completely before shaking their head in an attempt to regain composure.

After a period of time that might have been seconds or hours, their eyes faded their natural color and they cleared their throat. “I’m going to remove my hand now. Can you please not make a scene?”

I gave a tiny nod and murmured a soft, helpless “Mm Hm,” into their warm palm. They smiled and brushed my cheek with their thumb before removing their hand. I blinked rapidly, still trying to process the situation. “What happened? What… are you?” I asked in a hushed tone.

Hikaru removed their hand from the fence and ran it through their dark hair. “You’re safer not knowing.” They took a step back, but maintained eye contact with a somber expression. “Look, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, but you can’t tell anyone what you saw. If you do, they’ll come for you.”

I blinked up at him. “They?” It was always my instinct to ask questions when I didn’t understand something, but I immediately regretted the inquiry. “Sorry. You already said… about not knowing…” I shuffled my feet nervously, still pressed firmly against the fence and grateful to have it holding me upright.

They turned to move toward the door while giving a subtle wave. “It has been an absolute pleasure. Gabby.” After they disappeared back into the house, I took the deepest breath I could manage.

After a few moments, I floated across the backyard, through the house, and out the front door to head home while trying to process what actually happened. It felt unreal, like something I had clearly imagined. At the same time, it felt like the realest interaction I’ve ever had with another person.