Moonlit Secrets

Night Cap

Kai leads Annika through the pathless woods. A mixture of tall pine and sweetgum trees with the sun peeking through and hearing the small animals skittering around makes it a tranquil hike.

They had been hiking for nearly an hour just enjoying the view and sounds before they come to a clearing. An open space with a circle of trees that looks to be about as wide as a house.

He sets the backpack down next to one of the closet trees. “This looks like a pretty decent spot,” he says.

Annika is excited to get started and looks to Kai with anticipation. “Okay, so what are we learning first? Karate moves, breaking things, or are you just going to make me do a bunch of workout exercises?”

Kai began to laugh and replies, “No, none of that. We’re going to work on controlled transformations, right off the bat.”

“Controlled transformations?” Annika asks.

“Yes. Controlled transformation is when you focus on what part of the wolf you want to have emerge. For example…” Kai takes deep controlled breaths as dark black fur begins to grow from his fingertips to his shoulders, his nails turn into sharp claws, his teeth grow into fangs. Annika watches in amazement.

“You can do this instead of a full turn sometimes. It’s helpful if you don’t want to cause so much c*****e but want to do some significant damage, or, for some reason, need to bust through a brick wall.”

Kai quickly transforms into his full massive wolf form within seconds. His fur is black as night, eyes glowing ember, teeth and claws sharp as razors. He begins to pace around Annika who was seemingly calm and inquisitive. He gets closer, his nose running up her hair. But she starts to giggle.

Kai tries to scare her with a deep, guttural growl, exposing his sharp teeth. But Annika remains unphased. Annika reaches out to pet him. “So, are you trying to scare me? Because, for some reason, it’s not working,” she states.

He starts to back off and quickly transforms back to his human self. Breathing heavy from the change, he looks at Annika, surprised, and asks, “What was that about? That didn’t scare you?”

Annika’s voice, calm but surprised, replies “Um, no. I mean normally something like that would scare me, but for some reason it didn’t.”

“Then you have the ability of fearlessness. That’s good!” Kai says with delight.

Annika asks eagerly, “Okay, now, my turn. How do I do that?”

Kai approaches Annika and begins to instruct her, “You must visualize your wolf self. Tap into those primal, animalistic instincts and let go of all things human. Sometimes thinking of something that makes you angry helps. So just take a few minutes to really delve deep.”

Annika closes her eyes. She tries to think of things that she gets angry about, but she’s never really been an angry person until she received the Titian Industries case. Focusing really hard on how she felt the first night she transformed, but nothing is happening. She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. What is something primal other than anger? All she can think about now is last night with Kai.

She begins to replay everything she felt last night, every touch, every breath, how they came together. As she takes another deep breath, she remembered the final moments of that time, their climax. As she exhales, she changes in an instant. Her wolf self emerges immensely. Bearing her sharp teeth, head low, eyes locked on Kai. She makes a leap for him.

“Annika! Wait!” Kai screams out in fear, thinking she was unable to control her killer urges.

Kai trips and falls, Annika is now posted above him, he can feel his heart pounding out of his chest as he thinks he’s done for. Her head leans back, her mouth opens wide. Kai closes his eyes and prepares for his demise. It gets quiet. With Kai’s eyes closed tightly, he suddenly feels her licking him viciously. He opens his eyes and begins to laugh.

“Are you kidding me?!” He laughs while trying to avoid getting soaked by her dribble.

He playfully shoves her off, “I cannot believe you did that! You really had me going.” His breath is heavy with relief.

Annika quickly shifts back to her human self. “Oh my God! You should’ve seen your face!”

“Yeah, well you never know. The anger usually overpowers, and you can’t control your wild side.” He explains.

“I didn’t use anger to change, though.” Annika clarifies. “I just started thinking about last night, and then...I changed.”

Kai’s eyebrows furrow with confusion, “Wha- what? You thought about s*x? Is that what you’re telling me?”

Annika stutters, “Y-Yeah, I don’t like the turn when it happens out of anger. That’s what happened with my first transformation, and it was unsettling to say the least. I didn’t want to be scared of what I could possibly do and not have any control over it.”

Kai approaches Annika with eyes locked. She can’t help but wonder what his response will be. He places his curled finger under her chin, shifting his gaze between her big, bright green eyes and pink lips. He gives her a little kiss. With a soft husky voice, Kai responds, “Well, I guess we need to get you some more material to work with, so you don’t get bored.”

Annika lightly bites her bottom lip as she smiles. Kai starts to back up slowly and has a mischievous grin on his face, knowing she will be delighted with what comes next. He starts the next instruction. “Now, you’re going to learn what it’s like when two wolves are in the ring!”

Kai quickly transforms and so follows Annika. Two wolves face to face. He gestures with his head to follow her as he begins to jolt off further into the woods. Annika’s tail flutters uncontrollably with exhilaration. She starts to chase after him, both weaving through trees with great speed. Annika has never felt this powerful and free. She’s feeling like she’s catching on quickly.

As she gains on his tail, Kai makes a sharp turn and suddenly disappears. Annika slides to an abrupt stop. She doesn’t see any trace of him. His prints are no longer visible in the dirt. She closes her eyes and starts to listen, hearing everything from the wind and small creatures surrounding her. And then, there it is. Kai’s heartbeat. She can picture him in her mind and locks in.

Annika looks up. Her head tilts as she can see Kai has made his way up a tree. Kai lets out a loud howl showing he had bested her. But little does he know how quick she is to learn.

She runs up the base of the tree and pounces off to one adjacent working her way back and forth and further up until she reaches the top above him. Kai quickly shifts back to his human form balancing on the branch. He yells to Annika, “While you’re up there gloating, shift back! I’ve got something you need to try!”

Annika transforms to her human self, losing her balance she grabs a close by branch to catch herself. She yells back to Kai, “Okay, show me before I fall!”

Kai holds his arms extended out as if he’s about to fly and leans back allowing himself to plummet toward the ground, and rapidly shifting to his wolf form before he hits causing dirt and leaves to billow all around him.

“Did you really do a werewolf superhero landing?!” Annika yells mockingly.

Kai gestures with his head for Annika to go next.

Annika lets out a howl before jumping. As she’s falling, she notices that she’s going to land right on top of Kai.

Kai sees her closing in. But before he can move out of the way, FWAP! She’s landed on him. Succeeding in her rapid transformation landing, pinning him to the ground on his back.

They decided to make a run for it back to the clearing where they started. When they approached the clearing, they’re back to their human selves again.

“So, what did you think? I mean, you learned extraordinarily fast for someone who has only transformed fully one time.” Kai inquires with an ever so slight corner smile.

Annika is flattered and blushing. “It was a lot of fun. I guess it just feels natural to me.”

Kai grabs the backpack filled with snacks and drinks. They sit in the center of the clearing, shoulder to shoulder. Kai takes out one of each item and hands them to Annika and digs out the same for himself.

As they start opening granola bars and chugging water, a wave of disappointment fills the air.

A hint of seriousness creeps into Annika’s voice, “You know, at some point, we’re going to have to go back to the city and face them, right?”

A deep sigh escapes Kai's chest as the weight of Annika's words settle in his mind. He squeezed her hand, his voice soft and deep with gloom. "I know," he murmurs, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Neither of them wanted to leave. The cabin had become a haven. But the harsh reality of what they were having to go back to at home was not something they were looking forward to. If only they could just stay here forever.

Annika, sensing the storm brewing within Kai, reached out and gently squeezed his hand. She could feel the weight of his worries, the fear of the future clouding his mind. A surge of empathy washed over her, a connection that allowed her to feel his pain as her own. She placed her hand on his chest, offering silent comfort. "Let's not let this spoil our time," she whispered, her voice soft and soothing. "Let's focus on us, on now."

Kai was stunned. The weight on his shoulders seemed to lift, replaced by a sense of peace. "How did you do that?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity.

Annika, surprised by the power of her empathy, shrugged. "I don't know," she replied, her voice filled with wonder. "It felt like I just... absorbed something from you. Like a warm and tingling sensation, starting in my hand, traveling up my arm, and settling in my chest. It was strange, but interesting." She pauses, her eyes linked on his. "Almost like a shared breath.”

Kai looked at her with a mix of intrigue and gratitude. "Thank you, Annika," he said softly. "Looks like your abilities are taking a step up, it helped." He hesitated, then added, "A lot."

Annika sprang to her feet with excitement. "Let's head back to the cabin," she insisted, her voice filled with eagerness. "We can worry about tomorrow later. Right now, let’s just enjoy the time we have left here." She reaches her hand to Kai with a playful smile on her face.

Kai amazed at her enthusiasm. He takes her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. "Yes ma’am," he chuckled, his eyes following her every move. "Let's make the most of this night."

Together, they gathered their belongings, stuffing them into the backpack. With a final glance at the serene lake, they turned and headed back toward the cabin, their hands clasped tightly.

As they trek through the woods, the worries that had plagued their minds begin to fade. The fresh air, rustling leaves, and the soft glow of the setting sun filled them with a sense of peace.

Still holding hands, they emerge out of the woods. Happy to see the cabin again.

As they stepped onto the porch, Kai turned to Annika with a mischievous spark in his eye. "Hey, I've got an idea," he grinned. "I have a few bottles of liquor in the cabinet. What do you say we unwind with a drink or two?"

Annika's eyes lit up with excitement. "Sounds perfect," she replied, her voice filled with anticipation.

Kai opens the front door directing Annika to enter first. As he follows in behind her and closes the door, he can’t take his eyes off her.

They kicked off their boots, leaving them by the door. Annika sank onto the couch, her body slumping with relief. Kai disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with two short glasses and a bottle of aged whiskey. He filled the glasses halfway, placing the bottle on the floor.

Annika took a sip, her eyes widening as the fiery liquid burned its way down her throat. She coughed, her face turning red. "Oh my god, that's strong!" she exclaimed, fanning her mouth and coughing.

Kai chuckled at her reaction. "Hang on, let me get you a chaser princess. It might help." He winks at her and jumps over the back of the couch and heads to the kitchen, returning a moment later with a glass of lemonade. "Here, drink this," he said, handing her the glass.

Annika takes large drink and giggles and lays her hand on Kai’s thigh, “Yeah, that’s a lot better.”

Holding the glass of whiskey in one hand and lemonade in the other, she takes a sip of whiskey and chases it with a drink of lemonade. “I think I like this way better than just drinking it straight.”

A smile grows in the corner of his mouth as Annika glances at him. Her gaze switches between his eyes and lips. “What are you smiling at?” a smitten Annika asks.

Kai’s stare was more than just admiration for how positive she is able to be given their situation. It was something more. He has infatuation and awe gleaming in his eyes. He turns his head, quickly breaking eye contact and lets out a nervous chuckle, “Are you going to nurse that drink all night or what?” he asks.

Annika playfully surprised. "Oh, I see how this game is played!" she teases, snatching the whiskey glass from Kai's hand. With a mischievous look in her eye, she downs the drink in one swift motion, then chugs the rest of her lemonade. Her eyes widen in mock shock as the realization dawns on her.

Kai stares at her in astonishment. "I-I can't believe you actually did that!" he exclaims and throws back his drink with ease.

"More!" Annika demands, her voice filled with playful urgency. Kai, caught up in the moment, eagerly pours another round for both of them. Without hesitation, she downs the shot, this time with no sign of difficulty.

Kai, still shocked from Annika's unexpected skill, pours another round. "Are you sure about this?" he asks, his voice a mix of concern and excitement.

Annika grins, "Absolutely. Let's see how long this lasts."

With a firm look, she downs the shot, her eyes twinkling. Kai, feeling the playful competitive spirit ignite between them, matches her drink for drink.

Annika is feeling a major buzz, she picks up her phone and selects her music playlist. She flips through until she finds a song that she thinks is funny and suits the occasion. She turns the volume to max and "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran fills the room as she turns to Kai with a playful smirk.

She lays down her phone, jolts up from the couch, and offers her hand to Kai.

"Ready to dance?" she asks, her voice low and seductive.

Kai, already very tipsy, grins back at her. "I'm always ready for a dance with you, princess." He takes her hand and stands with her.

As they move closer, the music seems to grow louder, the world around them fading away. Their eyes lock, and a spark ignites between them. Their lips, mere inches apart....