The Hidden

First Date

Once Eric left, Dyann took her time getting familiar with the incredible house. She wondered over the master bathroom with the giant copper soaking tub. How long had it been since she had a bath?  She was so accustomed to quick showers in between her chores that she never had time to soak. There was an assortment of shampoos, bubble baths, scrubs, things she had seen Meagan use. There was make up. She looked in the closet and squealed when she saw the big fluffy robe and the clothes in her size. She used one of the facial mask first. Then she picked out the shampoo and conditioner that smelled like vanilla and a matching body scrub. She found a new razor and ran herself a deep bath with a liberal dose of bath beads. She took her time. She relaxed and enjoyed herself. Once she stepped out of the tub she dried off, applied lotion and wrapped herself in the softest fluffy robe she had ever seen. She took time to blow dry her hair and even add a leave in conditioner. Her hair had never been so soft and full. She opened the robe inside of a full length mirror and was pleased to see her bruises and even her old scars healing up. She felt stronger than ever. She was sure the poisons had courses their way out of her body by now. Rose was more active and more vocal. She looked at the bed and decided she couldn’t resist it any longer. She let herself sink into the soft mattress and for the first time in a long time slept without worry or fear. 

Dyann awoke with a start and took a moment to remember where she was and why she was here sleeping in the middle of the day. She checked her phone and realized it was 3:45. Eric would be coming back soon. She raced to the bathroom and took a few minutes to apply light make up. Not bad for her first time. She fixed her hair and out it up with curly tendrils hanging around her face and down her neck. She found a soft short sleeved blouse and fitted jeans with healed boots. All in all when she checked the mirror she was pleased. She did not remember ever looking so good. Her skin was glowing and smooth, her hair was shiny. Rose was prancing. ‘We look great.’  Dyann laughed, ‘Yes I suppose we do or I do. I’m not sure what you look like you know.’  With that Rose sent her an image, a large beautiful wild wolf. She had a grey coat that was almost blue. She was a solid color. Her coat shimmered. Her eyes were large and shared the same deep green of Dyann’s eyes. ‘Wow. You are right Rose, you are beautiful.’

‘That’s why they hated us.  We are special. Blue wolves are only born once every thousand years.’

Dyann was amazed. Was it true?  Were we special. She was still thinking about it when the bell rang. 

She raced downstairs and opened the door to see Eric standing there in a fitted black shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. He looked so good it made her mouth go dry. She felt butterflies and started to shake a little. Eric reaches out one finger and brushed against her neck lifting a curl and wrapping it around his finger. “You look beautiful.”  His voice was deep and he had a drawl, but he also sounded a little nervous and short of breath. He seemed as nervous as she felt. She moved aside so he could come inside. He seemed to gain his composure a little. “So, have you settled in?”

Dyann laughed. “I’ve slept. The first good sleep I may have ever had.”

Eric reaches for her hand and led her to the sofa, “Would you tell me about it?  Why haven’t you slept before.”

Dyann had agreed to stay through tomorrow to get to know him so she figured she may as well tell the truth. She settled in comfortably so she was facing him and shrugged, “The people I believed to be my family were unkind as you know. I was basically their servant. I cooked, cleaned, shopped, and I was their outlet for every inconvenience or anxiety or frustration.”

Eric nodded but stayed silent so she continued, “I never knew when I would be woken up to treat a wound, make a snack, clean a mess, or just get used as a late night punching bag. We also moved a lot and that usually happened in the middle of the night.”

“So they were running. They were running because you have people looking for you?”

She nodded, “There was a phone call about two weeks and everything because very tense afterwards. A few days later we had visitors, 3 brothers from Maine. They were looking for a girl named Cora who has been missing over 25 years. They were given my ‘cousin’ Meagan. I was already suspicious and had already stopped taken my medicines. I eavesdropped on the conversation and concluded they were looking for me.”

“So you ran.”

“Not right away. Rose started waking up. We started getting stronger. The family could smell me so they knew I had stopped medicating myself. It led to a fight. Then they announced we were moving again. That’s when I ran.”

“Wow. That’s very brave. You must have been terrified.”

“I still am but I’m tired of being afraid. I’ll get over it.”

Eric was amazed. His mate was stunning, smart, fearless. He wondered what her wolf looked like and then it dawned on him that if she was drugged for years she had likely never shifted. So he asked, “Dyann have you ever shifted?”

“That depends, what do you mean?”

Eric chuckled. “Have you ever transformed into your wolf, Rose, and let her take over the body and run free?”

“Oh no. I don’t even know how to do it.”  Rose perked up even more. ‘I know, I know, we can do it now!’

“Rose likes the idea.”

“It can be painful the first time. It can hurt as your bones shift. Most of us shift young and it easier. So it may cause you some discomfort but would you like to try?”

Rose was begging and Dyann was curious about this other side of herself. She nodded and said, “Will you teach me?”

Eric explained that it was instinct and she did not have to be taught, she just needed to relax and let Rose do what she knew how to do.  “You will need to get naked first though.”

Dyann gasped, “Excuse me?”

Eric laughed again, “I’m not a pervert Dyann but when you change forms it will rip your clothing part. If we are shifting for fun, we typically remove our clothes beforehand.”

Dyann was thoughtful, she did not want to go through this alone but she wasn’t comfortable taking it all of in front of him. ‘Oh why not. He’s going to see it all soon anyway’

‘Rose behave.’

‘We don’t want to’

Dyann shrugged, “ok. Well let’s get naked.”

Eric raised his eyebrows as she started unbuttoning her jeans. As she started to shimmy then down her hips he felt himself get hard. All of a sudden there she was. His mate. Fully naked standing in front him. “Your turn.” She was smirking. Eric did as he was told and removed his clothes. He could smell what it was doing to Dyann. He thought that was a good sign and least the attraction is mutual. 

“Ok. Now just relax and let Rose take over. Let her come forward.”

Rose was leaping. ‘Is it time?  Is it my time?’

‘Yes’

Rose pushed forward, Dyann could feel her bones moving and breaking. It was over quickly and not nearly as painful as she expected. Eric stood with his mouth hanging open. Rose was large and blue. She approached him and licked his bare leg. That was all it took for Titan to come out. He was taller and broader and jet black with a small patch of grey blue fur on his chest. Rose kicked the discolored spot and rubbed her face against it, with that they were outside streaming through the trees. Inside Dyann was laughing. She had never felt so free.