Gypsy Moon

Chapter Eleven: Lilian

. . . . . . (late June)

The White Moon clan took the news of Sinah being mated to Aiden with all the celebration she could have possibly hoped for. She was so overwhelmed with well-wishers at one point she burst into tears and apologized to the pack for choosing to move away from them, especially since she'd be moving to another pack's territory now. I stood quietly near her, sipping my frappe. I caught Bryce looking at me and I gave him a toothy grin.

I was literally proving my point right now. No one was guarding their words around me, a pair of teens were in the training circle practicing, no one remembered I was a human. Bryce waved me over with a grin and pointed to a big brown wolf walking out of the woods. I blushed when he shifted back without warning. I was close enough to hear Bryce purr appreciatively at the sudden show.

"Really, you work as a male exotic dancer, shouldn't you be sick of seeing naked men now?" His bright green eyes danced.

"Girl, some people never get tired of seeing naked men." I laughed when he purred again, eyes still on the man in question.

"Okay, be honest, you are like them..." I waved at the pack in general. "But you act more like a cat. They all growl, you purr." His lips curled into a smile.

"I growl as well, clever human, but yes, I'm a cat. Jaguar, specifically. Probably the only one you'll ever meet."

"Why?" He sighed.

"We aren't common in the first place, and those of us that ARE still alive mostly live in the Peruvian mountains."

"Why don't you live there?" His eyes darkened and he looked away.

"I moved to the states when I was sixteen." I noticed that he was avoiding the subject, so I changed the topic.

"So, what is the difference between you and them?" He gave me an amused smile.

"Other than the difference between cats and dogs?" I laughed.

"Okay, other than that, specifically." He hummed and folded his arms behind his head, looking towards the sky.

"Well... Aiden can't see in the dark like I can, and he's an alpha wolf, so I assume none of the wolves can see as well as me. We both worship the Moon Goddess, but the jaguars also worship the Sun God. I have better balance, none of the wolves can climb as well as I can." He seemed genuinely interested in the subject. "On the other hand, I am nowhere near as strong as they are, but I'm faster. They have a lot more endurance also, but ironically, I swim better than they do."

"Who would win in a fight?" He laughed.

"Between me and Aiden? Maybe me, but only because I know him so well. I would have to take him down within the first minute or so or he would just wipe the floor with me, though." He paused to consider for a moment. "I could probably take on a Gamma wolf one-on-one for a fair-ish fight, heavy on the 'ish', but I would be hesitant to place bets on myself if I ever have to fight a Beta. An Alpha would just annihilate me."

"So, isn't it kind of dangerous for you around here?" He nodded wryly.

"If it weren't for Aiden, I probably never would have been able to make friends with wolves."

"What do you mean?"

"When we go to pack territories, I am a threat. I'm not a wolf, I'm 'something new' and I don't know if you've noticed, but the dogs are pretty set in their ways."

"Except for me, the invisible human." He laughed.

"True... Aiden is an alpha wolf, he doesn't lead a pack, but he has a pretty impressive lineage, and not many wolves are willing to get on his family's bad side, since they have three generations of living alphas in their pack, and none of them are anything but perfect examples of alpha wolves. The fact Aiden has been able to live such a carefree life is a testament of his pack's strength, that they can spare such a strong wolf for such a long time, without problem." He shrugged. "So, none of them are willing to fight me and have Aiden come down on them like holy hell." I hummed thoughtfully.

"So, what does that make me, really?" He laughed bitterly.

"If I know the Wolf Elders, you will be the biggest threat to our entire existence since the first shifter was born." I gaped.

"WHAT?" He nodded.

"I'm sure they will immediately assume you will leak the secret to other humans, which would start rumors that would attract Hunters, which makes a huge mess. So, you will be a threat they will want to neutralize before you can jeopardize the pack's safety."

"But... I wouldn't! I HAVEN'T! I'm here to ask if I CAN tell one person, but only because I trust him to ALSO be able to keep the secret!" I raised my voice without thinking. Bryce's eyes sparkled mischievously at my outburst. A deathly stillness had descended, and I turned to see the entire pack staring at me like they were seeing me for the first time. I did not fail to notice Sinah facepalm and grab Aiden's sleeve, whispering frantically. Bryce touched my shoulder gently.

"Good job dropping that bomb, would you like to run for the hills now, or when they snap out of their shock?" I noticed his body was shaking slightly, and that he was not wearing clothes as he suddenly shifted to his jaguar form. I smiled at the collective gasp of shock from the pack at his blatant disregard for wolf law. The jaguar tossed its head over its shoulder, indicating it wanted me to get on its back like a horse. I thanked my lucky stars I knew how to ride and leapt on, shrieking gleefully as it took off, leaving the entire pack gaping at the spot we vanished from.

. . . . . .