The Monster Within Me

Chapter 4

Maya

The next day was pretty uneventful. I went to school, studied for as long as I could stomach before work and then headed there. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, the diner was basically filled with regulars being that the town was technically small, but it wasn't that big either.

It was around 7 when he walked in. Looking just as delicious as the day before and now that I'd had a taste, my heart fluttered slightly just thinking about the pleasure he could bring me. He was scanning the restaurant and when his eyes landed on me, he smiled slightly. His booth from yesterday was open again so he made his way over. I decided I would make him wait for a little, no need to seem too eager. I went to the back and filled up some of the napkin dispensers, and only when I had returned them to the bar did I make my way over to him.

"Will you be having the same as yesterday?" I asked trying not to make eye contact or I knew I would melt.

"Actually no, today I'd like to take things a bit further," he said in a husky tone. When I looked up, he was eyeing me in a way that I could almost feel physically. When his eyes finally made it to mine, I felt like I was sucked into a place where it was just the two of us. I wanted to run my hands through his beautiful curls and feel his hands as they roamed my body and became familiar. It was almost hard to breathe, but then I remembered that I was at work, and I also had 150 questions for the man in front of me. I snapped myself out of whatever spell I had been under and decided to turn the tables.

I leaned forward onto his table, making sure to use my arms to push my breasts forward a bit and giving him a view of my well-endowed chest, "Well, that remains to be seen. We can play later as long as you behave yourself," I said with a wink. "So what will you be having for dinner tonight Quinn?" I said as I stood.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again they were dark, almost black with lust. I shuddered under the look he was giving me. "Be careful there princess, you're playing a dangerous game and I don't think you're fully aware of all the risks. I don't enjoy being teased, but we'll deal with that later. Right now, I'd like The steak and cheesy mashed potatoes with the side of macaroni pie. And I'll have the nicest beer you guys have on tap. After your shift, you can ask me all the questions you have and I'll do my best to answer them."

I wrote down his order with shaky fingers. Maybe I had taken things to far? I did poke the sleeping beast, but in all fairness, he started it. "I'll be back with your drink in just a sec," I said turning to go get his beer. He was driving me absolutely crazy. I hadn't even taken a full step when I heard him say, "I'm a man of my word Maya, you'd do well to remember that. We'll deal with your teasing issue later, that is a promise," he said emphasizing the last word. I hurried off while my face heated up. I was in deep s**t.

After he was finished eating and I was done working, we again headed for his car. Once inside, I asked, "are we going somewhere for your interrogation or are we going to sit here?" His response came in the form of starting the engine and pulling out the lot. He was moving in the opposite direction than my house, towards the small downtown area. He pulled up to one of the nicer hotels and parked.

"This is where I'm staying. I know you have a lot of questions and like I said I will answer them, but I'm sure we'd both like to be comfortable while this conversation is taking place. Text someone and let them know where you are and then we'll head upstairs." He had said everything firmly yet there was a comfort to be found in knowing that he still wanted me to be comfortable as we had a very uncomfortable conversation. There was also a softness to his eyes that I had yet to have seen on his face. So I did what any smart girl would do, I texted my friend.

Me: Hey Nelle, I'm out with Goldie. He brought me back to his hotel. The Imperial Suites, just letting you know so you know who to blame if you don't hear from me in the next couple hours

Nelle: HOLY FUCKKK I ALMOST THOUGHT HE WASNT REAL

Nelle: WAIT... What are u doing @ his hotel?

Nelle: NVMMMM go have fun but i get a FULL disclosure of EVERYTHING later

Me: LOL u got it chica

"Okay, I'm good to go," I said as I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car. When we made it to the elevator we went up to the top floor and went to room 927. I texted that detail to Nelle just in case he was really a serial killer even though I doubted it.

His room was amazing. The bedroom and sitting area were separated by doors and there was even a kitchen in his room. It felt more like an apartment than a hotel room. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm just going to change," he said as he moved towards the bedroom. "There's food in the fridge if you want something, please help yourself." He said as he closed the door. I moved through the room taking everything in.

The art on the walls, the cozy L-shaped couch and the lazy-boy chair that both looked like they induced sleep and not just comfort. My stomach growled so I made my way to the kitchen where I got myself a glass of water and a bowl of cherries from the fridge and added some of the grapes I found in the freezer. I was sitting in the corner of the couch enjoying my fruits when he returned. Now in a sweater and a pair of basketball shorts, he looked a lot comfier and, believe it or not, edible.

He plopped himself down on the lazy-boy and faced me, "Well, young she-wolf, what would you like to know?"

As I swallowed the grape I had just eaten, hearing him say she-wolf made my mouth dry and I took a drink, putting the bowl and cup on the coffee table before I responded, "a-are you sure I'm a werewolf? I don't have anything against them, but I mean, I've lived my whole life thinking I was human so please forgive my confusion." I said sheepishly. I was avoiding eye contact as much as possible, not knowing how he would react.

"Maya look at me. There is nothing that you have to be ashamed of. Your lack of knowledge is through no fault of your own. As for how I know, I can smell the shifter in you and your description of the wolf that you see is precisely how a wolf first begins to appear to a wolf that hasn't shifted their first time yet."

"But how come I've never even had the urge to shift? Don't wolves normally go through that when they're like 14?" I said becoming distressed at the thought.

"Normally yes, but those wolves are normally surrounded by other shifters. A wolf who has been isolated from a pack will not shift. Almost like they're hiding to stay safe. They need to feel welcomed in order for the first shift to happen. The pictures and the feelings you get when you see your inner wolf is her trying to get your attention. She's calling out to you to acknowledge her so that she can keep you safe. The times that you have seen her, what was happening around you?"

"Well, the first time I was around 8. I had just learned to ride a bike without my training wheels because my older brother taught me when my dad was too occupied to bother. I was flying down the road as fast as I could to feel the wind in my hair. I hadn't noticed how close I was getting to the intersection at the end of the street. The wolf flashed before my eyes and I fell off the bike and got scraped up pretty badly. But, I was lucky to be alive. There had been a truck barreling down the road from the construction going on while they were still developing our neighborhood. If I hadn't fallen I would have been nothing more than roadkill." I said as I began to realize that what he was saying might be true.

When I looked up, he was nodding, seemingly lost in thought. "Where are you calmest? Where do you run to when you need a break from everything?" he asked looking at me at last.

"The forest," I said without hesitation. His eyes glimmered at that response. He seemed genuinely happy that I too might be a werewolf. Honestly, even though I was still scared, I realized I didn't mind at all. It was just fear of the unknown. "How do I... Learn how?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Learn how to shift? Well, first you need to call your wolf and get familiar with her. When you've built a relationship and trust each other, then you may try to shift. But as I said, you'll need to be around other werewolves in order for her to feel safe for the transition."

"But you're the only wolf I know! And who knows how long you'll be here before you leave us. This is pointless, I'll never learn how if you leave." I said, tears springing to my eyes at the thought of the loss of something without ever really getting it.

"Hey, I'm glad you want this to work and you're willing to give this a try," He said while moving beside me on the couch. I was wiping my eyes now as my tears had spilled over, "Look, Maya, I promise I won't leave you. Not until you're comfortable with your wolf and I've introduced you to a pack that I trust to care for you." He said as he wrapped an arm around me to comfort me, " I'm not going to throw this on you then leave like that, I promise." He said as I sniffled.

"Why can't I just go with you? Can't I join your pack?" I asked, wiping my eyes on my shirt sleeve as he wrapped his other arm around me, putting me back to his chest.

"If when the time comes, you'd feel more comfortable staying with me, then I'll take you with me. Until then though, I'll teach you everything I know and help you," he gave me a squeeze and I felt myself relax into him.

"So how do I meet her? My wolf, I mean. I've only ever seen her by accident. I've never intentionally looked for her." I asked, sitting up on my knees and facing him. I was already missing his warmth and I could tell from his expression that he would rather I hadn't moved.

"Just think of her. Remember what she looks like. Hopefully, she'll come and let you get a clear picture of her. You'll need to do this a couple of times a day so she gets comfortable with you. Once she is, then she'll begin speaking with you and allow you to name her."

"That's awesome! Okay let me try right now," I said closing my eyes and concentrating on the memory I had of the beautiful white wolf. After a few moments, the clearest view I've had of her appeared to me. She was sitting there as if she'd been waiting for me, a look of happiness in her eyes as I finally found her. I gasped, opening my eyes and she was gone. "That was unbelievable! She's beautiful!" I said getting excited and jumping on the couch like a kid. In my excitement, when I tried to get off the couch and slipped, right into Quinn's lap...