Moon Bound: A Christmas Eve in Hong Kong

Chapter One: The Curse of Distance The full moon hung over Lusaka, and Marcus Thornwood felt the familiar tightening in his chest. Not the change that would come later. This was the ache of separation, knowing that loving Debra Mwansa might be the most dangerous thing he'd ever done. They met six months ago at a conservation conference in Zambia. Marcus was Dr. Marcus Thornwood by day, wildlife biologist from London. By night, when the moon was full, he became something the scientific community would never believe existed, a werewolf, cursed by a bargain his ancestor had made three centuries ago in the Scottish highlands. Debra worked for an international development organization, her warmth and intelligence evident from their first conversation. Coffee had turned into dinner, dinner into walks along the Zambezi. Marcus carefully tracked the lunar calendar, making excuses when he needed to disappear. She thought he was dedicated to his research. She had no idea that some nights, he was the research. Three months in, Marcus received a job offer from Lyon. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and a chance to put distance between himself and Debra before she discovered what he truly was. But love proved more relentless than any curse. "You don't have to look so tragic," Debra said, joining him on the balcony. "Lyon isn't the moon. I can visit." If only she knew how much the moon factored into everything. "The visa situation is complicated," Marcus said. "Schengen visas are only good for short stays." "Then we make the most of those short stays," Debra said firmly. "We've dealt with complicated before." Marcus pulled her close, breathing in her scent. Above them, the moon climbed higher. He had perhaps two hours before he'd need to excuse himself and transform in the nature reserve outside the city. "I love you," he said, meaning it with every fiber of his being, human and otherwise. "I love you too," Debra replied. "We'll make this work. Distance is just distance. Love finds a way." Marcus held her tighter, wishing he could believe it was that simple. Because distance wasn't their only obstacle. Between them stood the beast that lived inside him, the secret that would make loving him not just complicated, but potentially deadly. The move to Lyon brought both escape and opportunity. Debra visited twice in six months, her Schengen visa allowing weeks at a time. Marcus became expert at scheduling her visits around the dark of the moon, when he was safest. During her second visit, she'd noticed the pattern. "You're always busy mid-month," she said one evening. "Research trips, you say. But you never bring back samples or photos." Marcus's heart hammered. "It's behavioral observation. The wolves are skittish." Debra had looked at him for a long moment, then simply nodded, though something in her expression suggested she was filing the information away. It was during that visit they discovered she was pregnant. The news hit Marcus like a silver bullet. Joy and terror in equal measure. Would the curse pass to this innocent life? Their son Michael was born in Lyon, eight pounds of perfect, ordinary baby. For a few months, Marcus let himself hope the curse had skipped generations. Then Michael's eyes flashed gold in the lamplight, just for a moment, and Marcus knew. The curse remained, only sleeping. The visa situation eventually became untenable. They moved to Namibia, then China, always one step ahead of bureaucracy, always carrying the weight of Marcus's unspoken secret. It was in Shanghai, three months after their daughter Emily was born, that everything changed. Marcus transformed on a rooftop and caught the scent of another werewolf. He tracked it to Wei Lin, a woman in her sixties who'd been cursed for forty years. "You're young and frightened," she said calmly, waiting with tea and clothes at dawn. Over the following months, Wei Lin became mentor and teacher, showing him meditation techniques and herbs that could delay the transformation. Most importantly, she taught him about love. "You think keeping secrets protects her," Wei Lin said one afternoon. "But secrets are poison. If you love her truly, you owe her the truth." "The truth could destroy us," Marcus argued. "The lies already are," Wei Lin replied. Marcus returned home one day to find Debra surrounded by papers visa applications, marriage requirements, legal documents from a dozen countries. "We need to talk," she said. "About the fact that we've been together four years, have two children, and still aren't married. About the fact that I love you desperately but sometimes feel like I'm living with a stranger. About the fact that you disappear every month and won't tell me why." This was it. The moment Marcus had been dreading. But before he could speak, Debra held up a paper. "Someone at work suggested Hong Kong. You can register intent to marry without being resident, wait the required period, then fly in for the ceremony." She looked at him with hope and determination. "I don't care where or how. I just want to marry you." Marcus looked at the paper, at Debra's expression, at the door to Emily's room where their daughter slept, carrying a curse she didn't know about yet. "Okay," he said. "Let's get married in Hong Kong." Debra smiled and kissed him. But as Marcus held her, he made a decision. He would marry her, because he loved her. But first, before they spoke those vows, he would tell her everything.