Cursed Wolf

Relief washed over Thorne, and he felt his body relax for the first time in longer than he could remember. Heather had agreed to see him again, and this time he would control his temper.

He’d had time to think and reflect on her willingness to go meet Luna. That showed that she was open to the possibility that he was telling the truth. The possibility of them being together. He lay on his bed in the darkness, thinking about her l!ps and her eyes and her beautiful cvrves.

He wanted to run his hands through her silky curls and pull her body against his. The images of her were so vivid in his mind that they carried deep into his sleep and his dreams. He imagined them running together in the forest, and when he woke the impressions of his dreams were still at the forefront of his mind.

She was the first thing on his mind when he woke in the morning and the last thing he thought about before he fell asleep. She was already occupying so much space in his brain it was hard to imagine that he hadn’t even known her until yesterday.

The woman that he had seen on public access television had become a reality in his life, and she was slowly taking over.

He jumped out of bed and landed on all fours on the ground. There was a dose of potion on a piece of raw steak on the floor waiting for him. He gobbled it up and seconds later he was able to shift into his human form.

He stood naked in the middle of the room, his feet on the cold floor, his skin pricking from chill air his wolf was used to. His human form could barely tolerate it.

He went to the thermostat and turned it up to a comfortable temperature before walking into the bathroom to take a hot, steamy shower. As the temperature in the bathroom rose and the steam filled the air, his muscles loosened, and his manhood unfurled to its full length.

He looked at himself in the mirror, running a hand over his chest. He wondered what Heather saw when she looked at him. Did she see the attractive man staring at him now, or did she see a monster who ripped limbs from his prey and fought with his pack for bloodied morsels?

He stood under the warm stream and washed his hair. He enjoyed the musky scent of the shampoo and the feeling of hot water on his skin. Being a human was still something he was getting used to again.

It felt good to be warm and clean. To think clearly and to reason. To have patience and to be driven by something other than instinct. To understand the future and past in a way that his wolf never could, even when his human mind could have some influence.

He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with a big fluffy towel. The feeling of the silky fabric on his skin ar0used him as he imagined it was Heather’s soft hands.

He closed his eyes and thought of her mouth. Those big, beautiful l!ps he wanted to k!ss. He felt himself stiffen and he instinctively gripped his length with his large hand. He wanted to relieve himself of the deep tension in his loins, but he also wanted to save everything he had for her.

He let go of his c0ck and willed it to relax as he stepped out into his warm bedroom and grabbed clothes from his drawers. Since he spent every night in wolf form, there was no reason to have a bed in his house, but he liked having furniture. Also, if he ever brought his mate here, they could make love in the sheets and cozy blankets.

He growled at himself. “Down, boy,” he said to his manhood. He needed to get himself under control, especially since he was going to see Heather today.

He dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt. He finished drying and brushing his hair before applying a dab of the cologne he’d grown to enjoy at Patrick Doolittle’s house.

It had cost him quite a bit at a specialty shop downtown, but it was totally worth it. So far, he had saved most of his money and had only purchased the essentials: A truck that he’d paid for in full, his one-bedroom apartment in a moderately-priced building, his furniture and housewares, and nothing else.

Splurging on cologne and body products was his one luxury. It made him feel more human to smell and look good—for his skin to be smooth and silky and for his face to be moisturized.

He hoped that Heather would appreciate his efforts, but he would take her raw and dirty like the beast he was right below the well-groomed surface.

He spent the morning tidying his apartment and washing his laundry while he watched hockey on TV. It had become one of his new obsessions.

Rex had the bookstore to run with Luna, and Damien and Venus were starting a photography business. All Blake ever talked about was going back to the family land. Felix had become completely enamored with computers and technology. Tate spent most of his time joking around and having fun. He liked to watch funny movies and visited the theater as often as he could.

Thorne, however, had become obsessed with hockey and wanted to learn how to skate. He had no idea where to start, but in this new modern world, he was sure that the answers were just a few clicks away.

After he finished his laundry, he sat down with his phone and searched for information about learning to skate. He found a skating rink nearby in Selkie where they gave adult skating lessons year-round. He thought about going on a skating outing with Heather, wondering if she would like to join him today.

He would ask her after their lunch at River’s Bakery, and he hoped she would say yes. An hour later, he was parked outside New Moon Books, wondering if Heather had already arrived. He hadn’t talked to Rex since he’d told him off two days ago, and the idea of facing him now was not the most pleasant thing he could think of.

He finally climbed out of the truck, zipping up his thick black sweatshirt. He opened the door of New Moon Books to the gentle sound of the tinkling bell. Luna greeted him from behind the counter.

“Hi, Luna,” he said. “Is Heather here?”

“She hasn’t gotten here yet. Rex is restocking the herb section.”

“Okay. I think I should probably talk to him.”

Thorne found Rex replacing the little amber bottles. Thorne cleared his throat and his brother looked up at him from his work.

“I’m sorry about the other day on the phone.”

“This is an adjustment for all of us, Thorne. We all have our individual challenges. Blake is spending more and more of his time in wolf form, and I’m afraid he might just disappear one day and never come back.”

Thorne gritted his teeth, thinking about his younger brother’s inability to accept they’d sold the land. Without the money from the sale of his family’s property, he never could have afforded his truck or his apartment or his sweet-smelling cologne. Thorne needed his new life if he was going to stay sane, but Blake had chosen a different route. A route that Thorne did not agree with.

The doorbell tingled as someone walked in, and Thorne looked around the bookshelves to see Heather wiping her feet at the front door.

His heart burst in his chest and his inner wolf howled. He walked toward her as if in a dream. Everything in his being pulled to her like a magnet. He reached out his hand and she placed hers in his palm. She had accepted his invitation, and his heart swelled.

He lifted her hand to his l!ps and k!ssed the backs of her knuckles. Heather gasped and then giggled and blushed as she lowered her hands to her sides. She began to fiddle with her fingers.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly.

“Good to see you,” he said in a low voice. “I’m so glad we could have this time.”

“I suggested we come here because I wanted more information about magic from Luna.”

“What do you need to know?” Luna asked from behind her.

Heather turned to her. “Maybe this is insensitive, but if you know other witches who can do more obvious magic, maybe you could introduce me to them.”

“That would be fine,” Luna said. “Usually, we are forbidden from showing our powers to humans. But since you’re Thorne’s mate, this is a special situation. Thorne never should have told you about the curse until he knew you a little better. I’m sorry if it shocked you.”

“It was a little unnerving,” Heather said, giving another awkward laugh.

“Luna has been a godsend,” Thorne added. “Just like the Doolittles. The people of this town are good.”

He had so much more to say about his gratitude to the people who had helped him and his brothers, but he couldn’t form the words.

“Why don’t we go get some lunch?” Luna said. “Unless you want to buy some books?”

“Can you suggest anything?” Thorne asked Heather.

Heather walked over to the round table near the entrance and picked up a brightly colored hardback with bold text. “I love thrillers. This is by my favorite author. Maybe you’d like it too. I’m reading it right now, so we can talk about it if you want to.”

Thorne took the book from her hand, so glad she’d given him something to connect with her over. And the word “thriller” made it sound like a genre he would like.

He placed the book on the counter and Luna waved him away.

“I’ll just call you over the next time I need some snow shoveled,” she said.

He growled at her softly and took the book.

“I’m not shoveling your snow. Make your mate do it.” He threw $20 on the counter and Luna laughed, putting it in the register.

“You hear that, Rex? You’re going to have to keep shoveling the snow yourself.”

“I’ve lived in the snow for seventy-five years—I can handle it,” Rex hollered back.

Thorne and Heather walked out onto the sidewalk, and she let out a pent-up giggle.

“You have an odd relationship with your family,” she said.

“We give each other trouble, but we’re closer than any brothers could be. We are a pack. And Luna’s part of it now.”

She looked at him and smiled softly, as if seeing him for the first time.

“That’s the way I feel about my Grandma Pearl and Maggie. They are everything to me.”

He reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her cheek and then pulled his hand away, realizing he’d been too intimate. “I love that you love your family so much. My deepest hope is that someday we can call each other’s family our own.”

Heather let out a long breath and smiled, pursing her l!ps and wiping her eyes. She looked over at River’s Bakery and c0cked her head. “Let’s go get something to eat. All this talk is making me hungry.”

She took his hand and led him through the door. The smell of pastries was tantalizing. They ordered ham and cheese croissants with lettuce and tomato and sliced apple on the side, as well as a pot of tea and two brownies for dessert. They chose a table by the window, looking out onto the street, and a moment later the café worker brought it by their table.

Thorne bit into his sandwich, relishing the subtle savory flavors. The perfect combination gave every simple ingredient more flavor. Eating human food was amazing. After seventy-five years of eating only flesh and b***d and bone, a simple ham and cheese sandwich was like heaven.

“I love this place,” she said, taking a bite of apple. “I’ve never been disappointed.”

She took a sip of tea from the porcelain cup and smiled as she inhaled the spicy scent. Thorne felt his life flash before his eyes, imagining spending decades sitting across the table from her, enjoying a meal and looking into those big, hazel eyes. The vision was so intense and so real that he had to take a deep breath and sit back in his seat.

He wanted to tell her what he’d seen, what he’d felt, but he could already sense he was moving too fast for her; wanting her too much. Talking about sharing each other’s family was not a second-date conversation from what he’d read online about how to start a serious relationship in the modern age. But he didn’t care about anything but Heather and winning her heart. Whatever it took, he would do it.