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“I’m here.”
“What if… what if it didn’t work? I didn’t feel anything. Wasn’t I supposed to feel something? Max, what if I turn? I’m so afraid of the pain… broken bones… our baby… I can’t. I can’t do this.”
“Shh… Baby, it won’t happen. But if it does, nothing is going to change, do you hear me? Nothing. And you’ll do just great. It won’t last long. Your body will know how to react.”
She snuggled closer to him, loving the warmth of his body and the scent of his skin. She inhaled deeply, and her nostrils were invaded by the sharp smell of the pine trees, the heavy smoke of the bonfire, and the unique scent of her mate. She noticed the leaves were rustling again, the wind murmuring through the branches, and the forest was singing its everlasting song of creaking twigs and small animals hiding from night predators. The magic was gone. What was left was the harsh, unavoidable reality.
“Ten minutes seem like forever.”
“We’ll spend it together. This forever, and then the forever that comes after it.”
Avelyn closed her eyes and focused on her breath and heartbeat, trying to keep them under control. She flexed some of the muscles in her body, checking to see if they felt any different, or if they were about to expand and mold into a different shape. She heard everyone around her quieting down, and she figured it was time. Her whole body tensed in preparation for the unexpected, and she held her breath. Max let go of her waist and took one step back, giving her some space. She was in the middle of the courtyard, under the pale light of the Thunder Moon, and she felt the void left by her husband’s body. Her hands went to her belly, cradling the small soul she carried inside her. She tried to relax, but it was impossible. Her whole body was trembling to the point that her teeth had started clattering lightly. She clenched her jaw and gripped the fabric of the white dress she was wearing. Even with the self-induced adrenaline and slight nausea, she could tell that nothing was happening. She searched every corner of her body, listened to her own heartbeat, and inspected the sickness in her stomach only to realize it was from all the tension and fear. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked around her. The world was the same.
“Nothing happened.” Her voice came out hoarse and shaky. She turned around to look at Max, whom she knew was still behind her. “Nothing happened!” She jumped in his arms, and he caught her, lifted her off the ground, and spun her a couple of times at werewolf speed.
“See? I told you it would work.” He put her down and looked into her eyes. “You’re a hybrid, Avelyn. You’ve been a hybrid for a week now. You can’t tell because you were never a werewolf to begin with. James said the only thing the cure really changes is the ability to shift. But you’ve never shifted before, so, apparently, you can’t tell the difference.”
“Oh, Max, I was so scared.” She sighed heavily, releasing all the negative feelings and thoughts that had clouded her mind and soul. She felt a small hand squeezing her shoulder.
“Okay, you two. Either get a room or try to keep your hands off each other,” said Jocelyn. “Come on! Let’s celebrate my very first nephew!”
Avelyn laughed and released Max’s neck. She took him by the hand and pulled him after her, among the werewolves. Some of them had changed in their wolf forms and were fooling around, wrestling and biting each other playfully. Jocelyn pushed a cup of something into Avelyn’s hand.
“No wine for you. I hope you like lemonade.”
“Thanks!” She drank greedily, and realized how thirsty she had been. She was also a bit hungry. She turned to tell Max and ask him where they could get something to eat, when she felt a cold snout nuzzling the back of her neck. She recognized the scent, even though it was now more on the animal side, so she knew exactly who it was. She turned around and encircled the wolf’s massive head with her arms. “What do you have in mind?” He pointed with his nose towards the gate.
“Waterfall?”
Avelyn jumped and let go of Max’s head. No, she hadn’t said the word, and Max hadn’t said it either. He couldn’t have, given that he was in his wolf form. She looked around her, but it seemed they were quite alone on that part of the courtyard, the other werewolves figuring they needed their personal space. The wolf studied her curiously.
“What did you say?” she asked, looking straight into his eyes. A soft hum echoed in her mind. “Where do you want to go? Just think it again.”
“Waterfall.”
There it was again. The word sounded in her mind as clearly as if Max had been in his human form and spoken it out loud.
“I can hear you,” she said. “Max, I think I can hear your thoughts. You want to go to the waterfall.”
He growled in disbelief and sat back on his hind legs.
“How is that possible? No,
wait. Maybe I guessed. I mean, where would you want to go now if not to the waterfall? Think of something else. Think of something I wouldn’t think about right now.”
Max looked at her thoughtfully, blinked once, then let his green gaze fall to the ground. Avelyn was waiting, concentrating on her own thoughts, trying to find the odd one out. If there existed one. The werewolf lifted his eyes back to her face and gave a deep sigh.
“I like Star Trek.”
Avelyn’s eyes lit up. “You like Start Trek? Really? I had no idea.” There was no doubt now. She could hear his thoughts. “I can’t believe this. What’s happening? Does this mean I can… think about something and you’d just hear it in your mind like I do? Barbie. Cheesecake. Barbie eating cheesecake on a boat.”
The wolf rolled his eyes. “Oh, stop it. Barbie eating cheesecake on a boat? Very creative.”
“Oh my God! You can really hear my thoughts!”
“I guess so.”
“How? Why?”
