At first, Meg wasn’t sure what to expect. This was going to be unlike anything she had ever experienced in her life.
Before Connor’s transformation began, Meg found herself staring down a different kind of surprise. When she saw the cage in Connor’s basement, her eyes got really wide.
“Wow. When you told me you locked yourself up in a cage, I had no idea it would be this big,” Meg said. “Or that the bars would be that thick.”
“I can’t take any chances. It would be devastating if the wolf broke out,” Connor said.
“I don’t think there’s any danger of that happening. Honestly, I doubt that a grizzly bear could bust out of there.”
“You’re probably right. But I don’t plan on finding out. All I know is that it’s enough to keep the wolf from causing trouble.”
Connor got into the cage and closed the door behind him. He then reached over and grabbed a key that was hanging on a rack that was against the wall. He used the key to lock the cage. He then hung the key back on the rack.
“You’ve really thought everything through, haven’t you? And taken every possible precaution,” Meg said.
“I know it might seem like I’ve gone overboard, but I’d rather be safe than sorry,” Connor said.
“You definitely have the safety part covered.”
“Speaking of which, I would stand back if I were you.”
“Why? Is the transformation about to happen?”
“It won’t be long now,” Connor said. “My senses are telling me the change is going to take place in a minute or so. Maybe less.”
Meg took a number of steps back. Once she felt like she was a safe distance away from the cage, she stopped.
“Okay. I’m ready,” Meg said.
“Are you sure about that?” Connor asked.
“I meant, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“You know, there’s still a few seconds left to change your mind. You can probably still get out of here before the transformation starts.”
Meg didn’t move a muscle. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“All right. I just wanted to give you one last opportunity to leave.”
“Connor, my mind is made up.”
“Fair enough. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Connor replied. “This isn’t going to be pretty.”
“For the last time, I can handle it.”
“Okay.”
The conversation went silent for a few seconds.
During that time, Meg stared at the cage with absolute fascination.
It turned out she didn’t have to wait much longer for the transformation to begin. In fact, within ten seconds, Connor’s body started to change right in front of Meg’s eyes.
The first difference that Meg noticed was the amount of hair on Connor’s body. His body hair started growing in a hurry. It actually grew so fast that it only took a few seconds for him to be entirely covered in fur.
That was only the tip of the iceberg. Connor’s nails were the next thing to change. They also began to grow in quick order. His nails didn’t just get longer, however. They also turned into sharp claws. By the time they were done transforming, his claws were long and lethal.
Next, Connor stopped standing upright. He got down on all fours.
From there, his body grew. It became bigger, bulkier, and more intimidating.
That wasn’t the end of the transformation, though. The last big change was in Connor’s face. When his mouth opened, Meg saw that his teeth changed. They were sharper and deadlier. Talk about packing a serious bite.
In conjunction with the changes in his mouth, Connor’s facial structure became different as well. When the transformation was complete, he no longer had the face of a human being. Instead, he had the face of a werewolf.
Finally, his eyes changed as well. Gone were the soulful human eyes that Meg had come to know and love. Connor suddenly had the eyes of a blood-thirsty beast.
At that point, Connor was completely unrecognizable to Meg. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t a single shred of humanity left in him. Right then, he was one hundred-percent animal. In fact, the beast didn’t even seem to know who Meg was.
As the wolf peered at Meg, it let out a loud howl.
It was suddenly very clear to Meg why Connor had been so forceful about trying to dissuade her from watching his transformation. This was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
Frankly, she almost couldn’t believe what had just taken place even though it had all happened directly in front of her.
One thing was certain. She had seen enough.
Meg left Connor’s house in a hurry.
Chapter Ten
After what Meg had just witnessed, she needed some time to process her thoughts. It had been an insane experience, by every stretch of her imagination. That was saying a lot, given all of the wild things she had experienced in her life. Even though it wasn’t easy to shock a witch, it also wasn’t impossible.
It was one thing to hear the word werewolf being referenced in conversation. Staring down a real-life wolf was an entirely different matter. It was no longer just a mythical creature to her. The wolf was real. And it was scary. On the flip side, even though the wolf seemed like a completely different entity, it shared Connor’s DNA. Not to mention, his soul. That was a lot of information to digest.
When Meg got home, she wanted to spend the rest of the evening quietly thinking about everything that had just taken place.
Unfortunately, the moment she arrived at her apartment, her talking cat, Penelope, gave her an earful.
“Meg, you have some serious explaining to do,” Penelope said. “I can’t believe you made me wait this long for dinner. I’m absolutely famished.”
Meg scoffed as she walked over to a food bowl in the kitchen that contained plenty of dry cat food.
“You were saying?” Meg replied.
“I know what you’re thinking. And that’s not real food,” Penelope said.
“You could have fooled me. It sure looks like food.”
“That stuff should have a label on the package that reads, only suitable to eat during an emergency. It’s barely edible.”
Meg groaned. “Of all the nights for you to be sassy, you just had to pick this one, didn’t you?”
“What’s your problem?”
“I’m just not in the mood to argue.”
When Meg finished speaking, she cast a spell that made some fresh-cooked salmon appear on a plate in front of her. Meg then put the plate down in front of Penelope.
Meg fully expected Penelope to start devouring the food. After all, her cat loved fish.
However, rather than going to town on the salmon, Penelope stared at Meg with concerned eyes.
“What’s wrong? Did something awful happen?” Penelope asked.
“Awful isn’t the right word,” Meg said.
“Then what is?”
“Shocking.”
“Don’t leave me in suspense here. Tell me about it,” Penelope said.
Meg described in detail everything that she had just witnessed. The entire time, Penelope’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
When Meg was done speaking, Penelope didn’t immediately respond.
After a few seconds of silence went by, Meg spoke up.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” Meg asked.
“Sorry. Cat got my tongue,” Penelope joked.
Meg knew that her grandma never passed up the opportunity to crack a joke. Especially when she was presented with a situation that was this ripe for comedy. She didn’t blame Penelope for seizing the opportunity. But just because Penelope was fond of wise cracks didn’t mean that Meg wanted to hear zingers right then.
“Penelope, this is no laughing matter,” Meg said.
“I can understand why you’d feel that way, but I just figured that after being confronted with such a serious situation, a joke or two would be a good way to lighten the mood.”
Meg bit
the corner of her lip. “Maybe you’re right.”
“With that in mind, I can’t help but wonder, is it safe to say that your relationship has officially gone to the dogs?” Penelope joked.
Meg gave her grandma a weak smile. “Yikes. Is that the best you’ve got?”
Penelope shook her head. “No. I have plenty more jokes where that came from. For example, I thought the dog days were over a few months ago. I guess I was barking up the wrong tree, though.”
“Oh dear. Your jokes just keep getting worse.”
“Tough crowd tonight. It’s a good thing I have more material to try out.”
“You mean, you’re not going to stop while you’re behind?”
“Nope.”
“Why does that not surprise me?”
“What can I say? At this point, new jokes are practically writing themselves.”
Meg took a deep breath and replied, “All right. Why don’t you get them all out of your system? Then we can move on.”
Penelope’s eyes lit up. “It’s not every day that you meet someone who was literally raised by wolves. I guess you know who the top dog in town is. That’s right, he is the leader of the pack. And it’s safe to say that he’s howling at the moon over you.”
When Penelope was done speaking, Meg remained silent for a moment to make sure that her grandma had run out of zingers.
After a few more seconds ticked by, Meg spoke up. “Are you done now?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“For now, at least,” Penelope said.
“If any more jokes pop into your mind, you can feel free to keep them to yourself.”
“Hey, those one-liners weren’t that bad.”
Meg folded her arms. “They weren’t your best zingers ever.”
“I admit it, some of them were kind of rough, but cut me some slack. It’s hard to come up with great material on the spot.”
Meg took a seat on her couch. “Have you forgotten? I didn’t ask you to come up with any material.”
Penelope jumped up on the couch and curled up close to Meg.
“You’re really rattled right now, aren’t you?” Penelope asked.
“I’m not sure that rattled is the right word,” Meg said.
“What phrasing would you go with then?”
“Before I answer, I need to know. Can you be serious with me?”
“Yes.”
“This whole werewolf thing has made me look at Connor differently.”
“No wonder you weren’t in the mood for my dog puns.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure that there was ever a good time for those puns.”
“Fair enough. Anyway, back to Connor. When you say that you’re looking at him differently now, what do you mean exactly? Are you questioning your relationship with him? Penelope asked.
Meg shook her head. “No. Not at all.”
“That’s good to know. You had me worried for a moment there.”
“I still love him dearly. I just feel bad for him. I mean, I know we all wrestle with our own demons in life. I also realize those demons can be a real beast to deal with. But usually those demons are internal. That isn’t the case with Connor. During a full moon, he turns into a literal beast.”
“That is pretty awful.”
“I can’t imagine what it’s like having to deal with that, month after month, and year after year.”
“I think he’s handling it the best way that he can.”
“I agree. But as his fiancé, I just wish I could do more for him.”
“I know. It’s tough standing on the sidelines, feeling helpless.”
Meg exhaled. “It really is.”
“Sometimes, all you can do is be there for someone,” Penelope said. “And then just hope for the best.”
“Trust me. I’m holding out all the hope that I can. The question is, will it be enough?”
Chapter Eleven
In the morning, when Connor transformed back into human form, he reached for the key that was hanging against the wall in his basement. He then unlocked the door to his cage. From there, he headed upstairs and got ready for work.
To an outsider, his routine would probably look incredibly strange. But to Connor, it was just another day. Once he had taken a shower and had gotten dressed, he headed for his front door.
As he left his house and began walking to the car that was parked in his driveway, he spotted something across the street that made him stop dead in his tracks.
For a moment, he thought that his eyes were deceiving him. They weren’t, however. Much to Connor’s surprise, Josh Gilbertson was walking out of the Victorian-style home that was across the street.
A number of questions entered Connor’s mind. What was that ex-convict doing on Connor’s street? And how did Josh know Connor’s neighbor?
Connor was determined to find out. He approached Josh.
“What are you doing here?” Connor asked.
Josh narrowed his eyes. “Detective. What an unpleasant surprise.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Why are you on my street?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Are you seriously going to be evasive with me?” Connor replied. “It was a really simple question.”
“I was visiting a friend.”
“Is that so?”
“You heard me.”
Connor squinted. “Hearing and believing are two different things.”
Josh threw out his arms. “Why would I lie to you?”
“To start, you’re a criminal.”
Josh shook his head. “Not anymore. I’ve served my time. I’m on the straight and narrow now.”
“So you say.”
“Detective, I know what you’re thinking, and I didn’t plan on running into you this morning.”
Connor folded his arms. “Uh-huh.”
“And I definitely didn’t know that you lived here.”
“So the fact that we ran into each other is just a random coincidence then?”
“Absolutely.”
“I wish I could believe that.”
“Hey, this conversation is just as unpleasant for me as it is for you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Detective, as far as I’m concerned, I could go the rest of my life without speaking to you again,” Josh said.
“Because you still hold a grudge against me for sending you to prison?”
Josh gritted his teeth. “I don’t hold a grudge.”
Connor’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“Look. I don’t want to be reminded of the past. I’m just focused on the future.”
“Speaking of, what’s on tap for your future?”
“Like I said before, that’s none of your business.”
“If you’re up to no good, it’s very much my business.”
“I already told you, I’ve cleaned up my act.” Josh approached his car. “I’m out of here.”
Connor held his hand up. “Not so fast.”
“Detective, I’m a free man now. I don’t have to listen to a single word out of your mouth.”
“That’s true. I can’t force you to listen to me. But I’m going to say my piece anyway,” Connor replied. “You were able to convince the parole board that you’re a changed man, but I don’t buy it. I’m keeping my eye on you.”
“Go ahead. I have nothing to hide. I’m on the straight and narrow now.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Josh snarled at Connor. “Detective, you have a lot of nerve talking to me like that.”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Connor asked.
Josh shook his head. “No. It just annoys me.”
Connor stared the ex-convict down. “Uh-huh.”
“That’s it. I’m out of here,” Josh said.
Josh then got in his car and drove away.
Chapter Twelve
As Connor got into his car and set a course for Enchanted Donuts, Meg was al
ready at the bakery.
In fact, she stood behind the counter of the donut shop, completely lost in thought. Her head didn’t drift too far into the clouds, however.
When her friend and fellow witch, Pamela Hutton, entered the shop, Meg snapped out of her daze.
“Hey there, stranger,” Meg joked.
“Good morning, Pamela. How are things going?” Meg asked.
“It’s funny that you should bring that up.”
Meg shrugged. “Why?”
“Have you ever had one of those dreams that sticks with you, long after you’ve woken up?”
Meg nodded. “Oh yeah. Plenty of times.”
“I had one last night,” Pamela said.
“And you’re still thinking about it?”
Pamela nodded. “I just can’t seem to shake it.”
“This must have been a pretty unique dream.”
“That’s one way of putting it. At the same time, I can’t say that I’m surprised. I always have weird dreams during a full moon.”
“Really?” Meg asked.
Pamela nodded. “It never fails.”
Meg bit the corner of her lip. “When you say it was weird, is there a chance that your dream was also a vision?”
Pamela raised her hand. “Before you get all worked up, I’m going to stop you right there.”
“Why? Am I getting ahead of myself?”
Pamela nodded. “I believe you are.”
“Oh.”
“It was just a dream,” Pamela said. “At least, as far as I can tell.”
“That’s good to know. And it’s probably for the best. After all, your visions don’t tend to be terribly pleasant.”
“You’re right about that. Sometimes, they are downright horrifying.”
“Don’t remind me.”
Pamela stared deep into Meg’s eyes.
“Is everything all right?” Pamela asked.
“Why don’t you tell me about your dream?” Meg said.
“I will. But first, I want you to know that if you need to get something off of your chest, you can talk to me,” Pamela said.
“I realize that,” Meg said. “I’d rather hear about this dream of yours, though.”
“All right. Here we go.” Pamela took a deep breath and continued. “In the dream, I was competing in a paranormal talent show.”
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