“I do and I promise to be sensible.”
“You may come along on a trial bases, are we clear?”
“Yes,” she answered simply, her yellow eyes smiling with joy.
“We’ve spent too much time here, we need to be on our way.”
Clara eyed the blue sky, the sun had begun to sink toward afternoon. She was tired and her legs ached something awful, but it didn’t seem as if their day was through. When she looked back, Tyson and the newest member of their small group had shape-shifted. Once they stood side by side, it was easy to see how much bigger Tyson really was. He crouched next to Clara. Her aching legs made it harder to climb on, but she managed, doing her best not to let the pain show.
The two wolves began running. Anytime Clara tried to see where they were, she got sick and a slight headache started. As a result, she kept her head down as much as possible. At one time, she saw a silver flash of color next to them and she was glad the silver wolf could keep up. At great length the sky darkened. She lost all feeling in her legs and her stomach stuck together with hunger. She wondered if werewolves got hungry, or if they could go on running forever—would Tyson remember her mortal needs?
Night settled and covered them in a blanket of secrecy before he finally stopped. The sound of howling wind halted, replaced with the unmistakable busy bustle of continuous traffic. He hunkered down, indicating he wanted her off. She obliged faster than she should have and slid to the ground. Her feet promptly gave way and she fell to her knees.
A shadow moved next to her and a hand offered to help her stand. Clara accepted the silver wolf’s offer and leaned against her to keep from falling again. “You push her too hard!” the she wolf’s voice said.
“We couldn’t risk stopping,” Tyson said, standing a few feet off. He listened and glanced around suspiciously.
“What kind of danger pursues you to justify her suffering?” the silver wolf demanded.
“You are lucky if you don’t already know. Explanations will be forthcoming when we’re safe.”
For once, Clara had nothing to say. Instead she waited for feeling to return to her legs.
“Can you protect her?” Tyson asked. Clara was taken aback, only hours earlier he’d shown signs of possibly never trusting the she-werewolf.
“Of course I can,” she answered. “Where are you going?”
“We’ve come as far as we can on foot and we need a car.”
The silver wolf said nothing, but nodded. Tyson shifted in Clara’s direction, but she couldn’t make out his face. “Will you be okay?”
“Yes,” she answered quickly.
He nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, wait here.”
He seemed less agitated despite her body weakening at the worst possible moment. After ensuring the area was safe, he vanished from her sight. The silver wolf clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“He pushes you too hard,” she repeated.
“I think he’s doing his best to keep us safe.”
“I know he wants to protect you, but everyone has their limits,” the she wolf growled under her breath. Clara had nothing to offer and kept quiet. She wasn’t sure if the she-werewolf understood the situation and was in no position to explain. They lingered in silence with the edge of the forest shielding them from sight of the road. Her mind crawled with questions about the she wolf and the silence didn’t last.
“Did you have any luck remembering your name?” she asked.
“I haven’t, but some things are coming back. I think I remember my parents.”
“That’s a good start,” Clara said brightly. “Do you know how long you were a wild wolf?”
Her wild tangle of hair shook back and forth. “No, it was a very long time ago though.”
“Do you remember when you were born?”
Her head shook again.
“What about when you were infected?”
“I’m not sure…I believe I recall the incident, but not when.”
“Really? What happened?”
The she wolf’s yellow eyes glinted as she tried to relive the memory. “There was a dead wolf in the field…it was enormous and white. I noticed it was breathing, but it wouldn’t respond until I tried to move it. I don’t recall where it bit me. All I remember is being hot and cold…then, just like that, I was better. I was far more alive than I remembered feeling previous to the encounter. I had no knowledge of what actually happened until the moon…my parents were afraid so I left. Parker—”
“Parker?” Clara immediately recognized the name.
“Yes, he tried to catch me, but I ran fast and far. He never found me. Sometimes I smelled him, but I knew to run far, far away.”
“What does he want?”
She shook her head yet again. “I don’t know. He smelled of death. I knew he was dangerous. I never knew more of him than his scent before Tyson informed me of his name.”
Clara couldn’t imagine someone crazy enough to cross a werewolf. Surely pursuing such inhuman beasts with monstrous powers was a feat no sane man would take on.
“Is it difficult to be human?” she asked, remembering how weak Tyson was when he fought his wolf instincts.
“Yes!” Her eyes glowed golden with the intensity of her words. “Every moment I take a breath in this body is agony. I feel trapped and the only way to free myself is to change shape.”
Guilt washed over her. What if the she werewolf didn’t want to remember her mortal life? Clara freed her arm from the support she offered. Her legs were no longer numb or prickling with needles.
“Are you sorry we crossed paths then?”
“Goodness no! You don’t understand. Even though being a wolf is liberating, if I forget my human bits then I’ve forgotten who I am. I’m glad we met and I’m grateful for what you did.”
Clara laughed shortly. “I didn’t do anything, it sort of just happened.”
The silver wolf looked puzzled and opened her mouth to speak. Headlights appeared through the trees, stopping their conversation. The car weaved in and out of an unseen road too quickly to be human and they knew Tyson approached. Tires ground in the dirt when he came to an abrupt stop nearby. He stepped from the car and was next to her in a heartbeat.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“That is a car?” the silver wolf injected, staring. A small amount of fear showed on her face. “I’m not riding in that.”
“You’ve never seen a car?” Tyson asked disbelievingly.
“Of course I have. They kill many animals in the forest.”
Tyson’s blue eyes went wide, shining in the starlight. “I think you’ve been in your wolf shape longer than I realized. This car won’t kill any animals while I’m driving. For now, this is how we travel. It’s the only way into the city.”
The she wolf glared at their ride as if it had threatened her pack. Tyson ignored her and took a hold of Clara’s arm, pulling her toward the vehicle. He put her in the front seat and, when the woman with yellow eyes remained a few feet off, he called to her. “Are you coming or not?”
Reluctantly, she moved toward the car. “You know I cannot stay here,” she mumbled. Tyson popped the back door open for her.
“You aren’t going to lose control are you?”
“No, I will be fine,” she said through gritted teeth. She slid in, graceful as a cat. Clara twisted in her seat.
“Why can’t you stay here if you want? I mean, I’m not saying I don’t want you to come, you just make it sound like you don’t have a choice.”
Tyson, of course, was in the driver’s seat by then. “She doesn’t. She’s bound to you.”
“Bound?” Clara repeated in shock. “How?”
“I am still trying to work that out. Werewolves sometimes form bonds with one another, but I’ve never seen this happen between a mortal and a werewolf,” Tyson answered for her, repeating some of what he’d said before. He drove the car out of the woods and they rattled
along on a dirt road as he pushed the vehicle faster than seemed safe. “It’s kind of like someone who’s found their long lost sister, or very good friend. She feels bound to you in that way, except magnified by a hundred. If we left her there, she would be tormented until she found you again.”
Clara felt guiltier than before and kept her peace the rest of the ride. Luckily it wasn’t a long one. Tyson pulled into a hotel parking lot, taking the car around back and switching the engine off. Before the car could die down he was at Clara’s door, opening both it and the back one for the she-wolf.
“Are we going to check in?” Clara asked. Tyson dangled a set of keys in front of her.
“It’s done.”
The silver wolf stepped from the car, staring at the tall hotel building, her eyes round and glinting in the low street light.
“Haven’t you ever seen a hotel before?” Tyson asked her, watching closely to gauge her reaction.
“You call this a hotel? I’ve never seen a building this large and…”
“And what?”
“Reflective.”
Clara couldn’t hold back a smile of amusement. The hotel, with its many windows, was reflective in the city light. The thought of someone never seeing one before was boggling.
“You really have been in the woods too long,” Tyson commented seriously.
Their room was fairly high, all the way up on level twelve. Tyson led the way with a gimping mortal and a gawking she werewolf. To make matters worse, he opted to take the stairs. “I don’t think an elevator ride would be a good idea for our new friend,” he explained. “I know you’re hurting, I can carry you.”
Clara shook her head. “Thank you, but I can make it.” Her legs burned, but she forced them one in front of the other. They weakened then gave way before they reached the second flight. Tyson caught her and pulled her into his arms before she knew what happened. The she-wolf was already a few flights ahead, too nervous to wait in the cramped space. “Sorry,” Clara muttered and lowered her head.
“Sorry?” he asked and his arms tensed, holding her closer. His cheek touched hers when he spoke in her ear. “Don’t be sorry.” She forgot how to make words find their way to her mouth until he reached their room and put her on her feet to unlock the door.
“Thank you,” she whispered with pink rising in her cheeks.
Two queen sized beds took up most of the room and she wanted nothing more than to fall on one and sleep for days—even weeks. She felt particularly grimy as surveyed the neat room, especially when she noted how dirt smudged her hands and arms were.
“I think you’ll find everything you need in the bathroom. We’ll be safe here until your brother and Jack catch up, so try to make the most of it,” Tyson said.
“How long are we staying?” the she-wolf asked. She wandered the room, poking and touching things unfamiliar to her, which was most everything.
“A few days. Maybe more, maybe less. We should be prepared for anything.”
Clara edged her way to the bathroom and slipped in, shutting the door firmly. There were sets of folded clothes, one of which had a paper “C” pinned on it. She guessed that pile was for her. She was glad for the items, even is she didn’t know how Tyson had the time to devote so much attention to detail in such a short time.
A hot shower helped relax her sore muscles. She pressed her forehead to the tile and let the spray dissolve what ache it could. After a time, she was afraid she’d fall asleep standing there and hurried to finish. The gash on her shoulder had healed enough that she didn’t need a new bandage and was able to discard the old one. She was elated to find her pile of clothing fit pretty well. The outfit was cotton, much like the one she’d found in her room at Tyson’s mansion. She located a comb and ran it through her hair, taking some time to get all the tangles out. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she discarded her dirty clothes and left. Steam spilled into their quarters when she opened the door. Like any hotel room Clara had ever seen, there was a small area devoted to dining. A plain wooden table stood under a window that overlooked the city. The silver wolf was there and ate from a large plate that had since found its way to the room. The thick cut of steak she ate almost made Clara forget she was vegetarian and her stomach rumbled with hunger.
“Here,” Tyson said while handing Clara a plate. With her attention on the food, she hadn’t noticed him standing next to a trolley loaded with plates of food. She took the dish offered and her heart dropped. It was a burger. “It’s a garden burger,” Tyson said before she could make a face.
“Thank you, but how did you know I—”
He jerked a thumb at the she werewolf. “She told me.”
“Oh.” She moved to the table and sat down.
“I’ve got to run a few errands,” Tyson said. “Our new friend will stay with you.”
Clara was chewing and nodded in response.
“Remember,” Tyson said to the silver wolf. “Don’t let her out of your sight, not even for a moment.”
“I will be careful,” she replied.
Tyson left and Clara ate her food, watching as the woman across from her cut another large piece of meat and put it in her mouth. Clara swallowed and said, “Have you been able to remember anything more?”
She nodded, her wild, tangled hair bouncing and her eyes burned bright yellow. “My name is Mesha,” she said proudly.
“Mesha? What a lovely name!”
“Thank you.” She smiled after swallowing another large chunk of beef. “I’m still trying to recall my birth date. It may take a little more time.”
“What about your parents? Do you remember their names?”
Mesha paused before speaking, deep in thought. “I think I had a sister, Margaret, or…Mary?”
“That’s alright,” Clara assured her. “At the rate your memory is coming back, you’ll remember everything in no time.”
She nodded. “I think it would help if I handled things I was more accustomed to. Everything has changed so much that nothing looks the same. Even your clothes are strange to me.”
“It’s a little odd not knowing how old you are,” Clara agreed. “You appear to be about my age, but it sounds like you grew up decades before now.”
“Decades?” Mesha asked. “Is that all? That’s nothing compared to Tyson.”
Clara sat a little straighter, suddenly more awake. “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you know? He’s ancient! That’s why he can control himself so well. I saw in your memory how he’d stayed in his human form during the full moon. Do you know how hard that is? I never knew it was even possible.”
“I only knew how very ill he was.”
“His will is strong.”
“How old is he?”
“He never really said. Communicating in our wolf forms is strange and hard to explain. I suppose you could say we bond on a certain level. We learn a lot about each other without ever saying anything. Tyson doesn’t like people to know how old he is and I don’t press him.”
Clara’s chest tightened with jealously. Mesha could reach Tyson on a level only another werewolf could. For a brief window of time she wished she were a werewolf. Mesha laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I see how jealous you are.”
“I’m not,” she lied quickly.
“Deny it all you like, I know the truth. I’ve been in your head, remember?”
Clara twirled her hair and looked away, unwilling to admit anything she hadn’t come to terms with yet. She struggled to admit the attraction, but jealousy, however fleeting, meant she could be falling in love and that alarmed her. Mesha chuckled again.
“Don’t be jealous. Tyson is not the sort of man I would find myself attracted to.”
She twisted a bit of her hair around her finger. “What sort of man would you find yourself attracted to?”
“One whose attention is not already engaged,” Mesha said with another laugh.
“Oh.” Clara felt a rang
e of emotions. Instant disappointment made her heart heavy and was followed by a tiny bit of paradoxical relief.
“Have you finished your meal?” Mesha asked.
“I think so, yeah.” She pushed the rest of her food away, suddenly not hungry.
“You should rest, you look exhausted.”
“What about you?”
“Trust me, I am not tired.”
“You’re not?” Clara covered her mouth when a yawn snuck out. Her full stomach made her all the sleepier.
“The moon will rise soon and we do not tire easily. You sleep, you need your rest.”
Because I am mortal, Clara thought. She tried to forget it as she stood and climbed into one of the beds. Her body remembered just how worn it was and she was asleep almost before her cheek hit the pillows.
Chapter 4 - Explanation
The dreams that haunted her chased away any hope of a sound slumber. Wild dogs ran in and out of them, as well as her brother, who dripped with blood. One dream replaced another and she was trying to run from wolves that overtook and nipped at her with their razor sharp teeth. They only left when Tyson appeared to fend them off. She woke, curled in a ball and hugging a pillow. Comfort persuaded her to lay still in the hopes that a more hopeful dream would come. Tranquility died as frustration built in her chest. She couldn’t escape Tyson, not even in her dreams. Her body was stiff and she sat up slowly, rubbing her neck. Something caught her eye before she could stand. There, on the oak nightstand between the two beds, was a pink rose in a glass vase.
“You should try to get more sleep,” Tyson said. She jumped and practically flailed. He sat on the table with his back to her, staring out the window, searching the darkness. They were alone in the room.
“What did you say?” she breathed and stood.
“You should try to rest more, it’s hard to say when we’ll stop again once we get going.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Nightmares?” He slid to face her. She wanted to deny it, but couldn’t with his penetrating gaze demanding truth. She looked down and nodded. “It’s to be expected, you’ll get used to the idea with time.”
Bright Moon Page 6