by Zoe Chant
“Sweet, huh?”
Louis knew he’d have to hear about that for a long time.
Worth it, though, for the smile on her face.
“He has his moments,” Joshua said. “C’mon, Louis. After filming, we’ll get you something to eat.”
He followed Joshua, wishing he were back in the cabin with Stephanie.
Why are we leaving our mate? She called us a good boy! His wolf was less bothered by being called a good boy than Louis expected.
As was Louis, in fact.
Watching her smile down at him and coo like the dog owners in the local park he usually rolled his eyes at had been the highlight of his week. Possibly his life.
They bumped into an actress who was on her way to Stephanie’s cabin. “Ooh, is that the werewolf?”
Louis sat down next to Joshua, knowing what his friend was like around a pretty young woman. They wouldn’t be going anywhere for the next few minutes.
“He is.” Joshua stood a little taller. “Don’t worry, he’s very obedient. Isn’t that right, Louis?”
Since he’d be chasing the other woman later tonight, he played along at being obedient and barked.
The redhead clapped her hands together in delight. “That’s awesome!” She looked at Joshua. “I’m Vicky, Dr. Werewolf’s first victim. I’m going to Stephanie so she can get me bruised up for the chase and the death scene.”
Louis was relieved he didn’t get any strong scents of fear from her. Only some nerves and apprehension.
“What, your movie boyfriend isn’t protecting you?” Joshua asked, mock-offended. “He’s leaving you to fend for yourself?”
Vicky laughed. “Yeah, the four of us get split up when Dr. Werewolf starts howling and scaring us.” She shook her head. “Apparently college students always make terrible decisions in horror movies.”
Louis nudged Joshua’s leg when his friend kept talking to her. If Joshua wanted her number, he could ask some other time. He didn’t want Stephanie to get behind on her schedule.
They walked over to Paul and the sound guy to record some chilling howls. After a lot of howling, Louis nudged Joshua’s knee until Joshua realized Louis wanted some water, and then they recorded some scenes where Louis ran through the undergrowth and peered evilly from behind trees. It felt awkward at first, but being out of the neon-orange harness was great.
“We’ll edit these in with the chase scenes,” Paul explained. “Or when our friend group thinks they’re safe, but Dr. Werewolf is still on the prowl. It’ll depend on how the chase scenes with the actors go.”
“Isn’t it weird to film scenes when you’re not sure how you’re gonna use them?” Joshua asked while Louis ran towards the camerawoman. He skidded to a halt a few inches away from the camera, glaring threateningly at the lens as he bared his teeth.
Paul shook his head. “Not really. I want to make sure I have enough material to choose from. We’ll want footage where Louis and the actor he’s chasing are in the same shot, but for close-ups it’s inevitable that they’re filmed separately. Besides, your dog looks incredibly convincing. It’d be a shame not to get more footage of him.”
“Don’t let it go to your head!” Joshua called out to Louis.
Louis wagged his tail in response, then sat down to wait for the next order.
Even his wolf had started to enjoy running around, pretending to chase and prowl, and howling for the camera.
The humans are right to call us impressive! His wolf sounded smug. Although we should howl louder next time.
Between the director telling him to look more evil and his wolf turning into a show-off, Louis was glad when he smelled Stephanie coming over to the set. It took all his self-control not to run to her and roll over at her feet.
But our mate is right there! We should be with her!
Louis kept prowling around an old oak until Paul called ‘cut’ and Joshua told him to heel. He had to stay obedient so the cast and crew would trust him and assume he was simply a wolf-hybrid.
Vicky walked next to Stephanie, wearing a pair of denim shorts that showed off her scratched up legs. A minor wound on her bare arm completed the ‘running around the woods in complete terror’ look. She even had a few leaves in her red hair.
Louis stayed next to Joshua, although he couldn’t stop his tail from wagging when Stephanie approached Paul. Fortunately, Joshua got the hint and wandered over to the director, pretending to be interested in how the chase scene would get shot with Vicky.
“Let’s do a few shots of Vicky running and hiding,” Paul told them, “and then we increase how wounded she is. She’s supposed to escape Dr. Werewolf’s clutches at first and then get killed when we think she’s safe.”
“Poor me!” Vicky sounded cheerful. “What do you want to start with? Hiding or running around?”
While Vicky and Paul discussed their options with the camerawoman and sound guy, Louis sidled over to Stephanie to nudge her leg.
“Oh!” She jerked away in surprise, having focused on the conversation between Paul and the others. “Hey, Louis.”
He sat down, looking up at her, and wondering if rolling over in front of anyone would be weird.
It has been too long since we had a belly rub!
Joshua nodded along with something Paul had said, smiling at Vicky. Louis wondered if Joshua had forgotten he was supposed to be a dog trainer tonight.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be this close to the set,” Stephanie told him. “We can’t have you wandering into shot by accident.”
Louis pressed his head against her leg again. He didn’t want to leave her.
She laughed, reaching down to scratch him behind the ears. “Oh, you’re a sweet boy, aren’t you?”
Well, if she was in a petting mood, who was Louis to begrudge her?
He lay down and rolled over, leaves crinkling underneath him as he raised his paws.
Stephanie glanced at Paul and Vicky, then kneeled down next to him. She hesitated for a few long seconds before petting him. When her fingers brushed his fur, Louis shivered with pleasure. “They won’t need me until it’s time for Vicky to get more wounded. You naughty werewolf, killing innocent young ladies.”
Louis groaned at how wonderful it felt to have his mate pet and rub his belly, his tail thumping against the forest floor, eyes sliding shut in bliss.
Stephanie laughed, her hand warm against his fur. “Or is this how we should defeat Dr. Werewolf? Not with a knife in the chest from our final girl, but through belly rubs? Because deep down, Dr. Werewolf just wants to be a good boy, doesn’t he? Doesn’t he?”
A pointed cough and Stephanie pulling her hand back made Louis open his eyes. Who was disrupting his precious time with his mate?
“I can take him for a walk if he’s a distraction,” Joshua offered.
Louis huffed at that. He wasn’t distracting! He was reassuring his mate and helping her deal with her fear of dogs.
“Oh no, it’s fine!” Stephanie smiled up at him. “He’s an adorable dog.”
Joshua sighed. “Louis, let’s go for a walk. We’ve got a long night ahead of us on set, so you should stretch your legs.”
What was his friend playing at? Louis reluctantly got up. At least his friend didn’t put the neon-orange dog harness back on.
“Make sure it’s not a long walk,” Stephanie told them. “We still need to get Louis ready for Vicky’s death scene and put fake blood on him.”
Joshua gave her a thumbs up before striding away, gesturing for Louis to follow him.
They walked over to the catering cabin first, where Louis glared at Michael until the other man mumbled an excuse to his brother to check on something inside the cabin. Joshua got them two burritos and swiped two of the cupcakes from an open box.
“They’re from McLean’s Bakery, not us,” Michael’s brother told them. “Stephanie made them.”
Joshua showed one to Louis, revealing it had a wolf’s head on top. “Looks just like you!”
“
She’s a great decorator. Their cakes are pretty and delicious,” Michael’s brother said.
Louis sniffed at the cupcake. They smelled as wonderful as the ones Stephanie had been carrying they met.
His friend led him down the same trail as during the auditions. When they reached the clearing, Joshua looked over his shoulder. “Okay, let’s talk.”
Louis shifted back, taking the burrito Joshua offered him. “Thanks.” He took an eager bite and rolled his shoulders, getting used to having arms again after so long on four paws. “Your timing sucks, by the way.” Joshua had disrupted his belly rubs twice.
Joshua laughed. “You should be grateful I didn’t take pictures the first time!”
He swallowed another bite. “Don’t let them feed me dog food.”
“Kat asked about it, but I told her I brought my own,” Joshua replied. “And those two catering guys are doing a good job.”
The mention of Michael made Louis’s hackles rise as he kept eating, even if Joshua had a point. It was a delicious burrito. His wolf wanted to challenge Michael, but Louis knew they shouldn’t. Michael wasn’t a shifter and humans weren’t supposed to settle disagreements through a fist fight.
“Anyway, let’s talk about your mate rubbing your belly.”
Louis’s face flushed. “Do we have to?” It was awkward enough dealing with the fact that he wanted to rush back to Stephanie for round three.
“Yes, of course!” Joshua grinned. “Because a, it was hilarious. And b, it means she’s not scared of you. Mission accomplished.”
“She smelled way less scared,” he agreed. “But she also still thinks I’m a dog.”
“A good dog, though.”
“I’d rather she thinks I’m a good man. I have to tell her the truth as soon as possible.”
Joshua nodded. “Agreed. I wanted to ask if you’d already shifted and told her, but…”
Louis laughed. “You didn’t give us enough time!”
“You told me in the car over that I should leave you two alone for ten minutes at most, in case she freaked out!” Joshua pointed out. “But yeah, ten minutes isn’t a lot.”
“I don’t think we’ll get much more than that tonight.” He considered it as he ate. They all had a busy schedule ahead of them, and while Stephanie had enjoyed giving him a belly rub, he hated how on edge she was around him.
She deserved to know there was nothing to be afraid of, which meant telling her ASAP.
Joshua scratched his chin. “You’ll be lucky if you get fifteen minutes alone with her tonight.”
That wouldn’t give him enough time to explain everything. He’d never had to explain the existence of shifters to anyone, and she’d have plenty of questions. There wouldn’t be time to explain about shifters and the two of them being fated mates.
“I’ll use whatever time I’ve got. But I need her to know she doesn’t need to be afraid of me.” And so she’d know there were guys out there who wouldn’t cheat on her and who appreciated a horror-loving makeup geek for a girlfriend.
Joshua frowned in thought. “Do you think knowing you’re human will help? You’ll still look like a wolf.”
Louis took another bite. He didn’t know how or why she was afraid of dogs. Another thing to talk to her about. “She was brave enough to pet me.” And she’d been less scared the second time.
Joshua waggled his eyebrows at that. “And how!”
Louis threw a tomato slice at him. “You’re just jealous no one will give a bear a belly rub.”
Joshua’s grin softened into a smile. “You’ve met your fated mate. Of course I’m jealous.” He punched Louis’s shoulder. “Congrats, man!”
The joy bubbled up inside of Louis again. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s amazing. I hope you meet your fated mate some day.”
Joshua nodded. “But let’s focus on your future girlfriend first. You’ll have to show her you can shift.”
“She’s from Elmworth, so she doesn’t know we exist.” The shifters of Bear Creek avoided the nearby town as much as possible. Having finished the burrito, he gestured for Joshua to give him his cupcake.
“At least she lives nearby, so if you screw up tonight, we can go for a visit.” Joshua’s tone was cheerful, while Louis felt horrified. “Get some cake to celebrate your first movie!”
“I’m not gonna screw up!” He peered at his cupcake in thought. The wolf’s head rested on top of the buttercream, and the wolf’s little red eyes stared back maliciously. “What do you think is better? If I go to the cabin as a human, and ask her to take a walk with me? Or should I go to the cabin as a wolf and shift there?”
Joshua laughed. “Oh yeah, if I were a young woman, I would definitely follow a strange man into the woods.”
Put like that… “Okay, I’ll shift in the cabin.” Louis grimaced at the thought. Hopefully, she wouldn’t run screaming from the random stranger in front of her.
Our mate is brave! his wolf cut in, and Louis felt chastised.
Of course Stephanie was brave. She’d shown her courage today again and again. He knew exactly how scared she was of dogs, and she’d petted him.
She will not run.
Louis wished he could share his wolf’s confidence and ate the sugary sweet wolf’s head before taking a bite of his cupcake.
If he hadn’t loved Stephanie before, he definitely did at the first taste of rich, dark chocolate and caramel butter cream. “These are amazing.”
“I know.”
“You already had one of these?” His friend hadn’t thought to bring him one before?
“Of course. What did you think I was doing while giving you and your mate some alone time?”
Louis huffed before finishing his cupcake, licking his fingers to clean off the last of the buttercream. He usually didn’t care much for cake or chocolate, but he hoped there were some cupcakes left at the end of the night.
“Okay, so how do we get me more alone time? Because she’s on set with Vicky and Paul right now.”
“You heard what she said, right? We shouldn’t be gone too long, since she still needs to prep you for the death scene. I think that’s your time to tell her.”
He should’ve remembered that himself. Meeting your mate was distracting. “But are you gonna hang around while I shift?” Because he wasn’t sure whether his friend was gonna be helpful in that case.
“Depends on how well she takes it, but I can help if necessary.” He gave Louis an exaggerated wink. “Obviously, if the two of you hit it off…”
“Hm-mm.” Louis remained skeptical that his friend would bow out without embarrassing him. “Okay, fine. But you better leave and make sure no one disturbs us.”
“Great!” Joshua finished his cupcake in a few quick bites. “Let’s see if she has time right now.”
Louis’s heart skipped a beat. “Immediately?”
“That is what ‘right now’ means, yeah.” Joshua sounded unimpressed. “You said the sooner we explain things, the better. Besides, we don’t have much time before your big, murderous werewolf scene.”
He ran his hands down his face. He should’ve thought of that as well. “When did you become the sensible one?”
“I know!” Joshua folded his arms across his chest. “I can’t believe I have to come up with the plans now. Shift so we can ask her.”
He trotted back to the clearing on four paws, along with his friend, and hoped Stephanie still thought he was a good boy once she knew the truth.
4. Stephanie
After giving Vicky a bigger gash on her arm and more scratches down her leg on set, Stephanie headed back to the cabin to prepare the sausages Michael brought earlier.
Stephanie grabbed the sausages from the fridge, putting them on a plate on the kitchen counter. She grimaced as her earlier talk with Michael ran through her head. She should’ve been more insistent about getting him to leave.
But doubt crept in at the back of her mind. What if Michael was telling the truth? What
if Ashley had come onto him, and he hadn’t been quick enough to fend her off? Was it really fair to dump him over that? And maybe he really was here to spend some time with her, and she was being rude by ignoring him.
Then again, Michael hadn’t looked like an unwilling participant in that kiss. His arms had been tight around Ashley, not pushing her away.
She shook her head, telling herself firmly to focus on the job at hand. Sausages. Peanut butter. Syrup. Gore. Vicious werewolf.
That was secretly the cutest, most adorable dog she’d ever met. She still couldn’t believe she’d petted him. For the first time in years, she thought she could get over her ridiculous fear of dogs after all.
A knock on the door made her turn around irritably, but she smiled when she saw Louis and Joshua. The dog wagged his tail. “Is he happy to see me, or the sausages?”
Joshua smiled down at his dog as they stepped inside. “Pretty sure it’s you.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of that comment, but she loved the dog’s enthusiasm. “You here to get him ready to feast on Vicky’s guts?” She gestured at the sausages behind her. “Or you can put the syrup on him yourself. It’s not that complicated.”
Joshua closed the door behind him. “I’d rather leave it to the professionals.” He turned to Louis. “Okay, go for it.”
Stephanie was about to ask what Louis was supposed to do when the dog hunched in on himself, shuddering all over. She gasped, looking at Joshua in alarm. He just stood there while the poor dog twitched on the floor.
Then gray and white fur turned into skin, just as paws turned into hands and fingers.
And the dog turned into a man.
A hot man around her age wearing a pair of jeans and a tight black t-shirt. His hair was mussed and dark blond. He smiled at her as he stood up, his eyes a soft gray.
The exact soft gray Louis had.
“You, um, that’s a man,” she managed, gesturing in case Joshua had missed that.
A whole lot of man, with broad shoulders and long legs and a square jaw and sexy stubble. “Surprise?” he said.
She stared up at him. There was a lot to stare at, and her eyes darted from his biceps to his worried eyes, then back to his biceps. “Hi.”