I laughed. “Mason? Broody? I can’t imagine.”
“Oh my god, he was the worst,” Riley confirmed. “Always lurking around, growling at people, disappearing into the woods for days when he was in a mood. Such a stereotype.”
“The classic tortured werewolf,” Jess agreed. “All ‘woe is me, I’m a monster’ and ‘I can never have a normal life.’”
I tried to reconcile this description with the Mason I knew—my goofy, affectionate, occasionally clumsy boyfriend who brought me coffee in bed and texted me dog memes throughout the day.
“He’s changed, then,” I observed.
“Because of you,” Riley said, her usual teasing tone replaced with something more sincere. “You don’t know what it was like before. He was… lonely. Isolated. Even within the pack.”
“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious. “He seems so integrated now.”
Riley was quiet for a moment, considering her words. “Mason’s always been different. Even for a werewolf. His wolf is… stronger than most. More present, even in human form. It made it hard for him to connect with others, especially humans.”
“He was afraid of hurting someone,” I guessed, remembering Mason’s initial hesitation with me.
“Or scaring them away,” Jess added. “According to Riley, he tried dating a few times, but it never lasted. Either he kept his wolf nature hidden and felt like he was living a lie, or he revealed it and watched them run screaming.”
“Literally, in one case,” Riley said with a grimace. “This guy Mason was seeing in college—Mason shifted in front of him, thinking he was ready, and the dude ran out of the apartment yelling about monsters. Campus security got involved. It was a whole thing.”
My heart ached thinking of Mason facing that kind of rejection. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah,” Riley agreed. “After that, he kind of… gave up. Decided he’d be alone rather than risk it again. Until you came along and he literally fell into your lap.”
I smiled at the memory of our first meeting. “And then proceeded to run away.”
“Classic Mason,” Riley laughed. “But he came back. That’s the important part.”
We walked in comfortable silence for a while, the trail winding deeper into the forest. The trees here were old and tall, creating a cathedral-like space of dappled light and shadow. In the distance, I could hear the sound of running water—the stream that bordered the property.
“So,” Riley said eventually, “Mom told me you two had an interesting conversation.”
I shot her a look. “Do werewolves have any concept of private conversations?”
“Not really,” she admitted cheerfully. “Super hearing plus pack mentality equals everyone knowing everyone’s business. You get used to it.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“For what it’s worth,” Jess chimed in, “I’ve considered it too. The bite.”
This surprised me. “You have? But you and Riley have been together for years.”
She nodded. “Three years, two months, and about seventeen days. And yes, I’ve thought about it pretty much the whole time.”
“What’s stopping you?” I asked, genuinely curious about her perspective as another human in a relationship with a werewolf.
“Timing, mostly,” she said with a shrug. “It’s not something you rush into. And there are practical considerations—I’d need to take at least a month off work for the transition and adjustment period. My parents would need some kind ofexplanation for why I suddenly can’t eat garlic bread without vomiting—”
“Wait, what?” I interrupted. “Garlic?”
Riley burst out laughing. “She’s messing with you. Werewolves can eat garlic just fine. You’re thinking of vampires.”
“Which, thankfully, don’t exist,” Jess added. “As far as we know, anyway.”
I shook my head, feeling foolish for falling for it. “Very funny.”
“The point is,” Jess continued, “it’s a huge decision. Life-changing in the most literal sense. But if you’re wondering if other humans in your position think about it—yes, we do.”
