“Does that mean we’ll never be able to be together when there’s a full moon?” I asked. I mean, it was one night a month. But I still didn’t quite understand.
“It’s an important part of my life, and I’d like to include you in it sometime. If I can do it safely.”
“What do you do?”
“Run through the woods. Howl at the moon. Have sex.”
Well, that piqued my interest. I leaned over the table and whispered, “Like outside?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Honestly, that sounds like an amazing time.”
Atlas gave me a soft smile—like my response was a huge weight off his shoulders. “It is. And one day, when we’re ready, I want to do it with you.”
My dream came to mind. It was almost eerie how my subconscious had conjured up that exact scenario.
“I’d like that. I really appreciate you talking to me about this.”
“Well, I wasn’t just going to go radio silent without explaining things first. For obvious reasons, I leave my phone at home when I go out.”
“If I was a wolven, you wouldn’t have to worry about any of this, would you?”
His ears dropped, giving me my answer.
“It’s okay,” I blurted. “I get it.”
As common as mixed-species relationships were, there was still a learning curve. This was a first for Atlas and me, but I was glad we were having an open conversation about it instead of shoving it under the rug. He could have just made up some lie about being out with friends and I would have been none the wiser. I appreciated his honesty.
He reached across the table, holding both of my hands in his while his golden eyes stared into mine. “Thank you for understanding.”
“And it’s just one night, right?”
“One night,” he said, holding up a clawed finger. “Do you think you can live without me?”
“I’ll do my best.” As much as I enjoyed spending time with Atlas, I felt like I’d been neglecting my friends a little bit since I started my relationship with him. The full moon would be the perfect time to make plans with them.
“If you can’t, there’s always Brian,” Atlas teased.
“Don’t you dare joke like that.”
“What? He’s not a bad-looking guy.”
“He isn’t, but that’s not the problem,” I said, folding my arms over my chest.
Atlas grinned. “Then whatisthe problem?”
I answered honestly. “He isn’t you.”
Twenty-Eight
Tegan
The days leading up tothe full moon seemed to fly by. Atlas kept me busy with early-morning workouts, and in the evenings, I’d go over to his place and we’d cook dinner together. Selene was doing a great job taking on more responsibilities at the bakery. I was so happy with how things were going that I might be able to take a vacation this summer and leave things in her capable hands. That was a big step for a control-freak workaholic like me.
Tonight, while Atlas had his monthly full moon run, I was having a movie night to catch up with my friends. Dec and Selene were snuggled on the couch, buried under throw blankets, and I was busy in the kitchen getting everything together. In preparation for movie night, I’d bought a ton of snacks and made a pitcher of alcoholic margaritas for the two of them to drink while I sipped on a nonalcoholic version.
“Thank you guys for coming over,” I said, setting a big bowl of popcorn on the table.
