My friends in Red Sands had been entirely social and superficial, I had to admit. None of them would miss me.
If I left here, Killian would miss me fiercely. So would Sarah. And she was less angry and cranky when I was around, which was better for her and for everyone—wasn’t it?
Maybe I could work something out. Maybe I could find a way that I could visit my mother without letting her really know where I lived, and—I shook my head in frustration.
“Fate will make sure everything works out in the end,” Killian murmured as if reading my mind.
He slung his arm around my waist.
Together, side by side, we made our way to one of the bigger windows and stared out into the night sky. Fireworks were going off in the distance, the festival itself winding down for the night.
“Look at that moon. It’s almost full.”
I nodded. “Does... does that actually mean anything? I know it does in folklore, but are you forced to turn into some half man, half beast for a bit and howl at it when there’s a full moon going on?”
He shook his head. “As usual, there’s some truth behind the myth. The moon gives us power, Daphne. A shifter is at their strongest when the moon is full.”
“So what does that mean? You’re stronger? Faster?”
“That. And also that it’s usually when teenagers find their wolves. It’s when it comes most naturally to us and gives them that little oomph to get over the line. So I think you should try again, Daphne.”
“Try to shift, you mean? I’ll pass.”
He shook his head. “You can’t run from it forever. It’s who you are.”
“It hurts and I’m bad at it. Reminds me a lot of grade school gym class, in fact. So that’s a no.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. Would you care to join me for a stroll in the forest? It’s truly beautiful at night.”
I wanted to say no because every minute I spent with him made it harder to think straight about what I really needed to do.
But the moon was in the sky, calling me, and the handsome man who adored me was beckoning.
So we went. I followed him into the darkness, my eyes adjusting to the lack of light quicker than I expected them to. The cool breeze of the night was comforting. I could hear owls in the distance, a faint chorus of crickets, and the rustling of the breeze. My hearing seemed much sharper than it used to be, even in human form.
“This is how I do my best thinking. How I consider how I should approach things,” Killian said, breaking from me and walking a few steps ahead. “My grandfather always preferred the morning, saying the light cleared things up for him. Me? I chose the night. I don’t want the sun blinding me. I want the truth to shine clearly, to light its way in the darkness.”
“How strangely poetic.”
He then started taking off his shirt and shorts, kicking off his shoes, all at remarkable speed. I paused to admire him. I’d never get tired of looking at the perfection of his sculpted form.
“Nighttime streaking?”
He flashed me a fierce grin and part of me hoped he’d strip my clothing off and take me right there on the soft grass. Instead, his body quickly morphed into wolf form—and vanished into the darkness.
“Hey!” I shouted. “What are you doing?”
I was answered by silence and the derisive hooting of an owl.
“What’s the big idea? You can’t just leave me in the middle of a dark forest alone like this, Killian!” I cried out.
The big bad wolf then rushed out, nipped my butt, and made me jump, before vanishing into the underbrush.
I wanted to go back, but we were deep in the woods. I didn’t know the way.
“Damn it, Killian!”
Then he did it again. This time he tore away a bit of my dress, and I let out a yell of anger.
