“I kind of liked it.” She shrugged. “It’s a nice compliment for a girl like me.” Before Chase could respond to that, she continued. “So, your friend Brad told me to find him at number 10, but I find you here instead. Are you two shacking up together?” She peered over his shoulder, trying to see into the gloom behind him. A cunning thought sparked in Chase’s brain.
“Yeah,” Chase said slowly. But Brad’s not here right now. Maybe I can help you instead?” The girl smiled.
“So, you’re the other guy who almost got killed by my father yesterday.” Chase couldn’t restrain a snort of laughter. The thought that a human could kill a werewolf was beyond ridiculous. “Hey, you don’t know how paranoid my father is. He’s got an entire arsenal of weapons hidden away in his bedroom,” she said. Chase turned on his charming smile.
“Your pops won’t want to kill me when he finds out that I’ve only got good intentions towards you,” he said. He thought he saw some color rise to the girl’s cheek, but then it was gone again. There was something wrong. She wasn’t turning to Jell-O, like most girls did when he spoke to them.
“So, if you’re friends with Brad, does that mean that you’re also – ” The girl broke off, unable to finish her sentence. Chase opened the door wide.
“Why don’t you come in and we can sit down and talk?”
“Uh, ok?” she said uncertainly, and walked into the cabin as he held the door open. As she entered the room, her face tightened and she wrinkled her nose.
“Everything ok?”
“Yeah – its just – perhaps you need a little air in here or something?” Chase realized that she was referring to the smell of the dead animals piled in the corner of the room, but, before he had a chance to direct her outside again, she caught sight of them and let out a scream.
“What the fuck?” she yelled, and bolted for the door. The old-fashioned latch had locked itself, and she struggled to open it. “Let me out of here, goddamnit!” Chase slipped past her, unfastened the door and let her go.
As she bolted onto the veranda, Brad met her, rushing over from his cabin.
“Are you ok, Aspen?” he shouted. “I thought I heard you screaming?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, placing a hand on her chest and bringing her breathing under control. “I just had a shock when I discovered your friend is into hoarding dead animals.”
“You let her into your cabin when you had last night’s leftovers hanging around?” Brad looked at Chase incredulously. “Very classy, dude.” Aspen’s mouth fell open.
“What? You’re saying that those stinking corpses are food?” she said. Chase and Brad both dropped their heads.
“We only eat them in our wolf form,” Brad said, quietly. Aspen looked from one to the other.
“This wolf thing – this is what I came to talk to you about. I need to understand who you are, and what’s been happening to me lately.” Brad laid a hand on Aspen’s shoulder, but she flinched, and he withdrew it quickly, with a frown.
“Let’s go and sit down – someplace outside – and we can talk all you want,” he said.
“Ok, where?” she said. Brad looked over at his cabin. His veranda had fully caught the morning sun. It looked bright and inviting.
“Over on my porch, “ he said. They walked over there together. There were only two chairs, so Brad indicated they should sit right on the edge of the walkway instead, swinging their legs over the side. “But first, I’ll make us all a coffee, to help Aspen relax,” he said, and turned to walk inside the cabin.
“Wait! I’ll come and help you,” Aspen said, following him in.
Chase sat down on the edge of the veranda, scowling at nothing in particular. It seemed like every time he tried to get one over on Brad, it backfired, ending up with him doing something that made him look stupid.
Aspen and Brad brought three steaming mugs of coffee out on a tray, chatting and laughing together the whole time. Chase’s wolf gave a little growl, and he took the mug from Brad without a word.
“Thanks, dude,” Brad said sarcastically. Aspen sat down and Brad handed her a coffee too.
“Thanks,” she said. Chase watched sourly as she smiled up at Brad, her blue eyes dazzling, the bright sunlight showing the full spectrum of her irises. Brad sat down on the other side of her. She was swinging her legs back and forth in a very appealing way.
“We were just talking about Gila,” Brad said. “Aspen was telling me what she remembers from her childhood.”
“It’s not much,” she said. “I mean I was eight when – when, you know.” She broke off. They all looked down in embarrassment.
“Do you remember the woods?” Chase asked. She nodded. “Yeah – yeah, I think I do.” She frowned in concentration, the bridge of her nose wrinkling. “The trees seemed really tall. But I guess everything seemed really tall when I was that small,” she said, and laughed. She had a lovely laugh, like water tinkling into a stream. “And the woods seemed dark but also really green. Not like up here, where you see so much orange in fall. And there was a small stream in the woods. I remember playing in it in my gumboots, and my dad yelling at me when I splashed too much and the water got inside them!” Chase grinned. The stream was the pack’s main source of water.
“We used to get yelled at by our parents when we came back with wet feet after playing in the stream too!” Brad said.
“It’s funny, I almost feel like I was another person then,” Aspen said. “Like the memories belong to someone else.”
“I guess leaving behind everything you knew was a big shock to you at that age,” Brad said. Chase scowled at him. He always knew the right thing to say, and Aspen was lapping it up, her eyes all bright and sparkly. She looked up at the sky, thinking.
“Maybe it was, subconsciously. But I think, when you’re a kid, you just do what your parents tell you, without thinking about it too deeply. You trust them to make the right decisions.”
“I sure wish your parents hadn’t decided to take you so far away from Gila,” Brad said. “It’s taken us a long time to find you!” Aspen’s head jerked towards him, and her lips parted, trembling a little, as if she was working out how to phrase her next comment.
“So is it true that you’ve come here to kidnap me, and drag me back to Gila to live in your wolfy lair?” she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice, as if she still didn’t entirely believe what she was asking. Brad took her hand, tiny in his huge, muscular one, and Chase, not to be outdone, took her other one.
“When one of us bit you that day, and turned you, you automatically became fated to be our mate,” Brad said.
“Your mate?”
“Mate, partner, wife. It kind of means the same thing, but, to a werewolf, the word mate has more significance. It denotes an eternal, monogamous bond, so the status is held in the very highest esteem by all of us.”
“Ah, ok,” she said, an eyebrow raised, as if the concept was too much to process.
“Our blood ran in your veins, and filled you with the strength that is only just beginning to emerge today,” Brad continued.
“But which of you bit me?” Aspen asked, looking from Brad to Chase and back again.
“I did!” Chase said, his chest swelling.
“Dude, don’t even think about starting that again,” Brad said calmly. Chase’s wolf gave a small growl.
“What the hell was that?” Aspen shouted, snatching her hand back from Chase.
“It was the wolf inside him,” Brad said. “It usually lies quiet when we are in our human forms, except at times of extreme stress or anger!” he finished, glaring at Chase.
“So, I’m going to have this too – a wolf inside me all the time?” Aspen asked, her voice going high and panicky.
“Yes, you will,” Brad said softly. “And it will be the most amazing thing that you can imagine. She’ll be there with you all the time, giving you awesome sight and hearing, and the most incredible sense of smell.” Despite his soothing words, Aspen looked a litt
le sickened.
“Aspen, this is not a disease,” Chase said. “Please don’t think that there is something wrong with you. It’s a gift, which makes you far superior to humans.” Aspen bit her lip.
“But I don’t want to be superior to my family. I just want to be one of them!” Brad squeezed her hand.
“Superior was maybe the wrong word. What Chase meant to say was that it will give you lots of advantages in life.”
“Ok,” Aspen said, and took a deep breath. “So – going back to who bit me?”
“The truth is, we don’t know,” Brad said. “We were just pups at the time, and don’t remember the incident too well. My mother tells me that we were both playing with you, so it could’ve been either one of us.”
“So, just assuming for a moment that I’m cool with being a mate, doesn’t this leave you with a problem?”
“Only one of us will be compatible with you, will be your natural mate,” Brad continued. “The bond between us will be very deep and powerful.” At these words, Aspen turned her head towards him, her pupils dilating and her irises glinting gold. “My parents have told me that, when the time comes, the right one will know it. But until then, I want to give you something.” Brad put his hand in his pocket and pulled something out. It fluttered in the breeze – a tiny piece of red cloth. Chase’s wolf prepared to pounce on Brad, and Chase got to his feet hurriedly, to force it under control. That cunning prick! How the hell was the fabric in Brad’s hands again? He’d stuffed it right at the bottom of the tiny pocket in his jeans, and then left his jeans under his bed when he’d been out running last night. Chase must’ve broken in somehow, and managed to sniff it out.
“Are you ok, bro?” Brad asked casually, looking up at Chase, and, after making sure that Aspen wasn’t watching, he gave him a lazy wink. Chase’s hands bunched into fists.
“Yes, I’m fine,” he said in a tight voice. There was nothing he could do now. He stared at the two of them helplessly as Brad handed Aspen the piece of material.
“When we were playing together, we got a little – umm – overexcited,” Brad explained. “And I came back home with a piece of your dress caught in my teeth. My mother saved it for me all these years, and now I want to give it to you, as a sign of how much I’ve yearned to meet the one that I hope very much is my destined mate.” Aspen’s eyes glowed.
“Wow,” she breathed. She took the fabric and rubbed it between finger and thumb. “It feels old and really soft,” she said, and her gaze became dreamy. “Wait! I remember something!” Her eyes widened. “I’ve got this image of myself running, wearing my favorite dress. I loved it so much because of the way it fluttered in the wind. My parents didn’t like me to wear it in the woods, but I cried until they let me, so I was wearing it with gumboots. And there was this one day, when these adorable puppies were chasing me. They were kind of like huskies, and really big, but they were playful, and I wasn’t scared of them.” She looked at Brad, then craned her neck to look up at Chase. “I wonder if that was the day when it happened?”
“I really think it might have been,” Brad said. His face was really close to Aspen’s, as she stared at him with rapt attention. In another second, he would be kissing her. Quickly, Chase knelt down and took her hand again, desperate to pull her attention to him. As he opened his mouth to tell her that he could remember the entire thing, she let out a scream. Chase recoiled.
“It’s happening, isn’t it?” he said. Aspen nodded helplessly. “Come inside.” He lifted her to her feet and half-carried her into the cabin.
Brad and Chase watched as Aspen’s body began to grow. Her shoulders broadened, her ribcage widened, and her joints snapped. Brad winced as she let out cries of terror. “Don’t fight it Aspen,” he said. “Will it to happen. It’s a good thing, you’ll see!” Chase closed his eyes, incapable of seeing the distress in hers any longer. There was a sound, part bark, part howl, and a crash as she fell to the ground, and he opened his eyes to see her standing there: a fully-formed wolf. She was as beautiful as he’d expected. Her fur was the palest silver, complementing the light blue of her eyes. She stood tall, taller than many of the pack females, as befitted the fated mate of an Alpha-to-be. She had a fine long muzzle, and pure white teeth.
Chapter Seven
Aspen stood trembling. The pain had been the worst yet, searing all over her body, so intensely that she thought she was going to spontaneously combust. Every part of her body seemed to be cracking and breaking and rearranging itself. She was dimly aware of her clothes being ripped off her, the buttons pinging off her shirt, her pantyhose being shredded. Brad’s voice came from a faraway place, telling her to go with it, not to fight the thing that seemed to be trying to get out of her. She obeyed him, instinctively trusting him, and stopped trying to hold it in. Suddenly, there was an almighty crunch and her back snapped, throwing her forwards, and jolting her to the ground.
As before, the pain stopped abruptly, and she let out a long, shaky breath. Gradually, she became aware of things outside of her bodily sensations. Brad and Chase were staring at her, their faces concerned and excited at the same time. She took a step towards them and stumbled. She was on all fours, and her hands were getting in the way of her feet. But they weren’t hands. They were paws. Grey, furry paws with sharp black nails at the ends.
“Oh my god!” she said. At least, that’s what she tried to say, but she didn’t have a voice any more. Instead, she seemed to be barking. Wow! She said a few more things and they also came out as barks. Brad put a finger to his lips and said “shusssh,” but he was laughing at the same time.
She edged her paws further in front of her, and then made her feet catch up. So far, so good. She did it again, and again. Hey, this was actually pretty smooth! She walked to one end of the room and back again. Who would’ve known it was way easier to walk on four feet than two? She wanted to try it again, but faster this time. She ran to one corner of the room, and then to the other. She completed a few laps of the cabin. This was too easy! She leapt onto the bed, and sprang down to the floor. As she bounded onto an armchair, there was a crash of broken china behind her. She whipped around in time to see a long tail fanning out behind her. It was hers! Her own tail! At the thought, it began to move furiously from side to side. She was wagging her tail! This is pretty cool!
“Come on,” Brad said, from behind her. “Let’s go for a run!”
“Shall we shift here?” Chase asked.
“No, it’s too risky. We’ll be seen,” Brad replied. “Aspen, just follow us closely. Do exactly what we do. If anyone sees you now, they’ll hopefully think you’re a husky.”
“Ok,” she said, and her mouth let out an excited yip.
Brad and Chase led her out of the cabin. She trotted after them, barely able to control her urge to tear off around the hotel grounds. They vaulted over the wall at the back of the complex, but she held back. The wall was at least six feet high. There was no way she was capable of getting over it. She gave a whine of dismay. Brad heaved himself up from the other side and peeked over the edge.
“Trust me, it’ll be fine,” he told her. “Fix your eyes on a point just above the wall, and jump. You’re capable of jumping way higher than that, you’ll see.” Doubtfully, Aspen took a couple of steps back. Ok, it’s now or never. She started to run for the wall, stretched her paws up to the top, and braced herself for a horrible impact. But it didn’t come. Her paws hooked right onto the top of the wall, her back legs came soon after, and she was bounding back down to the ground on the other side. Oh my god, this is going to hurt, she thought, bracing herself for a hard landing. But her front paws landed lightly, and then her back paws, and there she was, in the forest. She looked around in amazement. Brad and Chase were looking back at her approvingly. She had always totally sucked at the high jump in gym class, the other kids laughing as she landed right on top of the pole, but she’d just cleared a six-foot wall like it was nothing.
Aspen had barely recovered from this amazemen
t, when her jaw dropped again. Brad and Chase were stripping their clothes off. Their shirts disappeared, revealing two incredible, muscular torsos. They both looked like bodybuilders, with deeply tanned skin. Their pants disappeared too. They weren’t wearing any underwear! Aspen felt her face warming. She’d never seen naked men before, except in photos. It was too much. She only glimpsed their bodies for a moment, before they began to change. It happened fast, far more quickly than when it had happened to her. Their human bodies almost doubled in size, their shoulders bunched up, they fell forward, and, in an instant, there were two wolves standing before her. She gasped. As wolves they retained some of their human appearance. Chase had fur the color of honey, with pale green eyes, while Brad had glossy, pure black fur, although his eyes were now an intense, glowing amber. Their ears were pointed and alert, and their tails fanned out behind them. With no idea what she was doing, she cowered down in front of them and put her ears back. They walked over to her and sniffed her. She was strongly aware of their rich, animal smell. She had an urge to sniff them all over, to get to know their scents. But Brad didn’t give her much time. He barked, which Aspen immediately understood meant follow me, and he bounded off into the woods. Chase was close on his tail, and she started to follow him too. With every step, her legs became more coordinated, and her gait opened out. She expected to lose them within seconds, but, to her amazement, she found she could keep them in sight. The breeze whistled past her, and she wove in and out of the trees, at lightning speed, but with no fear that she’d collide with them. Her eyesight was incredible. The full detail of the forest was revealed to her – every spider, every leaf – things that had been hidden from her in her human form. She let out a howl of pure pleasure at the sensations running through her body, before she remembered that Brad had already warned her to be quiet. But Brad looped back, trotted over to her, and gave her an affectionate nip on the ear: it’s ok, he seemed to be telling her. Encouraged, she let out another howl, much louder this time, and heard it echo around the forest. Birds took to flight and little animals rustled in the bushes as they scampered away from her. She raced on, picking up scents that she’d never smelled before, but instinctively knowing what they were: a muskrat, a weasel, a squirrel. She salivated at the thought of eating them. Suddenly, Chase took a sharp left and his speed doubled. Aspen followed, watching as he gave chase to a small, quick animal with a bobbing white tail. It wasn’t long before he closed on it, and she caught up in time to see him snatching it by the neck and shaking it roughly. The rabbit lay limp and lifeless, its round black eyes unseeing. As Aspen crept closer, a little rumble escaped her jaws. Chase met her gaze, and she saw the human intelligence behind his narrow-eyed wolf’s stare. His teeth tore into the rabbit and he began to eat. She watched hungrily as he pulled the meat off the bones, learning his techniques. When he’d eaten half of it, he stopped and indicated that she could finish it. She dove in and sank her teeth into it, as if it was the most succulent steak she’d ever had. In fact, it tasted even better. She couldn’t believe that meat could taste so good. Leaving the final portion for Brad, she withdrew, licking her lips.
Once Bitten Twice Smitten: BBW Werewolf Shifter Menage Romance Page 6
