A Werewolf Valentine's

by C. M. Stunich

  We caught up with DebLin at the photo op and found them staring into one another's eyes with glassy gazes. Yep. The school's biggest power couple was back in action.

  “You guys mind if we cut in front?” Josiah asked, but they were hardly paying any attention to us, swaying softly with the music. Whoever was in charge of DJing tonight had chosen classical and jazz instead of whatever was topping the charts. I knew that eventually things would degrade into bumping, grinding EDM mixes, but for right now, all was elegant and classy and sophisticated.

  Well, okay, so to me it all looked that way. Maybe I was being a silly lovestruck teenager? I mean, I kind of was one, wasn't I? My wolf grumbled what I thought might be an affirmative against my rib cage, and Josiah's responded, our magic brushing up against one another's in a flicker of heat.

  He pulled me onto the photo backdrop and into his arms, bringing goose bumps up all across my bare skin as we tucked our bodies together, my back to his front. Um. I know, like, everybody takes these sorts of pictures at school dances, but with … all of the things we'd done in bed together yesterday, it sort of felt … completely and utterly sinful. But in the best way possible, of course.

  We let the photographer take several shots of us against the faux garden background, complete with a heart shaped moon in the navy ink of a fake sky. After that, Josiah pulled me into the crowd with one hand on my waist, the other curled around my fingers.

  “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked, looking down at me as the lights strung across the rafters twinkled like stars.

  “You can tell me anything,” I said, and I meant that.

  “I have no idea how to dance,” he whispered in my ear, and then I laughed as Josiah twirled me across the floor, mixing us up with the other couples, swirling us until I was dizzy and giddy with pleasure. All of the places his hands touched felt molten, hot, like if we tried hard enough, we could melt together into a single person.

  The music slowly morphed from soft jazz to pop, “Paris” by the Chainsmokers leading us into a gentle, bumping mass in the middle of the community center floor. One of the wealthier students had decided to give a Valentine's Day gift to the entire school, supplying several dozen sprays of roses that sat in clear vases around the room, lending a soft sweetness of perfume to the air.

  DebLin joined us soon after, and we swapped partners: me with Deb, Josiah with Linc. Then we switched it up again and I laughed as Lincoln tried to show off his non-existent dance moves.

  Halfway through the evening, someone released a sea of pink and red confetti, a sea of glitter in heart and star shapes cascading from the ceiling and coating my hair, my bare shoulders, a few small pieces sticking to Josiah's lower lip. Even the tables were covered by the time we headed over to sit down and enjoy a small show put on by the drama club. I wasn't entirely sure why they'd decided to put on an accelerated performance of Romeo and Juliet since, you know, they both die at the end, but it was entertaining anyway.

  Dinner was ridiculously over the top: juicy filets for us meat eaters, portobello mushroom steaks for everyone else, fresh salads, twice baked potatoes with cheese and bacon. Dessert was an ice cream bar set up against one wall, complete with a dozen choices of holiday themed sprinkles, hot fudge and caramel sauce, cherries, nuts, and whipped cream.

  “I'm going to gain a hundred pounds before I make it out of here tonight,” I said as DebLin held up the entire line of partygoers at the ice cream bar to feed each other Maraschino cherries. Talk about a sensual PDA … “Hopefully, you know, I can work it all off later,” I said, referring to our planned wolf run in Siempre National Park.

  Josiah took it in a completely different way, flushed as bright as the cherries, and then grinned at me.

  “You perv!” I said, tossing a handful of nuts at his face.

  “Nuts in the face?!” he asked, pretending to be aghast and laughing as he chucked a cherry of his own in my direction. “You're such a dork.”

  “Only on opposite day,” I said with a swish of my skirt as I headed back toward our table. Josiah caught up with me, planting a kiss on my cheek as he pulled out my chair for me and sat so close that our thighs were touching.

  Just as we were finishing our ice cream and getting ready to hit the dance floor again, Corine and AJ showed up. Josiah's sister was dressed in a gorgeous cream silk gown with her raven hair coiled on top of her head. Her mate was dressed in a very formal looking tux, his red hair slicked back, those amber-green eyes of his studying Josiah and me as we sat at the table.

  “I was starting to wonder if you were,” Josiah said as Corine reached out and mussed his hair up with her hand. Josiah gave her a sideways smile. “Did you just get here?”

  “We've been here for a while,” Corine said with a loose shrug, “but it was so crowded, we decided to hang out by the river with some friends until it cleared out a little. There's a huge patio back there, all set up with outdoor heaters.” A pause as the siblings shared a mutual look, no doubt thinking about their mother. “Any news from Mom?” she asked and Josiah shook his head.

  “I had to use Dad to get out of the house,” he said and Corine sighed, nodding her head like that was about what she'd expected.

  “Don't let it get to you, little brother, okay? Mom … it'll all work out eventually. She just needs time. Enjoy your night, okay?” Corine leaned down and pressed a glittery gold kiss to her brother's cheek, waving to us as she dragged AJ away from our table and onto the dance floor. Josiah watched her go and then turned back to me, still smiling, as if thoughts of his mom weren't bothering him at all.

  “May I have this dance?” he asked formally, and I felt myself smiling back, reaching out and resting my hand in his, letting him pull me out of my chair and into the colorful swirl of bodies in the center of the room.

  We danced the rest of the night away, our magic twisting and swirling around us, and I thought—although I wasn't sure—that the little thread that bound us together … might've been there before we were both werewolves.

  Like maybe, all along, Josiah and I were destined to be together.

  “This is so exciting,” I gushed, trying not to squeal. But holy crap. The night was cool and drizzly, but inside Josiah's truck, the cab smelled like the cluster of roses we'd taken from the community center (they were going to throw them out anyway) and love … love was definitely in the air. “Our first official werewolf outing as a mated pair.”

  “Say mated pair a hundred times over and I'll love you forever,” Josiah said as I popped the top on the box of chocolates he'd gotten me and leaned over to put one between his lips, rocking out to the song on the radio. If I was being a little goofy, you'll have to excuse me. I was giddy and excited, my wolf pacing in hungry anticipation of the run.

  “You're sure your mom won't be waiting in the woods with a gun full of silver bullets, right?” I asked as Josiah pulled the truck into one of the many empty spaces near the bathrooms. Once again, we were still the only people crazy enough to visit the park in the middle of the night during a rainstorm. At least when it came to moms, I had mine taken care of; I'd called her a few minutes ago to let her know we were almost at the park. Fortunately, she was too distracted by dad and his date choice for the evening—something that included a lot of shushing and giggling on mom's part that I maybe didn't want to know much more about—to talk to me for too long.

  “Positive,” Josiah said as he turned off the engine and tucked his keys under the seat. Outside, the rain pounded the glass like a thousand tiny fairy fists. Which sort of made me wonder … if werewolves existed, then what else was out there? Vampires? Witches? Fae? “My dad's taking her out to some fancy dinner or something. Last year, he even surprised her by taking her to a church to renew their wedding vows.”

  “So … your parents are okay?”

  “Dad's angry, sure, but … he really loves my mom. They'll get past this. Being a forever couple isn't always easy.” Josiah smirked at me for a second and then slid his blazer off his s
houlders in a way that was far too sensual for the small confines of the cab. “If even DebLin can manage to have a fight, I'm sure we'll end up having one, too, at some point. It's nice to see other people go through it and know that it can still be okay after.”

  “If we ever do have a fight,” I said as I scooted back and started pulling off my heels. It made a lot more sense to undress in the car, and I had to wonder why we'd bothered to get butt freaking naked in the snow the last few times we'd been out here. But then I remembered that my parents had been around and that I'd muuuuuch rather get nude in subzero temps than undress in front of them. “Then it'll probably be your fault.”

  “Oh, definitely my fault,” Josiah agreed, and then he stripped his shirt off and my breath got caught in my throat. I think I even fogged up the windows on my side of the truck. “What are you waiting for, slowpoke? Don't you want to race to the top?” Josiah pointed out the window towards the sloping hill that led into the woods.

  “You're on,” I said as I shirked my red wool coat and then turned so Josiah could unzip my dress. “Now help me out of this.”

  “You don't have to ask me twice,” he said, dragging the zipper down oh so slowly, the sensual brush of his fingers down my spine turning my entire body into a tingling, aching mess. How could one person's touch have such an effect on me? It seemed completely crazy yet … I couldn't deny how Josiah made me feel. “There.”

  He let go of me and I kept my gaze focused away, out the window and towards the empty parking lot. No way did I want to see his … you know, bits before we got a chance to shift and run off some energy. My skin was practically sparking with magic and I was ready to run.

  When I slipped my dress off my shoulders, I felt Josiah's hands at the clasp of my bra, opening it for me and then moving away again before I could beg him not to.

  “I'll wait outside,” he told me, his breath low and a little raspy, like maybe this was all a bit much for him, too.

  I listened to the truck door open and the spatter of rain on the pavement before Josiah closed it again and I rushed to get the rest of my clothes off, kicking my fancy lacy panties to the floor. Instead of ridiculous holiday themed cotton undies, I had lingerie today. Bet Dad hadn't planned on me spending that cash on these. I almost felt guilty about it. Almost.

  Naked as a jaybird, I leapt out the door and into the icy cold rain, shoving it closed behind me and finding myself face to face with the big, black body of a wolf.

  Josiah grinned at me as my teeth chattered and I closed my eyes, letting my magic wash over me, coat my body in this tingling sensation that traveled through my blood and bones, into the tips of my fingers and the ends of my hair, drawing my wolf up and out of my rib cage. I could feel her leaping past my heart, taking over me, melting me onto all fours as I shook the thick ruff of my coat out and sent rainwater flying.

  Ready? Josiah asked and without waiting for an answer, started off towards the dark line of trees in the distance. I was right on his heels, my tongue lolling as we bounded past the squat stone structure of the bathrooms and up the side of the muddy hill. It should've been miserable, being out in the cold night like that, but it wasn't. The weather might've been wild, but the world was peaceful out here, empty, like the whole of the forest was waiting in whispered silence, just for us.

  Josiah beat me up to the top but just barely, twisting and splashing in some puddles as he offered me up a play bow and then lead a game of chase between the dark trunks of trees, the earth much drier beneath the heavy canopy.

  We churned up dirt and mud and pine needles as we sprinted flat out into the woods without a care or concern as to where we were going, running fast and hard, our breath pluming white in the night air.

  I tired long before Josiah and ended up trotting along at a slower pace while he ran circles around me.

  You have no idea how good this feels, he told me, his words excited, his coat wet with rain. Josiah's fur was so deliciously dark that even with my heightened senses, I had a hard time finding his prancing frame in the shadows. I needed this, Sylv. Oh god, I needed it so bad.

  Don't let me hold you back then, I told him as I smiled my wolf-y smile and picked up my pace a little. Let's see how far we can get before the sun comes up.

  Josiah took my challenge in stride, sprinting ahead and taking us into a part of the forest we hadn't seen on our last two excursions out here. In the middle of all the trees, there was a small meadow, just this big open circle of tall, wet grass swaying in the wind.

  We burst into it with yips of excitement and trotted to the center, glancing up at the moon above our heads. It might not have been full, but still, I could feel its pull, like the silver hands of moonlight falling across my back were hands, grabbing onto my magic and tugging it up towards the sky.

  I sat back and lifted my muzzle to the stars, breathing in the night air, feeling a strange song welling up inside my chest. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was acting out of instinct, tilting my head even farther back and letting out a long, lonely howl into the night sky. The sound was chilling, almost haunting, this primal call to family that I couldn't keep back.

  As soon as he heard it, Josiah was lifting his own muzzle up, ebony fur sparkling with white stars as he let out a howl of his own, turning my lonely sound into a friendly chorus, our voices mixing together into this single perfect note that stretched and echoed across the forest.

  I'm here, he said with the sound, and I felt a warmth settle inside of me, this contentment that I knew I was lucky to have. Family. Friends. Love. There wasn't much else I could ever hope to ask for … well, you know, except for hoping Josiah's mom didn't send him across the country. But he'd said things would be okay, and my parents said things would be okay, so I had to trust them, even if I was scared. We'd work it all out … tomorrow. Like Josiah had said, this night, Valentine's night, it was for romance.

  I let my powers unfurl, watching in silent awe as the raindrops slowed above our heads, turning into these shiny silver drops of moonlight as they eased down from the sky and teased the tip of my nose.

  That is so freaking cool, Josiah said as he turned toward me, tail wagging furiously. You are beyond amazing, Sylvia.

  I grinned back at him, watching tiny droplets of water scatter out of his way as he walked towards me, pushing the slow and silent drops aside as we stood in a quiet paradise of our own making.

  Before I knew what he was doing, Josiah was shifting back into a boy and putting his arms around the thick ruff of fur at my throat.

  “Too cool,” he repeated as he leaned back and looked into my eyes, tilting his head back and tasting a single droplet of frozen rain on his tongue. When he let go of me and leaned back into the grass, I moved up to lay beside him, rolling onto my side and then finally, shifting back into a girl.

  Even though we were both naked and it should've been totally weird, it wasn't. No, the two of us out here like this, our wolves tired but satisfied, things just felt right.

  We stared up at the rain for several moments, watching it crawl slowly toward us and then, when I released the magic, laughing as the deluge started back up, drenching us, plastering our hair to our heads.

  It didn't take us long to shift back and start running again, towards the parking lot, around the truck, and then back up the hill again when we decided we weren't ready for this to end yet.

  Of course, human concerns crept up on us eventually and we ended up naked and wet back in Josiah's truck, dripping water across the seats as we stared at each other in the dark and smiled.

  “Happy Werewolf Valentine's Day,” Josiah told me and I grinned, leaning in to kiss him, his warm fingers squeezing the wet slickness of my bare shoulder. He didn't know this, but … I'd snuck a condom into my coat pocket. In a minute, maybe I'd get it out?

  “Right back at you,” I whispered as we kissed again, the storm raging around the truck and locking us together in our own, quiet, private little space. I hoped that across town, his mother
was enjoying her evening, and that maybe, just maybe, she'd realize that hating something just because you didn't understand it never worked well for anyone. No, I could only hope that all of the love I'd seen in her eyes before, the love I knew she had for her son, would win out eventually. Because there was no way in hell I was letting her take my mate from me.

  “I love you,” Josiah told me, his words brushing against my lips.

  “I love you, too,” I said, and I felt dizzy from the beautiful romance in the air. Dizzy, but deliriously happy, warm and content. If Valentine's Day is for lovers, then Josiah and I had certainly made it ours. Forever and always.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading the third part to Sylvia's story! The only thing I dislike about these novellas is when they're over; I want more adorable werewolf cuteness! ;) Fortunately, this miniseries isn't over yet! Next up: A Werewolf St. Patrick's Day! Now, keep turning the pages to get a sneak peek at the next cover or find all the ways you can stalk me online. =P

  P.S. Indie authors count on readers like you to leave reviews, so if you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you!

  Happy Reading,

  C.M. Stunich

  "A Werewolf St. Patrick's Day: Shamrocks, Rainbows, and Shapeshifting"

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