by Kallie Frost
“You must be. Yeah, let's go.”
I sent him out ahead of me. Then, shut down the power and locked up for the month. I climbed out and made sure that the trapdoor was well hidden.
“Shall we?” The morning was unusually beautiful. There was a lingering winter chill in the air and it smelled cool and crisp.
We were just reaching the edge of the woods when my cell phone started to ring. I paused to fish it out of my backpack.
“Good morning, Mom,” I said, answering.
“You sound… cheerful, Rion,” she said. “Are you all right?”
“I'm great, Mom. It was an easy moon.” Since I was on the phone I didn't bother to hide my smile. “How are you? How’s Dad?”
“We're doing well.” I wasn't at all surprised when she added, “The full moon is always easy with your true mate.”
My smile widened in amusement. My mother unknowingly figured it out. “How is everyone else?”
“Everyone's fine,” she said. “They're all out of their bunkers and up here for breakfast.” I didn't have to ask, I could hear the commotion in the background. It was easy to picture my whole family bustling about my parents’ large kitchen. They’d all be sore and tired, but not nearly as bad as I was here by myself. It didn't hurt that they were a few hours further east than I was. It wasn't much, but their sunrise had come sooner than mine, so they were already well on their way to recovering from the full moon. When my mother called to check in on me a month ago the background noises made me feel lonely. I thought of my empty chair at the table, and the familiar near-chaos of my family around me. Now, I missed it, but it didn't ache. I resisted the urge to reach for my true mate’s hand. He caught my eye and smiled, and I smiled back. I'd never be alone again… As long as he agreed…
“I should eat, Mom. But I'll talk to you later. Love you.”
“I love you too, Rion. I'm glad you're all right.”
“Me too.” I hung up and tucked the phone into my pocket. Elliott was looking at me curiously.
“Your parents are werewolves, sorry shifters, too. Aren't they?”
“What gives you that idea?” I teased.
“Well,” he drawled, “it sounds like your mother was checking in on you. Which doesn't surprise me, considering the shape you’ve been in the last two months. And since you asked how she and your father are… I can only assume they are shifters too. Who is ‘everyone else?’”
“My brothers and sisters. And a couple of nephews and a cousin.”
“So, your entire family is were – shifters?”
I nodded in answer.
“What brings you here, then? You said that you’re pack animals. And that your wolf is alone. So, why are you here without your family?”
“That's a bit complicated,” I answered. “And…” I looked around us. We had returned to town and we weren’t alone on the sidewalk anymore. “And best answered in private.”
~~~***~~~
Eating gave me an excuse to put off answering him, which allowed me to come up with exactly what I was going to tell him and what I was going to hold off on until he was a little more on board.
“So…” he said, as if sensing I was about ready to answer. “Why are you here alone?”
“Obviously, you've heard of werewolves before.” He nodded. “Well, we're not too keen on humans knowing that we actually exist. And we've evolved a sort of magical safeguard against it. It might sound a little unbelievable to you, but bear with me.”
“Okay,” Elliott said.
“I'm not really sure how to explain it… Basically, we are naturally wiped from the memories of humans as time goes on. You have to see us at least once every full moon cycle to retain your memories. If I were to leave today and you didn't see me again, then when you wake up next month after the full moon, you won't remember anything from last night.”
“Are you serious? You mean like, poof, and my memories are gone?”
“It's more subtle than that. Every day you would just remember less and less. Tomorrow, you wouldn't remember it very clearly, you might even second-guess whether or not it was a dream. A week from now you might not even remember the bunker at all. It will seem a lot more like a dream and it will feel like it happened months ago not just a week. By the end of the month you will barely even remember it happened at all and after the moon comes again it'll be gone.”
“Gone forever?”
“If you were to see a shifter again it might jog your memory briefly, but another full moon cycle would take care of that. It's nearly impossible to retain the memories unless you're regularly interacting with me.”
“Would I forget you or just the fact that you're a shifter?”
“Forgetting me takes a little longer, but the wolf part will be gone in a month. As for me, after the next full moon you’ll have some trouble remembering my face clearly, and minor things. You might have trouble recalling specific conversations, or the sound of my voice, or even my name. If I just wanted you to forget the shifter thing, I'd come back and the rest of those memories would return fairly quickly.”
“But if you wanted me to forget you?”
I nodded. “With every passing month you forget more and more. Until it would be like we were never roommates at all. In fact, it would be so permanent, that I could come back and room with you again, and you’d have no idea that we ever had even met, much less already lived together.”
“How long does that take?”
“Thirteen full moons.”
“Then, it's no coincidence that you're here for a year?” he asked. “Is there someone specific you're trying to make forget you?”
“My entire town,” I said.
“What happened? Did they see you transform?”
“That would only take a month,” I reminded him. “No, it's more of a safe practice. If we want to live in the same place for a long time, it gets… challenging.” I hesitated, making sure not to drop too much on him at once. “So, every few years we go away for thirteen moons. And when we return to the town, everyone has forgotten us, and we can start over, without worrying that anyone will have any suspicions.”
“That sounds lonely.”
“We try not to get very close to humans,” I admitted. “And even though we don't live in packs anymore, we still do try to settle in areas that are heavily populated by other shifters. Like I told you, my whole family lives there. Plus, there are a ton of other shifters in the area.”
“Wouldn't it get confusing? I mean, you must know so much about these people and then you pretend you've never met them before.”
“We try not to move in the same circles that we did before.” Elliott looked confused so I gave an example. “My brother plays hockey right now. When it's his turn to go for a year and he comes back, he won't play hockey again. He'll find another sport, or maybe an entirely different group to join, or he might not do anything social with humans at all.”
“I see.” He was quiet for a moment and a frown crossed his face. “What happens with us now? Do you have to go away for a month… or more?”
“Maybe not… It all depends on you.”
“How so?”
I drummed my fingers nervously on the counter. “You're my true mate.”
“What is that? Is it mate like in a sexual way?”
“It's not just about sex, but… basically… we're soulmates. We're not roommates by chance, it was fate.”
“Soulmates,” he repeated skeptically.
“I'm sure that sounds a little crazy. But it's real. True mates are…” I wasn't sure how to explain it. “A precious gift,” I finally said. “It's a person that shifters dream of finding.”
“What makes them so special?”
“They're perfect for each other. In every way. They can live together in perfect harmony. Forever. I don't know if you noticed, but these last three months… as far as being roommates goes…”
He looked startled and I knew he felt it too. “They've been… I guess
perfect harmony is a pretty good way to describe it.”
I nodded. “And it would be like that for the rest of our lives. Sure, even true mates fight. But it would never be horrible, and we'd never have to worry about our relationship, or one of us cheating on the other. It would be absolute bliss. Permanently. True mates like all of the same things and enjoy all the same activities; their personalities just mesh. And if they do have different hobbies or personalities it all balances the other out.” I paused thinking of an example. “You could have a neat freak and someone who is pretty messy. And instead of it becoming an issue between them, the neat freak would learn that the world won't end if the dishes stay dirty for a night, and the messy one will remember to pick up after himself once in a while.”
“That does sound pretty nice,” he agreed. “But what makes you so sure I’m your true mate? Aside from the admittedly great roommate relationship we have.”
“There are signs, aside from harmonious living. I should've recognized them, I just didn't expect to experience them.” Before he could ask, I elaborated. “One big sign is the pain you've been feeling in your neck.”
His eyes widened in shock, as his hand went automatically to the juncture of his neck and shoulder. “How did you…”
“It's a sign. If you agree to become my mate, then I'll mark you there. It's partially a symbolic mark, and partially one that will actually magically link us. Once you meet your true mate it starts to hurt there because it's waiting for the mark.” He didn't look entirely convinced, but I could see I was getting through to him. “It probably hurts more when we're apart. Once linked, instead of hurting it will actually connect you to me and you’ll know how I am no matter where we are.”
He rubbed the spot, thoughtfully. “It did happen around the time you moved in.”
I nodded. “But, the biggest sign is that I didn't hurt you last night. The wolf hunts, that's what it does. Anyone else, human or shifter, in there with me would've been dead this morning. You lived. The wolf won't hurt his true mate.”
“It didn't hurt itself either,” he pointed out.
“That's one of the things that is so precious about true mates. Without a pack, we have to weather the full moons alone, but always at the risk of hurting if not killing ourselves.”
“The wolf would kill itself?”
“Not on purpose, as far as I know. But it bites and scratches. It's not unheard of to bite too deep, some go a little nuts at the taste of the blood and attack themselves. The bunker is specifically designed to be a safe location, it's big enough that the wolf isn't horribly claustrophobic, but small enough that they don't have room to run and hurt themselves. It's kept bare so there's nothing to be hurt or caught on either. But a true mate keeps the wolf company. It doesn't want to hunt or run, it's content to just be together. Every full moon comes with the risk of it being your last, before you have a true mate.”
“And for sure I’m your true mate? I'm human.”
I took a deep breath and dropped the bombshell. “If you decide to be together, I can change you.”
Chapter Four
Elliott
“Okay.” I set down my fork and pushed my empty dinner plate away. “Let me make sure we're on the same page. You're saying that if I agree to become your mate, you can change me into a wolf. Which comes with the perks, obviously, of being able to turn into a wolf, as well as immortality, and the ability to… conceive and give birth to our biological children? Am I leaving anything out?”
Rion grinned at me. “No, that’s about right. I know it all sounds a little crazy.”
“So, what's the catch? These things always have a catch, right? I mean getting to be immortal and spending the rest of my life with some fated soulmate, who is never going to die or get sick of me seems pretty darn good in its own right. But on top of that I get the wolf and the children thing?”
“We can be killed,” he warned. “We’re immortal, yes. But we’re not indestructible.”
“And that's the catch?”
“You can't tell anyone. I mean you can't tell anyone… Not even your family and since the full moon erases memories…”
I hadn't considered that part, but I worked it out pretty quickly. “Any humans that I know will forget about me in a year.”
“Yes.”
“Well… if that's the only catch…”
He watched me warily. “Is that a deal breaker?”
I smiled at him reassuringly. “Actually, I'm kind of on my own.” I figured sooner or later we’d discuss the details of our personal lives and families, but I was hoping he wouldn’t invite me to do it now. I was quite a bit more curious about my future with him, than my human past. Not to mention it was a conversation I just didn't want to have. I had never known my father, and my mother died before I was eighteen. My ancient grandparents finished raising me before they died as well. The hardest thing about their deaths was the fact they were my only living relatives and I was truly alone. My mother uprooted me in search of a job often enough that I never really had time to settle down with friends, then nobody wanted to be the friends with the weird orphan who lived with his grandparents. So, I was always kind of a loner. I had a few decent friends from college. But in all honesty we were slowly growing out of touch, and I didn't think they'd be a huge loss, especially considering that the trade-off was eternal happiness with my soulmate.
My hesitation, however was the fact that I didn't really know my so-called soulmate. I kept thinking of the minutes right before he transformed and how it occurred to me that it was entirely possible I was living with a serial killer. How could I commit myself to a literal eternity with a guy I had only known for three months and never even kissed?
“What happens if we don't work out? Do I stay a wolf? Does my memory have to be erased?”
He narrowed his eyes, looking genuinely confused. “What do you mean? What if what doesn’t work out?”
“You and me. What if we get, like a year into this thing and decide we’re wrong for each other?”
“That doesn't happen,” he said confidently. “We're true mates.”
“But if it did, what would happen to me?”
“It doesn't happen. But…” I could tell from his expression that he was honestly thinking really hard about the question. It obviously never occurred to him that true mates might not be perfect for each other. Could that be because they really were? “I mean, I guess we just go our separate ways… I don't think that they'd erase your memory of me after you're already a wolf. And being turned can't be undone… So, what do you think?”
“About?”
“Will you let me turn you and become my mate?”
I laughed. But his expression didn't change, he was looking at me eagerly, but with a touch of concern, like he thought I wasn't ready to decide. “You want an answer now?”
He nodded. “I suppose, I can give you a little more time, if you need it…”
“There's a time limit isn't there?” I guessed. “Do I have to decide before you go back home?”
He looked shocked. “You mean in a year?” I nodded. He chewed on his lower lip, and turned away, unable to meet my eyes. “You don't have quite that much time.”
“The next full moon then?” That one made sense. “That's a little soon,” I said. “I mean, it's a pretty big decision. A month doesn't seem like a lot of time.” He hunched down his shoulders, and I got the distinct impression that if he had dog ears they would've drooped. He looked exactly like a dog that had just been yelled at. “Less time?!”
He muttered something that sounded a little too much like three days.
“Did you say three days?” He nodded. I leaned back in my chair, feeling the air rush out of me. “I have three days to decide if I'm going to get turned into a werewolf to spend the rest of my life with someone I hardly know, at the expense of everything that I do know?”
“Pretty much… yeah.”
“Do people actually do that? What happens if I can't deci
de?”
“Every omega true mate has done it. It's one of our laws,” he said with a shrug. “We have to keep our existence a secret from humans. I just told you literally everything, so now if I give you too much time, who knows what you could do with that information.”
“I thought I would forget it little by little every day and no longer be a risk.”
“Some people are better able to fight the memory loss than others,” he admitted. “There is a reason that werewolves exist in human mythology. If I let you walk away with this knowledge you could be danger to us.”
“Okay.” I felt like I had a headache. “And what if I can't decide?”
“Your memory gets erased. Same if you say no.”
“My memory of everything, including you?” I wasn't surprised when he nodded. “But we’re roommates.”
“Arrangements would be made. They’d probably move you. Your memory would be erased, and you'd wake up in another city, with a reasonable explanation for how you got there… And you’d go back to your life.”
“Wait, wait. You don't mean the full moon would just naturally erase my memories, do you? You make it sound like someone would come here, erase my memories, and relocate me against my will. In three days.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you people do that?”
“Some shifters do have that ability, yes. We'd probably have been hunted to near extinction by humans if they didn't.”
“So, I have three days to make up my mind. If I say no, everything gets erased and I end up in Albuquerque. If I say yes, I get turned into an immortal wolf with the perfect soulmate. Even though I don't know thing about him. And if I can't decide, Albuquerque anyway?”
Rion smiled weakly. “They probably wouldn't send you to Albuquerque.”
Somehow it made me laugh. He joined me and we both sat there laughing like idiots. It was a daunting, serious decision and here I was laughing. As I calmed down, and studied his face, I felt like maybe we really were meant to be. I hadn't even made a decision yet, but laughing with him took a weight off my shoulders.
