“Sounds good,” Daniel replied, and he nodded. “If no one’s minds?”
“It’s fine,” Stephen said, before anyone had the chance to object. He hoped Daniel wouldn’t decide to either go back home or run away further tonight. He wanted to help the younger man.
“Some rest will do you good.” It was the first thing Nathan had said since the other werewolves had arrived. “I’ve got a guest room you can use for -”
“No, he can’t,” Alex said, frowning as he looked at Nathan. Stephen was inclined to agree with Alex. Daniel should stay with another werewolf.
“I’m the closest thing you guys have to a doctor,” Nathan protested. “What if he needs my help?”
“Then he can visit you.” Alex sent Daniel a glare, then put an arm around Nathan, who was looking confused and annoyed. “He’s not staying in your guest room.”
Daniel was also rather startled by Alex’ behaviour. “If it’s a problem I can stay in a hotel or something,” he muttered, his eyes nervous.
“Relax,” Richard said, amused. “It’s just Alex being a little territorial and possessive, it’s nothing personal.”
While Alex looked slightly embarrassed at Richard’s explanation, he mostly just looked angry. “I just don’t see why he has to stay with Nathan,” he grumbled, while the vet hung his head and sighed.
“Alex, I’m not interested in Daniel, all right?” Nathan turned to the other man. “If you need my help, the others know where I live. I think it’s best if I take Alex home before he decides to mark me as his territory or something.”
Daniel smiled a little as Alex spluttered with indignation. “Thanks, don’t worry about it.”
“I would never - you know I wouldn’t do that,” Alex told Nathan as they walked off. “You offered the guy your guest room, Nathan, what was I supposed to think?”
Stephen couldn’t hear Nathan’s reply, and he swallowed back his nerves when he nudged Daniel. “I’ve got a guest room,” he offered. “It’s better than a hotel.” He hadn’t wanted to make the offer in front of Alex, because he would just jump to conclusions. Yes, Daniel was attractive as a human, but Stephen only wanted to help him. He would’ve done the same for any other werewolf who was injured.
“And no jealous boyfriends?” Daniel asked, his blue eyes bright as he smiled.
“No,” Stephen replied, looking down at him. “No, definitely not.” There was an odd look in Daniel’s eyes, only for a few seconds before he walked over to Holly and Peter. Had he said something stupid?
“I’ll see you all tonight,” Daniel told the werewolf couple, shaking their hands again. He moved over to Karen and Lily. “It’s great to know that the way McClanahan is, isn’t how all werewolves are, y’know?”
“Y’mean that not all werewolves are assholes?” Lily gave him a stern look. “You said you ran away on a whim, right?” When Daniel nodded, she continued. “That was you finally listening to your wolf’s instincts. I’m guessing you’ve been thinking about running away for a while? Thought about doing it last month?”
Daniel nodded slowly. “How did you guess?”
She shrugged. “Me and my sister have been werewolves our entire lives, we understand our inner wolves. And we’ve seen our fair share of humans learning to understand. Just keep listening to your wolf’s instincts - when you are a werewolf, obviously - and things’ll go better for you during the full moon, trust me.”
Daniel still seemed a bit dumbfounded by Lily’s words as he said his goodbye and thanks to Richard. Then he followed Stephen to his car, an old Ford pick-up truck from the eighties. It didn’t look great and was in need of a new paint job, but it got him around. He opened the passenger door for Daniel before climbing in himself, scolding himself for feeling nervous. He was a grown man, not some blushing teenager on his first date.
“Thanks for putting me up,” Daniel said, once they were driving. “Seriously, you’ve already done so much.”
“It’s nothing,” Stephen replied, his eyes firmly on the road. “I’m just shocked that you’ve been treated like that by the werewolf who first bit you.”
“I feel like an idiot.” Daniel slouched in the passenger seat. “I’ve got nothing with me; I should’ve prepared rather than run away.”
“Hey, you heard what Lily said,” Stephen told him, smiling reassuringly. He didn’t like the way Daniel was beating himself up over this. “It was your wolf’s instincts and you know what? They were right to get the hell out of - wherever it is you live.”
Daniel’s mouth twitched into a slight smile. “Thanks,” he murmured. “Still, I don’t like being this dependent on others. No offence.”
“None taken,” Stephen replied, his nerves vanishing. This was easy, a simple, friendly conversation. He understood where Daniel was coming from; he wouldn’t have felt great himself being stuck somewhere without his wallet or keys, knowing he had to depend on others for help. They stopped at a diner for some breakfast, both too hungry to wait much longer, and Daniel muttered he felt bad about Stephen having to pay for him.
“If it’ll make you feel better, you can pay us back in the future. You never know, we might need your help some day,” Stephen told him, once they were driving again. Most of Daniel’s scent was masked by Richard’s clothes, and Stephen didn’t like the way Richard’s scent mingled with Daniel’s one bit. He thought Daniel looked less nervous than before, but it would take scent to be certain.
Daniel scoffed at that. “Oh, right, big strong wolf like you, yeah, that’s gonna happen.”
Stephen couldn’t help the pleased smile on his face, and was relieved Daniel was looking out the passenger window. “Just two more streets to my place. I have to go to work today, but you can, I don’t know, get some sleep or rest or - or something.” He wished he didn’t have to leave Daniel alone. He trusted the guy not to run away, but he also didn’t want to abandon him. Still, work came first. Fortunately, his current contractor job was nearby.
“This is your place?” Daniel asked, once Stephen parked in his driveway. “Just yours?”
Stephen glanced at his house. It wasn’t that special for a detached home, nor was it really big enough for a family. Perfect for him, though, which was why he had bought it three years ago and fixed it up with some colleagues. “Yeah, why?”
Daniel got out of the car and Stephen followed him, curious. “Because seriously, my apartment can probably fit in this like, four times or something.” He smiled at Stephen. “There’s a lot of upsides to living in the city, but the rent isn’t one of them.”
“Guess not,” Stephen replied, locking his car door. It wasn’t that he didn’t take pride in the job he’d done on the place, and he was glad Daniel liked it, but he still wasn’t sure how to respond. They entered the house, Stephen quickly showing Daniel around. “I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to go; I’m doing maintenance work on the nearby cabins. They need some work before they’re ready for the rush of tourists during the Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas break,” he explained, once they were in the guest room.
The room was sparsely decorated with a wardrobe containing some of his own old clothes and extra blankets, a table he wanted to paint a different colour some day and two single beds pushed together. They were already made up, and Daniel had sat down on the nearest one. Stephen was very tempted to join him. Dammit, why did he have to work today? He could use a nap himself, and his libido had a few ideas of its own that Stephen quickly suppressed. Daniel was a werewolf too; he’d realise what was up if Stephen didn’t rein in his thoughts.
“That’s fine, I don’t wanna keep you from going to work.” Daniel gasped, his eyes wide. “Fuck, my own job, I need to call them, call in sick or something.” He jumped up, and Stephen put a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ve got a landline, you can call them,” he told Daniel, who sighed with relief.
“Thanks.” Daniel smiled, and Stephen was really starting to like what those smiles did to Daniel’s eyes. “Will you be back
for lunch?”
“Probably not,” Stephen replied, feeling as disappointed as Daniel looked. “I’ll be back before sunset, don’t worry.” Realising he still had his hand on Daniel’s arm, he quickly pulled it back. “There’s food in the fridge and the cupboard if you need anything.”
“I am definitely gonna pay you back for everything,” Daniel told him firmly. “When I get back home I’ll wire you money or something, okay?”
“Sure,” Stephen agreed, then went to grab what he needed for work. Most of it was already on-site. “Just take it easy today, and I’ll see you when I get back.” It would be good to be away from Daniel for a bit, clear his head and focus on his job.
Daniel nodded, then smiled. “I’ll cook dinner, that’s the least I can do.” He must’ve noticed the slight frown on Stephen’s face. “I can cook, don’t worry.”
“All right,” Stephen replied, amused at Daniel’s reaction. “I’ll go to work, you can do the cooking.” He walked down the hallway, Daniel following him.
“Just don’t think I’m gonna do any cleaning,” Daniel warned him, smiling again. “I’m not that much of a housewife.”
“That’s a shame,” Stephen said, then immediately wished he hadn’t.
Daniel started to snigger, which added to Stephen’s embarrassment. “I’ll see you tonight, Stephen.”
“Take it easy,” he said, then checked his keys, more an excuse not to have to look at Daniel.
“Dinner’ll be ready when you get back,” Daniel promised as Stephen closed his front door.
He walked back to his car, feeling a mixture of emotions. The wolf inside of him, never dormant on the days between the full moon, wanted nothing more than to go back in there to keep Daniel safe, tear off the clothes he’d borrowed from Richard and replace Richard’s scent with his own. Maybe, Stephen thought to himself as he started his truck, it hadn’t been the best idea to invite Daniel to stay with him. He considered the alternatives, Daniel staying with Nathan, or Richard, and he felt briefly, ridiculously, jealous.
He told himself that it was stupid to feel jealous as he drove to work. Just because he was attracted to Daniel didn’t mean Daniel was attracted to him. For all he knew, Daniel wasn’t even into guys.
~*~
Work was a good distraction, something to take his mind off Daniel and McClanahan. He liked his colleagues, and it was good to talk to people who weren’t werewolves. The other upside was that he had something to channel his restless energy into. Normally, he was tired on the days between the transformations, but he guessed that sleeping while a wolf had left him better rested than usual. He headed back home about an hour before sunset, earlier than usual, but he’d finished his work for the day and he’d make up for it the coming week. Stephen stayed in his truck for a moment after parking it in his driveway, telling himself that Daniel needed their help, not Stephen and his libido sniffing around.
He went inside, shouting out a greeting and smiling when Daniel called back from the kitchen. It was nice not to come back to an empty house, and his stomach rumbled when the delicious scents wafted from the kitchen. “Tuna?”
Daniel appeared in the doorway, grinning at him. “Yeah, I made a casserole. Best thing I could come up with the contents of your cupboards and fridge.”
Stephen wasn’t complaining. “Great, let’s eat.” He grabbed the plates, waiting for Daniel to put the casserole on his table, and noticed that his counter looked cleaner than it had this morning. “Wait, did you also do the dishes?” There were still some suds in the sink.
“Well, the casserole had to be in the oven for ten minutes, so I thought I might as well. It wasn’t that much.”
“Thought you said you weren’t going to do any cleaning?” he remarked. The casserole smelled wonderful, he couldn’t wait to taste it.
Daniel laughed. “Only fair if it’s a mess I made, right?”
Stephen sat down. It really was nice, having someone to eat with, and with a pang he thought that he could get used to this. Richard’s scent had faded slightly from Daniel’s borrowed clothes, but it was still strong enough to throw Stephen off. It was like trying to listen to someone at a loud party, you could make out some of the words, but it was difficult to hear what they were saying.
Daniel served them both generous portions, clearly as ravenous as Stephen was. “I swear, ever since I became a werewolf, I eat twice as much this time of the month,” he said. “It’s so weird.”
“I always make sure to stock up,” Stephen replied. Daniel hadn’t been a werewolf for very long, and he sympathised. “Look, the transformation, it gets easier. Less painful.”
Daniel swallowed his bite. “I’ve noticed that. A bit, anyway.” He poked at his tuna. “Does it ever become completely painless?”
“No.” He knew from Karen and Lily that it still hurt, even for them. “Not that I know.”
“And there’s no cure?” Daniel looked vaguely hopeful as he sipped his orange juice.
Stephen sighed. “No.” He wasn’t surprised Daniel asked, it had been his first question too.
“Oh.” Daniel stared at his plate for a moment, then shrugged. “That’s what McClanahan said too, but I was hoping since he was lying about how werewolves treat each other…”
“You were hoping he was lying about other things.”
“Yeah.” Daniel took another bite. “It’s not that I hate being a werewolf. I don’t. But I’m still adjusting. There’s things I can smell now that I never could before. Like you.”
Stephen suddenly felt self-conscious. “Me?” Daniel hadn’t smelled any arousal, had he?
Daniel nodded, gesturing with his fork at Stephen. “I can smell that you’ve been near the forest; I can smell some sawdust and obviously your sweat.”
Stephen wanted to bang his face against the table. Of course he was smelly after a day of working. Normally, he didn’t bother to take a shower on these nights, preferring to do that in the morning after the transformation. But he had been running late this morning and there hadn’t been any time. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine,” Daniel replied, smiling slightly. “I’ve smelled worse. Way worse.” He shuddered, then went back to eating.
Stephen was tempted to ask what that something was, but then decided he didn’t want to know. “But you’re getting used to being a werewolf?”
“Slowly but surely, yes,” Daniel said. “It has screwed up my social life a little, though. Thanks to my nose I now know stuff about my friends I didn’t used to. Or wanted to. And then the dating! Oh, God, the dating.”
Stephen quietly kept eating, not sure if he wanted to know.
Daniel continued talking. “I’d been going out with this guy for about a month before I got bitten, y’know, casual, nothing serious, definitely not exclusive. So then I got bitten and I freak out, obviously, cancel a date, no big deal, he bought my excuse of being ill.”
Stephen wanted to shout with happiness that Daniel wasn’t straight. He remained quiet, because from the looks of it, Daniel had kept this rant pent up for a long time.
“Anyway, we agree to go out to a club, have some fun, see what happens. And it was a couple of nights before the full moon, so my sense of smell was better than normal. Seriously, not a good idea in a nightclub. So, I wasn’t feeling like dancing, but he was. And like I said, it was casual, so I didn’t care that he went to dance with some other guy.” Daniel sighed as he stared at his food. “Except when he did, I got angry and jealous. I actually went up and growled at the other guy, dragging him away. I’m pretty sure that if my date hadn’t stepped in, I would’ve punched him. It was so stupid, I’m not usually an aggressive kind of guy, and I wasn’t even that into him, but I still - I still got jealous. And I know that’s because of the werewolf, it’s like what Richard said about Alex. Territorial and possessive. My date wasn’t exactly impressed, haven’t really heard from him since.” Daniel stabbed at a piece of his casserole angrily.
“That’s too bad,” Ste
phen said, his tone neutral while he felt immensely relieved. He wanted to ask what this guy was like, why Daniel had done out with him and if Daniel had a type.
Daniel looked up, and leaned back, as if he only now realised Stephen was there. “Shit, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble on like that. Uhm, you don’t mind that I’m into guys, right?”
“No, not at all,” Stephen immediately replied when he saw Daniel looking worried. “And I’m guessing there’s not a lot of other people you can talk to about things like that?” he added, when Daniel remained silent.
“Not really, no,” Daniel replied after a moment, as if he’d been expecting Stephen to say something else. “Obviously, my human friends don’t know why I acted like an asshole, and McClanahan… he doesn’t know I’m gay. It’s not something I’ve got round to telling him. Not sure if I want to tell him, to be honest.”
Stephen didn’t blame him. It was hard enough coming out to people you trusted and liked, never mind to someone who treated you like garbage. “You’re welcome to come back next month, if you want to.”
“Really?”
“Alex doesn’t live here either, he has to drive two hours to get here,” Stephen explained swiftly. “He’s done that every month since - since I know him.” He hated himself for being a coward, but he was reluctant to tell Daniel that he had been responsible for biting Alex. He didn’t want Daniel to think he was like McClanahan in any way.
Daniel considered that as he finished his food. “Maybe. I don’t know, I can’t avoid him forever.”
“You can avoid him tonight,” Stephen said, giving him an encouraging smile. He was going to make sure Daniel would have a great night. One that would convince him to come back more often.
~*~
“Your fur grew back,” Stephen told Daniel, once the entire pack had finished their transformation at Richard’s cabin. He was still a little sore from shifting, but had wandered over to Daniel to see how he was doing.
Three Wild Werewolf Tales Page 11
