by Anya Byrne
Ward pinched his arm in an attempt to snap himself out of the peculiar dream, but nothing happened. The naked not-wolf was still there. "W-What the hell is going on?" Ward managed to stammer. "How is this happening? Is this even happening?"
"It is," the man replied. "I'm a shape-shifter, and I assure you I'm very real. You're not dreaming and you didn't have a car accident—well, other than the one where you ran into me."
"So... You're what? Some kind of werewolf?" Ward suppressed a bout of hysterical laughter when the man nodded. "Okay, I think I need you to get dressed now. I can't have this conversation with you naked, and I'm profoundly uncomfortable with the presence of a nude stranger who can turn into a wolf."
The man winced, but didn't try to argue on that point. "I'm afraid I left most of my clothing at my den."
"Den," Ward repeated in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."
Obviously, the stranger was not kidding, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since it gave Ward something to do. He left the couch and headed up to the bedroom, studiously thinking only about his self-assigned task—to find the guy something to wear. It wasn't easy, since rummaging through his bags didn't nearly provide a sufficient distraction. His internal self seemed to be running around in circles, flailing and screaming, "Werewolves! Magic! A hot naked guy!" There was very little Ward could do about it, and all things considered, he didn't think anyone could have blamed him.
Despite his complete lack of focus, he managed to find a pair of sweatpants that would probably suit the stranger well enough. When he turned, he found the man waiting in the doorway.
It reminded him of the wolf who'd come after him in the kitchen, which was oddly endearing. He chased back the thoughts and tossed the man the sweatpants. His unexpected guest caught the item of clothing with ease. Ward looked away, even if a wicked part of him nudged him to feast his eyes on the gorgeous specimen of masculinity in his bedroom.
But if there was one thing Ward knew at this point, it had to be that a werewolf would make an awful rebound guy. He had no idea if this was real, or what the strange man wanted with him. It was all too confusing, and Ward half wished to close his eyes and pretend this wasn't happening.
He supposed he should have been more surprised or more frightened, but after spending the last half hour or so cuddling a mammoth wolf, maybe he'd become desensitized to the shock. Or maybe he was simply losing his mind.
He decided he needed to address at least some of these questions, because otherwise, he simply would not be able to function. "Okay. So first thing, first. What does all that mean—that you're here for me? Who are you really? How did you come to be here?"
His hands trembled as he let out every dilemma on his mind. How had his proverbial great escape turned into him meeting a werewolf? And seriously, he needed to stop watching werewolf movies, because he was letting his curiosity get the better of his self-preservation.
The man lifted his hand, like he wanted to reach out to Ward. He let it drop and crossed his arms over his naked chest. He was just as distracting even after pulling the sweatpants on, and Ward congratulated himself for managing to focus on the stranger's words, not his sculpted physique. "My name is Mathias Girard. As I was saying earlier, I'm a shape-shifter, although just half werewolf. I don't want to confuse you with more details of my legacy. I didn't plan on running into you, or scaring you, or spying on you. It simply... happened."
Ward supposed that made sense, since he'd been the one to run into the then-shape-shifted Mathias. And God, how was he even thinking about this without screaming? Maybe it was worth it simply because it kept him from dwelling too much on his failure of a love life.
Still, he doubted werewolves simply came along with any human they accidentally met. "That doesn't explain why you're here, or why you stayed. It doesn't explain much of anything, really."
Mathias winced. "I know that. I know that it's confusing and scary. You're actually taking it much better than I expected. I would have preferred to get to know you as a man first before I ever told you about this, but it just didn't seem possible."
Ward arched a brow. "It wasn't that hard. You could have just left in wolf form and tried to run into me when you were in your human form."
Mathias's expression went blank. The idea obviously hadn't occurred to him. His eyes—as gold as the wolf's—flashed with something akin to frustration and irritation. "I suppose you're right. I just... After the phone call, I couldn't quite make myself do it. The lie felt like a betrayal of your trust. I've already witnessed too much of your personal life. I couldn't just... leave."
Ward stared. In truth, it did bother him that the wolf had just sat there while Ward had been breaking down during his conversation with Peter. But then, that wasn't exactly the case. The wolf had been the shoulder to cry on when Ward had needed it most. And really, if Mathias had shifted then, it wouldn't have helped much.
Somehow, it seemed this man had proven more trustworthy within ten minutes of their acquaintance than Ward's longtime lover. But no, Ward couldn't allow himself to think that. Mathias still had not answered most of his questions, and lies through omission were still lies.
"So... You live here?" he tried to prod.
"Not quite," Mathias replied. "I'm here to help a friend." For a few moments, he hesitated, and then continued, "I'd tell you more about it, but some secrets are not mine to share."
That was fair enough, and Ward respected that. At the end of the day, they were strangers, and Ward couldn't imagine why he was trying to find out more when he should obviously be running in the other direction.
"I'm just... I'm not sure what to do or say here," he admitted. Under different circumstances, he'd have climbed Mathias like a tree, but for obvious reasons, he could not. "I'm not sure what you expect of me."
"I don't have any expectations," Mathias replied. That was a lie, and Ward knew it even before Mathias shook his head. "No, that's not it. I... I admit this is confusing for me too, since I'd all but given up on meeting..."
He trailed off, as if uncomfortable with finishing that phrase. "Look, how about this? Let's start over. I'll go now, give you some space and some time to think, to process all this. I'd like to get to know you better, your way, the human way. This is happening very fast for you, and I don't want to scare you more than I already have."
Despite himself, Ward nodded. "That sounds fair. I think... I need that, some hours to gather my thoughts." Without the distracting presence that attracted him far too much for his comfort.
"Okay then. I'll come back this evening if that's all right with you?"
Ward assented once again. In the awkward silence that followed, Mathias took a step forward, finally invading Ward's personal space. Ward was no slouch in the height department, but he still had to look up to meet Mathias's gaze.
The werewolf—and oh God, would Ward ever get used to that thought?—was looking at him with a tender expression Ward couldn't quite identify. Mathias leaned forward, and Ward held his breath, expecting to be kissed.
And Mathias did, indeed, kiss him, but not in any way Ward expected. He pressed his lips to Ward's forehead in a tender peck, lingering ever so slightly, like Ward was precious to him. "Be safe," he whispered as he pulled away.
Ward's heart almost stopped, and he stood there like an idiot, watching Mathias. With one final look at him—still so gold—Mathias stepped out of the bedroom and left Ward's view.
It was only when Ward heard the front door open and close that he snapped out of his trance. He dropped to his knees in the middle of his bedroom, completely drained of strength.
Tenderness, warmth, honesty. When had he last experienced that, and why did it shock him more than the werewolf thing? Could he trust it? Why did he even want to?
Burying his head in his hands, Ward thought about golden eyes and wondered what in the world he was going to do.
****
It was well into the later hours of the morning when Mathias arrived
at the residence of the Lone Wolf Pack. He first ran into Finn, who was out on patrol in wolf form. Finn gave him a long look, and Mathias was reminded of his promise to look over Parker. Had it just been the night before? It seemed almost distant now.
Leaving aside his confusion, he couldn't deny he felt impossibly happy to have found his mate. He realized things weren't going to be easy, especially not since Ward was just recovering from a bad relationship. But Mathias was patient. He could wait. He'd take things slow, not pushing his mate or himself. He had no doubts when it came to the fact that Ward was his mate, but his experience with Will had taught him the value of being careful and not jumping into things, not matter how much he wanted to.
For the moment, he knocked at the door to the house, knowing Will and Jessie would most likely be waiting for him. His guess was proven half-correct. Will was indeed the one to let him in, but he said, "Jessie's still resting. Come in. You should meet the rest of the pack."
The house was even busier today than the night before. Other than the people Mathias had already met, he found five others, all of whom had been mentioned in the previous conversation. He'd of course heard of the former silencer Erdi, who'd been talking to Saul when Mathias came in, but stopped to analyze him with deep appraising eyes. Erdi's mate had no such qualms. He greeted Mathias with obvious enthusiasm, which Mathias half-suspected was because he also carried a baby.
No wonder the Lone Wolf Pack was jumpy, what with so many children coming. Mathias wondered how Saul would react to the news of Ward being in town.
The other three members of the pack were human, Gavin's mother and siblings. Mathias liked the children at once. The youngest, Jackie, was quite curious and didn't bother to hide it. "Is it true that you can do magic? Like in Lord of the Rings?"
"I can, yes," Mathias replied. "That's why I'm here."
Jackie's brother, Kyle, looked somewhat suspicious. "If you have magic, where's your staff? Saruman and Gandalf both had it. And Sauron had the ring. Do you have a ring?"
"Err... No." Mathias wondered how he'd gone from explaining his nature to his mate to doing the exact same thing with two human boys. "I channel magic through myself. I don't need any additional items. It's something that is connected to my nature."
"So... You're like... an elf?"
"I'm half-werewolf, half-Sidhe," Mathias explained. "More of a... fairy than an elf, I suppose, although that's not exactly accurate either."
Jackie looked like he wanted to ask another question, but Will intervened. "Give me a moment, boys. I need a word with Matt."
The children pouted, but Mathias went along with his friend's request. He already suspected what it was that Will wanted to talk about.
Will stepped outside the cabin, guiding him to a nearby tree. He leaned against the tree trunk and arched a brow at Mathias. "You're different today. I... I can't quite put my finger on it, but something's changed since last night. Are you okay?"
Mathias knew it was far too soon to celebrate or even understand the exact ramifications of what had just happened, but in past decades, Will had shared so much with him. He couldn't stay quiet, not when he was practically bursting with emotion. "I found my mate."
Judging by Will's flabbergasted expression, the man would have expected anything but that. "What?"
"I sort of felt something strange ever since I entered Willow Cove. I blamed it on my frustration over you and Dean, and then Shannon's power, but there was more to it. My mate is here. After all this time, I finally found him."
"Are you sure, Matt?" Will frowned, green eyes darkening in concern. "I don't want you to... make any rash decisions."
Mathias was well aware of how this might look, and it would probably not get any better once he explained the identity of his other half. This was why it was important for Will to understand everything from the get-go.
"First of all, I owe you an apology," he said. "I know I apologized yesterday, but given recent developments, I think you deserve it even more."
"Matt, you're scaring me. What is it? Who is your mate?"
"His name is Ward and I think... I think he's one of your brother's grandchildren. He recently moved nearby—quite possibly in your old family home."
This was still mostly supposition on Mathias's part—he didn't have enough information to fully confirm it—but he was rarely wrong about such things. Will knew this too, because he went pale. "Are you...Is this... We have to tell Saul. He might know of me."
"Wait." Mathias caught Will's arm before the man could slide away. "Let me finish. I'm not sure I ever explained how mating works for Sidhe, but we identify our other halves using the energy each individual naturally emits. Yours is very similar to Ward's, which was what confused me into deeming you my mate. I made a mistake, and I hurt you and Dean because of it. It's only now that I realize just how much I've wronged you by hating him, and I can't even imagine how you can stand to be in my presence."
"You're a good man, Matt," Will replied quietly. "You were by my side when I most needed support. I might still have some trouble getting over the Gathering episode, but I also know you could have easily left Dean to die. Besides, those years we shared don't just go away."
"No, they don't," Mathias agreed. "And I want you to know that even if Ward is in my life now, you and Jessie are still very important to me, and I'll do my utmost to help him."
Will must have realized he was serious, because he lunged at Mathias and hugged him tightly. It was the first time in decades that an embrace between them didn't hold any tension, and the relief that flooded Mathias was immense.
When they broke apart, Will wiped his eyes surreptitiously. "Okay. Now we really need to have that talk with Dean. If Ward is my great-nephew, he's at least indirectly connected to the pack, and I assume that you'll want to tell Ward about your nature."
Mathias hesitated. "About that..."
Chapter Five
Ward didn't resume cleaning the house that day. He was haunted by the memory of a werewolf's golden eyes. When he picked himself up from the floor, the first thing he did was to make a beeline for the closet where he'd stashed his paints and canvases.
After his breakup with Peter, he'd been completely unable to paint. Nothing that came out seemed right, and painting, like most art, couldn't be forced. He had hoped that coming here would give his muse a nudge, but of course, he had not expected it to happen so soon.
In a near-haze, Ward found everything he needed and set to work. He mixed paints with the ease of practice, all the while envisioning the sight of the big black wolf. His hand almost seemed to work on its own, the flow of inspiration so natural it almost hurt.
Painting again was like taking a deep breath after drowning in a bog of fetid water—or better yet, like soaring through the clouds and landing on a mountain top. That was probably more accurate, since Ward couldn't pull himself away from his work for God only knew how long. It wasn't always easy. He was impossibly frustrated that he just couldn't seem to find the right shade for Mathias's eyes. He ended up painting three different wolves, in different positions, with different gold eyes. And when he finally had the shade he thought was most accurate, he had to paint Mathias the man.
It was strange, but Ward couldn't quite describe or even remember the moment Mathias had shifted. Well, he remembered it—but he couldn't pinpoint how it had happened, because it had been so quick not even Ward's eyes could take in all the details. Since he couldn't paint that—and it probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyway—he used his mental image of Mathias's nude form as a model. He channeled his confusion and unsatisfied desires into the painting, trying to understand Mathias's pull, to figure out how someone like Mathias was possible and why the werewolf was even here for him.
When the fourth painting was done, Ward stepped away and observed it. The fever of inspiration was subsiding, as if he'd exorcised the fire in his blood. He had no idea if it would return, but for now, the muse was satisfied.
His body, howev
er, was not. He swayed and stumbled, almost spilling his paints all over the floor. Thankfully, he recovered quickly enough and set everything down in a safe place. Really, he should have known better than to binge-paint, but sometimes, he couldn't help it.
Ward couldn't say he was surprised when he looked at his cell and saw it was over seven pm. Coincidentally, he also had seven missed calls—two from Vera, three from Peter, and one from each of his parents. Ward didn't bother with addressing them, or the voice mail they'd undoubtedly left. He needed to eat first, since he hadn't had anything for more than twenty four hours, and his stomach wasn't happy with him at all.
This self appointed task led him to the kitchen, and he smiled in bemusement when he found the slab of once-frozen beef still there, where he had left it. He wasn't particularly in the mood to cook, but he supposed he had to do it now, since otherwise, it would go to waste. Besides, Mathias had said he'd drop by to visit.
It occurred to Ward that Mathias could have already come and gone during the time Ward had been in the 'zone', but somehow, he doubted it. He had this strangest feeling that he would have known if that was the case.
As Ward set himself to the task of preparing the meat for being cooked, he thought back at everything that had happened. It seemed almost surreal now that he thought about it. Hitting a wolf with the car wasn't in itself unusual, but then taking that wolf home, only for it to turn out to be a shape-shifter... Yes, that wasn't something that happened every day. Could he have imagined it? He supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. In fact, a dream was the most logical explanation—leaving aside the fact that Ward had pinched himself so hard he still had a bruise to show it.
Ward hated the idea, hated that Mathias might be nothing more than a figment of his imagination. But if he wasn't, if Mathias was real... What then? Where did that leave him, in a new world he now knew to hold werewolves and magic?
