Moonstruck

by Heather Young-Nichols

  I took a very deep breath, on the verge of speaking words like I’d never had the courage to before. I needed the oxygen and the moment.

  “I could say I love you, Orin. I could do that. But I’d rather wait until we’re in our bedroom and you’re ravaging my body in ways you never have all because we’re happy to be alive and you’re happy to have me in your bed again.”

  I have no idea where that came from. That was a new level of boldness I’m not sure existed outside of brothels. Part of me worried he’d think less of me and part just didn’t care anymore.

  If I was going to die, I’d die as the person I chose to be not the person I’d been forced all my life to become.

  The fire in Orin’s eyes told me he didn’t mind at all.

  “Keep talking like that and we’ll never make it out of this car.”

  A quiet giggle slipped from my lips at a time when laughing like a school girl was wholly inappropriate but it couldn’t be helped, really.

  Outside, Orin pulled me to him as we walked slowly to the house. He didn’t lead me inside. Instead, we rounded the house to the backyard where we found the four brothers standing in a tight huddle talking quietly. There was only a low hum from them until one of their heads snapped up and a growl released into the night.

  “Stay back,” Orin let me go and pushed me behind him. The menace in his voice the exact opposite of how he sounded when he spoke to me in the car.

  His brothers formed a line, shoulder to shoulder with bulging biceps crossed over their chests. It was a sight to see. And if those intimidating men didn’t put the fear of God into someone then nothing would.

  “Have you gone mad, Orin?” One of them stepped toward us.

  “Phillip, we won’t hide anymore. I won’t hide her. She’s my wife. Let’s get this over with.”

  So that was the brother who supported Orin’s decision to marry a lowly human and risk their family’s strength and dominance over their pack. He did his best to take in every one of my features.

  Phillip searched for something in me that I didn’t know if he’d find. When his eyes softened as he scanned me, it gave me a little relief in this very tense situation. However, every muscle tightened and his posture snapped up rigidly as the other three also stepped forward.

  Before my mind registered what happened, the five of them stood in a circle, though Orin was careful to keep himself between me and all of the others, and they were yelling in what I assumed was Lithuanian. The same language Orin had argued with his father for the first time I met his parents.

  Their voices grew as did their bodies. Muscles bulged and popped, their faces started to morph. I took several large steps back until I hit the railing at the corner of the porch. This time I knew what was about to happen. Suddenly, Orin turned to me, his teeth large and pointed in a jaw that seemed much bigger than before.

  “Stay back,” he growled.

  I didn’t need his warning. I wouldn’t get any closer than I had to.

  Brother number one shoved at Orin who didn’t budge. He’d be stronger than he said before. Phillip grabbed number one by the shoulder, wrenching him away when brother number two stepped forward with brother number three.

  Words flew, then claws.

  Orin swiped across number three’s neck and cheek.

  Blood spurted from the open wounds and a full out fight was about to break out when I heard another voice from behind me.

  “Pietiekami!” Antan bellowed appearing out of nowhere. He hadn’t been standing there moments before. “Iekšā. Tagad. Ikvienam būs dzirdēt.”

  I wasn’t sure if my brain just wouldn’t absorb any more information or if Antan actually spoke another language but that’s what he said. Surprisingly, all five boys snapped back to their fully human selves and walked toward the house. Except for Orin who came for me. They hadn’t fully transformed so at least their trousers remained still in place. Ripped but in place.

  “You still with me?” Orin asked leaning down to be at my eye level.

  I nodded quickly but didn’t say anything. My eyes were so wide they almost hurt.

  “Oh… uh… Dad said “Enough. Inside. Everyone will hear you. We aren’t supposed to let the humans know what we are.” He actually smirked at me. “I didn’t know my parents were here.”

  “I’m ok. Are you ok? You made one of your brother’s bleed.”

  “Yes, I’m fine. And that was Daniel, he’s the oldest. Next is Phillip. Roman on Daniel’s left and on his right Ivan. I’m the youngest. We have to go in there but I promise you’ll be safe.”

  I nodded because he’d given me a lot of information to take in all at once.

  Although what stood out was that Orin promised I’d be safe. He hadn’t made such a promise before we’d come here so I had to assume this new sense of security has something to do with the arrival of his parents.

  Inside our kitchen, the four older brothers had already arranged themselves around our small table with his parents taking up space in the middle of the room. Orin led me to lean against the nearby wall so that he’d be between me and them.

  “Jums zēni būs apmesties tagad,” his mother began.

  “English, please, Mother,” Orin interrupted. Some very curious glances came at him from the table. “My house. Lizzie doesn’t know Lithuanian.”

  Sighing, his mother then started over. “You boys need to calm yourselves. And figure out a way to work together. From this point forward, Elizabeth is protected not only by Orin but by your father and me.”

  What? Last I knew, they wanted me out of Orin’s life, if not dead, as much as the brothers did.

  “There are bigger things to consider now than the power you boys crave.”

  “She’s dividing us.” Daniel jumped up from the table. The chair slammed into the wall and fell over with a loud smack making me jump. “Making us look weak.”

  Orin placed a calming hand on my arm.

  “There are bigger things to be concerned about right now, Daniel,” their mother said again.

  “I highly doubt that, Mother.”

  “Even the Balodis?” She folded her arms under her breasts like she was waiting for a response.

  I didn’t know what a Balodis was but just the word changed the atmosphere in the room. Everyone became alert and the attention shifted from me.

  “Orin,” I whispered even though no matter how low I spoke, they’d all hear me. “Orin, what’s a Balodis?”

  “Not what but who,” he said back without looking at me. Much louder he asked, “Where do they fit into this?”

  “When Antan and I left to find out why you’d—”

  “Wait,” he cut in then turned to me. “Lizzie, could you go wait in our room while we figure this out?”

  “I don’t want to leave you.” What I meant was I didn’t trust his brothers not to gang up on him then come for me although I didn’t think a one of them would go against their parents.

  “Everything is fine right now, Lizzie. But it will be easier if we figure out what’s going on first. Then I can fill you in. I promise I’ll tell you everything. I swear it.”

  After a hard swallow, I nodded.

  Before I could walk away, his hands came to my face and mine latched on to his wrists when his lips gently touched me. He gave me two good ones before pulling and quietly saying, “I love you.”

  On my way up the stairs with only my thoughts to comfort me, I realized that Orin had made that display of affection and declaration very publicly. Likely as a way of making sure his family knew this wasn’t a game he was playing. Every eye in the room had been on us.

  I’d felt them more than seen them.

  With nothing else to do, I found myself on the balcony outside our bedroom staring off into the horizon. My attention snapped back twice when the voices in the kitchen raised several levels but not enough for me to understand what they were saying if it was even English.

  A harsh sounding word from Antan and everything calmed back do
wn. I was back to staring off into the night with that same sliver of moonlight from earlier as the only light in the sky. It was too cloudy to see the stars.

  My head fell to the side and hit something hard and warm. Forcing my eyes open the first thing I saw was the curve of Orin’s neck. The spot his neck met his shoulder where my head still laid.

  My lips touched his silky skin sucking just enough to make him moan and whisper my name. He had me in his arms, carrying me back into our room.

  He laid me gently on our bed then began unbuttoning my top. Slowly. One at a time.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  His gaze jumped to mine but his fingers kept working until he completely remove my shirt.

  “The Balodis’ are another family. Another pack.”

  He continued lower until my skirt slid sliding down my legs where he paused only to remove my shoes.

  “Another, not as well evolved pack.”

  He sighed looking down at me as I lie there in only my underthings.

  “They are more of what people envision when you say werewolf. They aren’t as civilized.”

  He said it in a way that meant he wouldn’t elaborate on what he meant by not as civilized.

  I didn’t think I wanted him to.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Why is this other… pack a problem?”

  “If they find out about you they’ll come for you. My parents know I’ll die to protect you which means they all need to protect you as well.” Orin sighed. “There’s so much I need to tell you but can I do that in the morning?”

  “You said you’d explain everything.” I wasn’t about to let him out of that promise.

  “And I will. Can it be in the morning? You’ve been gone weeks, Lizzie. There are other things I’d like to do right now instead.”

  I smiled because I couldn’t help and I wanted him at least as much as he wanted me. Orin only needed that smile as confirmation I’d allow him to remove what little I still wore. Then he yanked the sheet out from under me and climbed on top, pushing my legs apart with his.

  Orin began by kissing me softly on the lips, licking the seam until I opened and let him in. Then he turned my head away from him and licked down my neck. My mouth watered at the idea of what was to come. He knew I loved it when he tasted my skin. Then he moved lower and lower quickly and I had to bite my lips together to keep from audibly groaning as he slid his hands over my curves, firmly grasping my hips as his mouth worked over me.

  Then he stopped, pushed up onto his arms, and whispered just inches from my face.

  “Say it, Lizzie. Earlier you said you’d say it when I was happy to have you back in bed. And I couldn’t be happier than to be between your legs right now.”

  “I love you, Orin,” I said without further reminder of what he was referring to. He pushed into me causing my eyes to close. I whispered again, “I love you.”

  His lips claimed mine again as he pushed inside me. I missed this with him. My body tingled with the anticipation of what he’d do next. We’d been apart far too long.

  I just wanted to touch and explore him, remind myself of every muscle and dip on his body. He moved in a way that created space between us and I immediately missed his presence so I pulled him back to me and spent the next couple of hours trying to remember that there were other people in our house.

  People with very acute, long-range hearing.

  As I fell asleep in my husband’s arms, honestly happy for the first time in weeks, I tried not to think about what Orin meant about this other group of less civilized werewolves and how I would factor into it. Anytime I let my thoughts drift to the Balodis, it was like Orin knew and he did everything in his power to make sure I was otherwise occupied.

  The morning bloomed brightly through the curtains I’d forgotten to draw. When I turned over to see if my husband had woken, his side of the bed was completely empty. I laid there staring at the ceiling when the sounds of a much happier group burst loudly from the kitchen. I glanced at the clock next to the bed and couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept that late without being sick or heartbroken.

  Before I could swing my legs off the bed, the door creaked open then Orin slid inside.

  “I was just coming to wake you up,” he said making his way to the bed to sit beside me. “Thought you might be hungry.”

  “Why did you let me sleep so late? You’re mother’s going to think I’m lazy.”

  “They all know you needed to sleep.” The satisfied smirk he wore confirmed my worst fear. They’d known exactly what we were doing last night.

  “Oh man… ” I said covering the blush of my face by dropping my head into my hands. “I can’t go down there.”

  “Lizzie.” The smile in his voice only made it worse. “It’s all right.”

  “Can they hear us right now?” I whispered.

  Shaking his head, he answered, “I asked them not to listen so I assume they’ll respect our privacy.”

  “Orin, what haven’t you told me?”

  I let out a long sigh before speaking he scratched his fingers through his hair. “Because I’ve mated with someone who can’t protect themselves, the Balodis family might decide to eliminate you once they find out you exist. It puts you at risk.”

  I cringed at the word mated. That’s not exactly how I’d characterize what we did. “I don’t understand. If they killed me wouldn’t you eventually marry one of your own?”

  He shook his head before I finished speaking. “That’s not how it works. I could technically do that, marry someone else but you only truly mate once. I guess it’s what humans would call a soul mate. Besides that, there isn’t anyone else for me, Elizabeth. You’re it.”

  Orin took that moment to kiss me good morning. His lips were soft against mine. I wondered if mine were sore from the battering they took last night. He’d kissed me until I couldn’t breathe and then kissed me some more.

  “So you’re saying soul mates as if you don’t have a choice.”

  “We have a choice. It’s really hard to explain.” He sighed. “When the search for my soul mate led me to you, I could have walked away and I would have been on another path. However, once we decide this person is our mate… that’s it.”

  “Let me see if I have this right. Fate led you here but you chose me?”

  He nodded.

  “Why would you do that? You had to know this would cause you trouble.”

  “I fell in love with you, Lizzie. I knew I would the night I met you on the balcony. I’d had my eye on you for a few days before but once you spoke… I wanted to protect you.”

  “Which is why you tried to keep me away from you.”

  “I didn’t care about the trouble it would cause me. I cared about the trouble it would cause you and even if I wasn’t in love with you that night, completely drawn to you—yes. Once I did fall in love with you there was no going back.”

  We sat silently while I tried to make sense of all of that in my head. No one had ever chosen me before. Not even my own father. My heart grew with love for my husband to the point it might have turned painful.

  “But there’s more,” he said suddenly. “How much do you know about your mother?”

  “Next to nothing really. She died giving birth to me and my father wouldn’t talk about her. Why?” An uneasy feeling settled in the lowest part of my stomach. I felt as if I was sliding down a hill and might throw up.

  “My parents think… ” He blew out a breath. “I don’t know the details, my parents don’t know the details, but they think your mother may have been from the Balodis family.”

  I heard him wrong. “Are you saying my mother was a werewolf? An uncivilized werewolf? My father would never have married someone like that.”

  He leaned in and kissed me softly. When he pulled back, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he said, “A long time ago our elders heard that full-blooded females were dying off in the Balodis pack. No one knew why
but the men were outnumbering the women by a lot. Because of that, the men had no choice but to marry humans. This didn’t pose a problem because the babies were born healthy and eventually made the shift when they were still children.”

  “I don’t understand what this has to do with my mother.”

  “The women knew that their husbands were werewolves. It didn’t matter. Then one of the Balodis men who’d married a full-blooded woman had a daughter who never shifted. She was full blooded and never shifted. Some chalked it up to the pack being too closely related, though this females parent were not related at all.”

  I could hide the unintentional cringe when he said they weren’t related at all. Meaning some of them were.

  “Then another female never shifted. Then another and another. Four non-shifting full blooded werewolves were born before the pack gave up on breeding with the full-blooded females once the mothers began dying in childbirth. Those four non-shifting females decided to leave the pack. No man would have them if they didn’t shift and would just die in birth anyway.”

  “And?” I asked, not realizing I’d been holding my breath. “What happened to the women who left?”

  “Two were killed soon after they left. No one would say how. The other two were never heard from again.” He took my hand in his and waited until I looked at him again. Her name was Thora.”

  I froze at the sound of his deep voice saying a name I didn’t recognize.

  “What was your mother’s name before she got married, Lizzie?” Orin asked.

  “My father never told me.”

  Orin pulled me to him. I didn’t know how to react to that news. His family had to be wrong. There was nothing else that made sense.

  “Are you hungry?” Orin asked. “How about we get you something to eat then figure out our next step?”

  I got out of bed, was able to dress and put myself together for the two of us to head downstairs where the entire family was waiting. They were all uncharacteristically quiet and watching me.

  “Everyone can stop staring,” I said finally when I couldn’t take it another minute.

  “We’re all just surprised you can walk this morning,” Phillip snickered just before his mother slapped him on the back of the head.