Lazlo waited with his arms held out to me, I turned and faced Master Yates, he was already out of his seat and waiting for me to slid out and greet Lazlo. I ignored the idea of hugging Lazlo and asked, "Would it be alright to order something to eat and drink?"
He gave an understanding nod. "I'm sure Lazlo has already placed your order." He motioned with his hand to the seat across from us and added, "Please join us Lazlo, I'm sorry, but we don't have the time for long greetings."
Lazlo slid into the seat across from me and took my hand before I had a chance to pull away. "You seem angry or upset, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," I grumbled.
"You are a not a good liar," he said with a chuckle.
I shrugged. "Maybe not," I said while pulling my hand out of his. "So you're a Lycanthrope, what exactly does that mean?"
"It means that unlike shifters, the moon and stress controls when I shift, and that I am limited to only one form. Shifters are not limited, although they have a chosen or preferred form." He smiled and pulled my hand back into his. I watched as he leaned across the table and kissed the top of my hand. "Welcome to the family."
I took a deep breath and nodded to him. "Thank you, can I ask what specific form you are?" I muttered. Lazlo is a large German man. With TV, books and the internet, Lycanthrope is another description for a werewolf; however, everything in reality seems to be upside down, so I half expected him to say he was a bear or an elephant, or something along those lines.
"I must interject," Master Yates stated. My eyes shifted Lazlo to him, but I didn't turn away from Lazlo. He still had my hand and to me, he had already lost my trust. "When in public, we do not openly question who, what or which clan another is in. It is the law, this is the only exception, and that is because everyone in this cafe is a clan member, and each of them volunteered to meet you. Do you understand?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Very well, Lazlo, please continue."
Lazlo had a funny smirk on his face, like he found my question amusing. "I am a werewolf. I was not born into this, I was in my home country, I was hunting and my bullets were not the right kind to fight off such a fast and strong wolf. I was hunting for deer, and it seems that the wolf was hunting for the very same deer that I was. When I shot the deer, the wolf attacked me. I shot that wolf twice, and it still attacked. It seemed my bullets had no effect; it was my hunting knife that saved me. I stabbed the wolf twice in the heart, but by then it was too late. It had bit me, and the infection was transferred."
"Does your family know what you are?" I asked.
He slowly nodded. "I did not know that the wolf that attacked me was a Lycanthrope. When I was at the hospital and reported the attack, the police advised me that the beast was gone. I insisted that the wolf had to be dead, they said that the only evidence they found was human blood. They treated me like a fool and kept asking how much I drank when I was on my hunting trip. I went home and never spoke of it again, even when I noticed the changes in me."
"What changes were there?" I mumbled. I found his story all too familiar, hunting attacks; it's in nearly every book or werewolf movie.
"All of our senses, including our sex drive are heightened during the three stages of the moon. The night before the full moon, I noticed how sensitive my nose and ears were, even my wife's scent was overwhelming. It gave me a headache and irritated me, but my need for her... it overpowered my pain. The next day I went to work, I didn't say a word to anyone. Noise, smell and even the light bothered me; I was irritable from the time I woke with my wife in my arms, to the time I got home. I left work by noon, I couldn't take it anymore." He sighed and leaned forward. "It was as if I was about to combust, I was so angry, I wanted to rip someone's face off, and I honestly didn't care who. I dug into my wife's sewing basket and took out her measuring tape, I then hid in the garage with it, I was trying to see if there was something wrong with my bones... it was as if I could feel them expanding." He shook his head and laughed lightly. "I know it sounds silly, but its how I felt. It was then that a gentleman from my hometown approached the house; somehow he knew I was in the garage. He continuously tapped on the door until I opened it. I admit, I ignored him for a while, I didn't recognize his scent and I knew that I would hurt him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I opened the door and demanded that he leave right away, it was for his own good. He stated that he had information about the wolf that would help me. I ignored him; I feared that I would be made a fool of, and that my wife wouldn't be so understanding the second time around. The first time, I was on the cover of the paper. The local 'drunken' hunter injures self and blames on mythical creature." He looked down at the table and slowly shook his head. "I am fortunate, my wife stood behind me through it all." When he looked up his eyes were wild. "She had every right to leave me."
Chapter Fourteen
Start from the beginning
