Moonlight Desires

Chapter 5

It made Seth falter a bit. Even after just two moons, he'd grown to like—and almost expect—Becky's energy unfurling along with his. He was fully capable of shifting alone, but now that he had the option not to, he didn't want to go back. "You're planning something, aren't you?" There had been a playful note to their exchanges leading up to this full moon, and if he hadn't been the one to scout out the location, he wouldn't have put it past her to have some sort of diversion set up in the forest for him.

Becky held up her hands as a show of innocence. "Nothing at all. I'm just trying to be sporting. Because let's be real. That's the only way you're ever going to beat me." Her eyes shone with impish glee, but there was a softness to them too. Seth wouldn't go so far as to say she considered him family—at least not yet—but there was definitely trust and affection there.

"Oh really? I seem to remember tackling you a few times," Seth pointed out, lowering himself into a crouch to start his transformation.

Giving a derisive scoff that would make Maryse proud, Becky tossed her hair over her shoulders. "I was being sporting. Again. Just you wait."

"Okay. Let's see it." Competitive spirit almost as high as his adrenaline, Seth turned so he was facing Becky—he didn't quite trust that she wouldn't try to not to pull something at the last minute—and started to shift. Even though she was still in human form, he could feel her energy, her wolf just beneath the surface, and his transformation almost felt as simple as taking off clothes. Then he turned and ran, letting out a joyful howl.

It felt like only moments had passed when a furry blur sped past him, letting out a series of yips that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Now that he knew another werewolf, Seth could tell that their size in wolf form was roughly equivalent to their human stature; Becky was shorter and smaller than him as a wolf, but those weren't the only reasons she was quicker. She also had a sense of reckless abandon he admired. Learn the rules, my father always told me, Becky had told him. And then you can break them. Becky knew the limits of her wolf form and how far she could push, and it was a delight to watch her do it.

When he came to a clearing, Seth stopped. It reminded him of that first full moon all over again, when he tracked her scent so far and then couldn't find her. It stretched from tree to tree like an invisible spider's web and he could imagine her darting back and forth, trying to confuse him. He wasn't as good at parsing scents as she was—he'd never had a good reason to learn—but he could tell it was definitely stronger in one direction. Was it a trap, though? He wasn't sure, so he carefully crept closer to the tree, ducking his head under a low branch and peering up.

Becky pounced on him hard enough to snap one of the branches, and it got dragged along for the ride as they tumbled into the clearing, pawing and yipping at each other. She got to her feet first and zoomed into the darkness, but Seth caught up with her soon enough. Since they had a televised show the next day, they cut their run a bit shorter than usual, loping side by side back to their chosen spot. Becky seemed to almost spill out of her wolf form, sprawling on the ground as she caught her breath. "You're getting better," she said. "Your turns are really clean now."

Spreading the blanket out by a tree with a mostly bare trunk, Seth laughed. "What's that? Was that a compliment? Come over here and say that." He sat with his back against the tree, tipping his face up reverently to the sky. I wonder if werewolves are lunar powered the same way batteries can be solar powered, he thought, shutting his eyes. He couldn't recall feeling any particular way around new moons, though.

Becky plopped down beside him on the blanket, gulping down half a bottle of water in one go. "Your turns are really clean now," she repeated, no hint of teasing in her voice. "For someone who's never run with a pack, that's rare."

Seth shrugged one shoulder. "I've been running with you." What he wanted to say was You're my pack, but that felt akin to saying I love you too early in a relationship: even if you tried to walk it back, the words were out there and they would always cast a shadow on whatever happened next. "All your being sporting must be having an effect." He scooted over a bit and motioned for her to come closer.

But Becky shook her head. "I probably shouldn't. I'm liable to fall asleep."

He used both shoulders to shrug this time. "So? Nothing wrong with a nap." He grabbed his old cell phone from his bag and set the timer for an hour, then jacked the volume up all the way before putting it to the side. "An hour to rest still gives us plenty of time to get dressed, go back to the hotel, and get enough sleep for Monday."

"I know, but—I should put something on first then. . . ." When Becky started to reach for her tote, Seth gently grabbed her arm. "Don't forget: I'm used to curling up beside my cousins or. . . ."

After Seth let go of her arm, he picked up his shirt, wadded it into a ball, and tucked it between his legs. "There. No accidental . . . anything. Is that better?"

Becky was shaking her head, but her laugh and smile were more amused than nervous. "Seth, really, you don't have to. I can stretch out on the blanket or wait until we're on the road—"

"But you'd be more comfortable here, right?" There was something about the wolf that didn't want to let go after a run, even when the human form had taken back over. Seth had forced himself through some hasty transformations in his day and they always made him feel like he had a hangover. "Come on. I mean, if you want to. You don't ha—"

"Are you sure?" When Seth nodded, Becky settled between his legs and cuddled up to his chest, resting her head right over his heart. "So warm," she murmured, almost melting into him. When her arms started to snake around him, though, she paused. "Is this okay?"

"You're fine." Seth smiled down at her as she snuggled in, heart rate slowing so much he almost worried. Her breathing was steady, though, small drifts of air across his chest and at some point he dozed off as well, because the annoying bleat of his phone alarm made him flinch, bashing the back of his head against the tree. "Fuck."

"What's the matter?" Becky didn't come out of her sleep quite as quickly, but she reached up to feel the back of his head. As she struggled to sit up, she pressed her face to his shoulder, lips brushing his collarbone.

Seth's brain froze for a moment, ignoring even the dull throb at the back of his skull. Was that a kiss? No, probably not. She was just waking up and getting her bearings and maybe she had been kissing someone in a dream—but his mind kept cycling back to the potential of a kiss.

Becky froze too, then scrambled over his leg and off the blanket entirely. "Sorry. Shit. Sorry, sorry. I—I don't . . . Sorry." Gaze firmly cast down, Becky grabbed her bag and started pulling on her clothing so hastily she nearly tore her panties. If Seth hadn't been a werewolf—if he hadn't been watching her, trying to read something into every motion she made—he probably wouldn't have noticed her muttering, I knew I shouldn't have. I KNEW it.

It wasn't for him, though, so he didn't feel right replying. He just stood and got dressed as well, giving Becky space and packing away his things as quickly as he could. "Becky," he said at last, "it's okay—"

"Got everything?" The false brightness in her tone hurt more than his ears; Seth hated thinking that she felt she had to be so careful, so composed around him. "We should get going." Before he could answer, she started jogging towards the SUV.

When Seth finally caught up, he saw Becky eyeing the back seat, as if she were wondering how she could justify sitting back there without being insulting or implying that Seth was a chauffeur. Wordlessly, he took her tote from her and put it in the back along with his own bag. "Becky, listen," he began as he started the SUV, "you don't have to worry. I don't mi—"

"I'm really sorry. It shouldn't have happened." Even with her seatbelt on, Becky had her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them as if she were trying to make herself as small as possible. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Sighing, Seth pulled back onto the dirt lane and headed towards the main road. He couldn't think of anything to say, or at least not anything that would put Becky at ease—because he would have been quite happy it if it did happen again. That and more.