Just like last time, my inner pep talk only lasted so long. As soon as we came to the driveway, my confidence began to slip away. God, why was I so nervous?
Max squeezed my hand, "You'll be alright." He smiled at me sweetly, "Your ever-so-strong mate is here to protect you." He said playfully.
I smiled at his silliness. But his words distracted me for a moment. Mate. Max had referred to River as Jonah's mate. And he's called himself my mate several times. Does he mean mate as in... friend? Like mate, pal, buddy?
Kind of weird.
He continued to distract me as we began to walk up the very long driveway. "Hey, how's your leg? That medicine is going to be wearing off soon. You probably shouldn't even be walking on it now..."
I looked down and shrugged. "It hurts but I think I'm okay-"
"It hurts? It's hurting you?" Max came in front of me, stopping my steps.
I shrugged again, "Well yeah, it's a freaking wolf bite." I said with a sarcastic chuckle. "But it's not horrible pain, I'm alr-"
"Ah, fuck." He fisted his hair, "Fuck, we should go back to my place. We'll just come over in the morning-"
"Max, we're like twenty feet from their door." I complained. "A-And I need to see them, I can't keep avoiding it. I'm sure Rivers worried sick. And pissed."
Oh God. I hadn't thought of how pissed River would be at me. Maybe she will see that I'm injured and go easy on me. I winced at the thought.
"Should I carry you? Is that too much? Shit, are you limping? Fuck, let's-" He rambled.
"No, no. You don't need to pick me up-"
Max quickly cut me off, "No, I think I do need to pick you up."
His hands went around my back and legs as he started to lift me. But I moved out of his warm, tingly grip before my feet could leave the ground.
"Max, stop it! I'm fine! Let's get to the door-"
"I'm such a bad mate. Fuck. Okay, here I'll-"
I swatted his hands away as he tried to lift me again, "Stop, stop! You're not a bad friend, I just-"
"Friend?!" He spat, letting me go suddenly and I fell to the gravel covered ground.
"Shit!"
"Ow!"
"Tabitha?!"
River's voice cried out. Max and I stopped our bickering and both looked at the front door of the cottage. There stood a puffy eyed River, staring right back at us.
Max silently helped me stand.
"Hi.. River." I said hesitantly.
She looked... the same. As Max had wisely worded it, she looked like my River.
When I had realized what she and Jonah were, fear, confusion, and shock consumed me. And the terrifying Rogue encounter only made it even more frightening. Honestly, I was still scared and shaken by the whole situation.
Maybe not scared.. Anymore, at least. But confused. Definitely still confused.
Okay, and a little scared as well.
She slowly inched closer from the door as fresh tears sprouted in her brown eyes. "C-Can I come hug you?" My best friend asked me hesitantly.
My heart broke at that. In that moment, all my fear towards her vanished into thin air. I nodded my head eagerly as my throat tightened up with emotion. Max's hands, that hadn't left my arms, let go, and River practically threw herself onto me.
Both of us were crying when we embraced, but River got right to scolding me, "I was so worried! Don't...! Don't ever run from us like that!" She blubbered into my hair. The next part she said a bit quieter, "Don't run from me."
I squeezed her tighter as my eyes watered, "I-I'm so sorry! I was just so freaked out! I-I saw Jonah... change.. or something, a-and I got scared and then there was that Rogue thing and-"
"I know. I know. I know, it's a lot." She joked, trying to lighten the tension. "Tabitha, you.." River cleared her throat, composing herself. "You don't ever, ever, need to be afraid of me or Jonah. Okay? I know that this is... new. And hard, I know. But I'm still me!" She exclaimed in a hushed voice.
I nodded my head. I didn't quite trust myself to speak again without crying. Can you blame me? It's been a long ass day.
"I-I'm still your best friend! And Jonah, He's still Jonah! We just... We're a little different."
I scoffed lightly, looking down at our clasped hands, "Ya think?"
River laughed gently, "I never wanted you to find out this way." She added in a low voice. "Really, I had a plan and everything to tell you... But, I don't know. I couldn't."
In a weird way, I understood her struggle.
"I'm... I'm trying. To understand, I guess. I'm still really confused. And still a little freaked out. I'm going to need you to expl-"
She was already nodding her head, "Yes. I will. I know this is a lot to handle in one day, maybe we should talk in the morn-"
Now I cut her off, "No! No... No, I think I need answers now. I just... I wanna hear everything, all of it. If that's okay."
River laughed at me and nodded happily, "Yes! Yeah, that's okay." Then her eyes went down to my wrapped leg. "Goddess...Are you okay?! After the attack? You should be laying down, let's go- Wait, you didn't walk here did you?" My best friend's angry attention suddenly went to Max. "Why is she walking on that leg?!"
His eyebrows rose and he raised his hands in surrender, "Please don't hurt me."
Her eyes narrowed, "Sounds like I already have a reason to!"
Max was just silent as she boldly glared him down. Then he took several steps to the side, and came to stand behind me. Or hide behind me. "I don't like her." He whispered into my ear.
River growled at that.
The three of us went into the house and made our way to the living room. I was anxious to sit down and get off of my leg, which was finally starting to throb as the medicine wore off. Max went to go find some Advil, leaving River and I on the couch.
She held my hand the whole time.
"So, just gunna jump into it. You saw Jonah shift." She started bluntly.
"Shift?"
Her head nodded, "Yeah. You know, in the woods. You saw him change, transform..."
"Oh... Yeah. Yeah, I definitely saw that." I chuckled dryly and looked down at our hands.
She sighed, "Why didn't you tell me right away, Tabs?!"
"I-I tried! I tried, but I couldn't... I couldn't comprehend what the hell I saw! I thought I hit my head or something, Riv!" I told her dramatically. "And then J-Jonah came into the house, but I just saw him morph-"
River cut me off, "Shift."
"-but then he was human again! And then all the growling started to make sense, and then he started chasing me around, and all the cousins were there and they're wolf people too and-
"Werewolves." She corrected again.
"and... I don't know. I just... I freaked out." I sighed, flopping back into the couch. "I think I'm in shock."
She furrowed her brows, "Why? You can see I'm still me, right?"
I stared at her like she was crazy, "You... You turn into a wolf." I said in a lower voice.
River let a small laugh, "Well, yeah. But I'm still the same River you've always known. Nothings changed about me."
I frowned. "You turn into a wolf."
She rolled her eyes, "But I've always done that, I've always been a Werewolf. You just didn't know, is all."
Max entered the room and sent me a smile. He came closer, handing me two little pills and a glass of water. I grinned up at him, grateful for the medicine.
"Aren't you helpful." River said in a sharp voice.
"Yes, yes I am. Very much so, thank you." Max replied curtly.
The door opened just as Max sat down on the other side of me. All three of our heads whipped backward, watching as Jonah loudly entered the house. My eyes widened as I met his stare.
"Tabitha." He said in surprise, quickly walking towards us.
My nervousness returned and I inched a bit closer to Max. River raised her hand, "Let's go slow, okay babe? She's still a little... Freaked out."
Jonah looked from me to River, before nodding slowly and taking a few steps back. I felt guilty, but for some reason I couldn't stop the new anxiety I felt around my friend. I couldn't shake the violent and unnatural scene of him... shifting, from my head.
So I kept my eyes on my lap and replayed Max's words in my head. They're still my River and my Jonah.
"Tabitha? You okay?" Jonah called me out of my thoughts.
I looked up at my two best friends and nodded. "Yeah.. Uh.." I cleared my throat, not really knowing what to say. So I just blurted out the one single thought that's been buzzing around my brain all day, "I saw you morph into a wolf."
"Shift." River corrected again.
Jonah stared for a second before nodding, shuffling in the chair across from us. "Right.. I heard. I'm sorry that I scared you."
I just kind of watched at him for a second. How the hell do people even mor- shift, into animals? Does it hurt? Do they turn... rabid? Or are they still themselves? Can they control it?
Another thought entered my mind that made me freeze.
Do they poop... outside?
"Stop it, Tabitha! Don't just stare at him!" River nudged me with a firm look.
"Sorry." I said, looking back at my lap.
Jonah shook his head, "It's okay."
"This feels really awkward, guys." Max said bluntly, looking between the three of us.
"Okay!" River suddenly clapped her hands, "Uh... Oh! I know! How about you hug and make up?Come on. Babe, hug Tabitha." She instructed loudly.
Jonah obediently stood and my eyes widened in alarm. I quickly jumped to my feet when he took a step in my direction, arms out stretched.
"No!" I blurted out.
"Tabitha, don't be difficult. Hug him." River scolded me.
"No! What if he morphs-"
"Ew! Quit calling it that!" She argued.
" I like it. Morph." Max said.
"He's not gunna morph!" River yelled in disbelief, like I was the crazy one here.
"You don't know that!" I countered.
"I can morph if she wants me to." Jonah offered, looking between us. His eyes went to mine, "Would that help? Want me to morph?"
"No!" I practically screeched.
"...morph.." Max quietly repeated under his breath in the background.
"You're being so annoying right now." She replied, crossing her arms.
"I'm...? I'm being- You! You turn into a wolf! You're a Werewolf and you didn't tell me! That's annoying!" I sputtered out.
She gave me an Are-you-kidding look, and opened her mouth. Probably to say something bitchy. But before she could, two heavy and familiar arms wrapped around my body from behind.
Jonah lifted me high off the ground and rested the side of his head against my own. My face went blank as I dangled my arms at my sides limply.
"Awww! There it is, there's the sweet hug!" My best friend cooed at us. "Wait! I need a picture. Good job honey! Hold her up more."
Jonah raised me a bit higher.
River squeeled, looking down at her screen. "I'm calling this one, when your best friend sees your mate shift and freaks the fuck out but then calms down and they make up."
"Sorry." Jonah muttered to me again, as Max and River began to bicker in the background.
I forced the building panic back down, and nodded my head. I didn't know exactly why I was so jumpy around Jonah, but it was fading the more we interacted. It's like I was being reminding that this is still one of my best friends.
Slowly, that is. I was slowly being reminded. Because despite it being several hours since I found out, I still couldn't fully wrap my mind around it.
"Wait. Wait, Jonah blinked in this one. Pick her back up." River frowned down at her phone.
Jonah and I sighed.
It was going to be a long night.
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Ello there readers.
Sorry for the wait! Sometimes I forget about this story lol.
As always, thank you for reading my writing. Please remember to vote for a chapter and leave a comment! Let me know whatcha think of it, or what you think will happen next!
It all helps my story grow!
Until next time, my lil internet nerd friends ✌🏼
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