Reese went and sat on one of two couches in the living room. Ashton went to sit on the one across from him. I groaned mentally. That meant I would have to share a couch with one of them and the couches were small. No doubt I would brush against one of them which would fuel my inexplicable arousal.
I grabbed my breakfast from the kitchen and walked into the living room. I'd already had an encounter with Ashton, so I sat beside Reese. "Okay, so let's talk. I'm really interested to hear why I was dragged from my house at three in the morning with no explanations by a guy I'd never talked to before," I said.
Reese sighed and cracked his knuckles. I winced and said, "Don't do that, it's gross." He rolled his eyes at me and did it again. I rolled my eyes back.
"If we're done acting like children, you wanted an explanation?" Ashton said from across the room.
"Yes. I did." I spooned some hashbrowns into my mouth. I raised an eyebrow expectantly, waiting.
"Okay," Reese said. "Before I start, I want to say, I know this is going to sound like a bad movie, as you put it, but it's the truth. Don't try and use scientific logic to tell yourself what we're saying is not true. Listen to your gut; listen to your heart. They'll tell you every word coming out of my mouth is the truth.
"You were told your mother and father died in a car accident, right?" Reese asked me. I nodded. I'd been four when they'd died and hadn't really understood what dead meant. "That was a lie. Your mother and father didn't die in an accident and they were more than normal. Your family carries the blood of shapeshifters, Ainsley. It's not fairy tale stuff, it's all true. Your animal is the wolf, the most common animal; the werewolf. But there are all sorts of weres. Werepanther, werejaguar and werecheetah are also common ones. The more rare ones are were-eagles and weresnakes."
I couldn't believe what he was telling me. Werewolves didn't exist. It was against human nature.
But weres have a nature all their own, a voice told me. The thought came without warning. It was my instinct, telling me it was true. But it couldn't be true. Right?
"Don't shake your head, Ainsley," Ashton said. I hadn't even realized I was. "Don't try and fight the truth."
"It's crap, is what it is," I said. They were insane - they had to be.
"Tonight, Ainsley," Ashton continued, "couldn't you hear Reese talking when he came out of the building?" I nodded slowly. What was he getting at? "You were more than 40 feet away, but you still heard him as if he was standing right next to you. Couldn't you see me in the forest even when it was really dark? As a female werewolf, when you go into heat you come into your supernatural senses and abilities."
"No. I wore glasses. I couldn't even finish the beep test in high school and you expect me to believe I'm a werewolf?" I cried incredulously. "You want me to believe I was born to howl at the moon and shapeshift at every full moon?"
"Hollywood garbage. We can control our shapeshifting." Ashton said haughtily.
"You're insane!"
"You're not going to believe us, are you?" Reese asked me.
"Hell no!"
"We'll prove it to you then," he said. "Ashton?"
"Yeah, man." Ashton stood and began to strip.
"What are you doing?!" I exclaimed. I covered my eyes. I could hear the soft thud as Ashton's clothes fell to the ground. No, that was impossible.
Not if your a werewolf, my inner voice said.
Shut up! I told it.
"You have to look, Ainsley," Ashton said.
"Why?"
"We're trying to prove to you that we're not worthy of being committed."
"If I look and when you don't shapeshift will you guys leave me alone?"
"Yes," Reese said. "But he will shapeshift."
I uncovered my eyes and looked at Ashton. Careful not to let my eyes drift to his cock, I looked steadily into his eyes.
"Ready?" He asked me. I nodded.
He closed his eyes. The air around him seemed to bend and shimmer as his body changed. With a surprising fluidity, his body changed forms. His face changed, growing a muzzle. His muscles bunched and jumped, becoming more thick and muscular. Fur popped up all over his body. His back bowed, his body stretched and taut. With what seemed like a final pop, he landed on the floor on all fours.
In the form of a werewolf.
I gasped. No freaking way. It couldn't be possible. But I knew what I saw. My inner voice screamed, I TOLD YOU SO, while I stood there, flabbergasted.
"Wow," I breathed. Ashton's wolf snorted and made it's way over to where I sat, frozen. I began to shake.
"Calm down, Ainsley. He won't hurt you. Your wolf knows him. Let her feel him." Reese said beside me.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said quietly, never taking my eyes off Ashton in wolf form. His coat was a deep burgundy with brown patches. His eyes were wide and the same color as in human form. The laughing eyes told me it was Ashton. The wolf was big. Much bigger than a normal wolf, but no not as big as a horse. Something inside me struggled to rise to the surface. I gasped, afraid and a bit panicked.
"Don't be afraid. Close your eyes," Reese told me. His voice was cool and soothed my nerves. "Close your eyes and just let go of your restrictions." I did as he said. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath and let go. I waited.
"Nothing's happening," I said to Reese.
"Just wait. Give your wolf time. She's as new to this as you are."
I sighed deeply and tried to tell my wolf to rise to the surface. I could feel her, restless, trying to break free. I was scared to let her loose and didn't know how to restrain her. "Reese?" I asked nervously.
"I know it's hard, baby. Just uncage her. Tell her you're in charge. It's like taking a dog out for a walk. Give them freedom, but still have them on a leash."
Makes sense, I thought. I refocused, doubling my concentration. A few minutes later, I felt her rise and tentatively reach out to Ashton. Ashton's wolf barked encouragingly.
"That's it," said Reese. "Let her out."
I let her keep going until I felt something snap into place.
Ainsley? said a voice into my head. A voice that sounded like Ashton's.
"Ohmigosh," I said out loud. My eyes flew open and I lost the connection with Ashton. "What just happened?"
"Shift back," Reese told Ashton. Seconds later, Ashton stood before me, naked. I looked away.
I repeated my question.
"You can look now," Ashton said. I looked. He was dressed again and sitting on the coffee table that separated the two couches.
"When two minds connect in wolf form, they can share thoughts. It can also happen in human form, but the shifters have to be very close and both have strong minds."
"My gosh, that was weird." I said, tightening my ponytail.
"It does freak you out the first time, but you'll get used to it," Ashton said reassuringly.
"I don't know if I will. It's all too much to process. Too much has happened in the last few hours, I feel overwhelmed."
"We can finish talking later if you want," Reese offered.
Later wouldn't make it any less shocking. Seeing Ashton shift had showed me that this was real.
I wasn't human.
I was were.