I was relieved that the full moon had been a Friday night. It gave me the rest of the weekend to practice control before school on Monday. We didn't want a certain bushy tail making an appearance. I cringed at the thought, that was like dreaming I was naked in front of a crowd of people I knew. My social standing was already precarious... sprouting a tail in the hallway would be deadly for my high school reputation. We had all gone home after Deaton's to try and get a few hours of sleep. I was going to meet Scott at Derek's loft this afternoon for training, which gave me about 6 hours if I could get to sleep now. I curled the blankets around me a little tighter and closed my sore eyes gratefully, fading off to sleep almost immediately.
I jerked myself awake hours later, the greenish brown eyes burned into the back of my eyelids. They were the perfect mix of moss and dirt up close, and they were Derek's. Why the hell was I dreaming about Derek's eyes? I thought to myself in confusion. I couldn't remember anything else I had dreamed about, just the eyes looking at me. Odd. I yawned and stretched my sore muscles, I felt soft fur against my mid section and glanced down. My tail was wrapped around my body protectively. I frowned in my sleepy puzzlement and made my way to the bathroom.
I looked in the mirror, only seeing my ordinary face. No hair or orange eyes, no pointy ears or claws. Uhh... okay? I wondered at the tail swishing behind me and thought back to when I had fallen asleep. I remember being chilled, and wanting more blankets. Maybe the tail comes out when I'm sleeping to keep me warm? I definitely needed to do some fox research. But first, to get rid of the tail. I closed my eyes and tried to focus, the mossy earth eyes came to my mind, along with the scent of forests and mint. I willed the tail to disappear, imagining it shrinking back into nothing. I cracked one eye open and checked the mirror. No tail. I sighed with relief. I didn't want to have to walk around with that thing all the time.
I went back to examining myself in the mirror as I looked at my bare chest. Woah, dude. I've got muscles! YESSSSS, I thought as I pumped my fist. Admittedly, they were ropy and slight, but they were there. I had more prominent peck muscles and an obvious six-pack, and my arms were definitely lined with more muscle than before. I wasn't as crazy muscular as Derek or Scott, but they were there. I had gone from scrawny to lithe in one night.
"Ahh-mazing," I sang to myself, definitely pleased.
I stripped down to hop in the shower and checked my legs. Ha, no more chicken legs, I thought as I inspected my newly muscled legs and butt. I looked at my back in the mirror. It too had more muscles straining beneath the skin. I think this might be the best part of the whole transformation. I smirked at myself in the mirror, look out ladies. I still smelled the scent of Scott lingering on my neck. He had the comforting scent of chocolate and cinnamon, and spring sunshine. I stepped into the warm water and enjoyed the feeling as it rolled down my body. I went through the motions as usual, but something had changed about this everyday routine. I realized it was my sense of smell, and that the steam was magnifying it even more. My vanilla spice body wash that I had been using since my mom had died was overwhelming in my nostrils. It was a scent I associated with her memory, and I wouldn't be able to give it up even if I wanted to.
I finished up and stepped out of the steamy shower stall, wrapping a towel around my waist. I smelled the distinctly Derek scent again, but shrugged it off. I walked into my room and was about to remove the fabric from around my waist to towel off my wet body when I heard a cough behind me. I spun around quickly, my heart rate increasing exponentially as my hand flew to my chest.
"Ahh!" I squeaked in shock.
The brooding werewolf was sitting on my desk chair watching me with an unreadable expression. I felt the breeze from the open window on my bare back and shivered a little.
"What the hell Hale? I guess I did smell you. I thought it was just leftover from my dream-" I stopped mid sentence. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"You had a dream about me?" He asked with a smug grin. His eyes moved over my body in what I thought looked like hunger, but I knew I was wrong. His eyes met mine again as he said, "You gained some muscle, I see."
I glanced down at my body and felt a blush creep across my cheekbones. I scowled at him and snapped, "What are you doing here sour wolf?"
A growl sounded in his chest, and I growled right back. He glared at me as he answered my question, "I just wanted to make sure you were adjusting okay."
I rolled my eyes at him, but it didn't seem to be a lie. "Yeah, I'm adjusting great. Just great. I had a dream about the grouchiest wolf in existence, I woke up with a tail, I am suddenly ripped, my sense of smell is out of this freaking world, and I walk into my room, my room, practically naked to find said sour wolf sitting at my desk. Oh, did I mention I now sprout claws and hair and pointy ears? Like, no big deal. That won't happen when I'm not in control in the middle of the school hallway or in a line at the cafe or somewhere else totally public and surrounded by people I know or anything. Im a disaster waiting to happen. I'm perfect," I finished my rant, glowering at him as my arms stopped their flailing. My vision was orange and I knew my fox eyes were showing, but I didn't care.
My hands moved back to the towel at my waist, which had slipped down a little too far. Derek's eyes had been looking there but now he looked up at me again.
"Stiles, relax. Just breathe." He said calmly, slowly rising from the chair and approaching me with his hands up. I could smell my own anxiety as I closed my eyes and did what he said.
I used the same tactic I did at the clinic, picturing the emotion leaving my body through my fingers and toes. I focused on the calm scent Derek was oozing, and on his scent, forest and mint. I opened my eyes slowly and looked into his mossy earth irises, slowly gaining control of my breathing. I sat down on the edge of my bed with a sigh and put my head in my hands.
"I'm fine," I whispered, mostly to myself.
I felt the bed move as he sat down beside me, our arms almost touching. It felt like the air between us was shivering with electricity. He continued to send waves of calm through the air, for my benefit I was sure. I inhaled it and his scent gratefully as I started to come back to myself. I sat up and turned to face him as I opened my eyes again, and jumped a little at his closeness. I only ever saw his face this close when he had me pinned up against a wall in anger. I hated how perfect his face was. Those green eyes with flecks of brown surrounded by long, dark lashes. Lashes any girl would kill for. His dark eye brows that gave him a constant frown, his smooth skin and dark stubble across his square jaw. He had perfectly shaped, high cheekbones and a faultless nose that came to a sharp point.
I had never really looked at his lips before, but I found myself considering them now. I unconsciously moved closer as I stared at them. They were a light pink, and thin. But not too thin. His upper and lower lip were almost the exact same size, and his upper lip formed a perfect little Cupid's bow. I felt myself lick my own lips and stopped suddenly. What the fuck am I doing? I jerked away from him and went to my dresser, pulling out some clean clothes.
I smelled a hint of hurt on the air, but started to doubt myself because it was so faint. I stomped off to the bathroom to get dressed, leaving the brooding wolf on my bed.
* * * *
I still sat on Stiles bed where he had left me, in complete shock. I tried to organize my jumbled thoughts as I heard the rustle of clothes coming from the bathroom. Does Stiles feel the same way about me? He had never quite looked at me like that before. Or my lips. Seeing him lick his lips as he stared at my own so close to my face... it made my insides tingle with heat. My hands were still clutching the sheets where I had grabbed them. To keep myself from grabbing him. To keep myself from running my hands over his perfectly lithe, bare body beside me. I had liked Stiles' body the way it was before, but the transformation hadn't done anything to make it worse, or change it dramatically. He was still perfect... just with a little more muscle.
During his ranting, his towel had slipped dangerously low on his hips and I had been unable to stop myself from staring as it slowly slid lower. If I was a lesser man, I would have been drooling at the sight of the perfect v shape between his delicate hip bones, the hard muscles that resided on his lower abdomen. I felt saliva building up in my mouth as I thought about it. I want him. So bad it hurts. The pull to be near him had increased exponentially since he'd turned. I didn't think it could have gotten worse, but it did. I wasn't going to be able to stay away from him.
But maybe I wouldn't have to if he felt the same way? He had dreamed about me. And the way he was staring at me... it wasn't his usual dumbass look. I pushed those thoughts away, not willing to let myself entertain the prospect. I heard Stiles coming back down the hall and composed myself, plastering a blank expression on my face. He walked in the room and glanced at my eyes, and then away again.
"Did you run here?" He asked. I nodded in response. "Come on then, I'll drive you back. We need to meet Scott anyway."
I followed him out of the house sat in the passenger seat quietly. He drove in his usual, erratic manner as we headed to my loft. When he pulled up to the parking lot, we noticed that Scott's dirt bike wasn't in sight. He must not be here yet. We hopped out of the blue Jeep and headed up the stairs, pulling open the large metal door and stepping inside. I sat on the couch comfortably and watched as the anxious fox paced back and forth in front of me.
"I guess the becoming a werefox didn't effect your ADD and hyperactivity, did it?" I said curiously.
He paused in his pacing and bounced on the balls of his feet as he turned to face me. "No," he answered simply, and went back to pacing.
I sighed and rose from my seat. Might as well get started. He stopped again and looked at me. I smelled his anxiety and nervousness in the air and tried to reassure him.
"Stiles. Everything's going to be fine. You'll learn control. If anything, you're already way more in control than any young wolf I've ever seen, and it's only been a few hours since your first shift." I allowed my sense of calm to waft through the room as I paused. "The first step is to find your anchor."
He nodded at me like he already knew what it might be.