Moon Glow
#16 of The Moonrise Chronicles
Please note the change in POV. This one is coming from Verona. I got this one out sooner than I anticipated while I was working on the future of the story, so there was no point in not posting it.
Hi
there. This is Verona. I'm afraid you haven't had a chance to see things from
my perspective, so let me get you up to speed. I'm a single werewolf living
happily on my own in New York City. My nature has made for some run-ins over
the decades, but overall I've managed to live a clean life. Well, clean from my
perspective. A
girl's got to eat, and there are some things you can't buy with money. As for money, I got a job a long time ago
with the Ford Modeling Agency. When? None of your business thank you very much.
Let's just say it was a while ago. I moved on to Elite and now I'm a bit of a
free lance model. Yes, I
look good. Hey, I'm a model after all. And believe it or not, walking down the
runway is easy, but being a model is hard. So many starve themselves to stay
thin. Me, I found it difficult to find food, so for me slenderness came
naturally. Thanks to my mother I had all the right curves in all the right
places. My
other side came out mostly at night, because my days were busy. You have no
idea how good it feels to let down your hair, werewolf style. Spending your
days prowling the red carpet is nothing compared to prowling the streets and
back alleys. There is a delight to the fetid mixture of rot and filth when it
is overlaid with the smell of sweating humans and their kind. It sounds strange,
but I would follow my nose for miles, absorbing the memory of those aromas in
my head. It's a werewolf thing. My
first big city kill was nothing to speak of. I did the guy a favor. Dejected
folks kill themselves all the time. He was wavering. I made the final choice
for him, and if he has a god, then his afterlife is safe from damnation. I may
have taken his last breath but I saved his eternal soul. After
that, I chose carefully. There were a lot of choices, and picking the right
ones became a matter of pride. This little girl Maggie, she's got the right
idea. Don't attack them unless they attack you. Then they have forfeited their
life because of their actions. Call it sort of a code of honor. It's a little
simply put, but there you have it. I'll fill you in on more later, if you like.
But I wanted you to get a brief concept of who I was. Now, back to where we were. I was standing in my apartment, with my
parents, in front of a guy I just met, who was offering me his hand in marriage
thanks to the suggestion of a little girl he adopted. Sounds more like a sappy
Hallmark movie to me than a real life situation. Mother
saw the look of terror on my face. This guy was nice, but I knew nothing important
about him. I felt bad for him, but not insofar as to pledge my remaining life
to him. That was a long commitment, especially if he turned out to be a
werewolf too. If he wasn't one, which now seemed an unlikely possibility, then
I guess I could become a widower... Nope, not that. He had been promised protection of a sort, so
that was no good. That
girl; that handful of attitude on two legs came up to me smiling and showed me
the ring. "Look lady, Here's the deal. This isn't a marriage right now, only an
engagement. It gives my father protection from anyone in your family getting
stupid ideas, and in the meantime, you can play with him when I'm not. It's not
ideal, but I think regular playtime is over. I'll not have him being harmed,
and if he is to be more than what he is now, it's going to take a group effort.
Capiche?" Here I
was being told what to do by a girl decades my junior. No, I'm not saying how
many years specifically. It's none of your business. But it was totally unacceptable. The problem
was, the idea she was proposing had already crossed my mind. I just didn't like
being forced to accept outside of it being my suggestion and under duress. Mother
just smiled. I think she was enjoying my discomfiture. She had been telling me
to settle down for years, but I had found only one I felt to be worthwhile, and
I ended up eating him. What can I say?
He had been a nice guy, but totally human. And delicious. Father
was looking rather pleased too. I think that he thought the idea of me having
to deal with a problem I caused to be hilarious. For some reason it made me
steel my resolve. "Yes
Edward, I will marry you!" Maggie
jumped in the air, turning a somersault. Edward looked stuck between joy and
total embarrassment. I guessed that he had planned on waiting to ask me, and I
think I would have preferred it. But like the girl said, there would be time to
formalize everything farther down the road. I
really thought that my parents would have reacted with less enthusiasm, but
apparently even a hint at his past was enough to redeem him in their eyes. Me;
I was going to need a little more time to accept the idea. A fun fling was one thing, but a long term
commitment was another. And then there was this girl, technically his daughter.
A true child of his was one thing, but a sexual partner, that was another
story. I don't think two lovers under the same roof was going to be wise. He
slipped the ring on my finger and that was that. I half expect the situation in
the room to chill over like The Pond during winter, but for some reason the
opposite happened. Everyone, except for me, seemed to relax. The only thing I
could figure out was that because he was willing to expose himself to possible
danger, then he must be alright. I just didn't think his alleged background was
enough. I was intrigued by him, mostly for his ordinariness, but he had other
qualities too. I just needed to learn more about him. The
girl was right about me on one account. I had led a long life of walking down
narrow roads. My parents were not against killing for food. If you looked at
them, they didn't seem abnormal in any way. But I have seen them deal out
justice in the harshest of manners. Crime in our little community dropped like
a stone after father tired of the nuisance of the police force not being able
to deal with it. You might not think that we had morals, but we did, as strong
or as weak as any human. It boiled down to living to survive. However, I had no
sexual identity until after I left home. I was reminiscing
when I noticed Edward watching me. I was sitting silently while the others
talked and discussed various aspects of werewolf life. Maggie was very much interested in what the
old folks had to say, and while I think Edward was too, I think he wanted to
talk with me alone. Mother noted my indecision and spoke up. "You two need to
make some plans. And I don't mean for a wedding. There is much that needs to be
done before that is ever going to be allowed to happen. Go. Take a walk. We'll
look after the place until you feel the need to come back." I was
all for it. Edward seemed not to dismiss the idea as fruitless and put on his
sport coat and make a polite bow to my parents. "Thank you so much for
everything you've done so far. I'll do my very best not to let you down." Father
stood and shook his hand. Father was very discriminating about whom he shook
hands with. "Son, I think my first impression of you was all wrong. We'll have
to move slowly on this, but I think you have potential." That was high praise
from father. Edward
stuck out his hand like a gentleman, and we exited my apartment arm in arm and
headed to the street. He suggested a cab, but I opted for us to walk. It was drizzling
out, and neither of us had thought to bring an umbrella, but I was used to
being out in the rain. Some of my best thinking time was during weather such as
this. He was a
sport and ignored the pattering drops. "Verona?" "Yes?" "I'm
sorry. I was going to broach the subject at a different time, but Maggie is
excitable. It was her idea and I think she was thinking more of protecting me
that of the effect it would have on you. You could still turn me down you know.
I wouldn't take it personally." "I'm
sure you wouldn't. But I said yes, and so I will keep my word for now. It's not
that I don't like you, because I do, but I think that you already have a
relationship with Maggie, and I might end up being a fifth wheel." He
stopped and stared at the sky, allowing the rain to splatter across his face.
"Yes, I guess we do. I'm not certain how healthy it is, but we were two of a
kind until we came here. Now it's like I'm part of something bigger. That's
scary. Sort of like, I guess, finding out you're in the line for a throne
somewhere. That's something you're supposed to be groomed for, not thrust
into." It was
nice to know he was as scared as I was. In fact, he had more reason to be
afraid. When I changed, I knew what to expect and that rarely altered. He had
no idea, and if he ever did transform, no one knew what would happen. Chances
were going to be good that it would be catastrophic. We
walked all the way to his hotel. The doorman felt bad that we were so soaked,
but Edward laughed it off and we went upstairs, dripping the whole way. I don't know why, but I started to help him
undress. I had to literally peel his jacket off, and I followed that with
unbuttoning his shirt. His hands made quick work of my blouse, and in a few
minutes we were stripped. My nipples went hard from the chill, and he was quick
to notice. He
grabbed the robe I was using earlier, but I dropped it on the floor. "I think
that a towel or two might be sufficient. Then we can spend the rest of the
night working out the dampness." I think
my pun was initially missed by him, because he got the towels and said, "These
are pretty nice. I think they'll get most of the water out." "I
didn't say water. I said dampness." "It's
the same thing..." He turned red. "Oh!" I had
made love to a fair number of guys. I'm not trying to claim to be some sort of slut,
but as old as I was, it was inevitable. And all those times I had to be the
human me. Getting to be feral and making love was like a dream come true. It
would be better, of course, if he was a werewolf too, but I couldn't have him
like that, not now and maybe never. But maybe I could convince him to have the
coin removed. I was confident that I could handle him in his full glory. "Well
husband to be, are you going to show a girl a good time? We've got the place to
ourselves, and more importantly, I have you to myself." It was
funny how he was a little more hesitant now than before. I suppose he had a lot
on his mind. "It
depends. Do you think anything bad will happen?" "How
should I know? I guess we'll know when we do it!" I could see he was thinking
it over. His previous willingness was now overshadowed by the fact that this
was more serious than we previously thought. Close proximity to me caused his
system to react. I was hoping he would say yes, because I was beginning to feel
feral. He might not have a choice. "You're
right. Besides, I'm feeling itchy and in need of a good scratching." I held
up a hand as it turned into a paw. I wiggled my new claws. "Then I'm the gal
for you!" I finished transforming, putting on as much bulk as I could. I was
trying to show him how much size I could achieve to lay his fears to rest. I
was one tough bitch in this form! Hell,
you would have thought I was a teddy bear the way he ran his fingers through my
fur. He wasn't put off or scared or anything. In fact, I could see that my
scent was working on him again. I was tempted to shut it down, but in this form
there was no way I could. As a werewolf, it was an all encompassing package.
Hair, fangs, claws and smell; it was all or nothing. I was
already horny, but he seemed to be in his own little world. His fingers were
massaging my fur, and from time to time, he sniffed deeply and growled. He even
bit me once, a mild sort of action that didn't hurt but provoked a response
from me like I never had before. He had literally climbed up my back and nipped
me on the nape of the neck. It sent an uncharacteristic shiver down my spine. I
dropped to the bed, hoping it would survive the night. I was feeling; well,
frisky is hardly the word for it. Frisky is what a cat was when playing with a
toy. I was feeling predatory; untamed; savage, but all in a sexual way. And his
actions were making it worse. Why couldn't he just be like me? He rubbed
his hand over my backside, and my hips rose instinctively. I felt his face in
my cunt and I could feel his short bursts of breath as he inhaled my aroma. I
was hoping for that tongue again and I wasn't disappointed. Whether consciously
or not, it had grown to such a size that it likely didn't fit into his mouth all
that well. Not enough to close his jaw I bet. All the better for me. I had the perfect
place for it. He
planted his face right there and went to work.
As a human it had been divine. In this form it was sinisterly sinful. I
was soon putty in his hands, and for a werewolf, that's saying something. It
was the first time in this form that blood had not been needed to satisfy it. He
worked me over forever, and I mean that sincerely. I felt like one of those
push puppets you could get as kids. You know, where you push the bottom of the
base and the puppet shape on top would move. No? God, I'm NOT that old! You
guys and your video games! Never mind. Let's just say that he was pushing my
buttons, and I was doing his will. I
hardly was conscious when he stopped with his mouth and moved on to bigger
things. There was a pile of drool on the bed from my mouth hanging open, and
while I felt foolish, it was a feeling I could live with. The feeling of having
a flaming hot rod embedded in my birth canal was even more agreeable. I had
no idea how that little girl had taken it, unless it was getting bigger each
time he used it. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my furry-pated
skull. And when he knotted up! Well, I passed out, plain and simple. When I
came too, I was face down in my drool, my backside was on fire, and my hair was
bristling everywhere. It was like I was in the middle of an electrical storm
and had been hit by a bolt of lightning. Only the lightning was still working
away at me. Unless that was the lightning rod. It was difficult to tell. I dug
into the sheets and tried to move my rear end. It wasn't working. It was as if
my lower half was paralyzed. It wasn't that I couldn't feel anything, because
oh god, I was feeling things. It was just that my muscles refused to budge. So
all I could do was lay there and take the pounding he was giving me and hope
that when he was done, I was still in one piece. I couldn't
see him, but I could tell he hadn't transformed. I could tell by the mass of
his body bearing down on mine. If he could do this as a human, I wasn't sure I
would survive him being feral. Maybe that coin was going to stay right where it
was. His
knot was prying apart my insides to the point I was nearly in tears. The funny
thing was, despite the pain, it was filling me with an equal amount of
pleasure. If this was werewolf sex, I was beginning to see why our kind had
dwindled. A female might every well die from it, or else refuse to do it after
the first time. I had a feeling that things between he and Maggie were going to
be cooling off in the future. If I couldn't take it, she certainly couldn't. I heard
a whimper and realized it came from me. It sounded distant and disjointed. Edward
didn't seem to be paying any attention to me, other than the part he was
plugging away on right then. I really wished for a mirror, so that I could see
what he looked like, or what precisely he was doing. Feeling what he was doing
was only half of what was going on. It seemed logical to think that he was
looking pretty feral himself at the moment. I'll
spare you most of our sordid coupling. Allow me to say, that afterwards, when I
discussed what had happened with my mother, she smiled and patted my hand. "Dear,
this is what it's all about. Did you think it was easy, being a werewolf? If
you only look out for yourself, then maybe it is. But the drive to reproduce
makes you do funny things." "It was
just sex mother!" "Was
it? You're within your breeding stage now, and have been for a little while. If
you think he can smell you and your pheromones, what about you? Can you imagine
what it'll be like if he becomes fully into his own? Your nose will go wild! And
as for your experience with being paralyzed, that's completely normal." "Normal?"
I shouted. "Yes
dear. Can you imagine the chaos during breeding that would occur if both
partners were fully mobile, and each was vying for position. Females are naturally
incapacitated to reduce the risk of injury to either party." Her eyes got
dreamy. "Some of my best memories of your father were during breeding cycles." I felt
like I was pole-axed. "Breeding cycle? You mean I could get pregnant right now?" "Why
yes dear, you could. I think you're safe, since your partner can't change to
his full feral self yet. If he could, then you might very well be knitting a
blanket or a pair of booties." "Mother!" "Now
hush dear. I already said it wasn't likely. His condition is the first I have
ever heard of afflicting one of our kind. It opens things up for all kinds of speculation,
but there will be no concrete answers for a while. Your father says that
removing the coin will have to wait. He is contacting some of the others here
in the United States to see if they have any thoughts on the matter." I was
still trembling. "Why just here?" "Because
dear, we won't use the modern convenience of the telephone or their internet
because someone could intercept it. With a good old fashioned letter, a code won't
be so easily recognized, assuming anyone would even notice or care." She had
a point. It meant waiting longer, but who in their right mind would be searching
through the mail looking for information on werewolves? It was ludicrous. It
was old, but it was reliable. And it meant waiting for a few more days, if not
a week. I hoped Edward was willing to spring for more time at the hotel. While
he was welcome in my place, there was now no room. As it
turns out, he was fine with it. So was Maggie, who was seeing her world getting
turned upside down now that he and I were engaged. She was bright enough to
recognize that her life with him was going to get a bit more crowded. I think
she was alright with that. After all, it was her idea in the first place. She
was going to have to deal with being secondary to me in this relationship,
leastwise in the matter of occupying his bed. After what I went through, I didn't
think that even she was capable of handling him anymore. I wasn't
about to interfere. Let nature, or super-nature take its course. It's what was
going to happen with me. I wasn't looking forward to it, not if our sex life
continued as it presently was. I was thinking that the first time had been the
best, and maybe my rush to change him had been not only spurious, but perhaps precariously
stupid on my part. But what was done, was done. There was no going back now.