I looked at him, wanting to turn around and leave him out there in the cold. But curiosity devoured me. I wanted to know what his game was, why he was trying to get me involved with this old wives' tale.
Josh stared at me steadily, his gaze intense. At first, nothing happened. But then I noticed her face was changing. The bones under her skin seemed to move, elongating her nose, rearranging her cheekbones, flattening her skull. His ears receded into his head, the lobes growing up and out. His eyes remained locked on mine as his chin and nose came together into a muzzle, his teeth curling into two long, sharp canines.
What was it? What was happening?
Josh fell to the floor on all fours. His clothes ripped from his body as the muscles in his shoulders bulged, coming to merge with his neck, throwing his head back at an impossible angle. His back arched, and his legs and arms flexed and moved, his knees creaking as he moved backward.
This can not be happening.
My entire body went rigid with fear, my heart pounding against my chest. I staggered back, preparing to run. But I couldn't take my eyes off the incredible scene before me.
Josh threw back his head and howled, the sound echoing in the silent night. What stood before me was no longer the beautiful ranger who held me against his warm skin. It was a gray wolf, its eyes staring at me with cold, calculating precision. He stuck out a pink tongue and licked his lip, revealing a row of sharp white teeth.
My heart jumped into my throat. I fought my terror, turned and ran back to the camp. Behind me, the leaves crunched as the creature followed. I increased speed, my body screaming in protest. Those long, sharp canines gleamed in my vision. A
any moment now, he would be close enough to strike… “Allora, wait!
Josh's voice. I dared to look over my shoulder and saw him running through the trees towards me. Moonlight glistened on her body, her skin glistening with sweat. His hair had come loose and trailed behind him in the breeze.
He was completely naked.
Shit.
I slowed down, still moving towards the camp.
“Don't come any closer.
“Alora, please. I'm sorry for scaring you. He stopped, planting his bare feet in a wide, powerful stance. I stopped too, leaning forward with one foot, ready to pull away at any moment. My heart was pounding in my chest. Did I really just see him turn into a wolf? Maybe it was my imagination playing tricks on me. Some kind of moonlight mirage? Perhaps Ruth had slipped hallucinogenic drugs into my tea.
“Josh? I gasped.
He didn't say anything, just fixed his beautiful green eyes on mine.
I looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes anymore. Big mistake.
My gaze landed on his bare hips, covered with more tattoos of howling wolves and tigers chasing his taut muscles. His cock stood out between his legs. He was huge. And it was hard as a rock.
My entire body pulsed with excited energy. Even though I was terrified, my body wasn't. He was flushed with heat, as if some primal aspect of me had been awakened by the sight of Josh aroused by me.
Josh was excited for me.
I crossed my arms over my chest.
- OK everything is fine. I took a few shaky breaths. "So you're a werewolf." How does it work?
“Werewolves have existed alongside humans for hundreds of tens of thousands of years, probably much longer,” he said, his eyes locking with mine. “It's a genetic trait, passed from parent to offspring. The dominant genes pass through the male line. There are very few female werewolves. Most of us choose a human partner who carries the genes needed to raise offspring.
- This is interesting.
I swallowed hard, wondering why he was looking at me so intently as he spoke of mates.
“I can change whenever I want, as you've just seen. When that happens I am in complete control of myself. It's still my human mind, just a wolf's body. Werewolves live longer than humans, about one hundred and fifty years. I also have many primal animal instincts. He looked at her arousal, and when he looked up, he was smiling. "As thou canst plainly see." But I would never hurt you, or anyone else. I'm still me underneath all the fur.
"Then why did you pursue me?"
"Because you ran," he said simply. "And because I don't want to let you get away."
"That sounds a lot like a threat."
“It wasn't meant to be threatening. Josh moved his crotch suggestively. “It was supposed to be sexy.
The corners of my mouth twitched into a slight smile.
"So the thing about wolves and the full moon isn't true?" Don't you change as soon as the moon rises?
“Oh, it's true. Josh's face darkened. “Everything I just said changes when the moon is full. So I have no choice about switching. I become a wolf and have no control over my behavior. I am a wild beast, not attached to anyone, not even my own conscience. That's why I work as a forest ranger. When the full moon approaches, I can go deep into the forests for days and live the curse without harming anyone until I become human again.
“Suppose I believe you are a werewolf—” “I am.
- All good. You are a werewolf. I don't understand what this has to do with caves.
“The caves were home to my family, the Lowe pack,” Josh said. “The group controlled much of the DownMoor territory. They came to these caves during the full moon to live their wild nature, where they didn't harm anyone in the village. Most werewolf packs have a safe place in the desert to stay as a family during the full moon. These places are fiercely guarded by the pack to prevent other wolves from entering and claiming them as their own territory.
- That makes sense.
“Fifty years ago, my father lived here with his pack. My grandparents and their two brothers. Something horrible has happened. My dad never said much about it, but from what little I got out of him, there was an accident one night in the village. A baby was killed in her bed, beaten to death by a vicious animal that had crept in through an open window above the bed. That same night, the villagers saw a wolf stalking the town. The villagers joined in twos. They knew it must be someone from my family, as we were the only werewolf pack left in the area. And so they came to the caves with blades and torches, in search of the killer. They killed my grandparents and uncles in revenge for the murder. Only my father survived.
- As?
“My grandmother was not a wolf, but a human woman with artistic talent and incredible prophetic power. She saw the villagers arriving in a vision. My grandfather and his two oldest children were out hunting and she failed to warn them. Instead, she painted the last few images on the wall, hoping they would see them when they returned to the cave. She then ran into the woods with her youngest pup, my dad.
The woman crying in the painting.
"So now I'm supposed to believe there are such things as mediums?" I said, but as I watched his expression, my protests faded. The way he spoke of his family, his voice trembling slightly when he spoke about his father…as hard as it was to understand, I knew Josh was speaking the truth.
“Oh, it's all true. Seers, witches, werewolves, Vulpines, Brans… “Brans? Vulpine? Now you're just making up words.
“Brans are raven shapeshifters. Vulpines are those who change into foxes.
“You're kidding me. “There were too many strange things in the world out there.
- I'm not. In fact, there are some pretty famous vulpins and brans living in DownMoor right now. This area attracts so many supernatural creatures and paranormal activity that you have no idea.
I unfolded my arms, curling my icy hands and tucking them into the cuffs of my jacket.
- OK. Conclusion. Let's just say you convinced me with your miraculous shape-shifting abilities, and I believe that whole supernatural combo really exists. Let's get back to that wild tale of yours. You said that humans don't know that werewolves exist. So how did they come to the caves after your family?
“Some humans do. Indeed, there were times on earth when most humans knew. Many of the Norse and Saxon gods of legend are actually famous shapeshifters. The Egyptian pantheon too. Shapeshifters were often considered powerful sorcerers and advisors and held positions of power. But since Europe became Christianized, the shapeshifters realized it was better to remain hidden. Though there are still humans who know us, especially in supernatural centers like DownMoor. Have you heard the stories about what used to happen there, the witch bonfires and hauntings and such?
I rolled my eyes. Of course I knew. The town had been replicating its supernatural past for as long as I could remember, using it as a ploy to attract more tourists. My friend Derek loved that stuff, he was always dragging me to mysterious bookstores or to some local ghost hunt.
“Well, many of those burned witches were actually werewolves.
The witch trials were what drove the last packs out of England, into the wilds of the continent or beyond. But my family stayed. My great-grandfather and grandfather loved this land and its people and wanted to keep it at all costs.
“There was a powerful family in the village, the Peytons. Robert Peyton was the local bishop, so he had tremendous power over the county. He delivered infamous sermons on fire and brimstone, which drew crowds from far and wide. Church attendance at DownMoor soared, as did a renewed intolerance of the supernatural. He hated my family for no reason other than what they were.
“Peyton's chance to rid DownMoor of my pack came when that child was killed in the village, torn apart by an animal a few days before her christening. Because of this horrible act, Peyton incited the village against my family. He shouted from the pulpit that we were the children of Satan, shape-shifting demons that entered the village at night and took his children. The fact that the child was not baptized helped the story. Peyton gathered a crowd. They came after my family with pitchforks and torches. There was no trial, no evidence. They killed my grandfather, my grandmother and their two children. My father was the only one who escaped with his life.”
- This is horrible.
“That's life as a werewolf,” Josh spat, his body shaking with rage. “Always on the outskirts, always running, always hiding and hoping your true nature isn't discovered.
"You have shown me your true nature," I said, touching his arm. “I haven't run away yet.
“You are different.
"Who killed the child?"
“That's the thing,” Josh said. “We never knew. My father carried this horrible guilt around with him his entire life, as if he secretly believed one of his brothers could have done this. That's why we hide in the forests. He chose to be alone, to escape the Lowe legacy, rather than fight for it.
"Then why did you come here?"
“My dad died last month,” Josh said, his voice tight. His words elicited a wave of empathy more powerful than I expected. I knew all too well the pain he was going through, the burning rage of the universe, the memories that flooded in when you least expected it, the way you felt cut off from the rest of the world, part of a secret society you never wanted to be a part of. .
“I'm sorry,” I whispered, wanting to say more but not knowing what to say. Even people like me, who had lived with death for so long, got bogged down with other people's grief. It was the British way.
“Okay, it's not your fault. He's been sick for a while, but… I saw an article about the dig in the paper. I showed him. I thought it might cheer you up to know that our old home might have some archaeological significance. But instead it drove him crazy. For days, he tossed and turned in bed, halfway between sleep and waking, muttering about the paintings and our family's curse…' He gasped. “The stress of it broke him, allowed the cancer to take over. It was all my fault.
“Josh, no. It was not.
“You weren't there. His voice got hard again. “You have no way of knowing. Only I know. The last words he spoke to me were, “Don't end up like me, Josh. Don't live your life paying for past mistakes.” So I came here to bury the past forever.
"Is that why you were in the caves with that crowbar?"
You were going to destroy the paintings?
Josh nodded.
"I knew if you found them, they'd get a lot of attention." My grandmother was fascinated by Neolithic art. She deliberately used the same styles and pigments used to create ancient cave paintings. She liked the idea that one day they might be considered older than they were. But there's no reason to bring up the whole story again now that everyone in the village has somehow forgotten it. It's not like the paintings are lost. They are not archaeologically significant, which your professor will discover once she does an in-depth analysis.
“But they are part of your history, your heritage. Doesn't that mean something?
“Not everyone wants to cling to the past,” he said. “Only archaeologists.
“Not all archaeologists want to cling to the past,” I said, two faces flashing before my eyes: my dad and Ben. “Some of us desperately want to forget.
"We have more in common than you'd like to admit," he said, a grim sadness passing over his features briefly. In an instant, that smile was back on his face, the sadness he had shown before disappeared in a moment, replaced by bright eyes and a cheeky smile. He took a step toward me, his muscles rippling as he moved.
"Can you point that thing somewhere else?" I asked, my cheeks flushing and growing hot as my eyes dropped once more to his hard cock. I tried not to imagine how good it would feel to ride him.
- Why? Josh said simply. "It's like this because of you."
"Um... I...
Josh was on me in an instant, his powerful arms wrapping around my body, the heat of his hands pressing into my back. His erection rubbed against my thigh, and an ache rumbled through me, wishing we were even closer.
“We were discussing something really serious earlier,” I said, desperately trying to buy time to think. Josh's scent intoxicated me, driving out any rational thought. There was a reason this was a bad idea… I just couldn't remember right now.
“Just talk,” he whispered. "And I'll leave you alone." I've done this before, despite it tearing me up inside. But I want you, Allora. I want to feel you under me, writhing in ecstasy. “Josh, I…I'm not sure…” “Can I help you make up your mind?
He pressed his lips to mine.
The touch sent a wave of heat through my body, an energy that reached from our lips to our toes. My fingers tingled, my core throbbed with need.
God, he tasted so good. His soft lips crushed mine, his growing mustache scraped against my skin. His tongue glided against mine, enveloping me in delicious heat.
This is a bad idea! my brain screamed. You barely know this guy, and what little you know about him suggests he's an arrogant ass with a vested interest in destroying priceless archaeological discoveries. Not to mention the fact that he's a werewolf. A werewolf. He could tear her to pieces...
Unfortunately, Josh's heady scent and luscious mouth dissolved the voice before she finished her thought. I pulled back, the chill in my limbs expelled by the warmth of our embrace.
Without breaking our kiss, Josh took me in his arms. He picked me up easily and started back to camp, his torn clothes left somewhere in the woods behind him.
— Which tent? he whispered against my lips.
“Yours,” I whispered back. “It's further away.
Josh threaded his way through the woods with ease, holding me like I weighed nothing. Every few steps, he would stop to hug me, kissing me passionately. Her hair fell over my face, tickling my skin. Occasionally, the voice in my head would surface, reminding me that this was a bad idea, that I wasn't ready, that I would regret this in the morning. But all my protests dissolved in Josh's kisses and the vibrant energy that enveloped us, pulling our bodies together like magnets. Maybe my head wasn't ready, but my body couldn't wait to be naked next to him.
Inside his tent, Josh laid me down on the bed, an air mattress covered with two hides and an arctic sleeping bag. It looked like the boudoir of some kind of modern Viking. Josh picked up his phone and opened an app of a lit candle, which he placed on the floor next to the bed.
— To set the mood. - He smiled.
“If only it were a roaring fire,” I said, my teeth chattering through the cold air.
Josh took off my boots, kissed the top of my socks and slid in next to me on the furs.
“Let's see if I can't do something to warm you up,” he said, yanking off my shirt. Buttons echoed in the tent as he tossed the useless fabric aside. My bra was next. He took off the straps as if they were made of macaroni. His eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
“Fuck, you're beautiful,” he whispered, his gaze dancing over my body. I flushed from the heat, his words pulsing through me. Josh buried his face in my neck, trailing a line of kisses over my skin. My body lit up under his touch as he dragged his teeth over the sensitive skin behind my ear. I moaned, trailing my fingers down his back, enjoying the way his muscles responded to my touch.
Josh's kisses traveled down my collarbone and up to my chest. He cupped one breast in his hand, pointing the nipple toward his mouth. He blew against the sensitive button. Every hair on my body stood on end.
His eyes glued to mine, Josh leaned in and sucked my nipple into his mouth. I screamed as the sensation surged through my chest. He nibbled and sucked, pulling each nipple in turn. Within seconds I was moaning against him, my entire body alight with sparks.
Josh pulled away, a cheeky smile lighting up his entire face.
“I know it's hard,” he said, as his fingers slid down my stomach toward my jeans. "But you're going to have to be quiet." Unless you want to wake up the entire camp to tell them what I'm doing to you.
“You seem very confident.
“I have good reason. Josh bent his head and took one of my nipples in his mouth again.
I gasped as his warm tongue glided over my sensitive skin once more. Curse you…