Eventually, he told me about himself and what he was.”
“And you weren’t repulsed?” Elizabeth asked in mild surprise.
“Not in the least. I felt as if he’d given me a great treasure trusting me with his secret. He convinced me to hide our relationship since his family would likely retaliate because I wasn’t good enough. After he told me he was a werewolf, he admitted the reason was I wasn’t a werewolf. If only I’d be willing to change, so I offered to. Anything to make being with him acceptable to his kind.”
She paused, that moonlit night when he had taken her blood and given of his for the third time washing over her, the joy, the pain, the love, the betrayal. Swallowing hard on the lump trying to choke her, she continued. “As you must have figured out already, he changed me. The last night of the exchange was the last night I saw him as my lover. He promised to meet me for my first full moon to help, but he never showed up.”
“He didn’t show up!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “What kind of bastard changes over a woman he professes to love then doesn’t help her through it?”
“The kind who’s already married. The kind who betrays his pack. The kind getting a pack trial tonight.”
Lisa heard of stunned silence before but had never been in the midst of one as she was now. Their silence rang with shock. Their movements halted; faces frozen in the moment. A freeze-frame in time, as if time itself would not move forward until they did.
“You and Joseph?” Elizabeth finally blurted out at the same time her husband said, “Joseph made you an aswan without helping you?”
A little unaccustomed to being in the happy arena, particularly in recent times, Lisa’s laughter felt rusty but good. She’d been afraid of their rejection once they had learned her to be an aswan . Instead, they were indignant on her behalf, and Elizabeth’s eyes were full of sympathy as she put the pieces together faster than her husband.
“I get it now,” Elizabeth said more softly. “Joseph isn’t just another werewolf to you. You, more than anyone, could speak out against him and reveal his betrayals. I hope you have since learned we do not leave our aswans to the night or the lonely dark without comfort and guidance.”
“I have. There has been one other aswan as they wanted to be married,” Lisa said. Her heart ached at both the similarity of her situation and the following differences to the couple she saw at the pack meetings.
“He needs to be drawn and quartered for what he did to you alone,” Marty said quietly. “It’s not just about you,” he added at her protest. “It’s for the protection of the pack. You get people making random wolves without teaching them and helping them on their first full moon, soon we’ll be hunted. And that’s if none of them die during the exchange.”
This time, Lisa put her crochet down in her side basket as a chill swept her being. Die? Joseph never mentioned it. “Die,” she repeated her thought when she found her voice.
“Many humans can’t make the change. So many have died during conversion. It’s recommended you seek pack permission before trying to convert one over. Sometimes we find people’s heritage which suggests their ancestors were pack who lost the ability or who had children outside the pack. As far as anyone knows, there hasn’t been a death among those ones before.”
“Joseph never mentioned it,” Lisa said in a small voice.
“Maybe he doesn’t know,” Elizabeth said, hushing her husband with a small gesture. “Either way, I think you should go and be sure to stand proud if he sees you. Show him you made it and you have importance in the pack. Whether or not he dies tonight, you’ll have stood up to him and shown him you hold no secret longing for him. How many times have you seen him since?”
“I’ve avoided him and hid myself. He never came with his wife for the OB care. I’m sure he knows my name, but it’s a common name
“And you weren’t repulsed?” Elizabeth asked in mild surprise.
“Not in the least. I felt as if he’d given me a great treasure trusting me with his secret. He convinced me to hide our relationship since his family would likely retaliate because I wasn’t good enough. After he told me he was a werewolf, he admitted the reason was I wasn’t a werewolf. If only I’d be willing to change, so I offered to. Anything to make being with him acceptable to his kind.”
She paused, that moonlit night when he had taken her blood and given of his for the third time washing over her, the joy, the pain, the love, the betrayal. Swallowing hard on the lump trying to choke her, she continued. “As you must have figured out already, he changed me. The last night of the exchange was the last night I saw him as my lover. He promised to meet me for my first full moon to help, but he never showed up.”
“He didn’t show up!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “What kind of bastard changes over a woman he professes to love then doesn’t help her through it?”
“The kind who’s already married. The kind who betrays his pack. The kind getting a pack trial tonight.”
Lisa heard of stunned silence before but had never been in the midst of one as she was now. Their silence rang with shock. Their movements halted; faces frozen in the moment. A freeze-frame in time, as if time itself would not move forward until they did.
“You and Joseph?” Elizabeth finally blurted out at the same time her husband said, “Joseph made you an aswan without helping you?”
A little unaccustomed to being in the happy arena, particularly in recent times, Lisa’s laughter felt rusty but good. She’d been afraid of their rejection once they had learned her to be an aswan . Instead, they were indignant on her behalf, and Elizabeth’s eyes were full of sympathy as she put the pieces together faster than her husband.
“I get it now,” Elizabeth said more softly. “Joseph isn’t just another werewolf to you. You, more than anyone, could speak out against him and reveal his betrayals. I hope you have since learned we do not leave our aswans to the night or the lonely dark without comfort and guidance.”
“I have. There has been one other aswan as they wanted to be married,” Lisa said. Her heart ached at both the similarity of her situation and the following differences to the couple she saw at the pack meetings.
“He needs to be drawn and quartered for what he did to you alone,” Marty said quietly. “It’s not just about you,” he added at her protest. “It’s for the protection of the pack. You get people making random wolves without teaching them and helping them on their first full moon, soon we’ll be hunted. And that’s if none of them die during the exchange.”
This time, Lisa put her crochet down in her side basket as a chill swept her being. Die? Joseph never mentioned it. “Die,” she repeated her thought when she found her voice.
“Many humans can’t make the change. So many have died during conversion. It’s recommended you seek pack permission before trying to convert one over. Sometimes we find people’s heritage which suggests their ancestors were pack who lost the ability or who had children outside the pack. As far as anyone knows, there hasn’t been a death among those ones before.”
“Joseph never mentioned it,” Lisa said in a small voice.
“Maybe he doesn’t know,” Elizabeth said, hushing her husband with a small gesture. “Either way, I think you should go and be sure to stand proud if he sees you. Show him you made it and you have importance in the pack. Whether or not he dies tonight, you’ll have stood up to him and shown him you hold no secret longing for him. How many times have you seen him since?”
“I’ve avoided him and hid myself. He never came with his wife for the OB care. I’m sure he knows my name, but it’s a common name
Similar Books
