The Hungry Wolf Ch. 04

"But I'm not a werewolf, so how can that be?"

"It just is. I understand it's hard for you to accept -- most likely because it's hard for me to explain -- but it's one of those things we just take on faith."

"I was talking with Eva, and she said that there's no way to go back from being...um..."

"Mated?" Damien offered.

"No. She used another word for it. Damn." She shook her head a bit. "Doesn't matter."

"We don't break-up, Charlie. We mate for life with one mate."

"So if you and I mate, neither of us would ever be with anyone else?"

"Correct." He watched her thinking for a moment and sighed. "When my wolf realized you were my mate, our mate, I was so frustrated."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Because you're human. That makes things a lot more complicated. I was cursing fate for sending me a human mate."

"Wow. You really know how to sweet-talk, don't you."

"I'm not trying to. Would you rather I did?" She shook her head at that and waved her hand for him to continue. "Still, as aggravated and disappointed as I was with your being human, once my wolf recognized you as our mate, it was all I could do to keep from claiming you right there on the side of the road. If you had been a wolf, like me, you would have felt the pull towards me that I felt towards you, and I wouldn't have had to restrain myself." He sighed again, running his hand through his hair. "I had given up on ever finding my mate, you know. I...I'd thought I was destined to be alone."

"I know," Charlie said, her voice gentle, "Eva told me about Stacie." Damien looked at her, relieved to find sympathy on her face and not mistrust. "What does 'claiming' mean?" she asked, not wanting either of them to dwell on either of their pasts.

"I would have claimed you, claimed you as my mate."

"No, I mean how. How would you have claimed me?"

"I would have made love to you as my ibrido and bitten your neck."

"Your ibrido? What is that?"

"Kind of like a cross between man and wolf." He pushed his empty plate away and leaned forward, elbows on the table. "You know those old myths about 'wolf men'?" She nodded. "Kind of like that."

"You can change in to another -- um -- thing?"

"Thing?"

"Sorry. Not sure what to call it? Or, uh, you?" She rubbed her eyes a bit. "Sorry, cowboy, but I find myself at a loss as to what is politically correct here."

"Don't apologize. I am sorry, my Charlotte." He sighed and sat back in his chair, looking at her. "This is hard to explain. Everything is hard to explain. And I forget that it is all new to you."

"Yeah, it is that," she smiled, pouring herself another glass of wine.

"I can take three different...forms, I guess you'd call it. There's this one," he waved his hand to indicate himself. "This is my most common form."

"Your most common?"

"Yes. The one I'm usually in. The one we're all usually in." Charlie nodded at him to continue. "My wolf -- which you've seen. And one that's a cross between the two."

"Your wolfman?" she asked, half joking. He nodded, grabbing the bottle to pour himself some wine and finding it empty. Charlie rose from the table, stacking their plates and grabbing the empty bottle. "I'll be right back," she said, heading back to the kitchen.

"Isn't it my turn to clean?" Damien asked with a smile.

"Yes it is. But I'm just going for dessert and more wine." He heard her moving about and smiled when she came back with two small plates in her hands and two bottles of wine tucked under her arms.

"Trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?" he teased.

"Right. You unraveled my evil plan," she snorted, shaking her head. She pulled a corkscrew out of her pocket and sat down, handing it to Damien. "Can I see your other one?" she asked.

Damien stared at her for a moment, her shy tone surprising him. "You mean the cross between the two?" He went back to opening the wine and pouring himself another glass.

"I don't remember what you called it," she nodded. She drained her glass and held it out to him for a refill.

"We call it ibrido, or 'hybrid'. Some call it 'were'. Others have still different names for it." He filled her glass and set the bottle down. "Are you sure you want to see it?"

"Is it gross?" she asked, confused.

"Gross? No, I don't think so." He looked at her, aching to take her in his arms again. "But it can be frightening."

"Are you... I mean, you're not going to, um, eat me or anything, are you?"

"Eat you? No. At least, not in a way you wouldn't find immensely pleasurable," Damien said, his eyes holding hers.

"That wasn't what I meant," she said quietly, blushing.

"We don't eat people, my love," he said softly.

"Sorry. I keep feeling like I'm putting my foot in my mouth. I didn't mean to imply you're a monster."

"I know." She looked up at him and smiled. "I will never hurt you, my love. Never. It's part of our bond. All I want to do is protect you. When you told me about what had happened to you, my wolf and I were going insane. I wanted to go back in time and stop it from happening, shield you from any pain, and it made me crazy to know I couldn't." He looked at her and smiled, wanting to take her in his arms. "Which is why I was so distressed last night. When you asked me if I could change, and if you're asking me that bothered me...well, I could see I had hurt you. I shouldn't have behaved that way." He sighed, watching as she picked at the poached pears on her plate. "All I meant by my warning you about my ibrido was it might be scary for you, because you're not used to it."

She thought for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "I would really like to see it, though. If you don't mind."

"I don't mind." He stood up, grabbing his wine glass in one hand and the two bottles in the other. "Let's move to the living room? There's more space." Charlie stood and picked up her glass, following him to the sofa. He put his glass and the bottles on the coffee table and gestured for Charlie to take a seat before moving to the other side of the table and starting to undress.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked, ignoring the way her stomach dropped as he pulled his shirt off and folded it haphazardly before putting it on the table.

"I am quite a bit larger when I change, Charlie. I don't want to rip my clothes."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that," she said, nodding at him to continue. He smiled at her wide eyes when he unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down his hips, stepping out of them and laying them on top of his t-shirt.

"Ready?" he asked, standing tall in front of her in all his naked glory. Charlie nodded again, incapable of speech, and he stretched a bit before nodding back at her. "Remember, I love you."

His body seemed to shimmer briefly, the muscles pulsing under his skin for a moment, it was over so quickly Charlie wasn't even sure she saw it. Fur sprouted all over his body, sleek blue-black fur, as his legs thickened and lengthened, adding almost half a foot to his height, his knees becoming slightly more pronounced and more rounded. His already broad torso swelled, as his arms and neck thickened as his ears pointed and his jaw and nose elongated into a short muzzle. The whole thing only took a few seconds.

Charlie sat, immobile, eyes locked on the big dark eyes of the wolf man in front of her. There was no mistaking his eyes. Damien's eyes. Big warm pools of brown so deep they seemed almost black. They stared at each other; Damien was afraid to move for fear he would scare her, Charlie just felt a bit overwhelmed by what she saw.

After a few moments of silence she leaned forward and put her glass on the table. "Damien?" she said tentatively. He nodded, slowly, wanting her to realize he was answering her and not just moving. She stood up and approached him.

"Do you mind?" she whispered, picking up his hand. He shook his head, his movements deliberate, and she looked at his hand closely. It was a man's hand, but oddly shaped and textured. The fingers had shortened and thickened. She turned his hand over, running her fingers over the coarse pads that overtook his palm and fingers. She ran her fingertips lightly over his claws before dragging them over the back of her hand. Looking up into his eyes again, she ran her hand up his arm, enjoying the tickle of his fur on her palm. "So soft," she murmured, "I had no idea you would be this soft."

Charlie walked around him, trailing her hands over his body, looking at every part of him she could. She reached his front again and stroked his neck, running her hands up to caress his ears. She lifted his lips and looked at his teeth, touching the tips with her fingers -- impossibly sharp -- before running her hands back down his chest. She glanced down and her eyes got wide at the increased size of his cock. "You're huge," she said, looking up at him. "You'd fuck me with that? It'll never fit." He pushed on her shoulders gently, forcing her to take a step back. He shimmered in front of her again and changed back to his human form, stretching and cracking his back.

"I would fit you, my love, in all my incarnations." He said when he was finished stretching.

"All of them?"

"Yes. You and only you."

"I don't want to sound like a -- I mean -- I don't -- I just can't..."

"When I claim you, I will start out as you see me now. I would change when we are making love, when we are both on the cusp of orgasm. I would become my ibrido and bite you here," he touched the hollow where her neck and left shoulder met.

"Bite me? Literally?"

"Yes. It would mark you, and bind my scent to yours."

"What else?"

"What else what?"

"It would make me a werewolf?"

"Yes."

"Right away?"

"Yes and no. You would adopt certain characteristics right away. Higher resting body temperature and pulse, increased strength and grace, quickened healing, resistance to illness. But your first change wouldn't be until the first full moon after we're mated." He took her hand and led her back to the couch, grabbing his clothes and putting them back on as she sat and watched him.

"Increased grace, huh?" He nodded at her and she rewarded him with a bright smile, making his breath catch in his throat as he realized it was the first full smile he'd seen on her face since dinner the night before. "Too bad my mom didn't know that. It would have saved her from spending tons of money on useless ballet lessons when I was a kid." Damien laughed at that, a full body laugh that had her giggling with him as he sat next to her.

They both relaxed a bit at that, falling silent and lost in their own thoughts.

"Does it hurt, changing forms?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"No. It kind of...burns a bit. Not like heat, more like strained muscles? But it's brief. And you don't even feel it after a short while."

"Really?" He nodded.

"And so after this happened, that would be it? I'd just kind of be your were... partner? Were wife? Is there a term for it?" She drained her glass and poured herself some more wine.

"Mate. You are my mate. After the ceremony we would be mated."

"Ceremony?"

"Yes. The mating takes place in front of the pack."

"The...wait...the sex? We'd have sex in front of the pack?"

"Yes. And likely some guests as well."

"Guests?"

"My sister and her mate, my parents..."

"Your parents?" She drained her glass and turned to face him. "Let me get this straight. You and I would have sex, in front of not only all the people here, but your parents, too? And you'd bite me during this?" She went to pour herself another glass but just brought the bottle up to her lips and drained it in one long drink.

"Sex for us is different. It's...it's seen as something natural and healthy. A mated couple's sexual proclivity bodes well for the future of the pack. The more we mate, the more likely we are to produce offspring."

"Is that an issue? Having babies? Are they called babies?" Charlie asked. She remembered what he had said the previous morning. "Is that why you said you couldn't get me pregnant?"

"We don't have babies -- or babes or cubs or pups, whatever you want to call them-" he said with a smile, "as easily as humans. It's like population control, to prevent overpopulating and the issues that would come with it. Sometimes mated pairs will have to wait years before they have any. And it is impossible for us to have any with humans." He reached over and took her hand, nearly shouting his relief when she didn't pull it away from him. "My parents, for instance, were mated more than 200 years before they had Darlene, and nearly 300 years before they had Darian and I."

"Wow."

"And they could still have more children."

"More?" Charlie looked at him closely to see if he was teasing her and he nodded. "How long are you fertile for?"

"A long time."

"Would I become like you? Living long and having babies when I'm 300 years old?"

"Yes and maybe."

"Anything else I should know?" she asked, sitting back a bit. He still held her hand in his, and it gave him the courage he needed to press on.

"When I make love to you as my ibrido -- or my wolf -- we will be tied together for anywhere from 15 minutes to more than an hour."

"Wait -- I thought it was for life?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

"No, sorry. I mean physically tied together."

"They tie us to each other? Why?"

"Shit. Sorry. I am really not explaining this well." He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. "There's cartilage at the base of my penis -- all male wolves have it -- that swells during mating and locks me inside you."

"Really? Why?"

"To assist with fertilization."

"Does it hurt?" she asked shyly. She didn't know why, but the idea of him being forced to stay inside her was enticing.

"I don't think so. I've never tied myself to anyone before." He looked at her closely, wondering about the small smile on her lips and the mischievous look in her eyes.

"What about the girl? Does it hurt the girl?"

"I don't think so." She was quiet for a bit as she thought over all he said. Damien sat and watched her, her face was so expressive he didn't want to interrupt.

"It's a lot to take in," she said at last. She scooted over to him, lifting the hand that still held hers and shocking him by nestling herself against his side, moving his arm to lay across her shoulders before letting go of his hand. She wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head on his chest. "I mean, it's huge, Damien. I can't make a decision on something like this right away."

"I know, my love. And I'm sorry I handled it so poorly," he said, wrapping her up in his arms and kissing the top of her head.

"It's not your fault," Charlie said with a sigh. "It's a weird thing to have to tell someone, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," he said with a low laugh. Charlie felt the vibrations of his laugh and smiled. "If you would like, I can introduce you to Lisa. She was the last human brought in to the pack and could probably tell you more of what to expect if you change." He could feel his wolf wanting to push forward and claim her to force her to stay -- no more 'if' and damn the consequences -- and pushed it back.

"Really?" He nodded and kissed the top of her head again. "I appreciate you being so understanding, Damien." She gave him a squeeze.

"About that, my love." He gently eased her off of his chest, and turned her to face him again. He looked at her and smiled, although to Charlie it seemed sad. "I do understand. I really do. I can't know how hard it would be to make this change for you. This life is all I know, all I have ever known. And I can't stop being who I am; I will always have my wolf in me, he is part of me forever. But I can change how I live."

He slid off the couch and knelt in front of her, taking her hands and kissing her palms. "I love you. Completely. And I will always love you. You make both sides of me -- man and wolf -- so happy, Charlotte, that I wish there was a word stronger than love. Even to say I adore you, cherish you, worship you is not enough. I cannot see my life beyond you, and I have no wish to." He raised her hands again, this time kissing the backs of them softly.

"Damien-" she began, but he cut her off.

"I won't live my life without you, my love, because I choose not to. If you decide you can't be with me here, in my world, Charlotte Emily Bell, then I will gladly leave it behind to be with you in yours." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful platinum ring. A single, huge princess cut diamond was surrounded by delicate filigreed lilies. Charlie choked on a sob as he lifted her left hand and slid it on her ring finger. It was slightly loose.

"Damien, it's beautiful...I..." Charlie began, but she was too overwhelmed to continue.

"I love you, Charlie," he whispered, leaning forward and pulling her to him to kiss her.

"Damien," she sighed as she broke the kiss, putting her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. "You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to," he whispered. They sat that way for a while, holding each other in silence, until Charlie surprised him again by nuzzling her nose on his neck.

"You smell good," she said dreamily. "Like comfort." She kissed his neck softly and raised her head to look at him. She looked tired and confused. "I have a lot to think about," she said quietly, cupping his face in her hands. "And I am exhausted. And I've had too much wine. I can't think anymore now, because nothing is making sense." She smiled and kissed him softly before dropping her hands to her lap. "Let me sleep on it?"

"Of course."

"Here. You should probably hold on to this until I decide," she said, slipping the ring off her finger and handing it back to him.

"No," Damien said, offended. "This is yours. I want you to have it."

"Damien! I can't. It...it must have cost a fortune."

"It's yours, my love." He slipped it back on her finger. "I only wish it were half as beautiful as you." She blushed and shook her head, looking down at the ring on her finger. "Will you share my bed tonight? Just to sleep?" he asked softly.

"I don't think that would be for the best. Not yet, anyway," she said after a long pause. "I...I worry. I am afraid of making mistakes again, Damien. My heart and my head are at odds with each other, and they both seem to be rushing me towards opposite ends, and I can't yet see either of them." He nodded and caressed her cheek. "And it is a lot to sort through before I can."

"Alright, Charlie," Damien said, taking her in his arms again and kissing her slowly, almost lazily. She opened her lips to him when she felt his tongue lick at them, and he gently deepened the kiss, both of them almost crying in relief at being allowed this intimacy again.

"Good night," Charlie said, her voice thick, as she reluctantly broke off the kiss. She stood and moved towards the guest room she slept in the night before.

"Good night, dolcezza." Something in Damien's voice made her turn to look at where he still knelt on the floor. She noted the circles under his eyes and the almost hopeless air about him and walked back over to him, bending down to cradle his head.

"I'd much rather be in your bed, Damien," she said, laughing softly when he wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her to him, muttering a muffled 'thank the gods' against her. Charlie felt lighter having admitted that to him. She kissed the top of his head and removed herself from his arms. "I just need time to think is all. Good night," she said again, making her way to the bedroom. She slipped off her bra and shorts, climbing into bed in her tank top and panties and was asleep almost before she was able to pull the blanket up over her.

She woke a few hours later needing the bathroom. She sat up, disoriented at first about where she was, but quickly gathered her wits. She walked to the door, not bothering to slip her shorts back on, and almost tripped over the big wolf laying at her threshold. He laid his ears back and whined, eyes on hers.