Werewolf Girl Ch. 07

Hi friends, it's short but it's not late! More to come.

Love, T.

Chapter 7

They ran into the hills that night, and Vera led the way. She could feel the influence of the moon, riding the night sky above them, almost full. The closer the moon got to full the harder it was to stay human at night, and the harder it was to think like a human. On the night of the full moon, from moonrise to moonset, werewolves were fully animal. They had to be careful, on the night of the full moon, to make sure they weren't in a populated area when the sun set.

They'd been running through the dark woods for hours when Vera picked up a scent: human. She followed, nose to the ground, suddenly oblivious to everything but the pursuit of her prey. The scent was that of a male, young, alone. Vera's paws were almost silent on the pine needles that covered the forest floor, she could just barely hear Lucien padding through the dark in her wake.

Through the trees ahead she saw a campfire; her quarry was sitting beside it, staring into the flames. Good, Vera thought, the light would blind him until it was too late. Clear slaver dripped from her jaws as Vera slowed and dropped into a crouch. The scent of the young man was rich in the cool night air. Vera circled left, mentally willing Lucien to go right, flanking the prey. She stalked slowly behind the man, ready to pounce. A quick snap to the back of the neck, he wouldn't even have time to scream.

Just as Vera gathered her legs beneath her to spring, Lucien surged out of the darkness with a snarl, blocking her path. The hiker shrieked at the sight of the wolves and fell off his seat, scrambling away.

Vera growled low in her throat and tried to step around the bigger werewolf. Lucien moved to block her again. The hiker scrambled to his feet and took off running. She could hear his panting breath and scrabbling feet as he half ran, half fell down the hillside, away from his camp.

Lucien transformed into his human shape and stood, chest heaving in the firelight. Vera transformed as well, her blood boiling with anger.

"What the hell were you doing?" he asked her, gesturing in the direction the man had fled.

"Having a snack. Why did you stop me?" she snarled back. "We're not even in your territory; no one would have suspected you."

"It's not about that!" Lucien looked flabbergasted. "You were trying to kill him!"

"He was a human!" Vera retorted hotly. "Prey. It's what we do!"

"It's not what I do." He replied hotly, running a hand through his hair and turning away from her.

Vera narrowed her eyes. "You don't kill humans? Even when you can get away with it?"

"No," he said softly.

"Never?" Vera was intrigued, her anger draining away. She'd never met a werewolf who didn't hunt before. They had to be careful of course, especially close to home, but they all did it. Once you tasted the flesh of a man nothing else came close.

"No." Lucien said sharply. "They might not be like us but they still have thoughts and feelings." He gestured down the hill again. "That could have been David!"

Vera twisted her lip in a snarl, expressing contempt, but inside she felt something strange. She really did care about David. If someone else killed him, like she had almost killed that hiker, she would be angry and upset.

The two wolves made their way back through the woods but Vera's mind was still spinning. She had been raised to think of humans as prey. Beneath her. The werewolf population was small by comparison to humans so they had to be careful, but the humans were theirs to hunt. She'd thought that all werewolves felt the same way.

Since spending time with David and Chris she'd gotten to know them as people. They weren't the weak, stupid creatures she'd thought humans were. Her jaws still salivated at the thought of eating human flesh but when she pictured David's sweet face on the body she was ripping apart, Vera found she had no stomach for the kill.

Lucien seemed distant when he kissed her goodnight in the backyard. These feelings were new to Vera but Lucien had obviously spent a lot more time in the company of humans. Lying awake in David's bed that night Vera wondered again why Lucien had never joined a pack. He was young but she thought he had the makings of an alpha wolf. She could easily see him leading his own pack. Then she wondered again why she herself had never joined a pack.

Vera had tried it of course. When she came across another group on her travels she usually stayed for a week or a month, maybe even several. But she never seemed to find a place within a pack. And the road was always calling to her. Vera's father used to tease her that she's caught the wanderlust from her mother, whom Vera had never met.

Thinking about it Vera got a prickly feeling, and suddenly the walls seemed too close. She longed to slip outside and run all night. Away from here. Just to see what was over the next hill, around the next curve in the road.

Eventually Vera fell asleep but the wanderlust had been reawakened inside her.

::

David seemed more jittery than usual the next day. He was jiggling his knees and tapping his fingers. Vera had made up her mind to talk to him, to break it off, but it never seemed like the right time. She followed him around the house all morning, making both of them nervous.

Finally she worked up her nerve and cornered him in the kitchen while he was making a sandwich.

"David," she said, putting a hand on his elbow. "I need to talk to you."

He put down the butter knife and sighed, running a hand through his curly hair and making it stand up in funny shapes. "I need to talk to you, too," he sighed.

They sat down at the kitchen table and David took Vera's hands in his. He sighed and looked at her, his blue eyes earnest. Did he know? Vera wondered briefly.

"I got an internship," David said. "In California. It's with a film studio; it's exactly what I wanted."

Vera breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in her chair. This was wrapping itself up more neatly than she could have hoped.

David peeked up at her through his lashes. "Would you...um. Would you come with me?" He looked so sweet and hopeful.

Vera squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "I can't, David. Actually it think it's time I was moving on anyway. This was only supposed to be two days, remember?"

"Yeah," he smiled sadly, not meeting her eyes. "Where will you go?"

Vera shrugged. Now that she had said it out loud she felt the need to move on gnawing at her. She had been ignoring it all this time but the wanderlust was always there, tugging at her mind, trying to push her out the door and on to new adventures.

"I'm not sure," Vera smiled with genuine excitement. "But it doesn't matter. When does your internship start?" Vera asked, tearing her mind away from her own plans.

"Right away. I'm leaving tomorrow." David answered.

"Wow. OK." Vera squeezed his hand again. "I'll miss you." And she was surprised to find that she really meant it.

"Me too." David looked up at her again and his eyes were distorted by tears. Vera felt something wrench inside her chest and hot up to perch on David's lap, wrapping her arms around him. "Maybe you can visit," David said, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Yeah," Vera replied, knowing that she never would. "I have your number. I'll call you."

David sighed and held her tighter. He knew she wouldn't call too.

::

The sex is different, when you know it's the last time. Everything seemed more important to Vera that night. She and David undressed each other slowly, noticing every curve and angle of each other's bodies. David kissed her lips softly, tasting her thoroughly. He stroked her hair, running his fingers through the dark locks from her nape down to the middle of her back, the silky strands flowing smoothly through his long fingers.

Vera sighed and leaned into him, pressing her skin against his skin and feeling his comforting warmth. They sank onto the bed together, touching and kissing with a bittersweet urgency. They wanted each other but they wanted this to last, their final night together.

Finally, David's caresses and kisses had worked Vera up until her body was so sensitive that she feared she would come as soon as he entered her. Neither of them could stand it any longer and he pushed himself inside. It felt to Vera like home, like a safe place where she was always welcome and cared for.

They moved together slowly, arms wrapped tight around the other. David thrust into her gently, his lips resting against her neck and Vera could feel every gasping breath he took. She squeezed him tight, wrapping her legs around his hips to take him even deeper as the friction grew within her.

She wanted to come. She never wanted to come. She wanted to feel this safe and loved forever. David's breaths turned to shuddering gasps as he fought with his own orgasm. Vera opened herself to him and relaxed, letting the waves of pleasure sweep over her at last. She sighed and shuddered as her orgasm swept outward from the place where they joined together.

David came, clinging to her, and they lay entwined together for a long time. Finally they slept, but Vera woke often, restless, and watched to moon through the window with wolfish yellow eyes.