Chapter 3 Three
Danica lay in bed, staring up at her roof, as thoughts of the evening danced across her closed lids. Every time she had begun to drift into sleep, the terrifying black wolf with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp teeth would appear and shock her awake.
As she tried to sleep, she allowed herself to drift back to her conversation with Mason before he finally allowed her to escape into the comfort of her home.
He had said that she was a werewolf and that she would be changing in three days. The thought of it was absolutely absurd, but after seeing a wolf shift into a man, nothing seemed impossible anymore.
Unable to sleep, Danica sat up and pulled her laptop from her bedside table. Opening it, she stared at the glowing screen in front of her before opening a search engine and typing in werewolf.
All the links that appeared for her were for horror movie-based information and urban legends. Nothing remotely solid could help her calm her racing mind.
"What did you expect, idiot?" she murmured, slamming her computer shut and placing it back in its place on the bedside table beside her. "Werewolves aren't supposed to be real."
Flopping back down, she ran a hand over her face, trying to clear her thoughts.
She needed to stop thinking about it so she could get some sleep. Mason had already promised to visit her in the morning to explain everything to her before the full moon arrived and she would go through her first change.
Her first change, the hysteria she was desperately trying to keep at bay, came bubbling up to the surface again as she began to consider her first 'change'.
Danica could feel her body beginning to shake uncontrollably as she allowed her fear to run rampant.
Many different scenarios played in her head, each one much worse than the first, as she wondered just what it would feel like to shift.
Would it be painful? All she had to go off was what she saw in werewolf movies when the characters bones would begin to snap and reshape, and the obvious pain they felt as their bodies began to contort and take the shape of the wolf entirely.
Stomach suddenly turning, Danica jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, making it just in time to heave up the entire contents of her stomach.
Huffing, she allowed herself to collapse on the cold tile floor below her as she curled into a ball.
Finally exhausted, she fell into a nightmare-filled sleep plagued by humans shifting into terrifying creatures and crimson red eyes.
Danica woke the next morning to the sound of her adoptive mother Martha tapping on the bathroom door. Initially she was confused as to why she was even there, but soon images of the previous night came crashing in like waves.
"Danica," Martha called through the door, drawing her attention away from her inner struggle. "Are you ok, honey?"
"Sorry," Danica responded, pushing herself off the floor. "I'm coming."
Martha stood to the side as Danica exited the bathroom with embarrassment. Her long gray hair was braided and twisted into a bun on the top of her head, her usual go-to hairstyle, and her pale face, which had begun to wrinkle, held an air of concern as she took in Danica's disheveled look.
"I understand you girls celebrated last night, but if you're in this state then maybe you should learn some control," she sighed, her eyes flashing with concern and disapproval.
"Martha, I didn't drink," she assured, letting her eyes meet her adoptive mother's. "I just didn't feel well last night."
Squinting, Martha leaned forward and gave a tentative sniff, as if she would be able to smell whether Danica was telling the truth or not.
"You don't smell of alcohol," she murmured, furrowing her brows.
"I'm not lying to you," Danica sighed. "I promise."
For a moment, Martha didn't speak as she continued to examine Danica closely.
"Sorry, I thought the worst. I'm just concerned about you."
To show her sincerity, Martha pulled Danica into a hug before allowing her to head back to her room to change and get ready for her meeting with Mason.
Dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a black tank top, Danica padded downstairs, where she found Martha painting in front of their bay window. This was usually where she found her these days, as she was on an art kick.
Her obsessions usually lasted for about a month at a time, but this one had at least another week left. Before this, it had been scrapbooking. Her incomplete books still lay scattered around the house, along with magazines and news clippings.
Greeting Martha with a quick kiss on the top of her head, Danica hurried out the front door after slipping on her sandals and grabbing her bag.
Outside, Mason was already waiting at the gate when Danica exited the house.
This morning he was fully clothed in Jean shorts and a black shirt. Taking in Danica, he smirked.
"We match," he noted, causing Danica to blush a crimson red. "You ready?"
Nodding, Danica took a calming breath and began to move forward.
"Let's go," she said, passing him and beginning to make her way to his waiting black Jeep. "I don't have all day."
Rushing forward, Mason hurriedly opened Danica's door for her. Eyeing him suspiciously, she got in and began buckling up as he shut the door and headed to the driver's side.
Danica kept her gaze fixed on Mason as he got in and pushed his key into the ignition.
"What?" he asked, noticing her curious look. "Is there something on my face?"
"You're quite the gentleman," Danica noted, saying what was on her mind.
"Who said Chivalry was dead?" Mason chuckled, sending a wave of excitement through her over how delicious the sound was. "Did I win some points with you, maybe?"
"I'm not one of your many admirers," Danica hissed, composing herself. "So don't think your tricks will work."
Flinching, Mason's mouth dipped from a smile to a line that worked to not turn into a frown.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down at her hands and realizing that she had said the wrong thing. "I just don't really know you, and what I do know of you isn't exactly good; I am just kind of confused."
"About what?" Mason asked, cocking his head to the side.
"If wolves have mates, and they mate for life...." she tried to grasp the right words. "Then how were you able to be with so many women?"
Beside her, Mason couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him, causing Danica to ruffle in annoyance.
"Just because each and every one of us has a mate that the moon goddess promises us doesn't mean we can't date other people. Not to mention, we don't even feel the call of our mates until we are both eighteen or older."
Face flushing again, Danica continued to stare at her hands. As she kept her gaze locked on them, she watched a big, rough hand littered with scars cover them.
Again, she felt the familiar rush of fire going through her at his touch.
"Why does that happen?" she suddenly asked, hoping that Mason understood exactly what she was getting at. "You know..."
"The sensations you feel when I touch you?" Mason smirked, a mischievous smile playing on his face. "Is this your way of saying you like it?"
Danica floundered for a way to respond as Mason's hand slowly made its way up her arm to her shoulder, then her neck, and finally came to rest on her flushed cheek.
She couldn't control the gasp that escaped her lips at what his touch did to her. Instead of pulling away as she knew she should, she leaned in, closing her eyes and basking in the tempting sensations he was making her feel.
Taking her silence as a go-ahead, he gently began to let his hand trace down her face to her chin and then along her plump bottom lip.
A tantalizing chill began to run through Danica's body as he continued this movement, sending wave after wave of intoxicating warmth through her entire body and down to her core.
Opening her eyes, Danica found Mason's bright green eyes had darkened to a deep forest green. She could make out a look of hunger in them that both excited and scared her.
When he was close enough for his breath to intermingle with hers, she finally snapped out of it, realizing they were about to take a step too far. A step she was nowhere near ready to take, especially with someone who was practically a stranger to her at that.
Placing a hand on Mason's chest, Danica gently pushed him backwards, breaking the trance they were both in.
Blinking a few times, Mason returned to the present, the hazy look in his eyes disappearing.
"Sorry," he muttered as the tips of his ears began to turn an adorable red. "I shouldn't have done that."
Smiling, Danica shook her head.
"I think it would be best if we refrain from skinship for now. To avoid a situation like this again in the future," she sighed, causing Mason's expression to shift to dissatisfaction.
"If that's what you want," he responded, deflating. "However, you can't ignore the mate bond forever."