Scent of her Tormented Mind BrAvery book 1

This is a romance novel intended for an adult audience. There are scenes depicting violence, both physical and psychological, and explicit sexual content. If that’s not your thing, you’re not in a place to read comfortably, or you know me in real life, consider this your warning. If you’re still here, buckle up, and happy reading!

Scent of her Tormented Mind

By Mary Selina

All Rights Reserved ©

“I don’t have a lot to give,

But I would give you everything,

Let me wrap you in

With my skin,”

–Two Queens in a King-sized Bed,  girlinred

“Call it what you want,

‘cause I don’t even care anymore,

Call me what you need to,

To make yourself comfortable,

So I am debilitated,

I can’t remember where the sentence started when I’m trying to finish it,

And all of you are so frustrated,

Everyone around me  is trying to help as much as they can…”

–Diagnosis, Alannis Morisette

Chapter 1: Chemistry

Brooke’s head was ablaze with pain. A searing light show behind her eyes, as explosive and distracting as an ill-timed fireworks display, but not enough to stop her from going to class.

She sat on the edge of her bed, head in her hands, staring out at the dorm room through her light eyelashes, and willing herself to move. She had awoken at 8:30am, after snoozing her alarm five times. She had risen slowly, desperately trying not to further enrage the clouds of pain that had gathered along her nerves as she slept. She quickly placed a Nurtec tablet on her tongue. It was meant to interrupt a migraine flare which would, from her experience, perhaps, take the edge off of her pain, but not much more.  Due to the chronic nature of her migraines, Brooke didn’t have the luxury of staying home whenever she had a flare, or she would spend more than half of her time in bed. As she usually did, she decided that whether she stayed in would be decided by whether she was able to get ready in time or not. She never knew when she would be hit with a sudden wave of fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness, or pain, so her only course was to try to go about her normal morning routine as best she could, and see whether or not her body felt like cooperating today. It was 8:45 by the time she was dressed.

Brooke was somewhat disappointed that she still had time to get to class. It’s just one class, She rationalized, And it’s the first day, probably just handing out the syllabus and going over the professor’s personal way of doing things. All the convincing in the world would not make the prospect any better. Brooke was an artist at heart, this class being her attempt to get her one science requirement out of the way during the fall when her pain wasn’t quite as bad. She was currently regretting the decision.  With a resigned sigh, She grabbed her backpack and shoved her sketch pad, a notebook, and a pencil into it. She pulled on her thick faux fur-lined trench coat and slung the bag over one shoulder. Sparing a quick glance over at the electric kettle, she lamented that there wasn’t time to make Coffee. It was almost like she could smell the rich earthy aroma as she looked over at the corner of her desk where the coffee station had been set up. Then she blinked, and it was gone. She left, locking the door behind her.

The crisp fall breeze swirled around Brooke, her flowing coat billowing out behind her as she hurried across campus. At least, as much as she could hurry without her POSTURAL ORTHOSTATIC TACHYCARDIA SYNDROME flaring up, WHICH WOULD DEFINITELY NOT HELP WITH HER MIGRAINE. Sometimes the two disorders would seem to compete with each other in severity, symptoms egging each other on in a devilish tornado. It truly was a cursed combination, and Brooke shivered when she thought about how apt t the term comorbidity felt in those moments. She was running late for her lecture. She speed-walked the rest of the way to class, her soft boots slapping against the sidewalk, long sandy blonde hair flying out loose behind her.

By the time she made it to the science building, Brooke was gasping for breath, and she could hear her heart pounding. She burst through the door haphazardly and slid into her seat right as the bell rang, signaling the start of the class. Brooke breathed a sigh of relief and slouched down into her seat, her eyes exploring the room. Her seat was near the back of the class so she could see most of her fellow students and, hopefully, wasn’t close enough to get called on by the professor. She needed a science credit to get her bachelor’s in visual art and CHEM101 had been the only available class when she registered. This would be tough. She got out a piece of paper from her sketchbook and a pencil to write some notes and tried to focus on the introductory lecture. Brooke wasn’t much one for hard sciences, though. After just a few minutes her attention started to wander, the throbbing pain around her ears making it difficult to focus.

She let her gaze drift lazily around the room, not taking anything in, until, suddenly, she saw her. The most gorgeous creature Brooke had ever laid eyes on. Brooke immediately straightened up to get a better look at the striking young woman ,who sat in the front row farthest from the door. She lounged gracefully in her chair, leather-clad arms resting on the desk, long, elegant fingers fidgeting where they were clasped on the empty table in front of her. Her jeans were black, the same as the rest of her clothes. She wore motorcycle boots that Brooke was willing to bet could do serious damage if you got on her bad side. The closest side of her face was half-hidden by thick dark curls, but Brooke could see just enough to tell that she was stunningly beautiful. Her skin wasa bright umber that seemed to capture the light around her, her eyes a deeper shade of gold, her features angular and almost feral, with wide, slanted eyes that only further emphasized the elegant sweep of her cheekbones. Brooke’s fingers itched to capture the image.

Brooke couldn’t pull her eyes away from the beautiful stranger. After a few seconds that seemed to drag out infinitely, perhaps feeling Brooke’s gaze on her, the woman turned and stared right back. The moment their eyes met, Brooke felt an overwhelming pull. It was like there was a bungee cord tied between them, attached at the centers of their chests, stretched taught and pulling Brooke towards her. She wanted nothing more than to twine their bodies together as close as was humanly possible and never let go. Visions flashed through Brooke’s mind of all the things she wanted this woman to do to her, too fast for her to process. Just then, the woman smiled, and Brooke felt like her heart was trying to jump out of her chest. She felt her pale cheeks flush crimson with heat. 

Brooke started to get up out of her chair and was halfway to standing, perched awkwardly when she remembered where she was and stopped herself. She sat back down hurriedly, never taking her eyes off the stunning stranger across the room. The woman then abruptly stood up and started to walk away, making Brooke ache with bizarre loneliness. She strode confidently toward the classroom door, and as Brooke watched her leave, she stopped short. One hand holding the door open, she swiveled towards the back of the room, towards Brooke. They locked eyes. If anything, the connection Brooke felt was stronger this time. The woman smiled again, and with her other hand crooked one finger towards Brooke, beckoning. Then she was gone.

Brooke looked around her, flustered, unsure what to do. Every nerve in her body itched to jump out of her seat and follow her. She frantically glanced to the front of the room and the lecture she’d completely forgotten about. She scanned the whiteboard and saw a notice that this instructor preferred students to just leave the room when they had to use the restroom rather than disrupt the class by asking. Without a second thought, Brooke sprang out of her seat and hurried to the door, tripping slightly over one of the desks in her rush.

Out in the hallway, Brooke looked left and right, but there was no sign of anyone. She turned and headed for the restrooms, hoping her hunch was right. After a thirty second speed-walk, she opened the door to the women’s room and there she was, leaning casually against the counter. She was almost a foot taller than Brooke’s 5’4”, with a taught, athletic build. Before the door had even shut behind her, the beauty was striding forward. Brooke felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she took a couple of instinctive steps backward, slightly intimidated.

“I’m Avery,” said the woman, and her voice was smooth like honey, with low, husky notes woven through it.

“Brooke.” The word had hardly left her lips when the stranger, Avery, closed what little distance remained between them and bent down so their lips hovered a hair’s breadth apart. Brooke was alive with longing in an instant. Every nerve she had was alight with anticipation, her muscles tensed, her heels leaving the floor to try to get as close to Avery as she could. Avery was close enough that Brooke could smell her perfume. It smelled of cedar, pine, fresh-fallen rain, and the cold smell of leaves crunching underfoot. She stared into Avery’s eyes, like pools of molten gold, and willed her to kiss her.

Avery captured Brooke’s lips in a ferocious kiss. Her mouth tasted like cinnamon and hot cloves. She put her hands on Brooke’s waist and pressed her against the cool wood of the bathroom door. Brooke returned the kiss fervently, deepening it with her tongue, only to eagerly let Avery take the lead seconds later. Brooke gave herself over to the strong arms, and skilled tongue, sighing whenever she drew breath. She twined her hands into Avery’s dark hair, pulling her closer. Avery pressed them together, legs entwined, her muscular frame pinning Brooke in place.

Brooke didn’t know how long they stayed like that, locked in passion, gasping for breath between long, deep dalliances. Her fingers combed through thick black locks. She gave a small tug, and Avery growled softly, her hands roaming up and down over Brooke’s body, tracing the ample curves of her hips, fluttering up under the hem of her shirt to fan across her back, pulling her even closer. Avery’s hand came up to cup Brooke’s cheek and tilted her head up so she could capture her lips once again.

They broke apart reluctantly, their hands laying last, lingering touches on each other’s bodies. Avery brushed the back of one hand across her lips and flashed a smirk that made Brooke melt.

“Can I put my number in your phone?” Avery asked, and Brooke could hardly hear what she was saying, her mind still awash in a haze of pleasure. She fumbled to pull her phone from her pocket, but her fingers were clumsy. No sooner did she pull it out than Avery reached forward and quickly snatched the phone from her. She tapped through the contact menus and typed in her number, leaning forward and dropping Brooke’s phone back into her pocket, her hand lingering to trail over Brooke’s hip.

“I’ll see you soon,” Avery said, stepping around Brooke, her shoulder tingling where she brushed past. Brooke was left standing in the bathroom, flustered, struggling to believe what had just happened. She slid down the door so she was sitting on the cold floor of the bathroom, knees drawn up to her chest. It felt like she was dreaming. But she could still feel the lingering warmth from Avery’s body pressing against hers.

After several minutes of quiet bliss, Brooke got to her feet and left the bathroom. She wandered down the hall, kiss-drunk, unsure where she was heading. All at once, the awareness of the pain in her head returned, and she almost doubled over at the sharp squeeze of the imaginary vice around her ears. She walked straight past the chemistry classroom, down the stairs, and out onto the quad. The weather was overcast but not rainy, perfect for Brooke’s photophobic eyes. The trees were so beautiful, all decked out in their autumn colors.

Back in her dorm room, Brooke finally made the coffee she’d been craving and settled into bed to enjoy it, the large mug clutched between cold fingers. The rich, shar taste of the coffee swirled across Brooke’s tastebuds, making everything a little better.

There was a maple tree outside the window that stood out to Brooke. Its leaves hadn’t quite turned all the way yet, some in the bottom branches were red and orange but most of the boughs were laden with leaves of bright gold. Almost like they were covered in gold leaf. They were the same color as Avery’s eyes!

With a bright flare of motivation, Brooke retrieved her sketchbook and a pencil, sighing contentedly. Her hand trailed lazily over the page, sketching outlines and shadings. She outlined the shape of a face, emphasizing the cheekbones, sharpening the chin, darkening the hair, until the sketch began to resolve into Avery’s face. Brooke pulled up the corner of the drawing’s mouth so that she was smirking, her dark eyebrows slightly raised, a glint in her eyes. The wind lifted and a leaf from the maple tree fell in a spiral, landing on Brooke’s windowsill. That was what her sketch was missing. The glowing burnished gold of Avery’s eyes that had so captivated her. Rummaging through the smaller pockets of her backpack, Brooke found a gold sharpie she’d bought for one of her art projects in high school the year before. Carefully, she filled in the irises of her drawing with metallic gold ink.

Drawing Avery stared up from the page at Brooke, the sparkle in her eye quite literal now. Brooke admired her work and the memories it evoked. Just then, the double doors to the science building opened across the quad and students began to flood out. She’d wasted a whole period daydreaming about Avery. She had no more classes that afternoon so she opted to work on her first homework assignment from her form drawing class, but the entire time, all she could think about was that kiss. The best kiss of her life. Little did she know… a life-changing kiss.

Chapter 2: Reputation

Brooke was alone in her dorm room sipping on her coffee when she got the first text from Avery.

Avery Black: Missed you in the second half of chemistry. What could you have been up to? 

Brooke glanced at her desk where her sketchbook lay open to the page with her drawing of Avery.

Brooke Johnson: Oh, you know, off tending to important matters… and thinking of you all the while.

Brooke immediately blushed bright red with embarrassment. She was so awkward and cringe-worthy when she tried to flirt.

Avery Black:. ..

Just then, as Brooke waited anxiously for Avery’s response, her best friend and roommate sauntered into the dorm.

Alex and Brooke had known each other for as long as either could remember. They had grown up in the same town in Humboldt county, and applied to all the same colleges their senior year. They were both art students, but Alex had the cool, confident swagger to match his lucrative and practical photography major. He dressed in a casual fashion that looked effortless, a dark green scarf tucked into his blue hoodie, and his normally spiky brown hair dripping damply. It must have started to drizzle since Brooke had gotten home.

Alex caught sight of Brooke’s red cheeks instantly from across the room. She was lying back in her bed, phone still clutched in her hands. Alex made a beeline for her, after carefully placing his camera on his desk.

“Well, hello, who’re we sexting?” Alex asked, plopping down on the foot of Brooke’s bed and straining to read over her knees.

“What?!” Brooke spluttered, shutting her phone off. “No one!” Her phone notification pinged; Avery had responded. Brooke itched to read the message. Alex gave her a knowing look, eyebrows raised. She giggled slightly despite herself.

“You met someone! Spill, now,” he commanded, folding his legs up on the bed. Brooke pushed herself into a sitting position opposite him, making sure her head and neck were supported with a pillow.

“Okay, well… and this doesn’t leave this room, promise?” Brooke started. He stuck out his pinky for a pinky swear; she shook it. “Okay. Her name is Avery Black, and she’s possibly the most beautiful being ever to set foot on planet Earth… and we might’ve made out in the bathroom during chemistry.” She sighed dreamily, her eyes fluttering shut at the memory of their encounter earlier that day.

“Wait, no shit?” Alex said suddenly, excitement and incredulity in his tone. “The Avery Black? The star of the soccer team?”

“I’m not sure, she is pretty athletic-looking…” Brooke zoned out for a couple of seconds, picturing Avery standing over her, pressing her against the bathroom door. “It might be.” Alex whipped out his phone, then pulled up the team’s Instagram account. He found a picture of the team taken after they’d won a game. He zoomed in on the tallest player and passed his phone to her. The woman had lovely tan skin and long curly black hair and she wore a long sleeved shirt under her jersey. “That’s her!” Brooke confirmed.

“Daaamn, Brooke!” he said, clutching her upper arm. “Way to go! She’s hot as fuck, you gotta jump on that!”

“She really is,” Brooke sighed again, “I’m not sure if she likes me, though…”

“Come on, Brooke!” Alex said, grasping her wrist. “Don’t make this another Veronica. She clearly likes you or she wouldn’t have kissed you!”

“What do you mean ‘another Veronica’?” Brooke asked, defensive.

“It was obvious she liked you but you waited forever to make a move on her! It was agonizing to watch.”

“Yeah but I did make a move on her eventually,” Brooke protested. “And we dated for almost a year.”

“My point still stands, go out with Avery. She likes you.” Alex pulled out his phone, ending the discussion. Brooke shrugged and glanced down at her own phone. Alex was scrolling through the team Insta for more pics of Avery. He wouldn’t notice if she snuck a quick peek.

Avery Black: Can’t wait to see you tomorrow 😉 <3

If Brooke had been alone and not actively migraining, she would’ve rolled back onto her back and kicked her legs gleefully into the air. Instead, she sat still and listened to what Alex was saying.

“You’ll have to figure out what’s up with the posse she always goes around with,” Alex said, animated. “She has basically no online presence outside team stuff.”

Brooke leaned back on her hands, intrigued. “What do you mean?” Alex always seemed to know at least 3 times the amount of campus gossip Brooke heard. Maybe he just paid more attention to it. Either way, Brooke was content to hear most of it from him.

“Do you walk around with your head in a bag?” he started to explain. “They go everywhere together. There are like five or six of them, all tall, all smoking hot. Surely you’ve seen them around, they kinda stick out.” Brooke shook her head uncertainly. She might’ve seen them, but she couldn’t remember. For a visual artist, she could be pretty unobservant. “You would think they’d be on the team with Avery but none of them are. I’m not even sure they all go here,” Alex continued. “There’s this one girl, Rachel. When I see her my heart skips a beat.” Alex put a hand to his heart and mock-swooned, falling back against Brooke’s pillows.

Brooke laughed giddily, flopping back on her back. “Wait, I thought you were dating that guy from drama?”

“Ehhh, it kinda fizzled out with Lance,” Alex said with a shrug.  

“Didn’t you tell your mom BOUT HIM? It seemed like you guys might have been getting serious.”

“Don’t remind me,” Alex groaned. “She’ll be asking me about him for the next 6 months .”

“I’ll have to ask Avery about Rachel.” Brooke smiled in anticipation. “You have any more classes today?”

“Yeah, I have art history in like a half hour. What about you?” Brooke couldn’t help but be slightly jealous that Alex had gotten a spot in the history class she’d had her eye on. Unfortunately, Brooke had slept in on the morning of registration day and, by the time she logged in, the History of the Pacific Northwest was the only one with open spots.

“Nothing today.” Brooke fidgeted with her hands, not liking the idea of doing nothing the rest of the day when she’d already missed half of chemistry. “So I think I’ll go get set up with the student Disability Services.” I have to get it done sometime, why not with a migraine, Brooke thought.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Nah, you have class.” The truth was Brooke was afraid of the message it would send if she couldn’t even go get registered for services on her own.

“Okay, then I guess we’ll meet back here this evening.”

“Yeah.” They chatted for a few minutes as Brooke nursed the last few sips of her coffee, then Alex left for his class and the conversation changed to Brooke internally trying to convince herself to leave the warm comfort of her bed.

She would have to go down to the CDS sometime this week, better to get it done sooner than later. But it was likely to be brightly li. But she did have her sunglasses and it should only take a few minutes. Besides, she was already dressed, she should put that effort to good use. Heaving a sigh, Brooke finished the cup of coffee, set down the mug on the desk, and got heavily to her feet.

Walking sluggishly down the hall of the Student Center, Brooke hugged the wall, just in case she needed it to brace herself. She was clearly not the only one wanting to get a jump on things if the line in the CDS office was anything to judge by. Brooke was somewhat reassured by the number of students with disabilities. Surely that should mean the college was used to accommodating them, right? Brooke signed in on the computer opposite the door and took a seat to wait. About 20 minutes later, when she was deep into ranting to herself on why anyone would ever think fluorescent lights are a good idea, Brooke’s name was called from one of the desks deeper in the office.

“So, your paperwork seems to be mostly in order,” said the disability counselor, a short, slight middle-aged woman with short brown hair messed up in a way Brooke didn’t understand until she saw the woman repeatedly run her fingers through it as she read. A busy first week for everyone, then. “But you really need to try and get your primary care transferred to a doctor in this state before next quarter.” Something else to add to the to do list, Brooke mentally sighed, keeping her face in a neutral smile. “But this will do for now.”

The counselor then proceeded to rattle off a long list of possible services provided by the college, most of which didn’t apply to Brooke, before finally getting to the ones Brooke and her doctor had both written on her application forms.

“So, you need to be able to sit where you want in classes, go to the bathroom, etc whenever, and you need an elevator pass. Am I missing anything?” Only the most important items on the list. And the biggest asks.

“My chronic illnesses are very unpredictable,” Brooke started to explain. “So I need to be able to miss some classes and hand in assignments late when my symptoms are too severe.”

“Alright, take these.” She handed Brooke 3 identical forms with spaces to fill in needed accomodations and 2 sign and date lines at the bottom. “Get each of your instructors to sign one, then bring them back here.”

“I will,” Brooke said, folding the forms in half and getting up eagerly to head back to her dorm.

Later that evening, Alex convinced her to rest and watch a movie with him. Why was it so much easier for her to justify needed rest when it was suggested by someone else?

The next day Brooke was walking to Chemistry when a smooth, clear voice sounded a few feet behind her. Avery.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” she purred, closer than Brooke had first thought. She whirled around and her breath caught as their eyes met once again. Avery’s two pools of liquid gold stunned Brooke once again. When she broke eye contact, she could see Avery was wearing black yoga pants with translucent mesh panels that Brooke could not seem to stop herself from looking at, and a girl in red sweatshirt.

“Uhm, good morning,” Brooke managed to get out. She felt herself take an unconscious step towards Avery, skin straining to make contact with hers. Avery stood stiff, her innumerable muscles deliciously tensed, and Brooke wondered if she felt the same way.

“Come with me,” Avery said, glancing over her shoulder and holding out her hand. Brooke took it without a second of hesitation, letting her pull her towards a nearby stand of birch trees a ways off the path. As they went, Brooke saw who she’d been looking at. Just as Alex had described, there was a cluster of very attractive, very fit students about thirty yards away, whispering to each other and stealing looks in their direction. They were stunning, but none of them held a candle to Avery.

Brooke let herself be led into the heart of the trees so that they were blocked from view from most directions and couldn’t see Avery’s friends anymore. As soon as her attention focused back on her guide, Avery turned towards her with impossible speed and kissed her. Brooke kissed her back fervently, urgently; as though the kiss was water and she had spent a day in a desert. Avery’s strong arms snaked around her back and she relaxed into them with a sigh that was instantly swallowed by their kiss. It was over too quickly.

Avery was the one to break off the kiss, to Brooke’s displeasure. She let out a small whine of protest, still held in Avery’s arms. Avery smirked proudly and propped her back on her feet the best she could. Brooke had to lean against the tree behind her for support; her legs felt like Jell-O.

“I missed you,” Avery said then, voice husky.

“We just saw each other yesterday,” Brooke responded, flustered.

“I know,” Avery replied, and looked deep into Brooke’s eyes, squinting slightly like she was gauging her response. Then she really shocked her. “Will you go out on a date with me?”

“Yes! Of course!” Brooke said instantly. As though if she waited half a second Avery might change her mind. Her face broke out in a devastating smile.

“Fantastic! I have practice today and tomorrow, so, does Friday work for you?” Avery asked, still smiling. Brooke didn’t care. She would make it work.

“Absolutely!” she replied, maybe too enthusiastically. She had zero chill around Avery.

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 7.” Two days seemed like an eternity to wait. “We should probably get to chemistry.” Brooke peeked through a gap in the trees to where Avery was watching students make their way into the science building on mass. She realized she had forgotten all about class. She would have to be careful. At this rate she’d fail chemistry.

“Yeah, we should.” Brooke pushed herself away from the tree and strode towards class, just a little shakily, very aware of Avery’s gaze on her back.

When they got there, Brooke took a seat at the front of the class. She needed to actually pay attention to the lecture and that would be impossible with Avery sitting in front of her. Avery took the seat to her right, which turned out to be just as distracting. Brooke could smell the sweet scent of crushed cedar and pine needles drifting across the inches separating them. She could feel Avery’s body heat radiating towards her. From time to time they would touch. Small things: the brush of an elbow, the touch of two hands as one passed a pencil, the gentle bob of a wayward knee against a wandering thigh. Each one sent a warm summer breeze dancing along Brooke’s synapses. Friday could not come soon enough.

Chapter 3: First Date

“What about this one?” Alex called from his bed next to the closet across the dorm room. He was holding up a strappy sundress.

“I don’t think so,” Brooke answered flatly. “I’m feeling the beginnings of a migraine coming up and that thing is torturous to get on and off.” She rummaged through her dresser drawers, dressed in her most comfortable sports bra and trying to ignore the dull ache slowly spreading out from behind her eyes.

“If you don’t feel good, why don’t you just cancel?” Brooke was touched at the concern in Alex’s voice.

“I really don’t want to miss this date,” Brooke responded, hoping that her nerves were listening. “Avery’s already way out of my league, I might not get a second shot.” She sighed dreamily thinking of the feeling of those thick ebony tresses curling through her fingers.

“Hey, you’re a catch, don’t sell yourself short,” Alex said. Brooke smiled at him as he held up a white lace crop top. She crossed and took a closer look: loose, stretchy, but still formal-looking.

“It’s perfect, thanks Al.” Brooke pulled the top over her head and sidestepped so she was facing the back of the door to look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes couldn’t help but fixate on the areas where she carried extra fat, her stomach, her hips, her thighs. But the jeans/crop top combination made her boobs and butt look good enouth, and the lace hid her belly nicely. Combing her fingers through her tangled, dirty blonde hair, she compromised and twisted it into a messy bun on top of her head. She added some green and gold bohemian earrings to bring out her eyes. Turning back towards her best friend she asked, “How do I look?”

“You look smokin’ hot!” Alex said, making a circle with his thumb and forefinger. “You’d better get going, isn’t Avery supposed to be picking you up any minute now?” Brooke picked up her phone and saw that it was 7:00 already, and that she had an unread text.

Avery Black: Here

Brooke hurriedly popped a Nurtec tablet onto her tongue, then grabbed a light cardigan, her purse, sunglasses, and weed pipe. She threw Alex a side hug on the way out the door and nearly fell when she tripped on some of the clothes scattered on the floor. “Promise I’ll clean this up later.”

“Don’t worry, I‘ve got it. Come back with sexy details!” he called after her, as she hurried down the hall towards the elevators. Brooke struggled to catch her breath during the short elevator ride so she wouldn’t look flustered. 

As the doors parted, Brooke’s eyes beheld a vision of beauty. At first she thought Avery was dressed head to toe in black, but after a second look she realized that the shirt under her leather jacket was actually very dark purple, high-necked but clingy. Avery held a helmet in one hand, a second leather jacket in the other.  She looked up at the sound of the elevator arriving and grinned, dazzling white teeth on display.

“You ready?” Avery called as Brooke made her way, wobbling slightly, towards the motorcycle. Her anxiety was flaring at the prospect of actually getting on the thing, but she felt pulled onward, toward Avery, as though there was an invisible rubber band connecting the two of them attached at the center of her chest.  Brooke felt her head drawing upwards until their eyes met, and then she froze, captivated by the fire in Avery’s golden eyes. They were so bright Brooke could’ve sworn they were actually glowing. They stood like that for just an instant, then the taller woman captured Brook’s lips in a hot kiss that left her breathless and blushing for all the right reasons.

“Nice to see you too,” Brooke said, and Avery chuckled low in her throat.

“Let’s get going,” Avery said, glancing at the sun hanging low in the sky as she wrapped the second leather jacket around Brooke’s shoulders. She slid her arms into the sleeves, which fell an inch past her fingertips, as she realized that this wasn’t just an extra jacket, it was Avery’s. It smelled like her. Brooke tried to be discreet as she breathed deeply, the warm jacket somehow tamping down her anxiety, and not for road rash reasons. Avery slid the helmet over Brooke’s head, brushing a stray lock of hair off her cheek as she did and leaving a trail of tingling sensations behind.

They climbed onto the bike. With her hands clasped tightly around Avery’s waist, Brook could feel the heat of her date’s body blazing through all the layers of leather and fabric between them. She pressed herself even closer, the warmth relaxing her tense muscles.

The motorcycle ride was terrifying. Avery flew around curves with reckless abandon but always seemed to recover their balance just in the nick of time. Brooke spent the entire ride with her visor buried in Avery’s hair, scared to look up. When they finally arrived at wherever they were going, her heart was racing, her skin was flushed from the cold air, and her eyes were saturated with strange afterimages resembling black curls close up.

As Avery shut the bike off and fiddled with the dials in some way, Brooke climbed off the motorcycle clumsily, her legs shaking. She tripped. She felt herself fall forward. Felt the lurch in her stomach. But she never hit the ground. Somehow, impossibly, Avery seemed to have leapt off the bike and twisted around in time to catch Brooke and prop her back upright.

“Be careful!” she said, running her hands lightly down Brooke’s arms, checking for injuries, her brows furrowed in concern. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Thanks,” Brooke said, somewhat dumbstruck as she pulled the surprisingly comfy helmet off. How does she move so fast? Brooke knew her date was an athlete but even so…

She looked around for the first time. They were in a small parking lot, surrounded by grass, trees, and not much else. There were several trails leading away from the parking lot, and what looked like a trail map, but Brooke couldn’t see clearly. She was already tired. Crap.

“We’re going up to the overlook!” Avery said excitedly, securing the helmet in a compartment under the seat and pointing to a steep incline. “You can see the whole campus, it’s so beautiful at sunset.” Brooke’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and her eyes went wide with dread. Her hand went to the weed pipe in her pocket but that wouldn’t do much to get her through that kind of a hike. She was pretty certain that she was completely physically incapable of such a feat. Avery must have noticed, because her smile faltered, and her dark brows drew together gracefully. “What’s wrong?”

Brooke was sweating now. She hadn’t exactly been planning on having the ‘Hey, I’m actually an invalid, ask me anything!’ conversation 5 minutes into their first date. She scrambled for how to answer without opening the whole can of worms while Avery stared intensely into her eyes, as though she was trying to read her mind. She had to say something.

“I, um, I’m not in the best shape,” she said, blushing dark red. Avery just stared down at her, looking confused. “I, uh, I don’t think I can make the hike.”

“Oh.” Avery thought for a second. “I could carry you.”

“Ha!” Brooke laughed, looking down at all her curves. “I’d like to see you try.” Faster than she could blink, Avery swooped Brooke up into her arms, as if she weighed as much as a bag of feathers. Avery was holding her bridal-style, and Brooke could feel the rippling muscles of her arms flexing beneath her faux-leather jacket. Brooke felt warm and safe in her arms. Protected. She was close enough to smell Avery’s perfume and it was intoxicating, like cedar, pine needles, and the air after a heavy rain. She sighed, for a moment forgetting where she was, relaxed. Then she got a grip and looked up at Avery, perplexed. Brooke was 170lbs of dead weight. How strong is she? Avery smiled smugly.

“You were saying?” She said suavely.

“How… How are you this strong?” Brook blurted. Avery stood, rock solid, at ease, as though she wasn’t exerting herself at all. She just smirked.

“I’ll tell you… sometime.” Avery bent forward slightly, and Brooke, on instinct, wrapped her arms around her neck, startled by the sudden motion. Avery smiled, and Brooke kept her arms around her date’s neck as she picked up a picnic basket off of the back of the motorcycle and began loping up the trail to the overlook.

Brooke sighed contentedly as they sped up the hill. The sun was almost set, but thankfully the dense canopy blocked the harshest rays.

“So, what’s your major?” Brooke asked. Normally she would have beaten herself up for such a boring and impersonal opening line, but she felt unusually at ease with Avery, not anxious at all. It was a giddy, free feeling, and Brooke exalted in it. And in the scent of cedar in her nose.

“Agricultural science.”

“Agricultural science? Damn, so you probably actually understand what we’re doing in chemistry this week, huh?”

Avery laughed that seductive laugh. “Yeah, I do. Are you looking for a tutor?”

“I might be.” Brooke winked and couldn’t believe how smoothly she was able to talk to Avery. “How much do you charge?”

“I’m sure we could come to some kind of arrangement.”

Brooke giggled.

“What’s your major?” Avery asked.

“Studio art. Acrylic and oil pastel, for the most part, but I’m still experimenting with different media.”

“Nothing digital?” Avery asked.

“Nah, not really,” Brooke answered. “CottageCore is my aesthetic. I’m kinda old school that way.” Avery stopped short and looked down at her. “What is it?” Her date leaned down and kissed her deeply and Brooke forgot where they were. She felt like she was floating. When Avery eventually broke the kiss, Brooke’s lips reached up towards hers longingly, as if they had a mind of their own.

“So am I,” Avery answered, and continued up the path. Brooke had forgotten what they were talking about.

They reached the summit in about 10 minutes, the trees parting to reveal a stunning vista. The sun was well on its way to setting by then, the sky a wash of oranges, reds, and purples. Avery set Brooke down gently, found a soft patch of grass, and started setting up their picnic. Brooke wandered closer to the edge of the overlook, and, sure enough, was treated to a bird’s eye view of their entire college campus. From so far up, the old brick buildings looked majestic, the trees small tufts of orange and red.

“Dinner’s ready,” Avery said, snaking her hands around Brooke’s waist from behind. Brooke relaxed into her date’s arms. Avery looked over her shoulder and they stood there for one perfect moment, enjoying the view, and each other’s touch. “It’s all vegan, I hope that’s okay.” They turned and walked arm in arm over to the picnic blanket and sat down.

“More than okay, I’m vegan too!” Brooke smiled but Avery’s face fell.

“I wish I could be fully vegan.” Brooke wanted to probe further but Avery looked upset and she was worried it might upset her further.  So instead she said,

“Most vegans I know make at least a couple exceptions. I still eat honey and I’ll eat fish occasionally if I know they’re sustainably wild-caught.”

“Really?” Avery’s tone is skeptical. “How many vegans do you know?”

“At present, just you and me, but I grew up in Humboldt county, so, over time, a lot. It’s not a black and white issue, and some animal product practices are definitely worse than others.”

“Like factory farms.”

“Exactly.”

“Remarkable.”

“What is?”

“You are.”

Brooke looked down at the food and her stomach gurgled gently, a wave of nausea kicking in. She sat down on the blanket opposite Avery and fidgeted nervously with the pipe in her pocket. What if she hates stoners? Could I even date someone who wasn’t cool with weed? I guess this is the test. But maybe I should save it for the second date? Her mind was spinning with anxiety. How long had it been since one of them had spoken? She really should say something. Avery reached across and put her hand on Brooke’s arm. Brooke looked over at her… and pulled out the pipe and weed.

“I brought this, if you want,” she managed. “No pressure or anything though, if you don’t want to!” she added hastily.

“You read my mind,” Avery said, smiling. She held out her hand and Brooke handed her the baggie with her paraphernalia and watched as she expertly filled the bowl and lit it, inhaling deeply. Avery passed the pipe back and Brooke took her own hit. They passed it back and forth until the bowl was finished, sparks tingling in their fingertips when they brushed together, then started in on the food. Brooke’s nausea having been tempered by the cannabis, she enjoyed the meal greatly. Avery had made tofurky sandwiches with mustard, veganaise, and lots of lettuce; carrot sticks with roasted red pepper hummus; a giant bag of jalapeno potato chips; and a quart of lemonade to drink. It was all delicious, but Brooke still had to remind herself to eat every time Avery’s dazzling eyes fixated on Brooke’s lips, shades of gold swirling faster as the date went on.

Over the course of the meal they got to know each other better. Avery told Brooke about having to take over her family’s business at 16 after her parents’ untimely death. Brooke wanted to ask how they died, but she sensed it wasn’t the time, and let the subject change. Brooke told Avery about her ambitions to become one of the iconic portrait artists of their generation. She wished she’d brought her sketchbook and pastels so she could capture the way the sunset reflected in Avery’s dazzling golden brown eyes. They talked the evening away, eyes rarely leaving each other’s.

“I don’t really have a coming out story,” Avery was saying. “My family kind of always assumed or—hoped that  I’d be attracted to women, and were relieved when they were right.”

“That’s fascinating,” Brooke said. “But your parents were straight, right? Why would they assume you’d be gay? Not that that’s how anything works, but you know what I mean.” Brooke hoped she was making sense.

“I guess, they kind of always knew I would be taking over the family business someday and they had some… Let’s say they had some overly traditionalist ideas about gender roles.”

“Well, that I can relate to. My mom can only process queer couples when  one is clearly more masculine and the other more feminine.”

“That’s annoying. Guess I’ll have to forgo the makeup when I meet her, then, huh?” Brooke chuckled, blushing slightly.

“Awfully presumptuous, aren’t you?” She smiled so Avery would know she didn’t mean it.

“We’ll see. How did your dad react when you came out?” Brooke looked down at her hands where they rested in her lap.

“I- don’t know. He left years before I even realized I was gay.”

“That’s awful. Sorry I brought it up. We don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks.” Brooke looked up. They talked on for what felt like hours.

Just as the first stars were appearing above them, Brooke leaned forward and they kissed beneath the darkening sky.

Brooke could feel the THC dancing along her nerves, sending tingles up and down her extremities. Or maybe it was just how close she was to Avery. Judging by the passion with which she kissed her, her date felt the same.

Avery gripped Brooke’s waist tightly, lifting her upper torso off the ground altogether. Brooke delighted in the feeling of being held in Avery’s strong arms, molding their bodies together. Brooke tried, briefly, for dominance of the kiss, but Avery made it clear that she was in charge. Brooke, filled both with overwhelming trust and desire, eagerly gave over control. It felt like they were moving in slow motion, through a cloud of cedar-scented steam. Brooke ran her fingers through Avery’s thick curls. They felt like smooth satin flowing through her hands.

Avery set her down gently, using one hand to prop herself up, the other exploring slowly down the curve of Brooke’s waist. She broke their kiss and pulled back a couple inches. Brooke barely held in a whine. Avery locked eyes with her, her face questioning, and her hand paused, resting gently right between Brooke’s waist and her hip. Brooke nodded suggestively, closing her eyes and leaning up to recapture Avery’s lips. 

Brooke’s skin felt electrified everywhere Avery’s hand roamed. Her own hands were almost as adventurous, snaking up under Avery’s shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra, so Brooke could feel every inch of her small, firm breasts. Her fingers found Avery’s nipples already hard and gave them a small squeeze.

Almost instantaneously, Brooke felt herself lifted and twisted smoothly and abruptly, so that she was sitting upright, in Avery’s lap, her legs straddling her waist. Their lips had broken apart again, and Avery’s eyes looked like liquid gold, almost glowing  as they met Brooke’s.

“Can I–?” Avery started.

“Yes!” Brooke gasped, desperate.

Avery’s left hand wrapped around Brooke’s lower back, slipping up under her shirt; while her right hand undid the top button of Brooke’s jeans, pulling the zipper down in one smooth motion. Brooke grasped her wrist and pulled it towards herself. Avery’s fingers quickly found her clit through her underwear and stroked over the spot agonizingly lightly, teasing. Brooke moaned slightly in frustration. Avery started slowly tracing circles over Brooke’s clit, slowly increasing in speed, all the while gradually kissing her way down the side of her neck. It seemed to take almost no time at all before she could feel an orgasm building.

Avery had made her way down to the base of Brooke’s neck, where it met her shoulder; and she hovered there, sucking on the spot gently. Brooke felt the barest brush of teeth on her skin, and she came, the orgasm spreading through her whole body, convulsing in ecstasy.

But then she felt cold grass under her back and Avery’s warmth had vanished. Opening her eyes and looking around blearily, Brooke spotted her about 15 feet away, her back pressed against a large fir tree, a distressed look on her face, muttering to herself too quietly for Brooke to hear. She took a couple deep breaths and walked back over to Brooke.

“We should probably get going,” Avery said, her voice slightly hoarse. “It’s getting dark.”

Brooke was completely taken aback. What had happened? Had Avery not been into it? Her face fell. Avery, suddenly right in front of her, lifted her chin with one finger, and kissed her tenderly, lingering for several seconds.

“I…” she paused, looking frustrated.. “I really like you.” What was she going to say? Brooke didn’t care as long as Avery kept looking at her like that. She kissed Brooke once more before picking her up, and walking them back down the trail to where she’d parked her motorcycle.

Avery drove her back to her dorm and gave her a goodnight kiss that left her breathless and blushing when she walked in. Alex insisted on going over every detail immediately.

That night, Brooke relived the experience in her dreams, and slept for 11 hours straight. And, for once, when she woke up the next morning, she wasn’t feeling completely terrible.

Chapter 4: Meet the Friends

Brooke and Alex walked side by side through the quad, shivering slightly. There was a chill in the air. It had fogged over the night before and there were still tendrils of mist winding their way through the town. It was a Tuesday afternoon and the two friends were both done with their classes for the day.

“Man, my shoulder’s sore,” Alex complained, rubbing it with the opposite hand.

“Tough shoot?” He had come from one of his photography classes, dropping off his camera before they left the dorm.

“Today was all about angles, so I had to hold this…” He twisted his limbs in a knot that left him crouching off-balance with one elbow up in the air. “…  for over a half hour. So I’m pretty achy, but I’ll sleep it off.” Brooke always felt a tiny twinge of jealousy when he said stuff like that. “How’d your disability thing go, by the way?”

“You mean the notification forms? Not too bad, I turned them in yesterday. My chem professor basically scanned it and grunted before signing it, but my history teacher was more smiley. Apparently she gets migraines, too. She announced it on the first day of class. My form drawing instructor is super chill, too. She prefers her students to learn at their own pace anyways. She dotted the I in’s in migraine  with spirals.”

“Sounds chill for the most part.”

“Yeah, I’m hopeful. The hardest part was getting the chem form signed without Avery noticing and asking about it.”

“You’ll have to fill her in eventually though,, right?”

“I know, but I want it to be on my terms.”

“Fair enough.”

Brooke and Avery had been spending more and more time together since their first date a few days before. They hung out every day after classes, twice on the weekend, and worked on all their chem homework together. Their instructor, Mr. Whitman, had made a sudden and unexplained choice to make them lab partners during their first lab on thursday. Brooke had a sneaking suspicion that Avery had had something to do with the decision, but she wasn’t complaining. Normally, Brooke was very anxious with new people, socially, but she never seemed to feel that way about Avery. When they were together, she felt safe and at ease, like all the time in the world wouldn’t be enough to spend in her company.

Today they’d agreed to introduce each other to their friends. Of course Avery had a whole flock of them to Brooke’s Alex. Trying to juggle schoolwork and chronic illness left little time for an active social life, but Alex and Brooke were so close and spent so much time together that he was easily worth half a dozen close friends. Brooke hoped desperately that Avery’s friends would approve of her. And that Alex would be chill with Avery. He hadn’t stopped bothering Brooke to introduce him so he was, quite literally, bouncing on his heels in anticipation. And, no doubt, looking forward to the prospect of hitting on her hot friends.

As they approached the intimidating group, Brooke’s hands shook nervously. Alex reached down and took one of them in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She spotted Avery, still dressed for soccer practice, a long-sleeved shirt on under her jersey, black ponytail rippling gorgeously. She started to call out but before she formed the words, Avery turned to meet her eyes, flashed her a dizzying smile, and jogged towards them. They shared a quick kiss that only left Brooke wanting more. She could tell Avery was sweaty from practice, but it only made her more attractive.

“Avery, this is my best friend and roommate, Alex,” Brooke said.” Alex, this is Avery…” She had no idea what to call her. Friend seemed too casual, but they’d technically only been on one date.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Alex replied, shaking hands with Avery. “I’ve heard lots of good things.” Brooke blushed beet red.

“Have you now?” Avery responded, looking down at Brooke. She just blushed deeper, too embarrassed to speak. “So how long have you two known each other?” Brooke seized on the change of topic eagerly.

“We’ve known each other forever. I think we met in second grade?” Alex nodded. “We hit it off right away. We’ve been best friends for years, so it seemed like a no-brainer when we decided to go to the same college,” she supplied. “Took some real haggling to get put in the same dorm room.” Brooke and Alex both laughed. 

“Yeah, really had to play up the gay angle, didn’t we?” Alex put in, chuckling.

“Oh you’re gay, too?” Avery asked. “That makes all of us.” She winked jokingly.

“Yeah, I’m bi,” Alex answered, grinning. Brooke peered around Avery’s shoulder get a discreet look at her friends. They didn’t seem to have noticed her and Alex yet, very wrapped up in their own conversation. There were 4 of them, two young men and two women. All very tall, very muscular, and very attractive. None of the rest of them were on the soccer team, it seemed, because they all wore street clothes. They seemed like a lively bunch, talking and laughing animatedly with each other. Avery noticed where she was looking.

“I guess that makes it my turn,” she said, sounding confident. “Hey, get over here, you guys.” At first Brooke thought for sure that they hadn’t heard; they were over a hundred feet away and Avery had hardly raised her voice at all, but they heard and immediately started to make their way over.

One of the young men punched the other on the arm. It looked hard but the other boy just shook it off, smiling and hitting his companion back. The sight made Brooke very nervous. Would she be expected to roughhouse like that with Avery’s friends? That would be disastrous. Brooke took a deep, shaky breath, giving Alex’s hand an anxious squeeze.

What happened next, Brooke wasn’t entirely sure. The first thing she was aware of was Alex’s hand going limp in hers. When she looked over to see why, his face was blank, like he was in a trance. He was staring off past her, towards one of Avery’s friends. A very imposing woman, only slightly shorter than Avery, also very muscular, but in a different way. She looked more like a rock climber than a college athlete, with thickly muscled arms and shoulders, bared by the cut-off t-shirt she wore over heavily ripped jeans. She was stunning, seemingly in her early 20s, with a cloud of wavy chestnut hair that hung loose, almost to her waist. She wore no makeup but she didn’t need any to highlight her bold features. The woman stared back at Alex with an intensity that made Brooke take a step back. Her shocking electric blue eyes jumped out at Brooke from under thick eyebrows, seeming to glow through the fog.

In a flash the woman was standing right in front of Alex, looking deep into his eyes as though they held the secret to life itself. Her movements were jerky and abrupt, setting Brooke on edge. Her gaze shifted sharply and suddenly to Alex’s hand, still clasped in Brooke’s, and a look of pure fury washed over the woman’s face. She let out an animalistic growl that sent a deeply instinctive shiver down Brooke’s spine. It sounded vaguely like the word ‘mine’.  Before Brooke could even think how to respond, Avery was standing like a wall between her and the woman.

“NO!” Avery boomed in a voice Brooke barely recognized. Brooke was shaking with fear, unable to see what was happening from behind Avery’s back. Neither of the taller women spoke and several seconds of echoing silence passed. Avery reached back and took Brooke’s hand, and suddenly her anxiety was just a whisper in the back of her mind. Avery stepped aside, keeping a tight grip on Brooke’s hand, her posture still hunched protectively around Brooke, as though she was ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

Brooke didn’t know what she’d been expecting to see, but it definitely wasn’t the sight that met her eyes. Avery’s friend and Alex were locked in a ferociously passionate kiss. What was it about these women? Brooke could barely tell whose limbs were whose. They both seemed completely oblivious to the rest of them still standing there. Brooke was so taken aback, she didn’t know how to respond.

So she laughed. At first just a slight chuckle, but then Avery’s friends burst out laughing too, then, eventually Avery herself, until they were all clutching their sides. Alex and his new friend didn’t seem to notice in the slightest.

“Brooke, this is my best friend, Rachel,” Avery said, gesturing towards the couple. Her other friends were still laughing. Probably some private joke. “Maybe we should give them some space.”

“Yeah, see you later Alex!” Brooke called as they walked away. He had no reaction. The group stopped in the shade of a tree a little ways away.

“So…” Avery said, stepping backward and nudging Brooke forward slightly. She felt like Avery was presenting her for inspection. “This is her.” Brooke felt intimidated by how intensely Avery’s friends were all examining her. The other woman was still tall but by far the shortest of the bunch. She had a thin, wiry frame and dark brown skin, heavily laced with scars. She wore a very uncomfortable-looking pencil skirt/high heel combination and exquisitely skilled makeup, her eyelids shaded metallic jade. She had straight, dark brown hair, cut in a severe bob, and icy blue eyes so pale they were almost white that seemed to leap out of her face. “This is Jade,” Avery said, pointing to the woman. She just narrowed her eyes suspiciously in response.

“Nice to meet you,” Brooke said, extending her hand. Jade shook it, her grip like a vice.

“And this,” Avery said, tugging Brooke towards the two men. “…is my idiot brother, Joseph,” she pointed to one of the young men who looked like a younger, male version of Avery. He was a couple inches taller, but still gangly, like he hadn’t quite filled out yet. Avery’s brother had the same curly black hair and ochre skin, although his face was spotted with freckles, and his eyes were a much darker brown than his sister’s. “And his friend, Sebastian.” The last of the group was very pale with light, coiled silver-white hair interspersed with strands dyed  violet which matched the color of his irises. He must be wearing colored contacts, Brooke thought. He wore black eyeliner ,as if he needed anything else to draw attention to his eyes. They drew the gaze like magnets, making it hard for Brooke to retain any other feature of his face.

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” she said. Joseph took her outstretched hand in both of his, swallowing it. His palms were sweaty but his wide smile seemed genuine. Sebastian merely nodded his head in acknowledgement.

“So nice to meet the girl Avery won’t shut the hell up about!” Joseph said brightly. His voice was a little higher than Brooke was expecting, showing his youth. Brooke glanced up at Avery just in time to see the blush spreading across her cheeks. She leaned over and casually punched her brother on the arm.  The other woman, Jade, cracked a half smile, tugging taught one of many scars that cut across her cheek and lips, ending at her chin.

As much as she wanted to make a good impression on Avery’s friends (it seemed as though she’d already failed with Rachel), Brooke was uncomfortably aware of how long she’d been standing, and she was starting to feel lightheaded and breathless. Her POTS symptoms were flaring up and she needed to sit down. She still hadn’t filled Avery in about her chronic illnesses, so she needed to come up with an excuse. Looking back toward where they’d been 5 minutes earlier, she saw that Alex and Rachel were nowhere to be found. She was on her own.

“I just remembered I have an essay I need to get started on,” Brooke said, smiling apologetically. Avery’s face fell.

“Oh, okay,” she said, sounding disappointed. Brooke hated to have to leave. But in front of Avery’s friends and brother, standing, wasn’t the time or place to get into the whole mess.

“I’m sorry,” Brooke said.

“No, it’s okay,” Avery reassured her. “Let me walk you back to your dorm?” Brooke nodded eagerly, smiling.

“It was nice to meet you all,” she said, as Avery put an arm around her shoulders. Brooke hesitantly snaked her own arm around Avery’s waist. She thought she heard a soft purring sound but blamed it on the wind in the trees overhead. Brooke could feel Avery’s warmth beside her and leaned into it, comforted by the gentle weight of her arm, intoxicated by the woodsy scent that seemed to follow her wherever she went. She sighed contentedly, hardly noticing the other three saying goodbye.

They started off towards Brooke’s dorm.

“So do you only befriend people over 5’8?” Brooke asked jokingly. Avery laughed.

“Pretty much,” she admitted. “Although there are… other factors.”

“Like what?” 

Avery was silent for several seconds. Looking up, Brooke saw that her beautiful face was twisted into a grimace. Eventually she said simply, “I’ll tell you later.” Brooke’s curiosity was piqued. Clearly there was something big she didn’t know about Avery and her supernaturally good-looking friend group, but she didn’t want to pressure her to talk about it. They’d only been on one official date, after all, she reminded herself. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

“I think so,” Brooke responded, intrigued. “What did you have in mind?”

“It’s a surprise,” Avery said, waggling her eyebrows mysteriously. “But bring your art supplies.”

“Ok now you have to tell me!” Brooke said. “It’s got art!” The allure managed to cut through her gathering brain fog.

“Not until tomorrow night.”

“You’re impossible.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“I guess this is me,” Brooke said, opening the door to the dorm building. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Avery spun her back around and swept her into a kiss that took the remainder of her breath away.

“See you then,” Avery said, and walked off into the mist.

 Chapter 5: Mystery Date

“Just a few more feet,” Avery said. One of her warm hands was draped across Brooke’s eyes, the other holding her hand, guiding her forward towards whatever uncertain date awaited them. The ground was uneven, so Brooke assumed they were outdoors. She could feel a cool breeze on her skin, giving her goosebumps. “Aaaand, here we are.” Avery lifted her hand and Brooke looked around, blinking at the sudden brightness.

Brooke caught her breath as she marveled at the gorgeous vista in front of her, donning sunglasses to cut down the glare.

they stood on the bank of a stream. There were reeds, berry bushes, and other water plants all around them, most turning brown and beginning to shed their leaves. The setting sun gilded the top of every ripple in the stream, creating a glorious array of dancing lights. The sky was full of the colors of the sunset, the clouds seeming to glow in an ever-moving kaleidoscope of hues.

“Do you like it?” Avery asked. Brooke whirled around to face her, beaming from ear to ear.

“I love it!” Brooke said. “I can’t wait to paint it!”

“That was the idea, yeah,” Avery said, leaning down over the rushes to their left. “Check out what I got for us.” Brooke turned and saw that she was holding a full length canoe. In one hand. Avery swung the canoe around carefully, never letting it waver an inch, then set it down gently into the water, making sure to keep one end in the mud so it wouldn’t float away. Brooke was at her wits end trying to figure out how Avery performed such impossible feats of strength. But, then again, Brooke had been chronically ill years before she even hit puberty. In some ways, all able-bodied peers often seemed to Brooke to have superhuman physical abilities. This was probably just that. Right?

“I don’t know how to row a canoe,” Brooke said.

“Don’t worry about it, that’s what I’m here for,” Avery replied.

“Not to go out with me?”

“That too, but also to provide the dumb muscle while you capture this vista in a work of art.”

“You are muscular,” Brooke said. “But you’re hardly dumb. You’re smarter than me.”

“Maybe at memorizing facts and math and stuff, but I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” Avery got Brooke’s bag from her motorcycle where it was parked about 20 feet away from the riverbank, and deposited it in the boat. She stepped down into it and it wobbled precariously. Brooke eyed it warily.  “I got you.” Avery held out a steadying hand. Brooke took it and as Avery’s jacket hitched up a couple inches she saw dark black lines of tattoos peeking out from her wrist.

Brooke sat down on the bench at the nearer end of the canoe. If she tried to move more than a few inches, she was certain she would tip the boat over within 5 minutes. Avery leaned past her to push them off from the bank and Brooke was captured in the intoxicating scent of Avery’s perfume. She closed her eyes and imagined she was in the middle of a rainforest, willing the scant inches between them to evaporate. Then Avery leaned back and she was back in her own body. Avery rowed them out into the middle of the stream with swift, powerful strokes. Brooke watched the scenery drift by, the setting sun glittering off of the water in a thousand ripples of warm evening light, the silver-gold precursor to golden hour. Alex was going to be so jealous when she told him about it later.  Whenever she next saw him. He hadn’t come back to the dorm the night before, and Brooke assumed he was somewhere hooking up with Rachel. It wasn’t unusual for him to disappear for a bit, especially when he was seeing someone new.

“This is such a beautiful place, it makes me want to paint,” Brooke said, smiling at the beauty all around her, fingers flexing in her lap.

“That’s what the art supplies are for,” said the beauty in front of her, flashing her a dazzling smile.

“Oh, yeah,” Brooke had almost forgotten why they were there. She was so lost in the moment. Brooke reached into the bag at her feet and pulled out her sketchbook, a mechanical pencil stuck in the spiral binding, and her oil pastel palette. She set the sketchpad on her lap. Straightening up to get a better view, she shivered. There was a chill breeze coming off the water. In retrospect she might have assumed that Avery would take her somewhere outdoors again and dressed warmer, but she had been picturing dinner in a restaurant, and worn a thin button-down blouse that did nothing to block out the cold. Why had she left thepleather jacket back at Avery’s bike?Avery must have seen because Brooke felt the boat still and when she looked over at her date, she was shrugging off her own pleather jacket and handing it to Brooke. She took it gratefully and slipped it on. It was at least a size too large and she had to push up the sleeves to free her hands, but it held all of Avery’s warmth, and smelled like her. Brooke felt like she was in a warm cocoon.

“Thanks,” she said, sighing contentedly. “But won’t you be cold?” Avery shook her head with a small chuckle. Brooke eyed her thin tank top. She saw for the first time that Avery’s arms were both covered wrist to shoulder in dark black tattoos. They were full sleeves, using bold, sharp strokes to depict an intricate pattern, the meaning of which eluded Brooke. But they somehow fit with Avery’s personality, at least, in a way. “I love your tattoos.”

“Thanks.” Brooke watched Avery’s muscles flex under the tattoos as she resumed rowing.  “Do you have any? Tattoos, I mean.”

“Not yet, but I’m always thinking of the ones I want to get at some point. It’s a lot of fun thinking up designs and locations.”

“I know what you mean. I’d love to get a couple someday. I mean a couple more.” The ripples of light reflected onto Avery’s tanned skin, making her tattoos appear to move. Brooke picked up her sketchpad and began to draw. The longer she looked, the more Avery’s tattoos seemed to take shape. Brooke saw a wolf amongst the crisscrossing lines of intricate pictograms, then another, and a tree, and several human figures.

“What do your sleeves mean?” Brooke asked. Avery’s strokes faltered and for the first time, Brooke realized that she had been paddling them up stream. Her strength was astonishing.

“They-,“ Avery started, fumbling for words. “I guess you could say I inherited them. From my dad.”

“He had the same tattoos?”

“Yeah.” Avery looked away, her strokes increasing in frequency.

“I’m so sorry,” Brooke said, reaching out a hand and laying it comfortingly on the inky warm skin of Avery’s wrist. She stopped rowing and looked into Brooke’s eyes. The boat started to slowly drift back the way they’d come, the current turning it in a slow circle.

“It’s alright,” Avery said. “I still have Joseph, and my… grandma, Serena.”

“Still, it must be so hard for you to handle going to school, running your family business, and looking after your little brother without your parents. My mom has her flaws, but I doubt I would be here without her. I can’t imagine losing both parents and having to look after Ethan, too. He’s only 14 but already a bit of a handful.”

“Just wait a couple years.” Avery’s chuckle faded as her brows drew together. “Seriously, though, it is hard,” Avery said. She turned her head to the side, gazing off into the distance.

“How was practice earlier?” Brooke asked, picking up her pastels and starting to sketch.

“Not too bad, I guess,” Avery said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “They asked me to be vicecaptain again.”

“And you turned them down again?”

She felt compelled to capture the way the light shone on Avery’s perfect profile as she stared off across the water, contemplating how to respond.

“I did, yeah. I kind of feel bad because there are girls on the team who’d kill to be aske, but I really just…” She trailed off.

“Don’t need the added responsibility?”

“Exactly,” Avery sighed, relieved. “I mean it’s not like I want to go pro or anything. I like soccer fine but the only reason I joined the team is the academic scholarship that comes with it. I sometimes wish I was less noticeable. I’d love to just hangout in the background, serve my 4 years and disappear back into obscurity.”

“I get that.” The portrait seemed to take shape on its own. Brooke’s process felt effortless. Her fingers knew where the next stroke was supposed to go without her brain’s guidance.

“You really do, don’t you?” Avery stared into Brooke’s eyes, wondering.

“I try.” Brooke dropped the pastel she was holding, a small tap as it hit the sketchpad in her lap. Avery leaned across the space between them, cupping her cheek in her hand she planted a long, lingering kiss on Brooke’s lips. They kept their eyes open, each seeing their own reflected back, green and gold.

As

---

she filled in the background, adding finishing touches, Brooke realized it was one of the best pieces she’d ever done. Avery took up most of the page, framed by the sunset and water behind her, a wash of pastel colors that couldn’t possibly compete with the gorgeous woman in front of them.  Grabbing the black she’d set aside when she finished the hair, Brooke used bold, expressive strokes to sketch in Avery’s tattoos, the trail of spiky figures trailing off down her upper arm to fade into the bottom right hand corner of the page.

“Done,” Brooke said. Avery’s attention snapped back to her. Brooke held up the sketchpad and turned it towards her. “What do you think?” Avery’s mouth fell open, then drew up into a smirk.

“I meant for you to draw the scenery, not me,” Avery said with a chuckle.

“Well,” Brooke shrugged, “You brought me to a beautiful place, and I drew the most beautiful thing here,” She pulled her sketchpad back, turning it so she could once more admire her work. So she was completely caught off guard when Avery leaned across the boat and kissed her deeply. Brooke let the sketchpad fall into the bottom of the boat, running her hands up the soft, warm skin of Avery’s arms, the muscles flexing deliciously under her fingers. Brooke wanted nothing more than to bask in the heat of Avery’s embrace, but her pain was starting to get in the way. The sun was now low in the sky to the southwest, out from behind the clouds. It was one of those rare evenings where the sun seems to grow ever brighter as it’s setting. The bright golden light reflected off of every ripple until it was all Brooke could see, even when she closed her eyes.

“I’m getting tired,” she said. Which wasn’t untrue. “Can we head back now?”

“Of course,” Avery said. She leaned back, letting even more light assault Brooke’s retinas, picked the oars back up and began to row.

Now that she was working with the current, the boat cut through the water like a knife. Brooke held her hands around her brows, each beam of light a white hot needle stabbing in through her eyes and ricocheting around inside her skull. Less than 5 minutes later, Avery dropped one of her oars, reached out, and snagged a rope fixed to a pole on the shore where they’d started out from. The current pulled them out further until the rope sprang taught and Avery’s grip was all that kept them from floating away. And yet still she showed no strain, no fatigue. With apparent effortlessness, Avery pulled on the rope, hand over hand, until Brooke felt the thud of impact as, with one final massive tug, the bottom of the canoe stuck in the soft mud of the stream bank.

Avery helped her out of the boat and onto the motorcycle and drove her quickly back to campus. Brooke was getting more comfortable with the motorcycle, in general, but in this moment, her chronic illnesses weren’t having it. When she climbed off, her legs were shaky, her head was pounding, and there were white spots creeping in at the edges of her vision. Brooke wasn’t sure she would make it all the way to her dorm.  Her head felt simultaneously light and full of molten lead. Avery was saying something, but she was having trouble concentrating on the words. She felt her eyes roll back in her head and everything went black.

**********

Brooke awoke in her own bed, warm and safe. She groaned aloud, her limbs heavy with fatigue, her head throbbing with the beginnings of a bad migraine. In a flash, there was a dark figure leaning over her bed. For a split second she was panicked, but then her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she recognized Avery.

“Are you okay?” Avery asked, her voice filled with worry.

“Did I faint?” Brooke asked, ignoring the question.

“Yeah, are you okay?” Avery pressed. “Maybe I should take you to a doctor.” Her dark brows were furrowed in concern. Brooke smiled slightly at the mental image of Avery catching her as she fainted and gallantly carrying her all the way back to the dorm. Her strength really was astonishing. She resolved to paint the scene later on. She was touched that Avery had stayed there for what might have been hours waiting for her to wake up.

“No, really, I’m okay,” Brooke responded, filtering the pain and fatigue out of her voice as much as she could. Right then she felt like shutting her brain off and sleeping for several days. “I’m just tired.” She yawned, punctuating her words.

“Are you sure?” Avery asked, still sounding worried.  “Has this happened before?”

“Yeah, I just need some sleep,” Brooke assured her. “I promise I’ll be fine.” It was a struggle not to yawn through her words. She didn’t want Avery to see her in such an unattractive state, at least not yet.

“Oh, okay, I guess I’ll leave you to it then,” Avery said, sounding dejected. She leaned down and kissed Brooke lightly on the lips, like she was afraid of breaking her. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see you then. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, love.”

Brooke sighed as Avery left the dorm room, locking the door behind her. It would not be a good night. 

Chapter 6: Migraine Day

The next morning Brooke’s first thought when she woke up was Ow! FUCK!

Her migraine had only gotten worse overnight. It roared through her skull, using the light coming through the cracks in her cheap dorm room blinds as a catalyst to drive needle sharp splinters into her head and eyes. She wished she had the money for blackout curtains, and the ability to hang them. There was no way she would be able to make it to classes today.

Brooke fumbled for her phone, blinking her eyes to make them focus. She tapped on the email button, double and triple tapping it impatiently when it took too long to load. She hastily typed out a brief message to her chemistry professor, explaining that she’d be missing class today and why. She sent the message then forwarded it to her figure drawing instructor, changing the name from Mr. Whitman to Ms. Hansen before hitting send. Both replied within 10 minutes, clearly already in their offices. Ms. Hansen said not to worry about missing class and that she hoped Brooke would feel better soon. Mr. Whitman reminded her that it was only the second week, and that she really couldn’t be missing labs and still expect to keep her grade up. Never mind that she could barely get out of bed and was fully registered with Student Disability Services. People like him made Brooke feel so invalidated and anxious. How was she supposed to do something that her body physically wouldn’t let her do? She sighed deeply and rolled onto her back, exhausted.

Brooke just wanted to sit still and do nothing, but she did the responsible thing and made herself take some migraine pills, drink some water, and eat some applesauce from the snack drawer of her desk.

Fed and hydrated, Brooke collapsed back into her bed, rolling onto her side and reaching for the tablet on her bedside table. She propped it up and quickly pressed play on a Netflix sitcom she’d already seen half a dozen times. She rolled back onto her other side and curled into a fetal position, listening to the show, hunkering down to wait out the pain, and fervently hoping for the sweet relief of sleep.

Brooke wasn’t sure if she actually managed to sleep at all that morning, but if she did it wasn’t much, and it certainly wasn’t very deep. When her phone went off, her eyes shot open. Her pulse immediately raced, thinking it must be a teacher again. Maybe her figure drawing instructor changed her mind, or the chemistry professor had more to tell her about all the makeup work she was going to have to do. But it wasn’t a professor at all.

Avery Black: Class is starting, where are you?

Avery Black: Are you okay?

Brooke let out the breath she’d been holding and her head throbbed in response. “Ow,” she said as she typed out an answer.

Brooke Johnson: I’m out of class today. I’m sick. 

The text was marked read and dancing dots indicated that Avery started typing back almost immediately.

Avery Black: Are you okay??? Is there someone there with you, taking care of you?

She sounded panicked, and Brooke felt a need to reassure her. She let out a small sigh. She figured now was as good a time as any. She would have had to tell her eventually. She typed out the speech she’d given far too many times and pressed send.

Brooke Johnson: I’m fine. I have chronic migraine and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, so I get frequent migraines and my blood doesn’t circulate properly when I’m standing. I’m having a high pain day so I can’t come to class. I’ve had these issues for years and they suck but I can deal with them, for the most part. No there’s no one here with me, but I’m fine I have food and water and pain meds. It’ll probably only last like 12 more hours. I’ll see you after class tomorrow

Brooke was glad she hadn’t had to tell Avery about her illnesses in person. Texting felt more detached, as though she was describing someone else’s body, not her own. Three dots appeared, Avery was typing back. Then they vanished, reappearing again several seconds later. Brooke sighed, locking her phone and setting it down on her nightstand. She was all too used to people not knowing what to say when she detailed her illnesses. Able-bodied people were almost always awkward about it.

No sooner had Brooke settled back into her comforter than her phone went off again.

Avery Black: I’m so sorry, I didn’t know! 12 more hours?!?! Are you sure you’re ok? I could come over

Brooke’s pulse started racing at the prospect of anyone but Alex seeing her in such a vulnerable state.

Brooke Johnson: No no. Really. I’m ok. Don’t come over. I’ll be fine.

Avery responded immediately.

Avery Black: Are you sure? I hate to think of you all alone and in pain >_< <3

Brooke Johnson: What else is new

Avery Black: Please let me come help you!

Brooke glanced at the time at the top of her phone screen. It was just past noon. Avery still had almost an hour of lab left.

Brooke Johnson: No, seriously

Brooke Johnson: At least one of us should be in class.

Brooke didn’t want Avery’s attendance to suffer for her sake. And as much as she wanted to see her, it was one thing to read a text saying the girl you’re dating has multiple chronic illnesses, and quite another to witness it firsthand, along with all the accompanying pain, sweat, nausea, fatigue, tears, boredom, and depression.

Avery Black: Okay.

Brooke shut off her phone and snuggled back down, trying her hardest to wait out the pain, barely paying attention to the sitcom still playing behind her back.

Sometime in the next couple of hours, Brooke’s pain spiked. It was all she could do to string a sentence together. Her rational brain had almost completely deserted her. She wished that Alex was home to comfort her and refill her water glass. She wanted to not be alone. Brooke groped blindly for her phone. Opening her chat with Alex, she sent another text asking where he was to join the 3 others she‘d sent over the past two days. He hadn’t read any of them.

Exiting to the chats list, Brooke opened the top thread. Without thinking about it too much, she typed out ‘come over please’ and hit send. She wanted Avery. She hurt and she wanted to be held, to be comforted, to be taken care of. Almost instantly Avery wrote back, 3 letters: ‘OMW’.

Some time passed before the door banged open loudly and Avery stood, a haphazard silhouette against the bright hallway lights. Brooke held up her hand against the light and noise. Avery, seeing, quickly stepped inside and shut the door softly behind herself.

“Sorry, sorry,” Avery whispered. As Brooke’s eyes adjusted she fully took in Avery’s appearance for the first time. She looked nothing like herself. She was dressed in baggy, ill-fitting workout clothes. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and her curly hair was wild and frizzy, with small leaves and twigs tangled in it. It looked like she had run the whole way over. Maybe she had.

Avery crept carefully across the messy room, her movements cautious, as though she were approaching a wild animal. She walked around the side of Brooke’s bed that faced Alex’s bed, the desks, and the window on the far end of the room.

“Hi,” Brooke croaked, her voice scratchy. Avery had paused about 2 feet away from the edge of the bed.

“Hey,” she replied, her tone low and gentle, like she was talking to someone with extreme anxiety. Which technically she is, Brooke thought, and she chuckled to herself in her mind.

The sun was even higher in the sky now and so the light coming through the blinds was unbearable, even with Avery blocking part of it. Brooke groaned slightly and Avery jumped.

“What is it? Do you need help? What can I do?” Her voice was filled with worry, her calm tone abandoned. Brooke made a weak swiping gesture around the foot of her bed to the other side and Avery sprang to at once, following where she motioned, moving so fast Brooke couldn’t see her. Probably just her migraine fucking with her vision. Brooke rolled over, sighing in relief when she once more faced the darker side of the room.

Avery’s face was lit up by the window, as she was now opposite it, and she looked tortured. Her brows were twisted with concern; her hands strangling each other in front of her; the muscles of her shoulders bunched. “Migraines,” she said abruptly. It was a statement, not a question.

“Mhmm.”

“So your eyes are sensitive to light?” Avery spoke quickly, and in a higher pitch than usual. “That’s why you’re always wearing sunglasses?”

“Yeah, light is, the enemy today” Brooke said, her pain letting down the filter that would normally have made her soften the harsh truth. 

“So why don’t you have better blinds?”

“This is a dorm room. Even if I could afford blackout curtains, we’re not allowed to take those blinds down.”

“Do you have any thumbtacks?” Avery’s eyes darted around the room.

“I think there are some in the top drawer of my desk,” Brooke replied, hazily, gesturing lazily over her shoulder. Rather than pick her way around the mess on the floor again, Avery startled Brooke by leaping clear over her bed, landing heavily in front of her desk and yanking open the drawer. “What are you doing?” Brooke pulled her blanket around her face and turned her head so she could look at Avery.

“Helping.” Avery snatched a dark red blanket off of the floor and Brooke heard her footsteps as she crossed to the window. Brooke watched as the bars of light on the opposite wall shrank and dimmed until the only light in the room was a faint red glow. She sighed in relief, stepping back to admire her handiwork, “Any better?”

Brooke let her blanket fall away and rolled over to look at Avery, smiling gently. Her brows were still drawn together in concern. Peering past her, Brooke saw that she had tacked the blanket up all around the window. She must have used every thumb tack Brooke had, spacing them 3 inches apart around the entire hem of the blanket.

“Much better,” Brooke said, relaxing fully for the first time all day.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“You could refill my water and get me an ice pack. There’re usually a few in the freezer in the kitchen. Down the hall to the right.” Avery was out the door with the empty glass before Brooke finished her sentence. She was back, closing the door behind her what felt to Brooke like less than a minute later.

“What else?” Avery asked, handing over a cold gel pack wrapped in paper towels and setting a full glass of water down on the nightstand.

“Just come here,” Brooke pulled aside her comforter and made as much room as she could on her twin sized bed. Avery eased herself down onto the mattress, stretching her legs out in front of her and leaning back against the headboard. Brooke snuggled into her warmth, resting her head on her shoulder.

Avery pulled the blanket back over them, tucking it in snugly.

“Are you warm enough?” Brooke chuckled.

“Are you not aware how much body heat you radiate? I’m fine.” She groaned in pain, reaching for the ice pack to put under her head. Avery’s thickly-muscled shoulder wasn’t the softest surface.

“So do you get them often? The migraines?” Avery asked not like she wanted to but like she had to.

“More than fifteen days a month,” Brooke answered robotically. “That’s what makes them chronic.” Avery tensed and Brooke sighed. “They’re not always this bad. And I’ve gotten pretty good at functioning through the more minor ones.” Brooke’s tone was equal parts exhausted and placating. “Hell, I had one the day we first met.”

“You did?” Avery’s voice was higher than usual and too loud for how close she was to Brooke’s ears.

Yeah, it just wasn’t this bad. It’s part of the reason I didn’t come back to class.” Avery was silent, but still tensed. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t know. I should have known.”

“How could you?”  Avery didn’t answer. She relaxed somewhat but Brooke could tell she was still bothered by something. Avery couldn’t seem to settle down.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do to help you?” She had asked Brooke the same question every 5 minutes for the past half hour. Brooke rolled over to face her, groaning. Avery whined helplessly, her hands touching Brooke’s shoulders for the briefest moment, as if to help her, but then thinking better of it and drawing back quickly. Brooke breathed in a warm breath of Avery’s scent, and her head started to spin. Avery ran her fingers restlessly up and down Brooke’s arm. Brooke sighed, smiling slightly, content to stay there, in Avery’s arms, forever. But Avery couldn’t stop fidgeting.

“You really wanna know what you can do for me?” Brooke asked, with a courage born of the unconditional trust and surety she felt in Avery’s presence. She was hardly able to believe what she was about to say.

“Yes! Please!” Avery begged, propping herself swiftly up on her elbow.

Brooke crooked the index finger of her right hand, beckoning. When Avery was so close that Brooke could feel the heat radiating off of her skin, Brooke whispered so softly it was hardly audible, blushing deeply.

“Are you sure?” Avery asked. “I don’t want to make your pain worse.” Her brows drew together in worry.

“I told you, it’s the opposite,” Brooke reassured her. “As long as you don’t touch my face or head too much.” Avery leaned down and kissed her impossibly gently.

“I’m not going to break into pieces if you kiss me,” Brooke said, pulling Avery’s face against her own and kissing her firmly. Avery returned the kiss passionately, pulling back after a few seconds, flashing Brooke a sly grin, and leaning down to kiss her again. She held herself aloft, careful not to let any of her weight rest on any part of Brooke’s body. Her abs must be shredded, Brooke thought. She raised one hand, sliding it slowly up under Avery’s baggy tee shirt, and coming to rest on her abdomen. Her muscles were all flexed, rock solid and warm under Brooke’s fingers. She traced the lines between the muscles, taking her time, savoring every inch of heated skin.

Avery broke their lips apart and started kissing her way down Brooke’s jaw to the hollow under her ear, then down her neck, pausing at the spot where her sore, tensed trapezius muscle joined her shoulder, and sucking on it gently. Brooke moaned in pleasure, some of the tension leaving her pained muscles. Avery moved on just as quickly and Brooke whimpered almost inaudible. Avery kept kissing her way down, and Brooke sighed blissfully.

As she felt herself climax, breathing deeply to keep her muscles from tensing, Brooke’s pain eased, pushed to one side by the flood of a different kind of nerve signal. That trick had usually worked in the past when she was alone, but it seemed twenty times more potent with Avery involved. Brooke sighed in relief as Avery resurfaced from under the covers, hair full of static. Brooke giggled at the sight, brushing thee frizzy strands out of her face

“Any better?” Brooke nodded slightly and pulled her in for a kiss. She felt Avery finally relax, so she rolled onto her side, pulling one tattooed arm around herself.  

“It makes sense, if you think about it. Dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins obviously all affect your nervous system.” Brooke chuckled softly.

“Of course you can rattle that off from memory.”

“I should hope so, considering I took bio classes all last year.”

Brooke snuggled closer to Avery, contented just to lay there soaking in her warmth and the safe feeling she got whenever Avery held her in her arms.

“What do your tattoos mean?” Brooke asked, tracing the dark black lines gently. “I like them.”

“It’s kind of hard to explain…” Avery replied. “But essentially they tell the story of my ancestors. According to legend, at least.”

“Tell me the story?” Brooke asked, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

“Not now. Soon, but not now.” Avery gradually lowered her head onto the pillow behind Brooke’s, wrapping her left arm even tighter around Brooke’s waist.

“I’m glad you let me come over,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to help, even in some small ways.”

“Mmmm I’m glad you came over, too,” Brooke replied drowsily. “I like you.”

“Will you be my girlfriend?” The question came out of nowhere. Brooke’s eyes shot open, her sleepiness shaken from her mind. She was suddenly very aware of her appearance, her hair a tangled mess on her head, teeth unbrushed, dressed in the same pajamas she’d been sleeping, migraining, and sweating in for well over 12 hours.

“You’re joking.” Brooke said flatly, scooting away self-consciously.

“No I’m not!” Avery said, her tone heated.

Brooke sighed, rolling over to face her. “You’re the MVP of the soccer team, you run a business, and, I mean, just look at you!” Brooke gesticulated as she spoke, finally voicing everything she’d been suppressing for the past week. “What could I possibly have to offer that would make you want me as your girlfriend?” Avery looked struck dumb, her eyes sad. It seemed that Brooke’s words had cut her deeply, and she felt terrible for it, but she was still glad she’d said them. Without the pain dissolving her filter she never would have.

“Everything,” Avery said simply.

“What do you mean?”

“Everything,” she repeated. “That’s what I like about you. Everything. You’re kind and earnest. You have the soul of an artist, and you somehow manage to shine, even though life’s shoved you into the dark. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

“I think you need your eyes checked,” Brooke said, plucking at one of the holes in her shirt. “If you think I look hot right now.” Avery leaned forward suddenly and kissed her with a passion that took Brooke’s breath away. She lost track of time, but eventually she had to come up for air, her pale cheeks flushed bright red.

“Extremely hot,” Avery said. “So?”

“So, what?”

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

Brooke fake considered for a moment, holding her chin between her thumb and forefinger. “Hmm, uhm, gonna go with, yes!” She responded, and Avery smiled widely.

Avery didn’t leave that night, and Brooke didn’t want her to.

Chapter 7: Alex’s Return

Brooke sat in her bed, propped up on a pile of pillows, sketching absentmindedly with a piece of charcoal, on a much-needed break from the seemingly endless reading assignments from her history class.  Most of her homework for form drawing was to keep a sketchbook throughout the quarter to be included in the final portfolio.

The lines on her page gradually resolved into a face, and she realized she was drawing Avery. Something she’d found herself doing a lot recently.  She made adjustments here and there, until she had captured the image that transfixed her mind’s eye. Avery, softly lit by Brooke’s dim bedside lamp, smirking off of the page at her, her eyes shadowed but still glowing. Brooke sighed dreamily. She set the sketch aside and made herself work on an actual assignment for her figure drawing class: a lifelike sketch of her room. The dorm room was too quiet, so she turned on some low-tempo music. It was Sunday so the campus was quiet during the day. Avery had had to leave to go do some work for her family business.

Avery had hardly left Brooke’s side all week. She walked her to classes whenever she could and had stayed over in her dorm room the past three nights. Somehow with Avery there, Brooke was able to get better sleep than she had in years. They hadn’t done much more than sleep though. Every time things got too steamy between them, Avery would break things off, then apologize and get all withdrawn. Just like she had on their first date.

Alex still hadn’t gotten back from wherever he was, and Brooke was starting to get seriously worried. He was missing a lot of class. The last she’d seen of him he’d been making out with a very aggressive friend of Avery’s, Rachel, then they’d both disappeared. Avery had assured her that he was fine, and they had just decided to go on a spur-of-the-moment trip together, but she wouldn’t say where they’d gone, or why. Brooke had tried calling him several times, but his phone was dead.

Just as she was considering trying him again, Brooke heard a key fumbling with the door lock, and she held her breath. Several seconds later the door swung open, revealing Alex’s familiar silhouette. He stepped in and shut the door behind him. He was wearing clothes that Brooke didn’t recognize, and it looked like he hadn’t shaved all week, his face covered in a centimeter of scruff. Brooke just watched, silent, as he shrugged off the baggy jacket he was wearing, sat down heavily on his bed, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Well?” she asked. Alex didn’t seem eager to speak first. “How was it?” Brooke smirked suggestively. She had been worried, but now that she saw he was safe and sound, all she wanted were juicy details. Alex chuckled and blushed slightly. As he leaned forward to grab his charger off of the desk, the stretched-out neck of the faded t-shirt he was wearing fell off his shoulder, and Brooke caught sight of two V-shaped rows of bright red marks on the skin of his left shoulder, right around the spot where it met his neck. Brooke gasped.

“What the hell is that?” she asked, swinging her legs over the side of her bed that faced Alex’s and hurrying over to him. “Are you okay?!”

Alex shrugged her off, pulling his collar up in an attempt to hide the marks. “It’s nothing.” Brooke sat down on the bed next to him.

“What are those marks, Alex? Did you get bit by a dog or something?”

“Seriously,” Alex said, his tone calm. “I’m fine.” Brooke furrowed her brows at him, not buying it. He relented and leaned into the lamplight, pulling his shirt aside so Brooke could see more clearly. The marks were bright red, but the skin looked unbroken. They almost resembled small, brand new stretch marks, before they faded to white. “See?”

“What is this?” Brooke asked again reaching out to touch one of the spots. It felt like normal skin, but hot to the touch, almost feverish. Alex looked to the side, avoiding her eyes.

“Brooke,” he started, sounding serious. “I have to tell you something, and I have no fucking clue how to say this…” He trailed off.

Brooke leaned in, listening intently. “You know you can tell me anything.” Alex took a deep breath, letting it out excruciatingly slowly.

“I know this is going to sound crazy… but, our girlfriends are werewolves.”

Brooke laughed, assuming he must be kidding. “No, seriously, what is it?”

“I am serious, Brooke. They’re both werewolves. It’s okay though! They won’t hurt us.” he reassured her, his tone gentle.

Brooke was still trying to process what he was saying. “What do you mean ‘they’re werewolves’?” she asked, shaking her head in confusion. “And how did you know Avery asked me to be her girlfriend when your phone’s been off? And since when are you and Rachel a couple? This woman kidnaps you for almost a week, you’ve missed all your classes, and now you’re calling her your girlfriend?!”

“She is my girlfriend!” Alex sounded defensive. “Rachel told me about you and Avery. Avery told her.”

“Wait, you’ve seen Avery?”

“Yeah, her and Rachel live together, in the pack house. Although she hasn’t been around much the past week. Until this morning, that is.”

Brooke smiled slightly, knowing that she was the reason why. Her head was still spinning, unable to make sense of what Alex was trying to tell her. He just looked at her, letting the words sink in. It was ridiculous. Of course, it was. But a nagging voice in the back of Brooke’s mind argued that it made a certain amount of sense. It would explain how impossibly strong and fast Avery was, and possibly also why her eyes sometimes seemed to glow bright gold.

“There’s no way,” Brooke said, shaking her head. “Werewolves? No way! You’re pulling a prank on me, right?”

“I promise you, I’m not. Think about it. Isn’t Avery crazy strong? Super fast?”

Brooke shook her head, but Alex’s words did make her think. “No, she’s an athlete.”

“Rachel isn’t. Doesn’t it strike you as odd at all how quickly your relationship is moving? How your mood seems to change when you’re around her?”

“Yeah, because I’m into her!”

Alex seemed to consider for a moment, then he sent a text, put his phone back into his pocket, and started to pull his socks and shoes back on. “Come on, I’ll show you. You’ll believe it when you see for yourself.”

“What do you mean?” Brooke said, reaching for a pair of socks.

“I know how crazy this sounds. I think you just have to see with your own eyes. Come on, I’ll drive.” Brooke slipped on her shoes and snagged a blue hoodie off of her desk chair, hurrying out of the dorm after Alex.

They drove in tense silence for almost twenty minutes. Brooke watched at the ‘Now Leaving Moss, Oregon. Come Back Soon’ sign shrink in the rear-view mirror until it was invisible. Avery and Rachel lived a good way outside of town. She thought about saying something several times, but what would she say? Alex’s claims were crazy. How could she argue with him?  

Alex took the nearest state highway which ran out of Moss and into the depths of the dense forest that surrounded it. The further out they got, the fewer houses they saw, until eventually they turned onto a gravel road and all they passed were thick trees.  The farther they went, the less Brook could convinvceherself that this was some incredibly elaborate practical joke. Alex was never this serious about anything unless it was really important.

Before long the trees parted into a large clearing dominated by a colossal brick building. It was immense, at least the size of the larger buildings on their campus, with old leaded windows throughout. 

A flicker of movement caught Brooke’s eye off to her right and her heart dropped into her stomach with fear at the sight that met her eyes. There were 2 huge wolves, not fifty feet from their car, rolling back and forth and snapping at each other’s necks. One was chestnut brown with long, shaggy fur, the other slightly larger and jet black, its fur curling slightly along its spine. The brown wolf looked up when it heard their engine, abandoning the fight to sprint towards the car.

Brooke threw her hands up in front of her face, but the wolf leapt clear over the car, skidding to a halt on the driver’s side, and turning back towards them. Brooke watched in wide-eyed horror as Alex threw open his door and skipped over to the massive brown wolf, throwing his arms around its neck. To Brooke’s shock, the wolf nuzzled into his hands as if it was a pet dog, not a terrifying predator.

Brooke suddenly remembered the other wolf and her head snapped back around painfully, her neck muscles screaming in protest. The larger black wolf had hardly moved an inch. It stood, head down and facing the car, still as a statue. Then it slowly raised its head, and even from far away, Brooke couldn’t mistake the liquid gold color of those eyes. She felt her head get light and the last thing she could remember seeing was the black wolf running towards her. 

Chapter 8: Caught in the Act

Avery ran through the woods, delighting in the feeling of the chill wind whipping through her thick black fur. Dead leaves crunched under her paws, and the smell of fresh fir needles stirred into the air as she brushed past their boughs, filling her nose. It felt good to stretch her legs after having spent all morning pouring over paperwork and account books. She hadn’t been home in three nights, so she was taking the opportunity to run a quick patrol of her territory, stopping at regular intervals to scratch her scent into the trees and ground. If her strength and vigilance were ever doubted, it would mean serious trouble for her pack.

Ordinarily she would use the time to decompress and let her mind wander, but that Sunday afternoon she couldn’t stop worrying about Brooke, all alone and vulnerable. Avery had assigned one of the teenage members of the pack to stand watch outside Brooke’s dorm building, but it was no substitute for being there herself. No one could protect Brooke like she could. If Brooke was a werewolf, they would already be living together. But her mate was human. She had to be patient, she scolded herself for the thousandth time. Brooke didn’t even know she was a werewolf yet. Avery knew she would have to tell her eventually, but she was worried Brooke would be scared and reject her. She might well die if that happened. Literally. She shook her head gently, as though she could shake away the dark thoughts. She still had responsibilities as the leader of her pack. Ben couldn’t keep picking up the slack indefinitely.

As she roamed over her territory, Avery felt the brush of her nearby pack members’ thoughts, a gentle murmur at the edges of her consciousness. A bright red ribbon of distress caught her attention, and she instantly recognized the smell of Rachel’s thoughts. She abruptly changed directions, heading towards the source of her best friend’s distress. When she was almost to the clearing she shifted effortlessly, landing on her human feet and grabbing one of many sets of clothes stashed in the nearby trees, pulling them on.

Sending a mental probe towards Rachel, Avery was surprised to find she’d walled off her thoughts from the rest of the pack.

Avery could hear a car engine and slightly raised voices. Emerging into the clearing she saw Rachel’s new mate, near the house, in the driver’s seat of his car, arguing with her through the open window.

“–needs to know, she’s my best friend!” The human male exclaimed as Avery loped up.

“I’m just telling you to wait a week or two!” Rachel whisper-shouted, one hand on the roof rack of the car, leaning down close.

“What’s going on?” Avery raised her voice (for the benefit of the human), and the two of them fell silent. The human, Alex, stared at her, wide-eyed and frozen. Rachel crossed her arms, turning to face Avery but not meeting her eyes. Avery looked between the two of them. “Well?” Some of the other pack members had wandered in, drawn by the commotion, or maybe just curious about the new human Luna.

“It’s nothing, A, seriously,” Rachel said, trying to sound nonchalant, but Avery knew her too well. Her gaze darted back to Alex, zeroing in on the distinctive red marks on his neck. She’d marked him.

Avery felt rage boil up inside of her. She shoved Rachel, hard. Her Beta stumbled back a few steps but maintained her footing.

I TOLD YOU TO WAIT TO TELL HIM! Avery mentally shouted.

He’s my mate! How long did you expect me to wait? Rachel responded, her thoughts defensive.

UNTIL I SAID OTHERWISE! I’M YOUR ALPHA! Avery sped over to Rachel, closing the distance until their faces were mere inches from each others’. She stood to her full height, glaring down at her disobedient lieutenant. 

I did you a favor! You’ve been putting this off for too long!

Avery growled loudly at Rachel’s thoughts and the ring of spectators edged back carefully. Who do you think you are to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do? A dangerous note scented Avery’s thoughts now but Rachel didn’t seem to care. She was too preoccupied looking at something over Avery’s shoulder. She tried to dart past, but Avery stopped her, throwing her right arm out to her side so it caught Rachel in the chest. Avery heard the breath huff out of her Beta’s lungs and grinned, satisfied. What was wromng with her? She was used to having a tight leash on her emotions.

Avery looked over her shoulder to see what Rachel was fixated on just in time to see the human’s car speeding out of the clearing down the narrow gravel road that led back to the highway.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Rachel cried aloud. “I was trying to convince him to let you tell her but now it’s too late. You scared him off!”

I scared him off?! You don’t think it could have anything to do with you telling him we’re werewolves?! Avery kept her side of the conversation nonverbal, conscious of the pack members still watching them. They’re starting to get worried, she sent, sensing the concern emanating from the members of her pack.Inside. Now.

Rachel’s thoughts were indignant. Avery caught an image of Rachel in wolf form running to catch up to her mate’s car.

NOW! Avery infused the thought with the force of an Alpha Command, so Rachel was forced to obey. Rachel shot her a look of scathing reproach before turning and jogging into the pack house and up the steps. Avery followed her, knowing she would feel bad later. She rarely needed to use her Alpha voice, but when she did it left a bad taste in her mouth. She tried to avoid using Commands, when she could, finding the subversion of free will they enabled repugnant.

They ran up the steps to the top floor where their rooms were. Rachel threw open the door to the office they shared, storming inside and pacing around angrily. Avery shut the door behind her.

They argued back and forth for at least half an hour, both stuck firm in their opinions. It was the worst fight they’d had in years, quickly fidisslvingingto a sream of miages, smells, and emotions. Rachel had a tendency to prefer nonverbal communication, especially when her emotions were running hot. Avery had heard of wolves who never bothered learning any human language. But, unlike Rachel,  Avery wasn’t used to losing control. Ever. And somewhere, in the back of her mind, the still-rational part of her was terrified of the implications.

She was able to keep their argument contained in the office… until a passing thought flitted across Rachel’s mind that finally made Avery lose control completely.

Alex may be human but at least my mate isn’t defective… 

Avery growled deafeningly. If she was thinking rationally, Avery might have remembered that Rachel came from a fundamentalist family who prized strength over everything else, and that she was still working on shaking those beliefs. But Avery wasn’t thinking rationally. Rachel had insulted her mate.

She ran at the Beta, catching her around the waist, and threw the both of them out onto the balcony and over the railing. Avery let Rachel go and shifted smoothly in midair, shredding the clothes she’d been wearing to pieces. Rachel landed less gracefully, shifting just a fraction of a second before she hit the ground, landing heavily in a mess of chestnut fur.

Avery gave her no time to regain her feet. She charged forward, knocking Rachel’s front legs out from under her with a swipe of one paw. She pressed down between the Beta’s shoulder blades, pinning her. But Rachel bunched the muscles of her shoulders, breaking out of Avery’s grip and springing her to her feet with a low growl.

Rachel leapt at her; teeth bared. Avery was ready for her. As the wolves collided, their limbs tangled, teeth snapping at the backs of each other’s necks, struggling for dominance. One moment Avery seemed to be winning, then the next moment Rachel was on top of her, using her powerful front legs to great advantage. Avery kicked out hard with her back paws, catching Rachel in the belly and flipping her forward so she lost her grip and flew over Avery’s head. She jumped to her feet, black fur standing on end.

The two wolves faced each other, Avery’s golden eyes boring into Rachel’s electric blue ones, both of them snarling, hackles raised. They stalked each other in a tight circle for several seconds. Avery feigned a move to the right, going left at the last moment. Rachel fell for the ruse, pouncing to Avery’s right, but she was long gone. Avery circled around, lightning fast, and surprised Rachel with an attack from behind.

They were grappling, Avery seeming to have the advantage, when both wolves’ ears pricked up at the sound of a car engine approaching. Turning towards the access road, Avery saw that Alex had returned. One sniff was enough to tell her that Brooke was in the car with him. Avery would know that heavenly scent anywhere, like honey, and wildflowers. Rachel was already loping over to the car, but Avery’s heart had dropped into her stomach.

She sat stock still, frozen. How much of their fight had Brooke seen? She must be terrified! Avery wished dearly that she could go shift and put on some clothes, but she knew how frightening her wolf form could be, and she worried that any movement might scare Brooke away. So, she stood stock still, staring at the passenger seat of the car, barely able to see her mate’s form through the dirty windshield. But she saw when Brooke started to slump backwards.

Avery was already halfway to the car before Brooke’s head hit the headrest.

Get me some clothes, now! she mentally shouted at the nearest pack member. The timid-feeling teenager, one of Albert’s, she thought, scurried off, returning less than a minute later with a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Avery hastily shifted into her human form and yanked the clothes on, accidentally popping some of the stitches in her haste. Werewolves weren’t bothered by nudity, but humans were. She opened the car door carefully, all thoughts of Rachel and their fight gone from her mind. It looked as though Brooke had fainted again.

Avery was deaf to everything except the slow, gentle breathing of her mate, assuring her that she was still alive at the very least. She bent and, with the greatest care, lifted Brooke out of the car, one arm around her shoulders, the other under her knees, her head lolling back.

Avery made to take Brooke into the pack house, but her way was blocked by the scrawny human male. If she had had a free hand, she would have shoved him aside, but she didn’t want to risk letting Brooke down for even an instant. She growled low in her throat in warning, but the human stood his ground. In a flash, Rachel was crouching protectively in front of him, still in wolf form.

“Please listen to me!” Alex shouted. “Brooke will only be more scared if she wakes up in a strange place.” Avery paused, listening. “I’m her best friend, trust me. Just lay her down on the ground, that’ll help her circulation.” Avery eyed him suspiciously. She wasn’t the greatest at reading human facial expressions, but he seemed sincere. She set Brooke down ever so gently onto the soft grass, brushing a stray lock of dirty blonde hair off of her face.

Avery waited on tenterhooks until, after what seemed like hours, but was really a few minutes, Brooke’s breathing gradually sped up. Her eyes fluttered open, instantly wide with fear. Avery quickly grabbed her mate’s hand in her own, pressing it to her cheek.

“You’re okay,” Avery sighed.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Brooke replied, groggy. “At least I think so. Where are we?” Then she seemed to remember because an expression of pure horror crossed her face and she scrambled backward away from Avery. “I don’t believe it! You were just- ..was that?” Brooke stammered, her eyes darting every which way, her fingers raking through her hair. “I’m going crazy!” Alex quickly jogged over to her, motioning for Rachel to stay back.

“You’re okay, Brooke, you’re not crazy, everything is going to be fine,” he said, his tone low and soothing. “Avery would never hurt you, and neither would Rachel. You’re perfectly safe.” She didn’t seem to believe him, but her movements had stilled some. It took every ounce of Avery’s willpower not to run to her mate, to comfort her, to hold her. But she couldn’t live with herself if Brooke was scared of her, so she kept her distance.

“But, Alex, you can’t be serious.” Brooke’s voice was high and strained, breaking frequently. “I mean they’re…” She couldn’t even say it “..werewolves! Did you see them? How are you not freaking out right now?!”

“I had my freak out last night, trust me, I was at least as panicked as you are now,” Alex replied. “But I promise you, you’re completely safe. Just hear her out,” he gestured at Avery. She took a cautious step forward, then a couple more when Brooke didn’t shy away. “Trust your feelings, and just hear her out, please, she’ll explain everything. Won’t you?” He turned to look at Avery, eyebrows raised. She nodded her head jerkily.

“Come on, we’ll go inside, okay?” Alex coaxed. He stood and offered Brooke his hand to help herself up. 

“I don’t know…” Brooke said, taking the proffered hand all the same. Alex pulled but Avery saw him teeter slightly at the resistance of Brooke’s weight and faster than a breath, she was at Brooke’s other side, grasping her forearm and lifting her easily to her feet. Brooke jumpe slightly, startled, but let her. Avery knew she should let go, but it was difficult. Everywhere their bare skin touched she felt warm tingles dancing between them. She never wanted to let her mate go. But it was the right thing to do. So she did, reluctantly letting Alex help Brooke into the house and through the foyer to the staircase.

“That’s a lot of stairs,” Brooke said. Avery mentally scolded herself for not considering it before. She would have to look into getting an elevator installed.

“I could carry you up…” Avery offered hesitantly. Brooke looked into her eyes for the first time since she’d woken up, her gaze a burning laser searing into Avery’s very soul.

“No, I can do it myself. I’ve got it,” Brooke said, starting up the stairs, her movements slow and creaky. Avery leapt onto the step next to her, holding out her forearm as a brace. Alex made to follow them. “I’ve got it,” Brooke repeated, brushing him off. “Seriously. I’m feeling better.”

Avery fought back a whine, her face twisting in pain as Brooke quickly lost her breath, her steps becoming more and more labored the higher they climbed. She itched to sweep Brooke off of her feet and carry her. It would take her hardly any effort at all. But she didn’t. She would respect her mate’s wishes, even if it meant letting her cause herself pain and difficulty.

When they finally reached the top landing, Brooke was gasping for air, leaning down, hands braced against her knees, her face red with exertion.

“This is my room here,” Avery said, gesturing at the thick oak double doors to their left. “Or we could go in the office if you’d be more comfortable.” She immediately remembered that the office was covered in evidence of the fight and regretted offering it as an option. Thankfully, Brooke wandered over to the doors to Avery’s bedroom, pulling on one weakly. Avery sprang forward and opened the heavy door, holding it open as Brooke shuffled inside, sitting down wearily on the first thing she saw: the chest at the foot of Avery’s bed.

Avery turned, and shut the door.

Chapter 9: Connection

Brooke watched apprehensively from her perch atop a chest as Avery shut the heavy wooden doors. She could feel her heart racing, and not just from climbing the approximately fifty thousand stairs up to Avery’s room. The bedroom was immense, with high vaulted ceilings and one whole wall to her right entirely made of glass with double doors opening onto a large veranda. There was a king sized four poster bed behind her with a thick natural wood frame. To her left were two doors that presumably opened into a closet and bathroom. The room was minimally decorated but there was an abundance of houseplants. Small trees in large pots, hanging baskets full of wandering vines, even a hanging garden at least six by six feet on the wall next to the balcony with smaller leafy plants each growing in its own pocket.

Avery turned back towards her, hands in her pockets, keeping her distance. They stayed that way for several seconds of tense silence. Avery wouldn’t meet Brooke’s eyes.

“So,” Brooke said at last.

“So…” Avery started, trailing off.

Brooke waited for her to say something, anything else, but she seemed at a loss for words.

“You’re a werewolf.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” Avery replied, staring at the floor.

“When were you planning on telling me?”

“I-I don’t know,” Avery’s voice was shaking for the first time since Brooke had met her. “Soon? I- Well, honestly, Rachel’s not completely wrong. I have been avoiding it.”

“I’ll say,” Brooke scoffed.

“I’m so sorry you found out like this.  I wanted to tell you myself, when the time was right. I just- couldn’t see to figure out when that was.”

“Sometimes there’s no good time to talk about something. Just less bad ones.” Avery nodded, eyes still fixed on the floor. There was no doubt in Brooke’s mind that her contrition was real, but Brooke still had questions. “So that- was that, earlier, that was you and Rachel?” She was fairly sure, but she had to confirm. Avery nodded. “Pretty obvious which one is which.” Avery almost cracked a smile, almost. “Why were you fighting? Isn’t she your best friend?” Avery frowned, wringing her hands til her knuckles turned white.

“Of course she is!” She took a shaky breath. “But this is a… strenuous time around here. Both our Alpha,” she pointed to her own chest, “and our Beta finding their mates a week apar an them both being human is… Let’s just say it’s been destabilizing.”

“I thought that that whole alpha beta thing was disproven years ago.”

“In actual wolves, yes. We’re people who just so happen to turn into wolves. So it’s different. Probably has more to do with the Eurocentric obsession with Greek and Latin than anything else.”

“So you and Rachel were fighting about, us?”

“Sort of,” Avery shrugged. “I was mad at her for telling Alex before I had the chance to tell you.” Brooke nodded. “It wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand only… she said something that, ahem, set me off.”

“What did she say?”

“It was nothing, really Just a passing thought. She didn’t even really say it.” Avery was stalling. Brooke may have only been18 but she had enough experience to know when someone was trying to shield her from an unpleasant truth. And to know she would rather face it head on than prolong the inevitable.

“Tell me.” Avery sighed, finally meeting Brooke’s eyes, gold flashing.

“She said something about you being weaker than Alex.” Brooke squinted up at her, brows furrowed.

“Physically I am a lot weaker than him. But that’s not the only kind of strength.”

“I know, I know,” Avery said more to herself than Brooke. “It’s just that our culture has always prized strength in the conventional sense.  Sometimes to a fault. Rachel didn’t mean what she said. I know that.   I wouldn’t have actually hurt her…” Brooke thought she heard a silent ‘probably’.

“You know I’ve heard stuff like that most of my life, right?”

“I know.”

“Teachers, doctors, other kids. I’ve been called weak in pretty much every way possible.” Avery’s eyes flashed. “I’m pretty used to it by now.” Avery’s fists clenched at her sides.

“I know.” She looked like she was struggling not to hit something, but she took a couple deep breaths, and her posture relaxed some, her eyes fading back to their usual golden brown hue. Brooke was glad Avery still had her back to the door, but she wasn’t nearly as scared as she felt like she should have been. In fact, she realized, she always seemed to feel exponentially less anxious, stressed, and worried when she was with Avery. Was that a werewolf thing? She figured she’d start with a simpler question. “So, what powers do you have, exactly? I mean are we talking more Wolf Man or Twilight?”

“Those are, movies?” Avery raised one eyebrow. “I’m the real kind of werewolf. We’re strong, fast, we have superior hearing and smell, we heal faster and metabolize more quickly than humans, we can speak nonverbally, but only within a certain distance, and we can turn into wolves, obviously.”

“Sounds awesome, can I get some of that?” Brooke wasn’t really joking, despite her tone.

“No. We’re born this way, not made. I’m sorry.” Brooke didn’t try too hard to hide her disappointment.

“And your eyes?”

“They glow when we experience strong emotion. Or when we shift. Which, for a lot of us, is the same thing.”

“And you can… shift, whenever you want?”

“Depends on the person. Some have more control than others. But with enough practice, yes, whenever we want.” Avery slowly held out a hand to her side and Brooke watched openmouthed as the fingers shortened, fusing together and sprouting thick black fur until she held out a large clawed paw. Brooke barely blinked as the fur retreated once more, revealing the tattoos underneath and the warm brown skin Brooke was familiar with.

“Incredible,” Brooke whispered.

“I have more control than most.” Alex had said to trust her emotions. And right now, despite how illogical it seemed, all Brooke wanted to do was cross the distance and trace every line of the tattoos that told a story, and finally hear what they meant. Still, there were more questions, weren’t there? Her brain was foggy and not improving. “And the full moon? Is that just a myth?”

“Not entirely. We can’t take human form during the full moon. It’s a very… spiritual time for us.”

“You keep saying ‘us’. How many of you are there?”

“In the world or in my pack?”

“Both, I guess? Wait- your pack?”

Avery nodded solemnly.

“Yeah, I’m the Alpha. Uh- the one in charge, of this pack. We all live in this house, that’s why it’s so big. There are 48 of us, 49 once Ariel has her baby.”

Brooke’s eyes widened. “There’re so many of you! And you’re so young! Or do you just look young?”

“There used to be more. But yeah, this is still the largest pack in North America.” Avery didn’t sound especially proud of her pack’s status. “I am actually 20. Leadership in our society just- works a little different than it does for humans. Survival of the fittest.” Avery spat out the last sentence.

“And you’re certainly that.” Brooke couldn’t believe she was flirting at a time like this. The more information she learned, the less scared she felt. For some absurd reason she had a deep conviction, despite how illogical it was, that Avery wouldn’t hurt her. And all her other feelings for Avery hadn’t gone anywhere. If anything, they grew stronger the more Brooke learned about her. Avery still hadn’t moved. She just stood, as perfect as if she’d been painted by a straight Michelangelo. Brooke took a deep breath, then patted the chest next to her. Avery’s head snapped up at the sound, and she met Brooke’s eyes. Her golden gaze was so filled with fear and worry that Brooke felt a pang in her heart. Although that might be the POTS. She still hadn’t fully recovered from the climb up.

Brooke tried to scoot over to make room but lost her balance. She felt herself teeter precariously to the left, and she started to fall. Strong arms caught her, grasping her forearms tightly, steadying. Brooke felt warm tingles spreading across her skin from the contact. 

“What can I do?” Avery asked, her voice filled with concern. Brooke’s head was spinning.

“Uhm, I don’t know,” Brooke said, her thoughts foggy. “Help me lay down?” She was acting on instinct. No space in her brain for anything but symptoms. She felt herself lifted up, then set down gently on a soft blanket. Her eyes were closed but she could feel Avery’s body heat next to her. “Would you mind getting me some water?” Avery was back before the warmth dissipated from the spot where she’d been crouching.

Brooke opened her eyes and tried to sit up a little, and Avery was there, one arm supporting her shoulders, the other holding a cup up to her lips. Brooke drank deeply, taking the cup from her. After a few minutes she felt much less dizzy, and her head was clearer.

Avery still knelt by the side of the bed, one hand resting on Brooke’s forearm. She could feel warm tingles dancing along her nerves.

“What is that?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Avery said dazedly. “What’s what?”

“That sensation, when you touch me.”

Avery’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s sort of… a side effect,” she answered haltingly.

“A side effect of what?” Avery took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then exhaled.

“Of us being mates.” Brooke was confused.

“What? Wait, you said that before, right?  Like soulmates? That’s awfully romantic of you.”

“Not in the way you’re thinking. Mates are fated partners who are bonded together when they first meet. Two people who are, perfect for each other, I guess you could say.”

“How do you… know?”

“We just… do. DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT WHEN WE FIRST MET?”

“Of course.” Brooke wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon. She had been so distracted she’d forgotten to go back to class afterwards. “I see what you mean.”

“Some people believe that our mates are given to each other by our Goddess, others think it’s just fundamental to our nature. A trait adapted to make us stronger by giving us certain, lifelong companions.”

“Lifelong?”

“Yes.  You’re stuck with me. For better or for worse.” Brooke didn’t want to admit how comforting that was.

“I used to be pretty lapsed in my faith. Until recently.  I’m not sure that the Goddess makes mates or what a possible scientific explanation would be otherwise; but I’m grateful that it happens.”

“And is it typical for your, mates, to be human?”

“It didn’t used to be. But when more and more wolves were killed by hunters, we evolved to mate with humans in order to preserve our species. Nowadays the population has bounced back somewhat, so only about  one in ten wolves have human mates.”

Brooke nodded, processing. “Why do I sleep better when you’re with me?”

“Mates tend to feel at ease around each other, especially with-” Avery traced her index finger in a line up Brooke’s arm, leaving a warm trail. “-skin-to-skin contact.”

Brooke sighed.

“I like that,” she said, pulling Avery’s left hand up to cup her cheek and delighting in the sensation. Brooke raised one eyebrow, smiling slightly. “Anything else I should know?”

“There is, actually.” Avery trailed her hand down Brooke’s jaw, then further until her fingertips rested on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. The same spot where Alex’s strange marks were.

“Just tell me.”

Avery sighed, looking guilty. “Mates are compelled by their bond to… mark each other.” She looked down. “Right here.” She pressed her fingers lightly into the spot on Brooke’s neck.

“What exactly does that mean?”

“It’s stupid, actually. In theory, it’s meant to tell other wolves who you’re mated to. It changes a person’s smell to partially mimic their mate’s, and, among other things,  it’s a visual reminder of one’s possession of their mate.” She spat the last words out.

“And is it actually, a bite? Like it looks like?” Brooke’s heartbeat quickened and Avery moved her hand to her shoulder, pushing the neck of Brooke’s shirt up to cover the spot.

“Yeah. It is.”

“But Alex’s seemed fully healed.”

“Not completely, but it will heal much faster than a human wound. It’s not messy, at least.” Avery didn’t say anything else about it. Brooke was scared but also strangely intrigued at the prospect. She didn’t hate the idea of people knowing she was Avery’s girlfriend at a glance. Or a smell, she guessed. This whole werewolf thing would take some getting used to. But she knew how she felt about Avery. Maybe they were magically induced feelings, but wasn’t all love magic in its own way, or chemistry, depending on how you broke it down. Who could say which one was more real? 

Brooke liked the way Avery made her feel. Elated, giddy, sexy, safe, home, cared for, needed. Those feelings had been so rare in her life that she wanted to hold onto them. She decided she didn’t care too much about the metaphysical minutiae.

“Come here,” Brooke said, and pulled Avery into a deep kiss.

“Don’t you want to ask me more questions?”

“Not right now. Right now, what I want is for you to come here.” Brooke grabbed the collar of Avery’s t-shirt and pulled her in for another kiss, this one longer than the first. Brooke parted her lips, and, after a moment’s hesitation, Avery accepted her invitation and deepened the kiss. Her lips were soft and supple, her tongue dancing with Brooke’s.

Brooke slid one hand slowly up Avery’s side, reveling in the thrills of pleasure she felt everywhere their skin touched, and delighting in the knowledge that Avery felt the same way. Avery moved so she was hovering over Brooke on the bed, propped up on one arm. Brooke slipped her hand up under Avery’s shirt and slowly trailed her fingers upwards, following the lines of her tensed abs, to find her breasts, her nipples already hard. Brooke circled one with her index finger, teasing, and Avery gasped, finally breaking their kiss.

Avery sat up, reaching down to pull her shirt up over her head and throwing it across the room. Brooke propped herself up on her elbows, admiring the view. Her girlfriend really was perfect; wrapped in wiry muscle, her skin soft and warm, spotted by the sun; her long black hair curling in a halo around her sharp-featured face; her tattoos bleeding over her arms and shoulders in that spiky, organic scene. Brooke wanted to trace every single line of them.

Brooke pulled her own shirt over her head awkwardly, not having the core strength to hold herself off the bed. She hadn’t bothered to put on a bra that morning and just then she was grateful for it. When she turned back, Avery’s eyes were shining gold and the look in them was hungry. Brooke crooked one finger, smiling. Avery lowered herself down and as their bare chests pressed together, Brooke gasped at the feeling. She wrapped her arms around Avery, her hands tracing the lines of the muscles on her back. Their lips met once again, and the tingles spread throughout Brooke’s torso, making her giddy.

“Mmmm,” she moaned against Avery’s kiss, putting one hand on her shoulder and pushing gently. Avery pulled back immediately. She opened her mouth to apologize, or something, but Brooke shook her head, pulling her legs up to her chest and using the leverage to slip her sweatpants off and toss them over Avery’s shoulder. She didn’t want any layers of fabric separating them. Avery followed suit, using her werewolf speed to roll back onto her back, yank her shorts off, and roll back to Brooke, all in the space of a breath.

Avery grabbed a blanket, pulling it over the both of them as she lowered herself back down. She used one arm to prop herself up while the other massaged Brooke’s breast expertly, her lips trailing kisses over Brooke’s jaw, down the side of her neck, and stopping at the spot where it met her shoulder. The spot where her mate mark would be. Avery sucked on the spot gently and Brooke arched her back in pleasure. Avery pulled away suddenly.

“I promise I won’t. Not until you’re ready.”

“I trust you,” Brooke said, and pulled her back down.

Brooke didn’t know how long they stayed there, lost in the flood of sensations buzzing through her nervous system.  Brooke was shocked back to her senses when one of Avery’s elbows rolled onto a strand of her hair. Brooke couldn’t contain a wince at the sharp pulling pain, like needles poking through her scalp. Avery, predictably, overreacted, jumping back so fast that she almost fell off the bed.

“Shit, Fucking hell, I’m so sorry.”

“Relax,” Brooke said, readjusting her hair with one hand and reaching out the other to Avery. “It was an accident. It happens.”

“I should have been more careful.”

“Every single person I know has accidentally caused me pain. Most of them on several occasions. It happens. Come here, I’ll show you.” She beckoned, patting the bed next to her. Avery looked wary, but complied, scooting about a foot closer to Brooke, but still leaving space between them. “Give me your hand.”

“What are you doing?”

“There’s been an awful lot of me trusting you today. It’s your turn to trust me.” Avery nodded, extending a tentative hand. Brooke took it in hers, guiding it up to the side of her face. “Here.” Brooke moved Avery’s hand so it cupper her cheek. “Here,” her jaw, “And here,” the side of her neck. “Are all fine to touch. Brooke pushed herself into a sitting position. “Anywhere my hair grows…” Brooke ran a hand through Avery’s tangled black curls, loosening knots with her fingers. “… and these parts of my face,” she ran her fingers over Avery’s forehead, her dark brows, then her sharp cheekbones, “… are all more sensitive.” Avery nodded, her eyes glowing dimly in the darkening room.

“Now you know for next time.”

“Now I know,” Avery said, nodding again. Brooke pulled her in for a swift kiss.

“Why do you keep your hair so long if it’s that painful? Jade keeps hers short just out of convenience.” Brooke considered before responding, rubbing one long  blonde strand between her thumb and index finger.

“I did buzz it short once. It was before my dad left. He was already giving himself and Ethan crew cuts and I wanted one too. I was maybe seven, and I liked the idea of us all matching.” Avery listened attentively. “I loved my short hair. Until I went back to school. I got a lot of weird comments. Mostly from other kids’ parents.”

“Like what?”

“Like saying I would be mistaken for a boy with a boy’s haircut.”

“That’s stupid. I mean on their part, not yours.”

“Yeah, probably. But it left an impression. I wore hair bands compulsively until it grew out. Just so everyone would know I was a girl.”

“I doubt you’ll have that problem nowadays, my love,” Avery said, her eyes glowing as they raked  over Brooke’s curves. “And certainly not around here.”

“What, did you send out some psychic message to the whole pack when we met with my preferred name and pronouns?” Brooke asked, jokingly.

“Of course,” Avery replied, straight-faced. “Why wouldn’t I? What other purpose to us all being able to communicate mentally if  not to share pertinent information?” Brooke chuckled. She guessed she would get used to stuff like this eventually.

“I started growing it out longer after I came out. There were so few out gay kids in my school that being a lesbian became my whole identity to some people. I didn’t want to be seen as a walking stereotype.” Avery nodded knowingly. “I guess I also felt like all my symptoms already attract enough unwanted attention, so when I can I prefer to blend in.”

“ Well, I wouldn’t count on that strategy, considering you’re drop dead gorgeous no matter what you wear. Anyone with eyes is going to want to gawk.” Brooke grinned.

“I’ve thought about cutting it tons of times, I just never seem able to pull the trigger. Force of habit, I guess.”

“I mean, I think you’d look hot with any haircut.”

“Speaking of hair, you should wash yours or it’ll be a rat’s nest tomorrow morning.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” Avery paused. “Will you stay here tonight?” The tentative hope in her tone made Brooke smile.

“I’d like that. But all my stuff’s back in our dorm room.” Avery cocked her head to an odd angle for several seconds, her eyes glazing over.

“Rachel’s already planning on going over to get Alex’s stuff. If you make me a list, she’ll get yours too.”

“You just were talking to her… nonverbally?”

“That’s right.”

“Trippy.” I have all the time in the world to get used to it, Brooke thought as Avery tossed her an oversized t-shirt. She leaned back against the pillows, tucking her legs under the comforter. She gave Avery her list, most of which was already in her book bag, and Rachel was back with it within the hour.

A couple hours later, Avery brought up dinner from the kitchen, wherever it was buried in the bowels of the massive pack house. They ate in bed while watching a movie, and Brooke’s body and mind were grateful for the rest. It had been a long day. Settled in close to Avery’s side, head resting on her shoulder, none of it seemed to matter to Brooke. She was content just to sit immersed in her girlfriend’s presence.

Eventually Avery pointed out that they should get some sleep. They both had classes the next morning. Brooke fell asleep with her head resting on Avery’s breast, one leg thrown across her girlfriend’s hips. She had never slept better in her life.         

Chapter 10: Compulsion

The next morning Brooke woke up slowly. She blinked her eyes and looked around her, disoriented. The clock nearby read 8am. It took her several seconds to realize where she was. When she did, a small smile crept onto her face. Watery rays of sunlight streamed in from the wall of windows, their light dappled through the leaves of hanging plants. Avery’s room was like an indoor jungle, full of light and life.  It suited her personality.

Brooke suddenly realized she was half-naked and pulled the covers up over her legs self-consciously. Not five minutes later, Avery walked in.

Brook hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet. As soon as they laid eyes on each other, matching smiles bloomed across their faces.

“How did you sleep?” Avery asked.

“Better than ever. Seriously.” Avery beamed and made a beeline for the bed and Brooke sat up to kiss her, letting the covers fall down around her waist, forgotten. “Hmmm,” Brooke hummed, puzzled.

“What is it?”

“Why am I not self-conscious around you? I mean, look at you! And look at me!” Brooke pinched the belly fat currently resting on her thick thighs. “Is that a werewolf… mate… thing?”

Avery cocked her head, gold eyes glowing slightly. “You could say that,” she replied. “…but it could also just be that you’re the most beautiful person in the entire world, so what would you have to be self-conscious of?” Brooke blushed and smiled, pulling Avery in for another kiss. “You should probably get dressed though. We have to get to class.”

“Oh yeah, you’re probably right.” Brooke noticed that Avery was fully dressed already in a long sleeved emerald green button down with black jeans, her hair pinned back along the sides to keep it away from her face. Brooke felt the first fingers of pain creeping through her head. “Do you have any coffee?”

“I think there’s usually some in the kitchen. Sugar and non-dairy milk, right?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Avery jumped up to go get it. Brooke envied her boundless energy. It was a real shame that werewolves were born and not made. Brooke found the sweatpants she’d been wearing the day before scrunched up at the foot of the bed and pulled them on. She opted not to change the oversized shirt of Avery’s she’d slept in. It smelled like both of them. Like warm covers and lazy dust motes. She didn’t bother with makeup, but she did twist her hair into its customary messy bun, securing it with a scrunchie since they were the least likely to trigger a migraine. She was fully dressed by the time Avery came back with her coffee. A feat she was very proud of. She was having a pretty good morning. Avery showed no signs of fatigue despite the five flights of stairs she’d just climbed.

“Thanks, babe,” Brooke said, accepting the cup gratefully. She drank deeply, pacing herself to prevent a caffeine crash in the middle of history. “Do those stairs really not bug you? I mean, don’t you get sick of having to hike up and down them every time you want a snack?”

“I guess I never really thought about it,” Avery responded. Brooke scoffed. “At least not until you came along. I was serious about looking into that elevator you know. But until then…?” She trailed off, raising her eyebrows pleadingly.

“Yes, you can carry me down the stairs,” Brooke said, chuckling. “But only because I’m worried you’ll be late for class if you have to wait for me.” Avery grinned broadly and Brooke barely had time to set her coffee cup down on the bedside table before she was swept into Avery’s arms.

Brooke clasped her hands around her girlfriend’s neck, sighing contentedly. She loved it when Avery carried her around. Supported in her strong arms, her lungs filled with the sweet scent of cedar and crushed pine needles, she felt at home. And incredibly turned on.

Brooke leaned up and kissed Avery’s neck, her lips lingering. Avery made that low growling sound in her throat that Brooke was quickly learning was not a sound of aggression. Brooke could feel every curve of their bodies pressed together.

“I really do have to get to class,” Avery said, her voice breathy.

“Mmm, I know, but I can’t help myself,” Brooke replied, trailing small kisses down Avery’s collarbone.

“Keep that up and neither of us will get there in time.” Brooke relented, reluctantly. Avery leapt down the last flight of stairs five at a time, landing with a resounding thud. 

Just then, probably drawn by the noise, Avery’s brother, Joseph, came bouncing around the corner. He was wearing baggy, ill-fitting exercise clothes.

“Oh, hey, sis,” he called. “Sis’s mate.” He nodded his head in a mock-ceremonial gesture towards Brooke. “So this means you’ve finally filled her in? Great!” He straightened up and pulled his t-shirt off over his head, chucking it in the corner. He made to take his shorts off too but Avery’s shout stopped him.

“Joseph! Goddess! Just because she knows we’re wolves doesn’t mean you can just randomly start stripping for no reason!” Avery chastised him, her voice stern.

“Awww, come onnnn! You know I hate human clothes,” Joseph whined. Avery just glared at him. Sighing, he hitched his shorts back up, and when he turned to pick up his shirt Brooke couldn’t hold in a gasp. All across his back were thick ropy scars, stretching from his right shoulder down to his left hip. There were four of them, all parallel, standing at least a centimeter proud, white against his light brown skin.

“Joseph put your shirt back on,” Avery said in a strangely flat voice, devoid of emotion. Looking up Brooke could see no hint of expression on her face, but she could feel the tension in her posture. Joseph quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled it on, suddenly self-conscious.

“Sorry,” he said. “So, where you two off to?” Joseph continued as though nothing had happened.

“Class. You might want to follow our example,” Avery said, her tone closer to normal now.

“Aw, come on, it’s my senior year!” Joseph made a dismissive gesture. “I got good enough grades the first 3 years, I can afford to slack off a little.”

“Just go to school already,” Avery said, sounding a little exasperated but mostly affectionate. Joseph vanished in the blink of an eye, reappearing at the front door, grabbing a backpack that was already waiting there, and turning to wave goodbye while flashing them a goofy grin. Brooke waved back as Avery made for the door as well, walking at a normal pace. He was gone by the time they got there.

Still carrying Brooke, Avery descended the stairs, not able to help herself from skipping every other one. It must be frustrating for her to move at human speeds, Brooke thought. Avery set her down next to her motorcycle, both their bags already strapped to the rack on the back, and handed her a jacket and helmet. As before, the jacket was far too big for her, but it smelled like Avery and Brooke liked that. She climbed onto the bike, wrapping her arms tightly around Avery’s waist. They took off, out of the clearing and back towards town.

It only took them about fifteen minutes to get back to the campus. Brooke was pretty sure Avery didn’t follow the speed limits. After a brief stop to drop Brooke at her dorm, Avery headed into class. She was five minutes early.

Brooke didn’t have history until ten so, thankfully she had time to do the reading she was supposed to have done over the weekend. She didn’t mind. So far, her history teacher had chosen interesting topics to study and used primary sources wherever possible. It was a much more balanced take than the history classes she’d taken in middle and high school.

When she logged into the portal to get the reading There was a pinned message from her teacher that she had a migraine that day, so class was cancelled. But they should still do the reading and write a comment about each on the usual online forum page. Sweet, Brooke thought. I don’t have to get dressed until form drawing at 2 and that teacher is way more chill. Brooke was encouraged to see her history teacher take one of the two migraine days a month she’d informed the class she would probably be taking on the firstday. It wasn’t the same as Brooke’s, but maybe she would have an easier time than others understanding why Brooke often had to take days off.

She finished the assigned reading in about 45 minutes. Stretching, she stood carefully and crossed the room to make herself a second cup of coffee. She hadn’t finished the one at Avery’s so she could still afford the caffeine.  Setting the mug down on a crocheted coaster Alex’s mom made, Brooke sat down heavily in her desk chair. 

 She turned on the tablet in front of her and opened the drawing program her teacher wanted them to try. Brooke had always favored paper and ink over pixels and bits, but she had to admit that this one had its advantages She found herself sketching in the default black the outline of Avery in her wolf form. She filled in the fur, narrowing the diameter of the tool she was using. When she got to the eeyes, she used an effect to give them a gold halo so it looked like they were glowing against the black fur around them. It wasn’t bad. And, with a few modifications, could be tweaked to fit the requirements for the assignment her form drawing teacher had given them over the weekend.

 Brooke set her tablet up against the wall and leaned back with a sigh. She wished her desk chair had a headrest.  Hopefully her next one would. 

 She thought back to Avery’s large bedroom, so reflective of her personality. Definitely big enough for a second desk.

Her girlfriend was a werewolf. It hadn’t properly hit her until then. It felt like a dream. One she might wake up from at any moment. But her dreams rarely had pain in them. No, this was real. Her girlfriend was a werewolf.  Brooke smiled, considering what her preteen self would have thought if she could see her now. She’d gone through an unfortunate twilight phase and for several years she’d fallen asleep to visions of a dashing superhuman love interest just waiting to come along and sweep her off her feet and fix her increasingly uncooperative body with a gift of eternal life. She’d been about half right.

Avery should be getting out of class about now. And if Brooke remembered correctly, she had a couple hours before her next one. Brooke pulled out her phone and typed out a message.

Brooke Johnson: Wanna come over and hang out between classes?

The response came within minutes.

Avery Black: Absofuckinglutely

But don’t you have a class?

Brooke Johnson: Cancelled

Avery Black:Be right over

Avery was true to her word. They spent that night together, too, in Brooke’s dorm room, then walked together to Chemistry the next morning.

As they took their customary seats at the front of the class, Brooke was very aware just how close they sat to each other. She had a difficult time concentrating on the morning’s lecture on molecular geometry. Avery was so close she could feel her body heat radiating across the space between them. Brooke kept sneaking sideways glances at her, and more often than not Avery was already looking in her direction. Their laptops were open in front of them but neither had taken any notes.

After some time, Avery suddenly stood and crossed to the door, looking back at Brooke meaningfully before leaving the classroom. Brooke followed a few seconds later. Avery was waiting for her in the hallway, and as soon as the door swung shut, she took her hand and led her towards the women’s room. Brooke was getting a strong sense of déjà vu, and of excitement.

As soon as they were inside Avery kissed her, passionately, desperately, and Brooke returned the kiss with at least as much enthusiasm. Avery’s hands trailed down Brooke’s sides, over her hips, cupping her ass and squeezing, then moving even further down. Brooke felt the pressure of her hands on her thighs, lifting, and immediately understood, wrapping her arms around Avery’s neck so she could lift her up onto the counter, her legs spread apart.

Avery cupped one of Brooke’s breasts in her hand, the other slipping up under the hem of her shirt to rub her lower back. Brooke twined her hands in Avery’s thick hair, giving just the slightest tug. Which, in retrospect, might have been a mistake. Avery rumbled low in her throat and started to kiss her way down Brooke’s neck, her lips desperate and clumsy, her skin feverish. Brooke threw her head back, sighing in pleasure. Avery paused at the spot where her neck met her shoulder, sucking the skin into her mouth, her teeth nipping gently at the spot.

“FUCK!” Avery cursed, throwing herself backwards across the room. She hit the stall divider opposite with a loud bang but bounced back, uninjured. She started to pace back and forth. Maybe pace was the wrong word, it was faster, more like a lope. She tugged at her hair, her fingers catching in the thick black curls. Brooke still sat on the counter.

“Avery? What’s wrong?” Brooke asked, concerned.

“It won’t fucking stop, that’s what’s wrong. I can’t even kiss you or sit in class next to you without wanting to mark you. I thought I could control it, I thought I would be stronger.” Avery stopped pacing and turned to look at Brooke, her expression pained, her gold eyes brightly shining.

“It’s okay,” Brooke said in a reassuring voice. “If what you’re feeling is one tenth as strong as the longing I’m feeling for you right now, then you’re stronger than I am. Not everyone would even try to restrain themselves, right? I mean, Rachel didn’t. Aren’t you just delaying the inevitable?”

“If you were a werewolf, we would have done it right away, no hesitation. I would have marked you, and you would have marked me, and that would have been that. But, it’s different. You’re a human. You can’t mark me back. Which just makes it even more fucked up. I don’t want to brand you as my property. I don’t want to be forced to scar someone I love.” Brooke felt there was something more Avery wasn’t saying but she didn’t want to push when she was already so distraught. “But this is fucking torturous. And it’s only going to get worse.” Avery leaned against the wall, her head in her hands. All Brooke wanted was to comfort her. She lowered herself to the floor, one hand on the counter so she wouldn’t lose her balance. She crossed the room and grasped Avery’s wrists, pulling them away from her face and closing the distance between them, wrapping her arms around her waist in a tight embrace.

“It’s okay,” Brooke said, trying to put all the emotions she was feeling, gratitude, affection, sympathy, into the hug. “Let’s just go back to class, huh?” Avery nodded and Brooke stepped back, took her hand, and led her back to their chemistry lecture.

Brooke didn’t miss the judgmental look their teacher shot her for missing even more class. It hurt, but she tried to ignore it and just take whatever notes she still could.

After class, Avery drove Brooke back across campus to her dorm so she could get some fresh clothes. Avery made a point of staring at the opposite wall while Brooke changed.

“What’s this?” Avery called from across the room. Brooke looked around, only half dressed in jeans and a bra. Avery was holding the sketch she’d done two days before. The one that attempted to capture the way Avery had looked when she asked Brooke to be her girlfriend. Blushing slightly, Brooke crossed the room, peering over at the charcoal line drawing. 

“Oh, that’s just something I was messing around with,” she said, slightly embarrassed. “It doesn’t really do you justice.”

“I love it,” Avery said, her voice awed. “Is this really how you see me?”

“Of course it is. I don’t know another way to see you,” she chuckled.

“Can I keep it?”

“Oh you don’t want this, it’s just a draft, I’ll make you a better one. Something with some color.”

“I like this one,” Avery said. “There’s something about it, I don’t know, I just like it.”

Brooke reexamined the sketch, noting every flaw. The angle of the nose was crooked, the lighting was inconsistent, the shading of her hair was slightly off. But art was all in the interpretation. “If you really like it, of course you can have it.”

“Thank you,” Avery said, leaning down to kiss her tenderly. “And I don’t like it, I love it.” Brooke crossed back to her closet to find a shirt. Alex’s red blanket was still covering the window, where Avery had hung it. Brooke smiled at the memory. She picked out a light green blouse and pulled it on. It was long sleeved and high-necked, with lace cutouts on the shoulders and across the top of her back. “Oh I almost forgot…” Brooke turned back towards her, crossed the room, and sat down heavily on her bed, out of breath just from the effort of getting dressed.

“What?” Brooke gasped between deep breaths.

“I’m supposed to invite you to a party this weekend, at the pack house. It’s kind of a welcome party for you and Alex. A lot of people are pretty excited that Rachel and I found the two of you. It’s seen as a sort of, I don’t know, good omen for the future of the pack that we both found our mates so young. Probably just a dumb superstition.”

“I don’t know…” Brooke responded uncertainly. “I’m not too big on parties, too crowded, loud, bright.”

“I promise I’ll make them keep the noise and lights low. And it’ll probably be outside so it shouldn’t be too crowded. But, of course, if you’re not comfortable with it that’s completely fine. We can just go out to dinner that night instead. Or stay in and have a movie marathon. Whatever you want.” Brooke considered for a moment.

“No, I’ll come. Having you and Alex there will help.”

“Thank you so much, babe, it’s really important to the pack. And we can always leave early if you need to.”

“Thanks,” Brooke said. She took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. A werewolf party. It would be a hell of a weekend.

Chapter 11: Pack House Party

The next week passed quickly. Brooke and Avery hardly spent any time apart. Brooke slept over at the pack house every night, and Avery brought her coffee every morning without her having to ask, and carried her up and down the stairs to the top floor whenever she needed.  Brooke was in a rare low symptom week and reveling in it. Especially when Avery gave her a tour of the property that lasted over an hour. And that was excluding the middle floors that were mostly just different people’s bedrooms. The kitchen and largest living room were on the ground floor, as was the largest bathroom with 6 stall showers. It was around that point that Avery mentioned that the building was originally a school, which explained a lot.

They still hadn’t really had sex. It was getting harder by the day for Avery to resist the urge to mark Brooke, but she was still determined to for some reason. Avery was losing focus, slowly being overwhelmed by instinct. Brooke was more of the mind that she should get it over with. And besides, she wasn’t scared of pain. In fact, if what Alex said about his mate bond with Rachel was true, she was excited to be able to feel Avery’s emotions. But it was important to Avery to wait. So they had. Brooke knew instinctively there was something deeper going on,, but Avery hadn’t opened up about it yet. Brooke would be there when she was ready to.

They hung out with each other mostly, but also some with Alex and Rachel, who still couldn’t seem to take their hands off of each other, or Joseph and Sebastian who seemed to have a difficult time staying out of trouble when they were together. Brooke saw the other members of the pack around, but most seemed to keep an almost reverential distance from her. She hoped the party that weekend might give her an opportunity to actually befriend some of them. It did leave her plenty of time to try, at least.

It was Saturday afternoon and Brooke sat on the balcony outside Avery’s room, sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying the crisp fall breeze, wrapped in an oversized sweater. She watched as the small figures far below her set up for the party that evening. The pack members had already put up a tent near a large fire pit ringed with chairs, where they were busy loading folding tables with massive quantities of liquor, soft drinks, and snacks. There were lights strung around the thick wooden railing of the veranda that stretched down the three stories below her and then fanned out across the large yard, hanging from tent poles, tree limbs, whatever was available. Avery had insisted they all be the kind with paper lanterns around them to diffuse the light so it would be less of a migraine trigger for Brooke. They were every color of the rainbow, placed over the small bulbs at random, lending a bright, festive atmosphere to the clearing.

The anticipation in the Pack House was more than palpable. Brooke had taken refuge on the top floor because the lower levels were a melee of werewolves rushing back and forth, using all their prodigious speed for party preparations. 

The sun had just dipped beneath the trees, so Brooke figured it was about time she got dressed for the party. Sighing at the prospect of having to change, she set down her mug and shuffled inside, rummaging around in her bag until she found the dress she’d brought from her dorm. It was light pink, off the shoulders, with a sweetheart neckline and lace overlay. The skirt flowed down over her thighs as she pulled it on clumsily, one of her arms briefly stuck in the wrong sleeve hole. Brooke crossed to the mirror and examined herself. She would have to do something other than a messy bun with her dirty blonde hair, so she pulled it down and gently finger-combed most of the tangles out until it looked presentable enough. She put on some light pink lip gloss to match her dress, dabbed on concealer to hide the dark circles under her eyes, and added a little blush and mascara. She was tired but she looked nice.

Brooke walked back out onto the balcony and sat back down wearily, trying to save her energy. She took sips of her coffee and people-watched until one person in particular caught her eye. Avery emerged from the trees on the opposite side of the clearing, already dressed in black dress slacks and a strappy gold sequined crop top that showed off every inch of her tattoos and matched the color of her eyes. She was talking with a member of the pack Brooke hadn’t met yet, a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and a kind, pinched face. They made their way towards the house, Avery stopping to give directions to several of the people they passed on their way. 

“Hey, babe,” Brooke called in a normal tone and volume. Avery looked up at the sound of her voice, her face breaking into a wide smile when she spotted Brooke on the balcony, her werewolf hearing making shouting unnecessary.  Brooke grinned. That would never stop being fun. Avery quickly loped over, making a ‘back up’ gesture with her hand. Brooke quickly moved to the rear of the veranda.

Avery gathered speed and leapt 40 feet into the air, grabbing the wooden banister with one hand and slinging her body up and over, onto the balcony.

Brooke smiled widely, hands brushing at her skirt. “Well, what do you think?”

Avery looked her up and down, her eyes glowing brightly. “Come here,” she responded, her voice slightly raspy. Brooke danced across the balcony and Avery met her in the middle, lifting her off the ground. Brooke wrapped her legs around Avery’s waist at once, her fingers running through her thick, lustrous hair, several locks adorned with gold rings. Avery kissed her deeply, as though they hadn’t seen each other in days, when, in fact, it had only been a couple hours.

“I take it this means you approve?” Brooke said, giggling.

“Love, you look edible, not that you could look bad in anything. You ready to head down?” Brooke nodded her head. In one swift motion, Avery swung Brooke’s legs around so she was carrying her bridal style. Brooke wrapped her arms tightly around Avery’s neck, bracing herself. Avery jumped over the edge of the balcony out into empty space.

They landed with a resounding thump on the ground below, the grass nearby shaking. Brooke laughed giddily, her body awash in adrenaline. “That was fun,” she said, grinning.

“You say that every time,” Avery responded, carrying her towards one of the chairs and setting her down gently.

“Because it’s fun every time.” The light in the yard was dimming considerably now. Someone somewhere switched on the string lights all at once. Brooke winced at the bright flash but after a few seconds her eyes adjusted and she gasped, awed, at the constellation of rainbow lights. People were starting to gather unprompted. Brooke reminded herself that they could all communicate telepathically. Looking up she saw, sure enough, that Avery’s face held the look of distant concentration that she had come to learn meant she was speaking with someone in her mind. Possibly several someone’s. Once a large crowd had gathered, Avery hopped up onto one of the chairs.

“You all know why we’re here,” she started, her voice clear but not raised. “Myself and Beta Rachel have both found mates. Get up here you two!” The crowd parted and Alex and Rachel appeared from nowhere, walking towards them, arms around each other. Brooke smiled when she caught sight of her best friend. She was glad Alex was there. She tried to focus on him to block out the hundred eyes fixed on her. Alex wore black jeans, a deep red V-neck tee shirt, and a choker that Brooke had never seen before. It was a thick black ribbon with a red oval-shaped stone set in gold hanging down over the hollow at the bottom of his throat. Rachel was dressed the same as always, in ripped jeans and a shirt with the sleeves cut off to accommodate her thickly muscled arms. “So, we’re having this party to welcome two new members to our pack.” Avery continued. “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say how lucky we are to have found you, Alex, Brooke. Let’s party!” A cheer went up from the gathered werewolves, and then hushed itself a second later at a reproachful glare from Avery. They cheered again in hushed voices, barely above whispers. Avery nodded approving, and the wolves dispersed, and the party started.

Avery hopped down off of the chair and then over the fire pit to Brooke, smiling widely.

“Come dance with me,” she said, holding out her hand. Brooke looked up at her uncertainly. Dancing was difficult for her. Standing was difficult for her. “Trust me.” Brooke took Avery’s hand and let her pull her to her feet. Avery swept her off her feet and into her arms and spun away from the circle of chairs, her hips swaying. Someone was playing music, a moderately upbeat rock song. Avery moved in time to the music. Brooke would have been self-conscious of the other people around if not for the fact that every one of them had seen Avery carrying her around many times over the last week. Brooke was fairly sure she’d ordered them not to say anything, because none of them had ever so much as given them a second glance. Brooke closed her eyes and let the soft music transport her, leaning her head back.

After a few songs, Brooke needed a rest, so Avery walked them back to the chairs encircling the now-lit fire. Avery surprised her by dropping down into one of the chairs without putting her down, so she sat in her lap. Brooke giggled, then realized they weren’t the only couple there. Alex was next to them, sitting in Rachel’s lap, legs dangling over one arm of their chair. Their faces were close together Neither seemed to have noticed the two of them arrive.

“Hiya, friendo,” Brooke called, snapping him out of his love haze. “You having fun?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah, it’s alright.” Alex grinned.

“What’s with the bling?” Brooke asked, pointing to his neck. “I like it.”

“It was a gift,” Alex replied, one hand going to his throat to stroke the red gemstone. “From Rachel.”

“It looks cute on you,” Brooke said. Rachel shot her a suspicious look. Alex laughed loudly.

“For the last time, Rach, she’s gay, and my best friend, and she has a girlfriend,” Alex said, tucking a stray lock of chestnut hair behind Rachel’s ear. “You’re so jealous.” He brushed the tip of her nose with his index finger, smiling. Rachel’s expression relaxed back to normal.

“You want a smoke, babe?” Avery asked. Brooke nodded, and Avery carefully extricated herself from the chair and headed for the snack table. Rachel and Alex had already returned to their sweet nothings, so Brooke let her gaze wander around the party. In the distance she could see a group of wolves, playing some sort of fighting game that seemed to involve complex wolf acrobatics. One grey wolf jumped up onto the roof of one of the outbuildings and then launched themselves off it, twisting in midair before landing atop a white wolf on the ground below. Both wolves sprang back to their feet, seemingly unharmed, snapping playfully at each other’s necks.

“Kids, huh?” A voice rang out, startlingly close behind Brooke. She whipped her head around and saw a shorter, plump woman, middle aged with thick, coiled hair and rosy brown cheeks. She looked as out of place as Brooke in the crowd. Another human. “It can take some getting used to, but that’s just how they play.”

“Oh, yeah they are pretty violent,” Brooke replied. “I’m Brooke,” she stuck out her hand to the woman. “…but you probably already knew that.” Brooke was kicking herself. How was she supposed to act in this situation as an alpha’s mate? Or any situation for that matter.

“I’m Leia,” the woman said, smiling warmly and shaking Brooke’s hand. “I think you’ve met my son, Sebastian.” She pointed to one of the wolves, a stark white one.

“Oh, you’re Sebastian’s mother?” Brooke said, surprised. “I didn’t expect you to be so…”

“Human? Hawaiian?” Leia finished for her with a chuckle. “I get that a lot. Apparently it’s common for kids with one human parent to have a more… unique combination of features. Jade, for example. I’ve got to say it’s nice to have some more humans around the house, especially as Lunas.” Brooke felt a trickle of sweat slide down her left side.

“I’ll try my best,” she said weakly.

“You’re doing great, sweetie, honestly,” Leia put a comforting hand on Brooke’s shoulder. “There’s actually someone else who wants to meet you, if you don’t mind.” Brooke’s pulse sped up.

“Of course,” she said, wishing Avery would come back already. A small pale face poked out from behind Leia’s skirt. The girl looked about 5 or 6, with white-blonde, flyaway hair, and deep magenta eyes. Brooke relaxed.

“This is Mariah, Sebastian’s sister,” Leia said, gently urging the girl forward with a hand on her back.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Brooke said, reaching out to shake her hand. Mariah’s grip was shockingly strong, making Brooke wince.

“Gentle, honey,” Leia Leia said, shooting Brooke an apologetic glance. “We’re working on it.” She shrugged.

“I’m sorry,” Mariah said, her face downcast. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s perfectly fine,” Brooke reassured her, and the girl’s smile returned.

“Do you like the lights, Luna?” she asked excitedly, bouncing up and down slightly and craning her neck to peer up at the paper lanterns overhead. “We made them in school!”

“I love them!” Brooke said, her voice exaggeratedly awed. “You really made all of these? I couldn’t even make one!” Mariah smiled proudly, puffing out her chest.

“We had a race! I could show you how!”

“Sure!” Brooke smiled. “I’d love to see.”

“It’s so fun!” Mariah vanished, reappearing about 3 seconds later holding a wooden chair above her head. She produced a translucent square of violet paper, checked to make sure Brooke was watching, and her mom, and started off. Her small hands were a blur as she folded and creased the paper in a pattern too fast for Brooke to see. The whole thing took her about 45 seconds, then she sped around the chair, holding out a finished lantern about 3 inches cubed and smiling proudly.

“Wow, that was fast!” Brooke said, smiling as she took the delicate 3d origami creation from the small child.  “I love it! Thank you for helping make them for me.” The girl beamed, hugging Brooke’s arm for a fraction of a second before flickering back to her mother’s side. As soon as she saw them both in profile, Brooke saw the resemblance between Leia and her children. Neither had any of her coloring, but they both had her bone structure. Both had smoothly sloping noses and strong chins.

” let’s leave the Luna alone now,” Leia said, shepherding the girl back towards the food tables, waving goodbye. Avery reappeared on their heels, carrying two huge plates overloaded with food, a joint tucked behind each ear. Brooke stood, smiling when she saw her.

“Goddess, come up for air you two, will you?” Avery said to Alex and Rachel who were entwined in each other’s arms. Avery handed Rachel one of the plates, laden with fried chicken and crayfish and a huge mound of mashed potatoes. She also handed Rachel the joint from behind her right ear. She set the other plate down on the arm of Brooke’s chair and sat down. Brooke curled up in her lap as Avery lit the second joint from behind her ear and passed it to her. Brooke started to feel less nervous right away, both from the weed and from Avery being so close.

“Oh no, baby, take some hits off of Brooke’s,” Rachel said to Alex as he reached for the joint Avery had handed her. She took a long draw and passed it to Avery.

“I can handle it!” Alex protested. “I’ve got a really high tolerance.” Avery and Rachel both laughed.

“You’re not a werewolf, though,” Rachel said, her tone placating. “It takes a lot more to fuck us up.” She tore into a large piece of fried chicken, ripping it apart with her sharp teeth.

“You should listen to her,” Avery said. “We have a much more efficient metabolism than any human, no matter their tolerance.” Brooke leaned across the gap to pass her joint to Alex, who took it with a somewhat resentful look on his face.

The evening passed quickly. The two couples talked and laughed and smoked as all around them the party raced on. Quietly. Avery had been true to her word. Brooke started to notice more and more people walking around naked, not bothering to replace their clothes after shifting back to their human forms. But it didn’t bother her. If anything, it was funny.

Periodically, pack members would stop by to introduce themselves. After a while the names and faces started to blur together, but several stood out; The older couple who’d been running the farms since before Avery’s father took over, Albert, whose children made up  half of the teenagers in the pack, and the roughly half dozen other human/werewolf couples, who were especially happy to greet the two new human Lunas.

At some point Rachel proposed a game. Avery agreed and mentally called Joseph and Sebastian over to play against them.

“You two can be the referees,” Avery said, hefting a folding table over her head and setting it down end to end with two others. The game was a werewolf version of beer pong. The table had to be extra-long to provide them a real challenge. They used ever clear in shot glasses in place of beer in solo cups, and the ball was a large blue marble. Avery carried a chair over, setting it beside the tables, roughly in the center. Alex stood across from her. Since they couldn’t compete, they were meant to decide what counted as a point. But mostly they just spectated.

“We’re gonna smoke you two,” Joseph said, cocky, dressed only in a pair of boxers that he had to keep hitching up every 5 minutes. Rachel and Avery shared a look and then smirked cockily back across the table at the two boys, the one dark, the other pale as a ghost.

“In your dreams, baby brother,” Avery taunted.

“You’re three years older than me!”

Avery laughed heartily and threw the first toss, landing her marble in the nearest shot glass. “Drink up, baby.”

The two teams were fairly evenly matched, they all made almost every shot they took, but Rachel and Avery seemed to be able to hold their liquor better. By the match point Joseph’s speech was slurred.

“You’ll see,” he said, swaying slightly, hanging off of Sebastian to his left. “We’re about to win. Ain’t that right, buddy?”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian replied. “Maybe the lesson of tonight is don’t play wolf pong against the Alpha and Beta at the same time?” He tossed his marble, squinting, his purple eyes hazy. He missed their last shot glass 2 inches to the right.

“Take em out, Rach!” Alex called.

“See I told you, these refs are biased!” Joseph said, pointing a finger at Alex in mock accusation.

“Yeah,” said Sebastian. “We might just need a rematch.”

“Oh, come on,” Brooke said. “They would still win even if your mom was reffing.” They all laughed.

“Will you all shut up so I can focus?” Rachel said, carefully lining up her shot. Before she had the chance to make her throw a loud clink resounded as a marble fell into the center of the last shot glass on the boys’ side. They all turned to look who’d thrown it, to find Jade, standing 10 feet behind Avery, dressed for the red carpet in a stunning plum gown embellished with black sparkles in a spray across her waist.

“I win,” she said, a smug smile tugging at the fine white scars on the dark skin of her face, shocking blue-white eyes sparkling from beneath her thick, dark lashes.

“Not fair!” Joseph and Sebastian called out in unison.

“Hi, Jade,” Brooke said. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Where’ve you been all night, J?” Avery asked, smiling warmly at her friend.

“Oh, you know, here and there,” Jade answered vaguely.

“Come on, Rachel, take the shot,” Sebastian called, pulling one of Joseph’s arms around his shoulders to keep him steady.

Rachel concentrated and threw the marble. It landed in the cup, then bounced out off of Jade’s.

Joseph let out a cheer, but Rachel protested.

“It went in!”

“Rachel’s team wins!” Alex declared.

“No come on, it bounced out!”

“I agree with Alex, Avery’s team wins!” Brooke said, throwing her hands up. Sebastian downed the shot, his face only slightly sour.

Avery ran over and swept Brooke into her arms, kissing her passionately in celebration. Brooke giggled against her kiss, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and pulling her closer. Brooke had no idea how long they stayed like that, locked in each other’s embrace, oblivious to the world around them.

After a time, Brooke’s head started to hurt and she realized the party noise had increased a great deal, the voices becoming shriller. Pulling part of her mind back to the present she realized people were screaming. She tapped her hand against Avery’s chest, but she didn’t seem to notice. It took several hard thumps for Avery to finally look up, and when she did, her eyes unfocused for a fraction of a second while she listened to thoughts, then snapped back to Brooke’s face, her expression stricken.

“Fuck!” she swore, dropping Brooke suddenly and turning towards the source of the commotion. “Lycans.”

Chapter12: Lycans

Brooke trailed cautiously behind as Avery sprinted towards the source of the chaos. She could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins as her heart beat out of rhythm. It was dark in the clearing and all she could see was a group of tall figures at the edge of the forest. Maybe half a dozen of them. Their very silhouettes seemed threatening, sharp, skeletal, and slightly stooped. Brooke tripped on a tree root but before she hit the ground, Sebastian was there at her side, pulling her back to her feet.

“Come on. If it’s who I think, she’ll need you,” he said, linking their arms and half-carrying Brooke towards the conflict.

“What do you mean? What’s happening? What are lycans?” Brooke gasped.

“Trouble. They outnumber us five to one ever since humans got serious about hunting wolves.”

Sebastian shouldered his way through the crowd that had gathered at the far edge of the clearing. When the werewolves saw Brooke, they cleared the way for them. Avery stood at the front of the pack, flanked by Rachel to her right and Jade to her left, as they faced off against the group of strangers. The lycans were roughly the same height as the werewolves but had none of their obvious muscle. They were all very thin, their joints knobby, their cheeks and eyes sunken, their skin sallow. They looked like humans, albeit tall, unhealthy ones. They dressed all in black, with most of their skin covered. The leader of the group, the tallest among them, had long, oily black hair, jaundiced-looking skin, and fingernails that curled 3 inches out from his hands in grotesque claws.

“–quite the party you’re having here, Black,” the leader spat out Avery’s name like it was a curse. “My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.” His voice was nasal and slimy.

“Get the fuck off my territory, Atticus, before I remove you by force,” Avery growled in response. Her hands were clenched in fists at her sides.

“You really think your paltry pack is a match for mine?” Atticus scoffed, flaring his fingers into a loose fist and admiring his disgusting nails. “Didn’t work out too well for you last time, did it?”

One of the other lycans behind him growled, baring her teeth.

“I only see six of you here. I think we can take you,” Avery shot back, projecting confidence. Behind her, Rachel growled, and Jade flashed a knife she’d produced seemingly from thin air.

“I seem to recall your parents saying something similar…” Atticus drawled. Brooke didn’t need a mate bond to feel the waves of fury radiating out of Avery’s every pore.

“Get up there, she’s gonna lose her cool,” Sebastian hissed in Brooke’s ear.

“What am I supposed to do?!” Brooke asked desperately, her voice squeaky, her body shaking with fear.

“Touch her! You’re mates. It’ll calm her down.” Sebastian shoved Brooke slightly towards Avery. Not knowing what to do and desperate for comfort of her own, Brooke reached out and grabbed Avery’s hand. The Alpha looked down, shocked at first, then smiled tightly, and turned back to the lycans.

“And what do we have here?” Atticus bent to examine Brooke, who, summoning all her courage, resisted the urge to cower behind Avery’s back, very aware that most of the clearing was watching them. She could smell rancid meat on the leader’s breath, and it made her want to gag. “I had heard that the great Avery Black had a weakling human mate. But you, my dear, exceed expectations.” Brooke’s legs shook beneath her at the force of the growl Avery released in response.

“You DARE come into MY TERRITORY and INSULT MY MATE?!” Avery bellowed.

“I have a feeling it won’t be yours for long,” Atticus responded, his voice as calm as the ocean on a clear day.  “I’m sick and tired of squatting in hovels. And so are my people.  Quite the nice little setup you’ve got here.  Better than In your father’s day. Perhaps I’ll make it my own. Once we’ve dealt with the pest problem.”

“You’ll get my land over my dead body!”

“Undoubtedly.” Atticus shifted his gaze to Rachel, and Brooke breathed a small sigh of relief. “I see you still haven’t managed to house-train this one.” His eyes scanned Rachel up and down scornfully. She growled loudly in response and out of nowhere, Alex appeared at her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Oh, cute, the Hunter’s got its own pet human.” He reached out one clawed yellow finger and flicked the gemstone on Alex’s choker. Brooke could see a vein pulsing in Rachel’s temple and knew it was taking all of her self-control not to attack him then and there.

“Your fight is with me,” Avery said, squaring her shoulders, her grip on Brooke’s hand tightening, her skin feverish. “Leave her alone.”

“Coming to our Beta’s defense, are we? Well come on then, show me what you’ve got. Or do you only fight your own family members?” Brooke’s head snapped around to find Joseph several feet to their right, his expression a strange mixture of indignant and terrified. Brooke suddenly remembered the scars on his back and her eyes widened in shock at the realization. Avery dropped her hand and turned, lightning quick, to look deep into Brooke’s eyes for a fraction of a second before pushing her back towards Sebastian who caught her easily.

Avery shifted, tearing her fancy party clothes to shreds, landing on 4 midnight black paws, fangs bared. Atticus laughed in response. A long, lingering laugh gradually drowned out by the sound of bones creaking and tendons snapping as his limbs thickened and elongated, sprouting dark hair, the hunch on his back rising until it broke through his black shirt, his face elongating into a warped mix of human and wolf. His new mouth was lined with razor-sharp fangs, his eyes had turned red, and his already long nails had grown into six-inch-long talons. The resulting beast was 10 feet tall, standing on two legs that bent the wrong way.

Atticus reared up to his full and considerable height, letting loose a guttural roar. Avery looked back at the pair of them once, her gold eyes intense. Sebastian and most of the other pack members scattered at an unspoken command. Brooke saw Rachel shove Alex back towards the house before shifting herself and facing off against one of the lycan lieutenants.

“Come on, we’ve got to go, NOW!” Sebastian shouted, pulling Brooke towards the nearest outbuilding, a garage where they stored pack vehicles. She could hardly stay standing, let alone run. Dark spots were creeping into her vision and her pulse was racing. “Get on my back!” Brooke did as she was told, throwing her arms around his neck and jumping as high as she could. Sebastian’s arms closed like vices under her legs, and he sped towards one of the outbuildings. Gaining momentum, he leapt into the air, landing lightly on the roof. He helped Brooke to a secure spot to sit, up on the peak of the roof where there was a foot of flat surface. Sebastian perched himself to her left on the steeply slanted shingles, holding onto the edge of the roof with one hand. They were out of the way of the fight but close enough to see what was happening.

Scanning the chaos below, Brooke’s eyes didn’t know which combatants to focus on. Rachel was grappling savagely with a blond male lycan in his monster form, rolling over the underbrush, clawing at each other’s faces. Avery and Atticus were trading blows as well. He took a massive swipe with his clawed paw/hand, but Avery ducked under it just in time. Darting under his legs and twisting around, she leapt onto his back, claws gouging into papery skin. He didn’t seem to bleed nearly enough.

“Where’s your mate, Jade?” A female lycan called, catching Brooke’s attention. She was still in her human form. For now. A small knife hurtled through the air towards her. She caught it in her forearm with a dull thud. It stuck there, quivering, as though her arm was made of wood.

“Die, cunt!” Jade screamed. She hadn’t shifted like the others. Another knife appeared in her hand and this time the female lycan dodged to the side and the knife missed her face by less than an inch, landing in a tree just beyond her.

“Oh, now I remember,” the lycan called, taunting. “We exterminated the traitorous bastard! Can you still hear his screams?”

Jade let out a feral shriek and hurled a third knife, this one landing squarely in the center of the lycan’s chest. Her eyes widened in shock. She teetered, then fell backwards, clutching the dagger protruding from her sternum. Jade turned her attention to another of the lycans.

At least half a dozen other pack members had joined the fight, all of them in their wolf forms, until the scene below was a tangle of multicolored fur, twisted limbs, and flashing teeth.

Just then, a ball of white-blonde fur flashed across Brooke’s vision. She let out a shriek of fear. If Sebastian hadn’t reached out and caught her, she would have fallen off the roof.

“It’s okay,” Sebastian said. The bundle of fur was a wolf. Smaller than the rest, about the size of a Labrador. It sat quivering in Sebastian’s arms, nuzzling into his chest. It turned towards Brooke, its familiar deep magenta eyes were filled with fear.

“Is that…?” Brooke asked, pointing at the wolf. Sebastian nodded his head, clutching his baby sister to his chest, one hand stroking down the fur on her neck in a calming gesture.

“Shhhh,” he soothed. Brooke was so overwhelmed that Sebastian’s little sister leaping onto the roof in tiny wolf form wasn’t even shocking to her.

Brooke returned her gaze to the battle below, desperately searching for Avery, hoping she was alright. She spotted her right in the middle of the fray, grappling with Atticus. The other combatants had left them a wide berth. It was hard to tell who had the upper hand. No sooner had Avery managed to get her teeth locked into the side of Atticus’ waist than his massive, clawed hand slammed into the side of her neck, knocking her to the ground. Brooke winced in sympathy, but Avery leapt back to her feet, shaking her head. She crouched low to the ground, waiting. Just as Atticus leaned forward to claw at her face, Avery dodged sharply to the left. She spun around and pounced on him, locking her powerful jaws around his throat.

All at once the fighters froze dead in place. The entire scene was eerily still and quiet for several minutes. The wolves and lycans exchanged glares but nothing more. Sebastian and Mariah both stared off into space, unresponsive. Then the lycan followers backed cautiously to the edge of the clearing, shooting looks back at Avery, who still clutched Atticus’ neck in her teeth. Once they reached the tree line, Avery slowly loosened her grip. Atticus straightened up, slowly crossed to where his female lieutenant’s body had fallen. He hefted her corpse into his arms, Jade’s knife still protruding from her chest, and left to rejoin his people, shooting one last sneer back at Avery. She bared her fangs and growled low in her throat.

“We’ll be back,” Atticus said, his voice hoarse and inhuman. “This was just a warning.”

“What the fuck just happened?” Brooke asked  No one in particular.

Brooke sat on the roof, perplexed. On the ground below, werewolves milled around, some shifting back to their human forms, most heading back towards the pack house.

“Here,” Sebastian said, jumping down from the roof and holding up his hands. Mariah followed him without hesitation, landing clumsily on her white-blonde paws, rolling back to her feet and running off towards the pack house, whimpering. “Come on. I’ll catch you, I promise.” Brooke eyed his skinny arms uncertainly. She knew he was a werewolf, so he was sure to be stronger than he looked. But Brooke was heavier than she looked. She was feeling incredibly overwhelmed and shocked. And still no one had told her what was happening. She had no idea where Avery or Alex were. She had lost track of them in the chaos.

“I think I’ll just stay up here for now, thanks,” she called back down, her voice wavering.

“Just hold on, I’ll call Alpha,” Sebastian said, his tone reassuring. His purple eyes glazed over for several seconds and within a minute, Avery came loping over. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, both too small for her. Her hair was disheveled and full of leaves and mud. Brooke could see blood stains coloring the black tattoos on her tawny skin. Brooke gasped at the sight and nearly jumped off the roof then and there, overwhelmed with concern.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?!” Brooke shouted, forgetting her werewolf hearing. “You’re bleeding!”

“I’m fine, love, I promise,” Avery called back, her voice calm. She took several steps forward and held up her arms. “Come down here and see for yourself.” Brooke paused for half a heartbeat and then launched herself off of the roof, eyes squeezed tightly shut. The next thing she felt was Avery’s strong arms catching her, halting her fall before her feet touched the ground. She breathed deeply in the familiar woodsy smell of Avery’s warm skin. She pulled back and Avery set her down gently.

Brooke ran her hands over Avery’s exposed skin, feeling for injuries. There were several scrapes and scratches, but they all felt shallow and had already formed scabs. Chock one up for werewolf healing.

“You’re sure you’re alright?” Brooke asked worriedly.

“I’ll be all better by tomorrow. Are you alright? Is she alright?” The last question was shot sideways at Sebastian.

“I’m fine. How are you not more badly hurt?” Brooke asked. “I saw that fight.”

“Guess they made her Alpha for a reason.” Brooke would have recognized that voice anywhere. Turning she saw Alex standing behind her, looking unscathed. She ran to hug him. Brooke felt a tapping on her shoulder. It was Rachel, completely naked, a wild look in her eyes. Brooke hastily backed away from Alex, not wanting to get between them.

Rachel grabbed at each of Alex’s limbs in turn, looking them over thoroughly before moving onto the next. She had blood running freely down her left arm, but she didn’t seem to care. When she had assured herself that Alex was uninjured, she grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him forcefully. Then she pulled back, stared intensely into his eyes, and ran off into the woods.

“I’ve called a meeting of the highest-ranking pack members. Immediately,” Avery said, and Brooke turned back towards her. “It’s about a quarter of a mile, can you walk that far, or should I carry you?”

“Wait, you want me there?” Brooke asked. “Why? I’m not even a werewolf.”

“That’s why I’m holding the meeting aloud. You both need to come.” This directed at Alex. He nodded. “I know this is a lot, but you’re Lunas now.” Brooke’s eyes went to the mate mark on Alex’s neck and her own felt somehow bare in comparison. “Or, at least, pretty much. You need to be kept in the loop.”

“I can help her,” Alex said. “Rachel is getting impatient.”

Avery looked him up and down, appraising. “You know where to go?” she asked.

“I can follow her there,” Alex responded. Avery nodded, kissed Brooke quickly, and ran off in the same direction Rachel had gone. “Your girlfriend is weird.” Alex said when she had vanished into the woods.

“You’re one to talk!” Brooke responded. They both laughed and started off into the trees. “Do you really know where we’re supposed to be going?”

“Not really, but I can sort of feel where Rachel is, so I know which direction to go in.” Alex wrapped a supportive arm around Brooke’s waist, and they started off into the forest along a path well-trodden by heavy werewolf paws.

“How does that work? Can you read her mind?”

“No, but I can feel her emotions. It’s hard to explain. You’ll understand it when Avery marks you.”

“If she ever does.”

“Well, she’ll have to eventually, won’t she?”

“I don’t know, she’s pretty set against it.”

“Why? I love being bonded to Rachel.”

“She says it’s because she objects to the proprietary overtones of it, but I think there’s something else she’s not telling me.” An image of Joseph’s disfigured back flashed into Brooke’s mind. “I think I might have to force the issue, though. Earlier, she was so distracted by us making out, I was the one who noticed the lycans first!”

“That’s definitely a problem.” Alex’s brows furrowed. The woods around them were dense and dark, and roots tried many times to trip them. They walked on for several minutes in silence, save for Brooke’s heavy breathing. Eventually the trees parted, and they found themselves in a small clearing, at the center of which stood an ancient willow tree. It was at least 50 feet tall with thick twisting limbs and spring-green leaves cascading down protectively around the base. It looked frozen in time, the boughs hanging perfectly still despite the breeze. Several figures sat on the ground beneath the tree in a small circle.

As Alex and Brooke approached the group, they saw that two spots had been left for them between Rachel and Avery.

Brooke sat, exhausted from the walk, and leaned her weight into Avery’s side, soaking in her warmth. Avery wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulders, pulling her close. Rachel still hadn’t dressed but Alex and the other werewolves seemed unfazed. Jade was there, still looking flawless, seated between two twenty-something-year-old-looking werewolves, a man and a woman. Both wore cut-off jean shorts and nothing else. There were also several other people Brooke had never met. Two muscular middle-aged men who were clearly a couple judging by how close they sat to each other, and a very strange looking older woman. She had thin, grey hair and a deeply lined face, but her body showed no signs of the frailty that usually accompanied old age. She sat upright, her many layers of clothing draping elegantly off of steady limbs, orange eyes shining brightly from deep sockets.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s get started,” Avery said.

“Yes, really, we’ve been waiting for nearly 20 minutes,” The older woman muttered.

Avery shot her a glare but continued. “Brooke, Alex, this is Serena,” she gestured towards the odd woman, who sat several spaces to their left. Brooke vaguely remembered Avery mentioning her once. “She’s the elder of our pack. And this is our Gamma, Benjamin…” she pointed towards the man directly to her left, who had greying sandy blonde hair and a friendly smile. “…and his mate Jonathan, our veteran Luna and schoolteacher.” Jonathan had dark brown hair and olive skin. “And that’s Janae and Pedro, they guard our territory, under Jade’s command, of course. And you already met Skye and brian who run the farms.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Brooke and Alex said almost in unison. Most of them nodded cordially, but the old woman, Serena, just scoffed and crossed her arms.

“So, obviously, we’re here to discuss the threat the Lycans pose. They want our territory. And if they come in force, I’m not sure we have the numbers to stop them. Who has ideas?” 

“Could we appeal to the Hunter pack for help?” Benjamin the Gamma suggested.

“If you don’t mind fighting alongside a boatload of inbred fuckwads,” Rachel said.

 “I know you’re on bad terms with your old pack, but we have to consider all our options,” Avery responded. “I think Boris might agree to a meeting.”

“I can go in your place,” Benjamin offered. Rachel huffed but didn’t object.

“That’s a good idea. Maybe Boris will… respond better to you. Any idea where thet are right now?”

“No, but I know someone who does. I’ll call him tomorrow.” Brooke could tell they trusted and worked well with each other. A look passed between them full of understanding, and the meeting moved on.

“Jade, any ideas how to beef up security?” Avery asked, turning her attention to the chief guard.

“If you’ll let me recruit some of the high-schoolers, I can run extra patrols,” Jade responded.

“I can free up some mfarm shifts to up the guard rotatiojn too.” Skye added.

Avery furrowed her brows in thought. “Alright. But only the most capable fighters; and don’t give them any shifts that interfere with their schoolwork.” Jade nodded.

“In your grandmother’s day, we would have raided their nest on the full moon and torn them to shreds!” Serena said, slamming her fist down onto a root to punctuate the last word.

“Back then, Atticus’ pack only had twenty members. Now they have easily ten times that number.”

“Fucking lycans,” the male guard, Pedro, spat. “They breed like rabbits.”

“You’re the Alpha,” Serena shot at Avery. “You won the trial. Now lead this pack over to that den of rats and exterminate them!”

“With all due respect, elder, I’m not going to lead my pack into a slaughter. Now, Jonathan, I’ll need you to keep the kids close to the pack house, it could be dangerous for them in the woods.”

Jonathan nodded. “I’ll move recess to the backyard and organize more indoor activities. Maybe we’ll do a unit on culinary science,” He said, drifting off in thought. Benjamin kissed his temple.

“I’ll try to keep holding things down here,” Benjamin said, looking towards the Alpha and Beta and their mates. “But it would be great if you could try and be around more.”

Avery nodded solemnly.

“I’ll try,” Rachel said simply.

“Anyone have anything else?” Avery asked the curirclin general. A moment later, “Aloud, Serena.” Avery gave the old woman a pointed look.

“I was just asking our Alpha why, when she had Atticus’ neck between her teeth, she chose not to end it right there and then.”

“Killing Atticus isn’t going to stop the conflict between our packs,” Avery responded, jaw clenched. “Someone else would take his place and who knowa how bad their new alpha might be. At least Atticus is the deil we know.”

The meeting concluded shortly after, and the group started to disperse. Brooke stood up creakily, stepping aside so Jade and her guards could talk to Avery. She crossed the clearing, grabbing Alex by the shoulder. He turned to face her. Brooke took a deep breath, steeling herself. Her head was starting to throb from the stress so she would need to make it brief.

“I think we need to give up our dorm room and move in here,” she said. “We both already spend more time here than there, and I can’t drive myself back and forth like you can. Avery and Rachel need to be here to run things, not constantly going back and forth in and out of town to see us.”

“I think you’re right,” Alex said. “We’ll go to the RA on Monday.” Brooke nodded. “And you need to convince Avery to mark you already, she can’t afford to be distracted now.”

“I know,” Brooke agreed, and resolved to discuss it with her later than night. The two best friends hugged each other tightly. “How on earth did we get ourselves wrapped up in all this werewolf craziness?”

“I guess we’re just interesting like that,” Alex responded, grinning.  Brooke laughed.

“You mean weird?”

“Yeah, but in the best way.”

Later that night, Brooke laid in Avery’s bed wearing only a t-shirt and underwear. She watched as her girlf- mate stripped off the ill-fitting clothes she’d donned earlier. Avery preferred to sleep naked, but she always wore pajamas when they slept together.  That night it was a sweatshirt and pajama shorts.

“So, Atticus killed your parents?” Brooke confirmed, her voice soft. It explain a lot

“bbYeah, in the war about 5 years ago. And they weren’t the only ones. He killed my uncle, too. And many others.”

“That’s awful, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright, the pack was here for us when we were young. I still sometimes find myself wishing I could ask them for advice, though. You might have noticed our numbers are more on the younger side.” Brooke hadn’t consciously noticed, but she could see what Avery meant. “A lot of us died in the last conflict. I’ve made it known that my pack will take in pretty much anyone, so we’ve managed to fill out our numbers significantly. bbbBut so has Atticus.” Avery straightened up, securing her hair in a long braid over her right shoulder with a hair tie from the top of the dresser.

“That makes a lot of sense.”

“I just hope it works. Their ancestors didn’t see the colonialist writing on the wall like my grandma did when she bought our land. As far as I know, Atticus’ pack still doesn’t have a permanent home. There was always going to be conflict. I’m just crossing my fingers they stay away from town. One of them gets seen by a human it could make things difficult for all of us.”

“Lycans don’t ever hang around humans?” Avery climbed into bed next to Brooke, leaning back on the pillows with a sigh.

“less than most of us. Some of them have passable social skills, but they’re much more likely to keep to themselves for the most part. Especially since most of them are nocturnal.” Brooke cuddled in close, wrapping Avery’s left arm around her shoulders and leaning up to kiss her cheek.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t stay away from all humans. If you did, we never would have met.”

“We would have,” Avery replied certainly. She leaned into the touch, snaking her hand down under Brooke’s shoulder to cup her breast. Brooke gasped at the sensation, craning her neck to see Avery’s face. There was an intense, hungry look in her glowing gold eyes. Brooke smiled, licking her lips. Avery reached over, her right hand biting into Brooke’s thigh as she pulled her smoothly onto her lap.

Brooke giggled, closing her eyes as their lips met, her right hand trailing up over Avery’s chest to cup the back of her neck, while her left caressed Avery’s breast.  Avery’s hands trailed up under Brooke’s shirt, her torso hunching as she kissed her way down the left side of Brooke’s neck. Her hands wandered higher as her lips wandered lower, until she impatiently yanked the shirt off over Brooke’s head.

Unfortunately for the moment, the shirt had a tight collar.

“Ow,” she let slip, her head shrieking everywhere it pulled on her hair.

“FuckI’msosorry,” Avery spoke unnaturally fast. She pushed Brooke back onto the mattress beside her legs, but kept a tight grip on her thighs, as though she couldn’t bear to have her too close, but also couldn’t bear to let her go. Brooke pulled her shirt back on slowly and carefully, wincing as her hair fell back down around her shoulders.

“It happens, I’ll be fine.” Brooke gently finger-combed her hair and put it into a loose braid, letting the splitting ends hold it together in place of a band. “Can you get me the meds pouch from my bag?” Brooke asked, pointing across the room. Avery was back with the blue pencil case before Brooke was done asking. She was definitely overdue to clean and organize the canvas pouch. She’d been using the same one since elementary school. Pill bottles draw looks, but no one thinks twice about a student having an extra pencil case in their backpack.  Brooke looked through the medicines inside until she found the blister pack she was looking for. Nearly breaking a nail on the unnecessary overpackaging, Brooke extracted the pill she needed and swallowed an almatriptan tablet, leaving a slight bitter taste on her tongue. She had tried every triptan available and decided this one worked the best. She was still glad she had the next day to recover before going back to classes on Monday, though. Avery heldout a glass of water and Brooke drank half before handing it back.

“Why don’t you just get it over with, already?” Brooke asked, settling back in against Avery’s side.

“Get what over with?” Brooke rested a hand on Avery’s thigh, stroking her fingers over the fine dark hair. Avery grabbed her hand and set their joined hands down on the blanket between them. Brooke took a steadying breath.

“Mark me,” Brooke answered simply. Avery went rigid next to her.

“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that.”

“Why not? I know you won’t hurt me. I’m not afraid.” Not much, anyway. “I’m ready. Mark me.” Avery vanished, appearing about 6 feet away from her side of the bed a moment later

“I—don’t want to.” Avery avoided her eyes. Brooke knew there was something deeper going on and it was starting to affect the whole pack.

“I know, but why not? Don’t you want to be able to feel what I’m feeling?”

“Of course! It’s just—”

“Just what?” Brooke thought back to something Atticus had said. “Is it something about Joseph? Those scars he has?” Brooke knew she was pushing, but her instinct said it was worth it.

“It was an accident, I swear!” Avery ripped a hand through her hair, pulling several strands free.

“I assumed it was,” Brooke reassured her. “I saw the way that you guys play earlier.” Avery chewed on one of her nails, finally meeting Brooke’s eyes.

“We were kids, yeah. Sorry, it’s just something we don’t like talking about.”

“I understand, really. But this is a completely different situation.” Avery sighed, shoulders slumping as she returned to her side of the bed, pulling the blanket up tight over her legs.

“I know that. I do. But at the same time I don’t know it, too. Does that make any sense?”

“It makes perfect sense.” Brooke had her own set of traumas she waited for the right mood to talk about. She just hoped Avery would get her mood right before Atticus did. Brooke shifted position awkwardly until they were face to face once more. She looked into the troubled gold depths of Avery’s eyes, reaching forward to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind Avery’s ear.

“I love your hair.” Avery smiled slightly.  Brooke ran her fingers down the thick braid that fell over her shoulder, admiring how it caught the dim light from the lamp on the nightstand.

“I love you.” Avery tensed waiting for her response.

“I love you too.” A radiant smile spread across her mate’s face. Brooke traced the line of her cheekbone her eyes glowing. Desire consumed the space between them and their lips met in an long, lingering kiss.

“We have all the time in the world,” Brooke said, wishing it was true.

Chapter 13: Marked

Brooke laid back on the bed, watching as Joseph and Sebastian hung light green, plastic-lined blackout curtains across the wall of windows in the bedroom she and Avery would now share. They had to stand on each other’s shoulders to reach the top of the frame.  Their balance and strength were incredible. Brooke kept thinking that Seb would fall, but he never did. And when he finally got the curtain rod in the right place, he did a backflip off Joseph’s shoulders. Because why not.

Avery had recruited several members of the pack to help move all of Brooke and Alex’s things over to the pack house earlier that day. It had given Brooke an opportunity to see inside Rachel’s room for the first time. It was dark, cave-like even with the curtains open, wildly untidy, full of plush surfaces barely visible under a thick layer of chestnut fur.  It almost mirrored Avery’s room across the landing but with the closet and bathroom where the veranda was in Avery’s. Brooke’s now, too. The newly refurbished dresser and desk along the left wall, the only clean surfaces in the room, gradually filled with Alex’s things.

Brooke still had a good amount of energy, as Avery had refused to let her carry a single box. After the meeting the previous weekend, they’d had several more conversations about it, and Avery had reluctantly agreed that she needed to be focused in order to hold her pack strong against the lycans. And therefore, she needed to mark Brooke soon. Her one condition had been that they wait until Brooke moved in. According to Avery, and Brooke’s own experience with Rachel and Alex, recently marked mates wouldn’t want to spend any time apart for the first few days. That night was the night. Brooke’s pale skin tingled in anticipation.

“All done,” Sebastian called from across the room. “You need anything else, Brooke?”

“Nope, thanks, guys,” Brooke replied.

“All right then, we’ll leave you to it,” Sebastian said, wiggling his white eyebrows, purple eyes flashing.

“Gross, dude, that’s my sister!” Joseph punched Sebastian playfully on the arm and the two of them left the room, taking armloads of empty boxes with them. Brooke heard Avery’s voice as she passed them on the stairs.

Brooke threw her arms out dramatically across the pillows, her head back, eyes closed. She heard Avery’s footsteps approach, getting gradually louder as she approached the bed, and Brooke smiled. She felt the warmth of Avery’s skin an instant before their lips met. She moaned into the kiss softly. Eventually Avery pulled back and Brooke opened her eyes to see her girlfriend, hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, looking as beautiful as ever.

“Hello gorgeous,” Avery crooned. “Welcome home.” She quirked her lips in a crooked smile and Brooke giggled gaily.

“Mmm, it’s nice to be home,” she responded, leaning up for another kiss.  “You know, we have already been going out for almost a month. We’re moving slow by stereotypical lesbian standards.”

“And positively glacial by werewolf ones,” Avery replied, laughing. “I need a shower. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here,” Brooke replied, green eyes sparkling. Avery turned and walked into the ensuite bathroom, and a minute later Brooke heard the white noise of the shower running. Knowing that Avery took very short showers, Brooke hurried to get herself ready, pulling off her clothes to reveal the lacy lingerie she’d bought special for the occasion.  On top ahe wore a thin, almost translucent teddy, green to match her eyes. It laced up the front like a corset, drawing the eye to her cleavage, which was on full display, seeing as the neckline of the garment barely covered her areolas.  She’d paired it with a darker blue pair of lace underwear that contrasted nicely with Brooke’s pale skin where it peeked through the pattern.

Brooke was feeling slightly nervous, despite the fact that they’d seen each other naked before. This time felt different. It was different. Less than five minutes later, Avery emerged from the bathroom, completely naked. Her tan skin glowed in the dim light of the bedroom as she rubbed her thick ropes of midnight hair with a red towel. Avery caught sight of Brooke, lying on the bed, and she froze, golden eyes shining brightly from the sharp planes of her perfect face. Brooke smiled cheekily at the look on her faceBrooke heard a low rumble as Avery flashed across the room so quickly it seemed like she had teleported. Avery had dropped her towel on the floor, forgotten.

“You like?” Brooke asked, smoothing the silky fabric down over her curves.

“Is that a real question?” She leaned down over Brooke, their skin less than a centimeter apart, but Avery held herself up, abs clenched solid.

“Are you sure?” she whispered, glowing eyes boring into Brooke’s, her voice husky. Brooke arched her back, bringing their bodies flush and eliciting a low groan from Avery.

“Positive.” No sooner had the word left Brooke’s lips than she felt a warm weight press down into the length of her body as Avery’s lips captured hers in a fierce kiss. 

“you remember the safe word? In case anyt of it gets too much or causes triggers?”

“Mango.” Brooke nodded. It was her least favorite fruit and not something she often casually spoke about.

“And you promise you’ll use it if you need to?” Avery’s eyes bored into Brooke’s.

“I promise.” Brooke traced a cross over  her heart, then smiled, pulling Avery back down for another heated kiss. Avery’s hands explored greedily down the length of Brooke’s body, caressing her every curve. When the green lingerie blocked her from Brooke’s skin, she  froze. Brooke could almost hear the gears grinding in her brain, replaying the incident with Brooke’s t-shirt the previous Weekend.

“It’s okay,” she said, slightly breathless.  “That’s why I chose this one.” Brooke watched Avery’s eyes follow her hand up to the center of her chest and fixate on the laced-up front of the lingerie.           Brooke pulled one of the strings, undoing the loose bow that tied it shut at the top. Avery gasped lightly, one hand sliding along the thick laces from hem to neckline She recaptured Brooke’s lips in a hot kiss that consumed her attention. One hand braced Avery’s weight while the other pulled out each level of the laces so unnaturally fast that the ribbon was hot by the time she had Brooke’s top open. Her warm hand almost felt cool by comparison as it caressed its way up Brooke’s side to cup one of her full breasts, the pale flesh overfilling her hand.

“Your skin is so fucking soft.” Brooke was beyond words. The racing of her heart had nothing to do with her POTS and everything to do with how close Avery was.

Avery’s every action spoke of ravenous hunger, and Brooke surrendered herself to it eagerly, her trust in Avery implicit.

Her lips trailed small, wet kisses across Brooke’s cheek, down her jaw, to the skin beneath her left ear; then down her neck, pausing to latch forcefully onto the base of her neck, where it met her shoulder. Then, to Brooke’s surprise, her lips moved on, following the hollow beneath her collarbone to her sternum, down the center of her chest and slowly, ever so slowly, making their way across her left breast to her hard nipple, ready and waiting. Brooke gasped as Avery sucked it into her mouth, her tongue circling it, sending shivers down the length of her spine.

Mouth still at work on Brooke’s breasts, Avery’s hand snaked down between her thighs to find them already slick with arousal. Her fingers glided down along her outer lips, teasing. Brooke whined, impatient, and in response, Avery thrust one long finger into her. Brooke gasped in a shock of pleasure. Avery was relentless. Her fingers continued to dance across her most sensitive spots, her thumb rubbing small circles around Brooke’s clit, her middle finger joining the first. Brooke arched her back, her mouth opening in a silent scream. She was very close.

Right as Brooke reached her peak, Avery’s mouth abandoned her breasts and leapt to her throat. Brooke bared it, ready. As Avery’s elongated, half-shifted teeth sunk into the pale flesh where Brooke’s neck met her shoulder, her entire body convulsed with waves of pleasure like she’d never felt before. She lost all track of time and space, floating in a sea of psychedelic haze that shifted colors behind her closed eyelids. She could feel every inch of her skin where it pressed into Avery’s, only a thin sheen of sweat separating them.

Avery’s fingers continued their motions, drawing out the moment. When Brooke eventually started to come down off of her peak, Avery slowly withdrew her teeth, fangs retreating back into her gums, and gently licked the bite marks, which healed over instantly. Brooke was too overwhelmed by the rush of sensations to notice at first, but once her head cleared slightly, she could feel a presence in her mind’s eye.

It was like a blurry image of another person, seen through a thick, fogged window. Brooke could feel her own emotions, euphoria chief among them, but she could also feel something else. Emotions that weren’t her own, that she could perceive like the halo of light from a streetlamp nearby the bright window of her own consciousness. She realized with a start that they were Avery’s. This was the strange, empathic mate bond that Alex had tried to describe to her. But his description had not come close to the reality.

Brooke closed her eyes, delighting in the intimacy, the closeness of the bond. She focused on the feelings that were not her own, and found, overwhelmingly, love.  It was bleeding from every pore of Avery’s consciousness. Brooke opened her eyes and stared into Avery’s, liquid gold melting and swirling brightly.

“I love you too,” Brooke said, and kissed her deeply. “Now let me take care of you, for once.” She stroked one hand down Avery’s cheek, along the curve of her neck, across her collarbones, and down further, to cup one of her breasts. Brooke massaged the smooth flesh with one hand while the other trailed down, roving over her flushed skin, tingles spreading from the contact.

Brooke could feel Avery’s response to her touch through their new bond. She could feel it when she found a particularly sensitive spot and she lingered there; the curve of Avery’s waist, the small of her back, the center of her chest, her inner thighs. Brooke could feel it all. It was almost like touching her own skin. She knew where to go because she could feel the response. It was like Avery was guiding her hands with her mind.

Brooke started to kiss her way down Avery’s neck. When she got down to the spot where her neck met her shoulder, Brooke nipped at it playfully with her dull human teeth. That elicited a deep rumble from Avery. Gripping Brooke’s waist tightly, she flipped them over so that Brooke was laying on top of her. Brooke could feel her desire suffusing her mind and made her way ever lower.

Brooke kissed her way down Avery’s sternum, hovering to give special attention to a particularly sensitive spot. Brooke trailed her lips down the center of Avery’s abdomen, following the lines of her firm muscles, until she reached her ultimate goal. Just as before, she could sense exactly where Avery wanted to be touched, stroked, licked, sucked. And Brooke was happy to oblige… 

Chapter 14: Empathy

The next morning, Brooke awoke in a haze of sleepy bliss. She didn’t have a migraine, for the moment. She stretched her limbs out towards all 4 corners of the bed, only then noticing that Avery was, as usual, already up. Brooke was starting to wonder if werewolves ever slept. If so, it certainly seemed like they needed less sleep than humans.

Brooke rolled out of the bed, clutching one of the blankets around her naked body for warmth. She walked around the foot of the bed and as she was crossing towards the bathroom, she caught sight of herself in the full-length mirror along the same wall as the bed’s headboard. A ghostly figure swathed in a dark drape of cloth. What really caught her eye were the bright red marks standing out sharply against the pale flesh of her neck.

Brooke approached the mirror, one hand dropping the blanket to touch the mate mark, the other holding back her hair. It looked like what it was, a large bite mark from something, someone, with the V-shaped jaws of a dog or wolf. The flesh had already healed over, but it was still thin. Brooke realized the red color was her blood, seen through translucent new-grown skin. It reminded her of very new stretch marks that hadn’t yet faded to white, and she wondered if it would change in appearance over time. Brooke dipped and flexed her shoulder, admiring the mark from different angles. She smiled, enjoying the sight and what it meant.

Reaching into her mind’s eye, fumbling, Brooke tried to feel for Avery’s presence. She focused on trying to discern what emotions Avery was feeling at that moment, rather than something more specific, like where exactly she was. At first, she felt nothing, just an empty grayness like mental radio static. But then she caught a glimpse of something; a vague blue haze in the gray. As she focused on it, the haze solidified, and she could feel her mind suffused with happiness and comfort. Avery was doing something pleasurable.

Her mate seemed to notice her attention right away, because the feeling of the bond suddenly began to intensify. Within a minute, Brooke heard the latch turn on the door out to the veranda, and Avery padded inside, topless, with only a pair of shorts on. Her hair was a tangled mess. She’d been running in wolf form.

Brooke could feel how happy Avery was to see her awake. As her mate bounded across the room, Brooke felt the warm fuzzy feeling envelop her as Avery’s embrace did in the physical world. Brooke sighed, and felt her mind relax into a warm haze of contentment. She wrapped her arms around Avery’s waist, not caring that her blanket dropped to the floor. Avery produced more than enough body heat to keep her warm. Brooke could feel every nerve ending where their bare skin touched, alive with sensation. It felt like the feeling she’d gotten from touches before being marked, only 10 times more powerful.

Brooke was glad that Avery had waited to mark her instead of doing it immediately. Such an obviously supernatural feeling would have freaked her out if she hadn’t already known Avery was a werewolf.

Avery put her hands on Brooke’s shoulders and pushed herself back so that she could stare into her eyes. Brooke looked back at her, perplexed. Avery’s dull golden-brown eyes sparked here and there with flashes of gold, and her brows furrowed in concentration. Brooke felt her determination through their bond, and for several seconds she could feel Avery’s presence pushing, straining, as if she was trying to break through the thick fogged glass separating their two minds. But then it was gone, and Brooke was back to feeling a vague sense of Avery’s emotions and nothing else. Avery sighed.

“I was trying to talk to you mentally,” she explained, trailing her fingers absently over the marks on Brooke’s shoulder.  “I know it’s probably impossible. Rachel’s told me, and Janae and Gabriel. But I thought I’d try regardless.” Brooke could feel her disappointment.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Brooke said, reaching up to comb her fingers through the tangled mess of her mate’s hair. “For me, even this amount of connection is miraculous.” She closed her eyes, trying blindly, to project her wonder towards Avery, not knowing whether she had any success. But it seemed Avery felt it, because a small smile spread across her lips.

“How did you sleep?” Avery asked, her voice low.

“Better than ever,” Brooke replied, smiling. It had become a sort of ritual between them. Every morning Avery would ask how she’d slept, and she would respond ‘better than ever’. And every morning it was true. Something about sharing a bed with Avery made Brooke’s insomnia a distant memory. “How about you?”

“I slept fine,” Avery said.

“How long do werewolves sleep anyway? You’re always up before me but you stay up as late as I do.”

“About three or four hours a night,” Avery answered. Brooke was past being surprised by any strange new werewolf facts. “Less, if need be. We get a lot done in the early mornings. Ever wonder why you’ve never seen me or any of the teens doing homework?” Avery flashed a grin at the last sentence.

“Well, that’s awfully convenient,” Brooke chuckled. “Makes sense now why I’m struggling in chemistry and you’re not.”

“Well, that, and you’re chronically ill, and I’m not.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Brooke’s face darkened slightly. She was already two days behind in chemistry. “I should probably be doing homework right now, actually,” she said, going to the walk-in closet where all her clothes had been unpacked the day before. She slipped on a pair of underwear and a sweater and picked out a pair of comfy sweatpants to wear.

Brooke teetered on one leg as she bent to pull the left leg of the pants up. She lost her balance and fell. Being unfamiliar with her new home, she didn’t realize that when she’d bent, her head was dangerously close to the sharp edge of one of the shelves. As she fell, her head hit the shelf, not very hard, maybe it would leave a small bruise. For someone else it would have been a minor inconvenience. For Brooke, whose cranial nerves were hyper-sensitized by years of chronic pain, it was an ice pick plunging straight into her skull.

“Fuck!” Brooke swore under her breath, gritting her teeth.

“AAH, FUCK! OW!”

Brooke’s head snapped up when she heard a cry from the other room. “Avery?! Are you okay?” She called, her voice tinged with panic. Brooke felt a thick cloud of vivid orange panic and fear wash through her mind and ran back into the bedroom, one hand on her throbbing right temple.

Brooke found Avery, lying curled on the floor, one hand pressing hard into her right temple, her face a rictus of pain.

***********

Avery had never felt pain like this before. With her accelerated werewolf healing and her tendency to win every fight she was a part of, she had rarely ever had so much as a stomachache before. She was completely unequipped to deal with the searing, ripping, nerve-igniting pain that sliced through her head suddenly while Brooke was in the closet changing.

Avery fell to her knees, scraping burns into them that she wasn’t aware of. She wasn’t aware of anything, other than the immense pain that had come from nowhere. She put a hand to her right temple, pressing as though she could rub the pain away. But it had no effect. It didn’t make the pain worse or better, but she kept it up. It felt good to be doing something.

Avery was dimly aware of her body listing sideways and a moment later she felt the soft fibers of the rug rubbing against her cheek. She felt a hand on her shoulder and could tell from the responding tingles that it was Brooke. She rolled onto her back and looked up to her mate for help, only to see Brooke mirroring her gesture, one hand on her temple in the exact spot where the pain was radiating from.

Only then, through a thick fog of pain and fear, did Avery understand. It was a side effect of their bond. Brooke was having migraine pain, and Avery was feeling it too. Avery’s thoughts started to spin ever faster into a never-ending vortex of uncertainty and fear.

What does this mean? Her pain is chronic! Can I do this every day? How can I lead my pack when I’m weakened by my mate’s chronic pain?! Does this happen with all mates? Or just human/werewolf couples? Why did no one warn me this might happen? Did they even know?  There were only a few wolves in her pack with human mates. Avery carefully erected glass walls around her consciousness, so none of the other members of her pack would smell the pain in her thoughts, and sent a haze of urgent curiosity in Sebastian’s father, Gabriel’s, direction.

Avery could smell that he was in their rooms on the ground floor of the pack house. He immediately sprang to attention at the scent of his Alpha’s mental probe.

Yes Alpha?

Avery did her best to compose her thoughts. Do you experience Leia’s pain through your bond? she asked, getting right to the point.

Oh yes, I was completely useless throughout Sebastian and Mariah’s births. My apologies, Alpha, I should have thought to warn you and Beta.

It’s alright, thank you, carry on with what you were doing. 

Good day, Alpha.

Avery severed the link and drifted back to her present. The pain was already fading from her head. She sat up slowly, Brooke supporting her arm. She felt dizzy and dazed, her thoughts moving slowly and incoherently. Is this what Brooke feels like all the time? How does she do it? Avery looked over at her beautiful mate, her light green eyes pinched with concern, her own pain imperceptible.

“Are you alright?” Brooke asked.

“I think so. What happened in the closet?”

Brooke looked taken aback by the question. “I hit my head on one of the shelves.” That explained it. “You felt it too, somehow?” Brooke’s voice was doubtful and confused.

“It’s a side effect of our bond. We can feel each other’s emotions, and, apparently, each other’s pain as well. It’s the same for Sebastian’s parents, his dad told me.” Avery pushed herself up, so she was fully upright. The pain was more tolerable now, mainly because it was fading minute by minute.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Brooke exclaimed, recoiling, pressing a hand to her chest. “I had no idea!”

“Hey, hey,” Avery pulled her mate into a gentle embrace, leaning back against the footboard of their bed. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t know either.”

“If I had known this would happen, I never would have let you mark me, let alone encouraged it.”

“Hey,” Avery said, holding Brooke away from her slightly so she could look into her eyes. “I wouldn’t trade being mated to you for anything, you hear me? This is just… an adjustment. Something I’ll have to get used to for now.”

“But don’t you see?” Brooke cried, her voice thin and shrill, recoiling . “It’s not just for now. I’ve been getting migraines since I was 8, maybe younger. Over half my life! My pain is chronic and incurable. It’s a torture I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, let alone the woman I love!” Brooke ran a trembling hand through her hair, and Avery gritted her teeth at the searing handprint that grated across her nerves, fighting not to let it show on her face.

“Shhhh,” Avery whispered, pulling Brooke in close and stroking her back with one hand. “It’ll be okay,” she said. But she thought, SHIT. She couldn’t even tolerate a bump to the head, how was she supposed to learn to cope with migraines multiple times a week lasting hours or days at a time? But she wouldn’t tell Brooke that. She already blamed herself. Avery refused to make her feel guilty about something she had no control over. She could feel Brooke’s tears running down the skin of her shoulder, and she could feel the wash of overwhelming sadness through their bond. She would learn to cope with this. She would have to. Brooke was a blessing in her life, everything she could have wanted in a partner. There was no other option. Avery would not, could not, reject her mate. Some would say it would be for the best. For her sake, for the sake of the pack. She could hear Serena now: ‘You have to do what’s best for the strength of the pack, always. Your wants and needs are irrelevant.‘ But Avery refused. She would not.

“We’ll get through this…” Avery said, gingerly kissing the top of Brooke’s head, and throwing every ounce of her love and surety against the barrier that separated their consciousnesses. “…together,” Avery finished, sinking back into their bond. Into the sweet wildflower scent of her tormented mind.

Avery got the opportunity to prove her words sooner than either of them expected. Brooke made it to history Monday morning, but by the afternoon her pain was calling the shots. Brooke had an awkward few hours between history and form drawing on Mondays, and, now that she didn’t have her dorm room on campus, she decided to spend it in the library. It was always quiet, at least, making up for how bright it was. Brooke got out her tablet and tried to get some work done, but the migraine was insistent. The nurtec she took made only a marginal difference.

Brooke was muddling through a chapter of the book they were writing an essay on this week in history, struggling to move on from the same paragraph she’d read at least half a dozen times without absorbing any of it, when something caught her attention. Her brain was so sluggish with pain that it took seeing Avery across the large room to make her realize that the waves of worry and concern washing over her consciousness weren’t her own. 

Avery crossed the room at a brisk walk. Brooke could feel and see how frustrated she was at having to maintain normal human speeds in public.  

“Hey, how was class?” Brooke asked on autopilot, surprised to hear how gravelly her voice had gotten. If Avery did answer the question, Brooke didn’t hear or remember it for more than a second. It was like there was too much pain in her brain to make room for new information.

“It’s a bad one, huh?” Avery asked needlessly, dark brows drawn in concern. She rubbed absently at the back of her head as Brooke nodded gingerly. “You want to go home?” Brooke nodded again, lacking the energy for words. Avery quickly packed Brooke’s things back into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and straightened up, extending a hand to help Brooke up.

When they got outside, the cold November wind cut right through Brooke’s thin jacket. The further they went, the worse Brooke’s lightheadedness got, her heart pounding in her ears. She was about to trip over her words asking for help when she felt herself swept into warm arms, settling her aching head against Avery’s shoulder

Brooke was surprised when they walked right past the line of motorcycles parked near the bike racks and further into the parking lot to where Alex’s car was parked. Brooke looked around but didn’t see him anywhere. Didn’t he have afternoon classes on Mondays? Or did he? Avery must have sensed her confusion, because she answered without being asked.

“I already texted him. Rachel is picking him up later.” Brooke had never seen Rachel drive any vehicle, but there usually seemed to be a few extras around the pack house.

“That’s good.” There was something Brooke knew she should be focusing on in what Avery said, but her brain was not cooperating. It wasn’t about Alex. Or Rachel.  But close, maybe? It floated right out of reach, not allowing her to fully relax into Avery’s warmth.  It came to her like a bus arriving a half hour late. Relief overwhelmed by resentment.

“Don’t you have class? Or practice?” Avery didn’t respond right away

“Most of my classes are done. No one will care if I miss one practice.” Brooke didn’t have the energy to argue, but she knew she would later.

The migraine lasted almost a week, leaving Brooke all but bedbound. It finally started to fade on Saturday evening, only for the postdrome phase to hit her with a whole collection of other symptoms. Auras, fatigue, vertigo, none of which paired Well with her POTS.  She spent All of Sunday catching up on the schoolwork she’d missed, including four straight hours to finish the History essay she’d started on Monday.

Brooke insisted that Avery not miss class or practice for her sake, and Avery complied, if not happily. But whenever she had any free time, she spent it with Brooke, siphoning off a little of her pain and stress like a sponge with shockingly long arms. They watched movies, played games that Brooke’s sensitive eyes could tolerate, and Avery brought Brooke anything and everything she could possibly need. The pain was somehow more tolerable when she didn’t have to go through it alone. She wished she could stay wrapped in the cocoon of comfort they’d constructed forever. But Monday loomed just over the horizon like a harshly burning sun. By Sunday evening, she was already ready for the next week of classes to be over. Unfortunately, they weren’t.

Chapter 15: Territory

Avery blocked another goal attempt, the chill November wind whipping at her hair, tied back in a high ponytail. She was playing center back in a scrimmage match to close out the afternoon’s practice. She liked the position, it gave her a better view of what was going on at any given time than if she was playing forward or midfield.  She would have been happy hanging back as part of the defense permanently, but her coach was always shuffling things around. It made it even harder on Avery to keep her true abilities under the radar.

It was why few wolves followed the path Avery had. Having supernatural speed, strength and stamina would seem like an advantage in any athletic arena, and to a certain extent they were. But they also necessitated constant regulation to keep realistic to human ability. You had to learn to walk the very fine line between under and overperforming. She was shuffling to her left, ready to back up the left back if she needed, when she spotted someone. And it wasn’t Brooke.  A tall, dark figure dressed in a black trenchcoat stood under a nearby streetlight, watching. It was Atticus, no doubt about it. As if she needed confirmation, his scent hit her nose a second later. She froze. For just a second she was back in the bloody clearing, watching her parents die. Then the moment passed and she remembered where she was. Shaking her head, she resumed her position, stealing glances at the interloping lycan. How long had he been there? What was he up to? Technically the practices were open to spectators but they rarely got any. Especially when it was this cold and dark out. The practice went on for another 30 minutes, and Avery was distracted the whole time. Afterwards, she made her excuses and peeled off from the group, quickly jogging over to the spot where Atticus had been standing. She looked all around, but he was already gone. Fuck, she thought. So this Is gonna be the rest of my night now.  All Avery wanted was to get home and check on Brooke. She also had a stack of financial statements on her desk that needed reviewing. She had to make sure the Pack was set for winter. But apparently Atticus had other plans. Avery sighed, pulled out her phone, and called Rachel. The Beta wanted to come herself, but Avery insisted that her and Ben stay with the pack in case Atticus was planning on targeting it. 

There was a police scanner in the pack Explorer, but it would take them too long to get there from the Pack House. The info was always better in person, anyways. So Avery texted Jade that she’d send the location as soon as she had it, and hopped on her bike, as usual not bothering with a helmet, and drove quickly to the sheriff’s station on the southwest side of town. She parked in a lot behind a nearby restaurant and proceeded on foot.

Keeping her pace to a brisk walk had Avery gritting her teeth by the time she was approaching the station. She came up from the direction of a side street, towards the corner of the building with a broken security camera.  Pulling a CBD cigarette and lighter out of her pocket to give herself a visible pretext, she leaned against the rough concrete wall of the station. Closing her eyes, Avery leaned her head back and let her senses extend outward. The soft voices of the Sheriff and Station Manager filtered out of the dense structure, too soft for a human to hear, but Avery got most of what they were saying.

“-be there in a few. Probably just some kids.” That was the voice of the sheriff. A large, balding human, with a hoarse, breathy voice. He was well suited to the low crime rate in Moss that gave him a pretty easy desk job most of the time.

“Shouldn’t you go with them to back the others up?” The station manager had a softer, slightly melodious voice.

“Vandalism in one of the old warehouses? ccccThey can handle it without me.” Close, but I need a little more info, Avery thought, letting her hand and the cig fall down at her side, not wanting to miss a syllable.  

“They did call for backup…”

“And I sent them some. They’ll be fine. Probably just need a couple more bodies. The old cannery is huge.” There it was. Avery listened for another 30 seconds or so just to make sure she didn’t miss any potentially valuable information, then crushed the still-smoldering butt under her heel, and set off at a jog, texting Jade the cross streets as she went.

There were a few blocks of abandoned industrial buildings on the northeast side of town, among them a cannery that had gone under about a decade earlier. Jade, Pedro, Brian, priscilla, and Jack were on their way, but they wouldn’t make it in time. Avery was closer, so she went forward alone.

 Avery took the back roads, avoiding the routes the deputies were likely to take and ignoring speed limits. It paid off. She only saw the one cop car as she approached the large abandoned building.  Its lights were off and there were no signs of the deputies or lycans. They must already be inside.

Avery parked in the shadow of the building across the street, heading to the side of the cannery opposite the deputies’ car. She approached cautiously, aiming for a side door and listening vigilantly. She didn’t hear anything out of place, a distant compressor, traffic on the nearest arterial, the nocturnal inhabitants of the forest beyond waking up. It was dark out already, despite it not even being six yet, so Avery knew her nose and ears would be more valuable than her eyes.  Damned New Moon. Not only did it lock her in human form, it made it impossible to see anything properly. The side doors were rusted steel, held shut with a chain and padlock that look like they hadn’t been disturbed in years. Clearly Atticus’ people hadn’t come in this way.

With a wrench, Avery pulled the stuck door open, wincing at the loud clatter as the chain slithered to the ground. Stepping inside the old cannery, Avery was momentarily overwhelmed by the smell that hit her like a wall. The whole place reeked of old fish, machine oil, and neglect. Adjusting, she picked her way through a minefield of broken and abandoned equipment. The human deputies would be lucky to make it out without getting tetanus.  

Avery’s head snapped to the right at the sound of thuds in the distance. It sounded like a few people, moving something heavy. Judging by the sound, they were on the floor above. Squinting through the gloom, Avery looked around, trying to get a sense of the layout. She had a flashlight in her bag back on her bike, but she didn’t want to lose her night vision. Or to alert the lycans to her presence. Spotting a staircase along the right wall, Avery quickly made her way to it. The ancient, dilapidated stairs looked ready to collapse at any moment. Even if she’d only weighed as much as the average human, she wouldn’t trust it.

“-der arrest!” Avery heard distant shouts join the irregular thumps. Fuck, she thought. I’ve gotta get up there before  the backup arrives; human lycan or werewolf.   Avery backed up a few steps, taking a deep breath.  Tensing her muscles, she leapt up the staircase, landing halfway up on the small platform where the stairs switchbacked.  She immediately heard a harsh clang and felt the platform start to give way beneath her. With superhuman speed, she stepped onto the first of the second flight of stairs, and used the dwindling leverage to launch herself up onto the second floor, quickly clearing off the steel platform onto more solid ground. She winced at the deafening crash of the stairwell collapsing behind her. So much for the element of surprise.

Avery hurried quickly down a hallway in the direction she’d heard noises. She had to clean up this mess before more humans got involved. Much as she wanted to wait for her backup, they’d never make it in time. She was here so she’d figure out a way to handle the situation. Somehow.

Bursting through the creaking door, Avery quickly assessed the situation. The room was about fifteen feet square, nondescript grey walls unevenly lit by a fallen flashlight on the floor to her right. There were a few dusty boxes in the far corner, and two passed out humans in the middle of the floor, a pair of shifted lycans standing over them. Avery didn’t see any blood, which was good, but she rushed to the center of the room all the same, relieved that both had a pulse still, one eye on the towering forms next to her.

“The fuck did you do to them?” She asked. Some combination of shock and mutually assured destruction gave her a false sense of familiarity. If someone in law enforcement got wind of the supernatural elements in the area, they could all be screwed, Still, she remained very aware that she was in their element here.  Outnumbered and underpowered. Her muscles stayed tensed, ready to spring at any moment. The lycan on the left scratched the side of his head.

“We were just checking the place out, and these two assholes tried to arrest us. But we showed them.” Avery held back a groan.

“Did you at least check the surrounding buildings for security cameras?” She shook her head in disbelief at their recklessness.

“What do you expect us to do?” A cold, caustic voice from the doorway dripped with resentment. Avery would never forget his voice, even if he died today. Still in his human form, Atticus detached himself from the shadows of the hallway, stepping into the scattered light. Avery jumped to her feet, putting as much distance between herself and the lycan Alpha as she could, feeling like cornered prey. She laid her right hand against the wall behind her. Felt like regular brick. She could probably punch through it if she needed to. “We have to find a home somewhere. This place isn’t being used. We were just browsing.”

“if you’re going to live near humans, you have to be more careful.” Avery hoped she was just imagining the tremor in her voice. Atticus threw his oily head back and laughed cruelly. Avery watched his every move, eyes wide. Jade and the others should be here any minute, she reminded herself. But it did nothing to slow the pounding of her heart.

“I’m sick and tired of being careful.” He pulled a small vial from his sleeve. It smelled pungent and acrid when he uncorked it. Smelling salts. “As much as I appreciate the concern.” He put a mocking hand over his heart. “This is our time. Not yours. And we’ll handle our business ourselves.” Holding the bottle under the noses of the two humans, Atticus brought both round. The deputies blinked blearily at the unfamiliar surroundings.  Atticus slid one long hand up to the side of one man’s face and clamped the other’s wrist in a bony death grip. Their eyes glazed over, turning to face the stooping lycan.  Atticus’s voice shifted, rounding out and dropping low, almost too low for humans to hear, it choked the air and made Avery’s ears hurt. “You saw nothing. Just some kids looking for trouble.” Avery could have sworn the lycan’s dark eyes flashed to hers for a moment, but it was too dark to be sure.

“Just some kids,” one of the deputies repeated dazedly.  Avery could hear a distant siren getting closer.

“BETTER CALL IN AND TELL THE OTHERS NOT TO BOTHER COMING.” The dreamy deputy on the right nodded clumsily. Pulling the radio mic off his shoulder clip, he pressed the button on the side and spoke clearly, as if the words were his own.

“Nothing to see here. Just some kids. Heading back now.” Avery had heard that Atticus was unusually skilled at manipulating minds, an ability all lycans had to a small extent, and likely the reason they’d survived as well as they had, but she had never seen it this close up. It sent a shiver down her spine like she’d just been doused in cold water. Not even the feel of Jade and the others fast approaching could calm her nerves as she watched the two human deputies file calmly out of the room, trading low casualties, completely unaware that there was anyone else in the vicinity. They left without a backward glance, and Avery’s muscles tensed in anticipation as Atticus’s attention turned back on her.

“This is our territory now. You’ll stay away if you know what’s good for you.  I’ll make an exception this time. But after tonight, if we catch you or any of yours north of elm, we’ll teach you to regret it.” Avery was reminded just how many pack members they’d lost during the last war. They’d won, but it had cost them dearly. If Atticus hadn’t been blocking the door, she would be gone already. So she was taken aback when the towering lycan stood aside, a hand out as if in courtesy. “Run along to your little ragtag friends. But do not forget what has happened here tonight.” As if she could. Avery moved towards the door carefully, wary of making any sudden moves.  She was almost out the door, thinking that maybe peace with the lycans was possible, when one long, cold hand shot out and clamped around her wrist. She was immediately back in the bloody clearing. She could smell the violence in the air as it choked her lungs. She felt the tears running down her cheeks from eyes that wouldn’t close to the horror in front of them. Watched  as a tall, dark figure tore her parents from her, From each other, from the pack, from the world. Smoothly, her perspective shifted, pulling her into the center of the carnage. She looked down at her parents’ lifeless bodies, and found her clawed hands covered in their hot red blood. Through the too-bright memory his words echoed faintly, as if she was dreaming. “NEVER FORGET. NEVER FORGET WHAT HAPPENED HERE. NEVER FORGET THAT, WHEN GIVEN A chance, I let you go. NOW GO.”

The next thing Avery knew, she was running as fast as she could down a long, dark hallway. There was a faint light at the end, a window. She had to get to Jade, running forward towards the feel of her mind, feet pounding loudly against old concrete.  When she reached the end of the hallway, she didn’t hesitate, throwing her shoulder into the thick window and feeling it crack under the pressure.  She fell out into the cool night air amidst the shriek and clatter of falling glass.  She landed heavily among the shards, shaking her head.

Avery looked around herself, disoriented. There was no sign of either cop car which was good. She couldn’t sense any lycans either, but she knew they were nearby, lurking in the shadows.

She jogged across the street. Scenting the air she was relieved to smell and feel her pack members approaching.  Their SUV pulled around the corner, Pedro and Jack running along either side, Jade perched out of the sun roof, bronze knives raised.

“WE have to get out of here,” Avery said as they pulled up. The idea was all-consuming. It was the only thing she could focus on and the only words she could string together. It echoed in her mind and aloud. WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE Jade sheathed her knives in midair, landing smoothly in front of Avery, her pale eyes roving over her, assessing.

“What happened? You’re bleeding.” Avery looked down, noticing for the first time that she had several lacerations, spread over her limbs mostly. Blinking, she pulled a large shard of glass out of her left shoulder with a squelching, prying pain that quickly faded to a deep itch as the wounds started to heal. Avery opened her mind to the others and let her memories flood across the pack bond. It was all jumbled. Out of order. But evidently they got the gist because a moment later Jade was helping her into the car. Was she shaking or was it the engine?

“We have to get out of here.” She repeated. Jade put a warm hand on her shoulder.

“We are.”

Looking back, Avery would be able to recognize the exact moment they crossed back over the new border Atticus had drawn. It was like a thick fog suddenly cleared from her mind. She blinked, looking around.

“Nice to have you back with us,” Priscilla mentally called from the driver’s seat. Avery could hear the crackle of static from the police scanner on the dash, and feel the bump of every imperfection in the road.  She was herself again.

“Dude is fucking terrifying on the New Moon,” Avery said, stating the obvious. She shuddered, as if she could shake off the ghostly grip of his hand on her wrist. Jade was silent, but Avery could feel how much she longed to turn around and repay the lycans cut for cut. But she also knew tonight was not the night.

“You can say that again,” Brian said from the passenger seat.

“Long day,” Jade stated.

“You have no idea,” Avery said.

“Those Hunters better come through soon,” Pedro put in.

“You can say that again.” Avery made a mental note to check in with Ben about it tomorrow. Standing so her head and shoulders poked out the sun roof, Avery breathed deeply in the smell of the forest. Of her forest.  There was a storm brewing. Pulling out the elastic now half-tangled in her hair, she closed her eyes, leaned her elbows on the roof of the car in front of her, and let the cool night air wash the reek of the day from her skin. The farther they got from town, the more she was able to relax, basking in the sweet simplicity of the pack bond. She listened idly as Jack and Priscilla discussed the kids’ school projects, as Jade strategized, a Pedro shared his worries about his mate’s upcoming thesis presentation. Avery took a deep breath. Finally, finally she was on her way home.

Chapter 16: Behind

It was the Monday of all Mondays. Brooke sat in the lecture hall, trying her best to pay attention through the migrainous storm brewing between her ears. Apparently one day was all she was going to get between flares. Great.  Her chemistry professor had agreed to let her attend the later classes of some of the lectures she had missed the week before, but she was still hopelessly behind. Her form drawing class wasn’t too difficult because she could do her homework even with a migraine and her teacher wasn’t too strict about attendance, and she was almost caught up in history, minus a couple reading assignments she’d have to take an f on, but chemistry was giving her fits. She missed half the classes because of her chronic pain and her instructor had no interest in being at all understanding about her absences.

So, she sat in a lecture that wasn’t meant to be hers, wracked with pain, and struggling to absorb the information the professor was rattling off in a dull monotone. Avery had wanted her to stay home and rest. There was nothing Brooke wanted more in that moment than to be curled up in their bed with a mug of coffee and Avery’s arms wrapped around her, but she felt selfish even for thinking it. Because now that she was marked, Avery shared her pain. And her pain was chronic, and debilitating, and torturous. And not something she would willingly impose on the person she loved.  She had heard friends and loved ones wish they could take her pain as their own for years, but it was always hypothetical. Now those words were being twisted into a nightmarish reality.

In the few days since she’d been marked, Brooke had noticed that her pain was more tolerable when Avery was nearby. She had asked Sebastian’s mother about it the day before.

“Avery said that you and Seb’s dad have experienced what we’re dealing with,” Brooke had asked Leia when she’d run into her in the kitchen, making a sandwich for Mariah. She had been careful to use the vaguest of terms, seeing as they’d been in a public place. The pack leadership, in particular Rachel, Serena, and Jade, had thought it best to keep quiet about just how much Avery was impaired by Brooke’s disability. The pack would be sure to notice some differences. After all, many of them had been present during Mariah’s birth and seen the effect it had on her father. But the Alpha needed to project strength, they had said. Especially with the lycan threat looming.

“That’s right, it was the worst for him when I was giving birth,” Leia had responded. “Wasn’t too bad for me though, I didn’t even need painkillers.”

“Why was that?” Brooke had asked, eagerly; willing for anything that might make the situation even slightly better.

“I’m not sure, exactly.” Leia took out a long knife and started carving thick slices off of a large roast ham. “Human-werewolf couples aren’t as common here as they are on the east coast, from what I’ve seen. But it seems to me like rather than feeling each other’s pain through the bond, it’s more like you share it. Both of my births were less painful than they should have been. It was like Gabriel was feeling part of the pain for me. The closer he was, the more he took on. When he was right next to me my pain was almost halved. You’ve heard of sympathy pain?”

Brooke had nodded.

“Well, we like to call this phenomenon ‘Empathy Pain’.”

“Empathy pain,” Brooke had repeated. “I like that. I wish my doctors could experience empathy pain.” And then she asked the question she really wanted answered. “Is there any way to stop it?”

Leia’s brows furrowed and she looked up from what she was doing, her face solemn.

“Not that I know of. Not as long as you and Avery are mates. I’m sorry.”

Brooke had left the kitchen, her mind in turmoil.

She was left with few answers and an impossible situation. The best pain reliever available to her was to foist her pain off on her girlfriend. Her mate. The woman she loved. A woman who, despite her strength, could barely tolerate a small fraction of Brooke’s pain. And Brooke herself had little choice in the matter.

Thankfully, that afternoon, as Brooke sat in her lecture hall, Avery was nearly a mile away, practicing on the soccer fields with her team. Brooke could feel safe in the knowledge that, if Avery could feel anything, it would just be a few twinges here and there. Brooke let her attention drift inward, trying to feel what Avery was feeling, but she got nothing. She was relieved. If she couldn’t feel Avery then that should go the other way, too, and Brooke did not want Avery feeling what she was feeling just then.

The class wrapped up, eventually, and Brooke packed her things quickly and made a beeline for the door.

“One moment, Miss Johnson,” The instructor called. Brooke turned slowly and dragged herself over to his desk at the front of the classroom, dreading whatever he was going to say.

“I hope you appreciate the opportunity I’ve given you, by letting you sit in on extra lectures,” Professor Whitman started, his tone dripping with superiority. “I’m essentially giving you free instruction your parents didn’t pay for.”

“I do appreciate it, thank you,” Brooke said. Can I please just leave? she thought.

“Even with this make-up, though, you’re still in danger of failing my class. You wouldn’t want to be seeing me again next semester, would you?” The professor crossed his arms and laughed like he’d made a funny joke.

“No, sir,” Brooke replied. No way would I agree to be in your class again, you condescending jerk. No doubt he thought he was the best professor in the entire science department and any student would love to take his class. The truth was that she’d slept through early registration and his had been the only science class with any open spots left. Now she knew why. Brooke held in an exasperated sigh. 

“So, you’ll be sure to make it to the lecture tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course,” Brooke answered. Like it’s my decision. What else could she say? “Is there anything else?”

“That’s all, have a nice day.”

“You, too.” Bite me.

Brooke turned and sped out of the lecture hall. She walked down the hallway and as soon as she rounded the corner, she slumped down onto a nearby bench, cradling her head gingerly in her hands. Her migraine was throbbing in time with her accelerated heartbeat. Why did teachers always have to make students stand when they had their little talks with them?

Brooke looked at the time on her phone. It was just past 3:00. Avery would be in practice for another hour and a half. Seeing that she had several unread texts, Brooke unlocked her phone with a scan of her thumb print, and opened the messaging app.

Avery Black: Hang in there, love. Come by after class. I love you

Brooke sighed. She wouldn’t go by. Not yet. She wouldn’t cripple Avery with her pain mid-practice.

Alex Oppenheimer: You ever wonder what the deal is with Bigfoot? What do you think? Are there real Sasquatches? Or are people just seeing werewolves? Brooke chuckled. Alex’s non-sequiturs had always been a fun distraction from her pain. And since they’d discovered the supernatural world, his wild notions had gotten even more frequent and fantastical.

Brooke Johnson: I think they’re seeing lycans after they’ve transformed she typed back. Alex responded almost instantly, even though Brooke knew he was still in history.

Alex Oppenheimer: Oh shit you’re right! Your make-up lecture over yet? You want me to pick you up when I get out?

Brooke Johnson: YES PLEASE

Alex Oppenheimer: No doubt. I’ll be there in an hour. Meet at south parking lot?

Brooke Johnson: Sounds good. C u then

She sat on the bench for several minutes, debating where would be the comfiest spot on campus to wait and not wanting to move to any of them. Just as she was thinking that this bench was as good a place as any, Brooke remembered that her history teacher had asked her to come by during her office hours. Brooke groaned aloud in the empty hallway, dragged her backpack around into her lap, and pulled out her tablet.  Crossing her fingers, Brooke pulled up the syllabus and saw that she was right in the middle of the instructor’s posted office hours. She was so ready to go home, but she still had shit to do. Hauling herself to her feet, she adjusted the weght of the backpack on her shoulders and set off with a deep sigh.

Brooke sat in the hallway outside her history professor’s office, wondering what she wanted to meet about. She could hear the voices of the professor and the student she was meeting with filtering through the closed office door, their silhouettes visible through the fogged glass. Brooke liked this instructor. She didn’t stick to the usual script when it came to American history, providing many primary sources from minority perspectives when it came to topics like the trail of tears and white colonialism. She also often grounded her lessons in the culture and history of the peoples of western Oregon. It was much more engaging than the history classes she had in high school. She had also announced on the first day of classes that she had the occasional migraine which might cause her to miss a couple classes, so Brooke was confident that she would understand the paper she had turned in 2 days late the day before.

She had emailed her instructors every morning of the previous week to explain why she couldn’t make it to class. The history paper had been due on Friday, but Brooke’s migraine hadn’t even started to clear until Saturday afternoon, and she’d had to rest the rest of that day, at Avery’s urging, then scrambled to type up the paper all day Sunday using the research from Monday. She had started right after lunch and hadn’t finished until just before dinner, exhausted but triumphant.

The professor would understand, It was only 2 days. And Brooke was properly registered with Student Disability Services. They would have her back if she needed it. But she wouldn’t need them. The voices from the office sounded friendly enough, with the professional coolness that was to be expected with any teacher student conversation, certainly not harsh. When the classmate she vaguely recognized left the office they exchanged a nod and a small smile. The professor, Shiela, motioned for Brooke to come in through the open office door. She had students use her first name because her last, James-Zamsky, was cumbersome and hard to pronounce. Brooke took a deep breath and entered the small office, hoping this would be a quick meeting so she could go home already.

“Do you know why I asked you here?” Brooke shrugged. The professor’s tone was light and conversational, but Brooke couldn’t focus on her face past the bright window behind her.

“No, not really.”

“I just want to preface this by saying I don’t want to wave a smoking gun or anything.”

“Okay…” Brooke replied, confused.

“But looking at the document you turned in on Sunday, it looks like you only started working on it on the same day at…” She glanced at the large monitor on her desk, the rectangular screen reflecting in her glasses in twin miniature. “At 1: 15.” Shiela stared down her long, sharp nose at Brooke, expectant. Brooke’s mind was spinning to orient itself, and clearly not fast enough. So it is about my essay? Brooke thought.  But she seems reasonable. I can just explain and it’ll all be cleared up.

“I had a really bad migraine most of last week,” she started, unable to read the look on Shiela’s face. “I did send you a message on Wednesday and Friday explaining why I couldn’t make it to classs.”

“Yes, I got your messages.” Her tone was unnervingly cold, and getting colder. “I don’t understand why you didn’t work on the essay when you were home all week. How is it that you weren’t able to do any schoolwork, but you were able to type out and send messages every morning? I’m looking at the document you submitted and it’s clear it was created yesterday.” Brooke felt like she’d had the wind knocked out of her. She didn’t know what to respond to first, let alone what that response should be.

“I mean, if you’re looking at the portal, I created that submission document yesterday when I turned it in.”

“No, you don’t understand, I’m looking at the actual word document and it’s saying it was created yesterday. So that means you didn’t work on the essay all week, you started it two days late. I spoke to Student Disability Services and they agreed that this is out of the realm of reasonable accommodations.” Brooke stared down at the brown-grey office carpet, feeling brutally alone.  It was like she was under a spotlight. She had to say something. She wracked her brain but the past week was hazy, blurred together by pain and fatigue

“I did work on it earlier in the week. On Monday I went through and took notes and found the quotes for the essay. I did the final draft on Sunday, but I worked on it earlier.”

“Well, I specifically said in the assignment rubric that I wanted you to turn in all files and drafts from every stage of your writing. Why didn’t you include them in your submission?”

“I was reading the book and taking notes on my mom’s old kindle. I have no idea how to get the files off of it into the portal or whether the file type would be compatible even if I could.” The instructor harumphed, her shiny black hair not moved by the puff of air.

“I usually dock fifteen percent for every day an assignment is late.” Brooke knew that. It was why she didn’t bother to try and makeup the reading assignments she’d missed because they had a much smaller impact on her overall grade. The skills you learn being chronically ill in school. You have to learn to pick your battles. “I would be willing to compromise and only dock you for one day instead of two.” She talked like she was doing Brooke a favor. Anything to get out of here.

“Okay,” Brooke mumbled.

“Okay. I’ll see you on class on Wednesday.” Shiela’s tone was that horrible mix of superiority and scorn designed to make sure Brooke knew she couldn’t get away with anything on her watch. Including having a week-long migraine, apparently.

Brooke lifted her heavy backpack onto her shoulders, fighting back a sob. When she heard the latch of the door to the humanities building close behind her, the dam burst and Brooke felt hot tears running down her cheeks as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. She thanked her lucky stars that it was cloudy out that day. Sunshine would make her pain so much worse. She trudged along the winding concrete path to the south parking lot and sat down heavily on one of the benches there, her breath leaving her lungs in a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes and bent forward, once again resting her head in her hands.  Guilt welled up in her chest like a thick, sticky glob of doubt and shame, stopping her lungs from expanding fully. Thoughts raced each other around her mind, none staying at the forefront long enough to really be processed. Is she right? Am I just using my pain as an excuse for being lazy? I could have started typing up the essay on Saturday, at least. If I haad I wouldn’t have to be going through this right now. I should be doing schoolwork right now while I wait for Alex. Not sitting here, useless, wallowing in self-pity.

Brooke was interrupted by her phone ringing. A low, rolling melody she’d chosen for its lack of shrill notes played from her pocket. She picked it up and groaned when she saw the caller ID: Mom. Exactly what this day needs.

“What’s this about you giving up your dorm room?!” Brooke’s mother’s sharp, high-pitched voice rang out.

Brooke quickly turned the volume down all the way. She had been dreading this phone call. “Hi, Mom. How’s everything back home? How’s Ethan?”

“Your brother’s fine,” her mother snapped back. “I got your email. An email? Really Brooke?”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Brooke replied, her voice a monotone. “I should have called you.”

“That’s right, you should have! You decide, on a whim, to move in with some lesbian you barely know, and all I get is an email? What, are you dropping out of school, too?”

“No, Mom, I’m not dropping out of school. And I told you before, she’s not ‘some lesbian’, she’s my girlfriend.”

“Still. I’m paying for you to get an education, not to gallivant around with bad influences.”

“Avery isn’t a bad influence! And besides, Alex and I are still living together, I told you that.”

“Oh yes, I remember. I’ll never understand you young people and group living. I don’t know if I like the sound of this house you two have moved into. A bunch of teenagers, all together. Sounds like a recipe for trouble if you ask me.”

“Ignoring the fact that we are adults, there are older adults there, too. And families with kids. It isn’t a party house, or a drug den, I promise.”

“Alright, but I want to meet this Avery.” Brooke’s mother drawled out Avery’s name. Brooke sighed deeply.

“You talked to her on the phone last week, remember?”

“I want to see her face. I’ll meet her over webchat.”

“Mom, you mean video chat.”

“Yes, that. I want you to videoskype me and put her on.” Brooke sighed. The sound of the phone static was exacerbating her migraine.

“Alright, alright,” she agreed. “I’ll do that. Is there anything else?”

“Are you still getting the headaches?” Brooke sighed again, letting her head fall back for a moment until the hard cold steel pressed against her sensitized nerves forcing her to move.

“Yes, Mom, I’m still getting the headaches. I’ll always still be getting the headaches. That’s what makes it chronic migraine.” Not completely accurate but brooke didn’t have the spoons to correct herself.

“Yes, yes, but a mother can hope.”

I wish she wouldn’t. I’ve come to terms with it. Why can’t she? Brooke thought. “Uh-huh. Listen, I gotta go, Mom,” Brooke lied, rubbing her temple. “It was nice talking to you. Hey, tell Ethan to text me, would you?”

“Alright, I’ll do that, honey. Take care.”

“You, too.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too.” Brooke hung up the phone and within a minute she spotted Alex’s grey SUV pulling into the lot.

“Got a ride for a Luna B,” Alex called through the open passenger window. “Are you Luna B?”

“That’s me,” Brooke said, playing along as she climbed into the car.

“Fantastic, I’ll be your driver, Luna A. There’s water and snacks in the cup holder.” Brooke chuckled, unable to muster a smile, stuffing her backpack down by her feet as Alex drove out of the parking lot. “But seriously, though, this whole Luna thing is a trip, isn’t it? I still look around every time one of the pack members calls me that to see who they’re talking to, before I realize they mean me.”

“Yeah, it’s weird for sure. I don’t know, I don’t hate it.” Brooke’s tone was flat and didn’t sound like her, and she forgot the words a second after she said them.

“Yeah, me either. We going to the soccer fields?” Brooke started shaking, a cold wash of panic washing over her from head to toe. She knew that if she got close to Avery, she would get one inkling of what Brooke was feeling physically and emotionally and drop everything she was doing to comfort her. Brooke’s head shook painfully.

“No, just go home. I don’t wanna mess up Avery’s practice. I’ll text her.”

“Ok,” Alex replied, nodding. “Bad day?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well when we get home I’ll dip into the human-friendly weed stash for us. Rachel showed me.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Brooke sighed. She pulled out her phone.

Brooke Johnson: Gonna have Alex take me home. Migraine. Meet you there after practice?

Avery Black: Are you okay? I can’t feel. I can come home early if you need me to

Brooke Johnson: No, no. I’ll be okay. Stay and finish your practice. Alex will stay with me

Avery Black: Ok I’ll stay. But I’m not responsible for any broken speed limits on my way home.

Brooke Johnson: lol ily

Avery Black: I love you too <3

Brooke groaned, leaning her head back against the car seat’s headrest, closing her eyes. She stayed like that for the rest of the drive, listening to the soft chill wave music playing off of Alex’s phone.

When they got back to the pack house, Alex dragged 2 lawn chairs out onto the veranda outside Avery and Rachel’s shared office, between the two top floor bedrooms. Then he disappeared inside for about 15 minutes, returning with soft blankets, and coffee, and his pipe, expertly packed by his experienced hands.

“So how was the makeup lecture?” Alex asked, leaning back and lighting the pipe.

“Ugh long and annoying,” Brooke answered, taking the offered pipe and lighter and taking a long drag. “Whitman’s an asshole, but at least he’s up front about it.” Brooke’s conversation, if yoy can call it that, with Shiela replayed in her mind like a hellish highlight reel.

“What d’you mean?”

“I had a meeting after class with Shiela. She was pissed I turned in my essay late.”

“I’m assuming you explained that you literally had a migraine all week last week?” Brooke shook her head, looking down on the yard and parking area between the pack house and its gravel access road.

“She didn’t want to hear it.” Brooke passed back the pipe and lighter.

“You know, she was late to class one day last week and I asked the other peeps in Art History; no one in my class has gotten an A on anything all quarter. She’s clearly one of these teachers with a god complex.”

“You think so?”

“Oh definitely. Why else would she make you come in for turning something in two days late when that’s on your list of accomodations. On your IEP.”

“She said CDS agreed with her.”

“I’ll bet she was just talking out of her ass.” Hope blossomed in Brooke’s chest, loosening the nearby knot of guilt.

“Yeah?”

“Definitely. You should ask CDS.” Brooke’s brain liked the introduction of an accomplishable task. Pulling out her phone, she opened the school portal and sent a message to Center for Disability Services dryly summarizing the situation with Shiela and asking them to confirm what they told her, pressed send, and turned her phone back off, leaning back with a sigh.

The two friends sat and spent the afternoon reminiscing and talking about whatever crossed their minds. They sipped their coffee and passed the pipe back and forth as they watched the sun set behind the clouds. Leave it to Alex to choose the spot with the best view. He had his camera hung around his neck and would periodically snap a picture. No warning, just acting when inspiration struck. For the first time since she had woken that morning, Brooke felt calm and at peace, even though she was still in pain.

Avery was late getting home. It was coming up on five thirty when Brooke started to wonder where she was.  Alex said, via Rachel, that she’d gotten held up but was on her way home, but it couldn’t hurt to check again. Just as she was pulling out her phone, Brooke heard the sound of engines and gravel nearby and looked up. Two vehicles pulled into the clearing in front of the pack house, a large SUV and a motorcycle. Brooke looked to the bike first, expecting to see Avery driving it. But Avery didn’t have short red hair. Looking back to the car, Brooke was surprised to see Avery climbing out of the sun roof, landing in the mud next to the car with a soft squelch. Their eyes met for a moment before Avery headed into the house. If she was taking the stairs she really was tired.

“You said she was just caught up at practice,” Brooke asked Alex. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Not not telling you,” he responded, holding open the door to the office. “Just trying to let her tell you herself.” Brooke nodded uncertainly and walked through into the now-dark office. Avery was just coming up the last flight of stairs when Brooke and Alex closed the office door behind them. Alex shot Brooke a concerned look, nodded to Avery, and disappeared across the landing through the door to his and Rachel’s room.  Brooke turned her full attention to Avery. Up close, she looked rough. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were disheveled, and there was blood streaked across her face.

“Hi,” she said, her voice rough and tired.

“hey.” Brooke crossed the distance between them. She could feel a vague, itching pain in her limbs. She ran her hands over Avery’s arms, finding no major injuries, but the thick pleather jacket she was wearing made it hard to tell. “What happened to you?”

“It’s a long story,” Avery sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“Rough day?”

“You have no idea.” Avery put a hand to the side of her head, no doubt feeling the blunted edge of Brooke’s migraine. “Or maybe you do.”

“Yeah, it’s been a really long day,” Brooke said, mirroring the gesture.

“I need a shower. I reek.” Brooke hadn’t noticed before then, but there was a weird, fishy smell clinging to her. “Will you be okay til then?”

“I’ll be fine,” Brooke reassured. Holding Avery’s hand, she led her into their room. She sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and tugged gently at Avery’s nearer sleeve, trying to ignore the sticky dried blood staining the dark brown pleather. Avery shrugged out of the jacket, sighing. Holding it out she tsked at the sizeable tears in both sleeves. It was too damaged to repair. Rather than ask, Brooke merely raised one eyebrow. Avery’s eyes glowed.

“I, uh, kind of went through a window.” She rubbed at the back of her head, as if she was trying to erase the memory. Brooke knew from the thick mess of stress, fear, anxiety, guilt, and exhaustion she was feeling from their bond that there was more to it, but she wouldn’t push. Avery would tell her when she was ready to. They both would.  Avery pulled off her baby blue jersey over her head, leaving only a blood-stained off-white thermal. She held out the jersey at arm’s length,

“Not too bad. Just need to soak it in cold water to get the stains out.” Red-brown blood stains bloomed like gory flowers on the right side of the collar and the left shoulder.

“Ah, yes,” Brooke joked. “The old period standby. Come to think of it, that’s probably why I’m flaring so bad.”

“Werewolves actually don’t get periods,” Avery said, stripping off the ruined thermal and tossing her uniform into the laundry basket across the room. She liked to recite facts when she needed to make sense of things.

“Really?” Brooke held out a hand and Avery, now wearing only a grey sports bra on top, stepped into her touch.

“Yeah, like most mammals, those of us with uteri just maintain the same endometrial lining continuously. Like humans do with their stomach linings.  It’s way more energy efficient than shedding and regrowing the whole thing once a month.”

“Huh.” Brooke followed the blood and the itching pain she could feel through the bond over the tattooed skin of Avery’s arms to what looked to be the deepest wound on her left shoulder. The cut looked deep, but it was already healing. The edges of the wound were starting to knit together and the rest was working on forming a scab. “Are you okay?” Brooke trusted that her emotions would make it clear she wasn’t only talking about the cuts.

“No.” Avery rubbed a spot behind her right ear where Brooke’s pain was currently flaring. “Are you?”

“No.” Brooke chuckled. “At least we can be not okay together.” Avery’s eyes glowed as she stooped to plant a tired kiss on Brooke’s lips.

“That sounds perfect.”

“You go shower, then we’ll catch up.” Avery nodded, bent down for one last kiss, and left through the door to the bathroom.

Brooke sat back in bed, thinking. Pulling out her phone, she sent Joseph a short text. Within a minute there were heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, followed by a soft knock at the door. She called for him to come in, ushered him towards the bed, and told him what she needed. He was happy to help, adding some suggestions of his own, then rushing back down the stairs, grinning.

Brooke worked on the room, lighting cedar incense Avery liked and replacing the lamp on the bedside table with a string of dim fairy lights that framed the hanging garden on the far wall.  When Joseph got back she had him pull back the curtains so the stars filled the window wall. It made her feel better to have something productive to do. To take a break from her own circular thoughts by focusing on Avery for a while.

When they heard the water shut off, Brooke thanked Joseph and ushered him towards the door, feeling ridiculous for whispering. As if Avery wouldn’t have heard, sensed, and probably smelled him coming and going from their room.

By the time Avery reemerged from the bathroom, dressed in a white tank top and blue shorts, towel-drying her hair, Brooke was ready.

“what’s all this?” Avery asked.

“Whatever you might want,” Brooke answered, smiling. “A joint from the werewolf-strength stash, some moonshine, coffee, The spicy vegan chickn nuggets you like, and some chickpea puffs.”

“My favorite.” Avery radiated wonder and gratitude.

“Well, to paraphrase P!nk, We’ve clearly had a shit day. I think we’ve earned a relaxing night in.”

“That sounds perfect,” Avery said, wrapping her arms around Brooke, who returned the embrace contentedly.  

“So he just showed up at your practice?” Brooke asked. She sat in her usual chair on the balcony while Avery stood next to her, elbows on the railing, smoking and staring off towards the distant town.

“I think he was just checking I was out of the way.” Avery took a long drag from her joint and Brooke watched the smoke rise towards the stars.

“And lycans are most powerful during the new moon? Does your goddess only live on the light side? Is there a different goddess of the dark side?”

“No, it has less to do with the New Moon and more to do with the darkness that comes with it. Lycans worship a god they call the lord of shadows. In a nutshell, the darker it is, the more powerful they are.”

“And what did he show you? When he grabbed your arm.” Avery had skimmed over that part when recounting the events of the evening, and Brooke knew it was important. Avery looked over, her eyes glow sparkling in the tears forming in them.

“I wish I could just show you. I hate words sometimes.”

“I know.” Brooke put a hand on her arm and Avery took a deep breath

“he showed me my parents. Their deaths.” 

“That’s awful. I’m so sorry you had to  relive that.” Brooke took a long sip of the coffee and stood, wrapping an arm around Avery’s waist.

“The worst part is, it made me realize how long it’s been since I remembered.”

“What do you mean,” Brooke asked, feeling Avery’s guilt and grief.

“for years, their last moments would play on a loop in my mind’s eye. As clear as day. But, I guess, over time they faded. I can’t remember the last time they were as clear as they were today. And I didn’t even notice it was happening.” Brooke chose her words carefully.

“Do you still remember the good times you had with them? When you were a kid? The trips they took you on, the pet names they had for you, the way they smelled when you hugged them?”

“Yeah,” Avery said, sounding thoughtful. “Yeah, I remember the first time we went down to visit our cousins in Mexico. I buried Joseph in a sand dune.” She smiled faintly.

“I think it’s more important that you remember how they lived than dwelling on how they died.”

“Have I told you lately how amazing you are?” Avery turned and swept Brooke into her arms.

“Yeah, yesterday,” Brooke laughed. Avery looked deep into her eyes.

“Seriously, though, thank you. For everything.”

“You, too.”

“I’ll run down to the kitchen and make us some popcorn. You pick the movie.”

“Sounds good.” Five minutes later Avery was back with a large bowl of popcorn in one hand and two large mugs of hot chocolate balanced in the other.  She set them down on the side table and settled into bed behind Brooke, legs on either side of her hips.  Brooke adjusted the icepack Avery had brought up from the kitchen so it was between the back of her head and the front of Avery’s left shoulder.

“I can see why you like these things,” Avery said with a sigh. Sure enough, the ice helped both with the  migraine pain and the bone-deep itch that traced along Avery’s cuts.

“Are you sure Brave isn’t a little too close to home?” Brooke asked, leaning back and letting Avery’s long arms enfold her.

“Why? Because bears are also furry and bipedal?” Brooke felt the rumble in her chest as Avery chuckled.

“I just don’t want to be insensitive.” Brooke smiled.

“I’ll be fine. And bears are way chiller than lycans. You leave them alone and keep food sealed and they’ll leave you alone.”

“Brave it is, then. I remember the first time I saw it in theaters when I was nine. People talk about having queer crushes on fictional characters before coming out; Merida was definitely one of mine.”

“Yeah?”

“oh definitely. That montage in the beginning? That hair? Forget about it.” Avery laughed softly.  Brooke twirled a lock of Avery’s long, black, curly hair around her index finger. “You know, the color’s wrong, but you do have gorgeously unique hair and enjoy running through the forest. I think nine-year-old me would be proud.” Avery laughed.

“Mental note: learn to use a bow and arrow ASAP. Maybe Leia’ll give me some pointers.” Brooke laughed, turning her head to kiss Avery’s neck.

“You’re perfect just the way you are.”

“So are you.” Brooke could feel how much Avery believed the words, almost enough to make Brooke believe them, too. Almost, but not quite. Especially when she heard the chime of a notification from her tablet and immediately tensed.

“What’s wrong?” Avery asked.

“That’ll either be CDS responding to my email or it’s the portal posting my grade for my history paper. Either way it’s…”

“Terrifying?” Avery suggested.

“And you say you’re not good with words.”

“You want me to check it for you?” Brooke nodded, head throbbing. She held her breath, thoughts spiraling, trying to play out evert possible scenario simultaneously and ending up with a confusing mess of anxiety tangles.

“It is from Disability Services.” Brooke let out her breath in a ragged gasp, heartbeat thundering in her ears.

“What does it say?”

“It’s from someone named Erica. She says there’s no record of any exchange between their office and ms…” Avery squinted at the screen. “…James-Zamsky. What a mouthful.”

“Is that it?” Brooke pulled the tablet into her lap to see for herself. The email was barely 6 lines long, closing with a reminder that she needed to transfer her care to a provider in Oregon ASAP.

“See? It’s just like I thought. She was probably just trying to scare you off reporting her ass for ableism.”

“Alex said something similar,,” Brooke mumbled, rereading.

“Smart guy.”

“I don’t know what she thinks they might do. It’s not like they actually enforce everyone’s accommodations. They don’t have the time.”

“Lying bitch.” Brooke was touched at how angry Avery was on her behalf, but they’d both agreed that punching Shiela in the face probably wouldn’t help matters, even though it would be satisfying.

When she checked, she saw that she’d been given an eighty on her essay. Which meant that, if not for the late penalty, she’d have gotten an A. It was looking more and more like Alex was onto something with his egomaniac theory. Brooke had heard about teachers who took a weird amount of pride in how hard their classes were, buyt she’dnever had one like this. They scoffed together at Brooke‘s grade.

“It really is nice not having to deal with all this shit alone,” Brooke said, holding Avery’s hand.

“It really is.”

Chapter 17: Full Moon

Brooke sat on an overstuffed sofa in the large living room on the ground floor of the pack house, watching various pack members speed by her. The preparations for the full moon had been ongoing all day. They had to get everything requiring hands done before moonrise at 8:57pm. For the entire time that the full moon was visible in the sky, every werewolf in the pack, except Jade, would be stuck in their wolf bodies, unable to take human form. According to Avery, it was when they were at their most powerful, and their most spiritual.  And tonight was supposed to be a blood moon, which could be an omen of about half a dozen different things depending on who you asked, But there was an edge of anxiety in the air given the looming lycan threat.

Brooke hadn’t yet seen much of their religion, or their wolf forms outside of fights and kids, and she was looking forward to it. All day, wolves had been running in and out of the house, carrying garlands of evergreen boughs and other less-recognizable ceremonial objects. From the kitchens, the overwhelming smell of cooking meat pervaded the house. Brooke had ducked her head in earlier to find at least 10 people, Leia and Sebastian included, preparing colossal amounts of animal flesh. Avery had explained that while their human forms were omnivorous, their wolf bodies had to eat meat to maintain their strength. It was therefore traditional to hold a large feast every month on the full moon consisting only of meat. There had to be at least a cows worth of beef in the kitchen that day, and that was not including what they would likely kill on the hunt later that night.

Brooke could feel the excitement in the air. All of the smaller children had already shifted, having less control than older werewolves. Consequently, there were half a dozen or so smaller wolves running around under foot to add to the chaos. They hadn’t grown proper thick fur yet, and they moved so fast that they resembled large balls of fluff, literally, bouncing off the walls.  They moved so fast, it was hard to distinguish one from the others. Save for Mariah, whose unique almost-white fur made her easier to track.

Brooke checked the time. It was 8:45, almost moonrise. She wanted to talk to Avery while she still could. All communication that night would be telepathic, so humans would be out of the loop. She walked through the pack house, careful to stay out of the way of the speeding werewolves. She found Avery outside by the wood’s edge, supervising the preparations. Brooke could feel her excitement through their bond and echoed it back to her.

As soon as Avery felt Brooke’s presence, she turned and sprinted towards her. Brooke let Avery come to her, jumping into her arms when she did. Avery spun her around, the wind pulling her blonde hair out of its bun to whip past her face. Avery kissed her passionately until Brooke lost her breath, clutching her close.

“Hello, my love, how are you? Are you feeling okay?” Avery asked, scrutinizing Brooke’s face.

“You know I am, you’d feel it if I wasn’t,” Brooke replied.

“I can only feel your pain, not everything.”

“I’m feeling f– okay,” Brooke said. She had stopped using the word ‘fine’ when talking to Avery since her marking. Her mate could now tell that it was almost always a lie. So now when Brooke told Avery she was fine, she immediately grew overly concerned. Avery smiled at the correction.

“I’m glad.” Her golden eyes looked up towards the sky. Dusk had fallen hours earlier. The moon would rise soon. Avery set Brooke down gently.  

As she looked around, Brooke saw that the pack members had started to congregate in the yard. The children were running wild, supervised by Jonathan and a pregnant woman Brooke vaguely recognized, howling thin, high-pitched baby howls and wrestling with each other, growling very non-threateningly. The cooked meat had been piled onto the same folding tables that had been brought out for the party. It was packed in large tureens with foil tops over them and warming pans beneath.

“Don’t worry, I made sure there’s some plant-based food there, too,” Avery said, following Brooke’s gaze. “You just might have to hunt for it a bit.”

“Thanks.” Brooke leaned up to give Avery a kiss and Avery wrapped her arms around Brooke’s waist, pulling her in close. Her hands roved over Brooke’s body eagerly. “Babe, there are people around,” Brooke gasped, breathless. Avery grumbled but relented.

“I’m sorry, it’s just I won’t be able to touch you like this again until tomorrow morning,” Avery whined. Brooke chuckled.

“We’ll still be together, though.”

“Yes, we will.” She leaned down to plant one more quick kiss on Brooke’s lips, then checked her watch, and craned her neck towards the darkening sky. “It’s time.” Although she couldn’t hear the words in her mind, Brooke knew that Avery had spoken them mentally as well.

Brooke watched as the werewolves formed a large, loose circle with herself and Avery at one end. She spotted many familiar faces. Joseph and Sebastian were there, side-by-side as usual, as was Jade, looking more emotional than Brooke had yet seen her, and Leia, standing next to her tall blonde husband. The elder, Serena, was there, standing directly across from them, leaning on a walking stick, orange eyes blazing even across the distance. The gamma, Benjamin was there, to their left, but his mate Jonathan was still occupied with the young ones, trying his best to make them keep still while the adults shifted. And Rachel and Alex stood to their right, both of their faces flushed red. Alex’s choker was doing a terrible job of hiding the hickeys on his neck. No need to ask where they had been.

Locking eyes with Alex, Brooke raised her eyebrows. He just shrugged in response, smiling.

“The full moon rises, and our time begins,” Avery began. “Enjoy it, my family, and woe betide any lycan that crosses our path tonight.” A wild cheer went up from the crowd, the children’s howls adding to the cacophony. Brooke and Alex raised their voices too, swept up in the raw passion of the pack.

As one, the werewolves stripped off their clothes, shoes, jewelry, anything that might be damaged by the imminent shift. They stood there, naked, still, arms spread wide, eyes closed. Brooke counted five of her own heartbeats. And then, just as the first sliver of moonlight crested the tops of the trees, it happened.

All at once, the pack shifted. Their limbs lengthened, teeth sharpened, nails elongated into claws, and their skin sprouted fur in every shade imaginable. There were the night-black wolves that were Avery and Joseph. There were grey wolves, like the gamma, Benjamin, and white wolves, like Sebastian. There were brown wolves, like Rachel, in as many colors as there were shades in the bark of a whole forest. The pack was a diverse tapestry of natural hues so beautiful it took Brooke’s breath away. And from the deep recesses of their thick fur, their eyes shone out like glowing orbs of crystal in every shade of the rainbow. All had shifted. All but Jade, who stood to the right of Rachel and Alex, still in her human form, fully dressed, her face inscrutable.

Avery sat back on her haunches, turned her face to the sky, and howled. It sounded to Brooke’s ears like a note from a musical instrument. Something deep, and pure, like an ancient war horn, expertly crafted. The rest of the pack joined in a heartbeat later, their wolf voices rising in a haunting symphony.

Avery stood back on her four paws and swung her head around so that she was face to face with her mate. Then she crouched down as low to the ground as she could, looking at Brooke. Brooke knew what was expected of her. Looking around the circle, she spotted Leia, already astride her mate’s back, running her fingers through his light brown fur. To her right, Alex hunched low over Rachel’s chestnut back, arms and legs gripping tightly, a nervous smile on his face.

Taking a deep breath first to steady herself, Brooke climbed onto Avery’s back. Avery could sense her nervousness and sent a wave of confident reassurance her way. That steadied Brooke’s nerves. She grabbed two fistfuls of the long, curling hair on the back of Avery’s neck, and just like that, they were off.

Avery suffused Brooke’s mind with calm as she leapt forward, padding swiftly into the trees. The forest raced by them as Avery led the pack along a path that was invisible to Brooke’s eyes. The whole world was a wash of browns, greens, and reds, flying past in streaks of color. And here and there the moonlight shone through the canopy, and wherever a beam of it touched, the wolves’ fur seemed to glow with its radiance, dancing in the chill air as they ran.

Brooke was scared only for the first few seconds. Once her body adjusted to the movement, Avery’s pure exhilaration and joy bled through, overwhelming her fear. Brooke lifted her head up off Avery’s back, letting the wind blow her hair out in a dark blonde wave behind her. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of absolute freedom wash over her. When Avery leapt over rocks and falling trees, for the briefest of moments, it felt like they were flying.

Before long, they arrived in the clearing where the meeting had been held. The ancient willow at its center was resplendent in the full moon’s light. The still-green leaves seemed to glow white at the edges, as though painted with silver leaf by the moon. Its thick, twisting limbs reached towards the night sky, rather than hanging down as they normally did, so the grass beneath was not shielded from the moonlight. Brooke could see the many garlands that had been prepared earlier that day arrayed around the base of the willow.

The wolves gathered around the trunk of the tree, forming the same circle they had back at the pack house. Avery crouched low to the ground so that Brooke could climb down, then sat back up, chest out, chin up, the picture of nobility. She sent a meaningful look to the right, and Jade approached, taking a new place in the circle between Alex and Brooke. A translator. Avery had explained that when her mate was killed, Jade lost the ability to shift, and had been locked in human form ever since. It was a tragedy, but, in this instance, a useful one. The head guard appeared to be in her late 20s, at most, but her eyes, when they locked with Brooke’s, seemed ancient beyond imagining. In those moments, the glacial blue of her irises seemed to drain even further of color until the thin striations were the empty gray of dust, decay, and sun-bleached bone.

The glade was quiet, save for the titterings of small nocturnal animals nearby. Avery raised her head, so her nose was pointing towards the sky, and closed her eyes, soaking in the moonlight. Then she opened her eyes, lowered her head, and looked around the circle, locking eyes with different members in turn. Her golden eyes glazed over and unfocused and Brooke knew she was speaking with her mind.

“My pack,” Jade said; translating in a low voice so as not to disturb the peace of the glade. “My family. Both those of you who were born in my father’s time, and those who found their way to us later in life. Let me welcome you all to another full moon ceremony. Let us all give thanks to Goddess for blessing us with Her strength tonight.”

The wolves, as one, raised their heads towards the sky, eyes closed, in a silent gesture of prayer. Jade, too, craned her neck towards the full moon, striking eyes shut, her scarred face a mask of earnest longing.

“Many moons past, our ancestors were gifted the ability to shift by Goddess Herself,” Jade continued translating after the moment of silence had passed. Brooke looked over at Avery and gasped aloud at what she saw. Where usually her fur was matte black, now the fur above her right paw glowed with spiking, twisting silver-white patterns. Brooke realized at once that the ethereal shapes were following the pattern of the tattoos she wore in her human form. Avery had once told her that her tattoos depicted the story of her people. Now she could see it, as the first image that had illuminated itself was of a small group of pictographic humans, praying to a full moon, half shifted into wolves.

 “These werewolves delighted in their newfound abilities, and together they cared for nature and the woods that had always been their home, guarding them from those who would do them harm. Over time they grew in number, and split off into various packs, each with a different Alpha, but all sharing the same devotion to the Goddess who had gifted them their existence.” More pictorials lit up along the upper part of Avery’s right foreleg, showing many wolves, all overlapping, shifting and multiplying and subdividing and exchanging, their fur standing in spikes. For the first time, Brooke could fully see the pattern in the chaos of strokes that comprised the tattoos. “When the human threat grew, our numbers dwindled.” A swathe of bright markings appeared on Avery’s upper left foreleg. They showed stick figures with bows and arrows and crude rifles, hunting and killing the wolves. “But even then, our Goddess did not abandon us. She gifted us once again, both with the ability to mate with each other regardless of sex, to mate with humans and–” Jade’s voice hitched slightly on the last word. “–lycans.”

Brooke mouthed ‘are you okay?’ But Jade just shook her head, her face stoic.

“And so this night, we give our offerings to Goddess, that She may continue to bless us with Her strength and fortitude.” The wolves each turned and picked up a garland from the ground behind them with their teeth, laying it down carefully in front of them so that they were arranged in a concentric circle with the wolves themselves. “We pray that She will grant us the power to stand strong against Atticus and his lycans. We give thanks for our two new Lunas. We pray that our pack will grow in number with every passing year.” There was a pause. Brooke noticed Avery locking eyes with a smaller, grey-brown wolf across the circle whose orange eyes burned like twin fires. “And let this Blood Moon herald our final, glorious victory over the lycan scourge.” Brooke’s eyes narrowed, and her heart started to race as the wolf’s intense gaze locked on her. “That last part was Serena,” Jade explained unnecessarily. Brooke could feel Avery’s irritation and uncertainty. She shot Serena a look, then moved on.

Avery sank to the ground, prostrate, glowing forelegs stretched out in front of her bowed head. The rest of the pack followed her example. Jade knelt, then lowered her body to the earth, her arms outstretched, head bent. Brooke looked over at Alex and he shrugged, kneeling. Brooke did the same, following their example. Brooke had never been particularly spiritual. But she had also never had such clear reason to believe before now. Clearly the werewolves’ Goddess had real power. She bent her head and gave thanks. Brooke wasn’t sure if her prayers were heard, or if they would be answered, but for the first time in her life, she believed there was a real chance. So, she prayed. Goddess, she thought, directing her thoughts towards the full moon in the night sky. Thank you for Avery. Thank you for our bond. I do truly appreciate everything you’ve done for us. But, please, I ask that you free Avery of my pain. My pain is my burden to carry, not hers. Please don’t let me be the reason that the lycans win. Please.

They stayed there for several minutes. The clearing was utterly still; even the crickets had fallen silent. Then, they rose, the marks on Avery’s legs gradually fading back to black. Brooke struggled awkwardly to her feet, Alex’s hand supporting her right arm. As one, the pack howled. The same eerily beautiful symphony they had displayed earlier filling Brooke’s ears and mind. She could feel Avery’s joy and serenity through their bond.

Avery crouched low to the ground, her shining gold eyes meeting Brooke’s. Brooke climbed once more onto her back, taking hold of her fur. Avery surveyed the gathered pack. Alex and Leia were astride their mates’ backs as well. Jade stood near the rear of the group, flanked by two wolves, one dark chocolate brown, one the red-umber of fresh clay; her two immediate subordinates. The three of them, presumably, were the rear guard. Avery took one last look back over her shoulder.

“I’m good,” Brooke said, sending her genuine feelings of safety and wonder through the bond. Avery nodded her head once and took off into the trees.

The pack roamed for hours, covering every corner of their vast, sprawling territory. Brooke saw small streams, glowing in the moonlight. She saw ferns, and nettles, and vast, ancient evergreens. They passed over hills and through valleys, through bright, moonlit meadows, and deep corners where the trees were so thick their branches blocked out all light. Everywhere they went, they were draped in the beauty and wildness of the natural world. Brooke thought back to Avery’s sermon, as delivered by Jade. This was what they were created to protect, and that was the most worthwhile goal Brooke had ever come across. At some point, she released her grasp on Avery’s fur and sat upright, spreading her arms out wide, and letting the wind pull her hair out in a bright mane behind her. She let her exhilaration flow freely towards Avery and felt it echoed.

All was calm and still for a time, the animals of the forest giving the pack a respectful distance, the only sounds the pounding of paws and the whistling of the night breeze through the branches of the trees. But as they neared the northern edge of their territory, a disturbance in the undergrowth brought the pack to an abrupt halt. Brooke had to flatten herself to Avery’s back, gripping tightly with her arms and legs to stop herself from being thrown off.

The ranks of wolves parted to allow Jade and her rangers to sprint to the front. Avery and Rachel stood to the sides, back a ways, protective of the humans on their backs. Jade and her guards raced forward fearlessly into the thick undergrowth. The dark brown wolf pounced onto something that Brooke couldn’t see behind the thicket. She reared up, her jaws clamped around the thin, clawed, knobby arm of a shifted lycan. The red wolf lunged, claws raking across the lycan’s skeletal torso, leaving gaping gashes that shed very little blood, but showed the black, sinewy flesh beneath its pale skin.

“What have we here?” Jade said, her tone icy. She grabbed the lycan’s elongated chin in her vice-like grip wrenching it upward. “Atticus sent you?” The lycan said nothing. He bared his teeth and, in a flash, Jade held a long curved knife to his throat. “No matter. I’ll have you singing like a chickadee in no time.” Jade looked back towards Avery and the Alpha nodded her head. Brooke could feel her conflicting emotions of obligation, and reticence. While she didn’t like the idea of torture, she knew it was an opportunity they couldn’t afford to squander.

Avery was still for a few seconds, before turning back the way they’d come and leading the pack back to the house. Jade’s wolves carried the lycan prisoner back, one with his legs in his jaws, the other grasping him by the throat. 

It took less time than Brooke expected before they reemerged into the familiar large clearing where the pack house sat. The guards peeled off from the others as soon as they were past the tree line, making their way swiftly over to an outbuilding that Brooke had never particularly noticed before. There were bars on the windows and a thick padlocked gold chain barring the door. Jade took a key off her belt, and they carried the prisoner into the pitch blackness within, out of sight. Most of the rest of the pack made for the tables of food, ripping the foil covers off and devouring the heaps of meat below. Those who had caught meat along the way deposited the carcasses in a pile near the table. Brooke saw a young red wolf trailed by a familiar white-blonde one, drop a small rabbit on the top of the pile, ears and tail perked up with pride.

Brooke dismounted from Avery’s back, her own stomach rumbling. She teetered over to the table and found the plate that Avery had had laid aside for her. It held a delicious stir-fry with a medley of vegetables over a bed of rice and chickpeas. Brooke found a chair and sat down.  It was the same chair she had sat in during the welcome party almost a month before. It felt like so much longer.

Alex took the one next to her, waving goodbye as Rachel padded off into the night. Leia walked up, carrying two plates, Mariah hot on her heels. Brooke invited her to join them and before they knew it the other humans in the pack had filledd in the remaining chairs.

“We’ve been looking for an opportunity to get to know you both better,” Leia siad, holding out a piece of meat to Mariah who snapped it up eagerly.

“It’s so nice to have not one but two human Lunas,” put in the middle-aged manto Brooke’s left. He was British with greying auburn hair and a slight paunch.

“This is Harry,” Leia said, gesturing to the man with one hand while feeding Mariah with the other. “… Ariel…” the pregnant woman Brooke had seen helping Jonathan with the smaller children. She had small features, long red hair, and a reserved energy. “… and Terrence.” A younger guy in his 20s with slicked-back black hair and wire-rimmed glasses.

“I’m Janae’s mate,” he supplied.

“The guard?” Alex asked.

“That’s right. She’s off on patrol right now. Making sure there aren’t any more lycans lurking around.”

“Makes sense.” Brooke swallowed, nervous that she would say or do the wrong thing.

“What are the odds, eh?” The older man, Harry said, his tone jovial. “Our Alpha and Beta both finding their mates within a week of each other, and they’re both human! Never thought I’d see it. “

“Well it’s not like normal odds really apply to werewolf stuff,” Ariel put in. Her voice was soft and sweet, her eyes wide and far away. Leia put a comforting hand on her arm.

“We’re so happy to have you both.” Harry continued.

“We’re happy to be here,” Alex replied. Brooke nodded, taking another bite.

They spent the rest of the night just talking and getting to know each other. Once she relaxed a bit, Brooke enjoyed herself greatly.  It turned out that Terrence was working on his PhD in Climatology at the college. He was clearly brilliant, but not in a condescending way. And Harry, who’d met his mate while on vacation in the Rockiesover 20 years earlier, had a seemingly endless supply of entertaining human/werewolf stories. His mate, Cora,  was exiled from Rachel’s former pack. From the way he described them and their Alpha, Brooke was not looking forward to their arrival. Ariel was quieter, but seemed to enjoy herself all the same. Her mate, a large shaggy grey wolf named Jack, came by to check on her three times more often than the rest of them.  Their mates seemed to have come to an agreement to give the humans time to bond, but they filtered in and out.  Belly full, Mariah had curled up and fallen asleep in her mother’s lap. Brooke smiled at the sight, but Ariel just stared, one hand on her belly, transfixed.

“You’re going to do great, sweetie,” Leia reassured in a near whisper. Ariel didn’t seem so sure.

It was the first time Brooke and Alex really felt the weight of the responsibility their new roles had given them. It made Brooke equal parts humbled, awkward, and terrified that she’d somehow fail to live up to their expectations.

By midnight, Brooke was dead tired, but she wouldn’t have traded this night for anything. She truly, finally, felt like she was a real part of the pack. As much a member as Leia or harry. Avery came to join them, a large haunch of deer clamped in her jaws. She dropped it on the ground next to Brooke’s chair and settled herself down to eat. Brooke trailed a hand down her back in long strokes, running her fingers through the thick black fur. Avery rumbled low in her throat and Brooke could feel her contentment and love.

When they had finished their meal, they dispersed, each to their own mate. Brooke climbed onto Avery’s back, and she carried them up to their bedroom. Brooke stripped off her coat and shoes and fell into bed, holding the covers back so that Avery could crawl in beside her. Avery laid in an arc, her massive wolf form occupying at least three quarters of the large bed. Brooke threw one arm and one leg over her, hugging her tightly.

“I love you,” she whispered, already close to sleep. She felt Avery’s love for her suffuse her mind as she drifted off. She slept long, and deeply, and her dreams were filled with the forest. 

 Chapter 18: Interrogation

Brooke sat at her new desk in her large bedroom, struggling with her overdue chemistry homework. They were doing a unit on stoichiometry, and it was throwing her for a loop. No matter what she tried, her chemical reactions never seemed to come out quite right. She was supposed to have turned it in a week ago, but she’d had a three-day migraine, followed by a four-day migraine a day later.

Brooke wasn’t sure what had triggered the attacks, but she suspected it was the colder weather that meant winter was coming. Her migraines were always worse in the winter. Whatever the reason, they had had a severe impact on Avery. Brooke had wanted to move to one of the outbuildings temporarily so that Avery could work and run the pack without being crippled by her pain, but Avery wouldn’t hear it. Even as she struggled to stand up straight from the pain coursing through her head. So, they had compromised.  Brooke had stayed in the house and Avery had moved her office to one of the furthest outbuildings. She had run the pack’s business from there for the duration of the attacks. But as soon as she was no longer needed as alpha, she was lying at Brooke’s side, siphoning as much of her pain away as she could, even though it made her miserable. They were miserable together. And that made it more bearable.

Brooke had finally recovered the day before, only to be greeted by a mountain of homework from her chemistry professor, Mr. Whitman. He had only agreed to give her a three-day extension to finish it all, so she had to buckle down. When she had politely requested more time, trying her best to explain her medical situation in as few words possible, he’d told her that she should have been working on it all the time she was home. Brooke struggled to finish the work he had assigned for that week, let alone the makeup work from the week before. She’d been given such a short extension, she would have to do the catch up first but that was sure to eat up all three days, and then she would only have three more days to do her homework for that week. And this week’s homework was even harder because she had missed last week’s lectures setting it up. Brooke sighed deeply.

A few minutes later she was still stuck on the same problem, her temple starting to throb from the mental strain, when Brooke felt a cloud of happiness pushing against the edge of her tired mind. Avery had returned from her run. Brooke heard the sound of claws on the wooden deck of the veranda, and she smiled. There were several seconds of silence while Avery shifted and then the door opened. Brooke turned to see Avery standing there completely naked, her wild tangle of black hair full of leaves, her leg and arm hair streaked with dirt, her golden brown skin glowing in the beam of sunlight the open door let in. Clutched in her teeth was a thick-stemmed purple flower.

“Hello, my love,” Avery said, rounding the bed and leaning down to give Brooke a tender kiss. “How’s the homework coming?” Brooke huffed in frustration. “Never mind, I feel that.” Avery bent down further and hugged her tightly.

Brooke could feel the love seeping through the contact. “Thanks, babe,” Brooke said, leaning up to kiss her more deeply. Avery pulled back and held up the flower. It was a delicate iris-like bloom with waxy leaf and stem. Avery found it somewhere in the woods, presumably. The image of her carrying it all the way back in her massive jaws amused Brooke.

“I’m surprised there’s anything blooming this late in November.”

“Things work a little differently near the night tree.” Avery handed her the flower. “It’s called a deer orchid. I thought you could paint it.” Brooke took the flower in her hands. The delicate petals were a deep, rich indigo in the center that faded to a lighter violet on the ruffled edges. The very center was a deep gold. It was almost exactly the color of Avery’s eyes. Brooke was dying to grab her sketchpad and spend the whole afternoon capturing its beauty. She sighed deeply, falling back into her desk chair and setting the flower to one side.

“I would love nothing better,” Brooke sighed. “But I don’t have the time. I have to save all my spoons for the make-up work.” Avery had offered to do her chemistry homework for her, but she’d declined. She didn’t need to prove her teachers right in their assumptions that she was lazy

“Fucking Whitman,” Avery swore, her fists clenching at the feeling of Brooke’s misery, anxiety, and exhaustion. “If you want, I can have a word with him. Giving you so little time.” Avery scoffed.

“No, no, I can handle it myself,” Brooke said, not believing herself. “Thanks, though, darling.”

“Remind me again what exactly spoons are?” Brooke didn’t blame Avery for not grasping it right away.

“They’re units of measurement for energy that a lot of chronically ill people use. The idea is that able-bodied people start the day with more spoons. That’s why you can do more in one day than us.” Brooke had learned about Spoon Theory from an online support group she was a member of in high school.

“I wish I could share my spoons with you,” Avery said.

“Yeah, instead all you share is my pain,” Brooke muttered bitterly.

“And I’m glad of it, my love. Otherwise, you would be in even more pain.” Brooke realized that her head was throbbing much more gently since Avery came into the room. Avery rubbed her temple. Brooke grimaced. She said nothing, but in her mind rang the words You shouldn’t have to.

Brooke bent back over her work as Avery went off to shower and get dressed. With some of her burgeoning migraine siphoned off by her nearby mate, Brooke finally managed to focus. She finished the problem she’d been working on and the next, too, by the time Avery came back.

“How is it going?” Avery asked, gingerly towel drying her hair. She had dressed in a crisp white button-down shirt. It was thin linen so you could see the black lines of her tattoos through the sleeves.

“Slowly,” Brooke shook her head. Avery crossed and pressed her petal-soft lips to Brooke’s lovingly. Brooke sighed. “It is what it is, I suppose.”

“Can you take a break for a bit?” Avery asked, her smile fading. “Jade just told me, we’re needed in the holding cell. They’ve got the prisoner talking.” Avery’s tone was icy. Brooke could feel her contempt for the whole situation, and her resentment of what she had to do as Alpha. She couldn’t be seen as weak, but being strong all the time wears on a person, a little bit heavier every passing day.

“I would love an excuse to take a break,” Brooke said, knowing that Avery could feel her pain and mental fatigue. Avery held her arms out from her body. Brooke looked down, examining her own appearance. She was wearing sweatpants and a crop top. Not the right look for official pack business. She heaved herself up out of her desk chair. “One minute, babe.” Brooke went into the walk-in closet and Avery followed her. Brooke could sense her worry. She couldn’t really blame her after the incident with the shelf. “Keeping an eye on me?” she asked. “Or did you have some ulterior motive for following me in here?” Brooke pulled off her shirt as she said it, her chest now bare.

“It’s possible,” Avery responded, leaning down to kiss her passionately. She pressed her body into Brooke’s until they were backed up against one of the shelves, her bare skin pressed against the stiff-soft linen of Avery’s shirt. Both of their hands exploring freely, Brooke forgot about all her responsibilities, and all her pain, suspended in time, caught up in that single, perfect moment. A few minutes or hours later Avery pulled back, a low grumbling growl leaving her throat. “Jade wants us to come now. I swear she sometimes forgets which of us is the Alpha.”

“Okay, I’ll hurry up,” Brooke said, breathless.

“Take your time, my love.” Brooke smiled at her girlfriend and Avery smiled back, her sharp features impossibly beautiful to Brooke’s eyes.

Brooke found a nice enough lilac dress that would be presentable without being too uncomfortable. She threw on her only blazer for good measure, and a pair of thermal tights. She doubted the pack’s holding cell was heated. She was tired after having to change so she leaned heavily into Avery’s side. “How do I look?”

“You look incredible, as always.”

“No, really, babe, I want your pack to take me seriously. How do I look?” Brooke kept her eyes closed through the conversation, resting them.

“You look like a Luna.”

“Thanks.” Brooke turned her face up towards Avery’s and felt a soft kiss pressing against her lips a moment later. She giggled.

“You ready?” Brooke nodded and Avery scooped her up. She wrapped her arms securely around Avery’s neck and they were off, out the double glass doors onto the veranda, over the balcony to fall four stories to the ground. That was one of Brooke’s favorite things, because for just a breath, before they landed, it felt like they were flying.

Avery carried her over to the distant outbuilding where Brooke had seen the prisoner being confined by the guards the night of the full moon, frosted grass gently crunching under her feet. It looked like it might once have been a one-room schoolhouse. A small brick building with wide stairs up to thick wooden double doors. Now those doors were adorned with chains and a padlock  the size of Brooke’s hand. The chain and padlock were both made of a shiny gold-colored metal. Definitely not steel. The windows were barred with the same material.

“What metal is that?” Brooke asked.

“Bronze. It’s a weakness lycans have. It’s the only substance immune to their strength. And one of the only reliable ways to kill them.”

“But isn’t steel stronger?”

“Not to a lycan. They did not do well during the bronze age.” Avery laughed. Her mood felt almost nostalgic to Brooke’s mind. As if she was longing for a time thousands of years before she’d been born. It’s not nostalgia for the past, Brooke thought. It’s a longing for a time when her people weren’t threatened.  A time she could only briefly glimpse through oral history and educated guesswork.

Avery stepped up to the door and her eyes glazed over. A second later Jade unlocked it from the inside and let them in, then quickly shut and re-locked it. Rachel was already there. Alex was absent, probably in class. Benjamin and his mate were busy, Avery explained, but they would keep an open mindlink so they could still hear what the prisoner had to say.

The building had only one large room with two small windows on either side and a very old and rickety metal bed frame, bolted to the floor, with a thin mattress and soiled bedding. Along the opposite wall was an ancient dark green chalk board. The wooden frame holding it in place was barely there, large splinters missing. There was nothing else in the room save a peg board hung with various threatening instruments and weapons, most of which were made of bronze, and, of course, the prisoner himself.

The captive lycan looked pitiful, hunched in one corner, his skeletal hands and feet manacled. Bronze chains ran from the cuffs to a thick metal ring sunk into the concrete floor. He was in his human form, dressed in a shapeless and overlarge tunic. The hollows beneath his eyes were so deep they appeared to Brooke as mere pools of shadow. His already pale skin had turned sallow and yellow. His body, what Brooke could see of it, was covered in cuts and injuries, his clothes spotted here and there with dried black blood. He looked terrible. Brooke knew he was a follower of their enemy, but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He was still a person.

Brooke looked over at Jade to find her face a stone mask. She stared dispassionately down at the prisoner with her shocking pale blue eyes that were so light they were almost white. Jade’s irises glowed like the first snow of winter in the dim light of the filthy room. The scars on her face seemed to strain and pull as she spoke, standing out against her dark face.

“You will tell the Alpha everything she wants to know,” Jade said, her voice cold and emotionless. “Won’t you?” Jade produced a bronze dagger from the laced bodice of the corset she was wearing and flashed it dangerously. The prisoner quivered at the sight. Jade nodded to Avery.

“What are Atticus’s plans?” Avery asked in a tone of command.

“He wants the town,” the lycan answered, his voice wavering, eyes never leaving the knife in Jade’s hands. “The college, the infrastructure, all of it. He’s sick of living incaves. He wants a whole town just for us. Lycans.”

“And what about the thousands of humans living there?”

“He plans to…remove them,” the prisoner said. “By force.”

“Over my maggot-eaten dead body will he get that land,” Avery swore. “How is he planning on taking the entire town? He must know my pack will put up a fight.”

“He plans to attack on the new moon, in December.”

“Of course,” Avery muttered. Brooke could feel her concern. “Of course, he would attack when we’re at our weakest.”

“That’s what I would do,” Jade put in. “We need to hit them first. And hit them hard.”

Avery said nothing, just thought in silence, her brows furrowed.

“What do you think?” Avery asked, turning to Brooke. She had not expected to be consulted on battle strategy and she was taken aback.

“I don’t really know,” she answered honestly. “I’m not sure I’m the one to ask.”

“You’re the Luna, you’ll always have a say,” Avery said.

“Well, I wonder if you might use him in some way,” Brooke said, nodding to the prisoner. “Seeing as they still have the numbers. I MEAN, HE’S ALREADY HERE. The damage is already done in a sense.” A far more literal sense than Brooke liked thinking about.

“That’s a good idea, thank you,” Avery said, bending down to give Brooke a peck on the lips. “Jade, can you work with him to get as close as you can to a working plan of their hideout? The oold haunts and the new outposts he’s probably setting up as we speak. Guard rotations, Atticus’s schedule, whatever you can get from him.” The head guard nodded solemnly.

“Of course I can,” Jade said, her voice sharp. “But what should I do with him afterwards, Alpha? We can’t keep him here forever.”

“After, he’ll deliver a message for us.”

“A message?” Rachel asked. “What kind of message?”

“One Atticus won’t be able to ignore.” Avery’s face darkened, and, for the first time, Brooke saw her how others must. As a large, intimidating, frightening creature of the night. But only for a moment. Then her Avery was back, smiling over at her beautifully.  Brooke loved the way she was when they were alone, but she also understood why she acted differently outside of their bedroom. Then she put on her Alpha face. It was just something Brooke would have to get used to.

Chapter 19: Hunters

Avery stood on her balcony, surveying her territory. She slowly inhaled, the chill air a pleasant shock to her lungs. She could feel the restful energy of her mate, asleep in the room behind her, and she tried her best to calm herself. To immerse herself in the peaceful dreams of Brooke’s mind rather than dwelling in the mire of anxieties that was her own.

The Hunter pack was due to arrive in just a couple of hours and Avery was a ball of nerves. They needed the support of Boris and his wolves if they would have any hope of defeating Atticus, and Avery had no intention of letting that murderous madman beat her. But treating with the Hunters would be… tricky. To say the least. Her father would have known how to handle this so much better than she could. She wished he were there with her.

Avery looked down at her left arm, bared by the sleeveless suit she was wearing. She turned it slightly in the thin grey light filtering through the clouds. On the inside of her wrist, no bigger than her thumb, were the twin figures that represented her father and mother. She touched it with the first 2 fingers of her right hand and mentally breathed a small prayer to Goddess to protect him, wherever he was. Her mother, as well. And Joseph, and Brooke. Lastly, she prayed for herself. That she would have the strength to lead her pack through the turmoil ahead.

Avery felt Brooke beginning to stir and padded inside on soft feet. She leapt down the stairs a flight at a time. It was a game her and Joseph had played as pups, seeing who could jump down the most stairs at once and still land on their feet. It had driven their mother up the wall. Even now, a decade later, it still brought a smile to her face.

Avery walked to the kitchen, greeting each member of the pack she passed, and, mentally, many she didn’t. Her mood was infectious, the whole pack felt slightly on edge. She found the coffee pot and made Brooke a cup just the way she liked it, with non-dairy milk and extra sugar. As she made her way back up the stairs, Avery could feel Brooke’s mind awakening, stirring, like soft clouds of sun-soaked pollen. She set down the coffee on her mate’s bedside table and sat down on the bed; slowly so her weight didn’t jostle Brooke.

“Good morning, my love,” Avery crooned, her voice hardly more than a whisper. 

“Mmmmmorning?” Brooke mumbled. It sounded more like a question. Avery laughed softly.

“Sort of,” Avery said. “It’s almost noon.”

“Dang, I slept a lot,” Brooke said, her eyes glazed over, her voice rough. She reached for the coffee and Avery put in into her hands. Brooke took several long sips. Avery could feel the pain starting to flare behind her eyes.

“Meds?” Avery asked. Brooke nodded, her eyes squeezed closed. Avery leapt up and dashed across the room, deftly avoiding the furniture. She found the  pencil case Brooke kept her as-needed abortive meds in, and brought it over. Then she dashed into the bathroom for a glass of water. This was the last thing they needed, today of all days. Best to try and head it off at the pass.

Brooke swallowed the pills in a very specific order. Avery tried to keep her anxiety to herself but failed.

“I better get dressed,” Brooke said, trying to stand and grimacing in pain. “The delegation.”

“Take it easy, babe,” Avery said, holding her arms to steady her. “Let me get them for you. What do you want to wear?”

“I don’t care, anything comfortable.”

Avery pressed at the spot in between her eyebrows, as if that would do anything, and walked to the closet. It was best for both of them to conserve Brooke’s energy today. She picked out a blue cotton blouse and a black skirt with a loose waistband. She also grabbed some thick socks and underwear. No bra, though. Brooke didn’t wear bras on migraine days.

She brought the clothes back into the bedroom where Brooke had managed to sit up and was sipping her coffee and water alternately. It never ceased to astound Avery how much time and attention it took for Brooke to keep her body functioning, when for Avery, and most of the hyper-fit werewolves she’d been surrounded by her entire life, it was effortless. Avery laid the clothes on the bed. She walked back out onto the balcony while Brooke dressed.

Avery decided to mindlink Rachel. She wanted to check in to see how she was feeling about seeing her old pack, lead by her parents, for the first time in six years.

Are you okay? she asked.

I’ll be fine, Rachel responded immediately. Ever the dutiful Beta.

Seriously, you don’t need to be there.

I’ll be fine. Alex will come.

I’m mated now too. I know that’s not a cure-all.

I’ll be fine.

Avery couldn’t blame Rachel for not wanting to talk about her former pack. They had some… extreme viewpoints. She was sure they would have lots to say about both of them having human mates. Boris already hated the idea of his daughter being a Beta.

If you’re sure… But feel free to recuse yourself at any time.

I hate when you send fancy words through the mindlink. They smell confusing. And musty.

Avery laughed, then severed the link.

An hour later all the senior pack members and their immediate family were assembled on the south lawn behind the pack house, facing the woods. The birds in the trees had all fallen silent at the nearby presence of the approaching wolf pack. Brooke sat in a chair next to her, a blanket over her lap, wearing thick sunglasses. Her pain had been held at bay by the medication, but Avery could feel it pressing at the periphery of her nerves. Rachel stood by her other side, her face sour stone, her arm wrapped protectively around Alex’s shoulders.

Avery saw a stirring in the underbrush and a large brown wolf sprang forth from the cover of the trees. He stood, chest out, nose twitching. His large tawny head swung back around towards the trees, and about a dozen wolves emerged. All were shades of brown or grey. The two largest wolves, the Alpha and Luna, Rachel’s parents, approached, leading their pack behind them.

Boris and Elaine were imposing figures, as large as Avery and with a grace of bearing that suggested they were some sort of werewolf royalty. Boris’s fur was a bright tawny brown with accents of dark grey and brown, and his eyes were the blue of the sea on a stormy afternoon. His mate, Elaine, was a deep steel grey with a white blaze on her chest and a black nose, and her eyes were a pale green, the color of lichen. They both sniffed in Avery’s pack’s direction, but said nothing, forcing her to speak first.

“Welcome, Boris,” Avery said, addressing their alpha first as was customary.” And to you, Elaine.” The grey Luna bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. “May Goddess grant you and your pack strength and good hunting on my lands.”

Her power to you, as well, Boris responded mentally. The scent of his mind was deep and robust, with an acrid vein of bitterness running through it. Avery heard Sebastian’s voice behind her. She’d assigned him to translate for the humans. If she tried to insist that they meet in human form, the talks would be over before they even began.

Where shall I instruct our warriors to settle in for our stay? Elaine asked, her mind carrying a smell of icy politeness. Neither of the leaders had so much as glanced in Rachel’s direction, but Avery noticed the other wolves of the Hunter pack staring at her and Alex. She could feel Rachel’s simmering irritation. Perhaps it would be best to disperse the crowd a bit.

“Those who wish to remain in wolf form can make themselves comfortable in the North woods, if that is acceptable to you,” Avery said. “We could use the extra noses in that direction to smell for lycans.” Boris nodded, approving.

We’ll eradicate that scum for you, don’t worry. Anyone else might have taken umbrage at being housed in the most dangerous section of her territory, but Avery knew that Boris would see it as an insult to be sent anywhere else. She might not have treated with him much herself, but she had met him many times when her father was Alpha, and heard many things from Rachel and Cora, besides.

“As for any of you who’d like accommodation for your human forms, Joseph can show you to some spare rooms in our pack house.” Avery gestured at the large former school building that was their home. Several of the wolves seemed to show interest, but Boris turned his head towards them and bared his teeth slightly.

The woods will do just fine, Elaine sent. I speak for all of us. Come. The last was directed towards her pack who followed her as she loped gracefully off, disappearing into the North woods. Avery instructed all her nonessential pack members to return to the house.

Uptight bitch, Rachel sent to only Avery.

You can still back out, if you want. You don’t have to come to this meeting. Avery sent back, suffusing the thought with a scent of understanding.

Yes, I do, Rachel snapped. I’m Beta. You know what he’d say if I wasn’t there. Avery sighed mentally and broke the link. She did know. She took a half-step to her side and rested a hand on Brooke’s shoulder, using their bond to calm herself. Every time she remembered how Boris and his mate had treated her best friend it made her want to fight him. She hated that their packs were forced to work together, but she had no other choice. None of the other North American packs were both close enough and on good enough terms with her own to be willing to help. Not even her cousin’s pack. They had answered her father’s call for help during the last lycan war, and lost many because of it. In the years since, they’d become isolationist, rarely taking in anyone and never venturing far from their territory in northwest Mexico. Brooke’s thoughts felt intimidated and stressed.

“Would you like some time to settle in, or should we get right to business?” she asked Boris. He stood now, alone, atop a large flat rock, facing a group of 7. She had allowed Sebastian to stay so he could translate. She could easily have had Jade or Benjamin do it, but Sebastian was Brooke’s friend, and Avery knew she felt more comfortable with him there.And, unlike Joseph, he wouldn’t supplement the translation with his own wisecracks.

Business first, I think, Boris snorted. The New moon will be here in five days. We need to hit them first. Hard. Avery nodded.

“Very well, to business it is. Would you care to follow me to our Night Tree?”

Yes. Shift, and lead the way.

I’ll be staying in my human form, for the benefit of our human Lunas. For the first time, Boris’s sea-blue eyes shifted towards Brooke and Alex and the sneering,  derisive ooze that suffused his thoughts made Avery want to tear his fur out strand by strand. She could feel Rachel on the brink of losing control. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with Jade. Avery opened her mind so the other werewolves could hear her. At her words, Jade flashed her bright white, human  teeth in a sinister leer. Boris huffed, but said nothing. Even other packs knew of Jade. It wasn’t often that a werewolf was mated with a lycan, and it was even rarer to see someone still functional after losing their mate. Jade would never be the same, but she was still there, still strong. And Boris respected strength.

Lead the way.

Avery did.

Chapter 20: Negotiation and Strategy

 

Sebastian released his arms and Brooke dropped gently to the mossy ground beneath the ancient willow tree. He turned and held her forearms so she could lower herself to a seating position to Avery’s right, then wrapped a soft fleece blanket around her shoulders. She smiled up at him gratefully as he took a seat behind Avery, between Brooke and Alex, so he could continue to act as their translator. Boris, sitting across from them, looked at her with disgust in his sea blue eyes. His snout wrinkled as if he’d smelled something foul. Brooke wondered if she needed a shower and felt embarrassed. Avery would have told her, wouldn’t she? Or Seb? She gave herself a surreptitious sniff, but she seemed fresh enough.

 Avery’s mind was painted with withheld irritation and distaste herself; Brooke could feel. She tried to send calming energy, both for Avery and to try to keep her head from aching. From what she had seen so far, the two packs varied wildly in terms of customs and traditions. Shehad been warned that Rachel’s former pack was more traditionalist than theirs, but she’d still been shocked to witness it firsthand. This was a tentative alliance at best.

None of the Hunters had said a word to anyone but Avery, not even to Rachel. She wondered if they ever took human form at all. They didn’t seem to have brought any clothes or supplies with them, so maybe not. Brooke glanced over at Rachel, who was staring daggers at Boris while Alex stroked her chestnut hair slowly, soothing. After a minute of awkward silence, Benjamin cleared his throat.

“I would like to start by thanking you, again, Boris,” the Gamma said. “Your pledge of twelve warriors is very generous and greatly appreciated.” Boris narrowed his eyes and there were a couple seconds of silence before Sebastian started translating.

“‘Not so fast. I may have brought a dozen of the finest warriors you’ll find this side of the great mountains’– he means the Rockies –‘but if you expect them all to fight, we’ll need to agree on terms.’” Sebastian had to speak very quickly to keep up. Boris huffed.

“What do you want, Boris?” Avery asked aloud.

“So quick to get to the point,” Sebastian translated. “Very well, I want what you have. I want to be Alpha of the largest pack in North America.” Sebastian sucked in a breath in a hiss and bit his nails.

“I’m not sure what you expect me to do about that.” Avery’s tone was calm and measured but her irritation was only growing. Brooke put a hand on her arm, gently tracing the outline of one of the wolves in her tattoos. Avery’s mood steadied.

“Well, you could stop stealing my warriors, for one.” For the first time, Boris turned his full attention to Rachel, and Alex by her side. Rachel growled low in her throat. Brooke’s pulse sped up; her mind gripped by a horrible certainty that this meeting would not end well.

“Nobody stole me,” Rachel snapped at her father. “I chose to leave. Of my own free will, unlike Cara. But you’re not very familiar with the concept of free will, are you, Boris?”

“Clearly these human-lovers have infected you with their softness.” Sebastian sounded scared now as he translated. “Shit, he smells angry,” he whispered so only Brooke could hear. She glanced between the father and daughter, anxious.

“Perhaps if you were more open-minded to new ideas, more would choose to join your pack,” Avery said, terse but polite.

“By which she means stop being an uptight, stubborn tyrant,” Rachel spat. Boris jumped to his feet, the ruff on the back of his neck standing on end.

“This coming from the disgrace who mated herself to a sniveling human,” Sebastian relayed. “Oh Goddess-” Brooke knew that was all Seb.

Rachel shifted, ripping her clothes to shreds. Alex fell back and Benjamin caught him. The Gamma grasped Brooke’s best friend by his shoulders and, using his superhuman werewolf speed, pushed him back 30 feet away from the snarling brown wolves. Sebastian tugged at Brooke’s arm, pulling her back as well. Avery stood between Rachel and Boris; one tattooed arm held out towards each of them.

Avery felt panicked and desperate, and Brooke’s own anxiety mixed and amplified it, until her head started to ache from the stress. Rachel and Boris exchanged growls and twitched their ears and tails at each other; punctuation to a conversation Brooke could not hear. Sebastian had fallen silent, watching the exchange with wide violet eyes and backing them ever further away. Whatever they said, it must have been heated. A minute later, Rachel attacked.

She leapt clear over Avery’s head, her claws slashing towards Boris’s side. He caught her large paw on his shoulder, tilting it so she glanced off and fell heavily to the ground at his side. Boris opened his jaws, revealing rows of large yellow teeth. He lunged downwards, aiming for Rachel’s belly. She rolled away just in time and sprang back to her feet, growling so loudly Brooke could see the leaves shaking on the trees nearby. The sound was like sandpaper scraping against her brain.

Avery shifted, throwing her body between the two wolves and baring her teeth.

“We’re here to treat peacefully,” Benjamin pleaded, running to support Avery. His graying hair was wild. His eyes were wilder. He had been working for weeks to form this alliance and now it was in imminent danger of falling apart. 

Rachel stalked around in a circle, trying to get past Avery to get at Boris. But Avery moved, keeping her hulking black wolf form as a buffer between the two ferocious brown wolves. Rachel lunged. Avery rebuffed her with a swipe of her paw. Boris tried to sneak up from behind, but Avery was able to dodge out of the way and shove him back with her shoulder.

Brooke looked on, helpless. She wished there was something she could do. The quarrel only gained momentum, Avery trying her best to keep the two from injuring each other but struggling.

“Why don’t they help her?” Brooke asked Sebastian, gesturing at Jade and Benjamin.

“If they help her, she’ll seem weak. This is her territory, Rachel is her Beta, and Boris is an alpha. This is her problem to solve. She can handle it.”

“That’s bullshit!” Brooke swore, fed up. “OW!” Her head stabbed with a sudden pain. Avery cringed and fell to the ground. Her migraine had picked the worst possible time to rematerialize.

Boris howled with delight and jumped at Rachel. Avery tried to get to her feet, but she was unsteady, swaying and wincing with every step. Brooke stared, horrified.

“Get away from them!” she called out, terrified that Avery would be caught in the crossfire and unable to defend herself. All because of Brooke.

Avery didn’t listen. She pulled herself to her full height and ran at the pair of combatants. Rachel used Avery’s momentum to fling her past them and her body hit a tree with a hard thud. The second’s distraction gave boris an opening, and he snapped at one of Rachel’s forelegs, drawing blood. Brooke wanted to run to Avery, to help her, to check that she wasn’t hurt. But she could hardly focus past the pain in her head that was only increasing. She felt completely useless. Worse than useless. Her presence was actually paining and disabling the woman she loved.

“Sebastian,” she said, her heart wrenching. “I need you to take me away. Now.”

“What? Where?” Sebastian didn’t look at her, still watching the fight. Jade and Benjamin had joined now, doing their best to separate Rachel and Boris. Her with fists and blades, him with teeth and claws.

“Anywhere, just take me more than a mile away.” Sebastian looked at her, his deep violet eyes understanding. He took a few steps back and shifted, his snow-white wolf form taking the place of the thin, pale teenager she was used to. He crouched down to the ground and Brooke climbed onto his back, her every motion sending shocks of pain through the nerves of her head and neck. She wrapped her blanket around her back and grasped hold of the longer fur along his shoulders.

Sebastian straightened his legs, the motion making Brooke feel unsteady. He swung his head around and stared at her with those stunning violet eyes with a look that clearly said, ‘are you sure?’. Brooke nodded and he took off into the woods.

Brooke felt Avery’s shock and surprise through their bond, and also hurt at her leaving. And it broke her heart, but she didn’t have any choice. The further they got from the clearing, the less she could feel. Her head ached worse and worse as she took all of her pain back into herself. She collapsed down. Hugging Sebastian’s back weakly she let her weary head rest on the soft fur of his ruff as he carried them away.

Tears streamed down Brooke’s cheeks as the trees flashed past.

**********

ENOUGH! Avery roared, putting all the alpha power she could into the command. Rachel fell back at once, but Boris kept coming. Her strength restored with Brooke far away, Avery took up a defensive stance in front of her best friend and squared her shoulders. Boris came at her hard, clamping his jaws around her left foreleg. His teeth pierced her skin in several places, drawing blood and pain. She twisted around so she could get some leverage, and, using all the strength she had, she slammed her right paw into the side of Boris’ face, where the hinge of his jaw lay hidden beneath thick tawny fur. His teeth were forced to release her left leg and she snatched it back.

Boris shook his head, working his jaw, the set of it slightly crooked. Avery gave no ground, seizing the opportunity to end the fight once and for all. She slammed her back legs onto his back and pressed her front paws into his face, one on his neck, the other on his injured jaw, pinning him. Boris struggled for several seconds but he couldn’t break her grip.

Enough. Avery repeated. This is my territory. You will respect all the members of my pack, regardless of your feelings towards them.  Avery manipulated her mindlink so that she was speaking only to Rachel. Leave. Now. We’ll be having words later. Rachel slunk away, pausing to let Alex climb onto her back, then turning back towards the pack house. She shot one last black look in Boris and Avery’s direction and Avery genuinely wasn’t sure which one of them it was meant for. Possibly both. And then Rachel was gone.

Avery let Boris climb to his feet. There was bloody drool hanging from his open mouth and his breath was hot and fast, forming clouds of condensation in the cold November air.

You won’t see her again for the duration of your stay on my territory, Avery told Boris. He said nothing, but nodded once. Now, shall we get back to our strategy?

We haven’t yet settled on terms, Boris responded, a shrewd glint in his eye. I think I want more. Clearly your pack is in weak paws. You need my help more than I thought. You might have the largest pack, but you clearly aren’t the strongest alpha.

I beat you, didn’t I?

Did you? Avery fought the urge to roll her eyes. You looked pretty pathetic back there. Avery’s heart gave a pang. She hated that Brooke had felt the need to leave, even if it had helped. She wanted to be with her mate all the time. Even when she was in pain.  Especially when she was in pain.

You don’t need to worry about my strength. Trust me.

I don’t want your strength. The last word was sarcastic. I want half your territory.

Absolutely not!

Why not? You don’t even use the beautiful forest Goddess has gifted you. Instead, you live in a house, wearing clothes. Like your human mates. Weak.

Don’t you talk about her!

All right, all right. A third.

You’re not getting any of my territory. It’s mine.

Then you’re not getting any of my warriors. They’re mine. Boris turned and made as if to leave the clearing.

Wait! Avery called, desperate. She needed this alliance or Atticus would kill her and her entire pack. Brooke, Joseph, Rachel, Jade, all of them would die. And not just them, but all the human inhabitants of Moss ass well. Boris paused, looking back at her, his expression full of smug satisfaction. I’ll give you hunting access to the south woods.

That is insufficient. Give me control of the south woods and we can talk. Avery sighed deeply. None of the Black alphas had ever relinquished territory. Not for hundreds of years. But none of them had been in her situation either. She had to do whatever was necessary for the safety of her people.

I know your pack migrates around the Rockies throughtout the year. Even the southernmost Rockies have harsh winters, and they’re only getting harsher. Here the winters are milder. I’ll give you some of our territory, but only for the winters, from the solstice to the equinox. Boris eyed her shrewdly. Was that a hint of respect she was detecting? Or was it just wishful thinking. I’ll give you everything south of the fork in the stream. It’s at least 2 square miles. Boris growled lowly. And hunting access to the entirety of the south woods.

Year round hunting access.

Year round, she agreed.

Deal. Avery stood and walked around him to grasp his tail in her teeth and felt him do the same, sealing their agreement. Now, let’s get to work.

They spent the rest of the afternoon crafting a strategy for the assault on the lycans’. They sketched battle plans in the dirt with their claws and discussed back and forth. She might hate him as a person, but Avery had to admit that Boris was a skilled leader in battle. His plan was for Avery and Jade to draw out Atticus and his senior lycans into the open, while the rest of their warriors attacked from 3 sides. They worked out battalion divisions and assigned them leaders; Elaine, Benjamin, and Rachel among them. They sketched out attack formations and reviewed the most efficient ways to kill lycans.

We only kill their leaders and warriors. The rest are innocent, Avery said.

Innocent?! They would happily see our race go extinct! Boris argued.

I am in command here and I have decided that we will only kill as many as we need to.

You can hardly blame my wolves if they get swept up in the heat of battle.

Watch me.

They argued back and forth until they finally got to the matter of the lycan prisoner. Boris was in favor of killing him and sending his head to Atticus.

I thought you were skilled at strategy, Avery scoffed. If she had been in human form, she would have rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. If we do that, he’ll know we’re coming. I think we should use him to deliver a message.

What message?

I’m not sure, Avery answered honestly. Something to our advantage. If we play this right, we can use him to misdirect Atticus. Give us the element of surprise.

We already have it.

Oh yeah? You really think Atticus isn’t expecting an attack? He knows we have one of his scouts.  The only thing he doesn’t know for sure is that you’re with us. Boris grumbled, but he didn’t disagree.

That night when Avery walked back towards the pack house, her mind felt completely exhausted. All she wanted was to lay down with Brooke. She was relieved to feel that her migraine had died down. That was the last thing they needed right then.

Chapter 21: Night

Avery strode through the kitchen, making sure that Leia and the others had enough food for their whole pack as well as Boris’s. Joseph trailed behind her, trying to get her attention. She was weary from spending all day arguing with Boris. She could feel that Brooke was up in their room, and she longed to join her and rest but there were still things that needed her attention. Rachel was up in her room with Alex, far away from the Hunters, so that was one less problem for her to deal with, at least for the moment.

“Come on, sis, please,” Joseph said. “You’re letting other teens come.”

“I am, but Alphonse and Andrea have been training with the guards for years, and attending every training session in the past few weeks. You haven’t,” she repeated for the third time that evening.

“Only because I’ve been busy! You know, school and stuff…” His voice broke, making him sound even younger than his seventeen years.

My point, exactly. You’re still in high school. You shouldn’t have to fight.”

“I’m 6 months older than Andrea! I’ve got the same warrior’s blood as you! Me and Seb practice all the time!”

“And neither of you are warriors. Sebastian probably never will be.”

“He could if he wanted to! And so will I!”

“That may be so, but neither of you are yet.”

“Don’t you need everyone you can get? Isn’t that why you invited those weirdo s here?”

“We also need people to protect the kids and humans here,” Avery said, stopping and turning to face her brother. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. His irises were so dark brown that they were almost black. Just like their mother’s had been. “Jonathan and a few others will keep an eye on the kids. Sebastian will stay to guard Leia and Mariah. I need you to protect Brooke.” Her tone was deadly serious. “I’m the Alpha. I can’t skip this battle. I need you to keep my Luna safe. I need you to keep her safe for me until I get back.”

“You’d trust me to guard your mate? By myself?” Joseph sounded incredulous but eager.

“Of course. You have warrior’s blood, right?” Avery smiled.

“I solemnly swear, I’ll protect her with my life!” Joseph exclaimed, throwing his lanky teenage arms around Avery. She held in a laugh.

“You’ve read too many fantasy novels, little brother,” she said. “I’d really rather you both still be alive when I get back. Just keep her safe.”

“I will!” Avery hugged her little brother tightly. He squeezed her back as hard as he could. It was a tradition of theirs since they were kids. Avery squeezed him back and grinned when he eventually tapped out.

“I love you, little brother,” Avery said, kissing him on the cheek.

“I love you, too,” Joseph said, wiping his cheek with his palm in fake disgust. “I’m gonna go see if Seb needs any help with his TikToks.”

“You guys are making TikToks? Right now?”

“Of course! Do you know how easy parkour is when you’re a werewolf? We have 10,000 followers!”

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Joseph maintained a strait face for all of two seconds before breaking into his usual goofy grin.

“Obv.” Avery shook her head with a sigh. “Our accounts are set to private. And Rachel checks everything we post anyway.” Avery chuckled, shaking her head in bemusement.

“As long as you don’t film anyone without their permission,” she said. “And wait an hour. If you want to be warriors, you both need to report to training in the next five minutes.”

“Yes, ma’am, sister, Alpha, sir,” he said, saluting. Avery laughed and walked off.

She jogged out the front door to the north lawn. All the adult members of the pack, save Serena, and the teenagers who would be fighting, were assembled there, waiting for her. Avery strode to the front of the group and asked them, through the mindlink, to assemble in lines in front of her. As they were lining themselves up, moving in perfect sync thanks to the pack bond, the Hunter wolves emerged from the North woods. They were led by Elaine and Boris who came to a stop about twenty five feet away from Avery’s group, their pack assembling behind them.

I’m about to lead us in some training, you’re welcome to join in, Avery sent to Boris, and Elaine and their pack.

I think I’ll take you up on that, Boris responded, a glint in his sea blue eye. He flicked his tail towards the pack members behind him, and they loosely assembled behind the back row of Avery’s wolves. She proceeded to lead them in several training exercises over the next hour, both in human and wolf form. Boris’s wolves tended to have a much more aggressive and brutal style than she and her pack favored. They seemed roughly evenly matched, though. By the time the hour was up, her body was hot to the touch, and she was panting slightly. Not too much sweat, though.

Werewolves’ sweat was thicker than humans’ with a higher ratio of dissolved waste products to water.  That, combined with a faster metabolism, was why their body temperatures were so high. Avery had written a paper on the phenomenon and its effects on various cells from a biochemical perspective, as compared to humans. Of course, no one but her and Terrence had ever read it. She could hardly show it to her biochem professor.

Avery directed the wolves to take a break, then continue without her. Benjamin would lead the exercises in her place. She felt guilty for taking him away from his family, but she needed a rest. She’d had a long day and there wasn’t a break in sight. Their preemptive strike was in less than four days.

Avery went in the back door, by the kitchens, and got a wink from Leia as she walked up the back stairs, 2 at a time. Brooke was still in their room, sitting in front of her desk, tapping a pen against the notebook in front of her and staring off out the large wall of windows. She must have opened the curtains when the sun set. When she heard Avery come in, she swiveled around.

“Hey,” she said, her voice low and dull.

“Hey, babe,” Avery said, crossing the room to kiss her mate. Her lips were cold, and they lingered on Avery’s. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Brooke smiled sadly.

“What’s wrong? Your head’s feeling better, isn’t it?” Avery closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, trying to feel if there was pain she wasn’t noticing. She felt no pain from Brooke, just a confused, twisting morass of emotions. Avery knelt down next to Brooke’s desk chair. “Babe?”

“I just… I just keep thinking about what happened earlier,” Brooke responded, halting.

“What? You mean with Boris? That wasn’t your fault,” Avery stroked a hand down Brooke’s shoulder, using their bond to calm her. “Rachel and her parents have been on bad terms for years. That was on me for letting her come to the meeting at all. I should have known a fight was inevitable.”

“No, not that. Well, not exactly.” Brooke’s eyes were downcast. “When you went to break them up. My migraine flared. You could hardly move.”

“That wasn’t your fault, you can’t control it,” Avery said immediately. “And everything turned out fine.”

“Yeah, because I left,” Brooke protested, her voice rising in volume. “If I hadn’t, who knows what would have happened.”

“It still would have been fine,” Avery said. Although she didn’t fully believe her own words, she projected confidence and certainty so that Brooke would. “Benjamin and Jade were there. They would have intervened.”

“They did intervene, and it didn’t seem to help much.” Brooke crossed her arms.

“Well, we’re talking about Rachel and Boris, they’re both incredibly strong compared to an average werewolf. I’m sure I could handle any normal conflict, even on a bad day.”

“And when you fight the lycans? What if I’m having a bad day then?”

“You’ll be back here, safe at home, and I’ll be much more than a mile away. It’ll be just fine.” Brooke was silent. Her beautiful light green eyes wouldn’t meet Avery’s. “Brooke, I love you. And I will always want you here, no matter what.”

“Even when it causes you debilitating pain?” Brooke’s voice was incredulous. Avery could feel through their bond that she didn’t believe her.

“Especially then.” Avery embraced her mate and tried to fit all of her love and devotion into the simple gesture. Brooke returned the hug eventually, her grip weak from the fatigue of recovery. “You want me to go get you some dinner from the kitchen?”

“I think I just want to go to bed, if that’s ok.”

“Of course it is. I’m beat, too,” Avery yawned and stood. “Do you need any help?”

“No.”

She could tell Brooke was lying, but she was in a delicate mood, so Avery didn’t want to push her by insisting. Instead, she just bit her tongue and tried not to watch as Brooke winced in pain while getting ready for bed. Her head was still sensitive, on the brink of a migraine, and Avery could feel every twinge.

Avery undressed and climbed into the bed first, so it would already be warm when Brooke joined her. They spent the rest of the evening together, skin to skin, not saying a word, merely breathing together. Brooke traced the lines of Avery’s tattoos, methodically, as if she was trying to memorize them. After a time, her caresses became more amorous. The two mates made love in the light of the dwindling crescent moon, coming in the windows. It was an almost religious experience for Avery. Before she had met Brooke, her faith had been minimal, especially after her parents’ death. But now she had witnessed the true miracles her Goddess performed, and it seemed strange that she had ever not fully believed.

Late that night, Avery fell asleep, Brooke’s head resting on her chest, the comforting sound of her mate’s heartbeat and breathing filling her ears like a sweet lullaby.

The next morning Avery awoke at 3am, about an hour later than she usually did. The first thing she noticed was that her head was resting on the mattress, rather than her pillow. She had moved quite a bit during the night, her limbs sprawling all over the bed, one arm hanging over the side. The wrong side. Brooke’s side. Avery bolted upright, instantly awake. Where was Brooke?

She sprang to her feet, scanning the room. It was dark, but her night vision was good. Brooke was nowhere to be seen. Following her instincts, she reached out with her mind, searching for the smell of honey and wildflowers, tinged with pain, that meant Brooke was nearby. She got nothing. Not even a hint. Brooke was more than a mile away. At 3am. Avery checked her phone but saw no new messages or missed calls. She sent a text with no response and called several times, but it just went straight to voicemail. She checked Brooke’s desk, and her own, in her office, as well as every surface she could think of, but she found no note explaining where her mate had gone.

She trotted across the hall and banged on Rachel and Alex’s door. Rachel opened it, naked, her hair a tangled cloud around her head, her room a dark, musty cave behind her, the way she liked it. Avery could just make out the shape of Alex lying on the bed in the back of the room.

“I can’t find Brooke,” Avery blurted.

“And you can’t feel her either?”

Avery shook her head. “I need to know if Alex knows where she went.”

Rachel let her into their room and crossed to the bed to gently shake her mate awake.

“Brooke is missing, do you know where she is?” Rachel asked.

“What? Missing? Are you for real? What time is it?” Alex’s voice was sleepy and confused.

“It’s 3am, and Avery can’t feel her,” Rachel said. “Do you know where she went?”

“No idea,” Alex said, his voice gaining clarity. “Is she really missing?” He checked his phone, shaking his head. “This isn’t like her at all. We have to go look for her.”

“I know,” Avery said. “I’ll check the house. Will you two go and check the woods?” Rachel nodded and shifted. Alex clambered onto her back. 

We’ll meet you out front, Rachel sent, then jumped out the open window into the darkness.

Avery sent out an urgent thought to all her pack members, asking if any of them had seen Brooke. Most replied in the negative. Jonathan said he thought he might’ve heard footsteps on the stairs around one or two, but he wasn’t sure. As insignificant as it was compared to the larger concern of her mate being missing, Avery couldn’t help but think, The stairs? Without help? She’ll be exhausted!  

Avery threw on the first clothes she could find and sprinted downstairs a flight at a time. By now the entire pack was stirring, her unease affecting them. Avery ran through every floor of the pack house, even though she knew she would not find Brooke there. If she was somewhere in the house, Avery would sense it. Still, she couldn’t leave any stone unturned. She ran out the front door and mentally shouted to the guards on duty. 

Jade! Get over here, now!

It was so unlike Brooke to leave unexpectedly, especially without leaving a note or texting. Avery was worried the worst had happened. What if Atticus took her? What if Boris did something? He saw me falter yesterday… and, even worse, though she tried to push the thought out of her head, What if she rejected me? But no, Avery had to keep telling herself that if Brooke had rejected her, she would know it. Wouldn’t she?

Just then, Jade jogged up gracefully, accompanied by two of her teenage trainees, Alphonse and Andrea, Albert’s two oldest.

How could this have happened?  Avery demanded. Where were you? Where is she? What the hell, Jade?! Avery didn’t realize she was still speaking mentally until Jade responded aloud.

“I wasn’t watching the house, I was in the north woods, where you assigned me,” she responded, sounding defensive. “You,” she said, pointing to Alphonse. A tall, lanky boy with floppy brown hair. “I assigned you to watch the pack house. What happened?”

“I- I-,” the boy mumbled, shaking at the pure force with which his alpha was staring at him. “I… fell asleep.”

“This is why we don’t recruit teenagers!” Avery all but shouted. “What were you thinking? If you were tired you should have told Jade and asked for a replacement! We’re at WAR!” She grabbed the boy by one shoulder and slammed him back into the brick wall of the house. Her forearm pressed into his collarbones, pinning him.

“Hey!” Jade shouted, grabbing Avery’s arm and wrenching it back so that the boy could breathe. “Easy!” Jade put a hand on Avery’s back and sent a cloud of calm to her mind. I know what you’re feeling right now. We’re going to get her back. Avery took a deep breath and the red haze cleared from her vision. Jade actually did know how she was feeling. She let the boy go and he scurried off with his sister. “I’ll be having words with you two later!” Jade called after them. As soon as they were alone, Avery collapsed into herself, pacing back and forth, her back hunched, muscles tensed. She ran her hands through her hair so frantically that her fingers got tangled in the thick curls. She tugged at them and could barely contain a sob when it didn’t hurt. Because it reminded her that Brooke was gone.

“How could she have left me?” Avery pleaded, tears in her eyes. “How could she reject me?”

“She hasn’t,” Jade said with dead certainty. She put her hands on Avery’s shoulders and pushed her back upright, so she was forced to look into the fathomless glaciers of Jade’s eyes. “Listen to me. If she’d rejected you, you would know it. When they forced Daniel to reject me, it felt like someone had reached into my chest and torn my heart out with rusty tongs, then forced me to eat it. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. Worse than torture. You would know.” Avery hung on her every word, each sentence adding a petal to the blossom of hope in her mind. “We will find her.” Avery nodded. “One of the pack cars is missing, so she probably left of her own accord.”

“But she can’t drive!” Avery protested.

“Can’t or doesn’t?”

“I-I’m not sure. I’ve never seen her drive. I know it’s a migraine trigger.” Avery could feel Rachel’s presence approaching and a few seconds later her large wolf form appeared out of the trees to their left, Alex still clutching onto her back. She shook her head. “Alex, does Brooke know how to drive?” Avery called across the distance.

“Yeah, we did Driver’s Ed together, she just chose to stop because it’s a migraine trigger,” Alex answered at once. “Do you think she drove herself somewhere? In what car? Mine’s still here.”

“One of the pack cars and the keys are missing,” Jade supplied. “We should follow her.” Before the words had even left her mouth Avery was sprinting towards the parking area. She jumped onto her bike, kicked it into gear, and tore off down the driveway towards the highway, kicking up gravel wildly behind her. Alex followed in his car and Rachel and Jade ran through the woods alongside them, one on two legs, the other on four.

Avery revved her bike ever faster, losing the car momentarily when she shot around the turn onto the freeway with no concern for her own safety. She had to find Brooke.

***********

Brooke checked her rear-view mirror for the third time in ten seconds. She pulled the wheel a little too sharply to the right and coasted jerkily around a bend. The highway stretched in front of her for miles and miles, steady, inevitable, unchanging. The forest pressed around her, never letting her forget where she was coming from. Keeping the wound in her heart pried open.

But she hadn’t had a choice. She had to leave. Serena’s words from the previous afternoon kept ringing in her head.

She and Sebastian had run past the pack house, into the south woods. There was a nice stream there and none of Boris’ pack so Sebastian had thought it would be a peaceful place for Brooke to rest while Avery finished up the negotiations. The canopy cover was thick enough that Brooke had been able to remove her dark sunglasses. Sebastian had found a pair of clothes stashed in a hollow of a tree and shifted back to his human form.

He had done his best to comfort Brooke, but his words had barely reached her through the fog of guilt and shame occupying her brain. The alliance with Boris’ pack might fall apart, and her presence was only hurting things. After a time, she had told Sebastian that she wanted to be alone, maybe draw something as an outlet. He had used his werewolf speed to run back to the house and get her sketchbook and oil pastels, then left her alone, telling her he would come get her when the talks were over. Brooke sat on an old log, soft with a blanket of moss, and stared down at the empty page in front of her, her mind as blank and devoid of artistry as it was. That was when she had heard a voice; ancient, wise, but sharp and quick as well: Serena.

The elder had emerged from the thick trees, dressed in layers upon layers of clothing, leaning on a gnarled and twisted walking stick. She had sat down next to Brooke, her manner kindly, more so than Brooke had ever seen from her.

“I heard what happened,” Serena had said. “I can only imagine the guilt you’re feeling.” How does she know? Brooke had thought. “Avery needs her strength to lead us,” the elder had said in her ancient, cutting voice. “If you really loved her, you would not let anything hinder that strength.”

“But she loves me, and I can’t control it!” Brooke had protested weakly.

“Her love has blinded her to what’s best for her people. Avery has a responsibility, as Alpha, to put the needs of her pack before her own. We need a strong leader. Now more than ever.”

“But, we’re mates, aren’t we? Meant to be, brought together by your Goddess?”

“Sometimes Goddess makes mistakes. Look at Jade. The best thing you can do for Avery is to leave her in peace. If you really care about her, you’ll take your pain and go.” Serena had stood then and walked off back into the forest.

Brooke had tried to put what she’d said out of her head, but Serena’s words had cut her to her core. The wizened woman had made Brooke see that all of her fears and anxieties were completely valid. She was bad for Avery. By staying, she was causing her pain. Inflicting her sickness on the woman she loved. Chronic migraine was torture. Not just for the sufferer but everyone around them. Her every dark, insidious thought was confirmed.  Brooke couldn’t allow Avery to keep sharing in it. Especially with the battle with the lycans looming. Avery needed her strength and focus more than ever. Brooke would never be able to forgive herself if her influence caused Avery to be injured… or worse.

A single tear rolled down Brooke’s cheek as she pulled the wheel to re-center the car in the lane, lower lip quivering. She wanted nothing more than to go back. But it was too painful. Too hard to reconcile. The lights along the highway seared Brooke’s eyes, even through her sunglasses. She was forcefully reminded why she didn’t usually drive. It was taking every ounce of her concentration to keep her eyes on the road, while avoiding looking towards light sources, and keeping the car straight. It was absolutely exhausting.  And the lack of sleep wasn’t helping anything.

Brooke wasn’t sure exactly where she was going but she figured she could head south, and she would eventually get to her family in California. She didn’t know what she would do when the sun came up. She was already getting a migraine from the streetlights and the occasional headlights. But she had to set Avery free. She had to. She felt so guilty for letting this go on as long as she had. And heartbroken at having to end it.

She switched on the radio. Maybe some music would help distract her from her growing discomfort. The first station was playing some loud, upbeat country song. Brooke quickly changed it. The second station was classical, which Brooke worried would make her fall asleep at the wheel. The third station was playing a soft indie pop song about heartbreak. That matched Brooke’s mood, so she left it alone. As the doleful notes filled the inside of the stolen car, tears ran down Brooke’s cheeks. Some ran into her mouth as she sang along to the song, leaving the taste of salt on her tongue, but she drove on.

Brooke took a turn south after a while onto another state highway. The scenery outside her window gradually changed from dense forest into miles of livestock farms to either side of her. The trees became barns and old farmhouses. The occasional deer became the occasional cow. She looked over to her left nervously. The sky was rapidly lightening. The sun would be up soon.

Brooke felt the tires bumping over uneven ground beneath her and looked back at the road. At some point the 2-lane country road had turned into a narrow gravel track and there were no turn-offs in sight. Brooke continued forward, distracted and nervous. Was she lost? Trees closed back in around her, making the road even narrower. There was barely room for 2 cars to pass each other.

Brooke’s hands were starting to shake. Whether from nerves, pain, or exhaustion she wasn’t sure. She was struggling to keep the car steady. There was no place for her to pull off to the side of the road, so she continued on.

Brooke was coming up on a small rise when a blinding light came over the crest of the hill in front of her. The other driver had their hi-beams on, and it looked like they were coming right for her. That was the last thing Brooke saw before the headlights and her own migraine auras blinded her. All she could see was searing, burning, flashing brightness. She lost all track of what she was doing. She heard the engine get louder. Her hands clutched onto the wheel, her foot pressing into the brake. Or was it the gas? Brooke wasn’t sure. She couldn’t even think through the all-encompassing pain shredding through her skull.

Brooke felt a world-shaking impact. She was thrown forward, her seat belt biting into her chest. Her face hit something that was both hard and soft at the same time and her pain instantly doubled. Brooke didn’t think it was possible. The last thing she was aware of before she lost consciousness was the high whistle of a nearby birdsong. It sounded like the keening background music from the closing scenes of a horror movie. Then, the world fell away, and there was no Avery; there was no Brooke; only empty nothingness.

**********

Avery sped down the empty country highway, black hair flying out behind her. There was no time to get her helmet or jacket. They were just performative for the humans’ benefit anyways. As if a motorcycle accident could possibly kill her.

The three of them had split up where the highway intersected with another. Rachel and Alex had kept heading west and Jade had turned north. Some intuition had told Avery to take the left fork and head south. So that was what she did. Brooke’s family lived in California. She had to trust herself and Goddess if she was going to find Brooke. And she had to find her. How far had Brooke gone? Where was she going? Was she okay? Avery’s mind was spinning with worry. She glanced over at the eastern horizon. The sky was lightening with every passing minute and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. She had to find Brooke before sunup, or she didn’t know what might happen.

Avery shifted up a gear and pushed her bike to the limits of its speed. If a human tried driving that speed on a twisting country road they would almost certainly get in an accident. But Avery wasn’t a human, and she would use every ounce of her strength, speed, and reflexes to get Brooke back to safety. Avery sighed in relief as woods enveloped her. She hated the open farmland. It made her feel exposed and nervous that she might reveal herself to some human farmer in the wrong place at the wrong time. The last thing she needed right then was to have to deal with cops.

Avery always felt safer in the woods. It was her comfort zone. And as the trees closed around her, she felt something. Her mind filled with the sweet scent of honey and wildflowers. Brooke was close. But something was wrong. Her mind felt weak, and even more pained than usual. She crested a small rise and her panic fully resurfaced at the sight that met her eyes. It was her worst fear realized. Just ahead, she saw a blue SUV, the same model as the one Brooke had taken, crashed into a tree, smoke trailing up from under the hood.

Avery skidded to a stop next to the car, jumping clear off her bike when it started to tip over. She ran to the driver’s side of the car and saw Brooke, sitting there, unconscious. Her hands shook with fear as she wrenched open the car door. She could feel Brooke’s pain, mostly in her head, but also in her left arm, so she knew she was alive. But she wasn’t moving, or speaking, or conscious. At the very least she was breathing, but Avery wasn’t sure how much longer for…

Avery immediately sent out mental calls to Jade and Rachel. They were miles away, so it was faint, but she knew that Rachel, at least, would hear her. They were best friends and co-leaders of their pack, so their bond was especially strong.

Avery turned her attention back towards her wounded mate. She had to get her to a hospital. Concentrating, she shifted only her right hand, her nails elongating into claws, her fingers shortening into pads, her skin sprouting black fur. She used one nail to carefully slice through Brooke’s seat belt, freeing her. Allowing her hand to return to its human form, Avery lifted Brooke gently into her arms, trying to assess the damage although her mind was spinning out with worry. Brooke’s whole left side was stained with blood coming from a wound on her left arm. When Avery carefully pulled back her sleeve, she saw jagged bone sticking out from the wound. That bone would need to be set. Soon.

Where the fuck is Alex with that car? Avery thought, sending out yet another mental message. She got an answer back this time. Rachel and Alex were on their way. Rachel had heard the message and told him to circle back.

“Don’t worry, darling,” Avery murmured. “You’re safe now. I’m here.” She would have screamed if not for Brooke’s phonophobia.  Instead, she felt  her mouth hang open, wracked with silent torment.

**********

Brooke awoke slowly, tentatively, like a candle flame flickering to life. The first thing she was aware of was the warmth, wrapped tightly around her body. It pressed gently all around her, holding her in sleep. But then she noticed the beeping. Low, and incessant. It followed a sequence that was almost a recognizable pattern, but every time her fogged brain thought it knew when the next beep would come,  It was just slightly off-rhythm. It was making her head hurt. She cracked one eye open and was pleasantly surprised to find that the room she was in was dark. She blinked her eyes all the way open and looked around. It took several seconds before her eyes adjusted to the darkness and the fuzzy shapes around her resolved into clear objects.

It seemed that Brooke was in a hospital room. Looking to her right, she saw the familiar furniture that was standard for all hospital rooms; a door with a large latch, extra wide to accommodate wheelchairs and wheeled beds, a counter with a sink in the far corner with cabinets above and below it filled with medical supplies, and a curtain on a track that could block off the door if she needed extra privacy. Why was she in a hospital? What was it this time? The stench of alcohol and industrial disinfectant was making her breaths come in gasps.

Brooke swung her head around to the left and her neck gave a sharp jolt of pain that radiated and rung into her head, stirring up her migraine. She winced, shutting her eyes. Then she remembered. The accident. Someone must have called 911. Brooke watched as all the memories of her worst hospital visits played like a movie behind her eyes. She saw herself writhing in pain; panicking from negative drug interactions; being held down so nurses could plunge IVs into her arm. Normally it would have triggered a panic attack at the very least, but this time it was like she was watching the memories from behind a thick pane of glass. As if some presence was dampening her anxiety. A familiar presence.

Brooke opened her eyes and looked to her left to find Avery sitting there, looking like an angel with her halo of black hair and her sun-kissed skin. Brooke’s mind was still foggy, so it took her several moments to be sure that Avery really was there, not just a vision. She sat in a chair by Brooke’s bedside, eyes glazed over, signifying that she was speaking to someone with her mind. Brooke felt so many emotions. Relief that Avery still cared, happiness that the person she trusted most was the one she woke up next to, confusion at how she’d gotten there, but most of all guilt for leaving. How could she even look her in the eye after that?

Brooke tried to reach out a hand to her but groaned in pain when she felt a painful resistance to the motion. That got Avery’s attention. She immediately jumped in her seat and turned to face Brooke, tentatively reaching across her lap to take her right hand in hers. Brooke furrowed her brows in confusion, then inhaled sharply when she looked down at her left arm. It was wrapped in a large, bright green plaster cast.

“I thought you’d like that color,” Avery said, breaking the silence, her voice soft.

“What happened?” Brooke asked, not able to meet her eyes.

“You got in a car accident,” Avery explained. “You have whiplash, and you broke your left wrist. The doctor had to set the bone, so you’ve got some pins in there now and you’ll need a cast for a while, but you’ll be okay.”

“My head hurts.”

“I know.” Avery put a hand to her own head. “I tried to get them to give you your normal migraine meds but there’s way too much bureaucracy involved, and I don’t have your prescribing doctor’s phone number.”

“Why did you stay? Too much pain- The lycans… Boris… Why?” Her thoughts were disorganized, like there were gaps in the wires connecting the different parts of her brain.

“Of course I stayed. I stayed because I love you. And you’re injured. And I don’t trust anyone else to take care of you properly.”

“But all I bring you is pain,” Brooke sobbed, her inhibitions lifted by whatever drugs they had given her.

“That’s not true!” Avery protested, kicking her chair away so she could kneel next to the hospital bed and clutching Brooke’s hand even tighter. “You are more than your pain. I love you, and I know you love me too. Don’t you?”

“Yes, of course I do,” Brooke stammered. “That’s why I had to leave! I love you too much to inflict my pain on you. If I really love you, I’ll do what’s best for you, even if it sucks for me. You need your strength to lead your pack.”

“Our pack. What’s best for me is having you with me. You leaving would cause me more pain than you staying ever could. Where did you get this nonsense?”

“How can that be true, when my being close makes you ill?”

“That’s just not the way I see it. Were you ever planning on coming back?”

“I don’t know. Maybe, eventually, if I got my pain under control better. Found a new medicine or something.”

“Listen to me, Brooke,” Avery said, gently tilting Brooke’s chin with one long finger so she was forced to meet her sparkling golden eyes. “Have you ever heard your human friends or loved ones say that if they could take your pain for themselves, they would?” Brooke said nothing but remembered her father saying that very thing when she was a kid writhing in pain on a hospital bed.

“My dad. A year before he left.” Avery took in Brooke’s words, but was undeterred.

“Well, I actually can, and I see that as a blessing.”

“But, I just don’t understand,” Brooke said, shaking her head. “How is it worth it? How am I possibly worth it?”

“It’s worth it every time you smile. Every time we kiss. It’s worth it every morning when I get to wake up next to the love of my life. It’s worth it to have someone to share my life with. And not just someone, the most beautiful, creative, thoughtful, open-minded-“

“Are you done?” Brooke asked, a small smile breaking through.

“-caring, loving, selfless person in existence! Now I’m done.”

“I’m so sorry I left,” Brooke said, tears running down her cheeks. “I just, I almost ruined the alliance with Boris, and then Serena-“

“Serena?! Is she the reason you left? I’ll fucking kill her!” Avery jumped up and started stalking around the room.

“Well, not the whole reason… But- She came and talked to me, and, I guess she just sort of confirmed everything I’ve been feeling for weeks.”

“I’m going to eviscerate that manipulative bitch,” Avery swore, her hands balling into fists.

“Don’t kill her, please,” Brooke said, trying to calm Avery down. “She probably meant well. Somehow…”

“But not for you. She never accepted you, or Alex, for that matter. You didn’t hear the things she said to me when I first marked you.” Avery picked up the chair and sat back down. Brooke could still feel the waves of anger radiating off of her, a hot fury.

“I’m so sorry, Avery,” Brooke said again. “It’s only four days til the new moon and here you are chasing after me instead of back at the pack house.”

“Hey,” Avery said, taking her hand again. “You will always be the most important thing to me. Forever. You hear me?” Brooke nodded.

“I feel the same way,” she said. “I love you. I promise I’ll never leave again. I’m so sorry.”

Avery leaned over her and they kissed, tenderly, their lips lingering, their bond igniting their nerves.

“Let’s go home,” Avery said.

“That sounds amazing, but will the doctors let me leave?” Avery laughed.

“You really think they could stop me?” Brooke smiled. Avery’s tone became more serious. “This place… isn’t good, for you, is it?” Brooke tried to shake her head and immediately regretted it.

“I don’t like hospitals.” Avery nodded but didn’t pry. There would be time to get into all of it. All the time in the world.