Now it all made sense. Hayden Howland was a werewolf. Sage realized this too when she went into aggressive mode and began barking.
Hayden sat up and looked at Kenzie. When he spoke, his voice was deeper with a hint of ferocity, yet it didn’t frighten Kenzie at all.
And that frightened her more than anything – that she wasn’t scared.
“I told you to leave,” Hayden quibbled.
“I’m a Taurus who’s also a detective. I’m stubborn.”
“I can see that.”
“And I can see you. Now I get it. Why you said I don’t want to get involved with you, why you hurried home tonight on the full moon, why you seem to really hate vampires, and why you’re so worried if supernaturals revealing themselves was the best decision. And now I get why Sage didn’t catch that you were behind the corner earlier – you weren’t there, you have superior hearing abilities. You could probably hear us from across the room. And of course, being a reporter is the best way to cover up your existence, at least until this big spill.”
“You’ve got your answers. You can leave now.”
“No way. I’m just getting started. I’ve got some answers, but now I have even more questions.”
Kenzie was dumbfounded. She’d taken it for granted that all supernatural creatures would immediately identify themselves as such. But Hayden hadn’t. He hadn’t associated himself with anything. Why?
“Isn’t that part obvious?” Hayden barked (what a funny analogy). “I didn’t want anyone to know. And I especially didn’t want you to see this.”
“You didn’t want me to see that you’re a werewolf? Uh...Hayden, in case you forgot, I love wolves. This doesn’t scare me at all. If anything, it makes the whole situation more intriguing.”
“I told you before that you don’t know anything about werewolves. You were probably expecting me to be some sort of cute cuddly creature like your dog when I transformed.”
“I wasn’t expecting anything because I had no idea this is what you were. But I guess now I know why Sage was sniffing you at the broom arena yesterday. She could smell your wolf blood.”
Hayden looked down, defeated. His secret was out. He’d fought hard to protect it, but in the end, it had given him, and so many things about him, away. When he looked up again, he looked contrite if not somewhat cynical.
“This is why I asked you to leave,” he insisted, as though he couldn’t believe Kenzie was still standing there staring at him in his transformed state. “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
“You already said that. But what I want to know is why. Why didn’t you tell me? Supernaturals are known to everyone now. It’s not like it would be that big of a surprise.”
“Because I never wanted this. This is a curse, plain and simple. Every full moon, I have no control over my own body. It turns into this hideous monster and I can’t stop it.”
Kenzie was taken aback. What was with every supernatural creature she knew (apart from Paige) hating what they were and defining it as a curse? It was ridiculous.
“I see I have to give this speech again,” she said with vexation as Hayden sauntered over to a chair and sat down. She followed suit on the couch, Sage sitting next to her on the floor. “You are not a monster, and this isn’t a curse. It’s who and what you are. And you know what? I don’t care. I personally think it’s awesome.”
“Awesome? How so? I just told you I can’t control my own body, and don’t even ask what happens when I get super hungry.”
“Yeah, I saw you eat rare meat at The Toadstool, and you said you knew how it felt to have something programmed into you. Now that part makes sense too. Everything makes sense except for one thing – why were you fighting with the werewolves at the convention? They’re your kind. Is it really because you disagree with this big revelation?”
Hayden gave the impression that he didn’t want to share anything else, but he finally caved in and replied, “It’s not just that. That one werewolf you talked to is the alpha of the pack. He’s thrilled that we can be out in the open now. He and the rest of the pack are probably out eating raw fish right now. Me, I’d rather sit here alone than give in to this curse that’s been with me since I was born.”
“Uh...aren’t you supposed to obey the alpha?”
“He’s not just the alpha. He’s also my brother.”
“Your brother? Geez, talk about sibling rivalry.”
“No shit. He’s pretty much done with me. I’m considered the omega, the inferior outcast of the pack. If dirty work needs to be done, that falls to me. And if I were out with them, I’d be the last to eat and would probably end up with just scraps if there were any left. We’re not real wolves; we do still have human instincts and emotions. So Ellis, my brother, he’s just basically said ‘screw you’ where I’m concerned and leaves me alone.”
This was so much to absorb. And unfortunately for Kenzie, this made Hayden Howland even more intriguing than before. Too bad he wasn’t interested.
“Wait, your last name is Howland. I saw that in the paper. You’re a werewolf named Hayden Howland?”
“I couldn’t make this shit up. Not funny, by the way.”
“I didn’t think it was funny. I think it’s appropriate.”
“Yeah, well I’m really starting to regret this.”
Hayden lifted up his shirt sleeve to reveal a tattoo of three wolves howling at the moon. Kenzie’s heart picked up its pace. This guy should come with a warning: may cause heart palpitations.
It didn’t hurt that his arms were very muscular, either. She hoped she didn’t turn into a dog and start drooling.
“Why would you regret getting that?” she asked dubiously. “It’s an awesome tattoo.”
“A few years back I thought it might help define me better. Of course, that was before we were all out in the open. Guess I didn’t need it.”
“Why would you want it to define you better if you hate this curse, as you call it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was pressure from my brother.”
“Or maybe you were embracing it and didn’t want to admit it to yourself.”
Another sigh seeped from between Hayden’s lips. Which still looked utterly kissable despite the fangs.
She seriously needed to get a grip. At least werewolves couldn’t read minds.
“Maybe that’s it,” he admitted penitently. “I don’t know. All I know is that every full moon, I shack up in my house and don’t come out until this wears off.” He gestured to his body covered in fur. “That’s why I live so far away from town. It’s better that way.”
“I wouldn’t hide if I were you,” Kenzie responded. “You should embrace who, and what, you are. Believe me, I know.”
“And how do you know? Because of your vampire friend?”
“No, look at me.”
“I am. I don’t see anything wrong.”
“You’re a werewolf. You have acute senses. Don’t tell me you’re oblivious to the fact that if a woman isn’t a certain wardrobe size, she’s undesirable.”
“You’re seriously calling yourself fat? For crying out loud, if some guy wants a stick for a girlfriend, that’s because they don’t know how to handle a real woman. I’m part wolf. I love meat.”
Kenzie’s pulse raced even faster. At this rate, she’d keel over from lack of oxygen. Was this guy, who swore he wanted nothing to do with her, flirting with her?
No, surely not. He was just making conversation. Still, it did do wonders for her self-esteem, that a guy this gorgeous, and part wolf to boot, seemed to find her attractive.
“All right,” Hayden said at last. “You got what you wanted. You got your answers. So why are you staying?”
“I guess I’m extra curious about werewolves now. And about why you consider this to be a curse. And why aren’t you happy that you can go out freely now?”
“I hated never being able to go out during the full moon before. Everyone else could, but not me, although I guess I wasn’t really alone there. And not Ellis, either. He hated it too, until...”
“Until...?” Kenzie prodded.
“Until our parents were killed. I was fifteen and Ellis was eighteen. He was a legal adult, and Mom and Dad left us enough to live on. He had to raise me until I could move out. But Dad was the alpha. Someone had to take his place. Normally, wolves will fight for that position, but our pack doesn’t. It’s usually based on the children of the current alpha, but others can still vie for the ‘honor’ if they want it. I didn’t want it. Ellis did, so he got it. He’s been the alpha ever since.”
“How did your parents die? What happened?”
“That’s part of the reason Ellis loves being a werewolf so much. Turns out, my parents were in what they thought was a secluded area during a full moon. Some prick was out there hunting and he saw them. Some people probably would have taken pictures and gone to the cops. This guy had a gun. He shot them both.”
“Silver bullets?”
“That’s a myth. I mean, silver isn’t particularly good for our bloodstream, but pretty much anything that’s fatal to humans is also fatal to werewolves. We’re not immortal. If something severs our spine, for instance, we can’t survive that.”
Kenzie’s heart went out to Hayden. That was a terrible tragedy that no one should have to experience. Hayden, only fifteen years old, had lost his parents and become the brother of the alpha of a wolf pack within hours. That shouldn’t befall anyone.
“I’m so sorry,” she managed to say quietly.
“So was I. Of course, Ellis found out who did that to our parents. He was able to track him thanks to his keen sense of smell. He transformed right in front of the guy and...took care of him.”
“He waited until another full moon?”
“That’s another myth. Werewolves can transform whenever we want to. But we have no choice on the full moon. We transform whether we want to or not.”
“I see. And...did Ellis get in trouble for this?”
“Hell no. No one knew werewolves existed at that point. The guy was just afraid of our parents and shot them without thinking. Not that I’m condoning it, but that’s why I don’t want anyone to see me like this. I know I look downright scary.”
“You’re not scaring me.”
“That’s because supernaturals are out in the open now. People aren’t surprised anymore.”
“I met a vampire before anyone else knew they existed. It didn’t scare me.”
“I don’t buy that, Kenzie. Maybe at first it did, but not anymore.”
“Okay, maybe at first. But I got over it. Look, people are more open-minded now.”
“I know that, but I also know that I don’t want anyone to see me like this. And because it’s you that saw me like this...”
“What about me?”
“Nothing.”
Kenzie didn’t know what to make of that. But she didn’t have time to think about it. As the full moon outside bathed the room in an eerie cyan-toned light, Hayden and Sage both suddenly sat up, their noses in full alert.
In another circumstance, this might have been amusing. But now, Kenzie felt a shiver go down her spine. She followed the gaze of her dog and Hayden and looked out the window.
What she saw made her almost fall over, faint, and scream all at once. A ghost outside her window, and even one zombie, was nothing compared to what she saw this time.
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