Chapter Three
Cyclone
Everything glowed brighter in his wolf’s form.
Boundless energy flowed through him, as though he had just woken up and drank a liter of energy drinks. Only it wasn’t the awful, jittery kind of energy that came from too much caffeine. This was smooth, natural, the kind of energy he imagined he’d get if he was a plant in full sunlight. He bounced through the trees, his tail wagging in a circle. That was an odd sensation. Wagging his tail. It was as natural as grinning, but with muscles he never even had before. It almost felt like his butt was vibrating.
A full moon shone overhead, dappling the forest in shades of grey. Frieda kept pace beside him, her grey-brown fur almost silver in the night. She glanced at him, her tongue lolling from her mouth, and gave him a wink as she put on a burst of speed.
As much as Stewart was feeling the energy, his muscles were starting to ache a little, full of exertion that he had hitherto not been able to give. It was different running on all fours than it was on two legs, different to feel his paws sink into the earth than it was for his feet to slap the ground. Different… and wholly exciting. He yipped for joy as he tore after her, ignoring the burn in his muscles.
Eventually, though, he couldn’t keep up anymore. He let himself flag back, then dropped to his belly and rolled on the ground, enjoying the mix of scents he found there. Frieda disappeared from view, but within a few minutes, she had reappeared. Her tail still moving in slow circles, she padded over to him and plopped down. Her sides heaved, and her tongue lolled. When she met his gaze, she winked again.
Stewart tried to wink back, but finding the facial muscles unfamiliar, all he managed was a blink.
Frieda rolled to her back, letting out a bark that sounded like a laugh. Stewart watched her for a moment. Just as in her human form, she was sleek and well-built. Muscles bunched under her fur, and her eyes glowed in the darkness. Her wolf form was smaller than many of the other wolves that Stewart had seen but no less powerful. She was strong, and what she lacked in sheer size, she more than made up for in speed.
He bounced back to his feet and tore off again, hoping to outlast her this time. Frieda soon settled into a comfortable trot beside him, and, recognizing defeat, Stewart slowed until he was at a speed he could keep up. They continued through the forest as Stewart enjoyed everything. The sight of the trees, the wind on his face, the smells he couldn’t even identify.
However, there was one scent that was a constant beside him, one that he slowly became aware of, that one sweet scent that kept his nose twitching. He stopped dead and turned to Frieda, pushing his face into the fur at her shoulder to breathe in deeply. His suspicions were confirmed when her scent flooded his nostrils.
Frieda nipped at his flank, lightly, teasingly. A pressure started to build through his body and his lip curled back as he remembered the sight of her naked body. She was naked right now… though the sight of her wolf form did nothing for him, neither did her fur. He could still clearly visualize what she looked like in human form.
Sleek, with a compact, muscular body. Breasts that were just the right size, a hint of curve from her ribs to hips. An ass so tight you could bounce a quarter off it. He hadn’t looked to see if she waxed or not, though… and now he found himself burning with curiosity. He turned toward her, his lips pulling back as he started to nip at her shoulders and neck; he’d seen Josef and Roxy do this a few times when they came back from running and had always thought it strange. Now, though, it felt completely natural.
Frieda leaned into his teeth, the push of her body against his forcing him to back up a step. She turned and jumped at him, her front legs turning to arms as they wrapped around his neck.
He hardened as she fell back, pulling him with her. As if on instinct, he shifted back to his human form. A thin sheen of sweat covered his body, making him shiver in the cool night air. Frieda’s body pressed up against his, though, was warm and soft. His hardness pressed against her thigh as he pressed his mouth to hers. Her hands dug into his hair, her fingers curling into the tangles at the base of his neck. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, loving the taste he found there.
With a growl, he let his hands run all over her body. Her skin was smooth, marred here and there by a thin scar. Her breasts were so soft against his hands, her stomach hard. When he slid his hand between their bodies to seek out her clit, he grinned against her lips and pulled back.
“I thought you waxed,” he hummed in delight.
Frieda’s eyes fluttered as he stroked her clit, but before he could do more, she grabbed his wrist, stopping him, and shook her head.
Stewart paused. His blood sung with need and he twitched against her thigh, wanting to be deep inside of her. He stared at her with an arched brow, asking without words. She had seemed to be into this minutes ago… what had changed?
“This is your first shift,” she said slowly. Was she aware of the way her breasts pressed against his chest? “That means you’ve got euphoria going on. You’re not in your right mind.”
“No,” Stewart protested, “I’m in my right mind. Finally. I’ve been holding back from you for too long. But I’m a wolf now, too. I’m not a weak human.”
Frieda’s eyes widened for a moment, but she still shook her head firmly. “No, Stewie. Not like this. When it happens, I want to make sure we’re both in our right minds. Got it?”
Stewart let out a groan as he dropped his head to her shoulder. No, he didn’t get it. He wanted her. He could feel by how slick she already was that she wanted him, too. But there was one thing he knew about Frieda—once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. So, if she had decided that they shouldn’t do this right now… well… there was nothing he could do to change her mind.
With a reluctant grunt, he pulled back. Frieda gave him a sympathetic smile before she shifted back into a wolf and bounded off at once. Shifting took a little more effort this time than it had previously—his muscles already aching—but he was soon running after her.
It was only when they emerged from the forest to find his family still hanging out at the house that the rest of what Frieda had said hit him.
When. Not if. She had said when. He tilted his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. She trotted onward, heedless of him and the hope she had given him. A wolfish grin crossed his face and his tail started to wag again. When.
***
Daniel’s first birthday was celebrated less than a week after Stewart successfully became a shifter. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance within Guinevere’s kingdom, and Stewart was happy to see that Andy, Daniel and Guinevere weren’t too tired that night to have a private family dinner at Josef’s city mansion.
Once dinner was over, Roxy and Josef put their kids to bed while Guinevere and Andy cleaned up. Stewart slapped Daniel’s back with a solid thump and gestured outside. They walked out onto the porch and Daniel slumped into one of the chairs set up there. He’d been quiet all evening, and out here Stewart could see the exhaustion lining his face, and the bruises under his eyes.
“Want to talk about anything?”
Daniel shrugged. “I had a checkup yesterday. Medically… I’m all grown up now. A full-on adult at only a year old.”
Stewart’s expression darkened and his grip on his nephew’s shoulder tightened. Of course, that was something that bothered them all. Stewart tried not to worry about it—after all, what would worrying accomplish in the end? But it was always there. Daniel had grown from a baby to an adult in the space of a year. What did that mean for the rest of his life?
“Are the growing pains over, at least?”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah. I guess because I stopped growing, thank God.”
They stood in silence for a bit, staring over Josef’s walled grounds. Daniel had always been older than he looked, even when he was a little boy—for the few months that he was a little boy. Even as an infant, once Stewart thought about it.
“I’m sorry that you weren’t able to have a real childhood,” Stewart said slowly. “And I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to be the cool uncle and buy you things your parents said you weren’t allowed to have. Guess I’ll just have to satisfy myself with being the cool uncle with Roxy’s kids.”
“Uncle Stewie, you don’t have to be sorry. It’s not like anything you did could have changed it. It’s just biology.” Daniel stood and stretched. “This whole day has been overwhelming for me. So much to do, so much for people to say to me. But if it’s any consolation, over the past couple of days I have been thinking a lot about my life. And I can say for certain that you are, in fact, the cool uncle.”
Stewart let out a laugh. “Oh, really? And why’s that?”
“Because you were the one who encouraged me to be reckless from time to time. To pull pranks, even when I didn’t see the point of them. To jump on my bed after I was told not to. To put underwear on my head and go running through the hallways yelling that the giant aliens were coming to get me. You gave me the opportunity to be an actual kid. At least, you gave me the opportunity to behave like one. So, you’re the cool uncle.”
Stewart patted his back, then let out a sigh. He knew that there was only so much he could have done, but those few things that Daniel had mentioned? It wasn’t enough. Even if he hadn’t grown up crazy fast, he was the son of a vampire queen. That alone meant he had to have a lot of decorum. Not to mention there were a lot of people gunning for him… to use against Guinevere, to use against the Brotherhood, or just because they didn’t think that he should exist at all.
That was a lot to have to grow up with.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do?” Stewart pressed, turning to meet his nephew’s eye. “I know for a while there you were talking about joining the Brotherhood. Is that at all on your list still?”
“I haven’t shifted yet. Dad and I are working on techniques to try to coax my wolf forward. But I can’t join if I can’t shift.”
Stewart grunted. “Don’t I know it.”
“I am certain the problem is that I live with vampires,” Daniel continued. His brow furrowed. “Or maybe it’s an unconscious battle between the two halves of me. I mean, I get fangs and a craving for blood easily enough. Maybe it’s just not going to be part of me.”
“Hey, kid, you’ve only been trying for a year. I’ve been fighting to become a shifter for a great deal longer. I’d be seriously pissed if you could just snap your fingers and get rid of your problems when it took me so long to overcome mine.” He playfully shoved Daniel’s shoulder, and Daniel relaxed with a smile and a laugh.
“Alright, alright. I get it. I can’t give up just because it hasn’t happened yet. But speaking of shifting. Now that you can, how are you going to prove yourself a worthy member of the Brotherhood? I wouldn’t want to be around if you piss off Typhoon.”
Stewart smiled cockily. “Typhoon isn’t as terrible as he likes to pretend. After all, Dr. Mia’s with him and she’d never be with someone who was a real toad.”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “The kids have gone to bed. You can say bastard around me, you know. I’m not a fucking infant.”
There was a part of him that was shocked to hear his one-year-old nephew saying such words. It was probably for the best, though. Daniel might not say it, but Stewart knew that he was a little stifled, living with his parents. They wanted to protect him from everything and that included being an adult and all the problems that came with it. Him pushing boundaries was the only healthy thing to do…
“Fine. She’d never be with a fucking bastard,” Stewart said, grinning at his nephew. “And as for how I’ll prove myself worthy to be a member of the Brotherhood? It’s quite simple, you know. First, I’m going to follow orders and work to the best of my capabilities. Behave as part of the team and—”
A snort behind them made both of them turn. Andy slipped onto the porch, an amused light in his eyes as he seized Stewart around the neck and gave him a rough noogie. “Yeah, right. I’d like to see you follow orders, buster!”
“Hey!” Stewart punched his brother in the ribs. “Get off!”
To his surprise, Andy released him at once. His face got very pale as he stumbled back, gasping. Stewart flinched, reaching to help him sit while Daniel grabbed his arm, expression pinched.
“We’re going to have to get used to this new strength of yours,” Andy gasped out, whacking Stewart lightly.
Stewart scuffed his toes on the floor. “Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine.” Andy inhaled deeply and waved a hand. “Now. Proving yourself a member of the Brotherhood. It’s about a balance between following orders and taking initiative. Frieda’s a good gal. As long as you follow her lead, you’ll be good. She won’t steer you wrong.”
Stewart nodded. His mind drifted back to that night, when their bodies had been pressed together, the moonlight all around them and the smell of her arousal in the air. He understood why she had stopped them… it wasn’t until the next day that he realized how affected by that first change he’d been. It was almost like being high, only there were no withdrawals coming down from it. He got why she decided to pull back, to stop them from going forward.
But Gods, he wished that she hadn’t… It seemed like she was haunting him now, and the worst part was that she hadn’t spoken to him. He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she had put a stop to it because she didn’t want it… didn’t want him… and now, somehow, he’d ruined their friendship with his lust.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, glancing away. “I’ll follow her lead. She knows what she’s doing, after all.”