Made in Moonlight

Five

I wake up alone in my own bed.

I almost don't recognize it for a second. I bolt upright, taking in the room in a cold sweat, only for yesterday's events to flood back to me.

Werewolves.

Mate.

Omega.

Right. I sigh, letting my pulse slow for a moment before swinging my legs over the side of the bed and standing.

My legs don't wobble even a little. Curious, I tug on the collar of my t-shirt and glance at the scar. It's less swollen today, going from an angry red to a silver-white scar.

Well, that's progress. I turn and exit my room, finding Leyla, Thomas and Blake standing around the kitchen.

Blake spots me first.

His eyes bounce from my face to my bare collarbones, my bite mark, then my wrists. I smile shyly at him, remembering our awkward night together, but he quickly looks away, busying himself with tidying some dishes.

Strange.

"Good morning," I say through a yawn.

"Morning?" Thomas laughs, his head spinning in my direction. "It's nearly two in the afternoon."

"What?" I sputter. I glance out the window and sure enough, the sun is high in the sky.

"You needed the rest," Leyla says, always sweet. "Do you want some food? We've got brisket with eggs."

"Brisket for breakfast?" As soon as the words leave my mouth, my stomach growls and I realize just how good that sounds.

"It's the wolf in you," Leyla explains, serving me a large portion on a plate. "You'll only get hungrier once it's out."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask. "I'm not actually going to become a wolf, right? You all seem pretty human to me."

Leyla giggles, shaking her head. "No, you'll still be very much human. You'll just have this other side of you as well."

"The wolf-ier side," Thomas adds with a grin.

Leyla ignores him and continues explaining. "When you go through your first transformation, your wolf-side will come out and you'll start to see changes. Like, you'll start to feel hungry more often, because your wolf-side burns more calories. You'll see what I mean in a month."

Wolf-side, huh? I start to think of what other things might change after the full moon. I remember the pack of werewolves that came to the cabin the other day.

"Am I going to get taller?" I ask, grinning, and glance in Blake's direction. He still refuses to look at me. "Blake must be like seven feet tall."

Leyla laughs and sends me a half-shrug. "Honestly, I don't know. Thomas and I are the only human-to-wolf transformations I know, and we stayed the same height."

"I guess we'll find out in a month," I say.

Leyla's smile fades a little. She exchanges a look with the others, then turns back to my plate, piling on some extra meat for me. "Maybe."

I frown, confused by her sudden change, until I catch on to her words. Maybe, meaning if I survive.

I shove the thought from my mind. I've made it this far. I'm sure I can make it through the full moon. I know I will. I've never been the type to give up easily.

"Well, I'm starving," I say, trying to lighten the mood as I take the plate from her. Two hot meals in less than twenty-four hours? It's like paradise to me.