Chronically in love

Chapter Seven (Arthur)

Several weeks have passed since Zoe met my wolf and we are doing quite well. We meet in the morning every day and work on laws, we have become quite good friends. I worry about what will happen when we are finished with remaking the laws and I have no excuses to see her. Tonight is a full moon and the castle is busy preparing for it.

With werewolves a full moon is a time of celebration, we play music, dance, and honor the moon, it is also a time when the Luna is celebrated because as the maternal figure of the pack, she is the closest to our goddess of the moon. We have avoided the celebrations the last few months because we did not want to move too quickly with Zoe. Now my people cannot be put off, they want to pay tribute to their Luna and the moon.

I agree but first I must speak with Zoe. 

"Hey, Zoe! Zoe, wait up. Zoe!" She turns around and smiles at me and she looks so radiant that it steals my breath, earlier she had told me that she was having a good day, Zoe is not using her crutches and when I watch her walk her pace is smooth and steady. "Zoe, I need to talk to you."

She leans against the wall, "What up?" Today she is dressed up slightly, instead of her usual yoga pants and sweatshirt, she is in a tank top and shorts. A few days ago she informed me that she gets cold really easily since then the castle temperature has risen a few degrees. 

"Tonight is the full moon." I pause, and she waits, looking pretty confused, after we stare at each other in silence for a few minutes she speaks, "Okay, and that is relevant because?" I blush, "It is relevant because we have several ceremonies on the full moon, we dance to honor the moon." I need to pick my next words very carefully. 

"We all are quite fond of you so they might..." I struggle for words, "They might.... act differently around you." I finish lamely. Zoe is still confused but she nods and says, "Okay thanks for letting me know. Is there a specific way I need to dress?" I shake my head. 

That is the extent of our conversation and I replay it over and over again as Daniel and I get the celebration set up. The courtyard is decked out in golden streamers woven through the trees, small lamps are placed on branches, and a fire pit is set up so Zoe is not cold. Night falls and people start arriving. Because of the full moon, our wolves are closer to the surface so all of our eyes gleam with the colors of our wolf.

 The wolves were painted on their bodies and wore loose shimmery golden clothes, Nalia and Julian arrived with Zoe behind them and when I saw her I lost my breath. She wears a soft purple skirt that swirls around her ankles, with a white shirt and golden flats, her makeup is the makeup of my people. Face paint around the eyes, and the nose, she has paint where my mark would one day lay and her hair is braided in a bun around her head. Stars are painted on her arms and forehead, she wears Luna paint. Zoe is astounding, she is my goddess, tonight I will dance to honor her. 

"You look so beautiful." I am looking at her like a predator like I want to eat her, and Zoe notices. "Thank you." She is blushing, beautiful I think, dazed. Then the ceremony starts, and my people-our people-whirl around us, dance under the glow of the moon. 

She watches them with curious eyes until she gets the hang of it, and then she is off, dancing with her people. They twine arms together and spin in a circle around me, Zoe is gently pushed by Julian into the middle of the circle, I take her hand in mine and our people bow towards us, inclining their heads in submission. Showing us their necks.

The sparks between us are alive flickering in the light, "This is magic." my voice is gruff, low, seductive. "This is who we are." My hand slides to her waist and we glide to the beat of the drums, "The humans may not want you, but we will always. Let your family rest peacefully." She looks at me, shocked, and confused, "This is your home, Zoe. These are your people. You are safe, you are loved." 

Her eyes are sparkling with tears and I wipe them away when they fall, "We want you, Zoe. We want you." She crumples into my arms and I gently lift her, we sit at a table as she cries into my chest, and I hug her to me. My Luna's emotions hit me, she is overwhelmed by the moon, and it makes her emotions so much stronger. She feels welcome, happy, accepted, and safe. She feels at home, here with our people, with me. She feels at home. I lower my head into her hair and cry from happiness with her.

When our well of tears has dried up Zoe and I dance, always with each other, and when the ceremony is done, when the sun is starting to rise again the glow of happiness envelops us all. At least it does until Zoe pats my face and says, "Thank you, Arthur,  I feel so accepted here. I am so happy. You remind me of the brother I never had." The glow fades, like her brother, like her brother? 

Nalia, Daniel, and Julian wince out of the corner of my eyes and my smile turns frozen and slides off my face. I mumble out a thank you and walk away, to my room, with a bottle of whiskey. This has officially turned into a really bad day. I thought I was flirting, I didn't realize I was giving little brother vibes, that day, I got drunk.