Palm to Paw

Chapter Six

Pain, excruciating pain. That's all I could feel when I woke up the next morning. Pounding agony in my heart, thundering through my chest. What is this? I had begun to feel it when I left Brad the afternoon before, and I knew it had to do with him. My spirits lifted when I thought about him and I leaped from my bed.

"Good morning Mother!" I exclaimed, springing from my room in a fit of happiness. "Good morning Rosie. What's got you so cheery this morning?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, I just woke up like this" I lied, I couldn't very well tell her that I had just met my werewolf mate the previous day and I had never felt better. She would've thought I'd ingested some sort of illicit drug.

She narrowed her eyelids, and I bit my lip as I peered into the fridge. She knew something was different.

I decided to take flight before she started questioning me, so I grabbed an up-and-go and plucked my bag off one of the kitchen stools.

"Ah, where are you going?" Mum asked in that annoying rhetorical motherly way. "I'm going to the library" I fibbed.

"Really? Dressed like that?" she pressed.

She was right of course, I had decided on a floral dress and sandals instead of the jeans and a hoodie that I normally wore to the library.

I, of course, was not going to the library. Brad had asked to meet up at the local park when he'd dropped me off a street away from my apartment so Mum wouldn't find out. My hair was also out in it's natural waves rather than in it's normal pony tail.

"I've made an important life decision Mum" I reply.

"Really, what's that?" she asked, surprised. "I'm going to make more of an effort to make myself look presentable" I answer.

She raises her eyebrows and I cross my fingers behind my back in the hope that she'll believe me. "Well, good for you," she replied, a crease forming between her brows that tells me she doesn't quite believe me but she's willing to give me the benefit of the doubt.

I let out a sigh of relief and head for the door before she can ask any more questions, "Bye Mum, I'll see you later."

*****

I got off the bus and entered the park, marvelling as always at the old iron archway at the entrance. I had always loved the metallic vines winding around the frame along with the ever present ivy that the poor old caretaker could never get rid of. I liked it though, it gave it a timeless feel.

I wandered along the winding path until the trees opened up into a big field. Children could be seen running around and playing on the playground to the left of the field, while their parents and other adults sat and talked on the grass.

I scanned the field until my eyes stopped on a figure with curly blonde hair, sitting under my favourite oak tree. My pace picked up and I walked over to him. As I neared, I could see he was reading a book.

Brad looked up when I was about ten metres away, a loving smile on his gorgeous face. He sprung from his seat by the tree and ran to me, closing the distance between us.

He picked me up and swung me around, putting me down only to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let out a sigh of relief, the pain had gone.

"I missed you," he murmured in my ear. I giggled, "I missed you too". Brad pulled me into a tight embrace and kissed my head.

"Ugh Brad, babe, you're crushing me!" I choked. He loosened his grip on me, "Oh, sorry Rosie, I'm not used to hugging mortals," he said, pulling me over to the tree's shade, "The fragile state of their skeletons never ceases to surprise me."

I raised an eyebrow, "I'll take that as a compliment."

I sat down in his lap, turned to face him. Then confusion entered my mind, "What do you mean, mortals?".

"Oh I forgot you don't know about that," he realised, "Well, when a werewolf turns eighteen, he becomes immortal".

"Have you always been able to turn into a wolf?" I asked.

"No, all werewolves are able to turn when they reach fifteen. You see, werewolves aren't created through a bite like the movies say, we're born this way," he explained.

I was still confused, "But if you live forever, what happens to me?"

"You become immortal too, duh," he said.

"Really?! How?" I asked, I couldn't believe it.

That's when his smile turned shy, "Well, there's only one way to make you immortal".

"How?" I insisted, I hated him keeping secrets from me.

"Well, you become immortal when I, uh, how do I put it? When I deflower you," he explained sheepishly.

"Oh," I said, we had both gone into an awkward silence.

I looked up and Brad was blushing just as much as I was. I giggled, "Why are you embarrassed? Usually guys are happy to talk about that".

"Well I'm not like most guys, am I Rosie?" he said superiorly. I rolled my eyes at his cliché comment, giving the back of his head another whack. "Ow," he whined, rubbing his head, "Must you do that?"

"Yes, it keeps you in line, mutt," I said with a cheeky smirk. He rolled his eyes at my dog reference.

"Does this mean you want to?" he changed the subject.

"Want to what?"

"You know..." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh! I don't know," I sighed, all these feeling were so confusing to sort out, "I have this intense urge to want to. Is that normal?" I asked shyly. I hadn't planned on sharing that information, it just slipped out. He chuckled, "Yes, it is. Traditionally, mates lose their virginity on the first night of being told that they're a mate. It's just nature taking it's course."

I nod, all this werewolf stuff was going to take a while to get used to.

Brad, of course, was still on the sex topic. "It's ok, we don't have to until you're completely comfortable with it all," he assured me, lightly kissing my temple.

"There's one other thing I wanna ask" I said. "Yeah, what's that?" he asked.

"When you drove away I felt this instant agony in my chest, and it didn't go away until I saw you again this morning. Is that normal?" I asked.

Pain flashed across his face. "Yeah, I get them too. They're called separation pains. A werewolf and his mate aren't supposed to be too far away from each other. When they are, it hurts them. Don't worry, it doesn't do any damage, it just hurts like a bitch," he explains.

I lean my head against his chest. "I know babe, it hurts me too. I've been told there's a way to ease it," he suggests, hope in his eyes.

My head shot up, "How?"

"Well there's supposed to be a telepathic connection between a werewolf and his mate. If they use it to talk to each other, it's supposed to ease the pain," he explained.

I processed this, "Do you know how to do it?" I asked.

'Of course I do, I'm a werewolf ' he replied, but he hadn't moved his lips. My eyes widened, "How did you do that?"

"You just think what you want to say, but direct it at me," he instructed. I did as I was told. 'Hello?' I thought, Brad grinned.

"Did I do it?" I asked hopefully. He nodded. "Wow, everyone will definitely think I'm a freak now," I smiled.

Brad chuckled, "I don't think you're a freak, I think you're beautiful". My heart melted at his comment, "Nobody but my Mum has ever called me that".

Brad leaned in and pressed his soft lips to mine. He kissed me deeply, passionately, probably too much for a public place, but I didn't care. "Well, it's the truth," he murmured in my ear. I leaned back into his chest again. What a lucky girl I was.