Shadow of the Day (Wolf Moon Sequel)

Chapter 47: Scared

"Should we really be walking in here?" Ivy asked, peering into the forest like she half expected a monster to be hiding behind the trees.

"It's perfectly safe," Wyatt assured her, "We come here all the time and its quite beautiful to walk through."

"I don't know..."

"I promise you, it's absolutely safe," I said, looping my arm through hers. "Besides, we're three people and we wont be going in far."

"Isn't this where you guys found that dead body though?"

Oops. I'd forgotten about that. "Yeah, but like I said, we're not going in deep and no one has heard from that murderer in months."

Besides, she was currently with two of the scariest things in that forest right now, so she truly had nothing to worry about. I mean, she might be worried when I turn into a wolf before her eyes, but that certainly wasn't why she didn't want to go in.

"Fine, but at the first sign of something creepy I'm so out of there," she said, but she still didn't look thrilled, even less so as we stepped between the trees. We walked for a while and chatted about school, trying to keep the situation as normal as possible till we were deep enough for privacy but not so far that she would freak out and panic. While her eyes kept shifting around at every creak of branches in the wind, she didn't make a peep about it.

Wyatt caught my eye and my heart began to trip. Part of me absolutely wanted to back out, but another part of me was so ready to get this over with, to stop lying all the time to her and finally let her in, even if it was terrifying.

I came to a stop and she turned to look at me. "Something wrong?"

"No, not at all," I said, trying to smile. "It's just...I thought now might be a good time to tell you some other secrets I've been keeping."

"And you had to bring me to the middle of this creepy forest to do it?"

"It's a bit...private. Best not to be overheard," Wyatt explained.

"Oh God, you aren't going to tell me you murdered someone or something right?" she asked, laughing a bit even though she did look nervous still, eyes still scanning the trees.

"Of course not," I laughed, even though my stomach clenched. That particular confession was going to have to wait till she made her peace with me being a werewolf. No need to completely break her brain in one day.

Though that didn't bode well for future me.

"So then what's going on?" she asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Before I explain, I just need you to let me completely finish before freaking out or calling me crazy, okay? I know how insane I'm going to sound, but if you stick with me I'll prove I'm not."

"Okay...?" The look on her face was almost comical, half confused and half looking like she wanted to laugh.

I took a step back, standing in front of her, hands clasped tight. Oh God. Okay. This is it. I can do it. I can do it.

I can't do it.

"Is the secret that you're amazing at staring contests?" Ivy whispered about thirty seconds later when no one said anything. Wyatt laughed.

"No, I just...don't know how to start," I admitted.

"You might as well just come out with the major headline, then explain; it might be easier," Wyatt said, smiling at me. "Or skip straight to the demonstration."

"There's going to be a demonstration?" Ivy asked, looking from Wyatt to me and back again. "Did you learn a weird magic trick or something?"

"Uuuuuuuuh...something like that." Did turning into an animal count? It was definitely weird, definitely some kind of magic. Freak show magic, but she hadn't specified a kind.