Chapter 25: The Naked Truth

“I still don’t know what to believe,” Garin said, looking at her, his eyes pained. “It’s bad enough that I am dealing with my family and their crazy beliefs but then I meet you and you’re wonderful. But then you’re apparently my sworn enemy and you kiss me while you’re promised to someone else.” He let go of her hand and stood, walking a few feet away. He put his hands on his head and stared up at the glistening moon.
Willow sighed. She knew that whatever this was between them had to end. It was idiotic. It was suicidal. But she still wanted it. Wanted him. She walked towards him, keeping her distance. She still felt the moon song singing in her bones.
“I know. It’s a lot. I didn’t expect to…ever feel this way, I suppose. I never wanted Lyall. I’ve been putting off the wedding for ages now. I didn’t want to commit to him. I would’ve rather been alone.” She wanted to reach out to touch him, but she knew she probably shouldn’t.
He turned to look at her. She looked different tonight somehow. Her skin seemed to glow from within as if she were the moon herself. There was a gravitating pull to her that hadn’t been there before. He had always been drawn to her but now he felt pulled.
“So, about your, ability…” he trailed off, looking at her uncertainly.
“Yes?” she asked, a bit self-consciously. He blew air out of his mouth harshly and wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“You can…you know. Shift?” he asked, his face flushing.
“Well, yeah. Why? Do you want to see?” He shrugged.
“I can show you. Maybe then you’ll see why we can’t do this.” She replied sadly. His eyes found hers.
“Can’t do this?” he asked, confused. She gestured to the space between them.
“It is forbidden. We can’t be together. That’s why I came to talk to you tonight. I didn’t want it to end with your interaction with Lyall. I wanted to say goodbye to you in person.” She let her hands fall to her sides, her eyes morose.
“What if I don’t want to say goodbye?” he challenged.
“You have to,” she whispered, her lips trembling. He took a step towards her. She held her hand out to stop him.
“Please. I don’t want this to end before it’s even started but it has to. We can’t get around the laws,”
“I don’t care about whatever these laws are. We are adults. We are entitled to our own choices. And happiness,” his eyes flashed with passion and anger. She shook her head, her tears spilling.
“Not in this, we don’t.”
“Yes, we do!” He insisted and walked closer.
“No!” she shouted and began to change before his eyes. She threw her head back, letting the moon bathe her face. Dark red fur rippled smoothly over her alabaster skin, her clothes tearing and falling away as her muscles bulged. Her arms became sinewy and hard as her wolf form emerged.
Her face stretched into a long, elegant snout. As she dropped to all fours, she swished her large tail looking down at Garin. She towered over him at nearly ten feet tall. Willow was completely gone, except for her eyes. Her eyes were still the same. Her spicy scent of cloves and what reminded him of fallen leaves washed over him.
Garin backed up and tripped, falling hard. Willow didn’t move, instead, she sat watching him. Waiting for his reaction. She could smell the spike in his adrenaline. His eyes were wide as he stared up at her massive form. She was sad she couldn’t read his thoughts. She shook her mane once and then lay down, her head on her front paws, her eyes studying him.
He stood shakily.
“Can you understand me?” he asked. She nodded once. He walked slowly closer to her. She could see he was shaking a bit. She tried her best to appear unthreatening. He reached one hand out to her. She nuzzled her face into his hand. He jumped slightly but pet her head, running his fingers through her soft red fur.
“This is hands down the strangest thing I have ever done, and I was in a fraternity,” he said, stroking her head. She coughed a laugh and turned her yellow eyes to his. “You’re still so beautiful in a very different way, but still.” He looked her over, taking in her paws that were twice the size of his own hand and her teeth that were nearly four inches long, poking from her lupine lips.
“My, what big teeth you have,” he joked, and she shoved him roughly with her head. He fell over, the wind rushing out of him. She grimaced apologetically as he hauled himself up.
“Bad joke, I get it. So, this is why we can’t be together?” he asked, gesturing to her form. Her head dipped once. He stared at her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
“I don’t think it’s a good enough reason not to.” He replied after a few silent moments. She grumbled at him, causing him to take a large step back. She advanced towards him; her hackles raised. His heart race increased. He didn’t think she would actually attack him, but his body believed differently.
She growled for real now, a deep, earth-shaking rumble. He swallowed the fear in his throat and fought the urge to run as she stalked closer.
“I’m not running from this.” He said, glaring up at her. She shook her large head in frustration and pushed past him, nosing into the forest.
“Great, you’re just leaving,” Garin called after her irritated.
“No, I just had to shift back,” she called from around a tree. He peered around to where she was. “Don’t look!” she commanded and retreated further into the trees.
“Why? Do you still have your tail or something?” he jokingly teased.
“Uhm, no. I feel like that would be less embarrassing. I’m realizing now that I didn’t quite think through shifting in front of you,” she replied quietly.
“Why’s that?” he asked, still trying to see where she went.
“Well, our clothes don’t shift with us,” she replied awkwardly. He looked back to the shredded pile on the grass.
“Ah, so you’re, uh, naked back there?” he felt his face heat.
“Pretty much.” She said, her own face burning as she pressed her naked body against the tree, humiliation sweeping through her.
“I’ll be right back. Audrey might have something you can wear,” he said, and she heard him run off. I really hope the rest of his family doesn’t come home right now, she thought to herself and covered her face with her hands.
His family wasn’t the only one she was worried about. She had broken one of her clan’s most sacred laws.
She had shifted in front of a human without cause. It was punishable by exile or death.