The morning air was frigid as I sat fully clothed on a log away from the smelly werewolf pile by the smoldering campfire. Since the day I went half-turn, wearing socks and shoes irritated me, and sometimes it was downright painful, but now I wished I had at least worn more than sandals. 

I was still teetering on the edge of disappointment as I tried to remember what I did last night, but the images in my head didn’t make any logical sense. It was almost like those memories were encrypted and the only way to unlock them was to smoke more of that messed-up herb. Seeing how Simon was so eager to trade for drugs instead of information only disappointed me further. I never expected him to change his ways completely, but I at least thought he’d show a little more interest in helping me instead of getting high while letting those ferals take advantage. 

A rough hand landed on my shoulder, causing me to jump. I turned toward the taller of the wild werewolves wearing his leather harness. How had he not made a sound?

“Uh—” I tried to think of something to say, but I doubted he would understand me now. “Good morning?”

He didn’t respond; instead, he sat on the log next to me. His expression and body language were different now than last night. Instead of a narrow, suspiciousness, he was wide-eyed and inquisitive, his tail swaying. 

The werewolf reached into his leather pouch and pulled out a pinch of the herb, placing it in front of my face. 

“No,” I said, pushing it away. “No trade.” After last night, I didn’t want to risk doing anything more. At least the urges weren’t as strong. 

His tail fanned the air behind me as he held the herb in front of my face again. This time, he pretended to take a pinch of the stuff before dropping it into his mouth. He wanted me to eat it?

I shook my head, but he insisted again, this time with a grimace and a huff. There was no way to avoid this without angering the feral, and I still wasn’t sure what terms we were on after our trade. Taking in a deep breath, I took a pinch of the herb and placed it into my mouth, but the werewolf caught my cheeks, holding my mouth open. 

Confused, I tried to pull away, but his grip was too tight. He scooped the substance out of my mouth with his thick, clawed fingers before placing the stuff under my tongue. I immediately began to salivate, and the morning sunlight beaming through the trees turned into a wobbly prism of pastels. 

“Don’t chew,” he said, letting go of my face. “Hold under tongue so that effect only last until spit.”

The world grew brighter and a deluge of memories flooded my brain, many of which made no sense until now. My eyes widened as the surrounding scenery darkened to exactly how it was last night. I stood as an observer to the events that played out. 

“How the hell did I notice?” me from the past asked Simon while parting the fur along his stomach to reveal a couple sets of extra nipples. The werewolf that had been sucking me off looked back at the others, the one in the harness masturbating furiously. 

“When’s the last time you were down there?” Simon asked in that strange, stilted accent. 

“I’m always down there. I just never saw ‘em!”

“Well, you’re looking into the future, bud—” 

The scenery melted into a bunch of flaming blobs before reforming into an all-out orgy. The tall one in the harness was behind one of the younger ones, thrusting wildly while the other three gathered together in front of my face, their precum-slick cocks pulsing eagerly as I grabbed them, desperately trying to get as much into my mouth as possible. 

Frustrated by not being able to do this properly, I started stroking the other two while licking the middle. 

“I want to be fucked!” I demanded, my features turning wild as the half-turn temper made itself known, causing the werewolves around me to grow more excited and impatient. This happened a lot more lately as I tried to suppress it. It wasn’t the drugs that made me so eager; it was what Simon warned me about. I was going to watch myself become a lust-filled animal. 

There was a pain that often accompanied these episodes, like my body was on fire and every hole that wasn’t filled ached like a punch in the face. Watching me from this third person perspective really made me understand how much I needed it. It wasn’t just me wanting sex; it was something more akin to eating or drinking. It was vital to my survival. 

The feral in the middle got over excited in the moment, grabbing me, fully intending to give me exactly what I was craving, but Simon shot up and faced the feral head-on. 

“No,” he growled, pulling me into his arms. The wild werewolf bared his teeth, and Simon did the same. Before either of them could scuffle, the tall, harnessed werewolf pulled away from his mate and stood between the two, pushing the smaller feral away before nodding to Simon. 

The vision faded, and my eyes started watering. Simon lied when he said he’d get off on watching them fuck me. He was ready to fight to keep that from happening, and the disappointment from earlier melted like the colors all around me. 

“He didn’t let them do it.”

“Good mate you have,” the feral said, placing his finger close to his mouth. “No chewing. No swallow, only spit.”

I nodded as I repositioned the small wad of slobbery herbs to the other side of my mouth before spitting the excess saliva. 

“I need to ask you a question,” I said, turning to face him again. 

He nodded. 

“Were you with the ones I met the first time in the forest?”

He nodded again. 

“Then why did you guys almost attack us last night?”

“We test the fat one there to see if he remembers what to do.” He pointed to Simon’s ankle bracelets. “Those were given to him by Whasha.” His speech seemed to sync up more with his lips, his words less broken. “You should be feeling the full effects by now.”

“I—damn. What the hell is going on?”

“It is a lot to explain, but I am sure you’ve been told some of it by that elder who pretends.”

“Mosavi?”

“So that is the name he has chosen.”

“Wait, that’s not his name?”

The feral slowly cracked a knowing smile. “He consorts with witches and pretends to be the opposite of what he is. He is a living contradiction, and the reason we stay in these woods so close to town.” 

“Why?”

His eyes flashed a brilliant silver before fading as he looked down at me. “What do you feel?”

I shrugged. “I don’t understand the question.”

His irises flashed again, this time remaining pure silver, just as Mosavi’s did that night he took control of Simon. 

“What are you doing?”

Once again, his eyes faded to their original amber. “So that is why he chose you.”

“Why the hell is everyone so interested in me?” His face was nearly touching mine, so I pushed him back. “I just want to be left alone so I can try to put my life back together. I need to know what to do about Mosavi.”

The werewolf cocked his head. “Is your life broken?”

“Yes!” I shouted, nearly swallowing the herbs by accident. “Ever since this happened.” I pointed to my sharp teeth and pointed ears. “I haven’t even been able to start my job, and it’s probably been too long by now. I’m slowly turning into a monster. I can’t seem to catch a break, and now that creepy asshole in town is making me do this weird shit.”

The feral’s warm stare turned to ice as he wrinkled his nose and bared his teeth. 

“What?” I asked.

“Go back to the Midna.”

“I need help.” My tone was nicer this time, and I grabbed his arm. “Take me to your alpha. I think he knows how to counter Mosavi’s magic. Whatever those stones are broke his control over me.”

“What control?” he asked, though his unfazed expression contradicted the question. 

“He keeps giving me these things to keep track of me.”

“The stones break a witch’s enchantments. What he gave you was not our magic. It is not our way.”

The hair on my arms stood straight as a familiar scent caught my nose. It was irresistibly potent, like Mosavi’s. “Are you like him?”

He said nothing, reaching into his pouch. 

“What is the life you want, Arthur?”

The question surprised me, and the answer caught in my throat. 

“I want everything to go back to the way it was before I went half-turn. I want my career and a lot of money so I can have a decent future.” Though I was passionate in my response, what I said somehow felt wrong.

The werewolf snarled again, reaffirming my feelings.

“Go back to the Midna.”

“You keep saying that, but that doesn’t help me!”

“You do not want our help.”

I balled my fists before slamming them hard into the log we were sitting on. 

“That’s the entire reason we’re here!”

“And what is it you want me to do?”

“I—” The words I really wanted to say disappeared as quickly as I could think of them, so I shook my head. “I just need something to keep Mosavi away from me so we can go back to the city.”

The werewolf stood and looked over at his sleeping pack before giving a grunted yip. The others in camp stirred awake, pushing a still sound asleep Simon to the side. 

“You’re really going to play the cryptic sage, aren’t you?” I asked. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

He took my hand and pressed a bundle of herbs firmly against my palm. 

“You and this—Mosavi are more alike than you care to admit. The life you want is the life he wants, but neither of you will ever be happy.” The other werewolves disappeared into the woods, but the elder stayed behind. “You are at the precipice of self-discovery.” He glanced down at Simon. “Some know who they were meant to be after the change, but for some, it could take centuries to figure out. You may be special in some ways, Arthur, but you are no different from the rest of us.”

“What does that mean?”

He smiled one last time before turning toward the direction of the others. 

“When you were in the city, did you ever see happiness among our kind?” With that, he dashed into the brush with surprising speed before disappearing. Moments later, a distant howl echoed a farewell through the trees. 

I spat the herb onto the ground, and the colors of morning shifted into something more real and less fantasy-like. As angry as I was, he did have a point. Racing thoughts brought me back to my life in the city. When I was human, werewolves were just nuisances I never gave the time of day. When I started showing signs of my condition, the misery manifested as desperation in the eyes of those presenting their resumes just so they wouldn’t have to live one more night on the streets. Those that weren’t begging for scraps ended up like Simon was before I met him—drunk, or so blitzed out of their minds they couldn’t remember their own names. 

Simon’s snoring was so loud that even the noisy sparrows got fed up with the competition and flew away. Adam and Austin were likely wondering where we were, if Mosavi hadn’t drilled them already. The less they knew, the safer they were. All it would take is one of those enchanted items strapped to any of us, and the mayor could get answers without asking. 

The forest seemed different now than when I first walked through it. Instead of eerie and dangerous, it seemed more peaceful. I gave consideration to staying one more night camped under the stars, laughing with Simon, but it was time to head back.

I knelt next to him, running my fingers through his messy mane before climbing onto his wide torso, my legs straddling his hips. He was like a warm mattress with lumps in all the right places, and as I lay on top of him, it was hard to keep my eyes open as my body gently rose and fell to each breath he took.

Remembering how protective he was of me in that vision, I was feeling romantic enough to kiss him awake. At first, I planted a peck on his wet nose before trailing kisses to the sides of his open maw, disregarding his scary morning breath. It was difficult to get a decent angle when his tongue was hanging out, so I gave him another kiss on the nose. When I leaned back in to tackle his mouth head-on, he sneezed in my face. 

“Ew fuck!” I shouted, scrambling off of him, screaming in disgust as I tried to wipe away the snot with both hands. “Oh God, it’s in my mouth!”

Simon sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What the hell’s goin’ on? You okay buddy?”

“I am never kissing you again,” I choked out, gagging. I had to use my light jacket to wipe most of it away, but some of it stubbornly lingered on my face. “I’m gonna throw up.”

“It’s just a little snot, jeez. You know how many loads you swallowed last night? I was impressed.”

“That’s not the same!” After I finished wiping my face, I nudged Simon with my foot. “Let’s go.”

“Wait a minute. Where are the ferals?” Simon asked, jumping to his feet. “Shit! Did you see ‘em leave?”

“Yeah, but we’re not getting any help from them,” I muttered, hooking my arms through the straps of my backpack. I then gathered all the plastic wrappers and beer bottles scattered around camp, throwing them in the empty box. “This was such a waste of time, and now I have to face Mosavi knowing I broke one of his rules about going into the woods.”

“I’ll go with ya,” Simon said as he reached down and grabbed the box. “He’s not gonna know we were in the woods, anyway.”

“Not unless he uses the cursed nipple clamps of truth, or whatever perverted fucked up shit he has lying around for fun.”

“He’d be a blast if he wasn’t so damn scary,” Simon said, walking next to me as we headed in the direction that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. 

“Do you remember which way we came?” I asked.

“Uh, I thought you did.”

I slapped my forehead. “You’re the one who’s a werewolf, Simon! You’re supposed to be able to sniff us back home.”

Simon’s nose gurgled as he inhaled the remaining mucus before spitting it onto the ground. 

“Feelin’ a little under the weather.”

“That makes no sense. You told me werewolves don’t get sick.”

“Yeah, about that,” Simon said, his ears folding back against his head. “That stuff we smoked kinda messes up the senses fer a day er two, but it’s one hell of a trip, ain’t it?”

I stopped and glared at him. 

“Naw, come on. Don’t look at me like that. It was the only way we could talk to ‘em.”

“Really? There was no other way?”

Simon scrutinized my face and sighed. “I guess you figured that out, huh? Smoking makes everything better, and you had fun, right?”

“Damn it, Simon,” I sneered while examining our surroundings. “Okay, let’s see…we walked west to get here, and the sun is coming up that way.” I pointed toward the heavier brush. “If we just walk in that direction, we’re bound to get somewhere familiar.”

“You sure about that?”

“No,” I snapped. “I have no sense of direction. You know this!”

“Alright, calm down. Goin’ east is a good idea.” Simon snorted again, spitting more snot onto the ground. 

“Hot,” I said sarcastically while snapping some branches and pushing some of the brush out of the way. Before letting go of the dense flora, I couldn’t help but notice something off about them. “Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?” 

“I don’t know. There’s something about these bushes,” I said, stumbling through the leaves. “I think we walked by these on the way here.”

“Nah.” Simon picked up a branch I snapped off, sneezing again. “We woulda already broken through this place if we had,” he continued, wiping his nose with the back of his arm.

After a few minutes of walking, something tickled the back of my neck. 

“There’s a huge spider on you,” Simon shouted. 

I screamed, flailing my arms while spinning backward. Instead of a spider, I ended up with a face full of leaves as Simon held a branch over my head. 

“I ain’t never heard a grown man scream like that in my life.” Simon shook with heavy laughter, choking on snot as he sneezed again. “God damn, I can’t breathe.”

“You’re going in the cage tonight.” I snatched the branch away, whipping him with it once before tossing it to the side. 

“I thought we agreed that those things were too dangerous to use.”

“I’ll happily make you take that risk,” I said, scratching at my arm, which was starting to burn a little. “There aren’t supposed to be any mosquitoes this time of the year.” 

Simon’s face went from a squinty grin to wide-eyed horror in less than a second.

“What?”

“Oh shit,” he said, pointing at my face. 

“I’m not falling for that again.” 

“I’m bein’ serious. Yer face don’t look right.”

Similar to my arms, a burning and itching sensation spread from my forehead down to my cheeks. 

“Uh oh,” I said, my heart racing as I picked up the branch I’d tossed away. The leaves were turning a red color, which was typical for fall, but when I counted the three leaflets on each stem, all the blood drained from my face. “Oh fuck. This is poison oak.” I dropped the branch and gripped Simon’s chest mane with both fists. “You rubbed this all over my face, you idiot! I’m going to kill you!”

---

Simon stood in the middle of the bedroom with his tail tucked between his legs, his hands bound, and his maw wrapped in an enchanted leather strap. The most satisfying part of all of this was how snug that cock cage was. I learned it didn’t require the shrinking plugs to fit, since it perfectly molded to Simon’s size, but after that, it shrank uncomfortably small. 

It wasn’t that hard to get all this stuff on him. Once I snuck the magic cuffs around his wrists, that was it. His body locked up, and I could do what I wanted. 

“I’m taking a shower,” I slurred, my face still swollen. “Don’t go anywhere.” I let out a satisfied chuckle, and Simon whined like an injured dog, snot still oozing from his nose. The strap securing his muzzle wasn’t on that tight, so he could still breathe through his mouth. 

I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me in time for Adam to walk by. 

“Whoa. What the hell happened to your—”

“Bad life choices,” I muttered, scratching my arms while walking into the bathroom. Adam followed me inside. “What do you want?”

“I want to know what you did to Austin.”

“What do you mean?” I stammered, trying to cover my ass. “I—I just told him to give you more attention.”

“You fucked him.”

“I certainly did not!”

Adam pulled me into a hug, which wouldn’t have bothered me had my skin not been licked by the leafy flames of hell. 

“Ow,” I said, trying to push him off of me. 

“Stop lying.” He pulled away and smiled. “Whatever you taught him, teach him more of it.” He turned and walked out of the bathroom with a slight limp, but not before looking back at me with a flirty stare. “Maybe teach me too, sometime? If you’re up for it.”

He closed the door, and I stood there for a solid minute with my mouth hanging open. What exactly was Austin doing to him behind closed doors? 

---

I dried off and examined my face in the mirror. Everything had gone back to normal now that I had washed the irritating oils from my skin. This was one of the few times being a half-turn came in handy. As useless as I was in this form, the rapid healing sure was nice—even if its purpose was so that werewolves didn’t destroy our insides while fucking us into comas.

Whenever I was with Simon, I often wondered about his past lovers. He said he had a girlfriend before he met me, but I couldn’t see how she or any other human would survive one night with him, much less being constantly stuffed to bursting with a giant dick attached to a creature with an endless libido. Derrek also mentioned he’d been with a few human guys on the beach, and I remembered my first night together with Simon. I wasn’t a half-turn then, but somehow, I was fine. This was all so baffling. Was it some kind of weird werewolf magic, or was I just a sloppy hole?

I slipped into a pair of loose boxer briefs and a black tank top before wandering back into the bedroom. As I opened the door, Austin and Adam were gathered around a whining Simon. 

“Do it again. This is hilarious,” Adam said to Austin, who nodded in agreement before sticking his tongue into Simon’s ear. The old werewolf let out muffled screams as he tried to move away from what amounted to the worst wet-Willie ever conceived, but the magic cuffs kept his entire body stiff. Adam looked up at me. “Is it my birthday? You wrapped him so nicely.”

“What are you guys doing?” 

Austin pulled back before slipping his thick, clawed finger under Simon’s tail, letting it sink all the way in. The werewolf let out another muffled whine. 

“Having some fun.” He looked up at me, his irises slowly changing color from amber to baby blue. “Can I—can I fuck him?”

Simon’s eyes went wide as his head snapped up to look at me. 

“You know what? Knock yourself out.”

“Yes sir,” Austin responded, balling his fist. It took a second before I realized what I had inadvertently told him to do as he reared back, preparing to punch himself in the face.

“I didn’t mean literally!” I shouted, grabbing Austin’s arm. “I meant you can fuck Simon.” With a hard shove, the old werewolf fell onto the mattress with his ass in the air. “And don’t be gentle.”

Simon struggled to protest, but Austin was already on top of him. It was rather disturbing how fast he was about to go in without any preparation. I wasn’t really going to let this happen. 

“I’m kidding.” Austin looked back at me, completely still as he waited for my command. “Why don’t you tell Simon all about carpentry. Don’t leave anything out.”

“Yes sir.”

“Oh!” I opened the briefcase again, and pulled out the eight-node nipple clamps I noticed yesterday. The top two were connected to some kind of tiny electrical box, but it didn’t turn on when I pressed the buttons. “Here.” I tossed the clamps to Austin as he rolled Simon onto his back. “These will make the conversation a little more interesting.”

With no ounce of hesitation, Austin attached each clamp one after the other to a squirming Simon. The older werewolf arched his back as each of his six lower nipples were connected. Austin stopped when he got to the top two clamps.

“What’s this do?” he asked, haphazardly mashing buttons on the powerbox. “Doesn’t look like it works.”

“Uh, don’t mess with that, just in case,” I said, turning toward Adam, who had been eyeing me suspiciously the entire time. We both walked out as Austin finished attaching the last two clamps. A sharp doglike yelp made me walk back toward the bedroom, but Adam tugged at my arm. 

“What the hell is going on?” he asked, firmly closing the door. Simon’s muffled whines and Austin’s monotone explanation of different types of wood fading to background noise. “He’s doing everything you tell him. Do you have some magic bussy or something?”

“Ugh. I never want to hear you say that word again.”

“Bussy bussy bussy,” he shouted, stomping behind me like a petulant child. “Tell me what you did, or it’s going to be in every sentence.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t bussy believe you.”

“God damn it, Adam.” I snatched the remote off the coffee table and turned on the television. “Can we talk about it later?”

Adam and I snapped our attention to the hallway as a loud thud rocked the house from my bedroom. 

“I think Simon fell off the bed,” Adam said. “They’re going to be busy for a while, so we’ll talk about it now.”

“Did Mosavi come by while Simon and I were out?”

He shook his head. “Who’s Mosavi?”

“Sorry. The mayor.”

“Could that guy get any hotter?” Adam bit down on his lower lip. “What I wouldn’t give…”

“Dude, he’s really dangerous.”

“That’s even better.” 

I rolled my eyes. “Are you just horny for anything twenty-four-seven?”

Adam let out a frustrated growl. “Yes.”

My eyes shifted at the sudden change in mood. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been in pain for a week now, and no one seems to give a shit.” 

When he said that, I hit the power button on the television remote and turned toward him. “What are you talking about? What pain?”

“It’s hard to explain.” 

Another loud thud came from the bedroom. 

“What the hell is going on in there,” I said, jumping from the couch, but Adam caught my hand before jerking me back. 

“How about telling me what the hell is going on in here? Austin’s been acting weird, and now you and Simon are into bondage? I feel like I missed out on something big.”

I let out a sigh and sat back down. It was all going to come out eventually, only I didn’t know how Adam was going to take it in his current mental state. If anything shift into full werewolf form, and rip my head off.

“Apparently your kuu mate has been making moonshine in the garage, and the other night, they broke the law and got drunk. I had to go to the jail to bail them out. Mosavi was there.” 

“That bastard!”

“I know. I got in big trouble.”

“He made all that booze and didn’t share anything with me!”

I closed my eyes and rubbed both temples. “Did you not hear the part where I was the one that got into trouble?”

Adam clicked his tongue before giving me a forced sympathetic look. “Why did you get in trouble?”

“Because apparently Mosavi thinks I’m capable of leading you idiots, but I can’t get anyone to listen. You don’t think about anyone but yourself. Austin flies into unbridled PTSD-fueled rage, and Simon…is Simon. You get it.”

“I do not only think about myself.”

“Yes you do! You were literally just angrier about Austin not sharing his moonshine than you were concerned that I was the one that paid for it.” I paused for a moment, trying to ease the conversation forward. “Well, the three of us paid for it while you slept off your bender.”

“I did not—”

Another opportunity presented itself, and I’d been wanting to get this off my chest since that night.

“I tried talking to you all night at the club, but you kept ignoring me and running up my tab.” He didn’t respond, and for the first time he seemed ashamed. “I was hoping we could hang out as friends, but you don’t treat me like a friend. I’m just a doormat. I wish I could say the club was the first time you treated me like shit, but hell, you even put me in an impossible situation before we moved without even talking to me first.” 

“I—” He opened his mouth to continue, but shook his head and looked back down at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted, of course,” I replied. “I don’t hate you or anything, but you’re just too much sometimes.” I studied his face, which seemed remorseful enough for me to bring up the other big topic. “I know this is going to be difficult for you, but you need to try harder with Austin.”

“What I did to you was really bad, but don’t tell me to be nice to a guy that treats me like shit all the time.”

“You said yourself he didn’t always treat you like this. What happened?”

“What do you mean, what happened? He showed his real self.”

“Have you guys ever talked?”

Adam stared at me pensively. “I—I guess. A long time ago.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Dude, like I fucking remember. He was always whining about something when I wanted to have fun. I told him to stop bumming me out all the time and loosen up. That seemed to help for a while, but then he started getting really aggressive.”

“And you don’t see a problem with anything you just said?”

“Not with me!”

“Are you really this dense?” I looked toward the hallway, everything having gone very quiet since I left a helpless Simon alone with a werewolf following my orders. I had absolutely no room to talk about Adam being a bad kuu mate when just ten minutes ago I went a little too far in punishing Simon. We had a dynamic where he would piss me off and I’d get some kind of revenge, but none of it felt right this time.

I hopped off the couch and walked into the hallway.

“What are you doing?” Adam asked, following me. 

I slammed open the door to see Austin lying with both hands folded under his head while a semi-conscious Simon lay drooling next to him. 

“Interesting conversation?”

“Yeah,” Austin said, his irises back to their usual amber. He smiled and looked over at the motionless werewolf. “It’s great. He can’t escape, and I was just getting to varnishes.”

With a bit of smug satisfaction, I looked down at the old werewolf, but couldn’t shake that something was off with his blank expression.

“Oh, by the way,” Austin added, “I accidentally turned that thing on high. Was wondering why he kept throwing himself off the bed.”

“Oh my God,” I shouted, frantically searching for the key to the cuffs before dashing toward the bed. “How long was he like that?” 

After slipping the key into the hole, the enchantment Simon was under disappeared. I then began removing the clamps from his overly stimulated and sensitive nipples.

“I dunno. Maybe five minutes. It was kinda funny watching him flop around like a trout on the floor.”

Simon didn’t move, and I started really worrying. He warned me that this stuff was dangerous, and now I’d probably messed him up.

“Well, fun’s over. Everyone out.”

“Aww.” Austin climbed out of the bed, eying Adam dismissively. 

After undoing the strap on his muzzle, I gave the cock cage a tap, and it expanded before falling off of him. 

“I’m sorry, Simon. I didn’t know.” 

The werewolf remained silent and turned toward the wall. 

“Guess I’ll leave you two alone,” Austin said, walking out of the room, but not before shoving Adam to the side. The half-turn scoffed at me before walking in the opposite direction, toward the back door. I’d have to take care of that later.

“Did I go too far this time?”

Simon still didn’t say anything, and tears welled in my eyes. There was a slight wiggle from below where his tail was, but I was more concerned with the possibility that I’d destroyed things between us. Especially after he protected me from myself last night. 

“I’m so sorry Simon. Please talk to me,” I said through tears as I tried prodding him. There was that wiggle again. “What can I do to make it up to you? I’ll do whatever you want.”

His ears stuck straight, and I grew suspicious immediately. 

“I could go for some barbeque.”

“Oh—okay,” I said, pulling away as his tail thudded the mattress. “I’ll go pick some up. Anything else?”

“Could really go fer some snacks, too. We traded all of ‘em.”

“Fine. I’ll stop by the store and get some.”

I shuffled off the bed, and Simon still didn’t look back at me. 

“Are we good?”

The older werewolf sniffled. 

“I dunno.”

I sighed and stopped at the bedroom door. 

“I’m really sorry, Simon.” With that, I shut the door and started toward the living room, but not before I remembered I hadn’t asked him what kind of barbeque he wanted. 

When I opened the door, Simon was grinning and dancing around like a fool before freezing the moment I walked in. The remorse I felt moments earlier completely dissolved as my brows furrowed and I crossed my arms. 

“What do you want from the restaurant?” I asked through clenched teeth. 

Simon’s tail dropped between his legs and his ears fell to the sides of his head.

“Uh…I could really go fer some pulled pork.”

“You were fucking with me, weren’t you?”

Simon’s pupils dilated, and he gave me the saddest expression he could muster. 

“It was so awful. Can’t believe you did that to me. That was the most bored I’d ever been in my life.”

My eyes narrowed as his tail betrayed him. 

“Oh my fucking God! You actually enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

“I did not!” Simon snapped. “That was humiliating, and I couldn’t do nothin’.”

His tail continued to wag, and I was actually thankful werewolves couldn’t control it. It was like a long, furry lie detector, but I decided to let him have this round. Even if he was pretending to be that upset, I still felt terrible about what I’d done. 

I picked the cuffs, cage and strap up off the floor and tossed them into the briefcase before snapping it shut. 

“I’m throwing these away. You’re right. They’re probably too dangerous to fuck around with.”

Simon grabbed my arm. 

“Let’s not get too hasty,” he said, pulling the case away from me. “There’s no harm in keepin’ the stuff fer a little while longer.”

“But you said—”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” he interrupted, tossing the case into the closet before pulling the folding doors closed. He turned back and smirked. “Make sure to get sweet sauce.”

“Fine.” 

“Oh, and horseradish if they have it.”

“For pulled pork?”

Simon licked his lips. “Get me some roast beef, too.” 

“Anything else, your majesty?” I asked, my tone descending into a deeper annoyance. 

“Uh—” He took the hint and shook his head. “Nah. That should make up fer what you did.”

“I’m going to kill you in your sleep,” I muttered under my breath while walking out of the bedroom.

“Get some spicy sauce, too!”

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