Page 19 of Love, Clumsily
His tail wagged once—an oddly endearing gesture from such a fearsome creature—and he pressed his massive body against my legs. Despite his size, he was careful not to knock me over, displaying the same consideration he showed in human form.
A smaller wolf, silver-gray with familiar eyes, approached us cautiously. Riley, I realized, recognizing something in her posture and the way she held her head.
Mason gave a soft woof, and Riley came closer, sniffing at me curiously. I cautiously extended my hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she allowed me to scratch behind her ears.
“This is so weird,” I told them both. “But also kind of amazing.”
More wolves gathered around, each approaching to sniff me or nudge me gently with their muzzle—a greeting, I realized, or perhaps an acceptance. Robert, a massive gray wolf with silver around his muzzle, approached last, standing tall and proud before me. He held my gaze for a long moment, then dipped his head slightly before turning toward the forest.
He let out a howl that raised goosebumps on my arms—deep and primal and ancient. The other wolves joined in, creating a chorus that seemed to shake the very air. Mason’s howl rose above the others, rich and powerful, making my chest vibrate with its depth.
And then, as quickly as it had begun, the howling stopped. Robert bounded toward the forest, and most of the pack followed, a stream of furry bodies racing into the darkness.
Mason remained by my side, looking at me with those intelligent eyes.
“Go on,” I encouraged him, understanding his reluctance. “I’ll be fine here by the fire. Go run with your pack.”
He hesitated, then licked my hand once—a gesture that should have been gross but was somehow sweet—before turning to follow the others, his powerful body moving with the grace he lacked in human form.
I watched him disappear into the trees, then turned back to the fire. I wasn’t alone—a few humans remained, including Riley’s girlfriend Jess, who came to sit beside me.
“First full moon?” she asked with a knowing smile.
I nodded. “That obvious?”
“You have that ‘did I really just see my boyfriend turn into a giant wolf’ look,” she said. “I remember it well.”
“How long have you been with Riley?” I asked.
“Three years,” she said. “Found out she was a werewolf six months in, when she shifted accidentally during a particularly… intense moment.”
I laughed. “Mason was terrified of that happening. He wouldn’t sleep with me until I figured it out.”
“Riley had no such restraint,” Jess said with a fond smile. “Nearly gave me a heart attack, but once I got over the shock… well, there are certain advantages to dating a werewolf.”
“The stamina,” I agreed.
“And the heightened senses,” she added with a suggestive wink.
We traded werewolf boyfriend stories for a while, occasionally joined by other humans or werewolves who had shifted back to human form. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, the night air filled with distant howls and the crackling of the fire.
I was in the middle of telling Jess about Mason’s first attempt at cooking dinner for me (a disaster involving a smoke alarm and a very apologetic werewolf) when a commotion at the edge of the clearing caught my attention.
The pack was returning, still in wolf form, many of them carrying small game in their jaws—rabbits, squirrels, even what looked like a young deer carried between two larger wolves. They dropped their catches near the fire, where I noticed a cooking area had been set up.
Mason trotted directly to me, his muzzle slightly bloody but his eyes bright with the joy of the hunt. He pressed against my legs, and I buried my fingers in the thick fur of his neck.
“Successful hunt?” I asked.
He made a sound that was unmistakably smug, then moved to a space a few yards from the fire. I watched, fascinated, as he began to shift back to human form. The process was just as mesmerizing in reverse—fur receding, bones realigning, features softening back to human.
Within moments, Mason—naked, slightly dirty, and absolutely gorgeous—stood before me. His eyes were still more gold than amber, and there was a wildness to him that hadn’t fully receded, but he was unmistakably himself again.
He grabbed a robe from a nearby stack and shrugged it on before joining me by the fire. “So?” he asked, his voice rough from howling. “What did you think?”
“That was…” I searched for the right word. “Incredible. You’re incredible.”
His smile was brilliant in the firelight. “You weren’t scared?”
