At the call of the moon

Three weeks after Keith’s death, no leads had yet been found, and the wolves in the pack were slowly trying to return to normal life. The funeral of the two soul mates had been particularly painful, digging deep furrows in the soul of Lexa, always so eager for revenge. For the sake of the pack, she had locked that feeling away deep within herself, but knew that the day she got her hands on the culprit, she would take her time to tear him apart.

That morning, Carter was about to tell his parents that he wasn’t… human anymore. Lexa had told him that if he needed her, she would be right there. And there, sitting in an armchair across from his mother and father, he fought the urge to run for her. Lila and Jaime Masin looked at their son with anguish. Especially the first, who refrained from throwing her cup of tea and throwing herself on her eldest to force him to tell her what was wrong. Jaime put his hand over his wife’s.

– So, Carter, what did you want to tell us?

He swallowed and launched:

– Dad, mom, what I’m telling you might – Will – probably shock you.

Her mother clapped her hands to her face.

– Carty, are you gay? That’s it ? But who cares sweetheart! Is that what you wanted to tell us? Oh my baby! We were such bad parents that you didn’t dare tell us?

– What ? No . Nope ! Mom . Mom . Mom ! Would you mind letting me talk?!

Lila sat back in her seat:

– Yes, okay, sorry sweetheart. I’m listening to you . Go ahead, I’m silent.

Gathering his courage in both hands, he began:

– A month ago now, I had a nightmare where I was bitten by a wolf. It just turned out that, in fact, it was not a dream. Dad, Mom, I’m a wolf now. That’s why I spend so much time with Lexa. In fact, we are part of the same pack.

His parents stared at him in amazement, not knowing what to say. So he continued:

– I understand if you want me to go away. But, know that I am happy, and that I fully understand your decision.

Lila burst into tears, taking refuge in the embrace of her husband, who also had tears in his eyes.

Lexa had sweat beading on her forehead, right in the middle of the toughest ordeal of her life. Focusing completely on her task, she pulled out another stick without knocking the pile over. She burst into a laugh of victory:

– Ha! Good luck beating that, mini Carter!

Mason Masin, Carter’s younger brother, frowned and pouted, a spitting image of his mother.

– Lexa, I already told you to stop calling me That!

– But it’s so cute! (Mason continued to pout) Alright. I’ll only call you mini-Carter once in a while, I promise.

She had been playing with Mason for a good half hour, waiting for Carter to finally decide to confess the truth to her parents, and she had discovered in the person of her friend’s little brother an adversary of her size. She monitored everything via the pack link, and suddenly felt that the peak of the young man’s anxiety suddenly rose. Not wanting to let him worry any more, she got up and said:

– I’ll be right back, Mini-Carter, don’t cheat!

He let out an exasperated cry:

– Lexaaaaa!

Laughing out loud, she walked over to her struggling packmate. She was greeted by Lila, weeping hot tears in the arms of her lumberjack husband, lamenting:

-We are horrrriiiiiiibbbbbblleeesss parents! Our son thinks we might not love him anymore…. I’m a horrible mother… My baby!

Meanwhile, Jaime was also crying, nodding to his wife’s words as Carter tried somehow to comfort them:

– Dad, mom, that’s not what I meant! You are good parents! I swear to you! Stop crying, please…

Seeing Lexa in the doorway, he gave her a pleading look. She approached him gently, and gently shook his hand.

– Mr. and Mrs. Masin – I mean, Lila and Jaime – your son didn’t want to upset you, he was just afraid of shocking you. Please believe me.

Carter’s mother looked up at her with watery red eyes.

– Is it – is it true? He doesn’t think we could hate him?

Lexa gave him a soft smile:

– Of course yes, it’s true. He loves you so much.

She nudged the young man, glancing at him insistently:

– Right, Carter?

He came out of his torpor:

– Y-yes. Lexa is right, I’m sorry, mom. Dad, can you stop crying, please?

Jaime lifted his head, shaggy, wiping away his tears in a hurry. Lila, she suddenly became very serious, her gaze fierce:

– How could this happen? Aren’t there any rules?

Lexa squirmed in the chair, uncomfortably.

– It may be time for you to be informed… But the wolf who transformed your son is a loner, a wolf without a pack, and he arrived on our territory illegally. What happened to your son should never have happened. We found him in the forest on the evening of his first transformation and brought him back to the lair. The whole sleepwalking thing was just a lie to cover up the facts. I’m really, really sorry that you were lied to.

Lexa lowered her head in submission, which moved Carter, who knew how hard this must be for her. Her mother took Lexa’s hand in hers and squeezed it, a smile on her face.

– thank you for taking care of our son, Lexa.

Then she turned to him, her eyes narrowed:

– And you, never dare to hide something like that from us again!

He laughed, immensely relieved that that dreaded moment had passed. They spent the afternoon chatting, laughing and drinking, before his little brother, who had joined them in the meantime, asked:

– Say, can I see you in your wolf forms?

Lexa smiled impishly.

– Normally, it’s reserved for members of the pack but… since you’re Carter’s brother, you’re a bit of a part of it, aren’t you?

He brightened and nodded vigorously. So the two wolves took them to the garden and transformed in unison. Lexa gazed at Carter, looking magnificent in her animal form. His coat was brown, red and black, as if a forest fire was spreading over his coat. He shook himself and Mason jumped on his brother running, prancing under the laughter of the young man. They played for another half hour before he transformed back and Carter, uncomfortably, waddled around, waiting for the right moment to drop his last bombshell. Eventually he found the strength to do it. :

– By the way… I’d like to tell you about… my move into pack territory. I …

Lila’s eyes were full of tears again:

– Do you want to leave us?

He stretched out his hands in defence:

– No, no, it’s just … more practical!

Lexa chimed in:

– And you can come and visit him whenever you want! You can even come now if you want! Carter’s cabin has just been finished!

Jaime took his wife in his arms and said:

– With pleasure !

Lexa accompanied her friend to pack his last things, and they loaded everything into the car, the young man ready to start his new life, where his friends, his family, and his pack would mingle in good harmony.