When Lana and Greg returned to Nicky's ward, there were only med workers. Nicholas was still asleep, and the doctors stayed to check the healing process. Kiki took Victoria and Frank to a small dining room on the second floor when they were firmly asked to leave the room to perform the necessary procedures. Lana and Greg decide to head that way, too.
They walked in silence. Lana apparently had already recovered her usual mood a little and now diligently averted her eyes, blushing like beets, bit still not letting go of Greg's hand. Greg, on the other hand, tried to suppress laughter, every time he turned his eyes to her. Everything that happened in the last few hours seemed like a dream. The fact that Lana is a mythical werewolf still was strange to him. Greg didn't watch many such movies, and he never was fond of fantastic literature. He could hardly imagine a werewolf. In his head, it should be a curvy, muscular woman, in black leather pants and the same leather mini top, sharp, boorish, wild.
Greg looked at Lana again. She barely reached the top of his shoulder. Slender, with roundness in the right places, tender, soft. She would rather have the role of a fairy or some nymph. Imagine that she could turn in a predatory beast was very difficult.
A sudden thought made Greg stumble.
" Listen, there in the forest, it was you, right?" - He asked when Lana stopped too and looked at him in surprise. Embarrassment and a shred of shame slipped across her face. Looking down, she answered softly.
" Yes, these wolves attacked us first, then they sensed you and ran away. As soon as I realized that they were going to attack you, I immediately rushed after them. Vicky and Nicky were with me."
Greg tried to digest the information.
" So it was not a birthday party after all?" - he began.
" Full moon." - She answered simply, looking up at him, - "on this night all werewolves arrange a run or a hunt. Usually, it is made by the pack. But we are now loners. The Park is a special place for loners to spend this night safely."
Greg looked at her curiously.
"Could you ... Well, do it right now?"
Lana first raised an eyebrow in surprise. Then her eyes became cunning, and the right corner of her lips crept up.
" What, right here?"
"Isn't this a werewolf clinic?"
Greg turned around. There were not many people, five or six staff members along the corridor near the dining room. Nobody paid much attention to them. But when he looked at Lana again, she had already lifted the hem of her dress almost to her waist.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" - Greg shouted, stopping her and yank back the fabric into place.
"Greg, we may be mythical creatures. But in clothes, it is very challenging to shift. You can get stuck or ruin it in the process." - Lana answered with a laugh. Greg winced.
"Okay, I get it. Let's go." - he muttered, grabbing Lana by the hand and pointing in the direction of the dining room.
The rest of their group they found at the far table. Kiki happily shoved a huge sandwich into his mouth. The meat layer in it was twice the size of the rest. Frank and Vicki modestly sipped coffee from plastic cups. At the sight of a Greg, relief showed on Frank's face, deciphering the anxiety and nervousness emanating from him before that. It was strange to see him like that. Always calm and thoughtful, even in the most critical situations, just a moment ago Frank looked uncertainly and tried not to meet the stares of his neighbors.
Coming closer, Greg smiled encouragingly to his bud and sat down with Lana.
" How's your wound?" - Kiki started, still chewing on his sandwich.
" Just a scratch!" - Greg waved his hand, not paying attention to Frank's starlet expression. -" Lana has already patched me up."
"Oh! I see!" - said Kiki, laughing and glancing at the embarrassed face of the girl. - "Still, some of their skills can be both very convenient and not at all convenient at the same time."
Greg raised his eyebrows in surprise. In response, the big man chuckled.
" One of my guys at the club once offered to help me when a rogue attacked me, slashing my leg. I didn't know what Bob meant at that time, and when I realized it was already too late. I didn't feel so foul even when I found out that the sweet doggy with whom I was cuddling and being all chummy at my sister's house was her boyfriend. Still can't look him in the eyes."
Greg and Frank grinned at first and then exchanged glances.
"So you are not ..." finely noticing, Greg asked in surprise.
"No, I'm an ordinary human," - Kiki confirmed readily. - "Previously, like you, believed that all this is fiction. Until my sister brought her furry guy to met. I almost dirtied my pants when he suddenly smirked at me, fangs and all. So you're doing quite well. So calm and all."
"To be honest, I haven't even had time to digest it yet." - Greg shook his head. Frank nodded in agreement. - "But I would prefer to find out all the details right now, while I still didn't broke in panic."
The men glanced at Lana, who set, looking down. Feeling everyone's attention, she sighed and without lifting her eyes, began.
"Greg, Frank, first of all, I would like to apologize to you. I couldn't tell you the truth, as it is strictly forbidden. The existence of our species is kept secret, as history has repeatedly presented us with unpleasant lessons. I understand that who we are is not so easy to accept. But I assure, we never hurt anyone. An attack on a person is very strictly punishable by law and ..."
"Lana," - Greg interrupted, squeezing her hand, - "you don't need to make excuses for anything. You are you. And the fact that you have a secret somewhat larger than picking your nose does not mean that I will change my attitude towards you."
"Greg, you don't understand!" - She raised her eyes full of tears. - "Everything is much more complicated. The fact that I can turn in a wolf is not all. Werewolves have a completely different society. We are different, laws and rules are different. I didn't want to drag you into all this. It is too dangerous. You have already been attacked. You saw Nicky. Do you really need all this?" - Apparently, all the nerves over the last couple of hours rushed at her at once. She expected Greg to be shocked, scared. But such easy acceptance of the situation freaked Lana out even more.
"Listen, Lana, I understand perfectly that all this isn't so simple. Therefore, please tell me everything. Just trust me." - He said, trying to pull her to him, to calm. But Lana suddenly drew away and jumped to her feet.
"No, Greg. You can't be like this now. You can't just stick your head in this mess, without thinking. I will not let you intervene. I am grateful for your help with Nicky, but that's about it! Now you know who we are. And you must understand that now we have even less reasons to be together. It's not a decision that you can take lightly." - She said firmly and without waiting for the reaction, turned around and stormed away.
Vicky, uncertainly looking at the other, got up and followed her.
Greg wanted to rush after them, but Kiki stopped him.
"Let her cool down. It may seem like a wonderful adventure to you now, but they live in it. For them, everything is entirely different. You need to think about it and only then make a decision." - the big man said thoughtfully.
"But aren't we already involved?" - Frankie put in. Kiki looked at him as if weighting, should he proceed or not.
"You know, sometimes it seems to me that they look at us the same way, as if we are some kind of mythical creatures. It appears to them that everything in our world is much simpler. When my sister began dating Alpha of the local pack, I was against it. I was afraid for her and even tried to upset their relationship. Do you know when I changed my mind?"
"When?" - Frank asked.
"When I saw that Derek, her Mate, the Alpha, is even more against it. For them, the protection of people close to them always comes first. And when they are the one who put their Mates in danger, it's tearing them from the inside. They see us as a mere human, weak people who need to be protected like little children. In a couple, where a human is a woman, and a man is a shifter, it still can work, but your case is much more complicated. Before you get into it all, you need to think it over carefully, Greg. While you can still leave." - Kiki said, rising. His expression clearly showed that the conversation was over, and he was about to leave.
"Do you know what motivated me the most in life?" - Greg asked, stopping him halfway. Kiki turned around. - "When people tell me that I'm not good enough to have something. And every time I prove them wrong."
"Your ego runs ahead of you." - Kiki grinned. -"But what if you're really not good enough this time?"
Greg responded with a predatory smirk, making the big man burst out laughing.
"I'm kind of glad that you have no fur or tail. Otherwise, You'd make one hell of an Alpha." - Kiki spoke with a grin and left.
When Lana and Greg returned to Nicky's ward, there were only med workers. Nicholas was still asleep, and the doctors stayed to check the healing process. Kiki took Victoria and Frank to a small dining room on the second floor when they were firmly asked to leave the room to perform the necessary procedures. Lana and Greg decide to head that way, too.
They walked in silence. Lana apparently had already recovered her usual mood a little and now diligently averted her eyes, blushing like beets, bit still not letting go of Greg's hand. Greg, on the other hand, tried to suppress laughter, every time he turned his eyes to her. Everything that happened in the last few hours seemed like a dream. The fact that Lana is a mythical werewolf still was strange to him. Greg didn't watch many such movies, and he never was fond of fantastic literature. He could hardly imagine a werewolf. In his head, it should be a curvy, muscular woman, in black leather pants and the same leather mini top, sharp, boorish, wild.
Greg looked at Lana again. She barely reached the top of his shoulder. Slender, with roundness in the right places, tender, soft. She would rather have the role of a fairy or some nymph. Imagine that she could turn in a predatory beast was very difficult.
A sudden thought made Greg stumble.
" Listen, there in the forest, it was you, right?" - He asked when Lana stopped too and looked at him in surprise. Embarrassment and a shred of shame slipped across her face. Looking down, she answered softly.
" Yes, these wolves attacked us first, then they sensed you and ran away. As soon as I realized that they were going to attack you, I immediately rushed after them. Vicky and Nicky were with me."
Greg tried to digest the information.
" So it was not a birthday party after all?" - he began.
" Full moon." - She answered simply, looking up at him, - "on this night all werewolves arrange a run or a hunt. Usually, it is made by the pack. But we are now loners. The Park is a special place for loners to spend this night safely."
Greg looked at her curiously.
"Could you ... Well, do it right now?"
Lana first raised an eyebrow in surprise. Then her eyes became cunning, and the right corner of her lips crept up.
" What, right here?"
"Isn't this a werewolf clinic?"
Greg turned around. There were not many people, five or six staff members along the corridor near the dining room. Nobody paid much attention to them. But when he looked at Lana again, she had already lifted the hem of her dress almost to her waist.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" - Greg shouted, stopping her and yank back the fabric into place.
"Greg, we may be mythical creatures. But in clothes, it is very challenging to shift. You can get stuck or ruin it in the process." - Lana answered with a laugh. Greg winced.
"Okay, I get it. Let's go." - he muttered, grabbing Lana by the hand and pointing in the direction of the dining room.
The rest of their group they found at the far table. Kiki happily shoved a huge sandwich into his mouth. The meat layer in it was twice the size of the rest. Frank and Vicki modestly sipped coffee from plastic cups. At the sight of a Greg, relief showed on Frank's face, deciphering the anxiety and nervousness emanating from him before that. It was strange to see him like that. Always calm and thoughtful, even in the most critical situations, just a moment ago Frank looked uncertainly and tried not to meet the stares of his neighbors.
Coming closer, Greg smiled encouragingly to his bud and sat down with Lana.
" How's your wound?" - Kiki started, still chewing on his sandwich.
" Just a scratch!" - Greg waved his hand, not paying attention to Frank's starlet expression. -" Lana has already patched me up."
"Oh! I see!" - said Kiki, laughing and glancing at the embarrassed face of the girl. - "Still, some of their skills can be both very convenient and not at all convenient at the same time."
Greg raised his eyebrows in surprise. In response, the big man chuckled.
" One of my guys at the club once offered to help me when a rogue attacked me, slashing my leg. I didn't know what Bob meant at that time, and when I realized it was already too late. I didn't feel so foul even when I found out that the sweet doggy with whom I was cuddling and being all chummy at my sister's house was her boyfriend. Still can't look him in the eyes."
Greg and Frank grinned at first and then exchanged glances.
"So you are not ..." finely noticing, Greg asked in surprise.
"No, I'm an ordinary human," - Kiki confirmed readily. - "Previously, like you, believed that all this is fiction. Until my sister brought her furry guy to met. I almost dirtied my pants when he suddenly smirked at me, fangs and all. So you're doing quite well. So calm and all."
"To be honest, I haven't even had time to digest it yet." - Greg shook his head. Frank nodded in agreement. - "But I would prefer to find out all the details right now, while I still didn't broke in panic."
The men glanced at Lana, who set, looking down. Feeling everyone's attention, she sighed and without lifting her eyes, began.
"Greg, Frank, first of all, I would like to apologize to you. I couldn't tell you the truth, as it is strictly forbidden. The existence of our species is kept secret, as history has repeatedly presented us with unpleasant lessons. I understand that who we are is not so easy to accept. But I assure, we never hurt anyone. An attack on a person is very strictly punishable by law and ..."
"Lana," - Greg interrupted, squeezing her hand, - "you don't need to make excuses for anything. You are you. And the fact that you have a secret somewhat larger than picking your nose does not mean that I will change my attitude towards you."
"Greg, you don't understand!" - She raised her eyes full of tears. - "Everything is much more complicated. The fact that I can turn in a wolf is not all. Werewolves have a completely different society. We are different, laws and rules are different. I didn't want to drag you into all this. It is too dangerous. You have already been attacked. You saw Nicky. Do you really need all this?" - Apparently, all the nerves over the last couple of hours rushed at her at once. She expected Greg to be shocked, scared. But such easy acceptance of the situation freaked Lana out even more.
"Listen, Lana, I understand perfectly that all this isn't so simple. Therefore, please tell me everything. Just trust me." - He said, trying to pull her to him, to calm. But Lana suddenly drew away and jumped to her feet.
"No, Greg. You can't be like this now. You can't just stick your head in this mess, without thinking. I will not let you intervene. I am grateful for your help with Nicky, but that's about it! Now you know who we are. And you must understand that now we have even less reasons to be together. It's not a decision that you can take lightly." - She said firmly and without waiting for the reaction, turned around and stormed away.
Vicky, uncertainly looking at the other, got up and followed her.
Greg wanted to rush after them, but Kiki stopped him.
"Let her cool down. It may seem like a wonderful adventure to you now, but they live in it. For them, everything is entirely different. You need to think about it and only then make a decision." - the big man said thoughtfully.
"But aren't we already involved?" - Frankie put in. Kiki looked at him as if weighting, should he proceed or not.
"You know, sometimes it seems to me that they look at us the same way, as if we are some kind of mythical creatures. It appears to them that everything in our world is much simpler. When my sister began dating Alpha of the local pack, I was against it. I was afraid for her and even tried to upset their relationship. Do you know when I changed my mind?"
"When?" - Frank asked.
"When I saw that Derek, her Mate, the Alpha, is even more against it. For them, the protection of people close to them always comes first. And when they are the one who put their Mates in danger, it's tearing them from the inside. They see us as a mere human, weak people who need to be protected like little children. In a couple, where a human is a woman, and a man is a shifter, it still can work, but your case is much more complicated. Before you get into it all, you need to think it over carefully, Greg. While you can still leave." - Kiki said, rising. His expression clearly showed that the conversation was over, and he was about to leave.
"Do you know what motivated me the most in life?" - Greg asked, stopping him halfway. Kiki turned around. - "When people tell me that I'm not good enough to have something. And every time I prove them wrong."
"Your ego runs ahead of you." - Kiki grinned. -"But what if you're really not good enough this time?"
Greg responded with a predatory smirk, making the big man burst out laughing.
"I'm kind of glad that you have no fur or tail. Otherwise, You'd make one hell of an Alpha." - Kiki spoke with a grin and left.
