Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (13 page)

"Lauren." Joe's
voice stopped us both. We turned to face him. He had moved closer,
next to the edge of the sofa. His auburn hair was tousled, and his
pale blue shirt was stained with dirt. "Can I talk to you for a
moment?"

She sighed,
shifting her eyes from me to him. "If you’re going to tell me that
I’m your mate, I already know." His mouth popped open in shock.
"Your sister told me. And no, I'm too tired to talk." With that she
turned around and headed into the spare room.

Even though I
was feeling numb, I still felt bad for Joe. His face crumpled when
she turned away from him. I touched his shoulder. "Give her time;
she has a lot to adjust to."

He smiled at
me. "Thanks, Meg. I'm glad she has you for support."

I nodded before
disappearing into the bedroom, shutting the door behind me. The
first thing I did when I was alone was to strip off Nate's extra
clothes, throwing them in a pile on the floor. Neatness wasn't a
concern of mine. Once I was naked, I headed to the bathroom to take
a really hot shower. I was washing more than two days of dirt away.
I was actually trying to wipe away the whole experience. Too bad
the soap wasn't that strong because when I was done, my skin was
burning from scrubbing so hard, and I was still a werewolf.

I brushed my
wet hair, yanked on a t-shirt and underwear, and crawled under the
covers. I almost sighed with relief; the bed was so soft and
familiar. I could see in the darkness of the bedroom, another trait
of my new condition. And I could hear Nate and Joe talking in the
kitchen with concerned voices. I wanted to reassure Nate that I
would be fine, but I couldn't. Because right now, as I lay in our
bed, with the pale green duvet that we picked out together laying
above me, I didn't feel fine. I wanted to be myself again. I wanted
to be human. And I knew that was impossible.

Just as tears
started to burn my eyes, the bedroom door creaked open, and a
shadow stood in the doorway. Lauren. She was wearing an old t-shirt
of Nate's. She didn't say anything, but I knew what she wanted. I
lifted the covers, and she rushed forward, slipping into the bed.
She curled her body next to mine, her skin was damp. She must have
had a shower in the main bathroom. I could feel her shaking and I
knew, like me, she was crying.

I fell asleep
with a Riley next to me. It just wasn't the one I was used to.

Hungry, savage
wolves haunted my sleep. Despite my exhaustion, I tossed and turned
all night. I jerked awake just as a reddish-brown wolf lunged at
me.

A dark,
menacing feeling lingered after I woke from the dream. The sun
blinded me, making me blink wildly as the bright rays shone through
the large patio doors. I had forgotten to close the curtains when I
fell into bed last night.

I heard and
smelled Lauren, and my hackles rose for a quick second before I
registered her as a friend. I turned onto my back and stared up at
the ceiling, my hands folded on my stomach. Lauren’s breathing
helped soothe the ominous feeling that hovered inside of me.

The sound of
dishes tinkling arose from the kitchen along with the smell of
bacon and eggs. The guys were cooking for us, which would normally
make me happy. I loved how thoughtful Nate was. But this morning, I
didn’t care. I wanted to go back to sleep, and stay that way until
I could wake up human. I loathed feeling different. Maybe it was
because I hated change. Mona always used to tease me about how much
change bothered me. When I was younger, I’d avoid the rooms that my
mom’s interior decorator rearranged so often. If Mona added just
one new ingredient to an old recipe, I refused to eat it.

I always
thought that if it wasn’t broke, then why fix it? Ben would say
that all the time especially when Mona would harp at him to change
things in their small house on our estate. He hated doing work on
it. He said he worked hard enough for other people, and when he got
home, he liked to relax. Mona told me he didn’t really mind fixing
up the house. He just liked griping more.

Laruen stirred
beside me, yawning and rubbing her eyes. “What time is it?” she
asked softly, knowing that her words would be heard by everyone in
the cottage.

I glanced at
the clock. “Eleven,” I answered, still not wanting to get up. I was
being stubborn, and I knew it. Eventually, I’d have to venture out
of the room, and I’d also have to start accepting what I was. I
just wasn’t ready to do that yet.

“Are you taking
this as hard as I am?” Lauren asked, her voice still rough with
sleep.

“Yep,” I
replied dryly.

“I hate being a
werewolf.”

Spotting more
cracks in the ceiling then I ever noticed before, I repeated
myself, “Yep.”

She turned her
head slightly. “Is that all you’re going to say?” she asked, the
corners of her lips turning up.

“Yep,” I said
again, this time I couldn’t get it out without a small laugh.

She grinned.
“At least we’re in this together. Nate didn’t have that. Neither
did Joe, and he was with Charlotte, but what help is that? I’m
amazed he didn’t turn out like her.”

I shifted my
head to face her. Pieces of her sandy hair were sticking to the
pillow and some were falling in her face. Her bright eyes were not
as dull as they had been last night, but they had lost some of
their shine. “I’d say that says a lot about his character.” I
smirked at her, remembering the way she treated him last night.

She huffed out
a breath, blowing the hair off of her left cheek. “I know. But I’m
a little upset that he didn’t tell me I was his mate sooner. I had
asked him many times if he was hiding something.” Lauren waved a
hand at me absently, as if I was about to interrupt her, even
though I hadn’t intended to. “I know it was my dad’s fault, but I
wish he hadn’t listened to him.”

The sounds in
the kitchen stopped. They must have heard what she said, and her
cheeks flushed as she remembered their heightened hearing.

We froze,
waiting for a reaction. It wasn’t long before there was one. A soft
knock sounded on the bedroom door. Lauren’s head spun to me, her
eyes round. We knew it was Joe because his scent drifted through
the thin wooden door.

“Yes?” I called
out.

“Can I speak to
Lauren alone?” Joe asked, his voice sounded miserable.

She shook her
head at me, clearly not ready for that.

I lifted the
covers and made my way to the door. I opened it slightly, the
hinges creaking softly. The smell of bacon and butter was stronger
with the door open. Joe stepped back, an anxious expression on his
face.

“I’m sorry,
Joe, but she’s not ready to speak to you alone. Just give her time
and let her come to you.”

His gray eyes
washed with sadness as he nodded. “Alright.” His lip lifted at the
corner, an attempt at a smile. “Breakfast is ready, if you girls
are hungry.” He paused, his face looking thoughtful. “Unless you
want it in the bedroom?”

I did,
actually. I wished I could hide in here in denial. If we never left
the bedroom, and ignored outside life including the full moon,
would we still be werewolves? I groaned internally knowing the
answer to my own question. Nothing I did or didn’t do would change
what I had become.

I could see
Nate peeking around Joe, peering at me with concern. “Tempting, but
we can’t hide forever. We’ll be right out.”

Joe’s eyes
flooded with relief, and he stepped away from the door so I could
close it.

“Why can’t we
hide forever?” Lauren asked, sitting up in the bed and leaning back
against the headboard.

I turned away
from the door to face her. “Because, we can’t.” I grabbed my blue
yoga pants from the chair in the corner and sat on the edge of the
bed to put them on.

Lauren moved to
my dresser. “Can I borrow a pair?” she asked, pointing to my
pants.

I nodded as I
leaned over, pulling the ring box out of the nightstand drawer.
Opening the lid, I stared at the ring. Just a few days ago, I
couldn’t wait to wear it, but now, I wasn’t sure. My feelings for
Nate hadn’t changed—I still loved him. But I was different now.
Maybe I couldn’t handle being a werewolf, or maybe I’d become a
killer like Charlotte. Until I knew what was in store, I couldn’t
put the ring on. It just didn’t feel right.

Lauren gasped
behind me. “Wow, that’s beautiful.”

“I know,” I
agreed as I closed the lid on the box, stuffing it back inside the
drawer.

“What are you
doing? Aren’t you going to wear it?” Her eyes were wide with
confusion.

I shook my head
and stood up. “Not yet.”

She was about
to ask why, but I silenced her with a look. I didn’t want to talk
about it, partly because Nate would hear, and partly because I
didn’t want to voice my thoughts.

I barely had
the energy to push a brush through my hair before exiting the
bedroom with Lauren at my side. For some reason, I felt
self-conscious, and I’m pretty sure Lauren felt the same. It was
our first morning as werewolves. Would they feel differently toward
us, or would we feel differently towards them? Because, even though
I hated to think it, this wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t with
these men. I winced as the thought crossed my mind. I would never
say it out loud, though. I knew that Nate had probably thought the
same thing already and was currently beating himself up about it.
He was always blaming himself and carrying the weight of the world
on his shoulders.

Nate was just
placing the food on the table when we approached. And by food, I
mean big platters of eggs, bacon, mini breakfast sausages, and hash
browns. I thought that I wouldn’t have much of an appetite after
our ordeal, but I was wrong. I couldn’t wait to sit down and dive
in. Everything looked and smelled so good. Nate glanced up at me
and flashed me a guarded smile. He was nervous and didn’t know what
to expect from me. And I felt unsure how to act. The air in the
tiny cottage suddenly felt warm and uncomfortable.

“Good morning,”
Nate said, pulling a chair out for me.

Joe did the
same for Lauren. She avoided his eyes as she took the seat. It was
obvious they were trying to do everything they could to keep it
light and normal. Like everything hadn’t changed over the last few
days. I sat down on the chair and let Nate push me forward. He bent
down and gave me a soft kiss on the forehead. My body reacted to
his hot breath on my skin, but my mind was still numb. He lingered
just long enough to inhale my scent, and he smiled, taking the seat
next to me.

“Are you girls
hungry?” Joe asked, glancing between Lauren and me.

I nodded.
“Starving.” I reached for the sausage and bacon. I didn’t care
about the eggs; I just wanted meat—warm, bloody meat that I
couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into. I shook my head feeling a
weird sensation in my eyes. Everyone at the table stilled. Lauren’s
fork hung in the air as she gaped at me. Nate looked horrified.

“What?” I
asked, wondering why they looked so shocked.

Lauren pointed
at me. “Your eyes are yellow.”

Dismayed, I
reached up and rubbed, hoping to make them green again, hating that
they changed in the first place. Would I ever have control of these
changes? The others at the table went back to their meal, but Nate
watched me out of the corner of his eye. Did he think he was being
subtle? I knew he was worried about me, but I felt like a freak
already. I didn’t need his constant scrutiny.

I began to eat
again, this time as purely Megan, and grabbed a few eggs. I had
never been this hungry before and knew it was because of my
werewolf side. I had watched Nate and Joe enough to know that their
appetite was heightened along with everything else.

We ate the rest
of the food in awkward silence with everyone keeping their thoughts
to themselves. The only sounds were the scraping of silverware and
the occasional grunt from Joe as he chewed his food.

Lauren finished
her meal and pushed the plate away. She tapped her empty glass with
her discarded fork nervously trying to avoid the pointed looks Joe
kept giving her. Right when Joe was about to open his mouth to say
something to her, she spun her head around to face her cousin. “I’m
sorry for taking your bed last night, Nate.”

Nate gave her a
small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s okay, Lauren. I know
you two needed to be with each other after what you’ve been
through.”

“Did you tell
my father what happened?” she asked, a crease working its way
between her eyes. I’m sure she was worried of how he’d react.

Nate sighed
heavily, setting his fork onto his plate. “No. Just that we found
you, and you were staying the night. He wants you to go see them as
soon as possible. Your mother is worried sick.”

She gulped
visibly. “Should I tell them?”

He shrugged.
“That’s up to you. But I know they will love you no matter
what.”

Her lips
twitched with a failed attempt at a smile. That was happening a lot
this morning. I used to think of the cottage as a happy place. But
this morning, the small house was dreary and depressing. All thanks
to Charlotte. I really hated her.

“I wonder why
Megan was able to change when Lauren wasn’t. They were injected
with the same needle.” Joe asked, reaching for more bacon and
sausage, changing the subject.

Nate turned to
his friend. He was holding a water bottle up to his mouth about to
take a sip. Now he set it back down and leaned against his chair,
looking thoughtful.

“Maybe not.” He
paused. “Maybe the one in Megan’s had less of the drug.” He
shrugged. “We’ll never know until we find Charlotte. And I want to
start the search soon. First, we help the girls with the
transition, and then we go after her. I was thinking we could
contact Stephen. You said she keeps in contact with him.”