Xavier and the Wolf (Legends of Pinewood 1)

18. You must be ready to fall

I knew by now it was probably considered impolite to compare werewolves to dogs. Judging from Aquila's reaction to me cross referencing him with a list of smells dogs hate, it was.

Still, if he and his uncle didn't want to be compared to their smaller canine cousins, they probably shouldn't stuff their faces so fast the meat was all gone from the table before I, the human, could finish one sandwich with peanut butter. They probably shouldn't stare at me from across the table, following the sandwich with their eyes as it travelled to my mouth either.

Admittedly, it was kind of cute. Absurd as well, but in a way that made me grin. I was glad they were able to be themselves around me now. Especially Boris had to be pretending for so many of his human interactions. I'd never seen him eat without a knife, spoon, or fork.

With the promise I could ask Aquila questions whenever I wanted, I had no issues with Boris kicking me out after lunch because he and Aquila wanted to go for a run. He said something about it still being close to the full moon and them itching to shift.

I'd have to do some shifting of my own, too. Given recent events, the way I tried to tutor Aquila would have to change. Or rather, what I tried to teach him would have to be different. Calculus would not help Aquila be a leader to his people. Being able to talk to humans would. He didn't have to graduate, so it didn't matter if his grades improved or not. Mr. Murray wouldn't be an issue. If Aquila growled his way, the old principal would be sent running and never ask about the grades again.

Giving a werewolf human lessons wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I signed up as a tutor, but at least I could say I was an expert at the topic: I had over eighteen years of experience being human. Besides, I owed Aquila for plucking me out of the river, anyway.

I walked home, already trying to think of a 'how to human' lesson plan for Aquila. It wasn't easy, however. Despite all my experience. In the end, I decided to leave the questions up to Aquila instead. Anything would be an improvement from spending thirty minutes in silence and then leaving, anyway.

"Hey, I'm home!" I called out to my mother once I made it to my house and passed the front door.

"Hi honey!" my mom replied.

"Hey, you're back early," Iris' teasing voice also sounded from the living room. "Did your date with Aquila not go well?"

I snorted as I shrugged off my coat and hung it up on the coatrack. Iris had a tendency of making herself at home at my place, even if I wasn't there. I walked to the living room and found my mom and Iris having tea together at the table.

"Actually, it went very well with Aquila," I said, taking a seat next to my mom at the table. 

My mom's eyes lit up. "So, you're dating Aquila?"

"Mom, no! I wasn't saying it's a date. We just had to talk. About tutoring. "

I glared at Iris for mentioning the forbidden d word in front of my mother in the first place. Mom always got way too excited about my dating prospects. Iris, the great friend she was, just snickered at my misfortune.

My mom's enthusiasm deflated."That's a shame," she said. "It would be great to have Boris as an in-law. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. We're getting along a lot better now, but Aquila is not..." I trailed off.

Aquila probably wasn't interested in me like that. I was a human and Aquila made it very clear he still didn't like humans, even if he was going to allow me to ask questions from now on. The message that he may be okay with dating guys was kind of hinted at by Boris, but never confirmed nor denied by Aquila himself.