The Fox and The Wolf - Book One {Sterek}

Chapter 7: Part of the Pack

I was relieved that the full moon had been a Friday night. It gave me the rest of the weekend to practice control before school on Monday. We didn't want a certain bushy tail making an appearance. I cringed at the thought, that was like dreaming I was naked in front of a crowd of people I knew. My social standing was already precarious... sprouting a tail in the hallway would be deadly for my high school reputation. We had all gone home after Deaton's to try and get a few hours of sleep. I was going to meet Scott at Derek's loft this afternoon for training, which gave me about 6 hours if I could get to sleep now. I curled the blankets around me a little tighter and closed my sore eyes gratefully, fading off to sleep almost immediately.

I jerked myself awake hours later, the greenish brown eyes burned into the back of my eyelids. They were the perfect mix of moss and dirt up close, and they were Derek's. Why the hell was I dreaming about Derek's eyes? I thought to myself in confusion. I couldn't remember anything else I had dreamed about, just the eyes looking at me. Odd. I yawned and stretched my sore muscles, I felt soft fur against my mid section and glanced down. My tail was wrapped around my body protectively. I frowned in my sleepy puzzlement and made my way to the bathroom.

I looked in the mirror, only seeing my ordinary face. No hair or orange eyes, no pointy ears or claws. Uhh... okay? I wondered at the tail swishing behind me and thought back to when I had fallen asleep. I remember being chilled, and wanting more blankets. Maybe the tail comes out when I'm sleeping to keep me warm? I definitely needed to do some fox research. But first, to get rid of the tail. I closed my eyes and tried to focus, the mossy earth eyes came to my mind, along with the scent of forests and mint. I willed the tail to disappear, imagining it shrinking back into nothing. I cracked one eye open and checked the mirror. No tail. I sighed with relief. I didn't want to have to walk around with that thing all the time.

I went back to examining myself in the mirror as I looked at my bare chest. Woah, dude. I've got muscles! YESSSSS, I thought as I pumped my fist. Admittedly, they were ropy and slight, but they were there. I had more prominent peck muscles and an obvious six-pack, and my arms were definitely lined with more muscle than before. I wasn't as crazy muscular as Derek or Scott, but they were there. I had gone from scrawny to lithe in one night.

"Ahh-mazing," I sang to myself, definitely pleased.

I stripped down to hop in the shower and checked my legs. Ha, no more chicken legs, I thought as I inspected my newly muscled legs and butt. I looked at my back in the mirror. It too had more muscles straining beneath the skin. I think this might be the best part of the whole transformation. I smirked at myself in the mirror, look out ladies. I still smelled the scent of Scott lingering on my neck. He had the comforting scent of chocolate and cinnamon, and spring sunshine. I stepped into the warm water and enjoyed the feeling as it rolled down my body. I went through the motions as usual, but something had changed about this everyday routine. I realized it was my sense of smell, and that the steam was magnifying it even more. My vanilla spice body wash that I had been using since my mom had died was overwhelming in my nostrils. It was a scent I associated with her memory, and I wouldn't be able to give it up even if I wanted to.

I finished up and stepped out of the steamy shower stall, wrapping a towel around my waist. I smelled the distinctly Derek scent again, but shrugged it off. I walked into my room and was about to remove the fabric from around my waist to towel off my wet body when I heard a cough behind me. I spun around quickly, my heart rate increasing exponentially as my hand flew to my chest.

"Ahh!" I squeaked in shock.

The brooding werewolf was sitting on my desk chair watching me with an unreadable expression. I felt the breeze from the open window on my bare back and shivered a little.