Moonlight Desires

Chapter 9

Seth's knowledge of werewolf packs was all second-hand. When his relatives had mentioned the more formal things, like politics and power structures, he hadn't paid much attention since he figured it would never apply to him; if his own kin didn't want to include him, it was unlikely he would ever find a pack on his own, since werewolves were so rare. Then Becky had started teaching him things and sharing stories from her youth, and Seth got more of a sense of the idealized type of pack he'd built up in his head, one bonded by love and family—plus a healthy dose of humour. The last factor might be more attributed to Becky's family members themselves and less of a werewolf trait, but he was glad it was part of the package. It lessened the sting of being rejected by his father's family somewhat—if they couldn't find the joy in what they were, Seth wouldn't have fit in well with them anyway—and it gave him hope. Even if they were going to tease him mercilessly—and Becky had basically warned him that they would—her family were at least likely to give him a chance.

When it was all just theoretical, Seth was fine with the idea of going on a run with the werewolf side of Becky's family. When WWE's European tour actually kicked off and the full moon neared, his nerves started to fray. "Do they know we're . . . you know?" He'd meant fucking, but since they were dating as well, he wasn't sure if that would be excused or if it just meant he was going to get twice as much scrutiny. He and Becky had started seeing each other quietly, only informing management and close friends because they weren't really sure anything would develop; simply being werewolves wasn't enough to justify being together. As the days turned into weeks, though, they both found that the bond they shared in wolf form was starting to develop in their human lives as well. How he had gone from single and being without a pack to dating one of his best friends who happened to be a werewolf as well he had absolutely no clue, and Seth often wondered when the dream was going to end.

Becky, naturally, knew exactly what he meant and she wasn't shy about saying it out loud. "Fucking? Or dating?" She even said it in the same order, as if dating were the one that would somehow take more explaining. "Probably. I mean, I was asking Caitlin about werewolf sex and now Dad knows that you were the other werewolf in the company, so I'm sure it didn't take them long to piece things together." Becky kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry. They won't bug you too much."

She hadn't even tried to put a dramatic pause before too much, which was telling; it meant that teasing was an absolute given, and while Becky had grown up with werewolf-grade shenanigans, Seth hadn't. "That's not reassuring," he told her, pulling her down onto his lap. He would have loved to drive out to meet the werewolf clan, but Ireland's country roads were notoriously unforgiving to tourists and Becky wasn't a great driver, so her father was coming to pick them up at their hotel instead.

"I'd say Get a room, but. . . ." Samoa Joe stopped in front of them, gesturing at the hotel lobby. "You clearly already have one, so why aren't you in it?"

"My dad's coming to pick us up. We're going camping under the full moon. Family tradition," Becky said with a smile. It always amazed Seth how she could weave thinly veiled truths into her discussions with people and no one seemed to notice the odd turn of phrase here and there. She had probably made hundreds of vague werewolf comments around him and he'd never noticed.

"He look like the camping type to you, Lynch? He doesn't leave home without a fanny pack, for cryin' out loud," Samoa Joe laughed, pointing at the belted bag sitting on top of their knapsacks; since they were only going to be gone for a night and most of that would be spent in wolf form, they were leaving their larger luggage at the hotel.

Seth gave him a sharp look. "Actually, it's a cross-bod—"

Becky stopped him by putting a hand over his mouth. "No one calls it that, Seth. Not even Cesaro."