#2 When the Moon Turns Red

Evie

“You didn’t have to be so rude.” I chastised him.

“I wasn’t, I’m their Alpha.” He said, like it was obvious.

“That’s not a normal thing to say, Noah.” I sighed.

“I know, Everleigh, none of this is normal, not for you anyway.” Noah pulled himself off the floor and sat next to me on the couch.

“What’s going on?” I demanded answers.

“I’m so sorry, this isn’t how I wanted you to find out.” Noah ran his hand through his hair in frustration,

“You shouldn’t have to find out this way.” He grumbled to himself.

I had the sudden urge to comfort him. I reached over and grabbed his hand, running my thumb across his palm. I heard a low rumble coming from Noah’s chest that almost mimicked a purring sound. I looked up and gasped at his eyes. They had changed from a deep olive to a much brighter green. They were watching me intently.

“Your eyes change color a lot.” I commented, searching his face.

“I know.” His voice was low and husky,

“Everleigh, I can’t focus when you do that.” He said, closing his eyes.

“When I do what?” I asked innocently. I was only holding his hand.

“Anything, absolutely everything you do distracts me.” His eyes opened again and were back to normal. He curled his fingers around my hand, trapping it inside his. I noticed that my tiny hand fit completely in his, just like a puzzle piece.

“I don’t understand what’s going on.” I said, softer this time. Noah picked up my chin with his other hand, forcing me to look at him.

“I’m going to explain everything to you, I promise. But, I need you to promise me something in return.” The intensity of his expression gave me reason to pause.

“What?” I asked hesitantly.

“Just don’t run away,” Okay, now I’m worried,

“I meant what I said earlier, I will protect you with my life and that includes from myself; I would never harm you, Evie, not ever. You don’t need to be afraid of me. I know this might all seem scary, but I just need you to let me explain everything. I need you to promise that you’ll hear me out and you won’t make any quick decisions.”

There was fear shimmering in Noah’s eyes and I could see the tension in his jaw, as if he was in actual, physical pain. I sighed, controlling my own fear,

“Okay, I promise that I’ll try.” That was the best I could do. Noah struggled with that answer for a moment before nodding slowly.

“You saw wolves outside the back door and Sawyer told you that they were the good guys,” Noah began. I nodded silently,

“You remember I told you about my youngest brother, Jack?” He asked. Again, I only nodded,

“The big brown wolf was him. The other two were Dexter and Tatum. They’re a part of the Alpha’s patrol team.” I blinked at him, trying to decide if he was being serious or making fun of me. It was very apparent that he was being serious, dead serious.

“You’re werewolves.” I squeaked. Noah seemed a little surprised by that but quickly controlled his expression.

“I am, we are.” He motioned around the guest house and I knew he was talking about the other party goers on the beach. They were all werewolves.

“Molly and Sawyer?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. Noah nodded slowly,

“Sawyer is my third in command, my Gamma. My brother, Greyson, is my second in command, the Beta .” This dude was out of his mind.

“You don’t think I’m crazy?” He chuckled nervously.

“Oh, I definitely do,” the color immediately drained from his face,

“But, I’m studying folklore for a reason. I believe in the crazy.” I shrugged.

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that.” Noah’s face broke out into a giant grin.

“Slow down there,” I warned him as he reached across the couch to touch me,

“I said I believe you, not that I trust you.” I could tell that my words hurt him, although I still wasn’t sure why he cared so much about what I had to say.

“Wolves are not my thing.” I said, creating space between us.

“I know, I know,” Noah ran his hands up and down his thighs like it was taking all his strength not to touch me,

“It’s hard enough that you’re human, your history with wolves isn’t making it any easier.” He mumbled.

“You say human like it’s a bad thing.” I said defensively. His eyes snapped over to me,

“No, that’s not what I meant. It just makes it harder for me that you don’t have the same instincts as a werewolf.”

“Harder for you?” My eyes pulled together in question.

“Telling you about werewolves isn’t the only thing we have to talk about.” He sighed.

“Why do I get the feeling that the other thing is somehow worse?” I grumbled, looking away from his eyes.

I had to admit that he distracted me, too. The way his eyes watched me like he was trying to commit all of me to memory or the way those same looks made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside; the crooked grin he made that somehow felt like it was just for me.

“It’s not worse, it might just be harder for you to understand.” He said.

“Harder to understand then you turning into a giant dog?” I said sarcastically. Noah nodded with a concerned look on his face.

“Can I ask you something first?” He replied.

“I guess so.” Did we really have any secrets now?

“What made you want to start studying folklore? Why do you believe in the crazy?” He quoted what I said earlier and I noticed genuine curiosity in his voice. His questions made sense. I imagine that most humans don’t exactly respond so well to finding out that werewolves exist.

“I was attacked by a wolf and died,” I said plainly. My words caused Noah to flinch back like I just slapped him across the face,

“When I was dead, I experienced things that I can’t explain. I woke up 3 months later, I had been in acoma. The doctor’s had no idea why or how I survived. After I was fully healed, I decided to travel the world and was drawn to other cultures and their perspectives. I needed answers to what I experienced, even if they were just legends and stories.” Noah hung onto every word I said like he was memorized by my voice.

I should have found it creepy, a few days I go I would have. But, coming from Noah, it just felt nice to have his attention.

Get it together, Evie.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” Noah smirked.

“No, not really.” I answered shyly, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“You survived a vicious attack and walked away a stronger person, that makes you incredible.” Noah tilted his head so we were eye level. I fidgeted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable with both his affection and his closeness.

“Are all werewolves so big?” I asked, changing the subject. Noah sat back on the couch,

“We’re all bigger than normal wolves, but wolves in the Alpha bloodline are even bigger. That’s why Jack was larger than Dexter and Tatum.” He explained. I nodded, thinking about what he said.

“Everleigh, you’ve got to stop doing that.” He groaned, capturing my attention.

“What now?” His lack of self-control was disturbing.

“You’re biting your lip.” His voice came out like a growl. I pressed my lips together firmly, not realizing that I had been gnawing on my bottom lip.

“You do that whenever you’re focusing on something, did you know that?” Noah observed.

“No.” I replied softly.

“Does our size scare you?” He asked, bringing us back to the subject at hand.

“It’s just….the wolf that attacked me….I swear he was bigger than the ones I saw outside.” I stammered, embarrassed by my accusation.

“Bigger than Jack?” Noah asked. I nodded,

“Only an Alpha would be that size. Are you sure?” Noah’s voice was laced with concern.

“I could be wrong, I guess, it all happened so fast.” I shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Noah squinted at me, like he didn’t want to let the topic go.

“What else did you need to tell me?” I spoke before he could ask me any more questions. It was Noah’s turn to fidget uncomfortably on the sofa. I honestly couldn’t figure what could be worse than telling someone that you’re a werewolf.