Chapter 5: Rose

Wait, what? Kill me? Kimia started giggling. “Kam’s being stupid. We wouldn’t kill you, you idiot.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Humans taste disgusting.”

“Kimi!” I stomped my foot as Kimia and Mina walked past me giggling. I followed behind them still a little bit in shock. 

My best friends are werewolves. My best friends are werewolves! How awesome is that? I tried to contain my excitement as we snuck back inside to get Mina’s pajamas. I volunteered as tribute to distract my sister while the wolves snuck into her room. 

Mallory glanced at me when I plopped down in my favorite chair. “Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, “I couldn’t find them. I’m sure they’ll be back in soon.” Mallory nodded and turned her focus back onto the movie. Kamron was the first to come back. He squished me over in my chair and put his arm around me. If he wasn’t one of my best friends, I’d swear he had a crush on me. Not that I minded him touching me. He is my favorite pillow.

“Where’s Kimi and Mina?” Mallory asked. 

Kamron shrugged. “They’re changing. I think Mina started her period or something.”

“That must be why she was uncomfortable,” Mallory said. “I had the worst cramps when I had my first period. Does she want a heating pad?”

I threw a pillow at her. “You have not had a period,” I scolded.

“Have too! I had my first period three months ago! I thought I was dying!”

Kamron sighed and closed his eyes. “Save me from hormonal women!” he pleaded into the universe. I poked him in his side and giggled. 

“Serves you right for having sisters,” Kimi said as she and Mina walked in looking comfy in their pajamas. “Now you get to hear all the bloody details.” 

We finished our Mel Brooks marathon and ended up heading to bed around midnight. Kimia was staying in my room while Mina was staying with Mallory. Kamron was stuck on the couch, but he needed to get his pajamas and toothbrush from his bag in my room. I had a million questions. Kamron answered some of them when he blew up at me at his place, but I had a lot more! So much I wanted to know! Most importantly. . . .

“Kimi?”

“Hum?”

“Why does your family trust my family with everything except your big secret?” I had a lot more questions, but this was the big one that bugged me.

“Ever hear of the middle ages?” she grumbled.

“Yeah, but it’s illegal to kill people for being different now, and I highly doubt my parents would care. They helped raise you as much as your parents raised my sisters and me.”

She sighed. “I guess it’s just ingrained in us now. I mean, would you believe us if you hadn’t seen it?”

“I guess not. Are there other families of wolves nearby?”

“Not that I know of. Mom and Dad wanted us to have as normal a life as possible, so they chose to live in Aspen Falls, and picked our house because of the forest behind us.” She yawned. “It makes shifting safer.”

“Do you live away from other wolves because of hunters?” My web novels always had hunters of werewolves.

“I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of our kind being hunted in this century. At least not outside of Colorado, but I think those hunters were after regular wolves.” Kimi rolled over and snuggled deeper into the duvet.

“Colorado?” I asked, wondering what was so special about Colorado. 

“Yeah, wolves in Colorado were nearly wiped out by 1945. My great grandparents lived there for a little while before it became too dangerous to shift.”

This was the second time she mentioned shifting with safety related words. “What happens if you go too long without shifting?”

Kimia yawned. “We get super moody, and a little violent. Dad says that wolves who settle in big cities where they can’t shift without notice tend to end up in prison.”

“Are there a lot of wolves in big cities?” I had always imagined the big cities to be filled with magical creatures.

“No clue.”

I was silent for a moment pondering my next question.

“What about mates?” I asked quietly.

“Mate bond is made up,” Kimia replied without opening her eyes. “We choose who we love. Most of us stay with one person till death, but some don’t.”

“If you don’t live near wolves, can you marry a human?” 

“Sure. My grandpa on my mom’s side is human, but it’s discouraged. Some dominant and recessive gene crap,” Kimia yawned, again. “It’s why there are universities like the one Ray and Rina are going to. Universities that cater to the wolf crowd so we can meet and mingle with other wolves and find love.”

“Oh.” I got a little lost in thought imagining what living in an area filled with werewolves would be like.

Suddenly Kimia was wide awake and staring at me. “You don’t have a crush on Kam or Ray, do you?” 

“No!” I scoffed. I mean Ray and Kam are two very good looking guys, but why bother crushing on someone who only views you as his sister? “I just know you have a crush on Simon Jones. I’ve seen you oggle him and his huge. . . biceps. . . in gym.”

“I do not have a crush on Simon Jones!” Kimia practically shrieked.

“Shh! You’ll wake my parents!” I used my pillow to hit her head. “And, yes, you do! You should ask him to the spring dance.”

“He’s got a girlfriend, nitwit,” she said, hitting me back with her pillow.

“Shit. I forgot about that.” Simon’s girlfriend is a skanky cheerleader who cheats on him regularly. “I guess you’ll just have to wait to find some hunky wolf at college.”

“Go to sleep, human, before I eat you.”

“You go to sleep,” I grumbled. Then I remembered what she said earlier this evening. “Besides, you said humans taste disgusting.”

“You do taste disgusting. Your lotion is nasty.”

“Then stop licking me whenever I cover your mouth!” I waved my fingers over the side of my bed to annoy her.

Kimia whacked me with her pillow again, and I giggled a bit before we finally went to sleep.