Lachlan

I groggily groaned and blinked, trying to wake up. It had been like this for too long – waking with my throat burning from thirst and feeling like I had to fight for every ounce of consciousness.

Magnus was here sometimes, I knew that much, but the bed was too cold for him to be here now. Still, there was a glass of water waiting for me on the nightstand next to an apple and a granola bar I was sure he had left there. I gratefully chugged the water down and lay back, shutting my eyes and waiting for that persistent grogginess to drag me back under.

This time, though, it didn't. In fact, I almost felt like... I was waking up. Maybe. Just a bit.

"Are you okay?" someone asked. Definitely not Magnus. I focused on the source of the sound – Luin.

"Yeah," I said, and it was true. I felt kind of achy and my gums hurt like they'd been shredded, though they were whole when I ran my tongue along them. There were still tendrils of sleep trying to drag me under, but they weren't so insistent now and I felt like they were growing weaker by the second.

My nose burned and my head and chest ached. I could smell too much and my own body odor was hard to take. "How long was I out?" I asked.

Luin lifted one shoulder in a graceful shrug. "It's three days after you were infected. You've been in and out."

I thought back, trying to fit my brief snatches of waking to such a wide span of time. I could remember glasses of water, food being put in my hand, and occasionally making the grueling trip to the bathroom. I could not remember a single shower.

No wonder I reeked.

"I'm going to go clean up," I told Luin.

"I'll be here if you need me," he said.

The walk to the bathroom wasn't so bad this time. I didn't feel like I was going to fall over with each step and it felt like my legs could really hold me. I cautiously concluded that perhaps the worst of the transformation was behind me.

I had thought the shower would make me feel loads better, but instead it was confusing. Once the overwhelming scent of my unwashed body was gone, I realized that every smell was too strong, not just my own. It felt like it should be hard to process all the extra sensory information, but it was easy to choose which scents to focus on and which to relegate to the background of my mind.

I took in the scent of the water that streamed from my shower, but it was easy to tuck that away and focus on other, more interesting ones. My shampoo was a little on the harsh side, but it, too, was easy to dismiss.

The really persistent scents came when I made it back into my bedroom. I was already more used to this enhanced smelling and no longer distracted by how badly I needed a shower, and it became all too apparent that my bed smelled divine. The ache in my chest intensified and I sniffed at the air until I honed in on the source.

The blanket on top of my bed, the one that had appeared days ago, it smelled like... I didn't know how to place the scent, how to describe it. There was no comparison I could make because in my experience, it was utterly unique. I had never smelled anything quite like this and I had never felt the way it was making me feel. It awakened a need in me I never would have imagined possible before this moment, before feeling it myself. I clutched the blanket against myself and buried my nose in it, closing my eyes and taking in another pull of the scent. It was... warm, and even as it sharpened the pain in my chest, I felt soothed.

"I've been wondering when your new senses would kick in," Luin said.

I smiled a bit. "Enjoying the show?" He looked uncertain and uncomfortable, which just made me smile wider. "It's okay. I'm really grateful for you being here all this time."

His return smile was easy and uncomplicated. "Seeing this whole process has been fascinating. And I got to spend some time with your mate. He's..." Luin trailed off, leaving me eagerly awaiting his verdict. "He's a very good man."

There was an unmistakable glint of admiration in Luin's eyes that might have upset me if I didn't know better. "He is." I hugged the blanket against myself to try and quash the sudden desperate tugging in my chest, but it did little to help. "Where is Magnus?"

Luin pulled his phone out of his pocket and said, "He's with his pack, but should be back soon. He comes by almost every day during lunch time before he has to run out again."

I was torn between joy and angst. I would see him soon... and he would leave again.

This was the whole point of my transformation, I reminded myself. Soon – very soon based on how I was feeling – I would be able to go with Magnus.

I was still feeling a little shaky, so I stayed on my bed with the blanket clutched against me. Luin sat in the armchair in the corner of the room, the one I liked to read on in the evenings. He looked completely relaxed and content, but I felt a little bad.

"I'm feeling a lot better now," I said. "I know you probably have things you need to get back to. If you needed to leave, I would understand."

His eyes pierced me for several long moments until he looked away and I sagged in relief. "I can stay as long as you need me," he said. "But if you wish to be alone..."

"No!" I said maybe a little too quickly. He looked so dejected and lost. It was like that awful despairing expression that seemed to be Luin's default whenever he wasn't aware of being observed. "I'm grateful for the company. I just didn't want to be a burden."

He studied me again and nodded slowly. "Then I will stay for now."

Silence fell and I searched for something to say. I liked Luin immensely and I owed him a lot for staying with me these past few days, but I didn't know him that well. I wanted to ask about what made him so unhappy, but I also didn't want to make him feel worse by bringing it up and making him relive it.

Better to ease into conversation. Maybe I could somehow get him to bring it up on his own. "So... what do you do when you aren't babysitting an invalid?"

Luin's lip quirked in amusement but he didn't quite manage a full smile. "I do some freelance magic work set up through shops like your cousins', but I spend most of my time exploring. I like people watching and reading. Television has been really educational."

That raised a fascinating question. "How long have you been here?" I asked. Here being this realm.

He knew what I meant and his eyes took on a far-off, distant look of sadness. "Fourteen years."

I was walking on shaky ground but couldn't help wanting to keep pushing for more. "What... why did you come here?"

"I made a choice," he said. "What I wanted for my life was impossible back in Alterra. I could stay and live an empty existence... or I could go and hope that this realm would treat me better."

I already knew the answer, but asked the question anyway: "Has it?"

Luin aimed for a smile but grimaced instead. "Not so far."

That seemed a natural end to the conversation, but I wasn't ready to let the topic drop. I was still searching for what I should say next when I heard the front door open. It sounded louder than it should from all the way in my bedroom. Was my hearing better too?

I listened closely as footsteps moved toward the hallway and it only took seconds for my nose to pick up on the wonderful scent, the one that matched the blanket I held. Without any conscious decision on my part, I was leaping off the bed and launching myself into the hallway.

Magnus stood before me, his eyes wide and surprised. There was no mistaking the kindling joy there, echoing how I felt. I ran for him and plastered myself against his chest, hugging him against me as tightly as I could. His arms enveloped me and I was cocooned in the scent of him.

I stood on tip toes so I could press my nose to his neck. It was hard to sort out exactly how I was feeling. Every point of contact sent shivers and tingles through me; maybe it should have been annoying or distracting, but it just felt good. Right. I felt lighter and happier than I ever had before, but I also felt such warmth and safety that it all threatened to overwhelm me. How had Magnus contained himself in the café the day we met? If I smelled half as good to him as he did to me, how had he managed to act like a completely normal person? If our places had been reversed, I really might have made an utter fool of myself trying to get too close too soon.

"Lachlan," Magnus said. That's it, just my name, and it sent shivers up my spine.

"Magnus!" I said joyfully.

He removed his arms from my back and tried to pull away, but I wasn't having it and I clung as he took a few steps back. He laughed and hugged me tightly again, rubbing his cheek on the top of my head. "You feel it, don't you?" he asked. "The bond."

I nodded. "I think so, yeah. It's just like you described."

I took a moment to appreciate that I was no longer just Magnus' mate – he was my mate, too. I was werewolf enough for that now. I pulled back just far enough that I could press my lips against his. Magnus made a sound of surprise, but was quick to kiss me back. It had been so long since we were able to do this, and maybe that should have made it awkward or clumsy, but we moved together effortlessly.

Magnus eased me back until I was against the wall and I could feel his excitement in the hard length he pressed against my stomach. I pulled apart to gasp for air, but before I could kiss him again, Magnus was nipping and sucking his way down the side of my neck. I hummed in pleasure and he gripped my hips before pulling away.

"Not yet," he said, his voice breathy.

"What?" I gasped, still clutching at him. My toes hurt from standing up on them, so I rolled back down and pulled the collar of his shirt down so I could kiss his chest – the highest skin I could reach.

Magnus pulled away, bending down to give me a quick kiss to soothe the hurt of his small rejection. He waited until my eyes met his before he said, "I've wanted this for a long time, Lachlan. You must know how badly I want us to be together that way, but not like this. You're not completely well yet and..."

I waited for Magnus to finish, but he remained steadfastly silent. His cheeks grew pinker as the silence continued. "And what?" I asked.

"And..." He drew in a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "I want it to be special." He peeked one eye open at me to see my reaction, then shut it again.

I loved him so much it almost hurt. I hooked my arms around Magnus' neck and pulled him down so I could kiss his nose. His eyes sprang open in surprise and I said, "Special sounds good."

Now I just had to figure out what exactly he meant by special by the time I was fully transformed. No way was I waiting a second longer than necessary before getting him in my bed.

--

It was past eight at night and Magnus had told me to expect him back around nine. He and his lawyer-slash-brother-in-law were holed up in their last strategy session before the big bad prosecutor arrived in Tourmaline to conduct her interviews and investigation.

Luin and I were watching his favorite show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I had never seen it before and we were about halfway through season one. I had to say, Luin had good taste.

Watching TV with him had given me the opportunity to see my friend in a new light. As soon as I hit play, he had slid forward in his seat so he could lean back in a strange approximation for how most people lounged while watching TV. The position looked completely unnatural and forced, and when I couldn't stop myself from asking about it Luin had said, "I've been studying humans. This is how you're supposed to sit to watch television."

I had taken an amused moment to enjoy the way he thought before shrugging and lounging in my seat, too. Honestly, sitting upright had been a lost cause for me anyway. I was starting to grow more tired, though a restlessness was stirring in my gut and my heart was racing. I felt light and like I could tackle anything – the perfect adrenaline rush with none of the work or fear that usually earned it.

A strange feeling moved through my core. A ripple of spasming muscles.

My heart kicked up a notch, fear finally catching up with me. I looked down at myself and felt a similar ripple through my arms while the tendons and muscles visibly jerked under my skin.

My stomach dropped with fear and I patted down my pockets in a panic, fumbling for my phone. I got a hold of it just as a strong, sharp pain shot through my legs.

Either something was horribly wrong or I was about to have my first shift.

I dropped my phone and gasped, "Call Magnus."