Wulfric

There was an unmistakable nervous energy at our table while we waited for Edmund's arrival. Kitana couldn't seem to sit still, and Griffin wasn't doing much better. Even I was feeling it, though I thought I had the least reason out of everyone to be nervous. I was as certain as anyone could be that this would go well for Kitana, and that Edmund would be pleased to meet her. Yet, I couldn't help but worry.

What if this was too much for my brother? Too many changes, too fast? Not so long ago, we had both led lives that had rarely changed over the course of decades. Now, we'd lost our sister, we were both human, and we were moving out of the cozy cabin that had been ours for decades. And that wasn't getting into processing our father's duplicity and having to come to terms with the great evil we had unknowingly been a part of for so long. Was it any wonder I was concerned for Edmund? At least I had Griffin to anchor me.

I found myself studying Kitana more closely. She really was very pretty. I had some sense of my brother's taste, though he never engaged in serious relationships and tended to be discreet about any dalliances. There was an openness to Kitana's expression that I thought might draw Edmund in, and her smile was charming.

Also, I liked the ramifications for my own future if my brother settled down with someone in Griffin's family. My understanding of pack law was that non-werewolves tended not to be accepted into packs unless they were mated to a member. There could be exceptions to this rule, but this way, I need not worry about both my brother and myself being allowed to live on the pack's land if that was what Griffin wanted.

Something else dawned on me, and I burst into laughter so abruptly that Griffin jolted against me. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Edmund teased me about your father being the head of your pack's security. I can't wait to see his face when he realizes he's mates with the alpha's daughter."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Kitana asked nervously.

"Not at all," I assured her quickly. "He'll probably be anxious meeting your family, but that's harmless enough."

The worried furrow of her brow didn't quite smooth out, but she looked at least a little soothed. Meanwhile, Griffin hadn't stopped smiling since Kitana sniffed at me. I gently tugged at one of his curls, watching it spring back into place with no small amount of satisfaction. I glimpsed a soft smile on Kit's face as she watched our small interaction.

Griffin ordered an appetizer sampler when the waiter came by with a water glass for me. He was determined to introduce me to as many foods as he could as though still trying to convince me of the benefits to humanity. He clearly hadn't realized yet that I needed no convincing. I would get to live a full life now alongside my soulmate and my brother. Mortality was a steep price to pay for that, but now that the initial shock had worn off and I'd had some time to come to terms with my new situation, I accepted that the tradeoff was worth it.

I wasn't surprised Griffin didn't see the change in me yet. He could be truly perceptive, but only if his insecurities didn't get in the way. And he wasn't likely to recognize himself as being worth the trade. Especially after I'd been so resistant to mortality when we first met.

I'd just have to convince him, myself, that I saw the value in my new life. That it was what I would choose if I had the opportunity to do it again... even if we had found a way around the consequences of my vampirism.

With that in mind, I hooked my arm around Griffin's waist and pulled him closer to me on the bench. He looked up at me with a wide smile, clearly pleased by the action. Even now that I was human, Griffin tended to run hotter than me. The feel of him pressed against my thigh and side was pleasant enough I shuddered, but it was nothing to how my love for him warmed me from within.

I dipped my head to murmur in his ear, "As excited as I am to witness Edmund and Kitana's introduction, I admit I'd much rather have you alone right now."

I felt a shiver run through Griffin in response, and he swatted at my knee. "You can't say things like that," he complained. I knew he wasn't serious. Though I could no longer hear it, I was certain his pulse had picked up at my words.

I gently nipped at his ear and Griffin quaked even harder.

"Excuse me," Kitana cut in. She didn't have to say more than that for Griffin's cheeks to heat and for him to start squirming against me. I held tight and he gave up the struggle after only a token effort.

Griffin and Kitana kept up a conversation I followed, but didn't contribute to, and Edmund arrived minutes later. I knew he must have walked in when Kitana suddenly stiffened and her wide eyes shot to the doorway.

"Edmund!" Griffin called, waving his arms to help my brother find our table. "Wulf, why aren't you waving?"

I amused myself with the thought that if Griffin were in his wolf form, his tail would be wagging with excitement. I lifted an arm to appease him, and Griffin rewarded me with a kiss on the cheek. Edmund had seen us by that point and was already heading over. He smiled eagerly at Griffin, though his eyes betrayed his nervousness. I realized that he had a completely different focus for this get-together than the rest of us. He thought he was here to get to know my soulmate better, not to meet his own.

"Hi, Edmund! I'm so glad you could make it," Griffin said. "This is my cousin, Kitana."

"I'm glad to be here. Thank you for the invite," Edmund answered. He waved at Kitana and her cheeks heated.

I watched Kitana's expression as she slid over and patted the bench beside her. "Join me," she said.

Edmund sat, and time slowed for me. Not in a supernatural way, but as time can do when a moment seems particularly impactful. This was our first time being together in this group, but it would be far from the last time. Kitana was one of the most important people in Griffin's life, and Edmund was one of the most important people in mine. How could we do otherwise than band together? And I... I was looking forward to it. To all the moments we should share in the future. The lives that would be lived intertwined.

I realized belatedly that I should have asked what the plan was for filling in Edmund on who Kitana was to him. As Griffin offered Edmund a menu and Kitana flagged down our harried server, I felt the words resting on my lips. It took effort to bite them back. I nudged Griffin with my knee to catch his attention and tried to ask the question with my eyebrows.

"Are you feeling sick?" Griffin murmured.

I sighed in exasperation and gave up the attempt. I leaned in close. "Should we even be here for this?" I asked as softly as I could.

Kitana kicked me under the table. "It's so nice that we're all hanging out together like this," she said – a comment that could have seemed offhand if she weren't staring intently into my eyes as she spoke.

Point taken.

"Yes!" Edmund agreed. "And you're Griffin's cousin, right, Kitana?

"That's right," she said. She took a deep breath and her eyes flicked to mine for just a moment before she turned back toward my brother and added, "I'm also your mate."

Edmund nodded politely, and I saw the moment Kitana's words registered with him. He stopped nodding, and his smile went taut for just a moment before it widened. "Really?" he asked, directing the question at me.

"Yes," I said, and nodded my head pointedly toward Kitana. Why was he asking me instead of her?

"That's wonderful," Edmund said. He and Kitana beamed at each other. "Tell me about yourself."

Kitana gave him a few easily digestible facts – only child, adopted, member of Griffin's pack. She also mentioned that she had been getting to know her birth family. "And you?" she asked.

"You've met the only immediate family I have left," Edmund said. It was the kind of statement that would usually have left him looking sad, but he was still watching Kitana with wonderment. "But we also have nephews and nieces scattered all over. I'll introduce you to Arlo soon. He's in town, though I'm not sure for how much longer. I wish I asked him to come in when he dropped me off here."

Kitana seemed pleased at the implied acceptance his words offered. "I'd like to meet him," she said.

The waiter came and amended our table's order to include a meal for Edmund, looking peeved. I knew adding a plate this late would cause timing issues for the rest of our meals, though surely it wouldn't take long to make an extra burger and fries. Still, we'd probably be back here with some regularity and I didn't want any bad blood with people handling our food. I resolved to leave enough of a tip to make him forget our rudeness.

Our food came not much later, and conversation flowed smoothly while we ate. Griffin and Kitana carried it between bites, with myself and Edmund interjecting now and then. I liked that there wasn't pressure to do otherwise.

When we'd finished, there was some discussion of how to divvy out the cars. We had three cars between the four of us. Edmund and Kitana resolved to go to the same destination – some park I'd never been to before – but in separate vehicles so they could decide what to do from there. I didn't care who took our car, since I was going to Griffin's apartment and could just ride with him.

On parting, Griffin hugged Kitana, then squeezed Edmund just as tightly. He tucked himself against my side and wrapped an arm around my waist. I clasped my brother's shoulder in parting and had just enough time to nod farewell to Kitana before Griffin was pulling me to the car.

"C'mon!" he urged.

"Are we late for something?" I asked. We'd actually left the restaurant earlier than I would have expected – likely because Kitana wanted some alone time with my brother – and I couldn't remember having any other plans this evening.

"No," Griffin answered. He opened the passenger door to his car for me and climbed into my lap as soon as I was seated. He shut the door behind himself, closing us into the small space.

"Ah," I said, smiling a little and slipping my fingers through the beltloops at his hips. "I see."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with a small pout.

"I was just remembering the promise you made earlier," I said. "What was it? 'You are so getting laid tonight?'" I thought we would at least make it to a bed," I teased.

Griffin shifted on my lap and I couldn't stop a gasp from escaping at the sensation. "Don't you worry, I'll take you to bed," he said softly. His eyes were locked on the base of my neck as he spoke. His gaze shifted so he could stare me down while he dipped down to nip and suck at the delicate flesh there.

My heart raced at the attention, and I had to know, had to go against my resolution to let Griffin set the pace of our relationship. "Why haven't you claimed me?" I asked.

Griffin's body, so warm and pliant against mine, froze up at my words. I regretted them fiercely but it was too late to take them back. Griffin withdrew to the driver's seat. "You aren't ready," he said.

I shook my head emphatically. "No, Griffin. I'm ready. I was ready that first night, remember?" How could he doubt it? We hadn't known whether my bite would count as a claiming and had both accepted the possibility.

But rather than looking like a lightbulb had gone off in his head, Griffin's eyes turned sad. "No, Wulf. Accepting the claiming as a possible side effect of getting your rocks off is completely different from being prepared to make a permanent commitment to someone."

Had Griffin meant his words to sound so crass? I wanted to argue that he was cheapening what was between us... but that first night, there hadn't been anything between us other than a bond outside of our control and a mutual attraction. It hadn't been until much later that it turned into something more.

"I don't understand," I said, because I didn't. Something still didn't make sense. I knew Griffin hated when I had expectations for him based on what was characteristic of his species, but I knew it was highly unusual for a werewolf to wait to mate. Or, if they did, it was a matter of days or weeks... not the months we had spent together. My stomach sank. "Is it that you aren't ready?" I asked. "Do you need more time?"

"Don't turn this on me," Griffin said. "We're talking about you."

I shook my head. "Griffin, please. It's okay if you aren't ready yet." Even if it made my heart ache and my eyes burn.

"I'm a werewolf," he said, as if that were enough to contradict me.

"Yes," I agreed... but one who I'd known from the start had abandonment issues. And my behavior when we met would only have made it harder to trust that I truly wanted him.

Did he still not trust me to stay?

The idea was abhorrent.

I reached slowly across the space Griffin had put between us and relaxed a fraction when he allowed me to take his hand. "Griffin, I love you," I reaffirmed. "You have me forever. The mortal equivalent of it, anyway," I added on second thought. Griffin smiled a bit at the reminder of my humanity.

"Yeah, but..." he hesitated, and I hoped he was about to reveal whatever was weighing heaviest about the situation. I waited. "But this isn't what you wanted. If you'd had an alternative, I know this isn't want you would have picked."

So it did come down to a matter of trust. Griffin did not trust feelings or my intentions. "At first, no," I said. Complete honesty was required here. He knew this part, anyway. I hadn't exactly been subtle about my reluctance to give up my immortality to live beside him. "I know it's a poor excuse, Griffin, but I was afraid to die."

"What, and you aren't anymore?" he asked sarcastically.

"I am," I said. I wasn't ashamed to admit it. "But I'm much more afraid to live a life without you by my side. I can take whatever the future has to offer as long as I have you. I didn't understand, at first. Maybe you're right that I needed more time to be able to wholeheartedly give my life to you, but I swear it's yours now."

Griffin squeezed my hand. "Do you mean it?"

I understood why he asked – why he would continue to doubt a while longer. I'd reassure him as many times as it took for it to sink in. "Yes. Griffin, I choose you."

Tears spilled down his cheeks, and he released my hand to wipe them away. He blew out a shaky breath. "Okay," he said. "Okay."