verb ~ to begin a romantic or sexual relationship with someone

POLLUX

The next day, I was in the city looking for something to do. I ended up staring at the store front of Uptown, hesitant in approaching the girl inside.

I didn't want to traipse around this damn city longer than needed. I hated the claustrophobia and the stench of... everything. Sweat, grease, gas, bodily fluids... They really had it all, and people willingly lived here, despite the fresh air forest mere miles away.

Fuck it. Inside I go.

The shop had changed slightly with the season. Gone were the shorts and summer colours, and in their place were jackets, beanies and boots. I grabbed a basket, knowing I'd have to either throw away my summer clothes or buy a bigger or separate bag. I'd rather not throw my things away, especially the shirt Claude stole for me.

I say stole. I don't think Antoine minded.

Sighing, I took hold of a winter coat with a frown. I didn't want to, but if I wanted to be human in a civilised place, I'd need a coat. My fur can keep me warm in the forest, but not in the open. That was signing a death warrant.

"Hello, sir. Find everything you needed today?"

I blinked, realising the clerk was talking to me. As my green eyes met their blue, a faint glimmer of recognition passed over their gaze. Harriet hesitated, watching me approach her.

"Pollux." She breathed.

"You remember." I mused.

"Of course." She blushed. "A strange name for the man who wore boots in the summer and handed a stranger his brand-new phone."

I laughed. "Material possessions are not for me."

"Must be nice." She laughed at my frown. "To not worry if someone is going to steal from you."

"Hardly." I shook my head. "It does not bother me if it gets stolen because I don't care for it, anyway."

"Interesting." She hummed and rang up my clothes. "What brings you back?"

"My feet." I shrugged. "It seems I've turned back."

"A change of heart?" She wondered. "You should've called me."

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "To be completely honest, I've not been in the right mind for civil conversations."

If only she knew I meant because I was literally a furry beast.

"Oh? Love nature that much, hey?"

"My phone has been dead for two weeks." I hummed. "So, I'd say so."

"Two weeks?" Her eyes widened. "So, is this another one-night stay?"

"Yep." I nodded. "Just need these."

Her eyes dropped to the clothes in her hand as she scanned it. "I see."

"You seem disappointed." I probed.

Harriet blushed. "I... Sorry."

"What are you apologising for?" I mused. "Do you like me, Harriet?"

Her cheeks flamed, scoffing. "I hardly like a man who thinks he can ask a question like that."

"How else am I supposed to know whether to continue my pursual?" I grinned as she squirmed and pressed total. "Why else would you give me your number?"

"In case you needed someone to show you around." She narrowed her eyes. "Your total is two-sixty-four."

I lazily entered my pin number, waiting for it to be approved, before sliding it back into my wallet. With pursed lips, Harriet held out the carrier bag for me. I stepped closer, curling my fingers around the place where hers gripped the bag. She blinked, staring at me with wide eyes.

"It's a shame." I hummed. "I was thinking I may go around town for a bit, maybe get a drink in a bar with a pretty girl."

She swallowed. "Oh?"

"Yeah." I nodded, quirking an eyebrow. "I just don't know when she gets off."

"Six." She whispered.

I grinned. "Great. Looks like I get that tour then."

Harriet's lips quirked. "It does, doesn't it?"

A person approached the till behind me, and I knew I'd have to move. My gaze held Harriet's as I slowly slipped my fingers from hers and took my shopping. She watched me walk away before I turned completely, leaving the store.

Looks like Pollux was about to have a little fun.

***

I found a park to lie low for a while, a can of some kind of alcohol in hand. It was a spirit mixed with a soft drink, and although not cold, it was enough to calm the raging thoughts in my mind. With every sip, they dimmed, and by the second can, they quietened enough that I didn't hear them.

Contentment.

A hazy dream.

I snorted a laugh, making my way back to Uptown. Harriet was waiting for me as I arrived, still in her work uniform. She was leaning against the closed door, basked in the luminous glow of the store lights. I cleared my throat as I approached, and her head darted up in surprise. When she realised it was only me, her shoulders lost their tension.

It was odd how much people trusted me.

Any other man, they'd be on edge, but never with me. They approached me like a friend; they observed me like I was always there.

Was I not intimidating?

Perhaps not.

"I see the coat fits you well." Harriet teased.

"Keeps the chill away." I mused.

"What made you want a coat?" She cocked her head. "Do you not have one?"

"I have what is in my bag." I shrugged. "I wasn't planning on coming north until summer."

She laughed. "Those pesky feet of yours."

"Indeed." I hummed. "So, it's rather late for that tour."

"Oh." she muttered. "Yeah, I suppose it's pretty useless looking through the dark."

Her disappointment made me smile in sympathy. "I suppose."

"Well... I... Uh..."

"Good job you know the city." I commented. "Bars are pretty hard to find. Especially ones that sell food too."

Her eyes brightened, realising I was teasing. "I sure do! Come on! Dinner is on you."

"It is?" I mused as she curled her arm through mine.

"Expensive clothes choice, gloating about material possessions?" She cocked her head. "Last I remember, you asked me out, Pollux."

"I see how it is." I mused, unaffected.

I'm sure Phoenix doesn't give a shit that I'm using his money.

Harriet led me down the same street I walked up, but turned left down the end of the block. She chattered happily as she guided me, and I listened intently as she told me about how she came to the city. She wasn't from here, but her older sister moved her when she was a teenager to pursue her career and she followed. In the apparent small town she came from, there wasn't anything there for her.

We entered a pub and ordered some drinks from the bar. After being told to find a seat, the bartender mentioned we can order food and drinks from our phones. Harriet eyed my choice in drink curiously as we sat down, swirling the straw in her cider.

"Not what you'd expect?" I mused.

"Somehow, yes." She giggled. "I didn't expect lager, but... a cocktail is different."

My lips twitched. "And I'm not even ashamed of it."

Her shoulders rose with glee. "That's nice to hear."

"It is?"

She nodded, sipping her drink. "Confidence is sexy."

I choked on a laugh. "I think it is more of people hide their true intentions behind false smiles. If I was to hide who I was, everything would be rather grey."

Her smile wavered slightly. "I doubt it would be grey without that. You seem... great."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks."

Harriet's laughter filled the air, and the conversation drifted freely. We ordered food on my apparent modern technology, along with some more drinks. When the fresh drinks came, Harriet giggled as I complemented the mobile to table service. After we dined, we leaned back with a drink, just talking.

"How is it so wrong?" I repeated, shaking my head in exasperation.

"You seem so..." She waved her hand, unable to finish her sentence. "And yet you have the newest phone."

"No, no, finish that sentence." I dared her, teasingly.

She rolled her eyes. "You don't care if you get robbed and don't care what you look like. Yet you have the newest phone and money coming out of your eyeballs."

I snorted a laugh, shaking my head. "It is not coming out of my eyeballs."

"Not yet." She mused. "But I will take a picture when it does."

"Only if you send me that picture." I hummed. "My sister would get a kick out of that."

Her eyes widened with interest. "You mentioned your sister before. Does she not live round here?"

I shook my head. "She doesn't."

"Oh, you seem very fond of her."

"I am, I am. Don't get me wrong, I love Nova to pieces. We are twins!"

"Twins?" She cocked her head. "You have a twin?"

"I do." I exhaled. "We... we were separated when we were young. It's not been long since we met each other again."

Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry. The entire adoption process can be difficult, but I'm glad you could find her when you came of age."

I nodded, going along with her idea. "I've known her for one and a half years."

"Is that all?" She wondered.

"That is all. And yet, I love her to pieces."

"But?" She frowned. "There is a but there, isn't there?"

I shook my head. "I still love her. She's amazing. We just have different lives."

"Other than adventuring places with nothing but a bag?" Harriet teased.

"Exactly so." I laughed, finishing my drink and welcoming the buzz. "She has children, a husband and an entire business to run."

"I suppose that isn't your lifestyle." She muttered, and I shook my head.

"So, where to next?" I wondered. "I was going to stay in the same hotel as last time if you want to come."

"My... My house is closer. I live just on the other side of this block." She looked up at me through her lashes.

"Are you inviting me to stay the night, Harriet?" I teased.

"Perhaps." She laughed, downing her drink. "Fuck it, let's go."

I grinned, copying her actions before taking her hand and tugging her from the building. The air was fresh as we left and the coldness of it stunned me. Harriet's expression lifted with a grin, and with a soft laugh, she showed me her home. It was a small flat above a corner shop, and upon arrival, her shoulders slumped. She looked so adorable as she locked the door behind us, scratching her arms with nerves.

"It's not the five-star hotel you're used to, but-

I cut her off with a kiss, and she stumbled, shocked. Her back pressed into the closed door before her hands curled into my shoulders. I pulled away after only a few seconds, our noses touching.

"It's perfect." I mumbled. "Not materialistic, remember?"

Her lips curled into a grin, and her hands curled around the back of my head. "I remember."

"Good." I grinned, pressing my lips to hers.

She reciprocated the kiss with a passion I admired. My hand curled around her jaw, remembering how they liked it as my other pulled her flush to my front. She moaned softly as my thumb pressed into the spot before her ear. Then her hands wandered, tugging on my clothes, and I pulled away to laugh.

"In the hallway?" I mused.

"If you don't hurry, yes." She huffed.

I laughed, stepping away from her. "Why rush?"

She blinked, confused. "But I thought..."

"We'd fuck once, and I'd leave?" I cocked my head. "Is that what you think of me?"

"Well... All of this seems like it's pointing that way."

I cocked my head. "We're not strangers. You gave me your number in the past, and my feet brought me here five months later. Seems like it was for a reason."

Harriet blushed, dipping her chin. "Pollux, I bet you say that to all the women."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You'd be surprised."

"Why?" she wondered, walking around me to open another door.

"I..." I chewed my lip, wondering how I'd word this. "I only lost my virginity this year, Harriet. I'm not like that."

So, I keep saying.

"Really?" Her eyes widened as she sat on her bed.

"I'm quite new to this."

Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.

"Oh." She breathed. "I see."

Yes.

"Yeah..." I drawled, scratching my head. "If that's not what you thought..."

Her hands mauling my chest came quickly, pulling at my clothes until I was standing in just my underwear. Her nails dug into my skin as she bruised my lips, and I hummed into her touch before I returned the gesture.

My fingers curled into her pant line, teasing the skin as I pushed her onto the bed. She moaned softly as my fingers moved, and I peppered kisses across her bare skin. Staring up at her, I found her eyes shut as her fists clenched the sheets. I stopped, confused.

"Are you sure?" I wondered.

Her once closed eyes snapped down to mine in surprise. "Huh?"

"You... Do you want me to do this?"

"Yeah, of course." She nodded.

She's faking it.

"But..." I shook my head at the thoughts. "You don't look at me."

She laughed. "You were practically teasing me. It's a sensual overload."

"Oh." I exhaled.

I sat, my head spinning with the buzz of alcohol. She laughed nervously, gesturing to my groin.

"Do... Do you have a uh..."

"Oh, no, sorry. I wasn't... expecting this."

Her eyes softened. "I see."

Scratching my neck. "Sorry. We should stop then."

"No!" She rushed out, slamming her thighs together.

I blinked, shocked by her sudden eagerness.

She blushed. "I have them in my kitchen. Just... You get comfy, it'll be my turn to tease when I come back."

I quired an eyebrow as she rose from the bed. Her hand curled into my shoulder, pushing me down until I lay flat against her bed. I listened to her footsteps through the dancing, dizzying lights in my eyes. I could see the flashes of all the cars through her window, and it left me disorientated.

She opened a drawer before rummaging and pulling out something that sounded like plastic. My muscles tensed as she came back into the bedroom and ran her hand across my bare skin.

"You... You just relax." She breathed. "It's my turn."

Fuck.

How I liked it.

How did she know?

My eyes fluttered closed, trying to fight the dizzying nausea. I may have drunk too much, but thankfully I stopped to enjoy this. I feared one more would be my downfall.

Harriet's hands trailed my thighs, my stomach and then my shoulders. I felt her hair tickle my face, shrouding me in its curtain. She exhaled nervously, and I blinked, trying to see her through her hair. It covered me, and I was drunk, but I couldn't miss the sound. My hands curled into her bare thighs, feeling her warmth.

"You don't have to do this." I murmured.

"I'm sorry, Pollux." She whispered.

I shook my head with a smile. "You don't have to apologise. Sex isn't life, you know? There's so much more to living."

My dick groaned at me.

"I hope so."

My eyebrows furrowed, confused. "Ha-

A sharpness came to my neck, one that had my hands tightening on her skin. A strangled gasp escaped me as something cold ran into my veins, sinking in like a poison. I felt it travel, felt it swim through my bloodstream before Harriet removed the sharp thing from my neck and crawled off of me.

It happened so fast.

I stared at her, shock coating my system as my wolf threatened to break free. My hand flew to my throat, covered in a trail of blood, but my head flopped back onto the bed.

"I'm sorry, Pollux." She cried.

"H... Ha..." I croaked; my hand heavy against my throat.

My world swayed in a whole new way, and my wolf whimpered, his spirit dimming. My gift screamed, reaching out to whatever it could find as my chest wheezed. It found Harriet scared and guilty.

What has she done?

What was happening?

But then it found something else.

Something angry.

Something prideful.

Something malicious.

And then I was gone, gone with the cries of Harriet in my ear and into a darkness I wasn't welcome to.