1649 word count as of 07/23/21

         The first week after she left my home hit me hard. I thought I caught Covid, since that disease seems to have every symptom under the sun. Got tested, came back negative. My doctor had nothing.

          The 2 weeks after that, I coddled myself, recovering from that misery. I occasionally felt weak as hell, but it was better everyday.

         The remaining week-and-half, I was restless, but couldn't bear going near the one place that would tempt me to give up before the time I promised. It's easy to remain celibate if you don't have any temptation.

         But I wanted some meaningless company--not exactly sex, although that is my regular outlet.

         I thought about calling some friends, but then tried to think about the last time I hung out with any of them. It had been years. They're either married and scared to bring their wives around me (like I have ever knowingly gone after anyone's wife), or their lives got even wilder than my placid existence. Neither appealed. I missed none of them.

         Again, I waited it out...and finished off the half week. She was now 5 days late.

         Fuck it, I did as I was asked. I'm going out.

~~~

         The club was the same as usual. Nameless faceless, attractive women, mostly familiar men--plus or minus a few. I sat at the bar and didn't even look them over, began drowning myself in alcohol instead of women.

         It was not my regular choice. The way my father's life ended scared me too much to suicide by bottle.

         While restless as hell, I guess I wasn't up to this anymore. I had a brief flash of rage--damn her for even coming into my life. It wasn't great, but it was comfortable--the dream of many a man. I had never been uncomfortable sitting here, wondering which woman would pick me, unlike this time.

         I should have been wondering. I might have seen this one in the cards. A hand placed on my bare arm, the touch almost like a static zap. I tensed and turned to face a solid 7 with a pixie bob. Her hair was a deep chestnut and eyes a coffee color. I could see this woman's features. Belatedly, I realized I couldn't remember the colors of the woman I promised a month to, but this was not her. It couldn't be. She'd have to have lost a whole man's weight in a month, a physical impossibility. "I'm sorry, miss, I'm not up for this tonight."

        "Do you not know me?"

        "Should I?" It took me too long to get these two words out, as I was drunk as hell by then.

        "You promised a month."

        "That ended 5 days ago, and you're not her." I grit my teeth, fighting rage and bile. I really couldn't hold my liquor anymore.

        "But..."

        "God damn it!" I seethed half out of my mind with a feeling I didn't understand. "I'm done. Find some other man, ma'am."

        I stormed towards the door, only to slam into a man. "We can't just walk out of here!"

         "That's not stopped me for 10 years. Whatever weird reasons you guys are here for, I'm not one of you." How the hell was I managing to be this thought out? Of course I slurred like hell, but this was as coherent a thought as I normally had.

         He leaned forward and sniffed. "Human...why did you turn her down?"

         "I really don't get why everyone keeps calling me human. But I promised another that I'd behave for the past month, and she's not here."

         "Wait, you're the one that went with the little dying queen?"

        "That was a sick woman, not a dude in drag."

         "I forget your kind can't sniff out an individual. Come on, go talk to her, ask her something only she would know."

        The dude shoved me back towards the pretty woman. She quirked an eyebrow and smirked and I tried not to sway too much walking towards her. "You know, I have no intention of letting you go."

         "I know that now. He told me to ask about something only you...she..." I was having trouble processing this, "would know...so...why the fuck did you bite me on the wrist?"

         "Why did you bite me above my knee?"

         That startled me, and I shook my head, hoping to clear it. "Well, at least that sounds about right...but having lipo for obesity is frowned upon. How the heck did you lose a whole person?"

        She laughed. "You're rude as hell when drunk, aren't you?"

        "I don't know. First time drunk in over a decade."

"Well, come with me, Videl."

Hell, I hadn't been called that in a long time. My middle name is Vitus, and it's a grand family name on my father's side, but mama called me by one of the variants, as an endearment.

No one, and I mean no one knew this about me. I mean, I was stuck with Caesar as a first name, and that was so startling that no one even bothered to ask what else I was called.

That and her command was enough to get me to follow her, though.

She walked over to a panel catercorner to the emergency exit and pressed into the wall to open up to a well-lit stairwell. I followed her down...only to turn around and walk back up.

Nope. Wasn't ready for that.

See, I'm into normal sex, not necessarily boring, but this? Yeah, furry, half-clawed men and women in random states of shifting between human to wolf muzzles, I swear a few of them where trying to lick their own nuts like a cat...look, I got the barest glance then noped the heck out.

I could hear her exasperated voice behind me. "Caesar Vitus, would you come back here."

"I'm not running away, I'm just not watching that, thank you."

"Oh, don't start being a prude, now."

"I'm not. They can continue to do whatever they're doing. I'm just not watching."

"Caesar, we need to talk."

"Yeah, I'm all for that, but not in a Werewolf den." I turned and tossed my keys at her. "I'm too drunk to drive, bring me home."

"And then we'll talk?"

"If we must..." I half-leered at her, out of habit, not desire. Not with that shit on my mind.

The drive home was comfortable for me. I finally had her back beside me. I'd not slept well in a while.

~~~

She was not amused by being lead to the basement. She held it in until I stepped into the 2nd living room. "This is not a proper place to bring your mate."

I rolled my eyes, remembering where she lead me. "Proper is all covered in dust cloths. This is the part of the house that I live in."

I plopped on the couch and waited for her to join me. She did, rather gingerly. So I pulled her across to me and settled her sideways on my lap, damned tired of the distance. "Look, I've not lost my mind. I've known something was up for a long time. I get that you're a werewolf, so what did all this have to do with me?"

"Werewolves get mates--not 'the one', but the body's way of indicating who is truly compatible with you on a biological level. You're one of mine--the only one close to working out, right now."

"How many?"

"3 others before you."

I winced. I was already distressed enough from this month without her. "And?"

"The first rejected me when I was little more than a child, after using me. My wolf was strong, but it was a harsh blow. The second was a man who was a lot like you who wouldn't stay faithful--we're pretty psychic beings, so what he was doing caused my mind to translate it into physical damage. Getting bruises from my partner's sex life was hard. I rejected him after about a year of that. And the last was about 4 years ago. The werewolves in an area not far from here were leading a rebellion. The son of the leader was my 3rd chance--he took his own life right in the middle of the fight. It was the last time I spoke to my wolf. It also killed the rebellion, having one side's heir dead, and the other grieving for it. What made it all the worse is that this one was no more than a child--I'd likely reject him over the age gap."

It was a lot to process. "So, I woke up your wolf, which affects your health."

"Yeah, and my ability to shift which burns weight off like crazy, as you can tell."

"No sagging skin? Surgeries?"

"Nope. Shifting takes care of most of that."

"Kind of abnormal for Los Angeles. Most everyone has had work. My parents had my ears pulled back because they stuck out too far--it was my present for my 16th birthday."

The laughter shot out of her. It was far more vibrant a sound than anything I had heard before. I found myself stroking my fingers through her hair. She almost whimpered when I grazed her scalp, so I gave her a gentle scalp massage with 1 hand.

And there it was...she melted into my chest. There was no more space between us.

"You're good at this..." she murmured drowsily.

"No, experienced." I chuckled at that. She tensed. Me and my fool mouth. Was there a problem with me having so many partners? "So...don't like me having a history?"

"Not at all. Alphas don't easily share, and werewolves, in general, are territorial. They say that the males are worse, but right at this moment, I think they are full of shit."