Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

"There are bears in Iowa?" I ask, pulling away from Felix. I scanned over the wolf carcass once more before turning away. The damage had obviously come from something big and ferocious and it could more than likely be a bear. However, I'm pretty sure that bears really aren't native to Iowa. Then again, I'm only half an animal, not an animal expert.

"Not real bears. Two-natured."

Before I was turned into a werewolf I had been told that there were two natured of nearly animal known to man, but I'd only ever come in contact with a few. Sometimes it was hard to wrap your head around all the possibilities but here one was, right in front of me. Werebears were among us and this slaying of a wolf had to have been a message to us. Bears normally eat fish, and they wouldn't go through the trouble of killing something and not eat it.

"What would werebears be doing here?"

"We dealt with them before, actually," Jordan pipes up. The whole group spins in his direction. "I was a freshman at the time. I only know a little about them, though."

"Anything useful?" Asks Elijah. He's quiet and his voice is shaking, as if he's having doubts about something. Jordan raises one corner of his mouth into an unsure smile, eyes shifting to our Alpha.

"Well, they're very primitive. Real bears don't live in packs, but werebears do. Plus, they're nomads, but very territorial. Even though they're nomads, they can stay in the same areas for years without feeling the need to move. If they do happen to move, and if they find an area they like, they'll have no problem taking it."

"They can't expect to just take over with brute force, can they? It could be effective, but that plan has so many flaws," Carter explains but it's lost on me. I can't see any flaws in that plan. Brute force sparks fear into people, and in turn, fear sparks -grudgeful- loyalty.

"See, that's where werebears are different than real bears. Being half human, they put their brains to work. They usually make calculated attacks and threats, trying to drive out whatever was in the area before them. They'll do whatever possible to make sure no harm happens."

"So they won't kill anyone?" I ask quickly and with a little too much hope. Jordan looks over at the torna part wolf and shakes his head.

"They'd prefer not to, but if it came down to it, they'd have no problem taking a life."

The guys and I said nothing after that but decided to head back toward the house. We'd let nature take care of the fallen wolf. I have to say it pained me inside to walk away from it. The wolf and I are connected by a thin thread, by the wolf inside my soul. We are the same creatures, siblings if you will. And we hadn't burried our brother, hadn't said any sort of goodbye to him. We're just going to let him rot.

May your soul find peace, I think.

When we get back to Jordan's front yard, we're all still eerily quiet. The wind has picked up a little, but not enough to be considered cold. Still, I rub at my forearms gingerly. I look around us. Everything looks different in my eyes since I was first changed, and then later Turned. I really hadn't noticed it at the time, but now I could totally tell. Colors seem brighter and grab my attention better. Smells are sharper and I can track scents almoast as if an arrow were pointing me in certain directions. My ears could pick up on the tiniest movements and noises. And my favorite, movement slows down in my vision and I'm able to focus on it and determine what to do in a matter of seconds. However, now, all I could do was focus on Elijah biting his lip, his eyes looking everywhere and anywhere expect at his pack.

I feel bad for him. He had started out being teh Alpha with such confidence but in a matter of months, that feeling fell away and revealed a nervous, doubtful leader. He always looks depressed or fearful and often times he appeared guilty or secretive about something. Now, as if just to end the silence, he speaks up. His voice is soft as he asks, "How do we deal with them?"

"That's the problem. Our Alpha at the time, Payson Leeks, dealt with them all on her own. I'm not sure how, but she got them to back away, signed a treaty maybe?" Jordan admits.

Carter bites his lip. "Maybe the treaty's up? Or broken somehow?"

"Could be," says Jordan. "I'll contact Payson, get her to talk to you, Elijah. The Alpha of the werebear pack will speak only to the Alpha of our pack, I know that much. Payson will teach you whatever you need to know or say."

Elijah nodded reluctantly, brown eyes hollow and distant. "That'd be fine," he says before adding an after thought, "Don't tell anyone about what we saw or what we know yet. I want to tell the rest of the pack when I know more, okay?"

"Fine," Felix agrees and the rest of us nod. Again, none of us say anything but break away to our cars. Felix wraps his arms around me as he walks me to his truck. His arms push the dead wolf from my mind and as he places a few kisses on my shoulder, I smile. This boy truly is the one for me.

"I hope Mom's done with dinner," Felix says and I feel my stomach flutter. He just called my mother Mom! It's a romantic gesture and so adorable. We climb in the truck and he grins at me. " 'Cause I'm starving."



I can Felix's heart drumming in his chest as I snuggle closer to my boyfriend. I'm sitting between his legs, my head and back against his chest and my eyes on the movie. His arm wraps around my stomach, holding my close and my hands rest against it. He uses his other arm to run his finger through my hair absent-mindedly as he watches the movie. I shift ever so slightly and he places a warm kiss against my head.

"You're beautiful," he murmers, his eyes on me now. I blush against his body. I've never truly considered myself beautiful. I would say I'm decent looking, but not beautiful. But when Felix tells me I am, I feel like I'm the only girl in the world that he even sees. I've always been so independent, but Felix makes me feel so needy when I'm around him. Not in a bad way, but just that I need his kisses or his skin against mine.

"Kiss me?" I ask as I tilt my head up. He drops his head down and meets his lips to mine. I find myself moving until I'm sitting sideways on his lap, one arm draped around his neck and the other fimrly against his chin. His lips are soft and slow against mine, warm and leave my lips tingling. I kiss back tenderly and part my mouth as he pushes his tongue to mine. He holds me close as we kiss, his familiar scent of cilantro lasting in my nostrils.

Suddenly there's a creak of the top step and we pull away. My mother had gone to change and wash her face, which gave twenty or so minutes to ourselves. However, with our hearing, we were warned in just enough time. As she enters the room, she fins us sitting next to eachother, his arm around my waist and my head against his shoulder. She smiles. "It's getting late, love birds."

Felix looks down at his watch and grimaces at the time. "You're right. We have school tomorrow," he sighs and stands. He leans down and gives me one final, yet lasting kiss on the lips. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course," I smile. Felix leaves a moment later. My mother and I don't speak until his truck has pulled away from the drive way. My mother smiles at me and nods her head.

"I like him, Priscilla." I grin, a warm feeling touching my heart. I don't act like I need it often, but it's nice to have my mom's approval on something. Especially on Felix. I'd always known she approved him, though. And she was about to like him even more.

"He referred to you as Mom today," I beam. She smiles big, her eyes watering a bit. It must make her proud that my boyfriends lieks her enough to give her such an important title. She giggles slightly.

"Then he's a keeper."

I know he is, Mom. I know he is.