Page 39 of Bewitched by the Werewolf (The Bewitching Hour #5)

I wake up from a deep sleep and stretch without opening my eyes.

My body aches in all the good ways. I feel a strong arm slung over my waist tighten as I move.

Ryder sleeps next to me, never more than a hands distance away.

It’s like now that we’ve crossed that boundary into something sexual, something more than acquaintances, he’s never very far from me.

I think, he thinks, I’m going to run away at any moment. He couldn’t be more wrong.

Now that I know the truth about that night so many years ago, I look at shifters—and him—in a new light. In one night he rewrote my history and somehow, I got it all wrong. I don’t want to leave, I want to know more. I need to know every truth he promised.

Plus, the sex is fucking amazing. Thank god I’m on the pill because there was a lot of cum.

I don’t think there’s a condom in existence that could hold that much in.

Not to mention it wouldn’t fit over that knot of his.

I’m amazed at my own body for being able to take it.

I’m thankful it could, because that is an experience I want to repeat.

Ryder stirs next to me and forcibly pulls me flush against him.

“And where do you think you’re going?” His voice is husky and sleepy, his hair adorably disheveled, curling around his ears and over his brow. I push a lock away so I can better see his sleepy silver gaze as he watches me expectantly.

“No where, just stretching out the kinks from last night’s workout.”

He groans approvingly but doesn’t loosen his hold on me. It’s cute and I like seeing the many sides of Ryder. Before all he showed was his stoic stern sheriff persona. Who knew beneath that lay a giant cuddly teddy bear who can fuck like a beast?

“Would you like a morning work out? I think we can squeeze one in,” he offers.

“Jeesh, you’re a sex addict you know that? I need a break, or my lady parts might never work again from exhaustion.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that now, would we? Perhaps a hot bath then?” he offers instead.

“Now that, sounds heavenly.”

Ryder runs us a bath and joins me, acting as my recliner and personal body washer.

His hands are gentle but strong working out any knots in my shoulders and basically massaging me into a puddle of goo.

After, we dress, and he leads me to the kitchen for some breakfast and coffee.

It’s not as good as Tobias’s but I give him a pass.

It seems he’s a simple kinda guy and doesn’t even have creamer in the fridge, just milk.

Coffee with milk it is. Ryder drinks his black and I can just imagine him arguing with Tobias about drinking something more interesting.

“If I remember correctly, I believe last night you said you were going to show me all of Snowberry’s secrets.”

He chuckles around his mug of coffee, sitting across from me at the small dining table. “I believe that I said was I’ll show you everything you haven’t seen of Snowberry. There was also talk of sexual persuasion I believe.”

“I think you’ve done enough of that for now. I’d like to know what I haven’t seen of this town. I was pretty sure I’d seen everything by now, so you have me intrigued.”

“It’s not so much a what as a who.”

I tilt my head at him curious. “Who?”

“Yes. You see there are others in town who are not human and who are not shifter,” he begins and now I’m really lost because if starts to tell me about aliens I’m gonna have to recheck myself into the institution.

“We refer to them as non-humans. I know, extremely original but it works. We’re basically anything that isn’t human.

There are shifters which you know about but also others, like fairies, nymphs, merefolk—”

“Wait.” I hold up a hand to stop him. “Mermaids are real?”

“ Merefolk, because they aren’t all female, but yes.”

“Huh. Okay, continue.” I wave him on and sip mindlessly at my coffee hoping I don’t choke on it.

“There are elves, and some less common beings like leprechauns, yeti, sprites.”

Ryder quiets and watches me, waiting for my reaction.

Considering the things I read online and hear about from others in the paranormal belief community, what he’s telling me isn’t as much of a shock and he might think.

I already firmly believed in werewolves—A.K.A.

Shifters—and after gaining confirmation I wasn’t crazy, this isn’t so far out of the realm of possibility in my world.

“Cool. So do like, all of them live in Snowberry? How have I not seen them? Do they shift like you do?”

“Only the mere’s shift and have a human form, the rest of them use magic to conceal themselves and appear as humans.”

“So, you’re saying I’ve already met some of these other non-humans?” I clarify.

“Yes.”

I hum and sip my coffee again taking it all in.

So magic is real, that’s new. I hadn’t considered magic in all this, just creatures or beings that hide from humans.

Though I guess Ryder’s ability to shift is something like magic.

I haven’t watched him do it yet so maybe it’s not magical.

I’ll have to convince him to show me his shift.

Ya know for science, and to confirm we’re not just both crazy.

Him believing he’s a creature able to shift into a wolf like beast and me believing him.

Well, that’s a scary thought. Maybe we’re both just fucking crazy. Yikes.

Okay rewind, start over. No more thinking you’re crazy. I guess I should stop talking to myself too. Don’t they say crazy people talk to themselves? Anyways…

“You’re going to show me these people who aren’t people?”

“If they’re open to it. They’ll have to drop their glamour to reveal their true selves so it’s up to them.”

I remain silent and I can feel Ryder’s gaze on me as I stare at the tabletop trying to imagine what they might look like.

“You’re awfully calm about all this,” he says.

“Well, you have to remember who you’re talking to. I’ve believed in werewolves since I was ten and been part of a community that believes just about anything. Receiving confirmation of some of those beliefs isn’t super surprising.”

He nods finally understanding my docile reaction.

“Okay, so who are some of these non-humans that I’ve met?” I ask needing to know which of the friendly townsfolk are actually magical creatures.

“Well, I know you talked with Larken a few times.”

“Larken is a non-human? I knew she was too pretty for no reason.”

“She’s a fairy. A moon fairy.”

I perk up and start in on a flurry of questions regarding different fairies.

Apparently, there are many varying types as well as nymphs, each possessing specific abilities and magic.

They all possess some similar abilities, like all fairies have wings, can glamour themselves, live almost forever, and have great healing abilities.

“They also produce a fine powder on their wings that they use to perform all kinds of different magical things. And it’s not just them that can use it.

” Ryder stands and walks over to where his belt and holster hang on a hook by the front door.

Doesn’t seem like the smartest place to store it but what do I know? Apparently not much.

“We call it fairy dust or just dust.” He pulls out the small pouch of glitter sand I stole from him and walks back to the table with it. Setting it down in front of me, I open it and look down into a far less full bag of fairy dust.

“So, this is what I stole from you before that you were so mad about? Fairy dust?”

“Yup. Which is why I had to get it back from you. If you were to accidentally use it without knowing, it could have been bad.”

“A human can use fairy dust?”

He nods and pulls the bag back, tying it shut. “Yes. Anyone can use it. That’s why it’s so important and regulated. Fairies don’t just give their dust to anyone.”

“But you’re special? Because you’re the sheriff?” I ask.

“And because I’m the beta to Hunter who is the alpha.

There’s always an alpha shifter in towns and cities with large populations, or even small ones, of non-humans.

We’re considered the protectors of the non-human community.

The guards and first line of defense. We’re usually strong, protective by nature, and like to remain in packs.

Our ability to shift and blend makes us well suited for it and we use our true beast form to defend from other threats. ”

Makes sense I guess, in a world filled with mythical creatures.

“This is a large part of why I can’t let you tell anyone about Snowberry.

It’s not just shifters here. Nearly ninety percent of the population are non-humans.

They have families, jobs, lives. You wouldn’t just be exposing a few strays but entire families.

If Snowberry were revealed to the world, what do you think would happen? ”

We’re both quiet for a moment as he lets his words sink in.

If people—humans—were to discover their existence, it wouldn’t be pretty.

There would be scientists, journalists, military and who knows who else.

They would become experiments, treated like animals.

I picture the kids I saw playing at the lake the other day being chained and caged, needles sticking into them from all angles.

Their parents and family stolen away from them and captured or worse.

The endless negative possibilities stack up in my mind and my face falls knowing he’s right. This isn’t just about a few infected and mutated werewolves. If it were, it would be different, but it’s not.

“Exactly,” Ryder says sadly, understanding all the internal distress currently playing out in my head.

“Entire families could be displaced or ruined or worse. I could have used the dust to make you forget about me, about shifters, possibly even about Snowberry, but I didn’t.

I knew someone like you would keep searching until you revealed the truth.

I decided you needed to know the truth, but the real truth.

From one of us and not from some human who doesn’t know what the hell they’re talking about. ”

I stare down at my nearly empty coffee mug in my hands and run my finger along the rim, wiping away a drop of cold coffee.

“If you’re still concerned about shifters being violent monsters, let me take you to the blood moon celebration my brother is holding at his house and prove to you they aren’t.”

My head jerks up and I watch Ryder. His face set in a soft determination, pleading with me to agree and believe him.

At this point I would be the monster if I were to reveal Snowberry and its residents, if what he says is true.

But there’s still a tiny part of me that needs to see it.

To see them with my own eyes and not just trust in what Ryder tells me.

Plus, I still really want to see him shift.

He said his beast is aggressive and wild, but I don’t believe it.

How can someone as controlled and collected as Ryder, not be able to control himself in his true form?

He just lacks confidence in himself. After one unforeseen event that ended in an innocent bystander’s injury, he blames himself and lost trust in his instincts.

I think he needs to gain it back. Just as I judged all shifters on that one experience, he judged himself just as harshly. In the end we were both wrong.

“Okay,” I agree. “I would love to come to the blood moon with you.”