Over the Moon: Full Moon

“Not you again!” Oli groaned one night the next month after she’d last seen him. Ale had walked her home after their closing shift. Daniel was in his wolf form and in attacking position about to pounce Ale who groaned too. As in cue, chief Covin appeared

“Take him away!” Oli told him

“Oli, I´m sorry but I have to go –Ale said apologetically- like I said your dog won’t harm you but it wouldn’t hesitate to harm me” Ale frowned. Oli sighed

“Alright… Thank you for walking me home Ale” she smiled weakly

“Miss Ventura –Covin started- as you can see, today is a full moon night. I can assure you that I had him away but this is a very… delicate time for a young werewolf… He’s very strong and mostly instinct. His instinct is to be with you so he escaped and he´ll attack anything and anyone who tries to prevent him from getting to you…”

“Just lock him away, doesn’t he have like an alpha to obey?” she scoffed

“Yes –Covin said patiently- technically, I am his alpha but at the moment he´d go against me to be with you and I don’t want to harm my nephew but I also don’t want him to harm others or to harm himself…For all purposes from now on, from the time he found you last month you are his alpha”

“This is stupid –Oli said partly shocked, partly disgusted, partly scared- I don’t want any part in this” she started to walk towards her house, Coving walked behind her, his long strides putting him closer to her which caused her to yelp in surprise once she turned at this the wolf pounced with bared teeth to attack Covin who shot him; Olivia gasped as the big wolf fell with a cry

“You killed him!” she shrieked as the animal whined

“No, Miss Ventura, these are rubber bullets but someone might use real ones or he might harm someone if you send him away… so, please, I´m asking for your help…”

“What… how can I even help? –she eyed the angry red mark that the rubber bullet had left on the animal- I mean, I know nothing about this and what if he hurts me? He kidnapped me, kept me away a whole night”

“He couldn’t hurt you even if he wanted and about the kidnapping… he thought you knew”

“Knew what?

“He knew you were his mate when he caught your scent, if you were like him, like us, you would´ve felt it too”

“You too? –she gasped- You go… dog like that?”

“I shift into a werewolf, yes, but I’m an adult he’s not yet, not by our standards so unlike me he cannot avoid shifting with the full moon…”

“This is… I…” Olivia´s words wouldn’t come out as her thoughts tumbled one over the other making a riot in her head

“Miss Ventura last time he was just trying to help you”

“By taking me to a cave in the middle of the dark woods?” she frowned

“That was just a place to shift into …” the chief motioned to the wolf. Olivia scowled and then took a deep calming breath

“…And what exactly do you want me to do?” Oli asked reluctantly

“Just let him stay in your house for tonight and tomorrow…”

“What? No! this man, wolf, whatever, kidnapped me –she motioned to the wolf who was attentively listening to them the whole time with raised hairs on his back- and now you want me to let him stay in my house?”

“I´ll leave you the gun with the rubber bullets –Covin offered and Oli just didn’t say she´d never ever touched a weapon of any kind- but I can assure you he´ll do each and every little thing you might ask except leave your side”

“Shut up!” Olivia shouted to the wolf on her attic right above her bedroom as he sniffed the floor. Immediately the sound stopped and Olivia huffed as she turned around in her bed. Covin had convinced her that the man-wolf was not dangerous for her but would be for others if she didn’t let him in. He’d also said that in the next two days and nights it’d be better if they both stayed in the house as precaution. She’d protested about her job but of course Leah, her boss, didn’t mind at all; it was about her nephew after all

Oli grumbled something unintelligible and the sniffing started “Shut up!” She shouted as if to an annoying unwanted pet.

Olivia usually woke up before seven in the morning, even after a bad night of tossing and turning like the night she’d had. In the mornings she turned on her back, stretched her arms up and breathed in deeply, she followed her routine until she remembered the huge golden dog-wolf. She rolled her eyes as her mind corrected the term “the wolf” she grumbled and then in her mind: the wolf in the attic

“Not a good morning anymore” Olivia mumbled to herself and got up to the bathroom to wash her teeth. She was very thirsty and that made her pause, the dog could be thirsty and in need of a walk out too. She wasn’t about to practice animal cruelty so she changed from her sleeping clothes and cautiously went upstairs to the attic with a bowl and a bottle of water. She unlocked the door, the attic was already bathed with soft light that showed dust particles flying all over and around the old furniture and boxes that needed to be checked and put away. The wolf was awake and walking towards her except he wasn’t a wolf anymore but a grown up and very naked guy

“Geez! Would you cover yourself?!” Oli gasped looking away and the man looked down at himself as if he just noticed he was nude but he didn’t seem to mind that. He had no problem with nudity but Oli did; so he looked around and saw a blanket on an old dusty couch and wrapped it around himself, it was big enough to cover him complete but made him sneeze; it was as dusty as the couch

“I´m sorry” Daniel cleared his throat once he was covered

“Where are your clothes?” Oli made a face

“Ah –Dani scratched his nose- it got torn when I shifted in jail” he mumbled; he could smell irritation in Oli’s scent, she made a face and threw him the bottle of water which he caught and drank at once, he was really thirsty

“You can’t be naked in my house” she scolded, he nodded

“Can I use your phone? I´ll call my dad and ask him to bring me stuff and… ah, can I use your bathroom?”

“Downstairs –she sighed motioning for him to go first. This amused Daniel. If he wanted to attack her, there would be nothing she could do, she was small and she wasn’t even carrying the gun Covin had given her which could´ve stopped him maybe but he didn’t say a thing or move a muscle of his face; he just went down to the second floor and then to the first floor as Oli instructed. He used the guest’s bathroom which really needed repairs as the rest of the house at least what he got to see of it.

“I don’t want that naked man in my house” Oli was saying in a clipped tone when he came out; she was on the phone with chief Covin

“He’ll be here in ten minutes” she told Dani when he came to find her in the kitchen and then “are you hurt? You have blood…” she pointed to his ear and cheek area

“Ah… it´s ok, it’s just scratches” Dani gave a weak smile. He´d gotten into a fight with an older way more experienced wolf when he’d escaped. She rubbed her eyes with her index and thumb in an irritated manner

“Covin shook you last night –she remembered as she said- he said you´d be ok… are you? I mean…”

“Just a bruise, it´s not bad” he played it down

“Why don’t you like… clean yourself –she motioned towards the bathroom with her arm and a frown- as you uncle comes” Dani didn’t say a word, just tuned on his heels and marched to the bathroom again. The water was cold and at first it was orange looking; tinted with the rust of the pipes but after a while it was clear. As he showered he could smell food being cooked, his mouth watered, he hadn’t eaten anything since the day before and to imagine food made by Olivia made him even hungrier but he took his time under the cold shower until he heard his uncle coming and a few minutes later knocking on the bathroom door.

“How are you doing, kid?” Covin patted his shoulder as Daniel came out

“Fine” Dani mumbled and Covin laughed quietly, Daniel glared not looking at the chief

“Well –Covin had gone out and then back in- Miss Ventura, thank you for doing this and helping Daniel –he put some bags on the old, tattered counter- this should be enough for what he eats” Covin said and Daniel smelled an already made breakfast and raw ingredients as well. Oli said nothing just sighed. At least it was some help, she thought.

“Olivia –Daniel started once chief Covin left- let me, please, apologize about my mistakes and explain you why I did it and…”

“No, stop there –Olivia´s mouth was a thin line- I don’t want to hear about it –she made a stop motion- or get to know you, no, this is just to avoid you attacking people” she´d taken out the food container chief Covin had brought and pushed it to him along with a big water bottle

“Chief Covin told me you don’t need to be right next to me…” she motioned out of the kitchen so with his heart feeling like it was being squeezed from the inside Daniel took his food and walked out of the kitchen and up to the attic where Oli locked him. He sat on the floor and bent his legs to his chest and rested his forehead on his knees sighing

“I´m screwed” Daniel muttered. It was not that she´d locked him; he knew he could break the door without even having to use the strength of the wolf to get out but she wanted him away. Olivia hated him. He wasn’t hungry anymore.

Olivia had gone out to the garden to weed it and to start removing some of the soil trying to forget some weirdo-make-a-myth-come-true guy was in her attic whereas Daniel had moved to the dirty window to listened to what Oli was doing; she was working right next to the wall so he could not see her as she worked unless he opened it and looked out but he knew she wouldn’t like that. She didn´t want to see him. During the whole time he´d been raking his brain on how to make himself likeable to her but if she didn’t let him talk, didn’t want to know him or see him… he couldn’t do much but try to make himself scarce.

Around lunch time Olivia came inside the house to start on lunch, she was very hungry after working in the garden the whole morning, not with that much success but with some satisfaction at her work. As she started to chop some vegetables to make some rice she thought of the man upstairs. She sighed and added some more rice to the pan and took out a piece of meat out of the fridge “After all, it´s for him” she muttered, Covin had brought it for his nephew.

After a while of smelling how different ingredients fried and boiled Daniel felt the smell of food coming his way as well as Olivia´s scent. She opened the door and she entered bringing her fresh smell as well as the smell of weeds and dirt and outside air, it appealed to him more than the steak she´d brought him although this too smelled great. Daniel went downstairs quickly to the restroom; she waited until he came back and locked him up again.

During the afternoon Daniel could hear Olivia walking around in her room. It sounded like she was cleaning it; she was cleaning her clothes and furniture, cleaning her bathroom. She sighed as she tried to clean the tiles on the bathroom which needed a lot of cleaning after years of neglect, it definitely needed painting too… “If only I had money to fix it all…” she sighed.

At dinner time Olivia just made some sandwiches and sighed as she served the plate for her “guest” and then went upstairs where she found instead of the man she expected a big light brown wolf that wiggled his tail as she entered. Oli placed the plate on the floor and poured the water on the bowl trying to find comfort in the thought that it was the last night that the man would be in her home.

Daniel had stayed away as she poured the water; he knew she wouldn’t appreciate his coming closer, he could smell the distrust and dislike, he felt a whine on his throat that he suppressed, it was something that he hated of his wolf-self, it was so ones to what it felt and it showed it way more easily than his human self. As soon as Oli left him and locked he rushed to the food, her smell and taste lingered in everything she´d touched. The food was gone fast, too fast.

That night was basically the same thing as the previous one, the wolf sniffing and scratching the board floor and Olivia angrily shouting “shut up” as the smell of anger, irritation and rejection made the wolf sneeze and make soft whining noises. Eventually, Olivia fell asleep and all that was left was her natural woman scent, a mix of orange blossoms and vanilla ice-cream. It was soothing for the wolf that lay on his belly as in the distance he heard the calling of his pack running; hunting in the woods, any other time it would´ve sound appealing but now orange blossoms and vanilla ice cream was the only thing he wanted to feel.

  

Orange blossoms and vanilla ice cream mixed with the acrid scent of disgust and rejection woke Daniel up as well as the verbal “Gosh! Do you ever wear any clothes?!” As he turned around he saw Olivia walking away and out the door. He came downstairs wearing the clothes from the day before.

“Milk and cereal… -Oli was pouring some milk to her fruit loops cereal bowl- I´m not in the mood for cooking. You kept me away –she reproached- what´s with all the scratching and sniffing? I thought you wanted to be inside” she shoved a spoonful of mild and cereal to her mouth. Daniel cleared his throat, touched his neck and shifted from food to foot as he mentally kicked himself. Never Daniel Covin had acted like a fool in front of a girl, never had he been rejected and now when it counted he acted like a fool, messed it all since the start, never  he´d been an unsure man but in front of Olivia he wasn’t even sure if she wanted an answer or not.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t help it –Daniel said with frustration in his tone- my… -he moved his tongue over his front teeth- wolf form is more ruled by instincts” he explained

“You have the instinct to scratch my floor boards and keep me awake? I thought cats were the ones who scratched things” she scoffed

“Your scent is very appealing –he went for honesty- that´s why” tentatively Daniel filled his own bowl or what he though was his bowl, it was there an extra plate

“My scent?” Olivia narrowed her eyes, he nodded

“Yeah, like when you really really really like someone´s smell but ten times more” Daniel exhaled through the corner of his mouth. Oli picked up her bowl and walked out from the kitchen

“Covin said you´d be going today…” Oli slightly paused on the doorway to remind him. It felt like a stab to hi him

“Yeah –he cleared his throat- I´ll just grab my things” he stood up placing the spoon on the bowl of uneaten cereal

“You can finish your breakfast” she said not looking at him. Daniel sighed heavily

“Some head banging on a hard surface is in order” he murmured.

“I´m going now –Daniel said ten minutes later, she was on the living room on a very old couch- thanks for letting me stay” he said, she shrugged and followed him with her eyes until he disappeared on the hallway. Once she heard the door closing behind him she exhaled relieved

“Grandma, you were so right about this place…” Oli muttered looking up at the ceiling

“Great –she muttered as she went to the attic to bring the bowl, plate and empty water bottles that Daniel in his wolf form had used- I´m a dog´s maid now…”

***

A/N: dont expect editted stuff from me

and

dogs scratching stuff...it happens, believe me