Under A Paper Moon

XVIII

"Is it going to hurt?" Elias asked.

The two boys had met at the field in the forest where Elias saw Micah's wolf for the first time. From there, Micah led him deeper into the forest to avoid running into someone from his pack. He told his father that Elias needed space today and wasn't comfortable turning in front of strangers.

Since both of them hadn't mated yet, and Elias wasn't part of their pack officially, Micah's father didn't object and rather understood where the blonde boy was coming from. Micah felt bad about lying to his father, to his Alpha, but he had to do it to protect his mate. It was Elias' secret to keep and to tell, and he wanted to respect his wishes.

The rest of the pack was ordered to shift and go for their run in the other side of the forest, but just to be safer, Elias and Micah went as far as they could.

Elias had tried looking for his biological mother, but he didn't even know where to start from. Micah was surprised at this too, since she was a werewolf and it was shocking how no one from his pack had sensed her. But they figured that years of running for her life in order to prevent from being hunted taught her how to stay hidden in the shadows.

Elias wanted to ask her about his mum. About the wolfsbane in his coffee- but since he couldn't, he wasn't sure how to act in front of her. Even though he tried not to, he couldn't help but feel distant.

He avoided drinking the coffee, and thankfully none of the other meals or beverages had the poisonous herb in it. He told her he was staying the night at Kat's place, she wasn't happy at his frequent sleepovers but couldn't complain since she considered it a good change that Elias was finally making friends.

"I'm not going to lie and say that it doesn't, because the first turn is painful. It gets easier and smoother with each transformation, though," Micah answered truthfully, but frowned when he saw the scared look on Elias' face, "But trust me, once it's done, it's going to be worth it. You'll feel.. you'll feel everything and it's the best feeling ever."

"I'll take your word for it, it's not like I have any other choice now." Elias sighed, he rested his head on Micah's shoulder as the two settled down under a tree.

"I can't wait to see your wolf," Micah said as he pecked Elias' lips, "I just know it's going to be as beautiful as your human self."

"Shut up," Elias mumbled, not really meaning it as he blushed at Micah's cheesiness, "Can you tell me more about, uh, mates?"

"What do you wanna know?" Micah asked and Elias shrugged, "Well, after your first turn you'll be able to feel the mate bond like any other werewolf. It's a feeling that I can't even explain, you'll have to see for yourself."

"So, that's it? Um, I kinda read that mating involves, you know, sex." Elias said, his cheeks were now completely red, as Micah chuckled.

"Werewolves do have a lot of sex, that's the animal part of us. But when it comes to mating, and officially sealing the bond, both the mates need to bite each other at the same time. It's kind of like human marriages, but instead of rings we exchange bites."

"And you can divorce your way out of a marriage, but werewolves mate for life." Elias stated.

"Yeah," Micah nodded, "Not all werewolves find mates, so there are many that settle with.. human like relationships. But the ones that are lucky enough, for them it's either their mate or no one."

"When is it going to happen?" Elias asked, changing the topic as he looked at the full moon peaking from behind the clouds. He was starting to feel.. different as the minutes passed. His skin didn't feel like his skin anymore, but just another layer of clothing that he needed to get rid of.

"Soon, I think you're starting to feel it," Micah stated and Elias nodded.

"The first time, that's the only time I will involuntarily shift, right? After that I can control it?" Elias confirmed.

"Yes, you'll be in full control of whether you wanna shift or not after that. If you never want to shift ever again, you can do that. But I know for sure that you won't feel this way once you know how it is to be one with your wolf."

"We'll just have to-" Elias couldn't finish as he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He moved away from Micah and was on his knees now. The pain had spread through his entire body and he could feel his bones cracking.

His skin felt like it was on fire, and his bones were changing their entire structure. He screamed in pain, as Micah took a step back. If Micah could, he would take Elias' pain on himself but he knew it was an important step that Elias had to endure on his own, but that didn't help with the ache in his chest that he felt as he watched his mate scream in agony.

Micah couldn't hold it anymore, he shut his eyes closed. It didn't help much as he could still hear Elias, but it was something. After what felt like ages, for both the boys, but was probably just a few minutes, Micah opened his eyes when he felt soft fur rubbing against his body.

A pure white wolf with golden eyes stood in front of him. Micah's expression was that of awe, like he was watching the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life, which was precisely the case.

Elias whined as he nudged Micah, and Micah had been around wolves long enough to know what Elias was trying to say. He took a step back and removed all his clothes, before shifting into his own wolf. His transformation was smooth, and barely took a minute, unlike Elias' but this was purely because the black wolf had years of experience.

Elias and Micah rubbed against each other, trying to scent one another before they started playing around. Micah's wolf was larger and seemed much stronger than Elias', but as Elias was leaner, he was slightly faster. The two ran around the forest, from chasing one another to simply running side by side- they were having the time of their lives.

Micah had always wanted to bond with his mate in their wolf form, and when he found out that his mate was human, he realised that he would never be able to that. Despite the circumstances that led to Elias turning, a part of him was grateful.

After the two had exhausted themselves enough, they went back to where they left their clothes and other belongings. Elias rested his head on Micah's stomach as they laid and relaxed with one another, tired yet content.

~~~

Elias opened his eyes as he felt sunshine on his face and fingers tracing circles on his arm. They were both in their human forms now. Micah was already awake and was watching him with a smile on his face. The dark haired boy leaned forward and pressed his lips against Elias.

Elias was frozen.

It was as if he was seeing Micah for the first time. Really seeing him. And it would be a lie if he were to say that it was not the most beautiful view not only to wake up to, but just the most gorgeous thing, well, person he had ever seen.

He had always loved Micah's touch, but now his body was tingling and burning in a way that was pure pleasure. He had goosebumps on his arm and butterflies in his stomach. He subconsciously leaned in further towards Micah's touch.

Micah's scent reminded Elias of the first time he had went to a candy shop, it was mouthwatering. He took a deep breath, even sniffed Micah's neck as he inhaled his scent. It was a mix of things- it was sweet, yet it was also like the smell that you sense right before it's about to rain. It was perfect for Micah.

Micah was perfect for Elias.

Elias had tried to understand what it would be like to feel the mate bond. He had tried, but it was now that he finally realised that no matter how much he would've tried, he never could feel this way. He could never even begin to imagine just how special the mate bond is had he still been human.

For once, he was grateful that his life wasn't normal. He was grateful that he moved all the way to America and that he decided to sit on Raphael's seat on his first day. He was grateful that he didn't push away Micah and reject him when he was human. Heck, he was even grateful that he got stabbed and was forced to turn.

Because if all of that didn't happen, then he wouldn't have met Micah. And being with Micah makes everything worth it.

***