Gabriel\u2019s eyes didn\u2019t leave mine. \u201cCareful what you wish for,\u201d I\u2019d said, but he didn\u2019t flinch. If anything, that stubborn blue fire burned brighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He reached back with one hand and pushed the bedroom door until it latched, the soft click loud in the quiet room. \u201cI\u2019m wishing,\u201d he said. \u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I leaned back in the chair, studying him for a long beat. \u201cIf I do this, you don\u2019t get to unknow it. You don\u2019t get to pretend later it was a trick or a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d he said, voice low but steady. \u201cI want to see you. The real you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The way he said it landed deep. My pulse thudded in my ears. I stood slowly, feeling the tension coil tight in my muscles. The air in the room shifted, heavier somehow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis stays between us,\u201d I warned. \u201cNo one else. Not your grandparents. Not your dad. And especially not Nathan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel nodded once. \u201cYou have my word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I let the breath out, long and controlled. My skin prickled, heat pooling in my core before it bled outward. Fingers lengthened, nails darkening and curving into claws. Fur rippled over my hands, arms, spreading across my shoulders and down my neck. My face tightened, shifted, bones reshaping in a slow grind that always felt half-pain, half-release. Ears lifted, pulling sound in sharper, the ticking of the clock on his desk suddenly loud as a metronome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the time it settled, I was standing there in full\u2014taller, broader, the room somehow smaller around me. Blue eyes locked on his, wolf-ring burning like a storm front around the iris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s breath caught, not in fear, but in awe. He stepped forward, close enough I could feel the warmth coming off him. His hand lifted slowly, hesitating for just a second before resting against my forearm. Fingers traced the line of muscle under the fur, brushing over where skin met claw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHoly\u2026 shit,\u201d he whispered. \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026 beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That one word hit me harder than I expected. I almost laughed, but it came out as a low, amused rumble in my chest. \u201cNot the first thing people usually say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, people are idiots,\u201d he said without looking away. His hand drifted to my shoulder, testing the weight, then to my jawline where the fur was shortest. \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 you. Just\u2026 more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I leaned down slightly so we were eye to eye. \u201cThis is the part they tried to beat out of me,\u201d I said. \u201cThe part they locked away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey failed,\u201d he said instantly. \u201cAnd I\u2019m glad they did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t realize how tight my fists had curled until I forced them to loosen. For a moment, neither of us spoke\u2014the only sounds were the faint hum of the house and the distant creak of floorboards somewhere beyond the closed door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I heard it\u2014Nathan\u2019s footsteps coming down the hall, light and quick. The door handle twitched like he was about to barge in\u2026 and then stopped dead. There was a pause, and without a word, his retreating steps carried him away again at twice the speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s lips curved into a slow grin. \u201cGuess you don\u2019t even have to say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I smirked, a low growl of agreement vibrating in my chest. \u201cSome lessons\u2026 stick.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gabriel\u2019s eyes didn\u2019t leave mine. \u201cCareful what you wish for,\u201d I\u2019d said, but he didn\u2019t flinch. If anything, that stubborn blue fire burned brighter. He reached back with one hand and pushed the bedroom door until it latched, the soft click loud in the quiet room. \u201cI\u2019m wishing,\u201d he said. \u201cShow me.\u201d I leaned back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-high-school-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions\/56"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}