The following day, the town was abuzz with the Moonlight Dance fiasco. Apparently once the alarm was disabled, the dance continued, but not without much gossiping about the astonishing event. Ivy and Abby texted and called me after the dance, and I assured them I was okay and agreed we'd meet at the coffee shop in the afternoon.
Nash spotted me outside my house as I was heading over to catch up with my girlfriends.
Back in his human form, he looked disheveled and tired. Normally the handsome jock was pretty immaculate and clean in his preppy threads and gelled hair. But I found him at the end of my driveway in a T-shirt and jeans and with scratches on his arms and face.
"I don't know what happened last night," he said, almost shaking. "Everyone is looking at me strangely and calling me Wolf Boy. What's happening to me?"
I hadn't seen Nash this scared since he was attacked by the wolf in the park.
"I can't tell you now," I said. I was afraid to add more pain to him in his already anxious state.
"They are saying I'm a wolfman. Just like we teased Brandon. But I don't know why. Why me?" His torment was palpable.
"Where did you get those scratches?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said as truthfully as I'd ever heard him. "I need your help. You are the only one I feel safe with. You are the only one who really knows me - and can tell me what happened last night."
I patted him on the arm, hoping to comfort him. "Do you remember being at the dance at all?" I asked.
"I only remember getting ready. It got dark and I felt ill. Then I woke up outside my house. I guess I passed out from partying?" He looked to me for an answer, but even though he didn't remember, I knew he sensed he wasn't out partying.
"Please, Celeste. You have to help me. I'm not a bad guy. I need to know what is going on with me," he pleaded. "I'm afraid I might hurt someone."
That was a game changer. It was one thing to see my friend struggle with not knowing what was going on, but if he wasn't remembering what was happening, how could he control what he was doing? He was a far different werewolf than Brandon was, and that meant I had to keep not only the town safe but Nash as well.
There was only one solution to help Nash. He had to remember. Then he could decide what to do with his condition. And there was only one way for him to remember.
"You will have to meet me at Willow Park tonight," I instructed. "By the lake. You must promise. Just before sunset."
"Okay," he said. "I really appreciate this, Celeste."
He leaned in for a hug, and I gave him a warm one.
"It's the only way for you to remember," I said as he got back into his Beemer.
"Remember what?" he asked as he shut the door.
Ivy and Abby were already waiting for me at the coffee shop by the time I arrived.
"What is going on?" Ivy asked.
"Nash is a werewolf!" Abby said. "And so is Brandon."
"No they aren't. They both were pranking us!" Ivy said. "Why do you fall for everything?"
"Because it's true. I saw it with my own two eyes. And so did the whole school!"
Ivy was skeptical, like I'd been when I first saw Brandon. Since Nash spent most of his time pranking us and our schoolmates, it was reasonable to believe this was a prank, too. But Brandon? I wasn't sure what to tell my friends.
"Half the town agrees with me that it was a prank," Ivy said proudly.
"And the other half agrees with me," Abby argued. "We have werewolves in Legend's Run, and we saw two of them last night!"
I was disheartened. Even though I wasn't thirsty, I ordered some coffee to give myself something to distract me from my friends' conversation.
Abby turned to me. "Well, what do you think, Celeste? You were close enough to Brandon and Nash to see everything. Were they wearing makeup?"
"Uh . . . of course they were!" Ivy interjected.
"Let her answer," Abby insisted. "Were they, Celeste?"
Ivy huffed. "Leave her alone. The two guys were fighting over her last night. She's exhausted."
I was, but my day wasn't over. In fact it was only beginning.
"See, this is why I tried to tell you to date Eastsiders," Ivy lamented. "See how much trouble has happened? I have to know, Celeste. It may sound crazy. But I saw what I saw. And everyone is talking about it. Are you dating two werewolves?" she asked.
"No. I'm only dating one," I said.
They both were in shock and then began cracking up. And finally I, too, joined in. For the next hour we rehashed the bizarre events that had taken place last night, and for now my friends seemed keen on accepting those events of the Moonlight Dance as a prank.
It was late afternoon when I arrived at Brandon's house and found a car already parked in the driveway. Apollo was barking in the window.
A lady opened the car door, and it was then I noticed her long gray hair.
"Dr. Meadows - what are you doing here?" I asked, hopping out of my car.
"I'm friends with Officer Nichols," she whispered. "He told me what happened at the dance last night. He believed it to be a prank - but I knew better. Brandon is a werewolf."
I had enough on my plate without Dr. Meadows getting in the way of my helping Nash remember his transformation and curing Brandon's lycan condition.
"It's a full moon," she said. "I want to see what happens."
"You have to leave," I insisted. I was going to block her way if I had to.
Brandon stepped out of the house. "May I help you?" Brandon asked.
"I'm here to visit your grandparents," Dr. Meadows said. "But it is you I really wanted to talk to. I'm Dr. Meadows."
Brandon's face perked up. "Dr. Meadows?"
"Yes. I want to talk to you about a few things."
"I can't," he said. "Not tonight."
"Oh . . . but it must be tonight."
"We have a date," Brandon said.
"But this won't take long," she said, noticing the sun beginning to set.
"We really have to go - perhaps another time," I said. I pulled Brandon into my car and drove out of the driveway.
I peeked in the rearview mirror and noticed she was scrambling to get into her car.
"She wants to see you turn," I said.
"We can't let her."
"I know!"
I drove around a few bends and could tell she was following us.
"We have to lose her," I said. I felt like I was in an action movie. But in a movie, I had the safety of my couch or theater seat. Here, I was in the car, and I was the one driving.
"Just be careful," he said, looking out the back window. "Drive like you would normally and I'll tell you when to pull off. I know a few back roads."
I was scared to think that Dr. Meadows would see Brandon's transformation. If she had a camera or video, she would also have proof of the lycan event. It would change everything for Brandon if the town had proof he was a werewolf.
I continued to drive steadily, like I normally did, and tried to remain calm, but my hands were warm around the steering wheel. My nerves were getting the best of me.
"She's still there," I said, glancing in my rearview mirror.
"Yes," he said, "but she won't be for long."
"What are we going to do? Where are we going?"
"Just a minute . . ." he said. And then, "Now! Turn off here." He pointed to a gravel road.
I quickly made the turn.
"Now give it some gas!"
I pressed my foot on the accelerator, and dust from the road kicked up into a cloud behind us.
"I can't see her; is she there?" I asked as we raced on.
"No, she didn't follow us. But if she turns around, she might find us," he said. "We have to drive a little farther until we come to a fork."
It wasn't long before I saw the road splinter off into two directions like Brandon said it would. "Which way do we go?"
"The left one."
We headed onto another gravel road and found ourselves deep in the back country of Legend's Run. Eventually Brandon told me to stop.
"I've never done that before," I said, my heart pounding almost loud enough to hear.
"Hopefully we won't have to do it again."
"It was so exciting!" I tried to catch my breath.
The dust settled, and Dr. Meadows's car was nowhere in sight. "You are amazing!" I exclaimed. My friends barely knew the main road on the west side of town, so it was thrilling to know someone who only lived here a short time but knew his way around the back roads of the town I was born in.
"If we continue on, this road dumps out a half a mile from the park," Brandon told me.
I took a breath and continued driving. It was then I realized the other threat, the one we were originally dealing with today - Nash's transformation.
"Nash is going to hurt someone if he doesn't know what he is doing," I told Brandon. "You saw him at the dance. He doesn't remember his actions. I think he destroyed the baseball storage shed the first night he turned. You saw how he was at the dance - stalking and preying on me. He's not like you. It affects him differently. He becomes an untamed animal." I paused for a second and then told Brandon what I planned to do. "I think the only way that I can help him remember is to do what I did for you - to kiss him under the full moon."
With Nash not remembering the events that took place when he was a werewolf, it was up to me and Brandon to tell or not to tell him what happened. There was only one way to break the spell of not remembering - what Dr. Meadows had warned me against. Kissing a werewolf. I didn't want to do it - I wasn't dating him anymore, and it felt wrong to consider kissing him again. It wasn't like he wasn't the hottest Eastsider in school; it was just that I'd fallen in love with the hottest Westsider.
But Brandon wasn't so eager for me to trade my affections for Nash's benefit. "Are you kidding?"
"No," I said.
"I can't stand by and watch you kiss another guy."
"I'm not asking you to - "
"So you want me to leave you alone with him?"
"No . . . I just mean it's the only way to cure him from not remembering. And if I don't - you saw him last night."
"I know, I know." He looked away.
"But it'll tear me apart to know you're kissing another guy." He was forlorn, and I, too, felt awful.
"I'll make it quick," I said as he turned back to me. "It'll be like kissing a friend."
"I can't even think about it," he said with a snarl. "But if he remembers, he won't attack you again."
"That's what I hope," I said.
"But maybe I will," he teased.
We both laughed but knew that the situation was awkward, to say the least. The sooner we got there, the sooner I could help Nash and be back in Brandon's arms.
When we arrived at Willow Park, I checked in the rearview mirror and didn't see Dr. Meadows's car.
"We lost her for good," I said.
Brandon and I jogged to the lake, hoping to reach it before the sun fully set.
"You better make this quick," Brandon warned. "Just a peck. Like you'd kiss a friend."
"Okay, I promise," I said.
Brandon kissed me for a long time, and then stepped into the brush.
I found Nash leaning against a tree by the lake. The setting sun shimmered against the water. He almost seemed startled when he caught sight of me approaching. It was as if he was surprised that I showed up.
"I'm glad you came," he said, relieved. "I wasn't sure - "
"I know," I said. "I'm here."
"You really are the one person I can count on. You always have been. I really mean it, Celeste." He took my hand in his. "It's always been you. I guess I focused too much on myself and not enough on you. I don't know, maybe I didn't think we should be so serious, since we are still young. But I was wrong to do so. You've always been my best friend - and more than that . . . you are the only one for me. And you always will be."
His kind words were sincere, and I believed them. Nash was charming, but he wasn't dishonest. The fact that he now recognized what our problems were spoke volumes to me of how he was really changing in a mature way. But had I not met Brandon, Nash would still be talking about his scores instead of his love for me. And had I not met Brandon, I might still be dating the athletic Eastsider instead of being in love with the outdoorsy Westsider.
The sun set and the full moon lit up the sky behind him.
"I'm so hot!" Nash said suddenly.
He dropped my hand and began to rip off his shirt.
I knew what was happening, but that didn't make me any less afraid for him and the situation.
"I'm freaking boiling!" he exclaimed as he threw off his shoes and socks.
"I know," I said helplessly. "It will be okay."
Nash fell to his knees, and his eyes turned blue gray. He shuddered and managed to rise and stumble behind a tree.
Just then I heard the howling of two wolves.
Nash returned, his normally gelled, flaxen hair untamed and hanging to his shoulders. His blue-gray eyes bore through the darkness. He was attractive and muscular and had sexy sideburns and wild blond hair on his face and chest.
I still was slightly scared, but Brandon was only a few yards away if anything got out of hand.
I knew what I had to do. It was imperative that Nash not spend another night as a werewolf, not remembering his actions. But this was the same werewolf that had tried to attack me last night and the one before.
"Nash - " I said. "I need you to remain calm. It's just me, Celeste. Your best friend."
Nash remained by the tree and breathed heavily.
"I don't want you to hurt me," I said, my voice quivering. "And I know you don't want to. You want us to be together."
I inched toward my former boyfriend. He didn't retreat or charge me. Instead he appeared accepting.
I reached out my hand, and he growled. I did my best not to run or freak out. When he extended his hand to me, I felt slightly more comfortable.
I took his hand, which was warmer and stronger than normal. I looked up at him under the moonlight like I had so many times when we were dating, but this time a werewolf stared back at me. So much guilt raced through me. First getting Brandon in this situation and now Nash. I was here to do something to try to ease the situation as best as I could.
Nash's hair hung in his face and on his shoulders. His blue-gray eyes softened as I continued to hold his hand. "It's okay," I said in a whisper. "I'm not going to run away tonight. It's the only way you'll remember."
Then I leaned in and he did the same.
I kissed him full on the mouth, our lips pressed together like they had many times before. His lips were even more riveting and tender than the kisses we'd shared when we were dating. But even though this kiss would be memorable, there was still something deep down inside me that was missing. He had been my first crush, but even in this powerful state, he still wasn't my first love. Tears welled in my eyes as I knew I felt as much for him as I could. And I was now ready for it to end.
I quickly pulled away to find Brandon standing next to me. His wolf eyes were intense and his fangs were shining. He was scowling angrily, and I wasn't sure what to do. Had I finally brought out the animal in Brandon, too? Maybe it hadn't been right to have kissed Nash. In Brandon's normal state, he might have dealt with it - but now he was alone in the woods with another werewolf, and perhaps I'd made a horrible mistake.
Instead of running to Brandon, I inched back. When he saw the fear in my eyes, his intense expression softened.
"It's over - " I said. "Now Nash will remember. And he'll remember I'm with you," I said, and raced into his arms.
Nash was dazed. He stumbled for a few seconds and then stared at both Brandon and me. Brandon then blocked me from Nash's view. But instead of challenging Brandon, Nash just smiled a huge, shifty smile, wolf fangs shimmering. He roared a wildly enthusiastic howl and tore off into the woods.
Brandon growled and turned around to face me. He gazed down like I was a small animal he wanted to protect. I leaned into Brandon, all the tension from my body caving into him. I would never stop caring for Nash. He was my friend and an attractive guy, to say the least, and I wanted the best for him. But I also wanted the best for me. And that meant being with Brandon.
"From now on," he said, staring down at me with his sexy gray eyes, "I'm the only one who's going to be kissing you."
Brandon swooped me up in his arms and passionately kissed me with the power of a hot, handsome, and heroic werewolf.
Even though I was happy, I knew Brandon and I still had our challenges ahead. There were two werewolves in Legend's Run now. I had dated one and was in love with the other. And with the high school witnessing both, I knew we all weren't out of the woods yet.
But for now, I enjoyed kissing the werewolf I was in love with, the magnetic one with irresistible lips, a howling heart, and superhuman strength, who loved me just as I loved him, among the trees and underneath the glow of the full moon.