I woke up because of the sunlight shining through the blinds right into my eyes. I was naked, smelling of the forest, and covered in dirt, leaves and God knew what. Slowly the memories of last night came back to me. The forest, the loneliness, the… Oh my God! I sat up sharply and looked around the room. There was no one here… And yet the other half of the bed was covered with the wolf’s scent. I let my face fall into my hands. Damn it, what was I thinking? Inviting an unknown man, an unknown monster, home? And yet... I was surrounded by an aura of sadness at the thought that he left. After all, he was a werewolf. The only one I had ever met, not counting the man who had transformed me.

With a sigh, I went to the shower and tried not to think about any of it. I didn't kill anyone. That was a good achievement. Also, it was only five am, so I was able to go to work. I put on a gray T-shirt and dark blue sweatpants and ran down the stairs to the kitchen. The second I got downstairs I immediately froze, my heart skipping a beat.

"Hello there Sleeping Beauty." A man was sitting at my table, grinning at me. His legs were thrown up on my dining table and he was holding a plate with a bloody steak on it. It filled the whole kitchen with a tempting scent. I blinked a few times, but the man didn't disappear… He was lean like an athlete, only a few inches taller than me, and his short hair shone like molten gold. It reminded me of his fur. His eyes though were hazel now instead of amber.

"Breakfast?" he asked after a moment of silence, pointing to a second plate of steak lying next to him on the table. He was wearing my yellow plaid shirt and my blue jeans, complete with my socks. "Don't worry, I won't bite." He grinned at me in amusement, biting into the steak.

"Oh my God..." I rubbed my temples wearily and slowly sat down in the chair beside him.

"I prefer to be called Dale." He smiled at me and pushed the plate of steak in my direction. "Eat, you always have to eat protein after the shift."

I watched him, puzzled by the weird happiness that he had not left yet. Feeling a bit dumbfounded I took a bite of the steak, not bothering with cutlery since he didn’t either. I immediately devoured it hungrily. I didn’t even realize I was that hungry until I ate. My plate was empty even before Dale’s though that was probably because he laughed at me. "Remind me to leave you more of the doe next time." I jerked my head up looking at him in surprise. "I didn't realize you were so young. The more times you shift the more your body gets used to the burnt calories. How many times have you shifted?" he asked. How many times? The question took me by surprise. Had I not even bothered to count?

"Four times, I think," I said, doing quick math in my head. Maybe I should start a diary.

"Hmm..." Dale frowned at me, and then an amused smile came over his face. "That explains why you insisted that I go home with you."

"Um. I'm sorry about that." Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck.

"No worries. You're still too young to be able to control yourself after the shift." He waved his hand for me to leave it. "Besides, it wasn't bad at all, it's been a long time since I've slept with another werewolf." Wait. By slept he didn’t mean…? I scanned his face for any sign of a joke. Nothing, he just kept eating his steak. No. No way. My memories were really fuzzy but there was no way I would have… Dale noticed my expression and went still with the steak halfway to his mouth.

"You don't remember, do you?" He bit his lower lip uncertainly. "Um-well, that's embarrassing." He laughed awkwardly as I stared at him with a shocked expression. Oh my God… "I should probably reword my previous statement. It's been a long time since I've slept in the presence of another werewolf. "

"What?" That was all I managed as he grinned at me obviously enjoying my reaction.

"Hm? Disappointed?” He cocked his head to the side. "We can still fix that." He leaned over and licked his lips. I immediately got up and backed away into the kitchen.

"You asshole," I growled softly and leaned against the kitchen counter. Dale burst out laughing, just heightening my desire to punch him.

"My, my… Someone here has some issues.” Dale grinned and elegantly swung up to his feet. "Maybe I could help you with that." He smiled sweetly and winked at me.

"Go to hell." I glared at it. At that moment, Dale froze, both the smile and amusement disappearing from his face.

“Fine, fine. I’m sorry." He lowered his head and turned it slightly to the side. I noticed there was no sign of my teeth ever breaking his skin. My mind was immediately flooded with the memories of him laying beneath me, his throat exposed... Mine! Something inside me growled and all the anger suddenly evaporated.

“Actually, where is your Maker? Did he leave you alone?” He looked up but avoided looking into my eyes. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"I have no idea who he is. I only met him twice both in wolf form," I confessed without hesitation. "The first time was when he attacked me and the second time he called me to the city to hunt with him." Finally, I could confide in someone, finally someone who could perhaps understand my anger and frustration. All this time, I couldn't tell anything to my best friend and partner, I couldn't tell anything to my sister or father, not even Henry, and it was killing me. The weight of all the secrets sat on my shoulders and threatened to crush me. "Dale, I…" I started, but there was a knock on the door. Dale looked towards the door with curiosity and headed for it.

"No! Don’t even. Up! Now!” I hissed at him my voice full of terror. How the hell would I explain a stranger in my house? Dale was obviously dissatisfied with my command, but he dutifully ran up the stairs. I didn't open the door until I heard the door to my bedroom close.

Simon waited for me behind the door. "Simon, what are you doing here?" He was in his uniform and looked quite tired. He had dark circles under his otherwise cheerful eyes, and his hair was starting to get way too long and messy.

"Well, we have a bit of time before the shift starts, so I thought we could go somewhere for breakfast." He smiled at me, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He squeezed by me inside and his eyes fell on the two plates on the table. "I mean if you haven't eaten yet."

"Um… No, I didn't actually," I lied, but only because I was still hungry and we really needed to leave before he realized there was someone else here. "How about going to Shamrock, huh?" I offered, practically pushing him back to the door.

"Are you going in your pajamas?" He pointed to my clothes and leaned casually against the door. "I swear you're trying to get rid of me." Simon frowned at me. My heart skipped a beat. "Damn Andrew, what's the matter with you lately?" He threw his arms up suddenly. "You're missing work, yet you seem way too interested in the attacks and act as if you know more than you say and hell you’re ignoring your own sister who came to see you all the way from New Orleans! What are you hiding from me?” He glared at me, and I suddenly felt sorry for all the people he had ever questioned. Oh god... What was I supposed to say now?

"Simon… I..." I forced out my throat suddenly completely dry. "I…"

"Does the police visit you often?" The icy claws of anxiety immediately grabbed my chest, gripping me tightly. Simon looked behind me in surprise, his eyes widening in sincere shock. I turned and Dale’s smiling gaze, he was leaning against the wall by the stairs. Somewhere on the way to or from my bedroom, he decided that the buttons on his shirt were more than useless, and now he was showing everyone his muscular chest. Great… Just great… "Dale Steadwell, hello." He waved at Simon and winked at him.

"Uh… I’m Simon…" he said uncertainly, his expression pure shock.

"Simon is my colleague, he actually came to pick me up." I took a brisk step toward Dale. "I'll be right back." I smiled at Simon, then grabbed Dale by the elbow and pulled him upstairs. I pushed him into my room and closed the door behind us. "Are you crazy?!" I hissed at him and quickly pulled out my uniform from the closet.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you the same thing." He folded his arms across his chest. "You almost told him."

"I didn't tell him anything!" I growled at him and locked myself in the bathroom to change.

"But you wanted to," Dale called from behind the door. I just sighed in irritation and came out in my uniform. "You cannot tell anyone,” Dale said.

“Yes, yes I realize that thank you.” I opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out my revolver, checking the magazine. Dale flinched at the sound, which brought me a bit of twisted satisfaction. I grabbed the door handle. "I’m not an idiot okay? And next time if I tell you to go somewhere you better fucking stay there until I say otherwise, do you understand?” I gave him a hard unwavering look. Dale's shoulders tensed, and I could clearly hear his heart pick up the pace. He nodded and lowered his gaze to the floor. "Good. Now stay here as long as you want. My shift ends at six." With that, I left.