Only Human: Before and After

Chapter 118: June Jackson

This is one of my longer chapters. Please enjoy and don't forget to vote and comment! Love hearing from my readers!

-Lucinda Croft

Back to Original POV

These past five days were everything I needed. There was so much I missed while staying at Hendrix's estate. My bed being one of the big ones. It was familiar and held my scent from sleeping on it for so many years. Being cuddled under my heavy blankets with my tuxedo cat, Ichigo, tucked into my body while she purred like crazy, allowed me to sleep more deeply than I had in the past two months. Being surrounded by my things, and knowing where everything was, was a luxury I hadn't realized I missed. Being able to leave my house to explore the neighborhood, park, or stores without constantly feeling on guard for my safety, made me more reluctant to return to the continent where I was only a human in their eyes.

My family was, of course, the thing I missed most of all. The quiet presence of my at times judgmental father, the doting and affection of my loud and vibrant mother, and the admiration and fun of my crazy younger sisters; I missed it all. I made sure to spend my time with them wisely by doing all the things they loved. Thankfully it was summer break still, so I had my sisters consistently through the week. My father and brother both worked, so them not so much.

It was perfect, but there were a few things that bothered me. One was that my dogs, who normally jumped up on tried to lick my face or get me to pet their heads, were more mellow around me. When one of them stole a loaf of bread from the counter and I scolded him for it, he instantly revealed his stomach and whined. He refused to look me in the eye, and he didn't move until I calmed down enough to no longer be angry with him. Sure my dogs would get that guilty look they get when they got caught doing something they shouldn't in the past, but now they acted like their lives were on the line. It took me a couple days to realize why they treated me so differently. After a shower I spied Destin's mark in the mirror, and that's when it hit me. I had werewolf magic in me. Serena told me that animals were more wary of werewolves, and I'd imagine dogs would be especially vulnerable due to their wolf heritage. I was saddened by this at first, but then I started entertaining the implications. Would this save me from a dog attack or even a wolf attack?

The second thing that bothered me, was my brother. He was inconsistently home due to his work, but even when he was home he stayed locked away in his room. I tried knocking on his door, but he would turn me away after a few short words. At meals we shared, he barely said anything. I even offered to play Call of Duty with him, which I honestly hated to play, but he would claim to be playing something else. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was mad at me. He went through a similar thing after my cancer treatment. He blamed me for having to watch my sisters while my mom tended to and visited me. He was awfully short with me, and it frustrated me to no end. Logically, neither my cancer nor my kidnapping was my fault. I think my brother knew that, and I don't think his anger was over what he complained about. He was angry with almost losing his big sister. He was angry about feeling powerless to stop his grief. He was angry with how angry he was feeling. There was little I could do, except let him process his anger. I just hoped it would end before I had to leave.

The final thing that tended to keep me up at night, was Lannister. He was... amazing. The way he played with Rachel and would help my mother without complaint left me feeling warm. Not I'm in heat warm, but I'm beyond content warm. He followed me everywhere. The grocery store, the park, and even around the house. It was rare that he wasn't there next to me, but I didn't find it annoying. I actually enjoyed his presence, and I even missed him when he was away doing errands with my mother. I've caught myself staring at him more and more. His long silver hair, his golden eyes, and his lithe muscular body captivated me. It was to the point where I started to fantasize about him before I fell asleep. I would imagine his gentle eyes lovingly taking me in, or his hand touching my cheek. I even imagined him in his equine form greeting me and allowing me to ride on his sleek white back. I was immediately met with guilt and shame after such thoughts, and I would be left tossing and turning to shake them from my mind.