Werewolves of Forever 06 - Wild Lust

head then brought it back up to study her. “I’m sorry about that. But when you shot me, my instincts kicked in. I wasn’t going to hunt you down unless you’d shot Shannon or Anderson instead of me. Thankfully, because I’m a werewolf, I healed fast.” He shot her a crooked grin. “Both times.”
    She took a sip of her tea to give her time to think. Daniel was charming, and she could easily see why her sister loved him. “But what about the future? What about children? Can Shannon still have the kids she’s always wanted?”
    Daniel waved at Shannon, who was staring at them, her expression tight. “She’s worried that you won’t accept us, you know. She told me about the promise she made you. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but whatever Shannon decides, we’ll support her.”
    He leaned back in the recliner. “As for children, yes, she can have as many as she wants. The only thing she has to remember is to not shift into her wolf form while she’s more than two months pregnant.”
    Charlie sat up, her heart pounding, her breath taken by the realization of what he’d said. “Are you telling me that she’s a werewolf, too?”
    The color drained from Daniel’s face. “Aw, shit. I thought she’d told you.”
    Charlie was on her feet and rushing toward the front door. Daniel shouted at Shannon, but every sound around Charlie was muffled by the one thought repeating in her head.
    Shannon’s a werewolf.
    She kept moving, hurrying to get away from the awful truth without any idea where she was headed. She didn’t realize she was inside the house until she crumpled on the rug. Hugging herself, she sat on the floor, sobs racking her body as she wailed. If only she could cry away the sentence drowning out all other thoughts.
    My sister’s a werewolf.
    “Charlie?”
    Shannon knelt beside her and tried to pull her into her arms, but Charlie pushed her away. “Don’t touch me.”
    She wiped the tears from her cheeks and glared at her sister. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    The misery on Shannon’s face was nothing compared to the gnawing pain in her stomach.
    “I love them. You can see that, can’t you? I saw your face outside. You saw how good we are together.”
    She had, but did any of that matter? “What does that have to do with it? You didn’t have to become a werewolf to stay with them, did you? Did they force you to do it? Did they attack you and make you one of them? If they did, I swear I’ll kill them.”
    The pain in her sister’s face disappeared. “Knock it off, Charlie, and grow the hell up. No, they didn’t force me to change and they didn’t attack me. They wouldn’t do that. Don’t you get it? I love them, and they love me. I want to live my life with them. I want to share in their lives. I wanted to become a werewolf.”
    She stood, hands fisted and towering over Charlie. “And you know what? For the first time in my life, I’m happy. I’m not just going through the motions of living any longer. I’m really, honestly, totally happy. I have two amazing men who love me and accept me for who I am. They don’t expect anything from me, which is more than I can say about our parents. If you love me like you say you do, then you’ll accept them. It’s unconditional love, Charlie. You either love me as I am now, as a werewolf, or you really don’t love me at all.”
    Charlie couldn’t find the words to argue with her. It hurt to think, to breathe, to move.
    “That’s what real love is, Charlie. When you find someone you love more than yourself, you take them in any form they come in. I’m damn proud to be a werewolf and damn proud to be their mate.”
    Shannon whirled around and headed for the front door. Charlie turned toward her as she came to a stop, her hand on the doorknob.
    “I’ll always love you, Charlie, no matter who or what you are.” Pushing the screen door wide, Shannon marched down the front steps and into the arms of her two mates.
     

     
    Charlie wasn’t sure how long or how far she’d walked. After Shannon left, she somehow managed to get on her feet. Like walking through a dream, she passed through the kitchen and out the back door. She vaguely remembered hearing Reese shouting at Shannon, questioning her about what had happened, but she didn’t turn back. Instead, she put one foot in front of the other and kept moving.
    The sun was beginning its descent in the western sky. Using it like a beacon, she headed toward the changing colors