Skinwalkers Chapter 3, a sailor moon fanfic

Skinwalkers: Chapter 3
Charlyne

Serena woke up angry. This fainting thing is getting tedious. I've never fainted in my life, now I pass out twice in one week. At least I have a good excuse for it. Serena closed her eyes and played back the memory of Darien changing into a wolf. It shouldn't have been possible, but she had seen it with her own eyes. However, it didn't prove that she could now turn into a wolf.

She didn't want to open her eyes. She would either see a crazed, drooling wolf mad for her flesh, or a strange, handsome man that she somehow felt drawn to. You can't ignore him forever, Serena told herself. Just open your eyes and get it over with. Taking a deep breath, Serena cracked open her eyes. A black wolf still stood where Darien had been, silently watching her. It neither looked mad, nor was drooling. She took that as a good sign.

"Er, Mr. Shields--Darien--, could you please change back?" It was a bit disconcerting to talk to a wolf, especially one that you knew could understand you. Could he speak to her in that form or did he and the other werewolves use howling and such to communicate? It was fascinating, really. But knowing they existed and being interested in learning about them didn't mean that she wanted to be one.

Skin began to replace fur as Darien's body reshaped. The transformation looked painful and Serena had no wish to experience it herself. It was only when Darien was once again standing in front of her as a human that she remembered his clothes shredding as he changed into a wolf. Serena quickly covered her eyes with her hands, although not before getting a healthy glimpse of his body. Blushing bright red, she demanded, "Put some clothes on, for God's sake!"

Darien grinned at Serena's embarrassment."Why? No one here is overly concerned about nudity. I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"You people just prance around here naked all the time?" She still had her hands held firmly over her eyes.

His grin widening, Darien replied, "Yeah. We can change easier and we don't ruin a lot of clothes that way. None of the girls seem to mind the view." The lie was told easily, though the part about it being easier to change was true. The only time anyone in the village went around naked was after a hunt or a celebration where they all changed.

Serena choked. None of the girls seemed to mind, huh? The arrogant braggart! She beat down the feelings of jealousy that she couldn't explain. All those women werewolves could have him--she didn't even know him, or like him!

"Serena, I brought you some..." Lita trailed off as she entered the room. Serena was lying in bed, her hands covering her bright red face, while Darien stood completely nude next to the bed. She'd obviously interrupted something. "I'm sorry, I'll bring this back later."

"No!" Serena nearly jumped out of the bed to catch Lita. The twinges of pain she felt as soon as she moved made her rethink that idea, though. "Don't leave, Lita."

Lita stopped and turned back around, keeping her eyes averted from Darien. "I didn't know if you would be up to eating a big meal so I brought you some soup. If you're still hungry I can make you more." She approached the bed on the opposite side of Darien and placed a tray over Serena's lap.

Whispering, Serena asked Lita, "Does he always walk around naked?"

Lita shook her head. "No. And if he doesn't put some clothes on my mate won't be very happy."

Darien chuckled, then left the room. He returned moments later wearing a pair of pants that were slightly too small for him. "Tell Nick I'll give his pants back later," he said to Lita.

Taking a seat on the edge of Serena's bed, Darien watched her as she tasted the soup. He didn't care that she kept shooting him half-fearful, half-annoyed looks. He heard Lita leave the room and close the door behind her, but never took his eyes off his mate. His mate. It was still amazing to him.

"Will you stop staring at me?" Serena demanded.

Darien smirked. He liked to get her temper riled, it proved that she would be the perfect alpha female--she wouldn't put up with crap from anyone. "You're my mate, I can stare at you whenever I want."

"Your mate? What do you mean?" Serena asked suspiciously. She had a feeling she wouldn't like his reply.

"Wolves mate for life. Once we choose a mate--or find our true mate--it's forever." He didn't want to sound sappy, but he wanted her to understand that she had no choice, they were a mated pair now. "You're my true mate, and as such are the alpha female of the pack."

She knew she wasn't going to like it. "You can't just decide that I'm your mate without my permission. And you can't force me to be this alpha female thing, whatever that is. I'm not even one of your kind!" Serena scowled at him. She wasn't going to admit even to herself that she felt different than before she'd been attacked. She refused to acknowledge the other being that she seemed to be sharing her soul with now. Besides, Darien had said nothing about love, and she wouldn't be any man's mate for life without love.

"I didn't 'just decide', it wasn't my choice. It just is." He shook his head. Lord, this girl was stubborn. "I'll teach you how to change your form once you're healed."

I don't want to change my form, I don't want to be different. I just want to go back to my life and pretend like nothing happened. Serena felt tears gather in her eyes, but wouldn't let them fall. Crying never solved any problems. Getting mad, however, always made her feel better. Her eyes flashed silver as anger overcame her sadness. "Why did you do this to me?" she yelled. Serena felt her skin begin to itch, her bones ached.

Serena was one of the most frustrating people Darien had ever met. One minute she was smart-mouthing him, then she looked like she was going to cry, now she was so angry she was starting to cause herself to change. He needed to distract her. Leaning forward, Darien cupped the back of her neck with his hand and pulled her toward him. Darien saw her eyes widen with surprise right before he sealed his lips to hers. The kiss was hard, possessive. His tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her. He felt her hands come up and press against his chest, as if trying to push him away, then grip his shirt tightly. Breathing heavily, Darien sat back.

Dazed, Serena looked at Darien with a mixture of shock and amazement. The only thought she could seem to assimilate was, Werewolves are good kissers.

Author's Note:
Sorry it took me so long to get this out, everyone. I did warn you about my track record, though. I left an update on my profile for anyone who's interested, and I'll continue to leave any updates there. Things have been hectic at work. Anyway, since I don't have an editor or anyone to bounce ideas off of and get me moving, it may take me a while to complete chapters.

I am interchanging lycan and werewolf because Serena relates to the word werewolf whereas Darien and the other skinwalkers use lycan.

Enough excuses. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think.

07/29/2004
Unedited