Chapter Five- First Date

Serenity was warmly welcomed by the gang when she and Joey met them after school the next day. Duke was there too and as he tended to join them now and then, no one thought his presence was odd, but Joey knew better. He suspected the young game shop owner was there to ask Serenity out. His suspicions were confirmed when he joined Serenity and Joey in getting food and drinks for everyone.

"Hey, Serenity. How about we go to the movies, say, tomorrow night?"

"The movies? Sure," she said.

"Great. I know this romance one I know you'll love." He flashed a charming smile and Joey looked suspiciously at him.

He waited until Serenity was out of earshot before he grabbed Duke's arm. "Listen, I may approve of you as a boyfriend, but you better be a gentleman on that date or you'll answer to me."

Duke chuckled a little. "Joey, you talk like a tough guy but you don't follow through with your threats."

"Only because I could end up sending that person to the hospital. I didn't tell you what I told the others last year." He leaned toward Duke's ear. "I'm a werewolf."

Duke looked at him before his lips twitched and he laughed. "A werewolf?" he snickered. "You're joking."

"I'm not. I was born one. Ask Serenity. I told her yesterday and changed to prove it."

"You can change without the full moon?"

"Yeah. I'm forced to stay in wolf form during the full moon, but I can change back to human in the morning."

Duke was thoughtful as he got dressed for his date the next night. The revelation that Joey was a born werewolf made him wonder if Serenity was one, too. The idea of dating a werewolf could be exciting and a little challenging as well. On one hand, his date could defend both of them if need be but on the other hand, they couldn't go on dates during the full moon. Joey hadn't given all the details of his heritage and left Duke with a lot of questions.

He was quiet and deep in thought when he picked Serenity up and drove them to the theater. He had complimented her dress but pretty much said nothing else.

Serenity was worried as she glanced at Duke who was silent as he drove and kept his eyes on the road. Duke wasn't being his charming self. He usually had something to say; he kept up a steady stream of chatter whenever they talked on the phone. Why is he so quiet? Wait…I saw Joey talking to him yesterday. Did he threaten Duke even though he approves of him?

When they pulled into the theater parking lot, Serenity said, "Duke, did Joey threaten you after you asked me out?"

"Just the usual big brother threat," Duke said casually.

"So, he did. As if you would treat me wrong."

"That's what concerned him. He said I better be a gentleman or I would answer to him."

Serenity huffed. "I'm old enough to take care of myself. Joey needs to stop treating me like a kid."

"Of course. Serenity? Joey told me he's a werewolf."

"Yeah. He is. He told me Sunday and changed in front of me."

"Well, the real reason I was quiet is because I was wondering if you were one, too."

Serenity brightened at finally understanding Duke's silence. "Oh, I'm not though I do carry the werewolf gene. If I have any children, my daughters would carry it while my sons would both carry it and become werewolves. Duke, if I was a werewolf I would have changed the year before we met. I would have told you over the phone."

"Oh! So you can carry it but girls don't change while the guys do. But, is it on your mother's side or your father's?"

"My dad. I don't know if Mom knew he was a werewolf. Joey told me Sunday that he didn't know until Dad changed one day and told him. When Joey changed in front of Dad, he found that he's an alpha wolf and Dad submits to him whenever he uses that status."

"Alpha wolf. Of course. I assume he has the senses of a wolf."

"Senses, speed, and strength. He can talk, full moon or not. He can only turn someone on the full moon which he has not done."

"Assuming a woman would just carry the werewolf gene if bitten, what would happen if it was a man?"

"He would transform on the next full moon night. So, if he was bitten on the first night, he would change the next night."

Duke checked his watch. "We still have time to buy the tickets, popcorn, and drinks."

"Maybe one large popcorn?" Serenity suggested as they got out. "So we can share?"

Duke saw the sly glint in her eyes and smiled. "Sure, we can."

Joey peeked behind the curtain as Duke and Serenity came up to the door with happy smiles. He had a good idea what movie they went to and looked online to see how long it was. Joey felt a bit ashamed of his behavior toward this date. His wolf side made him more protective than he used to be. Other people would say he was just being a big brother, but he knew better.

He saw Duke hug Serenity and when they separated, Serenity pulled Duke down and kissed him. Joey's eyes went wide at her bold move and his ashamed feelings grew. Serenity can take care of herself. She's fifteen, for crying out loud. I was self-sufficient at her age. He stepped away from the curtain, sped to his room, flopped onto his bed, and seized the first thing to read: Notes for his next exam. He pretended to study them until he heard Serenity say his name.

"Hi, sis," he said casually. "How was the movie?"

"It was good, but I want to talk to you about threatening Duke. Joey, I can take care of myself. I don't need you watching out for me while I'm here."

"Yeah, you're right," Joey sighed.

"I'm fifteen and quite capable of…wait. Did you say I'm right?"

"I did. I'm sorry, Serenity. I was letting my protective wolf side dictate my words and actions. I don't want anything to happen to you and yet I know you can defend yourself if you need to."

"Yes, I can. I admit it's nice that you care about me so much, but girls can fight back if we need to. If a guy tried to hurt me, I know exactly how to hurt him in order to get away."

Joey winced as he caught on to what Serenity was hinting. "Yeah, that really hurts. You know, I think the confidence of a werewolf can show in the women who carry the gene. I've seen how brave you can be as well as how confident you are."

"You could be right." She took a seat next to Joey. "I know you were spying on Duke and me earlier. That's why I kissed him."

Joey chuckled. "You noticed. I thought you did, but I thought I try to act like I didn't. Should have known better than that." He flashed his trademark grin which made Serenity giggle and soon both siblings were laughing.