Free Bright Moon by Andria Canayo

one. Tyson
pulled into a hotel parking lot, taking the car around back and
switching the engine off. Before the car could die down he was at
Clara’s door, opening both it and the back one for the
she-wolf.
    “Are we going to check in?” Clara asked.
Tyson dangled a set of keys in front of her.
    “It’s done.”
    The silver wolf stepped from the car,
staring at the tall hotel building, her eyes round and glinting in
the low street light.
    “Haven’t you ever seen a hotel before?”
Tyson asked her, watching closely to gauge her reaction.
    “You call this a hotel? I’ve never seen a
building this large and…”
    “And what?”
    “Reflective.”
    Clara couldn’t hold back a smile of
amusement. The hotel, with its many windows, was reflective in the
city light. The thought of someone never seeing one before was
boggling.
    “You really have been in the woods too
long,” Tyson commented seriously.
    Their room was fairly high, all the way up
on level twelve. Tyson led the way with a gimping mortal and a
gawking she werewolf. To make matters worse, he opted to take the
stairs. “I don’t think an elevator ride would be a good idea for
our new friend,” he explained. “I know you’re hurting, I can carry
you.”
    Clara shook her head. “Thank you, but I can
make it.” Her legs burned, but she forced them one in front of the
other. They weakened then gave way before they reached the second
flight. Tyson caught her and pulled her into his arms before she
knew what happened. The she-wolf was already a few flights ahead,
too nervous to wait in the cramped space. “Sorry,” Clara muttered
and lowered her head.
    “Sorry?” he asked and his arms tensed,
holding her closer. His cheek touched hers when he spoke in her
ear. “Don’t be sorry.” She forgot how to make words find their way
to her mouth until he reached their room and put her on her feet to
unlock the door.
    “Thank you,” she whispered with pink rising
in her cheeks.
    Two queen sized beds took up most of the
room and she wanted nothing more than to fall on one and sleep for
days—even weeks. She felt particularly grimy as surveyed the neat
room, especially when she noted how dirt smudged her hands and arms
were.
    “I think you’ll find everything you need in
the bathroom. We’ll be safe here until your brother and Jack catch
up, so try to make the most of it,” Tyson said.
    “How long are we staying?” the she-wolf
asked. She wandered the room, poking and touching things unfamiliar
to her, which was most everything.
    “A few days. Maybe more, maybe less. We
should be prepared for anything.”
    Clara edged her way to the bathroom and
slipped in, shutting the door firmly. There were sets of folded
clothes, one of which had a paper “C” pinned on it. She guessed
that pile was for her. She was glad for the items, even is she
didn’t know how Tyson had the time to devote so much attention to
detail in such a short time.
    A hot shower helped relax her sore muscles.
She pressed her forehead to the tile and let the spray dissolve
what ache it could. After a time, she was afraid she’d fall asleep
standing there and hurried to finish. The gash on her shoulder had
healed enough that she didn’t need a new bandage and was able to
discard the old one. She was elated to find her pile of clothing
fit pretty well. The outfit was cotton, much like the one she’d
found in her room at Tyson’s mansion. She located a comb and ran it
through her hair, taking some time to get all the tangles out. When
she was satisfied with her appearance, she discarded her dirty
clothes and left. Steam spilled into their quarters when she opened
the door. Like any hotel room Clara had ever seen, there was a
small area devoted to dining. A plain wooden table stood under a
window that overlooked the city. The silver wolf was there and ate
from a large plate that had since found its way to the room. The
thick cut of steak she ate almost made Clara forget she was
vegetarian