AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He slipped a ring on my finger. Bringing it up to study it, I saw the most beautiful shining butterfly. Birdie had to have told him about the butterflies because I never did.
Later that night, we returned to the Wild Dog, the buzz from the prom still electrifying our senses. Knox wasted no time. As soon as we walked in, he gathered everyone around.
“Brothers, sisters,” Knox announced, his voice carrying over the crowd. “Tonight, Eliza agreed to ride with me for life, be my ol’ lady. We’re engaged!”
The clubhouse exploded in cheers and whistles, the family we had forged here enveloping us in their raucous congratulations. As I looked around at the sea of faces, each marked by lives boldly lived, I knew we were right where we belonged.
Birdie sauntered up to me on Rocky’s arm before bringing me into a full hug. She was the first of many women who followed. Even Tara congratulated us. I thanked her although I didn’t trust it.
The night became more than a celebration. We declared our future together, embraced by the brotherhood and sisterhood of the Royal Bastards MC. I was going to be Knox’s ol’ lady, and together, we would ride into whatever future awaited us, ready for anything, with the love and support of our chosen family lighting the way.
The next night, the cool evening breeze brushed against my skin, carrying the faintest hint of jasmine from the backyard. Knox and I were sitting on my back porch, our back porch, watching the sun dip below the horizon, painting the sky in all manners of colors, like oranges that reminded me of his motorcycle. The excitement of his promposal, that I jokingly referred to it as, still lingered between us. It was a moment I’d always cherish.
Then Knox turned to me, his expression more serious than I’d ever seen. “Eliza, there’s somethin’ I need to tell you, something important,” he began, his voice unusually steady.
Urging him to keep going, I raised my eyebrows. “What is it, Knox?”
He took a deep breath, then stood up before me. “This might shock you, but it’s time you knew the full truth about me—and about the club.”
My heart started to race with anticipation and a twinge of anxiety. Glancing down at my ring, I had no idea what other secrets he could be keeping.
“I couldn’t tell you before, not until you were all in,” he explained as he started removing his clothes.
“What is this about? Is this about the tattoo?” Knox had been saying I had to get one, proclaiming I was his property. So far, I’d refused.
Knox was nearly naked. Whipping my head around, I made sure the neighbors were inside. I licked my lips, thinking Knox was ready to show me some more moves out here in the yard.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Knox said with a grin.
Before I could ask how he knew my thoughts, his body began to contort right before my eyes. After a horrible second, in place of the man I loved, a beautiful, sleek fox stood, its fur a fiery orange that seemed to glow in the darkening light. My mouth fell open in disbelief, my mind struggling to piece together what I was witnessing.
Knox, now in this fox form, let out a soft sound, then shifted back into his human form as smoothly as if he’d merely changed clothes.
“Eliza,” he said gently, from the ground. He got up and stepped closer. “I’m a shifter, a fox. And not just me. Many of the club members are shifters too, wolves, and other creatures.”
My hand shot to my mouth as I recoiled from his outreached hand. Getting to my feet, I planned to run, but Knox caught me easily. He held me tightly, his naked body against mine, trying to calm me.
It was a long time before I uncovered my mouth to ask, “Shifters? Like… like in the stories?” The sound that escaped my lips was barely a whisper as I tried to reconcile the man I knew with the creature I’d just seen.
“Yes, exactly like in those stories,” Knox replied, his eyes scanning mine for any further sign of fear or rejection. He gently let me go.
“I’m dreaming,” I said, pinching myself. “This isn’t real.
Knox held both my hands and looked me square in my eyes. “It’s real. I’m so relieved I can finally tell you.”
“But why didn’t you tell me before?” I managed to ask, my mind so confused and racing with a thousand questions.
“I couldn’t, not until I was sure… sure that you’d stay with me. And you made a comment last week about ‘not being sure if I was human,’ remember? It was time.”
I remembered the joke, a playful jab about his almost superhuman patience with Emma during her tantrums. It was meant to be light-hearted, not a revelation of this magnitude.
“You were getting suspicious about my monthly trips, too. During the full moon. Remember?”
I’d asked if he was a werewolf or something, but never in a million years did I think the answer would be yes.
“What does this mean for me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, although my world was spinning.
Knox reached out, brushing my hair back. “Eliza, when I said I wanted you to be part of my world, I meant it fully. I’ve already bitten you. You’re going to become like me, regardless. You’ll transition for the first time in a year from that bite.”
