Orion’s pov
Izzy sounded like she had cried but came down to eat a few minutes later looking fine—well, still bruised, but fine. Better than fine, actually beautiful.
It was hard to take my eyes off her. With her red hair and green eyes, there was something almost fairylike about her. I don’t think she even realized how good she looked, which was sad. Did someone make her believe she was less? Is that who hurt her? A part of me wanted to find out who hurt her and go there and kill them, but I pushed it down, knowing these thoughts were dangerous.
Ezra tapped on the table in front of me. [Orion, you have to actually look at me to see what I’m saying.] He signed with a wink. [I get that this woman is much more attractive than I am.]
I stopped Ezra. [Sorry. What were you saying?]
Ezra smiled, [How was your day? But I have a feeling I already know the answer.]
[Don’t start. She’s just a guest.]
"Boys, it’s not polite to sign in front of people who can’t understand you." Erin said and signed at the same time. She turned to Izzy, "I’m sorry, Izzy, my son Ezra is deaf and has been teaching Orion sign language from a young age. But I’ll translate as much as I can."
Ezra raised an eyebrow. [Do you want to translate what we were talking about before too?]
I tapped my first two fingers towards my thumb, signing "no." Was he trying to embarrass me?
"Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone use sign language. I come from a small community that has no people with hearing issues. Is it wrong to say it looks cool? I love learning languages, and I regret not trying to learn sign language now."
Wow, she wasn’t just beautiful; she was adorable too.
Erin smiled, "not it’s not wrong to say. I wish more people thought it was cool, because it would make life a lot easier. Sometimes Ezra has to write or type to talk to people, or they start talking very loudly. He can read lips, but you have to face him and articulate clearly. Talking loud doesn’t suddenly make his ears work."
Izzy nodded and turned to Ezra; she waved her hand. "Hi, I’m Izzy. It’s nice to meet you, Ezra."
Ezra signed back. [It’s nice to meet you too.] and Izzy immediately began to copy the movements.
"I’ll teach you some things, or Orion can," Erin offered. "I don’t know how long you’re staying."
Izzy looked down at the table, "not long probably. I need to find a job and a place to live."
"I can get you a job. Well, not me personally, but my ex-husband runs a diner and needs someone during lunch and breakfast time." Erin suggested, "you’ll learn on the job and can use this experience once you do move on to the next place."
[With a face like yours, you’ll get plenty of tips.] Ezra signed, while Erin translated.
Izzy blushed, and a low growl escaped my mouth. Ezra seemed oblivious to the growl, but Erin immediately looked at me.
[Have you been taking your medication?] Erin signed, trying not to spook Izzy.
[What did he do?] Ezra asked.
[He growled like a wolf.] Erin said, trying to pretend everything was fine while smiling at Izzy. The funny thing is that everyone was freaking out about my growl—me the most—and Izzy didn’t even seem fazed.
"Thank you for the offer; that would be perfect." Izzy responded as if nothing had happened. Didn’t she hear the growl? Erin sure did. Everyone always looked at me like I was crazy and like someone who would snap if you said or did the wrong thing.
But I didn’t just snap. There was a reason I lost control. Everyone tried to hide it because my foster dad had an image to uphold. They gave me less prison time if I kept my mouth shut. But I didn’t really care about that; I just wanted to make sure he would never be able to foster another child, and he agreed to my terms.
It wasn’t like he was able to take care of someone anyway, not after what I had done.
"So Orion isn’t your son, but he grew up here?" Izzy asked Erin.
"You want to tell her?" Erin offered, but I shook my head. I didn’t really like talking about myself, and certainly not about that part of my life.
"Adriana moved here when she was pregnant with Orion, and we became friends. She stayed here and helped out at the motel until Orion was eight. After that, circumstances made Orion move away. I tried to foster him myself, but, well, it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s back where he belongs now." Erin said, and my eyes widened at her words.
"You tried to foster me?"
She nodded her head. "Didn’t they tell you? They wouldn’t let me because I was going through a divorce, the motel wasn’t doing so well, and I already had a kid that they considered disabled. So it was too much in their eyes for me to take you in."
I didn’t know that. I always thought Erin didn’t want me back then and just left me behind, like my mother.
Ezra tried to lighten the mood, while Erin translated Ezra’s signing for Izzy. [He was a real teddy bear back then. Such a sweet boy.]
"He’s still sweet." Erin added, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze.
I wasn’t. Being sweet had been dangerous enough at home with my foster family, but it was extremely dangerous to be sweet in prison and at the mental institution. I needed everyone to think I was as scary as I looked. I needed them to understand that I could kill them with ease if they crossed me.
Pretending not to be kind or sweet for so long made me wonder if I still had that side of me. Was it still an act that I was dangerous? I tried really hard these past months to be a good person, but what if it was too late?
"Don’t mind him," Erin said, seeing me deep in thought. "He’s a thinker. It takes a while for Orion to talk freely."
I sighed. While it was nice of Erin to help me, I didn’t like her speaking for me. She wasn’t my mother. I still held on to some resentment towards her for not taking me in back then, but learning now that she actually tried made me wonder what else I didn’t know about that time.
But enough thinking. I didn’t want Izzy to think I was just a quiet giant sitting there ignoring her.
"Do you have any experience working at a dinner?" I asked. It wasn’t like I could ask about her life or why she left, because she probably didn’t want to talk about that right now. It was clear, though, that she didn’t leave for nothing. She seemed scared and sad.
Izzy shook her head, "I wasn’t allowed to have a job. I was too busy studying."
"Studying what?"
"To be someone they thought I should be. I don’t want to talk about it." Izzy replied, looking awkward.
I mentally kicked myself. I was trying to show interest in Izzy, but instead I made her shut down. Erin raised her eyebrows at me, trying to make me ask more questions, but I guess she was right; it did take time for me to talk freely, and I was all out of questions.
"You said you like languages, so what languages do you speak?" Erin asked instead.
Izzy smiled, "well English, French, Spanish, some Japanese, and some Mandarin. I am not perfect, though, but I seem to pick up languages pretty fast."
I chuckled and said, "I had the exact opposite problem in high school. I hated learning languages and have seemed to forget all the languages except for Portuguese and a bit of Spanish."
Erin giggled, "his mother is Brazilian, so she taught him Portugese, but I think Orion learned most of his Spanish from TV shows like Diego and Dora."
Ezra began to laugh. [Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! Delicioso!] which Erin translated.
Izzy joined them laughing, "We did it!"
At least I got her to laugh, even if it was more at me than with me. God, she had a beautiful laugh, and I stared at her until her eyes caught mine. She looked away and then back again, as if she were wondering why I was still looking at her. But I couldn't look away from this beautiful woman. Yum, yum, delicioso indeed.
Izzy’s povWhy did he look at me that way? It was making me feel all kinds of things, and once again, I felt like I was stuck in some romantic novel or movie. I had never had someone look at me the way Orion did. As if I were the most beautiful person in the world.I had seen my dad look at my mother that way, but I was pretty sure there was no way Jordan would ever look at me the way Orion was looking right now.My eyes went down, and I took a few more bites of my food. While I enjoyed the company, it was hard to keep lying to these people. I barely knew them, but they invited me over to dinner and had been nothing but nice to me. I could never tell them anything important about my life. It would either put them in danger or make them think I was insane.Humans didn’t know about werewolves, and for good reason. They would try to hunt us, or worse. We had healing powers, we could shift, and our communities were completely different from the way humans lived. They had a president, cong
Orion’s povI couldn’t sleep. I felt drawn to Izzy in a way I had never felt before. Part of me felt like she needed my protection. From a very young age, I was always very aware of who needed protection. I did everything I could to protect my foster brothers and sisters, but even before that time, I would try to befriend kids who were bullied. Mom used to say I had a kind heart, but would she still think that if she knew what I had done?Another part of me just wanted to be close to her, which was crazy. I didn’t even know her. I should just stay away. It would be safer for Izzy if I kept my distance.I started walking around the motel, hoping to tire myself out. When I walked past Izzy’s room, I heard her scream. My instinct took over, and I used the master key Erin had given me. I used it when I needed to fix something inside one of the rooms or if one of the guests didn’t want to leave and I had to force them out. It had only happened once, though.I ran in, seeing Izzy trashing a
Izzy’s povThe interview went well. Luke needed someone to help during the morning and lunch rush, but I would be free after lunch was over. This would give me some time to figure out the next part of my plan. He didn’t even need my ID; he was planning to pay me under the table. At first, I didn’t realize what that was, but it meant he was going to pay me in cash and without a contract.This meant there was no paper trail to lead to me and no need to give an ID, but it was illegal. Normally I would have never done anything illegal, but did I really have a choice here? This was a safe way to earn money, and as soon as I made enough, I could find a legal job somewhere far away.While it was funny that he was named Luke and had a dinner, because of the similarities to Gilmore Girls, it didn’t mean I could trust Luke. I did trust Orion, even without having any reason to. He was there when I had a nightmare, and he only tried to help me. At no point during that night did I think he would d
Orion’s pov Maybe it was for the better. This whole thing with Izzy was crazy anyway. What was I thinking? I barely knew the girl, and I had already told her more than I had told most. I wanted to be there for her, for her to feel safe with me, but how could she? I didn’t even feel safe around myself, always worrying what would happen if I lost control again. If the sick part of my brain would take over. It made me nervous that since Izzy arrived here, I had growled and even thought I heard his voice again. I could feel him gnawing at the back of my head more than ever. I should just keep my distance. So that’s what I did. For the next two weeks, Izzy worked five days a week at the diner, so it was easy to avoid her in the mornings and afternoons. But at dinner, I was often forced to sit at the same table as Izzy. I let Erin talk to Izzy and only replied when a question was directed at me. I hated this, but it was better for Izzy if I left her alone. Izzy was off on Sunday, and I h
Izzy’s povOrion left soon after, and I felt all giddy thinking about the kiss. He liked me! And he wanted to go on a date with me. I knew Orion was avoiding me, and I thought it was because of the way I spoke to him. I had tried talking to him during dinner, but Erin was always there, and even when asked a direct question, Orion barely spoke.I wanted to go back to how it was those first two days. It was silly, I know, because I barely knew Orion. But he was someone who made me feel safe, and for some reason, I felt like I knew him my whole life. Without actually knowing anything about him. I laughed to myself; it was crazy to fall for someone like Orion. One, I barely knew him, and what I did know were reasons not to date him. I mean, it’s a pretty red flag hearing someone spent time in prison for beating up his foster father. And then the mental hospital? What would it mean to have a relationship with someone who has been mentally unstable in the past? He clearly still had moments w
Izzy’s pov"That customer, Tom, can be a bit handsy, but he tips very well." Luke said, pointing to an older gentleman sitting at one of the tables by himself.I wasn’t sure if he was telling me to warn me or just to accept it because of the tip. After working here for a few weeks, it was obvious that Luke ran his business very differently from Erin's.Erin’s motel staff was like her family; she was kind to everyone and really showed that she cared. But Luke ran a business, and although he wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t really care how any of his staff were doing. He wasn’t asking if you had a good day, like Erin did every time a cleaning lady or someone from the kitchen came over.While I wasn’t exactly looking forward to handling this customer, I decided to suck it up and do my job. In thirty minutes, Orion would be picking me up from work, and we’d go on a date.A date!Although I knew it couldn’t last, that didn’t make me less nervous and excited. Goddess, I had fallen for this man qu
Orion’s povThis date has been perfect so far. So perfect that we lost track of time and missed the movie. Izzy suggested watching a movie in her room, and despite the obvious temptation it would be for me, I said yes.I wanted to touch Izzy all the time, wanting to kiss her and more, but we were going slow. Mind over matter, right? She went through a lot, and I was pretty sure she was still a virgin, so rushing things was a bad idea.We packed up the blanket and cutlery, and I drove us back to the motel. My hand was resting on Izzy’s leg, making circles with my fingers. For a moment, Izzy looked sad, and I quickly moved my hand."Are you okay?""He did that too…. He put his hand on my leg while we were driving. But when you do it, it feels so different. I am trying not to think about that day, but my mind keeps going back to it." Izzy replied, fidgeting with her hands."I know you’ve said you don’t want to talk about it, but maybe you should. Not necessarily with me, but with someone.
Izzy’s povI woke up, not remembering when I fell asleep. It must have been halfway through the movie. Despite liking the movie, Orion’s scent and his arms around me made me a bit too relaxed.Orion! His arms were still around me. He fell asleep here!I turned my head and saw Orion look so peaceful. I can’t imagine anyone being scared of this man. He looked so cute, and he even snorted a little. Goddess, he was adorable. How lucky was I to have someone like him like me?Or unlucky, since I couldn’t keep him. I laughed to myself. Keep him. As if he were a stuffed animal that I could keep in my bed forever."You have such a beautiful smile; I wouldn’t mind waking up to that every day." Orion said, stretching his arms before taking me in his arms and giving me a tight hug."Goodmorning, Orion." I said, hugging him back and feeling slightly embarrassed to feel his morning erection during the hug. That man was big."Goodmorning, beautiful." Orion replied, kissing me on the neck. It must hav