Crush

Lupita came over to Jazmyn and quickly crouched down in front of the girl. Her nose was no longer bleeding and it seemed like they had been able to clean off most of the blood, but it still looked painful. It looked somewhat deformed.

"Are you ok?" Lupita asked softly and brushed her nose against the girl's head. It was a common thing her parents had done to her both in human and wolf form when she was younger, but Jazmyn pulled back and stared at her wide-eyed while her cheeks slowly tinted pink.

"Y-yes," she stammered and then quickly pulled Lupita into a hug. Lupita didn't protest and hugged the girl back much softer than the girl was currently holding her.

"You did great by the way," Lupita said and pulled away once she heard Jazmyn begin to sob again.

"Thanks," she said while wiping her eyes and trying her best not to take sharp breaths through her nose.

"As promised I will go to your house," Lupita added after a while of the girl just sitting there and crying in pain.

Jazmyn only nodded and slowly stood up with the help of her friends while Lupita got distracted by a shiny thing on the floor. It looked very pretty in the light, but further inspection showed it looked more like a metal stick.

"What have you found, honey?" Elizabeth asked sweetly as Lupita looked up at her. She pointed at the shiny metal and Elizabeth pulled it out of the ground to reveal what Lupita recognized as a nail. A very polished nail. "Good thing you found this," Elizabeth praised and went to pet her head but she moved last second so her arm landed on her shoulder.

"She doesn't like it when you touch her hair," Jazmyn said as Elizabeth looked at Lupita confused.

"Chuta! I wanted to ask if I could touch it," Valeria said and dramatically fell with her hand over her forehead so North had to quickly catch her before she hit the ground. "How will I ever survive without knowing how fluffy it is?"

"What about my hair?" North asked with a smug smile on her lips.

"I think she is too occupied with pulling on it to realize how soft it is," Mia said and sipped something from a small box she held as if what she said wasn't as dirty as they all knew it was.

Both North and Valeria went red and quickly scrambled apart, though not too far and Val's tail quickly wrapped itself around North's waist.

Lupita stood up and began to stare off in the distance, not really paying attention to the conversation the group was having. It was something she often found herself doing. It was calming, especially in the forest where she had the sounds of nature all around her as she stared at nothing for hours. Now it was just a slight buzz in her ears as she looked around, her eyes falling on the figures leaving the field. A small pit formed in her stomach as she watched them leave. Or rather, watched her leave.

"Ok, please stop this," Elizabeth said, bringing Lupita back to the present as she looked at the group in front of her. "Jazmyn, we need to get you home, sweety. Your nose isn't looking good."

"It doesn't feel good either," Jazmyn joked and went to take a step but she was clearly exhausted and almost fell face-first into the ground had Lupita not caught her and lifted her up so she had her arm under her knees and the other on her back.

"Take it easy," Lupita said and adjusted her slightly so she would be more comfortable. Jazmyn let out a little yelp but ultimately relaxed into her hold and leaned her head on her shoulder.

"Bye everyone," Elizabeth said and began walking after she placed a careful hand on Lupita's arm and guided her to go with her.

"Bye," everyone else in the group exclaimed as they continued to walk. Lupita felt Jazmyn wave before she settled back down.

"Thank you for carrying me," she whispered and snuggled into the unburnt side of Lupita's neck, something that made Lupita both slightly uncomfortable but also happy.

Lupita didn't say anything as they walked to Elizabeth's car and focused on making sure Jazmyn was comfortable and not passing out. The girl's eyes were constantly dropping and Lupita had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't only because of her injuries. They walked up to the car and Lupita helped put Jazmyn in the backseat as the girl buckled herself in. Lupita got in the front seat when Elizabeth motioned for her and buckled herself in after Elizabeth quickly showed her how.

The car started up and Lupita's hands gripped the seat to the point she tore the leather beneath her. The engine roared loudly like a monster from her past and the car shook, not as violently as something she had felt before but it was unpleasant nonetheless. Her wolf was immediately at the front of her mind, trying to tear her way through her barriers.

"Are you ok?" Elizabeth asked just as a hand was placed on her shoulder. Lupita looked over and was met with nothing but concern in the woman's eyes, motherly concern, something she hadn't seen in a very long time. It wasn't something she greatly missed as she hated making her mother look concerned as a child. It always felt as if she had done something bad for her to make her mother feel that way. But it was also a good feeling to see it again, as she knew someone cared for her.

"I don't like cars. I haven't been in any, but I don't like them," Lupita said and slowly loosened her grip on the car seat and sent an apologetic look toward Elizabeth when she saw the damage. It was strange how this woman so easily calmed her down.

"We don't live far away, honey, so this will only take a little while," Elizabeth said and went to hold her cheek but Lupita flinched, so the woman decided to just drive the car so she could at least try to lessen the girl's anxieties.

As Elizabeth promised, the car ride was short. They drove past many houses and a lot of trees until they reached a house that looked to be in the middle of nowhere, but the second Lupita got out of the car, she could smell werewolves to the North and humans to the East. This house was on the border of human and werewolf territory and close to the school, which Lupita had learned was set in the middle of this strange town. It made sense though, the house being on the border seeing as Elizabeth had a human mate.

"Welcome to our little den," Elizabeth said and helped Jazmyn out of the car.

Lupita was staring at her surroundings. There were plenty of trees, but there were at least ten meters of just grass around the whole house. The house itself looked a little more like a cottage. It was very beautiful but nothing like the huts back in her old home which had carvings of wolves and dragons and battles around the walls. This house was simple. Perfect for a family like Jazmyn's.

A man suddenly came out of the house and ran over to Elizabeth and Jazmyn, almost tripping Lupita in his hurry. He was very fast for his height and the fact that he was a human and slightly fat. Lupita guessed that was what people called a 'dad bod'. Though his arms seemed to be incredibly strong. Maybe this was just how humans were.

The man placed his hands on Jazmyn's face and began to carefully stroke her slightly deformed nose. There was very little resemblance between the two, Lupita noted. The man had black, greying hair, a strong nose, a shaggy beard, dull blue eyes, and thick eyebrows. Jazmyn clearly took more from her mother, except her nose that she got from her dad.

"Are you ok, little star?" the man asked in a low, gruff voice.

"Just got a ball to the nose, it's fine," Jazmyn said and leaned into the man's hold.

The man looked up at Elizabeth, looking like he hoped for a better explanation.

"She tried out for both the human and werewolf teams. When it was time for her to go with the werewolves one of the girls kicked it straight at her nose," Elizabeth said and sent an apologetic smile to Jazmyn when she groaned.

"I'm fine. It hurt mostly in the beginning but now I am fine. It was just a little nosebleed," Jazmyn said and took one of the hands on her face that was much bigger than her own.

"It doesn't look like 'just a little nosebleed' to me," the man said in a stern voice and tapped her nose slightly which caused Jazmyn to wince. "Come on, we need to go and get you some ice."

The man turned and first now saw Lupita who was sitting in the grass and picking at a yellow dandelion. He seemed to be pretty startled when Lupita finally looked up, to be fair though, Lupita hadn't really bothered to go and introduce herself and tried not to make too much noise while the family talked, but he could also have realized she was there when he almost tripped her.

"Who is that?" he whispered to Jazmyn, probably not knowing that Lupita could hear and that she had heard their entire conversation.

"That is Lupita. She is that new girl mom and I told you about," Jazmyn said while Lupita stood up - snapping the dandelion's stem while doing so - and walked over to the family.

"Lupita Månelys," she said and stuck out her hand for the man to shake. He took it without hesitation and smiled a bright and genuine smile.

"Daniel Moon," he said and shook her hand with such vigor Lupita was scared her arm might fall off.

Daniel quickly let go of her hand and took his wife's hand and began leading her to the house while letting Jazmyn limp over to Lupita who let the girl lean fully on her as she held her stomach.

"Your stomach hurts?" Lupita asked and gently tucked the dandelion behind Jazmyn's ear.

"That third ball hurt like hell, don't get me wrong but the second one was bad," she said as they began walking toward the house. "I knew werewolves were strong but you are strong strong. Had I had bones in my stomach they would all probably be broken by now."

Lupita chuckled as she helped Jazmyn walk and slightly lifted her shirt to see what kind of damage the ball had done. It was a lot. There was already a giant bruise forming on her stomach, and when Lupita turned to look at her back, she saw a similar one. She was regretting not doing anything to that girl.

"You look like you are about to kill someone," Jazmyn joked as Lupita pulled her shirt back down a slight blush on her cheek that Lupita brushed off as her maybe getting cold.

"I want to kill the girls that did this to you," Lupita said and walked into the house. It was very simple, with maroon red walls with intricate designs in a shade darker. A hallway led to what Lupita saw was the living room, with a dark grey couch, a fat chair in the same color to the side, and a small table in the middle while a TV stood in front of it all on a black table. A soft, light grey carpet covered every part of the floor not leaving a single piece of wood to show from the hallway, which as Lupita could see was a pretty, dark color. Behind the living room was a short table with four chairs around it and a fancy-looking kitchen to the side. They weren't poor at least.

"Stop drooling on the floor, dad will kill you," Jazmyn said while taking off her shoes and placing them on a small shelf... thing. Lupita followed her example and reluctantly kept her socks on as she walked with Jazmyn to the living room and helped her lay down on the large sofa.

"Here you go honey," Daniel said as he came out of nowhere and handed Jazmyn two ice packs.

"Thanks, dad," Jazmyn said and took the ice packs. While she did, Lupita took note of the small star necklace that dangled from the man's neck. It was quite beautiful.

Jazmyn looked over at Lupita one time before she carefully lifted her shirt and showed the bruise there. Daniel took in a sharp breath before quickly kissing Jazmyn's forehead and stroking her cheek. He then sent Lupita a smile before he walked over to the kitchen, probably to help Elizabeth make dinner as it smelled delicious.

"It would be better if you took it off," Lupita said once she saw Jazmyn struggling with how to place the ice. "Here, I'll help." Lupita took the ice packs and put them on the table before helping Jazmyn sit up on the couch, she then slowly began to lift her shirt until it was completely off, leaving the girl only in her sports bra. Once it was off Lupita noticed how much redder Jazmyn's face had gotten. "Are you sick?" she asked while placing her hand on her burning forehead.

"No!" Jazmyn shouted and quickly hid her face in her hands.

"Your forehead is very warm," Lupita said and got one of the ice packs while slowly pushing Jazmyn to lay back down on the couch. "Just relax a little."

Jazmyn yelped as Lupita placed the cold bag on her bruise but quickly calmed down and let Lupita place the smaller one on her nose without any fuzz. Once it was all done, Lupita took a moment to think about how Jazmyn acted. She had blushed a lot today, and mainly when she was around. And she had insisted on holding her hand when they walked to lunch. Lupita understood the desire for physical touch, she was a big fan of it herself, but she hadn't gotten to know Jazmyn that well yet for her to crave that type of thing from the girl. And the blushing just seemed strange on top of it all. Sure, Lupita cared deeply for the girl, but she would need time to get comfortable with her. Maybe less time than many others, but she still needed time.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lupita quickly looked up and saw Elizabeth standing above her with a mug in hand.

"Stuff," Lupita said and looked over at Jazmyn only to find the girl sleeping with a blanket around her and the ice packs gone. She had been thinking a lot apparently.

"What kind of stuff?" Elizabeth asked and sat down on the ground beside her.

Lupita cautiously looked up at her and bit her lip. She didn't know Elizabeth well either, how could she simply spill everything to her? She couldn't. But she wanted to. At least this. It would be nice to talk to someone who would actually talk back.

"Jazmyn... She... She clearly likes physical touch as I have gathered. And... Well, she acts... strange around me, if I can say it like that," Lupita said as she wrung her hands and barely registered one of her canines sticking out from her upper lip and resting on her bottom.

"What kind of strange, honey?" Elizabeth asked and took a sip from her mug.

"She blushes? She constantly wants to be around me and when she is, she is very close. She snuggled into my neck when I carried her today and wanted to hold my hand which ended up in us almost walking on top of each other... that is mainly it," Lupita said and leaned her head on the couch.

Elizabeth seemed to ponder on the question for a while, occasionally taking a sip from her mug and looking at her daughter and then back at Lupita. After a long and painful silence, she finally spoke, "Have you ever heard of what a crush is?" Lupita shook her head and looked expectantly at the woman. "It is what humans feel towards one another in the early stages of their courting - if they even end up like that."

"Like mating?" Lupita asked and tilted her head to the side while bringing up one knee to rest her arm on.

"Not exactly, though it could be classified as the early stages of mating, like when you first find them. You blush every time you are around them and you often want to be near them to get their attention, but it is still very different from mating." Elizabeth took a small pause to finish whatever was in her mug and Lupita nodded to herself. Mating was a lot more than just blushing and wanting to be near the person. You would feel sparks every time you touched, you would feel calm and happy in their presence, you would feel safe, and you would also feel relaxed whenever you smelled-

Lupita stopped her train of thought and silently covered her mouth as she thought back to the two days prior every time she had seen the vampire girl, Ambrosia. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. She was a werewolf, and she was a vampire. Complete opposites. Always enemies since the beginning of time. She couldn't have a mate of the same species that tortured her for almost five years. It couldn't work. Why had Luna set her up with a vampire? Did she want her to have a miserable life? Or did she have some incredibly irritating thought-out plan for her?

"Do you want me to continue, honey?" Elizabeth asked and Lupita looked up from where she was hiding between her knees. She hadn't even realized.

"Sure," Lupita said with a nod and focused back on Elizabeth.

"As I said, a crush is something humans experience early on in a... relationship, I guess you could call it. But it is not quite that as they can get crushes from only looking at a person they don't know. It is complicated but that is how humans are. They don't have mates that are destined for them and a few of them have up to ten relationships before they find the one, and even then they might not be the right one," Elizabeth said and Lupita's eyes widened. It felt absurd not to know who you were supposed to be with. What would happen if they connected with the wrong person?

"Humans are complicated, but that is how they are. I was lucky enough that my mate accepted who I was and was willing to sacrifice everything to be with me. I was scared it was a mistake at firs-"

"Luna doesn't make mistakes, but Loke interferes and messes things up," Lupita said and brushed against her arms and shuddered at the terrible reminder of her heritage that would always be with her.

"True, but Luna always has a way of finding a way around things that he messes up," Elizabeth said and a sad smile crept its way onto her lips. "I had a mate before Daniel, I was rejected. It almost killed me to know the person that was supposedly destined for me would not want me. But I quickly found Daniel and my life has been better ever since."

There was a long pause between them and Lupita nodded as her head processed everything the older woman had said. To be rejected by your potential mate could mean death. It was one of the most heartbreaking things a werewolf could ever experience. The same if your mate died. You would be able to feel it in your heart when they did... The pain Lupita felt all those years ago suddenly made sense. She had been sure her mate had died after that night of pure pain, but apparently, she hadn't.

"Luna might not be able to save us from everything Loke does, but she will often try to help us as best as she can. But we have to keep in mind that we have free will, and if we make ourselves unworthy of her help then she will hesitate to give it to us," Elizabeth said and Lupita nodded along with her and clenched the fabric around her heart, the pain she had remembered making her heart tingle along with her fingertips.

"Dinner's ready," Daniel said as he crept up behind Elizabeth and gave her cheek a kiss. He had tried to be sneaky but failed miserably. Elizabeth didn't seem to mind though and accepted the kiss with a beaming smile.

They quickly woke Jazmyn up and ten sat around the table to eat. It was soup. Tomato soup as they called it. It was good, though Lupita would have preferred some meat. After dinner, Lupita helped Jazmyn up a flight of stairs and to her room. Her room was beautiful. It was decorated like a forest and her bed had a deep blue duvet and pillow. She had a shelf with books against the wall and a desk with a computer on it to the other side. A soft carpet covered the floor here as well, only this one was dark blue.

Lupita helped Jazmyn to her bed and helped her take off her clothes once she was seated. Jazmyn was red the entire time and Lupita understood why Elizabeth told her what crushes were. She felt very bad that she couldn't reciprocate Jazmyn's feelings. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her.

There was a knock on the door and Daniel came in with a mattress which he put on the ground beside Jazmyn's bed. Elizabeth then came and placed a white pillow and light blue duvet on top of it.

"Thank you," Lupita said and slightly bowed her head before getting under the duvet.

"You haven't taken off your clothes yet?" Daniel pointed out and Lupita took a deep breath. "I am sure we have something. I can understand if you don't fit any of Jazmyn's clothes. What would you like to sleep with?"

"Long sleeves and long pants," Lupita said. While she detested clothes she didn't want to show her body to any of them just yet. The time in the shower didn't count.

"I'll get that for you," Daniel said and walked out of the room with Elizabeth close behind him.

"I thought you didn't like clothes," Jazmyn teased and Lupita rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you are shy after what you did in the showers."

"That doesn't count. Believe it or not, I did not know we were going to be friends and I was trying to show dominance," Lupita said and sat up on the mattress and glared playfully at Jazmyn when her cheeks got red. "Besides, you didn't see anything."

Jazmyn opened her mouth but closed it after a few seconds. "I might not have seen your body but I have seen your face and neck... What are those scars?"

Lupita swallowed at that and touched the bridge of her nose where a small scar lay, she then traced her hand down to her cheek where there was a smaller one, identical to the one on the other side. Her hand then went to her throat. On one side (her left), she was burnt, around her neck, there was an indent as if from a collar.

"I don't really want to talk about it," she mumbled and scratched her jaw where another scar lay, its twin on the other side.

"It's fine, and sorry for bringing it up," Jazmyn said and laid back down in her bed.

Daniel and Elizabeth came back with an oversized sweater and sweatpants which Lupita quickly changed into under the duvet and resurfaced when she was fully clothed.

"Sleep well you two," Elizabeth said and kissed Jazmyn's forehead before she moved to Lupita. "Am I allowed to kiss your forehead, honey?" Lupita nodded and Elizabeth carefully moved some of the hair out of her face before kissing her forehead and leaving the room with Daniel behind her.

"Good night Lupi," Jazmyn said with a yawn as she turned to lay on her side.

"Night Jazmyn," Lupita said as she laid on her stomach and slowly closed her eyes. A night full of painful memories awaited her.