Arrow Inferno
Chapter 59: Stanley ‘STAN’ Norris vs. Ian ‘WILL’ Williams ~ Exposé!

***

The soldier just knew that whatever Stan was going to tell him would explain what had happened when they'd fucked back in Ghana. The eyes, the bite, and why he thought it was better to knock him out rather than explain himself back then. He really needed to know what had happened. He'd been too preoccupied with all that had been going on earlier to ask Stan about it when he came. But now that he felt free, he was curious to know what was going on with Stan. "Do you have a gun in the house?" Stan asked.

"What?" Will laughed. "That bad?"

"Depends on how you look at it. If you keep an open mind, it wouldn't be too bad."

"Now I'm even more curious," he chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't shoot you." He patted Stan on the thigh. "Not after what you just did in there. And I'm not referring to the food. Hell, I'm still having quivers within. Nah, not gonna shoot ya. I might deck you though...depending on how bad it is." He grinned.

Stan looked down at Will's hand which was still on his thigh. He picked it up and held his wrist for a moment and then put it back down. "Okay." He let out a deliberate yawn which drew a chuckle filled with incredulity from Will. "Really? You don't think this fist can do you harm huh?" He shook his fist. "We'll see."

"We sure will." Stan laughed softly. "So, remember all those stories Gaia told you about werewolves?"

"Not just her." Will chuckled. "You actually claimed you were one, remember?"

"Everything I said was the truth, Will." Stan said quietly.

Will went quiet for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "Stan, I remember telling you on the day I left that you would have to tell me the truth about that weird shit."

"I remember too."

"So what's with the silly ghost stories? I thought you were going to get real with me." He frowned. "We can joke with the freaky supernatural shit later. For now, I want the truth and nothing else." Stan stood up and turned to go back in.

"Oh so now you're just going to leave in the middle of a conversation." Will sneered. "How childish." He didn't attempt to follow Stan. He stayed and swung. He felt too full and content to allow Stan to ruin his mood.

**

In the living room, Stan rearranged the furniture and stripped with inhuman speed. Then he shifted and waited patiently for his Thomas of a mate to come back in. He didn't have to wait for long. When he heard footsteps drawing closer to the door, he actually heard his wolf laughing with glee.

'Can't wait to see the silly man's face.'

Will stepped inside and locked the door. He hoped the twat wasn't so angry he'd want to go home. Why did Stan even get to express anger when he was the one who deserved to be angry for...

"What the fuck!" Will bellowed when he saw a wolf in his living room. And not just any wolf...his wolf. "Stan?" he called out and watched as the wolf came closer to him. "Stan, where the fuck are you?" he called out again but Stan didn't appear. "Oh my god..." Will dropped to his knees before the wolf and stared at it in bewilderment. But he didn't touch it...couldn't bring himself to touch it just yet even though he was dying to. Those eyes... "Shit!" When that familiar tongue came out to lick his face, Will drew back. "Are you trying to tell me this is you, Stan?" Will breathed, feeling himself tremble. He couldn't have been able to describe how he was feeling that very moment if he'd been asked. When the wolf began to whimper pitifully, Will didn't hesitate. He threw his arms around it and hugged him fiercely. He buried his face in the neck of the beast and just held on until those whimpers stopped. "I'm sorry." Will groaned. "It is great to see you. It's just that..." He released the wolf and then allowed his eyes to shift around the living room. "I'll be right back." Will stood a started for the kitchen. 'Think he's going to get a knife to slice me open?' the wolf murmured, sounding sad.

'He was happy to see you. Just shocked.' Stan reassured his wolf even as he wondered what Will was up to.

The wolf watched as his mate moved from room to room. 'What is he doing?'

'Looking for me.' Stan drawled. 'He knows I'm you. He just wants to be sure.'

'So shift. When he gets back he will see you,' the wolf said.

'I will. Just as he gets in here. I want him to see me shift otherwise he will still have doubts.'

And true to his word, as soon as he saw Will coming back into the living area with no weapon in his hand, Stan began his shift. A werewolf was most vulnerable at the point of shifting. At that point, it couldn't defend itself during an attack. So Stan had to be sure his mate wasn't about to kill him before he allowed himself to be that vulnerable in his presence. The look on Will's face as he watched the wolf transform to human was one of incredulous shock. His jaw went slack as his knees buckled. He dropped into the nearest seat and watched Stan.

When Stan eventually got to his feet in a human form, he watched Will for a moment before reaching for his clothes. After he was done putting them on, he took a seat and looked pointedly at Will.

"Where were we?"

"Fuck you, Stan."

"I didn't plan any of this. I didn't ask to be what I am. I didn't plan on falling for you in Ghana. I couldn't help any of this. Please don't get mad at me."

"So all this while, you were the wolf." It wasn't a question. "Yes."

"You...you said you were scared of...wolves," Will rasped.

"I never said that." Stan countered. "You assumed I was."

"I..." Will paused and just stared at Stan. He couldn't even remember what he'd been about to say. He cleared his throat. "I need to be alone." "Will..."

"Please." Will saw the pain that crossed over Stan's face and felt an answering pain within his chest. But he really needed to be alone to process what he'd seen. "For how long?" Stan looked stressed.

"I'll let you know when I'm ready to talk." Will's expression was blank. "I need time to process all this."

Stan got to his feet and went to the mantle where his car keys, phone, and wallet lay. He picked them up and then looked at Will who wouldn't even meet his eyes. "Please don't tell anyone. It will create a lot of problems if people get to know."

Will nodded, remembering what his mother had told him in his dream. "I won't." His mind was racing.

"Thank you. And please pick up when I call you." Stan's voice shook.

Will lifted his eyes and met Stan's gaze. "I can't promise you that."

"It will be difficult for me to stay away if I don't hear from you." Stan stated. Will could tell he was very serious.

"You can send messages. I will respond." He was confused and upset but he also felt Stan's pain.

Stan nodded and turned to leave. "Take care of yourself."

At the door, Stan heard Will ask, "Philip, Jeremy, Paige..." he didn't have to complete the question. Stan nodded. "Gaia?" "Vampire."

Oh, for fuck's sake, Will stifled his groan. He simply nodded.

With a deep sigh, Stan opened the door and left.