Dexter & Darien: the Werewolf Twins

I was woken from an amazing sleep by my sister screaming and running through the house. I sat up in bed, my hair matted up along the back of my head like a crappy lion’s mane asNiki slammed into the door and burst inside with a wild look in her eyes.

“What the hell?” I grumble.

“You need to come see this!” Niki races inside, grabbing me and yanking me out of bed.

“I don’t have shorts on!” I whine.

Niki nearly picks me up as she pushes me outside. “No time!” 

Usually, Niki gets up before me, has her coffee out on the porch while she reads the paper, then gets me up to make breakfast. That’s been the routine since we moved to Hearthway Hollow. We had been asked to take over a friend’s old art studio, which we were all too eager to do. So far, it’s been great. We’ve opened up the studio for shows, classes, lectures, all sorts of things. Hearthway Hollow has been a dream come true. 

Or well, until I saw the two dead elk on the back lawn.

Niki shakes me. “What the fuck? What the fuck?” She whispers in a low, uncertain panic.

“Let me go!” I slap at her hands and place my hand to my forehead. “Oh wow. This is...new.”

“New?” Niki balks. “Chelsey! There are two dead animals on our lawn!”

“And?” I snap back at her. “You think I know what did it?” I sigh and go back inside. “Where’s that number?”

“What number?” Niki comes inside and closes the blinds so we can’t see the dead animals.

“That guy we bought the house from. The big scary looking one with the teeth?” I find the number taped to the fridge and dial it. 

Niki cocks her eyebrow at me. “Billy?”

“Yes! Hi!” I gasp when he answers. “Yeah this is Chelsey, my twin and I bought the house on Lake Bridge-” I stall as he starts growling. “Well yes it’s fine. But two dead elk are-” I stop again. “The butcher?”

There’s a knock at the front door and Niki goes to answer it.

“Chelsey!” She calls. “The butcher is here?”

I stare towards the front. “I’ll call you later, Billy.” I hang up and quickly grab a pair of leggings to throw on. We then show Adam, the butcher, to the back where the elk are.

“Oh wow, two at once huh?” Adam chuckles. He looks like a Ken doll come to life and then mixed with an angel. 

Niki and I exchange wary glances before looking back to Adam. “At once?”

“Not to worry, we’ll get these taken care of. Do you want us to send you the meat or donate it to the shelter?” Adam seems unphased, like this is something normal.

I look to Niki, who hops in with the questions. “Does this sort of thing happen a lot around here? Are there giant monsters in the woods we should know about, or should we plan on moving back home now?”

“Nothing quite that sinister.” Adam replies as a worker comes around to gather one of the elk. “It’s a tradition here in the Hallow.”

Niki and I exchange looks again. “We’re not following,” I grumble.

“Let’s go inside, we can talk there.” Adam leads us back into the house. We end up having a very long conversation about Hearthway Hollow and the secret it keeps. Hearthway Hollow isn’t all that it seems; in fact its a stranger place than at first glance. It turns out it was founded in order to protect werewolves who were tired of the nomad lifestyle. Adam revealed to us the secrets and swore us to keep them. He then said that both of us were being courted by a werewolf.

“Courted? Like knights and shit?” Niki scoffs.

“Isn’t there an easier way to do it? I don’t care about flowers but I would much prefer that than...carcasses.” I scratch at the back of my neck.

“It’s a way to show that the werewolf courting you is capable they can provide for you. I know it seems a little barbaric, but we always save the meat, and if you don’t want it we donate it to people who do.” Adam says with his ever-present charming smile. “Give it time. If you don’t like it, just contact me or Billy.”

After he leaves, Niki and I are still not quite satisfied. We just learned werewolves are a thing, and not only that, we each had captured the eye of one who wanted to court us and eventually become mates.

We decided to not linger and stay busy, so we started cleaning and organizing. We went deep too, going into cracks and crevices that had probably never been touched before. Still, everything was laying heavy on my mind.

“You still thinking about it?” Niki murmurs.

“How can I not?” I snap at her. “It all seems so weird so strange! Like we’re in some Twilight Zone crossover fanfic.”

Niki snorts. “You know, the more I think about it the more I like the idea.”

I lean in, cupping my hand around my ear. “Beg pardon?”

“Well, you know?” Niki smirks. “Big sexy werewolf wants to sweep us off our feet. You don’t find that everyday.”

I stare at her. “Because you’re not supposed to.”

Niki shrugs. “Anyways, I think I’ll be ok with it.”

“You don’t even know who it is!” I’m silenced as the bells on the door chime. In walk two of our students. They’re twins like us, a bit older but  charming, and they had caught mine and Niki’s attention right away. Their names were Dexter and Darien. They both had dark brown hair with a hint of gray; Dexter was clean shaven with long hair while Darien had stubble and a short wavy ‘do. Today I was teaching a class on sewing and showing off various stitches. It was rare for guys to take this class, but the two of them had shown up to all of them so far.

“Good morning,” Niki waves.

Darien’s eyes light up when he sees her and he steps ahead. “I hope we’re not too early.” His voice is bright and clear as a bell.

“We’re just finishing setting up,” I say as I pull out my table.

Dexter comes up, helping me move it without scraping the floor too much. “Then we’re here at the perfect time.”

I can feel the tips of my ears heat up as he speaks. Something about his voice reminds me of Patrick Stewart: polished, refined, and stalwart. “Thanks,” I stammer as I let my hair hide my face.

“Anything else we can help with?” Dexter asks.

I shake my head and turn away. “Just got to get the supplies out.”

“Something wrong?” Darien has taken the broom away from Niki and is sweeping into the dustpan. 

“Weird morning,” Niki laughs it off. “But we’re ok.”

“You can’t just say weird morning and expect us to brush that aside!” Darien stands intimately close to Niki, which she clearly doesn’t mind at all. “You have a story.”

“Let’s just say I’ll be trying elk meat for the first time,” Niki giggles.

I slam my sewing kit down on the table and Niki jumps. “Is Hearthway Hollow built on some sort of cursed ground?”

“Mrs. Locklear’s family has owned it since probably the beginning of time,” Dexter murmurs. “So maybe.”

I can’t help but crack a smile. “Be nice to her.” I start laying out my tools. “She’s a scary person.”

“I wanna be her,” Niki sighs. “She’s so cool.”

“You want to strike fear into people too?” Darien follows after her like a moonstruck puppy. 

Dexter pulls up a chair and takes out a journal from his bag. As he opens it, I spy inside all his intricate notes and sketches. “Oh wow,” I marvel

I then come to regret it when Dexter looks up at me with those honey eyes and a soft smile blossoms on his face. “What was that, now?”

“Nothing.” I quickly try to make myself look frustrated and busy, but I am impressed with his journal and his lovely sketches. 

“When is the next charcoal class?” He asks.

“Ask Niki, she’s in charge of scheduling. Are you on the email list?” I ask him.

“Should I be?” Dexter brushes his fingers along his hair and tucks it behind his ear. It’s a beautiful movement of his hands and I feel my ears grow hot again.

“I could text you.” The words slip from my mouth before I can stop them  and, despite my following hesitance, I end up with Dexter’s number in my phone.

That evening Niki and I are hashing out the calendar as we eat our way through buckets of takeout. 

“What if we married twins?” Niki says off handedly.

“Excuse me?” I say between bites.

Niki shrugs. “Just thinking about Darien and Dexter.”

“What about your big strong werewolf?” I wag a judgemental eggroll at her. “You’ve been daydreaming a lot today.”

Niki yanks the eggroll away and bites into it. “I’m single and ready to mingle. Let me have my fun.”

I scoff, rolling my eyes as I look back at the calendar. “Moony over Darien are we?”

“Twitterpated over Dexter are we?”

I grimace and feel my face grow hot.

“You were showing off pretty hard during your sewing class today.” Niki grins knowingly at me. “Showing off your pretty fingers.”

I steal her drink and gulp down the rest of it.

“Hey!” She whines and snatches her glass back.

That’s when we hear a rustle outside. We both look to one another before we stand up and listen intently to the sound. We hear a scurrying and heavy footsteps on the porch. Or maybe their pawsteps. Is that a word?

Niki switches on the back porch light as two figures come to a halting standstill on the stairs. We stare from the window as two massive werewolves turn and look at us with glowing eyes.

“Holy shit,” Niki turns the porch light back off.

“Turn it back on! Turn it back on!” I scream.

The light comes back on but the werewolves have already run back into the forest. Niki and I run out onto the porch to see what they’ve left us now.

“Did you see that?” Niki laughs. “Oh wow! They were gorgeous!”

I stoop down, afraid to see what the shape on the stairs might be. Instead of the elk like the other morning, it was actually a bundle. There were two gift-wrapped boxes, one for each of us. We carted them inside and opened them. Inside my box I found a supply of fabric.

“This is that fancy stuff I’ve had waitlisted at Beau’s since we got here!” I unroll it and rub it against my face. “It’s better than I imagined.”

Niki squeals as she rips from her box several massive books. “These are the Artifact Editions of the Greek Histories!” She hugs them to her chest. “These have been sold out for ages!”

“Wow,” I whisper as I find more gifts inside the box. “I guess Adam told them we aren’t fans of dead animals.”

Niki opens up the back door. “If you come back I’ll kiss you right now!”

“Niki!” I fuss at her.

“Is that a promise?” A voice calls out from the shadows.

Niki and I freeze up at the sound. They were still there!

“Be quiet. Stay down this isn’t how it’s supposed to-hey!” A second voice is snarling and scolding.

A wolf comes out of the forest, their eyes glowing as they stride up to the stairs. He rises on his hind legs and then poses against the post. “So you’ll kiss me?”

Niki stares at him, jaw dropped and face bright red. “I uh...well...uhm you uh-” I’ve never seen her speechless before.

“This isn’t how the courtship is supposed to go!” The second werewolf comes out of the shadows, taller than the other, and his fur is fluffier around his neck and chest. Both are chestnut brown in color with big, fluffy white patches on their chest.

“She said she’d kiss me.” The first werewolf says. “I’ve been wanting that for so long.” He turns and winks at Niki.

Niki giggles and sputters as she ducks her head.

“Who are you?” I frown. “Now that you’re here you might as well fess up.”

The second werewolf frowns a bit and he sighs. “I wanted to see what you would make with the fabric. I was hoping it would be a dress.”

My body temperature skyrockets. “Dexter?” I blurt.

Niki’s mouth drops open and she turns to the other werewolf. “Darien?”

Dexter tucks his head down. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “We both just wanted to do the ritual right. I feel like a failure.”

“No,” I blurt before looking away, embarrassed.

“You can still bring us gifts if you’d like,” Niki smirks. “I don’t see how you’ve failed at all. I mean, what’s supposed to happen?”

“There’s steps involved, trust to build up,” Dexter sighs. “We’re supposed to show how we can care for you and provide.” He grimaces and tucks his head down.

“It’s stuffy.” Darien climbs up the stairs and stands before Niki. “You don’t like stuffy do you?”

Niki giggles like a schoolgirl and runs her fingers through the white spot on his chest. 

“I like knowing,” I say softly. “I mean uhm-” I fidget with my hair and try to come up with the right words to say. “Knowing it’s you, I mean.”

Dexter lifts his head again, his honey eyes wide and awed before hesmiles. “Is there a reason for that?”

I take a step down towards him. “Yes.” I press my cheek to my shoulder. “Knowing it’s you makes it seem...better.”

Dexter turns his head then sighs. “Oh, really now?”

I glance over, seeing Niki and Darien are already wrapped in a tight embrace. I roll my eyes and place my palm to my face. Dester and I walk away from the porch and stand under the big tree in the backyard.

“I prefer knowing it’s you. I didn’t like the idea of some guessing game where I had to wait to see who it was.” I fidget with my hair again. “And you are...you are better than most.”

Dexter chuckles and leans in closer to me. “I wouldn’t have started this if I didn’t feel there was a mutual attraction.” His paw touches my cheek and he feels so warm. I place my hand on his wrist and feel his soft fur. 

“I was correct, right?” Dexter whispers with that amazing voice of his.

“Yes, well...” I look up into his eyes then nod silently.

Dexter sighs with relief. “I’m glad.” He rubs his thumb along my cheek. “I would hate to think I was upsetting you. Finding out the dead animals bothered you had us think up a new plan. Darien and I were willing to adapt.”

“So uhm-” I rub my hands up and down his arm. “What other steps are there to this courtship?” I ask with a soft voice. “I mean, if the ritual is so important, you can keep it going if you’d like.”

Dexter smiles. “Well, for a few days the ritual is supposed to be an ever growing showoff. The bigger the animals we bring in, the more powerful we are, the more likely we can take care of you and provide for the future of our family.”

I gulp my heart back down into my chest.

“After that, we would meet, but no words would be spoken.” His thumb moves across my bottom lip. “I would scent you and mark you as mine.”

My ears feel like they’re on fire.

“That would happen for a few nights. Then, on the final night, I would come to you and take you into the woods.” His honey eyes spark with a mischievous glint. “And there, my scenting you would take new heights. We would mate and I would be accepted as yours.”

“Oh wow.” I whisper. “I mean uhm-” I lick my lips, the tip of my tongue hits his thumb. “We can still do all that.”

Dexter dips down and our lips brush against one another. He pulls back all too soon and I chase after him. I pull him into a kiss and press myself against his body. His fur feels so soft and he smells so good.

Dexter chuckles. “Careful now, or once again I will move too soon.” 

Darien comes off the porch and Dexter kisses me one last time. “We should go now. But we will see you in class bright and early.”

I swoon as Dexter and Darien disappear into the woods again. I go back onto the porch with Niki, who looks as flustered as I do.

“So uhm-” Niki smoothes down her hair. “What do you think?”

I smile to myself. “Let’s finish the schedule.”

“Now?” Niki scoffs.

The next morning we’re setting up for a painting class. As I’m starting to pull out a table the bells on the door chime. Looking up, I see Darien and Dexter walking in.

“Are we early?” Darien grins.

My heart hammers as Dexter and I look at one another. 

“Perfect timing!” Niki drops what she’s doing and runs up to Darien, placing a long kiss on him.

“Let me help you move that.” Dexter says as he takes hold of the table. We move it aside and then he smiles up at me. “I hope your morning was better today, Chelsey.”

I nod. “It really was,” I laugh nervously.

“Good dreams?” Dexter asks as he saunters around the table and stands before me.

“Just full moons and forests,” I giggle. “You?”

Dexter slipped his fingers under my chin and I instinctively closed my eyes. He pressed a soft, warm kiss to my lips. “Just that.”

I am in danger if he keeps using his voice like that against me. “Nothing else?”

He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Well, how does dinner sound?”