Happiness?

It took Monika a few minutes to reassure Janice that she could get dressed by herself, earning a rare pout from her lover as Janice sighed. “I was hoping we could do some cuddling later. Are you hungry? I’ve made a stew. It’s been cooking all day, so the meat is nice and tender.”

Monika’s stomach growled before she could answer, and nodded. “Stew sounds great. I feel like I could eat a horse!”

Janice chuckled, kissed Monika’s cheek, and handed her some clothes. “I’m afraid I’m fresh out of horses. And I’ve eaten more of my share, so I wouldn’t recommend them. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the meat just fine, though.”

“What kind is it?” Janice rarely bothers with cooking. Maybe the dog I brought wasn’t enough. She does like to visit supermarkets to buy the meat that’s about to expire, but she wouldn’t feed me something like that unless she cooked it right… Right? Monika winced, rubbing the back of her head as she turned to the bathroom before Janice stopped her.

“Monika, is something wrong?” Monika blushed, loving the concern in Janice’s voice, and hating the it was there all the same.

“Nope. I’m fine, Jan. I think I have a headache. You know what listening to Zane does to me… What kind of meat did you say we’re having?”

“I didn’t. When was the last time you spoke with Zane?” Janice folded her arms, barely keeping her body from shaking as she observed her puppy. Monika was supposed to meet with that fool, Pugsley, today. Did she run into the alpha as well, or is she misremembering things? Janice had been certain she’d performed the spell correctly.

But she’s never used it on Monika. Her puppy could heal from practically anything, yet the image of her still body refused to leave Janice alone. It didn’t interfere with her hearing, though. Monika tilted her head and shrugged as she tried to remember. “I… don’t know. I could have sworn I spent the night at my apartment. Did I get drunk and crash at your place again, Jan?”

Janice sighed, nodding as her lips turned into a cold smile. “That’s right! You said your last job was a bust, so you came to me all needy and desperate. I had to take you here so you wouldn’t cause a disturbance. You know we can’t risk revealing ourselves, don’t you, Puppy?”

“Of course, I do! I just wished this stupid headache would go away!” Monika rubbed her temples and looked at Janice pleadingly. “Can I use your tub, Jan? My body feels really weird, and I want to clean myself up before we eat.”

Janice nodded, a laugh almost breaking free as she waved Monika to the bathroom. “Take as long as you need. I have some oils that should make you feeling brand new. Would you like me to pour some into your bath?”

“Yes, please.” Ordinarily, Monika would have jumped at the chance for Janice to take care of her. But all she could do was follow her into the bathroom while Janice prepared the bath. The sweet scent of lavender filled the air as Monika lowered herself into the tub with a sigh. Janice grinned, reaching for the door when Monika looked at her. “Jan?”

“Yes?” Monika blushed, playing with her fingers as Janice turned back to her. “I… um… Really like your new look. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner!”

Janice laughed, shaking her head while Monika hid her face behind her hands. “Is that so? I almost forgot I changed my look. I’m glad I’m still to your liking, Puppy.”

“You’ll always be to my liking, Jan. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world!” Janice rewarded Monika with a quick kiss to the top of her head before whispering.

“If you keep talking like that. We won’t have time to eat… And I do want this headache of yours to go away. So, kindly refrain from temping me.”

She waited until Monika nodded and quickly left her to soak. Janice enjoyed surrounding herself with the finest things in life, and her personal domain was no exception. Her kitchen looked like it came from a magazine. Every surface was either stainless steal, or a deep black onyx. But the contents of her favorite stew pot, an antique cauldron that she couldn’t bear to part with, even when the bubbles began screaming.

Were enough to make anyone’s stomach turn. Janice lifted the lid, smiling as she inhaled the rich scents of fresh herbs mixing with a broth that had the meat falling off the bone. I’ve never considered making Monika a cannibal. It’s a shame that rule no longer applies! She replaced the lid and opened her freezer.

Several packages wrapped in brown butcher paper greeted her inspection. Janice tapped her chin thoughtfully as she studied them. Let’s see. Monika deserves a hearty breakfast after her ordeal, but which one was which again? The faces of the werewolves had melded together in Janice’s mind, which was often the case, as she couldn’t be bothered to remember everything she eats.

Her puppy would be fully recovered soon, of this she had no doubt. And if the memories refused to go away. Janice was prepared to change Monika’s mind as often as it took. Her puppy belonged to her, body and soul. It was something the two agreed on shortly after the relationship started.

And Janice wasn’t going to change her mind about this now. Finding the young werewolf had been a stroke of luck, one that Janice refused to waste. If I remember right, there were a few other werewolves that ran away before the fight started. I don’t want Monika to have a hard time of things…. I guess I can do my own hunting again for a change of pace.

It was what she used to do before finding Monika, but Janice rarely thought of her past. She had a treasure in her puppy, and that was enough. Janice grabbed a package, setting it on the counter to begin defrosting the meat as she went about setting the table. Monika peeked into the dining room a moment later and sniffed the air.

“It smells great in here, Jan.”

“Thank you, Puppy. Is your headache better?” Monika nodded walking to Janice for a hug, but she was gently pushed away. “Food first. Cuddles later. You know the rules.”

And after the scare you gave me. I’m well within my rights to tease you. Monika pouted but sat down when Janice looked at her. “How many beers did I have last night, Jan?”

“I don’t know. You were already drunk when you arrived at my doorstep.” Monika hummed but Janice refused to look at her until she poured some stew into two bowls. “Be careful of the bones, Puppy. I only left them in because I know how much you love sucking the marrow.”

Monika’s eyes widened in glee as she let out a quick, “Thanks, Jan!” Before burying her spoon into the stew and bringing it to her mouth without blowing on it, or waiting for the food to cool. Janice waited for Monika’s face to change, to register the heat as she fought to savor the taste without spitting it out to save her tongue.

But Monika never complained about the heat. She moaned as the first bite went down and began shoveling the rest of the stew into her mouth as fast as she could. Janice raised an eyebrow but she chose to concentrate on her own meal. A grin revealing more fangs than teeth soon caught Monika’s interest as she forced herself to slow down.

“What’s wrong, Jan? Aren’t you hungry?”

“Of course, I am. But I didn’t get drunk last night. I’ll bet you drank yourself to sleep instead of eating dinner again. So make sure you eat your fill from now on, Monika. I won’t have you dying of starvation.” Not when it takes so much energy to bring you back. Monika nodded sheepishly, quickly polishing off her first bowl and staring at the pot.

“Does this mean I can have seconds? I don’t want you to get hungry later, Jan.”

“I just told you to eat your fill. And I’m more than capable of getting my own food, Monika.” Monika blushed as she nodded and filled her bowl again. Janice watched in amusement as Monika began eating at a frantic pace. I wonder how long it’ll take for her body to adjust to the new process. It might be amusing to place with her while she’s so energetic.

An insatiable werewolf wasn’t something Janice would have dealt with lightly. But her puppy hadn’t realized the truth of her situation, In the time it Janice to finish her first bowl, Monika was on her third. And the sound of the spoon scraping the sides of the pot, desperately digging for the las bits of broth only made Janice smile.