"Uh, Is it the end of the world already?"

I blinked as I raised my hand to shield my eyes. Daylight assaulted me through the windows, making it impossible to see. Still, a few things were apparent:

The world had not ended.

Despite this, I was awake.

And someone had opened the blinds.

There was only one soul who knew where I kept the remote control for the window shades–the only person I knew I could trust.

Someone who knew that waking me was not only stupid but a dangerous idea.

Someone who'd seen me rip off someone's head for doing something even less.

And she'd opened the blinds, anyway.

If she had woken me up, there had to be an excellent explanation for this disturbance.

Juliet moved very silently around the room making little to no noise as the window blinds finished rising to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows. Light sparkled on the ceiling, a reflection of the Sun rays which were dancing to the rhythm of the waves outside.

Quiet. Peaceful.

The only sound I could hear was coming from the crashing surf.

I was utterly alone. That was the way I preferred it.

No one didn't bother me here–except for Juliet, apparently. She had not only woken me up, but now she carefully skirted around my bed. She knew better than to be within reach of an original werewolf who hadn't had a warm meal in a couple of decades.

"I'm not going to bite," I assured her, showing her my lovely set of white teeth.

Juliet looked at me and smirked but maintained her distance. "I think I have heard those words so many times before, so I think I'll wait until I'm sure your gentlemanly side has kicked in."

"Well, it could take a while." I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck with my palm. My neck hurt from sleeping for a long while and while I craved a subtle neck massage right now, I wasn't feeling benevolent, not after my rude awakening.

"I have no doubt that's true." She busied herself by arranging items on a glass tray.

I could feel my wolf trying to come out after the disturbance but I couldn't let it, not without understanding why she had awakened me despite my warning.

A growl vibrated in my chest, and I looked at Juliet still arranging.

"Why am I awake?" I demanded. "And what the fucking year is this"

"I'm not talking to you until you're less annoying." She didn't bother to look up from her self-given task. Her silvery-white hair fell over her shoulder, blocking me from seeing her face. But I heard the grin she kept hidden. I'm glad she was having fun.

I sighed as I tried a more polite approach. "Please, can you tell me what year it is?"

"Now, was that bad?" She asked. "It's 2024, sir." She turned to say with a smile before I could give a response to her previous questions. I knew better than to trust it. Juliet could rip a man's heart from his chest without breaking her manicured nails. I'd watched her do it–more than once. I wonder if she still goes for a manicure this year.

"Goddess, I was hoping to get a few more decades in." I groaned, slamming a pillow on my face.

Her lips pinched together, erasing the smile, but she didn't respond. She simply shrugged her slight shoulders as though nothing was out of the ordinary. I studied her for a moment, trying to get some clues on what I'd missed while I'd been out. But there was nothing remarkable about her appearance. She looked exactly as she had a couple of dozen years ago. A gift & a curse of immortality from the goddess.

The scar that extended down from her nose on one side of her face, a gift from a former lover a lifetime ago, remained uncovered. She'd hidden it as a mortal but wore it proudly when she was turned to a werewolf. She called it proof that she had survived and a warning to anyone that might hurt her in the future. It was one of the reasons I trusted her. She didn't bother to hide her past or who she was now. She owned it.

But despite that trust, she was keeping something from me now. I could feel it.

That didn't sit well with me.

I moved to sit up and nearly fell the tray placed close to my bed. I glanced at the glass tray filled with food, especially meat, and sighed heavily. It was a thoughtful gesture on her part but further proof that my nap was over. I untangled myself as best as I could without hitting the side table and rested against my bamboo headboard. I ate some of the meat laced with some potion that was brewed for me for when I would arise from my self-proclaimed sleep hoping it cut the edge off any lingering edge from my wolf, which might help my irritability over the situation.

Somehow, I doubted it.

I was fully awake.

I could hear the sound of the waves hitting the house. It was an understatement to refer to this building as a house. My private residence took up an entire island near Rael Moon but was in international waters. So, unlike the Rael, the island was outside the reach of any government. It was an intentional choice as well as my way of sending a message to everyone I knew: Leave me the fuck alone.

I'd made the entire island my sanctuary. I had built my bedroom just over the waters, four walls surrounded by nothing but the ocean's vast, unending blue. The rest of the island was as large as a fully functioning resort, and a dedicated group of werewolves and humans lived on the three hundred acres for most of the year, vacating only for hurricane season. It was relaxing here, a luxury I suspected I should enjoy while I could. That is why Juliet had to have a damn good reason for waking me up.

"Anything interesting happened while I was out?" I tried to make conversation, hoping she would finally reveal something.

"A fair amount. There's a lot of major events, the last four presidents and various heads of state, and this morning's paper."

She must have decided I was no longer a bite risk because she placed the glass tray she held next to me in bed.

Picking up the Punch News Paper, I skimmed the headlines. My lips turned down with each bit of news. Reaching for the recent elections in Nigeria, one of the countries I began to love before going to a deep sleep, I found it even more depressing. "How did that moron get elected?" I flipped the page. "Or that one?"

I dropped the papers on the bed. The eighties had been a shit circus: too much-frizzled hair, too many shoulder pads, and way too much drugs, especially cocaine. It had suited my siblings just fine, along with plenty of other werewolves. But I'd needed a break. From the never-ending parties. From my family. From everything. I'd meant it when I told Juliet to let me desiccate in my master suite until the end of the world was at hand.

I'm not sure why she thought I was joking about that.

Stretching my arms over my head, I pushed free of the sheets to reveal my nude appearance. I ran my palm over my stomach. The hard slab was as stacked and defined as it had been when I'd retired. Flexing my toes, I found my quads and calves had already regained their considerable muscle mass. There was no hint that I'd been sleeping for the better part of three decades, except maybe for the lingering erection inspired by my dreams. I'd been chasing a woman. It was the only dream I remembered having. I never caught her. The result was blue balls that had lasted decades and a hard-on that was as annoying as it was painful.

If Juliet noticed, she didn't comment. She was good that way. It was another mark in her favor.

"So, about my rude awakening…" I dredged up my most charming smile. It hung crookedly on my lips from lack of use.

"Your mother has summoned you home." She blustered on, ignoring the sour change to my expression. "I've arranged the jet, but I should–"

Before she could finish the statement–or explain what my mother needed with her eldest son–the door to my room swung open on its hinges. A familiar figure stood in the doorway, grinning maniacally and giving no sign decades had passed since we last saw each other.