Foretold
By Calvin Westbrook
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Calvin Westbrook
Smashwords Edition - License Notes
Although this eBook has been provided free of charge, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author.
This book contains scenes of same sex interaction of an intimate nature and some cases of strong language. If you are offended by this content, please do not read this eBook.
Thank you for the support and hope you enjoy reading this eBook.
Chapter One
If my life had been given a soundtrack this morning, it would have been Don't Stop Movin' by Five. I woke up today with this feeling, that better things were coming my way. In fact, that was the song playing on the radio when my alarm went off. Without looking, I pressed the mute button and got out of bed.
Yawning, I stretched and turned to face the window. Lying fast asleep on the other side of my bed was my very handsome boyfriend Doug. He was snoring as usual but I didn't have the heart to wake him up. After all, he was still recovering from the incident almost two weeks ago when he had died and come back to life.
Speaking of the incident; tonight was the night when at least part of my life would change forever. For those of you that don't know, Doug is a werewolf. And now, I am one too. Doug had bitten me. But only after some hesitation.
This was due to his ex-boyfriend almost killing us because Doug had accidentally changed him. After shooting at both me and his sister Jenna, he finally shot himself. Jenna had survived because she was a werewolf like her brother. The act of transforming me into a werewolf had returned me to full health. And given me a craving for undercooked meat. Which was not exactly a plus but an interesting addition.
It also meant that I was now immortal and could shift into a form that neither was human or wolf. It was the best possible combination of the two, combining strength with beauty. It reminded me, now I thought of it, of the drawings I had seen on deviantArt.
So now, Taylor Michaels, all around nice guy and supermarket clerk was no longer a human but a werewolf. How I was going to explain this to my family, especially my grandmother, wasn't going to be easy. But I knew that it had to be done.
Doug was going to come with me, so it would be a lot easier.
But I thought it would be best to show them after I had transformed for the first time. So I would be able to prove to them that it had happened. Not that they would have needed any proof, but so I didn't make them worried by botching up my transformation. My first was tonight when the moon came from behind the clouds.
It happened to coincide with one of my work shifts up at the pub. But thankfully Larry, one of the regular bar staff had stepped in for me. He completely understood my situation, due to the fact he was a wereleopard. Not by birth, but his girlfriend had bitten him about thirty years ago.
Unfortunately, she had been shot by a hunter and died. It took him a long time to get over her death, which he mostly spent on the mountains of Snowdonia. But thankfully, a local pack of wereleopards had taken him in and given him the therapy he desperately needed.
He was now married to the one who had saved his life, a young dual named Alexandria. In the world of were-animals, a dual was the slang term for anyone who was one of them. Alexandria was the daughter of the alpha, so it meant a lot of responsibility if he died. Meaning that Larry would automatically become the Alpha.
Larry had been only twenty five when he had been transformed so he stayed relatively the same age, as did most transformed duals. He had matured a lot in thirty years, but not enough in his opinion to take over. But respect and maturity had to be earnt, and I was sure it would be.
The first thing I had was make Doug breakfast. About five minutes later, I walked back to the bedroom was a plate loaded with a continental breakfast and a glass of orange juice. Placing it on the tray, I watched as he sniffed the aroma. Now I was a werewolf, I was beginning to smell things that I would never have noticed before.
Particularly, the stench of Doug's feet if he hadn't taken a shower. Doug blinked and he awoke. Seeing the breakfast, he got up and rubbed his eyes. He saw me smiling at him and he grinned back.
"You really mustn't spoil me you know" he said referring to the breakfast.
"I enjoyed doing it. Besides, I've already had mine"
"Really? Well would you fancy a bit of brunch?" he asked and looked down at his crotch area. I blushed when I realised what he was referring to.
But then again, who was I to refuse free sex?
Pulling back the covers, I saw his member was poking out of the hole in his boxer shorts. No doubt because he had been massaging himself during the night, it was already covered in pre. I leapt on the bed and turned myself round so Doug could unzip my trousers. He pulled out my own penis and started to suck it.
I started gorging, licking and moaning in pleasure, eager to please my lover. He repeated the gestures but with far more finesse than I could ever begin to comprehend. About five minutes later, we both came at exactly the same time. Howling with sheer ecstasy, we sucked each other dry.
When we were finished, Doug got changed into the clothes he had left on the floor whilst I carefully zipped up my trousers. Having seen There's Something About Mary, I was taking no chances.
"So, what are you up to today?" I asked my satisfied boyfriend as he scoffed down his breakfast.
"Got to meet Jenna to arrange where to meet tonight. Can't use the woods cause there's a charity camping trip there for a few days"
In case you don't know, Jenna is also Doug's alpha. That title used to belong to another alpha named Campbell but because Doug was exiled for loving a human, he had entrusted his trust in his sister. Campbell had eventually accepted both me and Doug, but only after I took a bullet for my boyfriend.
He had nursed Jenna back to health after she had been shot and because of this, the two had formed a friendship. And that friendship grew to such intensity that they fell in love. Now they were a bone fide couple and completely unashamed about it. Well Jenna was. Campbell was a little reluctant for anyone to believe he wasn't capable of emotion.
It made sense we would have to change location. Even though werewolves were forbidden to attack humans under any circumstance under pain of execution, we didn't exactly want to draw attention to the fact we existed. After a kiss and lick, Doug went out the front door and closed it behind him. As the song had predicted, better things were coming my way.
And I for one, wasn't going to miss a single moment of my new life.
About two hours later, the phone rang. It was one of my oldest friends. His name was Gordon McAlister, and he had been transformed into a vampire in a blood transfusion accident six weeks ago. Any relief or happiness I felt at hearing his voice was extinguished almost immediately by his words.
"Markus just called. He told me what happened"
For a moment I wondered what he meant. Then the shit hit the fan. I wondered how much my ex guardian had informed him about the situation but I decided to play it safe.
"How could you go and save the life of a mutt like that?"
"Didn't he tell you? That mutt as you called him is my boyfriend"
"You're dating one of those flea bitten mongrels?"
I sighed. He was one of those people.
"In case you haven't got the memo Gordy, vampires and werewolves aren't enemies. And anyway, why are you so bothered? It's not like you weren't shy who you shagged in college?"
He laughed a cruel laugh that had a dash of irony.
"This doesn't have anything to do with the old feuds. It's a personal dislike. I never liked dogs before I was changed and I don't like them now. So the fact you are dating one is a bit of a shock"
"Well I've got an even bigger shock for you. I am one now"
The line went quiet for a minute. Then when he spoke, he was choked with both shock and hatred.
"You let him bite you? Why in the world would you do that?"
"It was either that or die"
"I'd have picked the latter if I were you"
That hurt. Big time. If the words had come from anyone else but a friend I would have shrugged them off. But not this time.
"Oh would you. Well the next time, I'll let you know!"
I hung up and placed the phone back on the receiver. So now not only was my friend a racist bigot, he was suggesting I was better off not existing because of my new status? Well screw him; I didn't need friends like that.
Just then, my mobile rang. Thinking it was Gordy again, I walked over in a huff but when I picked it up, the caller ID said it was Campbell.
"Hello?" I said after pressing to accept the call.
"Hey kiddo, big night tonight" Campbell's familiar tones echoed.
"No shit, I'm itching all over" I laughed.
"You'll get used to it in time. But anyway there's something I wanted to tell you about tonight. I won't lie; it's very painful the first time"
"Like dentist painful or paper cut?"
"More like getting your nails pulled out with a pair of tweezers"
I gulped. Only out of reflex than actual fear.
"Don't worry; we'll be there by your side. All the way"
"Thanks Campbell"
Just at that point, the doorbell rang.
"I'll say bye for now. Doug will tell you where we are meeting tonight"
"Ok, see ya later"
I hung up and went to answer the door. To my surprise, it was Arc. He smiled in an embarrassed manner and walked in. Arc was the boyfriend of my witch roommate Zoe. He was also a shapeshifter that liked to take the form of a common tabby cat.
"Sorry Tay, forgot my keys again"
"You should put a bell on them" I joked.
He got the reference and rolled his eyes at the obvious pun. He went into Zoe's bedroom and came out with his keys and his jacket.
"Thanks again Tay, see ya later"
Before I could say another word, he had left.
Well that was new. I had felt happiness, anger, surprise and humour in the space of half an hour. It was like every emotion in the world had decided to make an appearance. This was slightly odd, but understandable given that I was still mostly human.
Before I could think or do anything, the door opened once more and Doug came in. He was carrying a map under his arm and had a contented expression on his face.
"Found the place" he said and placed the map on the table.
I walked over and looked at the map. After looked around, I saw the place where Doug and Campbell had marked. It was just outside a wood about a mile from the flat.
"And you're sure it's safe?" I asked him.
"Perfectly, only riff raff would go there at night" He replied.
"That makes me feel wanted"
For a second he thought I was serious. Then, the sarcasm hit home. He walked over and licked my face. I repeated the gesture and after a second we had another trademark kiss.
After the moment passed, I walked into my bedroom and looked at the notice board where I kept my photos. For a moment, I looked over each of them in turn, and smiled.
Chapter Two
After I had admired my past, a deep rumble echoed in my stomach. I suddenly remembered that we hadn't gone shopping at all in the last week. And what with all the members of Jenna's pack round every night and our own needs, it was definitely time to restock.
Jenna's pack had grown to twice its size in the last few weeks. They were all mostly newly transformed duals, one of them had only transformed on the night I met Doug.
So now her pack comprised of herself, Doug, Stephen (Campbell's son), Willow, Andrew and Kari. Willow was about thirty years old with deep black hair that was tinted blue. She was fairly timid but her and Jenna seemed to be friends from a long time ago so as long as her and Jenna were together, she was calm.
Andrew was in his late twenties and fit as a fiddle. His red hair always was tied back into a ponytail albeit when transformed and his emerald eyes were second only to Doug's. Finally Kari was blond, in her late teens and full of spunk. They were all nice people but somehow me and Andrew didn't seem to gel quite as well as the others did. Maybe it was the fact he too was gay and more than willing to flirt with anyone.
My thoughts trailed from my hunger and Jenna's pack to my own transformation later tonight. If it had been possible for me to forget what Campbell had said to me, I would probably have chosen not to. The transformation was going to be painful. But at least having something to compare it to gave me some kind of assurance. Especially as most modern media interprets the transformation as something to be feared and looked upon with disgust.
Another rumble told me now was not the time for contemplation. When I went back in the living room, Doug wasn't there but after looking around, I saw a note was clasped to the fridge.
Hey babe
Me and the pack have gone for a hunt before tonight. Love you.
Doug
It was actually a relief to be alone for a change, seeing as how every moment was either spent with supernaturals or people who needed me to serve them food or drink. After making a quick list, I ran out the door and to my car. I arrived at the supermarket within five minutes and started to go round the aisles.
When I got to the dairy aisle, someone had spilt some milk so I tried to dodge it by going left. Unfortunately I hit another trolley and some of the items fell on the floor. Thankfully there was nothing breakable. I picked up all of the stray items and gave them back to the owner.
"I'm so sorry" I said.
"No problem" A familiar voice replied.
Jumping about three feet in the air, I looked up to see my friend Glenn. I blushed then smiled as wide as I could.
"Glenn?" I asked him.
"The only and only" He replied.
There was a pause for a minute while I got my sense of control back. He always gave me quite a shock at least these days. Due to the fact that he wasn't exactly human. He was an Adonis. A man who exuded sexual perfection in both looks and personality. He had been born what he was and so over time had got used to the fact.
The only downside was, if he fell in love with someone who wasn't supernatural and kissed them, they would be transformed into physical perfect themselves. They wouldn't become an Adonis like him, but they would become physically and sexually perfect. Because of this, it was very hard for him to form relationships with normal people.
In fact it was thanks to Glenn that I found out about the supernatural. Because his ex-boyfriend had shown up right before we were about to kiss. Worse luck. Anyway, he had been a human and was screaming about him being cursed, some kind of Adonis or something. And when I had questioned him, I had seen he was right.
I was scared beyond belief that Glenn wasn't human so I ran away from him. That night, Markus appeared and he explained everything. The next day, I went to Glenn and apologised for the way I acted. Since then, we had stayed good friends. Because a relationship based on looks was something neither of us wanted.
"How you doing?" I asked him.
"Not too bad. Dating a vampire at the moment" He replied.
"Bit exotic for you isn't it?" I joked.
"Not really, I've had worse" He laughed.
That was certainly true. He had admitted his ex-boyfriend had only been interested in looks. In fact Glenn had met a lot of people in the fifteen hundred years he had lived. Immortality was highly common among the supernatural I noticed. I was now among their ranks. For better or worse.
"Anyone I know?" I asked.
"Don't think so. He's a new one" Glenn explained.
"Blood transfusion accident?" I asked. Shuddering at the thought because of what happened to Gordy.
"No, bitten. The guy who did was destroyed"
"Ouch"
"Yeah, but the guy raped him first" Glenn said with no air of sympathy in his voice.
"Deserved everything he got then" I replied.
Just then, the vampire in question walked behind him and gave him a kiss. Glenn returned it and for a second they were lost in each other's company. Once it was over, I got a good look at him. And did a double take almost immediately.
It was Doug's former companion, Kevin.
Admittedly, he looked a bit paler than the last time we had met but it was him alright. I realised that Glenn didn't know I knew him. In fact he didn't even know so I decided to act like I hadn't met him. Which in truth, I hadn't.
"Taylor, this is Kevin" Glenn said.
Kevin smiled. His teeth were pearl white just as I had expected.
"Nice to meet you" he spoke.
His voice had a lisp. Probably due to the fact his front fangs had changed shape like most vampires I knew. The only one who I knew closely ran a small pawn shop at the end of the high street. He was a nice guy, but he had a tendency to get overexcited if you came into the shop with a visible cut or scratch.
"Likewise" I said almost at once.
After a few seconds of tense silence, Glenn coughed.
"We'd best be off. Great to see you again" he said.
"Yeah. We'll have to get together sometime"
Glenn and Kevin nodded with respect and left. As they did I couldn't resist turning round and looking at Glenn's perfect physique. Think a young Hugh Jackman mixed with the guy that plays Connor in Primeval. Oh the things I would have done. I met no-one else on my shopping trip and after using the self-scan terminal to pay, I took the bags to my car.
Chapter Three
While I was placing them in the boot, I heard a familiar whistling noise coming from behind me.
"Good to see you're so relaxed" I laughed.
It was Stephen. He was dressed in his usual casual clothes and was arm in arm with Kari. The two seemed to be very comfortable together recently and if they weren't careful, a patter of tiny paws may have ensued. But that was not something that any of us wanted to imagine, at least right now.
"Well after the first time, it's really simple" he laughed.
Kari shoved her elbow into his side and he growled slightly at her. She gently licked his face and he was instantly calm. In some ways, I couldn't wait till I could do that. But controlling it in certain company would obviously require a certain amount of restraint.
I bet you are imagining the licks were-animals give each other as all over the face. Well that's only during private moments. If you get my meaning. For simple affection, it's like a gentle brush for a split second. The first few times it creeped me out but now, it doesn't phase me in the least.
"Need a lift?" I asked the two 'lovers'.
"Only if you don't mind" Kari said. Her voice was very similar to Keeley Hawes. Also known to some as the voice of Lara Croft. I shook my head in approval so after a few seconds, we were seated and belted into the car. A few minutes later, I pulled into the driveway outside the house where Campbell and Stephen called home. My two passengers vacated the vehicle and walked up the gravel drive.
"Cheers for the lift" Stephen shouted.
"No problem" I answered and continued driving till I reached home.
When I got through the front door, Zoe was sat on the sofa. Arc was in his cat form spread out on the chair. I rolled my eyes and went to grab a drink from the fridge. After grabbing a can of Cherry Tango, I opened it with a flick of my wrist. I dropped the can in shock as red smoke poured out of the top and formed into a man.
"Colin?" I said.
"Sorry bout that, Marina kicked me out so I needed sometime to stay" the familiar red genie explained.
"In a can of Cherry Tango?" I asked.
"It was either that or the mayonnaise"
"That's not mayo"
Colin looked in the fridge and shivered.
"Cream cheese" I assured him.
Colin breathed a sigh of relief. Which was a big sigh considering his size. I went to the cupboard and got out a small empty bottle of aftershave. It was lucky Doug never threw anything out.
"Think you could live in here?" I asked.
He examined the object for a minute then nodded. He looked at the empty can in my hand and clicked his fingers. A new can of Cherry Tango appeared in my hand ready to drink. I opened the can and no genie emerged from it this time.
"Nothing abnormal in anything else in your fridge" he assured me.
He clapped his hands together and became red smoke once again. He poured himself into the aftershave bottle and a stopper appeared in it. The bottle flashed and it was gone. I drunk the Tango with relief then sat down next to Zoe on the sofa. It was three o'clock. Only four hours till I would transform for the first time.
And as I closed my eyes for a second, I hoped for my sake, I was ready. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the alarm on my phone went off. Waking up, I sat up and turned it off. Standing on the other side of the room were all of Jenna's pack. After a few seconds, Jenna noticed that I was awake and walked over to help me to my feet.
"How long was I out?" I asked her.
"About three and a half hours" she answered.
That meant it was half past six. I suddenly remembered it was only half an hour before I first transformed. The itching had intensified slightly and my body temperature had definitely risen. It wasn't uncomfortable but it was noticeable. I had also noticed that my already increased sense of smell had grown stronger meaning I could pick up the smell of the rubbish bins outside as well as every smell in the room.
The front door opened and Campbell walked in. He was with his two most trusted allies, Drake and Hax. The two were dressed in leather biker gear in the same style as Campbell but they were appropriately underdressed to show that they were not highly ranked.
Hax was the larger of the two and seemed to be slightly too adoring of his alpha. Every now and again he would look at him with the kind of adoration a child would give to a favourite toy. Drake was toned and ready for action. I remembered how he had launched at me the night after Doug had been exiled and wondered if I could ever truly trust him.
But then again, he had only been following orders. So it was definitely a case of benefit of the doubt.
"You ready pup?" he asked me.
"As I'll ever be" I replied.
Slowly but surely, the packs began to leave the room until the only people that were left were me, Doug and Campbell. Without any warning, I burst into tears and fell to the floor. Doug transformed into his werewolf form and rubbed himself against me for a minute or two. I hugged his massive lupine form and dried my eyes.
When I looked into his eyes, he whined. I stroked his perfectly formed muzzle and stood up carefully. Doug transformed back and put his clothes back on after a second of total nudity. After about a minute of silence, I cleared my throat.
"Sorry about that" I said.
"Don't worry about it. It happens to all new duals" Campbell explained.
Why he hadn't told me about this I wasn't sure. But if I had been expecting it, I probably would have overanalysed it more than I was doing right now. Doug licked me and I returned the gesture.
"Time to go?" Doug asked me.
"Yeah" I answered.
After we had locked the flat, we got into my car and the GPS took us slowly but surely to the place we had decided upon. It was almost pitch dark now and the clouds were just beginning to part. I could feel my muscles in my legs begin to twitch and my face was starting to tingle.
We arrived at the place with only ten minutes to spare. All of Jenna's pack was present as they had been in the flat and to my complete surprise; all of Campbell's pack were there as well. Most of them greeted me with smiles but some of them looked as though I had appeared and proclaimed supremacy.
I gulped at this point. Had I got myself in too deep?
Chapter Four
After a few minutes of waiting for everyone to settle, Jenna walked over to me.
"It's time" she said.
The female alpha took me over to the middle of the clearing. She stepped back to the others and in a split second, they were all in their werewolf form. Before I could wonder what was going on, they started to howl. Just a few seconds later, I looked to the sky.
As if it was meant to be, the clouds parted and the full moon, in all its radiant glory was revealed. If I had bared any thoughts it wasn't going to be that bad, they were gone in a second.
My entire body went to spasm. I screamed in agony and convulsed. I could hear my bones cracking as they changed shape and I could feel every muscle being torn and reshaped. The process was uncomfortable but it wasn't as painful as I had anticipated.
After a second convulsion, my arms flailed out to the sides as did my legs. Thick chestnut brown fur began to grow all over my body and after another spasm, a bushy tail erupted from just above my rectal area. My face tingled once more and it reshaped into a muzzle. I yelled in pain which came as out as a mix between a scream and a whine.
My voice box suddenly snapped into place. I tried to let out another scream and this time, it came out as a whine. My hands and feet snapped and in a second, they were paws. My ears stretched and relocated to the top of my head. The fur stopped growing and after a final convulsion, I stood on four legs, as a fully transformed werewolf.
The new instincts flooded my mind. I wanted to chase, I wanted to hunt, I wanted to have sex, I want to chase my tail. Okay I made that last one up. Somehow, I seemed to know how to work my new body and within a few seconds, my tail was wagging from side to side on command and my ears were able to prick whenever I wanted them too.
The flooding stopped and I was able to focus once more. My vision was in colour which was a surprise. A nice surprise mind you. I looked around at the pack, who had stopped howling. Doug ran over to me and rubbed his muzzle against my face. I repeated the gesture and then, he yipped and started to run away from me.
If I had been human, I would have been worried. But my new instincts told me to chase him, so I decided to appease my curiosity. After a few careful steps, I started to run on all four of my new legs. I can say without a doubt, it was the biggest thrill of my life.
Just when I got close to him, Doug jumped into the air and ran further away. I followed and without knowing it, I yipped out of pure ecstasy. Doug barked in delight and without hesitation, I repeated the gesture. I was grateful that my new body knew how to perform these actions because I wouldn't have known where to start on barking. Or yipping.
The other werewolves slowly started to join in and eventually, the whole pack was playing the game. After about fifteen minutes, Campbell howled and the game stopped. He and Jenna stood away from all of us and cleared their throats.
"Now that we have welcomed our new brother, it is time to hunt" said Campbell in a very gruff tone that was similar to his human voice.
I gulped. This was going to be a test. Not just of my wits, but my guts.
I hoped I didn't look as nervous as I felt. But I reminded myself that as a rule, canine faces seldom showed real emotion so a werewolf face wouldn't either. It stood to reason. But I cut myself some slack. After all, I had never transformed before so there was a lot of learn.
A few of the wolves left the group and entered the woods. The only ones left by me were Campbell, Doug and Stephen. They seemed to be both anxious of how I was coping and excited to be starting their hunt on the night they loved the most.
Doug walked over to me and nuzzled my neck. I did the same to him and his tail wagged in pleasure. Campbell cleared his throat and we both turned to see what he wanted to say to us.
"The others have gone to a hiding place in the woods. When you go in, find a place where no one else has hidden and mark your scent"
"How do I do that?" I asked.
This was the first time I had heard my voice in werewolf form and for a minute, it completely threw me off balance. But once I was calm once more, Campbell continued.
"I think you know" he said.
After a brief thinking stint, I realised what he meant. It was lucky that I hadn't been to the toilet before I transformed otherwise it might have been difficult to undertake the task he had in mind. Let's just say that one outranks the other two, if you catch my drift.
"Then, when you hear my howl, go around the woods and find any prey you can. When you do find and bring something down, howl and I'll come and take the first bite and then you can finish the rest"
The look of confusion on my face brought Stephen to the rescue
"It's a mark of respect for the alpha to eat first" he explained.
After he had explained, I relaxed. But it also occurred to me that I had no alpha. I was in effect a lone wolf. I explained this situation to the others and for a moment I thought they were angry. But Campbell smiled as well as a wolf man can.
"We'll sort that out later, don't worry about it" he said.
For a moment, I absorbed his words. Then I realised that it was all very well hunting, but for how long?
"When does the hunt end?" I asked the other wolves after a brief hesitation.
"Listen out for three howls from Campbell, one after another. When it's over, come to the middle of the woods where we sleep until sunrise" Stephen answered.
Sounded like a plan to me. I just hoped I could find where they meant. But after remembering I could now find werewolves easily thanks to my enhanced senses my fears were subsided. For now.
"Right, let's go!" Campbell said and he ran into the woods, quickly followed by his son. Doug licked my cheek.
"You ready Tay?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be" I replied.
I carefully placed one paw in front of the other at first to regain the feeling of walking on four legs. When I was comfortable, I broke into a run and yipped in joy. Doug ran beside me and with a wink, sped off in an entirely different direction to me.
For a second after he left, I was slightly nervous but my new instincts eased my worries. Wolves were meant to hunt in groups only with larger prey. For a wood like this, there was no sense to overcrowd things. If I had been human, the idea of hunting innocent animals would have sickened me slightly, but now I was a werewolf, I was excited by it, I needed to hunt, run free and eat my spoils with relish.
Running through the woods with all the sights and smells was the best feeling I had ever had. I yipped several times to let out my excitement and finally, I decided to find a place to hide. It was definitely harder than I thought, being as thought there were about thirty werewolves including myself in the woods.
Eventually, I managed to find a small hollow. After carefully checking for another scent or other signs of life, I decided to set up camp.
There was a large pine tree by the hollow so I cocked my leg and marked it with my scent. It took a while for me to feel comfortable enough to do it but eventually I relaxed and it trickled onto the bark with the pressure of a fire hose.
When it was over, I lay down on the bed of leaves and waited for Campbell's command. I heard several of the others running about the woods still looking for hiding places. A few tried to make my hollow their place but instinctively I growled to warn them away. Once they detected my scent and my warning, they left.
About five minutes later, a long loud howl echoed from the throat of Campbell. I took a deep breath and left my hollow. The hunt had begun.
Chapter Five
It suddenly occurred to me I had no idea how to hunt. Kicking myself for not asking Campbell or Doug about it, I decided the best way to learn was to try. Sniffing the air gently, I was overcome by the amount of smells I obtained and sneezed several times.
I wondered if werewolves blushed, because right now I felt more embarrassed than I had done in a very long time. I shook it off and finally, I managed to get myself walking in the opposite direction from where I came from.
Just at that moment, it started to rain. I whined in exasperation and shook my fur to get rid of the water but it was coming down too fast to make much of an impact. I gave up after a minute and charged through the woods in an attempt to keep myself mainly dry.
Sheltering under a fallen tree that had moss growing all over it wasn't glamorous, but until I got used to the rain I was going nowhere. Just as I had settled, I heard an angry buzzing noise and turning, saw I had nearly sat on a wasps nest. Thankfully the wasps didn't pay any attention to me but I left my shelter faster than I could think and barked to release the pent up emotions that came from the shock.
I happened to stop just in time because a white wolf went past me at an incredible speed. I didn't recognise him but I knew better than to chastise him. That was asking for trouble seeing as how I didn't know him on a personal level.
At that moment, a rabbit came out its borrow and ran by me. I picked up its scent almost at once and my instincts told me to chase. When I had let it get far enough away to be a challenge, I started to run after it. The rabbit noticed I was there within two feet and started to move as fast as it could.
For about thirty seconds, I seemed to be within good chance of catching it, but unfortunately fate took a hand. My back paw on the left tripped on a tree root and I feel muzzle first into the mud of the woodland path. The rabbit clicked with some kind of laughter from a safe distance and ran out of sight.
When I got up, I snorted in frustration. But before I could move, I heard a howl coming from just round the corner. Curious to see what the ceremony of the alpha eating first looked like, I sped ahead and came to where the noise had come from.
It was Hax who had howled. He had caught a rabbit. The same rabbit I had tried to catch, I could tell by the smell. But what was most surprising was that he was eating it, before Campbell had arrived.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Eating" Hax grumbled.
"But what about Campbell?"
"He won't care, I'm one of his favourites" he replied and continued eating his prey. Just then, Campbell emerged from the clearing. When he saw what Hax was doing, he snarled in anger.
Hax spun around completely taken aback.
"What did I say?" he asked Hax calmly.
No answer.
Campbell repeated himself three times, each time his voice raising in volume and the level of his patience decreased. Finally, he walked over to his beta and swung his paw at his face.
Three long cuts appeared on his muzzle and Hax whined, clearly begging for pity. But Campbell had none, an alpha couldn't afford it.
"Get out of my sight" he barked.
Hax left before he could say another word. Campbell turned to the prey and nibbled a piece of its foot. When he had swallowed it, he turned to face me.
"How you doing pup?" he asked.
"A little shaky but not bad"
Campbell nodded. Another howl sounded through the woods and he left to inspect another hunt.
A short while later, I had caught nothing and my stomach was growling. If I didn't eat something soon, I would go back to the rabbit Hax left behind, or eat a large breakfast tomorrow morning.
Eventually, I caught a rabbit. Purely by chance, I managed to chase it onto a straight path where I had the advantage. I pounced and slammed it against the tree where it splatted against the rock, breaking its neck and dead as a dead thing could be.
I raised my head into the air and howled. I waited but Campbell didn't come. For five minutes he didn't arrive. I tried twice more but it was no use, he wasn't coming. Not willing to risk what Hax had, I sniffed the air to find his scent.
A scent can tell you the direction a person is in, the emotions they are feeling and in rare cases, memories that are deep within their mind. After searching the area, I picked up Campbell. I ran in his direction but I was taken aback when I saw a crowd around him. They cleared aside so I could see what was going on and I gasped.
Campbell was feeding on something, as were Jenna and Drake. But what shocked me most was what they were eating.
It was Hax. And he was definitely dead.
For a second, I was paralysed, in both shock and disgust. They were eating another of their kind? The animal in me told me it was natural but the human half was stronger, at least at that moment. I turned on my heels and ran out of the woods, tears falling from my eyes. I reached the stream halfway between the woods and my car and stopped.
The tears fell on the water and made my reflection ripple. If they had been raindrops I would have thought they were beautiful but now, they only reminded me of the sight I had seen.
I heard a howl echoed through the woods. It was Doug, asking where I had run. I ignored him and continued to release my emotions into the glistening water. Eventually, I heard the pattering of wolf paws and turned to see him running full pelt toward me.
I growled at him to stay back. He ignored me and came closer. I barked and he still didn't stop. Eventually, I roared and ran away. He kept up with me with ease being the stronger wolf and pounced me to the floor, holding me down by the throat.
Eventually I calmed down and whined. He released me and I let him nuzzle me.
"Why did you run away?" he asked me gently.
It took a while to answer through my tears but eventually I did.
"You're heartless cannibals" I blurted.
Doug looked surprised.
"Why would you say that?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes the best I could in my new form.
"Don't play dumb, I saw Hax being eaten. Just for disobeying Campbell"
Doug realised what I meant and sighed.
"We didn't kill him Tay, we found him dead"
That was a surprise, my whole body stiffened. Even my tail stopped moving.
"What?" I burst out, a little more forced than I planned.
"We found him hanged, someone had set a trap" Doug explained.
Even though Hax had been annoying, he didn't deserve that. I suddenly remembered the fact he was being eaten and my temporary phobia of the pack returned.
"So why was he the main course?" My voice had a bitter quality that I did nothing to disguise.
"It's a mark of respect. Whenever a werewolf is killed by means beyond our control, we eat his remains to honour his memory"
"Did you eat?"
"No, I prefer not to if I can help it"
That was a relief. I just hoped Doug would never have to do it for anyone, or come to think of it neither would I. But the fact it wasn't senseless violence calmed me down somewhat.
"You ready to go back?" he asked.
"Sure" I replied and together we ran back into the woods, gently snapping at each other on occasion. After a quick sniff, we found Campbell and a few of the others had congregated a mile or so ahead.
We ran the entire way but came to a stop immediately once we saw what was happening. The pack was standing in a circle, and in the middle of the circle were Campbell, and Drake. The alpha was clearly furious with him, and judging by his scent, he had done something unforgivable.
"Why did you set the trap?" Campbell growled.
"He was competition. I wanted to be second in command, not that worthless sprig" Drake spat.
"He was your mate!" Campbell roared. "Why in hell's name would you do it now?"
"You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette" Drake said.
He clearly felt no remorse for what he did. It was clear that he didn't feel anything for his so called 'mate'. I assumed imprinted and mate meant the same thing.
"Yes" Campbell snarled. "But what you did earned no respect. In fact, you don't deserve to have any respect from me or the pack"
Drake had been nonchalant before now, but now he looked slightly scared.
"Drake, your sentence is decided. For the crime of killing a pack member with no justifiable reason, I hereby take your life as punishment"
Campbell pounced forward. Drake tried to move but he couldn't. He was too afraid. The alpha’s claws slashed at his throat and his back as he landed on him. His blood spilled onto the floor and in a few seconds, Drake was unconscious.
Campbell raised his head and snapped his neck. The guilty werewolf went limp. In a second, I realised he was dead. Campbell shook his fur clean of the blood and looked around at his pack.
"Justice has been served. Do not discuss it" he ordered. And no-one did, including me. Because you didn't dare argue with an alpha, unless you wanted a pre-mature end. At least that's what I had come to realise.
Clearly Drake had overestimated his importance. And it cost him.
The alpha wolf raised his head and howled three times. The hunt was over. I suddenly remembered the rabbit but somehow I didn't feel hungry for it anymore. The shock of both events had directed my attention to another place.
The pack began to shift back into their human forms slowly and lay down together in small groups to sleep. I suddenly realised that I didn't know how to change back.
I walked over to the alpha and bowed in respect. He repeated the gesture so I felt safe to ask.
"I forgot to ask. How do I shift between?" I asked.
Campbell suddenly realised he hadn't told me. I could tell he found it both amusing and embarrassing at the same time.
"Just think of wanting to be human and will yourself to change back. Your body will shift after a few seconds. Same thing when you want to shift into a wolf"
Taking his advice, I willed myself to change. In a second, I was surrounded by a haze of heat and pheromones and I suddenly grew back into my human form. Checking myself over, I found no traces of wolf remained. What I did notice however, was that I was filthy and smelled of the wilderness. And not in a good way. I also felt slightly nauseous.
But I assumed that it was because it was my first time.
An idea formed in my head at the moment, I just get used to shifting otherwise it would be tricky if I needed to on a whim. I thought of being of a human and willed myself to change. After a few seconds, another invisible haze issued and I was human again. I laughed in victory.
"Nice shift" came the familiar voice of my lover.
"Thanks" I said and kissed him.
After meeting with Stephen and Kari, Doug lay down and I lay next to him. The change back had exhausted me more than realised so I forgot I hadn't eaten.
Within moments, I was asleep. And because I was so tired, I felt nothing but peace for the whole night long.
Chapter Six
I woke up next morning feeling hungry, very hungry. Not really surprised, I got up and looked around. Some of the others had gone but most were still around. After some effort, I got to my feet and walked around for a bit.
A hand placed itself on my back. I spun round to see Campbell and Jenna. They laughed at my surprise and threw my clothes down in front of me.
"How did you get …?" I asked.
"Doug went and got them from your car when you were asleep" Jenna answered. I was highly grateful to my boyfriend at that point because although a lot of the others weren't modest, I was.
Speaking of Doug, he came up behind me and gave me a hug. I spun round and gave him a grateful lick. After a second, he sniffed carefully and winced.
"We'd better get you in the shower" he joked.
"And you, you smell like a pig sty" I laughed.
After a second, he put his clothes back on and we walked back to my car. When I was driving along, I was amazed how calm I was about everything; I mean we had lost two pack members last night, one who was innocent and one who was a manipulative prick. And in some ways, it was hard to tell which was which.
As soon as we parked next to the flat, I saw Arc was outside in his cat form. I got out and stroked him gently. He grimaced as much as cat could and shifted back into the human form.
"Morning guys. Enjoy last night?" he asked.
"Was a bit strange, but the best night of my life" I replied.
"He was fine" Doug reassured him and hugged me gently.
"He'd better be, otherwise Zoe will flip" Arc laughed.
We all agreed that point. Zoe may flip out at times, but she cared about her friends and family more than any other person I knew. Arc suddenly realised that he was naked in a public place and covered himself carefully with his right hand.
"I'd better go and put some clothes on" he said. And with that, he went inside the house, leaving the door slightly ajar. Not wasting a second, me and Doug went through the front door to find Zoe sat on the sofa watching a DVD.
When she saw me, she smiled broadly and gave me a massive bear hug. After her outburst of emotion, she brushed her fringe from her face and looked me over carefully.
"No bones broken?" she asked.
"Nope, But I need a shower"
She sniffed and winced just as Doug had done.
"Too right you do" Zoe said flatly.
Me and Doug laughed and I rubbed Zoe's hair out of shape. She swore loudly at us as we ran to the shower room and Doug shut the door just as she threw at a pillow at us.
Once I had set the shower up, I climbed in. Doug waited outside for his turn. At least he did for a minute. When I had washed my body clean, he climbed in as well and grabbed the sponge from me.
"I'll be done in a few seconds" I falsely protested, knowing that he would see the joke.
"So will I" growled Doug seductively and licked my shoulder. It sent a wave of pleasure through me and before I knew it, I was kissing him. He gratefully accepted the gesture and we used our hands to stimulate the others equipment and stroke the others skin.
A few minutes after our make out began; we cried out in pleasure and came. Doug climaxed first so I bent down to suck him off as he ejaculated. When he was finished, I licked my lips and swallowed gratefully. When I came, he worked it harder than he had ever done before causing me to moan in pleasure as he drove me over the edge.
After I was done, he swallowed too and we commenced to clean ourselves properly. But of course we kissed a few times along the way.
When we were dry and dressed in new clothes, we went through to the living room to find Zoe and Arc drinking a coke in the kitchen area.
"Good shower?" Zoe asked.
"Oh yeah" I replied.
"It was perfect" Doug said with a dream like tone to his voice. I laughed and lightly cuffed him. Zoe sighed but before she could say anything, the phone rang. Seeing as how I had just come back, I decided to take the phone this time.
I clicked the receiver to answer the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey Taylor, It's Helen. Don't forget about tonight"
I froze for a second. Tonight was the night I was going to introduce Doug to my family.
"I didn't forget" I lied.
"Sure" Helen said sarcastically. She knew me too well. After all if your own sister can't tell, who can?
"See you at seven" she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Okay, see ya then" I said and hung up.
I gulped. Walking back into the kitchen, I reminded Doug about tonight. He was slightly concerned I could tell but he didn't let it spoil his mood. For the rest of the day, we hung out with Zoe and Arc in the flat, sharing stories about shape-shifting and various things.
When quarter to seven came around, we were ready to leave. Zoe and Arc were leaving at the same time as us so when we had all left, Zoe locked the front door and dropped the key in her bag.
"Good luck guys" she said and she and Arc started walking toward the place of their date. In this case it was the cinema.
After watching them leave, Doug got into my car and I joined him after making sure the front door was locked. We drove to my parents semi-detached, got out of the car and waited for seven o'clock to arrive.
As soon as it did, we walked up the drive, not sure if tonight was going to be a success or a massive disaster. In a way, it was both.
Chapter Seven
I had made sure we dressed smart casual, or as close as we could get without being too upper class.
Doug wore a black t-shirt with no logo and a pair of blue jeans whereas I wore a white polo shirt with blue and red stripes with a pair of three quarter length shorts. Admittedly it wasn't the weather for them but I figured it was best to wear light clothing given the situation tonight.
We had decided to tell them about us, but not to tell them about what had taken place in the last few months. After all, they wouldn't believe a word until we showed them, and that was against the rules.
"Do you think they'll like me?" Doug asked me.
"They'll love you, just as I do" I replied and licked him.
He smiled and licked me back, making sure to get my favourite spot just above my left eyebrow. After straightening our shirts, I pressed the doorbell twice and waited.
The door opened quickly to reveal the figure of Michelle Michaels, my mother. She was fifty five, with brown hair straight out of a bottle and a smile that could charm an asexual man to give her a good seeing to. Which is no mean feat. Her dress was made of lavender silk and seemed to be held up by nothing more than her upper body weight. She wasn't fat, but she had a firm chest.
"Taylor!" she said and gave me a kiss. Thankfully on the cheek that didn't have werewolf slobber on it.
"Hey mum" I said and kissed her back. In the background I could see my sister Helen, she had just turned twenty nine and had platinum blond hair, blue eyes and a figure like that of a supermodel. She wasn't vain in any way, but she had been blessed with good looks.
"Hey bro, long time no see" she said.
"Nice to see you too Helen" I answered.
Even though I couldn't see him, I could tell that Doug was slightly nervous. I turned back to him and smiled.
"Mum, this is Doug, my new boyfriend" I said. Half of me almost said 'mate', but then I remembered that she was human and not supernatural.
"Nice to meet you Mrs Michaels" Doug said and gave her a brief hug.
"Please, call me Michelle" she answered and did the French kiss thing. Behind her back, I rolled my eyes.
"Is that you son?" came a voice from upstairs.
My father Graeme came down the stairs; he had the looks of Brian Krause combined with the guy who plays Nathan Patrielli in Heroes. Add about ten years to the both of them and you got my dad. He was wearing his usual attire of a West Ham football shirt and tracksuit bottoms. Which to be honest was a relief. Casual clothes meant that he was less likely to accept me and Doug.
My family had accepted my homosexuality with open arms. It wasn't something we went into great deal about, but at least it wasn't like dust swept under a rug.
"You must be Doug" Dad said and shook his hand.
"Yes sir" Doug replied.
"Please, call me Grae, everyone does, apart from my son and daughter anyway" he said, laughing at the last part of his sentence.
A few seconds of silence ensued, broken suddenly by a voice from the kitchen area.
"If you don't get back in here Michelle the mushrooms are going to be frazzled" came the familiar voice of my grandmother Arlena.
"Coming!" Mum said and scooted on through to the kitchen to help my grandmother.
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