Lykos - 08 - Second Bite
#8 of Lykos
Written by Leo_Todrius
The next full moon has arrived, but with pack tensions higher than ever, will anyone be safe?
Lykos Chapter 8 (Second Bite)
The town of Echo Creek had fallen away behind the two school busses as they headed out into the wilderness along snow lined roads. Snow chains clinked and clattered from around the wheels as the vehicles headed toward their destination, the remote box canyon. It was the typical excursion the werewolves and their keepers took each month, though it was shaping up to be particularly cold. The keepers were bundled up more than usual, wearing thermal underwear, pajama pants, and snow pants on top of that, coupled with thick plush coats. The wolves, by contrast, wore little more than usual. Most wore merely a light jacket or sweatshirt, some wore nothing more than a long sleeve t-shirt.
Of all the non-wolves on the bus, however, Fletcher felt the most comfortable. Sitting at the back of the second bus, he had Marco on his right and Udo on his left. Both were putting out copious amounts of body heat, it was like they were living electric blankets. Udo reached up slowly, his warm fingers following the contours of Fletcher's left ear lobe before playing with the ring that hung from the bottom of it. Udo licked his lips slowly before he leaned in and began to lick and nibble at the ear. Fletcher gasped.
"Udo?" Fletch whispered. Udo smiled slowly.
"We should get you some more piercings." Udo commented.
"I said the same thing to Marco." Fletch replied.
"It's a bit harder to pick when we're allergic to silver..." Marco replied.
"Luckily Fletch doesn't have that problem." Udo said, his hand sliding down the human's sides before plunging into his pants. Fletch inhaled sharply as he felt the fingers curling around his shaft, giving it a soft grope. Fletcher started to slowly blush, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Fletcher was lost in a world of his own pleasure, unaware that a few rows ahead that claws were cutting into the fake leather seats of the bus, slicing down slowly into the stuffing.
"Liam, calm the fuck down..." Kieran whispered to his twin brother. The two were wearing carbon gray sweatshirts and black jeans with black beanie caps over their long, unruly brown shaggy hair. It hid their ears and eyes quite effectively, but not Liam's fangs as he exposed them with a gentle growl.
"It isn't fair... They should be part of our pack, they should be subservient to Artyom." Liam murmured.
"Even if they were, Yom didn't have any inborn loyalty to Seamus, he's a natural werewolf. He's going to serve whichever alpha he wants." Kieran replied.
"He isn't just serving an alpha, he created one... And Rayne is with them all. I want him." Liam said.
"What is your obsession with that human? I thought you were just playing with him at first, but sucking him off in the bathroom? Following him around?" Kieran asked. Liam turned, looking into his brother. Yellow eyes peered through the thick mane of hair with a serious look.
"He's different, there's something about him. We like the same stuff, he's got a good sense of humor, and he smells great." Liam said. Kieran rolled his eyes.
"Why can't you be like the other students and sneak girls back onto campus... Have to get hung up over some hipster." Kieran said in disgust.
"You have to admit, their pack is pretty healthy..." Liam said. Kieran glanced back at the reflection in the glass, looking at the four men.
"I'll grant Marco and Artyom as being great pack stock, and they helped Udo mature a great deal, but their keeper doesn't know any magic. He couldn't protect them at all... Not when it really came down to it." Kieran said.
"You mean not like Thackary?" Liam whispered. Kieran's head turned and he snarled, his own fangs extending.
"Don't you mention him here..." Kieran hissed.
"Someone's gotta forbidden crush, another unattainable love. We may have different personalities, but we've got the same heart." Liam said. Kieran said nothing, glaring out of the window. Liam grinned more at that, "Well then, how about I help you if you help me?" Liam proposed.
"We're not discussing this." Kieran said simply, pulling his iPhone out of his pocket, putting his headphones in. Liam merely smirked to himself and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He concentrated on all the smells he was picking up, sifting through them all in his mind until he isolated which one was Fletcher's, smiling broadly to himself.
****
The drive to the box canyon had taken a bit longer than usual, that much was obvious as the busses pulled off the road and into their usual parking spaces. There were a few other cars there, nestled down as far as the clearing went. A young, lithe, blond young man was sitting on the trunk of his blue car, his mittened hands holding a steaming cup of coffee that he sipped from, watching the students starting to disembark. Ethan navigating his way back and forth between students, cutting to the front before he trotted down the stairs and moved outside.
"Thackary, sorry we're late. There was a bit of ice.
"It's alright, though you lost your spot. Mattias took up point." Thackary said, hopping down. He hesitated, looking over at the bus as Fletcher stepped down, followed after by Marco, Artyom and Udo. Ethan's eyes didn't leave Thackary.
"We'll make it work." Ethan said.
"This is the first time two alphas have been locked in here together, I'm not sure what will happen. If they challenge one another, is your alpha prepared to lead?" Thackary asked.
"He isn't my alpha." Ethan said, his voice low and dangerous, "I lost my alpha long ago. I serve all wolves now." Thackary winced, holding up his hand.
"My apologies, well, is he up to it?" Thackary asked. Ethan glanced over his shoulder.
"He could be. The campus would be unlike anything we've seen before." Ethan replied.
"What's his leadership style?" Thackary asked. Ethan considered.
"Compassion, almost democratic in his organization of it all, but when a pack member is threatened he'll stop at nothing." Ethan said. Thackary shook his head a bit.
"That's fantastic for small packs, but it'll tear him apart if the pack gets too big. Hopefully he won't challenge Seamus, hopefully he'll find a different path for his pack." Thackary said, unaware that his voice was carrying on the wind, managing to make it all the way to the bus... but it wasn't Seamus that heard those words, or even one of his betas. The words drifted into the slightly pointed ears of a young man with a shaved head, though his hair was growing out at a rate far higher than humans. Still, the well maintained sideburns down his cheeks stood out, as did the purple spacers in his ear lobes.
Jesse turned, glancing in the direction of the keepers with curiosity. They had to be talking about Marco's pack, the pack taking a different path. He hated that Udo had weaseled out of being the pack bitch, that the burden had fallen onto him again... but as much as he hated Udo, he envied him too. He'd worked his way up from being an omega to being a beta. He'd found a caring pack, he'd found a better way of living. All it had taken was breaking with tradition during the full moon... and that gave Jesse an idea.
"Out of the way, pup." came a grunt. Jesse yelped as he was pushed forward, having to land on the ground outside the bus and take a few jogging strides to avoid falling down. He glanced back at the muscled football jock, his lip curling into a faint snarl. He was more sure than ever that tonight would be different.
****
The air began shimmering, rippling and waving as the barrier began spreading out. Fletcher watched in fascination as Ethan started the field, rather than just closing it. It was as if his soul was pouring outward into the pearlescent shield, fueling it. It climbed up toward the sky and it spread out along the ground toward the next keepers.
"Fletch!" Marco's voice came from the other side. Fletch looked around before he saw him. Marco pointed toward the gap in the barrier and Fletcher ran over to it.
"Shouldn't you be like, setting up your territory?" Fletch asked. Marco smirked, pulling a small pouch out of his pocket.
"I've got time, but I need you to charge this up for me." Marco said, tossing the pouch to Fletcher. It passed through open air just before the barrier passed by, sinking to the ground and climbing toward the top of the box canyon. Fletcher caught the bag, surprised at his own dexterity before he looked back.
"What is it?" Fletcher asked.
"Moonstone. Yom's dad gave it to me on Thanksgiving. Never know when we'll need it, so best to charge it up now." Marco replied.
"What do I do?" Fletcher asked.
"I think... leave it in the moonlight?" Marco asked.
"You think..." Fletcher murmured.
"Yeah, we haven't covered mythical crystals in Geology. When I know more, I'll let you know." Marco said. Fletch smirked at that.
"Sounds like I'm going to get a class of my own today... Healing tonics, a bit of neuromancy. I think they want to figure out what I'm good at." Fletcher said.
"Neuro... mancy?" Marco asked, "You're going to get into people's heads?"
"Well, probably not. There aren't many of those, but we met one. Abel, the Yashin Keeper? That projection he did where we saw him even though he was at the river front, that was neuromancy." Fletcher replied. Marco vaguely nodded.
"Sometimes I think being a werewolf is easier to understand..." Marco replied. Fletcher laughed at that.
"Go keep the boys safe, and stay out of trouble if you can." Fletcher said. Marco nodded at that and turned, heading back toward the trees, feeling the last rays of sunshine as it sunk behind the canyon. In the dead of winter, it was going to be a long night. Fletcher watched Marco disappear into the trees and soon after the sun disappear from view. The shadows crept out longer and longer until the valley was full of darkness. Even the sky seemed to be fading, giving way to pinks and oranges, then slowly purple.
Fletcher kept on watching in silence, feeling that yearning to be with his pack, to be with them, to be like them... but something distracted him, a crackling of fire. Fletcher slowly turned, his eyes widening as he saw a camp fire burning away, the wood crackling and popping. A small metal grill had been set down over the flames and Thackary set a camping coffee pot down on to heat up. Fletcher's jaw dropped.
"Why didn't we do this before?!" Fletch asked. Thackary smirked.
"You can't have a fire on the peak, it'd draw in attention, but down here? No one's going to spot it." Thackary said, opening up his backpack. He pulled out a long tong and started sliding marshmallows onto it. Thackary cast Fletcher a grin, "Smore?"
"You brought chocolate? Seriously?" Ethan asked, wandering over to sit down on a log between the camp fire and the barrier.
"I can't bring meat to cook because they'll smell it and slam up against the barrier, so why not something sweet?" Thackary asked.
"What if one of the boys had gotten to it?" Ethan asked.
"Hold on, hold on... Are werewolves allergic to chocolate like dogs?" Fletcher asked, sitting himself down.
"Well, some handle it better than others... But usually, yes. Chocolate has a stimulant called theobromine in it. Canines can't process it like humans and it builds up..." Ethan explained. "In dogs it can cause hallucinations, seizures, heart attacks, internal bleeding."
"Yeah, but most werewolves just get super fast heart rates, migraines, and then throw it all up." Thackary countered, "It's a bitch to clean up."
"Thankfully, the amount werewolves would have to eat to reach dangerous levels is a bit large based on their body weight. It's mostly a risk for smaller canines." Ethan said.
"Well, their loss is our gain I suppose. Let's have s'more... Get it? I made a pun." Fletcher beamed. Ethan rolled his eyes and Thackary merely smirked, pulling the coffee off the grill.
****
Fog hung across the old road through the forest, lingering and hanging undisturbed. It was almost as if the air itself had frozen, but ever so slowly the fog started to move and shift. The disturbance was picking up more and more before light pierced through the fog, illuminating it. The headlights of the old corvette were bright but aged, tinted faintly yellow. The car came barreling down the road, slicing through the fog with ease.
The air inside the car was a bit hazy as well, though it was from smoke rather than fog. The three occupants looked as if they were having the time of their lives. The driver was twenty years old, his olive toned skin complimenting the fringe of black hair before it disappeared into a knit rasta cap that hung down over the back of his head. His chin was pointed and fair, his body fairly muscled. The passenger sitting next to the driver looked almost like a miniature version of his older brother, though he had on a black baseball cap with a hood brought up over the rest until only the brim stuck out.
Sprawled in the back was another friend, his white arms spread over the back seat, a red baseball cap sitting slightly off at an angle, leaving just enough view of the diamond studs in his ears to show off. The three were young, having a night out on the town. They were enjoying what it meant to be young, especially in one of the few states to allow recreational marijuana. They'd taken a drive out into the forest away from the city, enjoying the dull glow of the full moon above. The music pounding out of the speakers and the sound of the tires on the road were almost hypnotic.
"Fuck man, turn it up!" The younger brother said, leaning over.
"Driver makes the rules, you know that Andres." The driver said, swatting his brother's hand. Andres pulled it back before glaring.
"Well next time I drive then, okay Raf?" Andres complained.
"As long as you don't let Caleb behind the wheel, right Caleb?" Rafael smirked. Their friend in the back wasn't responding though. He was looking ahead before slowly lifting his arm.
"T... Thing..." he muttered before pointing. Rafael looked forward just in time to get a fleeting glance as the gray and white timber wolf on the road, to see the glint of the eyes reflecting in the headlights. Rafael tried to swerve around it but the car started to slide a bit. All three passengers lurched forward as the car winged the wolf, Andres cursing. The car began to shimmy and shake, rolling off the shoulder of the road and to a stop. Rafael threw the car into park before he sprung out of the driver's seat. Andres reached up to wipe his mouth, getting a bit of red on his sleeve.
"Fuck, I bit my tongue." He whispered, feeling the sting from the tip. Realizing his brother had already vacated the vehicle, he quickly unstrapped himself and got out as well. Peered out into the cold, he zipped up his black sweatshirt tighter, feeling its snug embrace around his shoulders.
"Where is it? I know we hit it..." Rafael whispered.
"It probably limped off the road. How's the car?" Andres asked.
"Fuck the car, I hit something." Rafael replied, moving away from the car. He moved back out onto the road, looking both ways. It would have been impossible if it hadn't been a full moon. He made his way back along the skid marks to where they started before he crouched down, running a hand over the cement.
"Fuckin' CSI shit while our car's idling over here." Andres muttered under his breath. He moved around to the front of the car to start checking the damage. The bumper had been impacted, one of the headlights was cracked but worst of all, steam was spilling out from under the hood. Andres pulled his sleeve up over his hand, wrapping it around as best he could before he popped it and hoisted it up. With a practiced hand he lifted the rod and secured it into place, keeping the hood up while he checked it out.
Further away, Rafael had continued to look around. It took a few passes before he found a small puddle of blood, then another. Rafael stood up and followed the drops to the edge of the road before he stepped off, moving a few steps before he froze. Pressed into the cold dirt was a print, the print of a wolf paw. It was bigger than anything Rafael had ever seen. Despite his better judgment, despite knowing that a wounded animal was its most dangerous, he moved off the road.
The sounds of Andres working on the car got more and more muffled the further away he got until he heard nothing but the sound of the wind. His silver earrings glinted in the night, his hat sagged a bit off his head, revealing more of his hair. Rafael was worried... but if the wolf had truly gotten that far away, if he couldn't track it down, then maybe it was going to be alright. Maybe it was going to be fine, and he didn't have to let it get to his conscience.
Rafael turned to move back to the car but he froze in place, gasping again. Blocking his path was a massive dark gray, silver and white timber wolf. It had to be five feet tall from its paws to the tips of its ears, and it was even longer. The hips were wide, the tail was plush and the paws were bigger than dinner plates... but something didn't seem quite right. The shoulders and waist were rounded and bigger than they should have been. The legs also seemed far too muscled, almost as if they were designed to support the entire body weight rather than just a portion.
Rafael gave a nervous smile and slowly started to move to the left. The wolf mirrored him, sidling off to one side. Rafael stopped and moved the other way. The wolf mirrored him again, staying in front of him.
"Guys? A little help?" Rafael called out. There was no response. Rafael felt his heart racing. He had been a fool to get out of the car, to chase after it. Rafael panicked and then he broke into a sprint.
The fleeing latino had only made it a few yards before he heard the paws pounding behind him. He ran back toward the road, navigating between the trees, reaching his arms outward, but then everything went dark. He felt pain in his shoulders, a great weight upon him and then he hit the ground, rolling.
Rafael flipped over three times, then four, then five before he coughed out all his air, a heavy paw pinning his stomach. He felt almost like his ribs were collapsing. He whimpered and cried, especially as the wolf swiped him again. Rafael rolled over onto his stomach.
For a moment he remained there, trying to get up before he screamed out in pain. Sharp claws cut through his pants and into the flesh of his ass, leaving small welted lines behind. He shuddered but tried to get onto his hands and knees, doing anything he could to escape. As he got up, the wolf moved up over him, his body draped over the man's back like a fur blanket.
"Please, please don't eat me... Please... I didn't mean to hit you, I came to see if you were alright, please..." Rafael begged, his eyes shrunk shut.
What he felt next was the most shocking moment of his life. It was not the razor sharp sting of claws, the hot gooey slick of saliva, nor the sharp piercing pain of fangs - it was the hot, slick wolf shaft sliding against his exposed, round ass. The feeling of it was unmistakable. The hot, wet, slimy length against his ass... It had to be over a foot long, slick and veined. Rafael had no doubt that the wolf was big enough to impale him, maybe even kill him with that thing. He had to get away. He took his front arms and moved them before trying to extract his lower half.
The wolf stepped forward, bringing its massive paws down to pin Rafael's. Rafael gasped at the pain and pressure of the wolf, but the wolf didn't let up. It brought its hind quarters in, sliding the wet shaft all over the sliced ass cheeks, smearing the precum over the wounds... and ever so slowly the pain began to fade. Raf thought it was shock at first, the shock of the wound, of the attack, of the crash. Everything about that night was shocking, but then it started to be something more... especially as he felt his anus starting to relax.
Nestled within the sliced cheeks, the ring of muscle began to contract and loosen, almost as if Raf had been paralyzed. He took a gasp and tried to get free again, but the wolf had too good of a hold. All he could do was thrash against the wolf's underside. He tried to get loose before he lifted his head.
"ANDRES!!!" He screamed. The wolf let out a deep, rumbling growl before he came down, sliding his fangs around Rafael's throat. Rafael froze in place, feeling the sharp teeth against his neck, the wolf's head big enough to pincer his entire head if he really tried.
Satisfied the human was going to remain quiet, the wolf went back about its business. It began sliding and smearing its cock against his ass before, at long last, it brought its hips back. The girth and strength of the cock lined up the tip and the wolf began pushing in. Rafael let out muffled grunts and groans. Even with his ass hole relaxing, it didn't feel big enough for the cock impaling him. His ass was stretching wider and wider as the cock wiggled in, coated in its own syrup of pre. Rafael's fingers dug into the dirt and he grunted softly, practically whimpering... and then it happened.
After resistance, after tightness, after pliability had kept his anus tight, the last of his defenses gave in. The wolf cock popped through and slid in without restraint. Rafael was nearly winded as it filled his intestines, a hot warmth spreading into him. His brain was saturated with a mix of pleasure and pain, his body trying to warn him it wasn't going to work, his brain trying to get more of the fun... but somewhere in that pain, masked by the pleasure, was something else. It felt like a tingling, a throbbing, like a fire building inside of him. It started at the tight pucker nestled between his ass cheeks.
The ring of muscle began to darken steadily, turning from pink to brown, then purple and finally black. The flesh grew stronger, reinforced around the rod that impaled him. Rafael was silent at that, but soft, dark hairs began sweeping over his ass cheeks, growing out thicker than before. The hair crept up his back and shoulders, then down his legs. They covered the front and the back, even started to sprout from his stomach and then chest.
Rafael was unaware of his hirsuteness at first, focused instead on how full his belly felt, and how full his ass was. It was in this self reflection that he felt his heart beat growing stronger, harder, faster. Each beat of his heart pumped the hot blood through his system, circulating it around... and bringing much of it to his cock. His pants were torn, sagging and uneven, but through the torn fabric it was easy to see his cock was growing heavier, plumping up, thickening and elongating. It hung down with the weight of gravity, swinging back and forth gently as it grew longer and longer, stretching to its fullest... and expanding still.
A dull glazed look began to sweep over Rafael's face as his cock pushed past all prior limits, swinging like a pendulum beneath him. Even his sack seemed to expand, making room for the balls to grow, and grow they did. Even his pubic hair began to thicken, spreading down across his balls, covering it in a thick layer of fur... but his balls weren't the only furry thing. The hair that covered Rafael's legs was thickening up, becoming so dense that the skin beneath was disappearing. The fur covered his legs, his ankles, even his feet. His toes began to ache and throb... and Rafael was starting to enjoy it.
A thick drop of drool leaked from his lips, then another, then a steady stream. The spit dangled in gooey strings down to the ground as Rafael panted. His brown eyes started to lighten to the color of honey, then turned yellow. His teeth started to sharpen and his olive tinted skin shifted as dark black hair pushed through the cheeks. In moments Rafael went from being clean shaven to having fuzzy sideburns and the starts to a mustache. His ears stretched out into points and his tongue grew longer, but it wasn't until his nose began to reshape and reform that he truly felt differently.
Pain had faded, blossoming into pleasure. Rafael felt the weight of the wolf above him, the hardness of the ground beneath him. He felt like an animal being bred, but more than that he could feel the animal inside him. His heart was beating like a hummingbird's, his temperature was spiking. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, his black hair getting wet in his saggy hat. His hands ached from being crushed beneath the wolf's, but more than that they ached from growing.
Rafael's fingers popped and snapped, pushing outward, expanding. His fingernails stretched out longer as well, honing into points. He knocked his head back, his forehead rubbing the wolf's underbelly as he grunted and groaned. His upturned nose darkened and moistened, taking on a more canine appearance before his jaw popped and stretched. His new fangs pushed apart from one another, making room for even newer fangs to come in. His pointed ears disappeared beneath his hair and his hat, growing larger, taking on fur before tow lumps formed at the top of his hat. His wolf ears were in place, and in perfect time as his mouth pushed forward, elongating his nose with it.
The black fur that covered Rafael's cheeks expanded, taking over his chin, his cheeks, his nose and even around his eyes. It grew out into fur until all the flesh disappeared from his face, obscured by the fur coat. His skull continued to reshape and shift, forming into the full muzzle. His hat continued sliding back before one wolf ear popped out, flattened and submissive.
The timber wolf drooled and panted in delight, fucking even harder. The body beneath him felt fragile at first, but with each passing moment it was becoming more durable. The timber wolf leaned down to lick and slurp at the black mane of fur on the wolf beneath him, though he paused, sniffing something. The timber wolf smelled something out of place, something unhealthy, something that shouldn't have been. Soon Rafael was sniffing the air, smelling it too - but when that sense of smell became a sense of touch, he wasn't prepared. An intense, stinging burn filled his ears. He whimpered and grunted, digging his new claws into the ground, thrashing. His ears felt like they were on fire, or worse, like they were being burned by acid. The flesh stung and throbbed before the silver earrings that were being held in place there began to shift and drop. The flesh rejected them, pushing them away through the ear lobe before they clattered to the ground.
Rafael nearly collapsed to the ground in relief, feeling the pain fade away as his wolf ears knitted back together, the flesh healing back up... but still his body continued to change. Chest hair became fur covering expanding muscles, new nipples forming down new eight pack abs. Rafael panted and grunted, feeling his torn jeans getting too tight. His hips rounded, his ass thickened, the cheeks pulled apart and his tailbone started to emerge. The flesh was stretched around the bone, wiggling even more as muscle filled in... but the white wiggling nub was nothing compared to the thick black fur that filled in over it, the tail expanding to half a foot, then a foot and half, then still larger.
Rafael was frozen in lust and love and surprise, hormones raging. His cock was aching as well, the weight of flinging it around causing it to swell even more. The mushroom shaped head was extended and stretched, honing to a point, the meaty flesh filling out all over. As the last of the fur closed over his spine and his wrists, his hands reshaping and fattening into paws, it was clear to Rafael that his life was never going to be the same. He watched the last of his humanity disappear, seeing his body reformed... It all clicked in together.
He was a werewolf, he was just like the beast that attacked him... and he was the beast the werewolf had made him into. His stomach was filled with huge werewolf cock, and it felt good. It felt more than good, it felt right. This beast was his master, his alpha. Nothing else mattered... Not family, not his past, not his car. Physical stimulation, being the wolf he had been made into, pleasing his master. That was his life now. Rafael tilted his head back and let out a deep howl as his cock spasmed and shuddered, releasing copious amounts of sperm. At first it was milky and white, but soon it thickened, yellowing and becoming stronger. It was the cum of a werewolf, a primal wolf during the full moon.
****
The long grass swayed as the sand colored wolf charged, though he came skidding to a stop as a large black wolf and a large brown wolf pounced down in front of it. The two snarled in unison, showing off their wickedly sharp teeth and their muscled jaws. The desert wolf spun around and yelped, running away frantically. It was the tenth such charge on Udo in the last hour. Each charge had been fended off by Marco and Artyom, but something wasn't right. Something was different. Marco turned and moved back toward the white wolf, moving to nuzzle against his neck. Udo pressed back into his alpha, letting out a soft sigh.
"What's... different?" Yom managed to utter, though a primal wolf's speech was barely distinguishable from growls. It was something that took all of Yom's concentration.
"It's like I'm the omega again... Like Jesse is gone..." Udo replied.
"Gone? Gone where?" Marco asked, looking around with growing worry. He knew that the barrier wasn't for the benefit of the wolves, it was for the benefit of the rest of the world. Keeping them in one place kept everyone safe, but if one of them had gotten out, the results would be disastrous.
****
Once more a howl emerged from the woods, echoing across the road. Andres stopped what he was doing, looking around with uncertainty. He'd barely graduated high school, there was no prospect of college in his future. He'd gone with his brother to forget his problems, to exist in the moment, but that moment had taken them to the middle of nowhere with a broken car and wild animals.
"Raf, this isn't funny man, you need to come back... Alright? Raf?" Andres called out. He swallowed a bit nervously and went back to work on the car, but again he gasped as the headlights started to flicker and then sputtered out. The engine shuddered and died, leaving the teen in silence and in darkness. Andres felt the cold sinking into his bones more, the fear overwhelming him. He had to remain calm, he had to fix things. He moved back toward the car, reopening the driver's seat.
"Caleb, it's going to be alright man, I promise." Andres said, sitting down in the driver's seat. He reached for the keys before he paused, turning slowly, "Caleb?" he asked. The interior of the car was dim with the full moon as their only light, but it was enough... enough to see that Caleb's skin was too pale, his eyes too milky... and to see the dark bloody gashes on his neck.
Andres cursed and fell out of the car onto the road before he sprung back up, back tracking away from the vehicle. It was only then that he realized that Caleb's door had been opened so hard it had nearly been ripped off. He tried to figure out when it had happened, how he had missed it, he didn't even dare consider what had caused it. He looked at the car, the broken car, the place his friend had died, knowing that his brother had disappeared in the woods as well. He had tried to run away from the problems of his life, but it seemed that he'd just run into the problems that would end it.
Once more, Andres froze as he saw something he didn't expect... Two gleaming eyes across the road, reflecting the moonlight. Andres didn't move, hoping that if he didn't move, the thing wouldn't attack him. He stared at the wolf across the road, focusing entirely on every movement of its whiskers, its claws, its tail. He was so focused, he didn't see the other wolf coming. Andres was knocked down to the ground, skidding on his back. Before he could get up, he got a face full of furry ball sack.
The timber wolf was grinding against Andres face, knocking the boy's hat off before he pulled back. Andres coughed and sputtered as the wet, slimy cock was dragged across his face, but as his lips tried to expel the trail of precum, the cock came back forward, wedging into his mouth. Andres gagged as it passed his teeth, slid over his tongue and rammed the back of his throat, his esophagus forced open, his jaw feeling as if it was being pried apart. The timber wolf growled in delight, pulling back before slamming in again. Andres' head was tilted upright, aligning his mouth and throat before it slid in even deeper.
Andres' brain wasn't fast enough to realize what had happened. His entire mouth and throat had been invaded, turned into a fuck toy by the silver and white timber wolf... but it was already too late for him. The gash on his tongue from biting himself in the accident had already come into contact with the sperm. The tongue began to swell, the gash healing, but the blood carrying the virus on throughout his body. His jaw ached and burned, throbbing. The bones popped, his jaw widening. His lower jaw bean creeping forward, stretching around the cock that filled it. Soon his upper lip and nose did the same.
Andres' human face expanded, stretching outward. Bones changed, muscles adjusted and his teeth began to sharpen. The humanity was drained out of Andres as his face extended into a muzzle around the cock, and slowly he began to suck. Each suck brought forth more flavor, drawing in the potent werewolf seed. Black fuzz began growing out across his cheeks, then his nose, then his chin. The fur covered his face in moments, then his growing ears. The ears migrated up his head, rendering him deaf until they settled again. His hood, partially dislodged, was tented upward by the new wolf ears... but the hoodie wasn't long lived.
A soft tearing sound came as Andres's shoulders widened, his chest expanding. The fabric began splitting out around his arms as furry, muscled biceps expanded into view. The change was difficult, painfully fast. He was going from weak human to primal wolf beneath the full moon in moments, but it seemed he couldn't care less. He suckled from the timber wolf as if his life depended on it.
More popping came as Andres' hips and legs reshaped, taking on the necessary muscles to walk upright or move on all fours. His jeans sagged down as a bushy tail emerged, but unlike his brother it wasn't black. The tip was fading, turning grey before it bleached out to all white. More portions of his fur were doing the same, and the fur speckled across his chest turned all white. As Andres' body disappeared beneath the mask of fur, it was clear he was taking on a new breed.
A hot, wet spot began forming in Andres' jeans. Sensing the heat, the timber wolf slashed down, cutting through the fabric. A floppy, white sheath landed against Andres' stomach, the flesh wriggling before a thick, hot pink cock head began sliding out, leaking clear fluid all over his new fur. Andres writhed and shifted, a paw reaching up to graze the timber wolf's stomach. The timber wolf tilted his head back and howled out loudly, the sound filling the ears of both brothers.
Andres felt his stress fade away. He forgot his dead friend in the car, he forgot his troubles. He knew he had found his true spot, he had found what he was meant to do, and his realization was rewarded with a hot torrent of cum down his throat. Andres gulped it down as fast as he could, letting his belly fill with it before finally the timber wolf pulled out of Andres mouth and wandered forward.
Andres rolled over, a little unsteady on his big animal paws, but soon enough he rose to his own. Wandering after the timber wolf, he heard the paw steps of another and glanced over, spotting his brother. While Rafael was a darker wolf, nearly pitch black, there was a salt and pepper grey across his tail and parts of his ears, markings of a distinguished wolf. Andres felt as if nothing had changed... He was with his brother and a friend, his alpha. They were hip and cool and sexy and not to be messed with.
The three wolves disappeared into the fog, the road falling silent again. The dark car sat off to the side of he road, the one remaining occupant left in his seat, his body having rejected the bite.
****
Fletcher slowly brought up the sizzling, creamy smore, looking at it with an expression bordering on love. From everything from the graham cracker to the marshmallow to the drippy, gooey melting chocolate, it was the perfect creation. He brought it forward to his plump lips, slipped it in and then started to bite down. His teeth crushed down through the layers and it all slipped into his mouth in a crunchy, chewy, gooey mass. Fletcher let out a long, lingering moan before he flopped back, landing in the grass just beyond the log. Ethan chuckled a bit at that and reached to stir the can of beans, though he stopped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
"I'll take over." Thackary offered, reaching over to start stirring the beans. Ethan drew out his phone, seeing Mattias' picture on it with his puffy hair and piercings. Ethan looked up across the box canyon to the peak. It couldn't have been good news. Ethan opened the phone and put it on speaker phone.
"What is it?" Ethan asked.
"There has been howling outside of the canyon, off to the North." Mattias replied.
"Did we miss anyone?" Ethan asked.
"The whole list got checked off when we got here..." Thackary supplied.
"Well... the barrier isn't instantaneous." Fletcher said, thinking about Marco tossing him the moon stone, "What if someone walked out before it closed?"
"They know that's forbidden, that it's too dangerous." Ethan replied.
"What, you've never had a rebel wolf before?" Fletcher asked. Thackary looked over at Ethan.
"You'll have to get their help." Thackary said.
"Whose help? Help with what?" Fletch asked. Ethan looked concerned.
"An alpha can get a rebel wolf back in line, put them in their place. Once the wolf is behaving again, then we can fix whatever damage they've done." Ethan replied.
"So we are letting Marco out?" Fletcher asked.
"Not just Marco... We need the wolf's alpha to track him down." Thackary said. Fletcher's eyes widened at that.
****
The pearlescent barrier rippled intensely as the hole was opened up in it, widening more and more. Two massive black wolves stood on the other side, the larger of the two eyeing down the smaller with suppressed rage.
"I don't need you here. You should be guarding your own pack." Seamus growled, his words nearly indecipherable to the Keepers.
"My pack would be fine if one of yours hadn't run away.." Marco snarled.
"Don't fight, we need this to work." Fletcher shouted at them. Ethan and Thackary both looked at him.
"Fletcher, can you understand what they're saying?" Ethan asked.
"Of course I can, they're being a bunch of competitive babies." Fletcher crossed his arms.
"There's a werewolf loose, you need to find him and stop him from doing anything more crazy, understood?" Fletcher asked. Seamus' golden eyes narrowed as he looked at Fletcher, the mere human, at his insolence. A werewolf would know how to treat an alpha. Seamus started moving toward Fletcher but he was bumped into by Marco. The huge black wolf turned his head, meeting another pair of yellow eyes looking back at him. Seamus slowly relaxed, closing his lips. He gave faint nod and then lowered his head to the ground, starting to trot off. Marco followed after Seamus, sniffing as well. He thought back to what Udo had said about Jesse being missing. He thought to what the punk had smelled like outside of the gym when he was beating up Udo. The scent of desperation, of hope, of fear, the smell of musk after shave.
With Marco and Seamus outside, Ethan focused back on the barrier, relaxing. The rippling barrier touched back down and went invisible again, sealing the remaining wolves inside. Ethan thought about Udo, but he knew he still had Artyom to protect him. He prayed that things would work out alright.
"They're picking up the scent." Thackary commented from where he was standing. Seamus had found a spot where the smell came through, a spot with limited visibility. A large shrub blocked the view between Keepers. It had been the perfect exit point. Seamus' tail swung back and forth before he lifted his head. With one last glance to Marco, he took off. Marco growled a bit before chasing after him. Fletcher watched the two disappear into the darkness, feeling his heart sink a bit.
"Good luck." Fletcher whispered.
****
Even with so much at stake, the fate of unknown innocents on the line, Marco had to admit that running as a wolf was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced. During the last full moon he'd run a bit, but having so much open territory was amazing. He lunged through the trees, leaping over the low branches and lunging under the tall. He smelled deer and rabbit, raccoon and squirrel. Marco looked over at the huge black wolf. If he was still human, he wondered if he'd be able to ride Seamus as big as he was. It was a shame that they had been at such odds, but Marco couldn't forgive the way the campus pack was run. The blatant danger to one's own well being, the gluttony of the alpha. It seemed like a problem waiting to happen.
"How did Jesse get so out of hand?" Marco asked, breaking the silence, at least on his end. Seamus was quiet for a lot longer.
"He was torn in two... He loved the new life, but he got the worst of it. It's a problem with omegas. They have to climb their way up or they get crushed into accepting their roll." Seamus replied. Only in the back of Marco's mind did he process how little more than grunts and growls had left Seamus' lips.
"It isn't that way with Udo. He's an equal, a partner." Marco replied. Seamus snorted.
"You only think that? He's following you, they all are... From your moral compass, your way of living, they're taking it all from you." Seamus replied, "Haven't you seen how Yom is different?"
"Than when I met him? You mean not dying? Not high?" Marco asked.
"He and Jesse used to get along. Artyom looked out for him, they spent time together." Seamus said, "You didn't just take away the omega he made, you took away his beta too." Seamus said. Marco slowed down a bit at that I shock, realizing the ripple effect he'd had. He took a few more steps before his paw pads felt something unexpected; cement. Marco looked around, realizing they had stumbled across the old logging road. It was in fairly good condition despite being seldom traveled.
The road was undisturbed for the most part, blanketed with a covering of fallen leaves that had browned over the winter. Marco lowered his head and followed along, the musk of Jesse disappearing beneath the smell of metal and oil and plastic. Marco lifted his head, seeing an old corvette with the door ripped off. Marco sped up toward it, lunging so his front paws landed on the seat. He peeked around, seeing the thrashed marks in the back of the chair before he paused.
Marco had never been face to face with a dead person before. He'd been to a funeral or two, but it always had the sedate atmosphere of a place where death was accepted. This teenage kid with his red shirt and hat, his stud earrings, his thin mustache. He was just a kid... But every sense Marco had told him that the kid was dead. He was cold, clammy, stiffening up. Marco finally saw first hand what he was protecting Fletcher from... the reaction, the rejection. It meant death.
"They were over here..." Seamus said from across the road, "Two others..."
"He bit them all, didn't he? Despite the risk?" Marco asked, pulling back out of the car, moving around, "Even if it meant they were going to die?"
"If I could live, so be it..." Came a new growling sound. Marco and Seamus spun around, seeing the silver and white timber wolf, standing in front of two black and gray wolves behind him. The new werewolves looked wild and feral with thick dripping drool and raging hard cocks.
"You fool... Risking all of our lives, our very existence..." Seamus snarled.
"Did you ask them? Was this their choice, or did you force it on them?" Marco asked. Jesse scraped his claws against the ground.
"Their lives are mine now, and I'm not going to be the pack bitch any more." Jesse replied. Seamus lowered his head, his lips pulling back into a deep snarl before he lunged.
"No!" Marco called out, but it was too late. The wolves clashed head to head, claws ripping at each other. Their thick fur coats helped for a while, but soon the flesh was scarred and drops of blood came raining down. Marco circled the fighting pair, trying to figure out how to help. Every moment that he thought he had an idea, the two flipped each other around, expressing their dominance.
Jaws snapped, ears flattened, claws swiped. It was a bloody brawl, dangerous and vibrant. Marco tried to move in again, but every time he readied his strike he had to pull back. The new wolves watched with wonder as their alpha battled the much larger wolf, the two scrapping at it. Marco knew he needed a better option. He started to move forward to try and break it up, but the brother wolves began growling in unison, lowering their heads into a threatening stance. Marco paused where he was, trying to rethink plans.
The fight between Seamus and Jesse was vicious. Blood was starting to drip everywhere, but the injuries only seemed to spurn them on harder. Seamus didn't even yelp as his eye got slashed. He merely moved forward. The sheer weight of the alpha sent Jesse toppling, rolling end over end before he hit the trunk of a tree. Seamus jumped and landed right before him. In that moment Jesse had the choice to fight or flee. On a snap judgment he tried to jump out of the way, but that left him exposed.
Seamus' powerful jaws came down around Jesse's neck. Marco's ears went flat against his head as he watched in shock, seeing Jesse go limp... but Marco hadn't heard any bone break. Hesitantly, Marco moved forward slowly. As he got closer, it became clear to see that while Seamus had pierced the flesh with his fangs, Jesse was otherwise unharmed. He was still breathing, his tail between his legs, limp in supplication to his alpha. It was like a kitten being carried around by the nape of the neck by his parent.
Marco turned, looking at the newly created wolves. It seemed that their loyalty to their creator remained, but their enthusiasm had drained away. They laid down on the ground, their tails flat to the ground, soon resting their chins on the dirt. Seamus stared them down for a long moment before he dropped Jesse to the ground. It seemed that they had all been put in their place... all of them except Marco.
Ever so slowly Seamus turned to face the rogue wolf, the wolf that had never fallen into line. A deep, resounding growl began to emerge. Seamus' fur stood on end as he bushed up, rearing his head before he charged. Marco bolted toward the car, bounding up the hood and onto the roof. Seamus scrambled to follow after him but the hood dented down under the weight. In that moment of uncertainty, Marco jumped back over Seamus. Seamus let out a howl of frustration before chasing after Marco.
Marco's nostrils flared as he took in the late night air, feeling the wind whip through his fur and against his hot skin. His paws pounded the ground in perfect precision. The slightest of movements took him whatever direction he wanted to go... but Seamus was catching up. Despite all his extra weight, he had a longer gait and more muscle as well. Seamus started catching up before he slammed into Marco's back hips. Marco's feet were knocked out from beneath him and he went rolling, skidding to a stop.
The ground tremmored as Seamus moved to catch his prey. Marco knew how Jesse had responded to the threat. He couldn't run. Marco turned, bringing his head up, his jaws wide as Seamus came down. Their mouths caught each other, fangs scraping noses. Seamus went for Marco's neck, but Marco did the same. Seamus froze as he felt the fangs cutting through his fur and into his neck. Marco winced as he felt the same... and the two stopped.
Silence reigned supreme, the two wolves standing in the woods, panting around the necks they had crammed their mouths around. The slightest tightening by one induced the same by the other until they were both stopped. Moments ticked by, then a half an hour. Eventually Jesse and the two new wolves crawled up, keeping their heads low, watching. They had been put in their place by Seamus, but if he was in fact a Beta they owed their loyalty to another.
Seamus couldn't believe the turn of events. His mind was reeling. It was an alpha's duty to accept all challenges from his pack, but it was his obligation to maintain order, to put them in their place. He knew Marco disapproved of how he ran the pack, this was his chance... but it was a loss, a stalemate. Neither of them could best each other. Seamus also knew he couldn't give up, he couldn't relent. There was only one choice... and he knew that Marco knew it as well.
The two wolves waited. More minutes trickled by, then an hour. The two postured and shifted, but neither released. Jesse watched on in disbelief, wondering whose will would last longer. Would Marco wait until Seamus was distracted and bite down enough to kill him, or would they just wait until one gave up. He whimpered gently, knowing his own fate hung in the balance. While Jesse focused on that, though, Raf lifted his head, looking down the road, meeting eyes with a human that stood there. He slowly rose to his feet and started to growl. The look Ethan shot back silenced him and Raf laid back down again, his ears going flat against his head. Ethan moved forward with Fletcher and Thackary behind him. Fletcher gasped softly, seeing the two wolves locked in place. He started to take a stride toward them but Ethan caught his arm.
"What are you doing? I can't leave them like that..." Fletcher hissed.
"That's exactly what you have to do... Just for a little longer." Ethan replied. Fletcher turned to look at Ethan in shock, but Ethan's face was hard to see in all the light... the light of a new dawn. The blades of sunlight were narrow and thin, pale, but they were far stronger than the setting moon. They crept through the trees, casting long shadows. The sunlight started to creep over the three waiting wolves, triggering their return.
Jesse shuddered the most as his muscles began to contract. He fell forward onto his arms, feeling his skin emerging into the cold air. His tail retracted, his claws pulled back in and his fingers extended ot the right length. Bones began to pop and snap, revealing a more and more human face. Even his nose reset itself as the fur disappeared from his forehead and nose, remaining thicker along his cheeks. The hair he had shaved that morning retracted from his fur coat, but not all the way. It was several inches long.
Next to Jesse, Raf and Andres started to return as well, but the change had been more brutal on them. Raf's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he collapsed, Andres falling into a heap next to him. Their fur pulled back into their flesh, leaving tanned bodies behind. Ethan watched the sunlight advance, crossing the road before reaching the two embroiled alphas.
Marco winced, feeling his teeth pulling back in, his jaw narrowing. Soon the width he held it open too felt too tight, too wide. His mouth pulled back from the furry neck, his nose pushing up and away from his shrinking muzzle. At the same time, Marco felt Seamus' mouth shrinking away from his neck. The hot trickle of blood leaked down both of their necks, dribbling to the ground. They had bitten each other, but neither had won, neither had bested the other. It had been the only way to win an unwinnable challenge.
Seamus let out a deep grown as his furry mane returned to being just a beard. He dropped down onto the ground and rolled onto his back, gazing up at the fading stars. Marco lowered his head to the ground, resting it there, his hot breaths glowing bits of bark and leaves around on the road. Fletcher finally broke free of Ethan's grip and ran over, draping himself over Marco, hugging him tightly.
"I'm so glad you're safe..." Fletcher whispered. Ethan moved over toward the car, pausing as he approached. The early morning light had started to leak into the car as well, revealing the last remaining occupant. Ethan's face went gaunt and his gaze fell to the ground. He slowly felt the strength leave him before he fell forward onto his knees, his back slumping. He'd failed again as a Keeper. Someone had died because he wasn't good enough. Thackary moved over, resting his hand on Ethan's shoulder. He knew there was nothing he could do to make Ethan feel better, but he could still take care of things.
****
Marco wined and groaned as he laid back into bed, feeling a great sense of relief not having to hold his head up any longer. His cuts and scratches had started to close up, but they were far from healed. He needed time, time to regenerate, time to rest. Still, he looked over with his hazel eyes, looking to Udo.
"Did they hurt you?" Marco asked. Udo smiled softly and shook his head.
"Yom was the perfect protector." Udo said, crawling up into bed with his alpha, moving to lay at his side. Marco nodded at that, looking to Yom next.
"Thank you... for taking care of him." Marco said. Yom smiled.
"Not a problem." He said simply. Marco didn't look away.
"Seamus said that you and Jesse... Used to be closer?" Marco asked. Yom blushed faintly behind his beard, reaching to rub his arm a bit nervously.
"Well, yeah... I mean I felt sorry for the kid, we were both in a bit of a darker place... Did things that I regret... Like the wolfsbane." Yom said.
"So you both put your lives on the line to feel good?" Marco asked. Yom was a bit ashamed but nodded.
"I felt incomplete, like I didn't belong anywhere. It helped me forget those feelings for a while. For him, I think it made him forget what he had to put up with." Yom replied.
"But now you have a place, you have people to be with. That why you cleaned up your act?" Fletcher asked. Artyom nodded gently.
"I think so... I kept trying to force things to work, but in the end I had to just let them happen." Yom said.
"I think that's what happened with Seamus and me." Marco said, closing his eyes, "We were trying to force things to work, but in the end we had to let the best scenario win out." Marco said. Artyom crawled up into bed, kicked his shoes off and laid down on Marco's other side. Fletcher turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, untying his shoes.
"I don't know if the best bet worked out for those kids." Fletcher said softly.
"The ones he turned... Their lives are never going to be the same." Udo agreed.
"I wonder what's going to happen to them." Yom said softly.
****
The coffee shop was quiet, everything set up for the opening of business. Coffee was bubbling away, cookies were baking and everything had been set up. Rafael and Andres sat in the corner of the shop in silence, sipping the hot cocoa they had been given. Sitting across the table was Mattias. He looked quite weary and tired, but his hair and brightly colored clothes made him look like he was always ready for more.
"You do understand that, right? Your lives have been fundamentally changed." Mattias said.
"I don't care... I want to be with him, I want to be with my master." Rafael whispered.
"Please, let us be with him, we'll do anything." Andres said. Mattias sighed, leaning back.
"Does none of it phase you? What about the death of your friend Caleb?" Mattias asked.
"That was another life... We live for Jesse now." Rafael shot back. Mattias said nothing, his eyes narrowing.
"There's only one answer then, isn't there?" Thackary asked, coming out from behind the counter with more cocoa. Mattias looked apprehensive.
"Thackary, we don't..." Mattias murmured.
"They'll have to go to college. I'm sure the financial aid department can find something for them. There has to be some grant out there." Thackary said. Mattias looked surprised at that but nodded.
"Yes, it... It's a place where wolves can continue to exist." Mattias said.
"And there you can be with Jesse, you can be united, but only if you stay in line. You'd have to get the grades, behave like humans around humans." Thackary explained.
"We'll do anything, just let us be with him, please!" Andres begged. Mattias sank lower in his chair, feeling rather defeated about it all. Thackary poured them all some more cocoa, intent on making sure that things got squared away.
****
Jesse groaned softly as he felt his awareness returning to him. Normally he felt invigorated after a full moon, as if he had slept the entire time he had been a wolf, but this was different. All of his strength had been sapped from him. He was exhausted, worn out, drained. His eyes fluttered a bit before sliding open, looking onto two identical faces. For a brief moment he thought he was seeing double before he realized he was looking at the twins. In that moment, it all came flooding back; his escape from the canyon, biting the young men, the duel with the alpha, seeing Marco face Seamus off.
"Who won?" Jesse whispered. Kieran smirked at that.
"Certainly not you, you're lucky to be alive." Kieran replied. Jesse blinked a few more times, looking around, realizing he was in the basement den room... but there were no other wolves present.
"What's going to happen to me?" Jesse asked.
"Well first, we have to see if you become a direwolf... And if that happens, well, you know what the outcome will be." Liam replied.
"But I have a sneaking suspicion that isn't going to happen." Kieran replied.
"Why?" Jesse asked, looking at the twins. Kieran crossed his arms.
"Because you're selfish, because you thought it was necessary. You didn't see it as killing a human in cold blood, you were trying to help him, or doing what you needed to survive, or however you justify it. I think you're going to have an easier time living with it than you should." Kieran said.
"And if I do live... as me?" Jesse asked.
"Probation." Liam answered, "You are the first wolf to kill in Echo Creek in almost thirty years. You tore apart lives. You made it easier for hunters to come find us, to end our way of life. If you step out of line again, if you breach our secrecy, you'll be banished to the wild lands."
"B... Banished?" Jesse asked in surprise.
"Trust me, it's a fate worse than being killed... But it's one you can avoid. All you have to do is think back to that purple haired teen that showed up here two years ago, to that wide eyed innocent... Try to be him again." Liam said.
"But I'm a wolf now, I'm... I'm a beta." Jesse said.
"You may have created two followers, but you did it during a full moon. They're messed up, it's going to take a while to straighten them out. You have to decide if you're part of this pack, or if you're a lone wolf. You already lost the duel with our alpha." Kieran said.
"Can I see them?" Jesse asked, sitting up.
"Not yet. You don't get to leave this room until we're sure about you." Liam replied. Jesse looked at them both.
"And how... will you be sure?" he asked.
"I guess we just have to bring out the wolf in you, see what shape he's in." Kieran said, flexing his hand as his claws emerged. Jesse swallowed a bit in growing nervousness.