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November 1992

Tommy and the others didn't have much time to react to the phone call that they had received, much less a chance to prepare. The decision was finally made to have Benny and Ryan stay behind while Linus took Ryan back home. Even though Benny wanted to be there to help protect Tommy from whatever the Alpha had planned, the fact that Ryan was still going through one of his first changes meant that someone needed to be around and keep an eye on him.

Before they left, though, Dr. Colton disappeared into his bedroom once more, and emerged with what looked to be a small and simple revolver. It that chilled Tommy to the core, and when the Paladin strapped the holster around his waist, the young werewolf could only envision something similar being used on his birth parents more than a decade ago.

"They issue these to every Paladin as well," Linus explained, "even the ones who aren't in the field. I've never had to use mine, but I guess it's a good thing I kept it." He pulled the classically-styled revolver out of the holster and opened the chamber, sliding a single shell inside.

"Just one?" Tommy asked, curiously. "What if you miss?"

"If I miss..." Linus sighed, "I probably won't have time for a second shot."

After receiving wishes of good luck from the two wolves that were still in the house, Tommy and Linus stepped outside, into the rainy darkness that separated them from the house just across the street.

When they arrived at Tommy's front door, both of them took a deep breath to alleviate their nerves. "Whatever happens, Thomas..." Linus instructed, "trust your instincts."

Tommy nodded silently, and the two of them quietly opened the door.

All the lights were off. This didn't affect Tommy much, who enjoyed the benefits of improved night vision in his transformed state, but it was obvious that the lack of light was intended to keep humans from seeing what was going on.

"Grissom??" Linus shouted into the darkness. "Where are you?"

"In the living room," a gravely voice replied. "I can tell you brought the boy."

Tommy and Linus quietly exchanged looks.

"No need to say anything," the Alpha wolf continued. "I can see his aura from all the way over there. Just bring him here and you can go back home."

"No chance," Linus retorted. "I need to see Denise first."

"She's here, don't worry. Her and the boy's mother."

"Mom??" Tommy asked reflexively. The response could only be interpreted as a muffled moan.

"Your mother is a little occupied at the moment, Thomas," Anthony said sternly. "Just walk over here and there won't be any trouble."

Linus and Tommy stepped further down the hallway. It was all shades of grey, but once he had a full view of the living room, he could clearly see two armchairs conspicuously staged in the center of the room, with both his mother and Mrs. Colton tied up in each one. Besides them, an adaptable car seat where Ryan's baby sister was peacefully sleeping.

"There you are," Anthony said confidently, now that the young werewolf was within his line of sight. Tommy jumped momentarily in shock, then he turned to look at the imposing Alpha wolf that stood behind both of the captives. "Nice to see you're finally taking directions from your Alpha."

"Let them go," Linus commanded. "They're humans, Anthony. They don't pose a threat."

Anthony replied with a chuckle. "Come on now, Colton. We all know they're not the ones I'm after, just the boy. The fact that you're helping the boy out confirms everything I knew about you - that you're a disgrace to the insignia." Tommy watched as the Alpha shook his head in disappointment. "This is how you repay the generosity my family gave you? First of your family to go to college, and medical school to boot. You couldn't afford the tuition, so we stepped in to help out. And now, look at you. Playing bodyguard for a 12-year-old werewolf who could tear you to shreds at any moment if he wanted to - DON'T TOUCH THAT LIGHT SWITCH!!"

That last command was bellowed out to Linus, who had slowly begun to feel up the wall of the entry way for some form of illumination. The yell woke the baby up, who now began to cry loudly.

Anthony tutted at the sound of the baby's wails. "No, Linus. You don't get to see what's going on here. It's your fault for putting yourself at such a disadvantage in combat. Not that I'd expect someone who hid out in the infirmary his entire Paladin career to know how to fight. Hell, I gave you 80 fish in a barrel in this town, and you never had the guts to do anything about them."

"And you do," Linus replied snidely.

"I am doing what God put me on this Earth to do," Anthony proclaimed. "To rid us of the scourge of lycanthropy. To root out the carnality and wickedness that these beasts embody, and to finally provide humanity with a world free of impurities. I've been to their gatherings, Linus. Even I was unprepared for the filthy activities that I witnessed firsthand there. Gluttony and lust, playing out in a constant cycle, being excused - no, encouraged - by this wide array of heresy they call lore. They twist and contort every social taboo known to man so as to justify their own existence."

"You're one of them!!" Linus barked back.

Anthony chuckled again. "I guess so. Well, I know who I can thank for that. Right, Thomas?"

The young werewolf only stood and glared at the Alpha.

"Maybe I should've known better than to pick a fight with someone as scrappy as Pete Wagner," Anthony confessed. "I suppose I was a little too eager, a little overconfident. Maybe I shouldn't have shot Emily first, but hey - she was the cleaner shot to begin with. The sad thing is, he barely got me. Probably your most accomplished fighter, and he still only managed a single claw scratch on me. But that's all it took for the werewolf curse to take hold. I knew I wouldn't have much time before I started changing into the same monsters I was hunting, so I made use of it. Now that I had the aura, I didn't need to wait for a full moon anymore to hunt - I just hung around a populated area until I sensed another wolf, followed them home, and put a bullet in them before they had a chance to defend themselves. Best part was, I knew how important it was for them to keep their existence a secret from the world, so I knew they would never call the police - and even if they did, they'd classify it as something other than murder to keep the prying eyes away. It was almost too easy."

"That doesn't explain your wife and son," Linus rebutted.

"What do you think happened when I changed for the first time, Colton? I raged. I struggled so hard not to become the thing I hated the most that it caused me to lash out. Dorothy didn't stand a chance, and Justin was torn up pretty bad before I finally came to my senses."

"So in addition to killing seventeen werewolves..." Linus concluded, "you killed your own wife. I think harming an innocent human is grounds for disciplinary action from the Paladins, isn't it?"

"It wasn't my fault!!" Anthony shouted. "It was the wolf! You know I loved my wife, Linus. I loved her like I couldn't love anything else. I never would've laid a finger on her if it wasn't for the monster that I had become causing me to lose control. And it never would've happened if this boy's father never cursed me!"

"So that's what this is about?" Linus asked. "You're taking this all out on Thomas? When he was just a baby when it happened?"

"I didn't realize it until last month. I knew that Thomas was adopted, but it didn't click for me until his family skipped out on me the last full moon, and that's when Justin told me about his parents. I had actually integrated quite well into the pack before then. Hell, they made me their Alpha. After being so revolted by myself in the first few months of being cursed, and having passed it on to my son, I finally came to grips with being a werewolf. I knew I couldn't just show up out of nowhere after so many other wolves had been killed, so we waited until my son's second birthday to move into the area. It was amazing - maybe they suspected me of being the one behind all of the deaths, maybe they didn't, but they welcomed me with open arms. I knew enough about the lore as a Paladin to blend in, and suddenly I was part of their inner circle. I probably would've lived the rest of my life at peace with my lycanthropy, but then the boy had to show up."

Tommy growled in response.

"Oh good, you're still there. I was worried you might've fallen asleep or something."

"Shut up!!" Tommy snapped.

"Tommy's not going anywhere," Linus declared, "and I'm not going to let you lay a hand on him."

"Oh, you think I want to hurt him? Quite the opposite." Anthony shook his head, a sinister grin on his face as he did it. "No, I came to a realization over the past few weeks, while sitting there in the hospital room with two self-inflicted gunshot wounds. What better way to combat the werewolves of the world than to become werewolves ourselves? We can establish a deep cover, earn the trust of the pack, maybe even gain leadership positions like I did. And then, when we have control, we spring the trap. Wipe out the pack in one fell swoop. Any monsters that survive will become so suspicious that they'll eventually start targeting each other. It won't take very long to reach a point where the only werewolves left on the planet are the ones who came from Paladin lineage. It's ironic - we can take these embodiments of wickedness and savagery, and bestow them with the nobility and honor of the Paladin order. But I need a protegé. If Justin were still alive, I would've loved to pass on the Paladin lineage onto him... but Thomas will do in a pinch."

Tommy glared at the Alpha. The wolf inside him was furious. He desperately wished he could pounce at Anthony, tear him apart, pay him back for the murder of his parents, the murder of his friend, making him think that Ryan and his father were behind the killings when they were completely innocent. But for the first time, Tommy was able to contain his rage. Knowing fully well what would happen if he did try to strike out at Anthony, he stood perfectly still. The Alpha's knife pressed lightly against his mother's neck, making Mrs. Ainge grunt in panic. It was as if Anthony was trying to bait him into raging against him, but he held his ground.

"I'm giving you until the count of ten, Thomas," Anthony warned. "You walk over here, calmly, and join my ranks, I promise not to hurt anyone. If you don't, well... say goodbye to Mom." He chuckled once again. "One."

Tommy stood there, staring bullets at the Alpha but unable to do anything. Linus couldn't get a good shot on Anthony on account of the room being so dark. He could hear the strangled cries of his mother through the gag in her mouth, no doubt feeling the blade of the knife on her skin. There looked like no way out.

"Two. Three. Four. Five."

Tears began to form in Tommy's eyes.

"Six. Seven. Eight."

With no other option available, the young werewolf made a slow, deliberate step in Mr. Grey's direction. The Alpha smiled.

"No, Tommy!" Linus shouted. "Don't do it!"

But Tommy didn't listen. He took another step towards the Alpha.

"You're making the right choice, Tommy," Anthony said warmly. "I know you didn't ask to be a werewolf, but at least you can help me keep your kind in ch-... wait a minute."

Tommy knew exactly what made Anthony flinch. He felt it too.

"Such an amateur mistake..." Anthony sighed. "Did you honestly expect me to not notice someone else in the house? Even if I wasn't expecting someone to follow you here, I was going to sense it."

"Follow you?" Linus repeated. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Colton!" Anthony bellowed. "You can't hide anything from me! There's another werewolf in the house!" He turned the knife now against Mrs. Colton's throat, causing her to whimper through the rag in her mouth.

Tommy could tell that the Alpha was telling the truth - he felt another aura emerge from the side of the house.

"Who is it, Colton?" Mr. Grey asked angrily. "Who did you tell to join you? Tell me or your wife dies!"

"I didn't tell anyone, Anthony. I swear. Just put the knife down, all right? Let's talk about this."

"NO!!" The Alpha barked. "You're lying! You're on their side now! Fucking traitor!"

Tommy watched in horror as the blade of the knife pressed against Mrs. Colton's skin. The only reason her throat wasn't sliced open was because she managed to pull her neck back just in time.

He couldn't stand by anymore. Anthony was getting too reckless with his captives. With a snarl, Tommy jumped at the Alpha, baring his fangs for a split-second before clamping them into the Alpha's right thigh. Unprepared for such an attack, Anthony fell backward, losing his grip on the knife in the process, allowing it to drop harmlessly to the floor. This in turn gave Linus the opportunity he needed to find the light switch on the wall and turn the lights on in the living room. But in doing so, both Tommy and Anthony were momentarily blinded by the sudden rush of illumination hitting their dilated pupils, stunning both wolves. Anthony managed to recover first, and responded by grabbing Tommy by the arm and throwing him back, where he crashed against the wall behind him, shattering the framed portrait of a younger Ainge family in the process.

But before Anthony could do anything about the young werewolf, he was assaulted again. The third werewolf, the one who'd entered the house just moments ago, had now tackled Anthony to the ground. Dazed and out of breath, Tommy watched helplessly as this mysterious wolf and Anthony were locked in combat. Anthony was easily more skilled as a fighter, but the other wolf seemed able to overpower him, if for no other reason than rage. As Tommy watched the two wolves fighting for dominance, Linus took the opportunity to use the very same knife that Anthony had been wielding to cut the ropes binding Mrs. Ainge and Mrs. Colton to their chairs, and once they were freed the two women scurried to safety in the hallway, grabbing the baby as they went.

Tommy was entranced by the fight. Not only was the ferocity of these wolves, biting and clawing each other at every opportunity, far beyond anything he ever expected to witness, but he couldn't figure out who the other wolf was. The black and brown fur covering the wolf's body didn't match Benny's coloration, and no other adult wolves could have known what was going on. Scraps of clothing hung off the strange werewolf's body, as if the change had taken him by surprise and he didn't have time to remove them. As his vision got less blurry, he recognized the shredded polo shirt and khaki slacks that sat loosely atop the werewolf.

They were the same clothes his father had worn that night.

As if by reflex, Tommy called out frantically. "Dad??"

Sure enough, the strange wolf turned his head in the direction of the call. When he and Tommy locked eyes, the boy could see that this was indeed his adopted father, having contracted the curse and somehow falling under its influence in the same night. Tommy's dad gave his son a plaintive whine, a tacit apology for what had happened to him.

Unfortunately, the distraction proved useful for Anthony. The Alpha wolf bit Mr. Ainge squarely in his right arm, making the new werewolf yowl out in pain. With Anthony now clearly having the upper hand and Mr. Ainge's injuries mounting, the fight became a lot more one-sided as Anthony slashed and chewed Tommy's father up. Blood had started to seep out from the wounds, staining the carpet, the walls, and the furniture. When Mr. Grey decided he'd had enough fun, he shoved Mr. Ainge into the same wall where Tommy lay, and he slumped on top of the boy.

"DAD!!" Tommy cried. "Dad, are you all right??"

The new werewolf barely had the strength to look his son in the eye and moan.

"Dad, please, stay awake!! Please!!" Tears again started to form in Tommy's eyes. "Please, Dad!"

Anthony walked up to the two injured wolves, with the most nefarious smile plastered on his face. "You got a lot of nerve, Ainge..." he growled in a register so low it was practically demonic. "I told you it wouldn't end well if you challenged me."

"Get away from us!" Tommy screamed.

Anthony replied with a devilish laugh. "Waaay too late for that, Tommy. Guess I am going to have to kill you after all." He continued to walk up to the wolves until he was standing directly in front of them, laughing defiantly all the way. "I always worried that the Wagners were going to be my undoing. Even their kid almost got the best of me." Anthony looked Tommy straight in the eyes. "Well, I guess I dodged a bullet there."

Tears streamed down Tommy's furry face. He never signed up to be a werewolf. He never knew what had actually killed his parents. He never meant to drag his adopted family and the boy he loved into such a tangled mess. But now he could only watch as the man he thought he could trust as the mentor of his wolf side lorded over him. With one final chuckle, Anthony pulled his arm back, claws out, ready to end the life of the boy who represented everything he hated. The boy could only raise up his arms to shield the impending attack as the Alpha telegraphed his strike with a loud roar.

The attack was intercepted by a single gunshot.

After Tommy had regained his bearings enough to realize that he was still alive, he looked up at Anthony. Instead of the look of rage and wrath that had been there just seconds before, now the Alpha's expression was vacant. Shocked, even. Their gazes locked once more, for just a second, when Anthony's legs appeared to give out on him.

He twisted as he fell to his knees, crashing onto the floor, and his upper half bent back on itself as he collapsed completely on the ground. It was only then that Tommy was able to see across the room, and find Linus standing there, with his silver revolver still held out in front of him, a wisp of smoke raising up from the barrel.

The Paladin blinked once before speaking. "Dodge that."

Tommy's breathing began to regulate itself once again as Linus holstered his weapon once again. Mrs. Ainge and Mrs. Colton emerged from the hallway, sprinting towards their loved ones. Tommy's mother knelt in front of the werewolf that was once her husband, crying uncontrollably.

"Michael?!" She called out. "Michael, honey, can you hear me?"

Mr. Ainge weakly turned his head to look over at his wife, and groaned in exhaustion.

"He's hurt really bad," Tommy replied. "What do we do?"

"Stand back," Linus instructed, and the others complied. Taking care not to get any of the potentially infectious blood on him, the Paladin pressed two fingers against Mr. Ainge's throat. "He still has a pulse," he diagnosed. "It's weak, but it's still steady. We need to get him back to our house so I can bandage him up. If he survives the night, I think the process of reverting into human form should likely heal the wounds he has."

A few seconds later, Benny came barging in through the front door. "What happened?? I heard a gunshot."

"Anthony's dead," Linus replied. "And it looks like Michael was turned somehow." The Paladin looked at the new werewolf with disbelief. "He saved the boy's life. Anthony was ready to kill him, and he managed to come in and hold Anthony off long enough for me to get a clean shot on him. But... I don't understand. It should take at least a day for the curse to fully manifest. How did he change so soon after being attacked?"

For once, Tommy had an answer. "Maybe... maybe it's because he was a werewolf all along."

Linus furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about? Your father never changed until tonight."

"No, but he had the aura," Benny replied, following Tommy's train of thought. "Mr. Ainge was a False Positive - a human with the aura. He was already predisposed to lycanthropy before tonight just by virtue of his genetics. So when he was attacked, the curse could take immediate effect."

"So what do we do?" Mrs. Colton asked. "We can't call the cops, can we?"

"No need," Benny answered back, turning Anthony's body over to confirm his status. Sure enough, a perfectly aimed gunshot wound could be seen from the back of his ribcage, exactly where his heart would be. "The pack will take care of this on their own. Once word gets out of what happened here, it should be clear that Anthony - not Linus - was behind all of the killings we've suffered, including the Wagners."

"But... what about the neighbors? What about the news? People are going to suspect something after hearing all the commotion that's gone on in here tonight. Surely they'll want to investigate."

"There's nothing to investigate. After all, this was just a tragic accident, right?" Benny gave Tommy a meaningful look. "Anthony Grey, detective in the Thousand Oaks Police Department... killed by a drunk driver."

Not everyone in the room understood the message, but Tommy sure did, and he couldn't help but giggle.

"Come on," Linus said, restoring order to the situation. "I need to get Mr. Ainge home so he doesn't bleed all over everything. Let's go."

They all filed out of the house, returning to the night outside, where the rain had begun to let up. Benny carried Mr. Ainge's wounded body to the Colton residence, and then once Dr. Colton was able to tend to the new werewolf's injuries, he went back to claim the body of his former Alpha. By the time he returned, the body of Anthony Grey had lost all evidence of supernatural influence. Fur faded away, claws dulled into human fingernails, fangs shrank back into position, and everything else had returned to normal. The man who was once a Paladin and accidentally cursed to become a werewolf was now human once more, and Benny took a moment to lament his former leader's passing; a soft, mournful howl, a testament to a man who had led his pack honorably - regardless of his past.

That morning, when the sun finally rose on them all, Tommy woke up from a nap that had only lasted a few hours, back in human form. He looked over at Ryan, who had slept next to him the whole night, and smiled in relief.

It was the first time since everything began that he felt truly safe.