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Chapter 8.0: Forks

Crosstown Motel

A soothing melody played in my ear. It was one of my favourite songs.

Canon in D Minor.

My mother played it on the piano for me when I was younger and I grew up loving it. Never could play the piano however. Didn't have the fingers for it. My fingers were kind of stubby. Apparently I got that from my dad.

I could never get tired of that song. Always soothed my soul and reminded me of simpler times when I didn't have superpowers, I didn't know my mom had superpowers and I wasn't running around the world saving people's lives.

I even had it set as my ringtone for calls from my parents -

...

Hold on...

I grumbled softly, peeling my eyes slowly open. Rob was snoring a little loudly in front of me. Chad had his nose buried against my shoulder. Being careful not to wake either of them, I slowly eased myself from their 'meat and mayonnaise' sandwich and scrounged around on the ground amongst our discarded clothing.

My phone was quietly playing the melodious tune under Chad's underwear. A smirk crossed my muzzle as I picked up my phone in one paw and the phone in the other. I took a good long whiff of Chad's discarded undergarments, relishing his fresh scent mixed in with the aroma of male need. I found my own underwear and slipped them on before quickly flipping my phone open and heading outside of our motel room, being careful not to slam the door.

The sky was still dark and the stars were still out so I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep or what the time was. As I checked my phone, I noticed it was two in the morning... and it was my dad calling.

Either he had somehow bypassed my mom's watchful gaze, he had lulled her to sleep with sex or she had given him permission to call...

I dreaded the last part most.

"Dad?" I asked softly, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Jacob,"_my dad began. Oh that wasn't good. The only take me ever called me 'Jacob' and not 'Jake' was when he was being serious. _"What do you know of the Cross Family?"

I was suddenly wide awake and I peeled away from the motel room despite being only in my boxers and a singlet. "Not much. I just know that they were the family that ruled here."

"A small clan of felines who were 'somewhat' civilised with the locals. Did you know they were still alive?"

Alarm bells began ringing in my head.

"'Still'?" I repeated.

"In a matter of speaking. Apparently, there still exists a line of Crosses and every Cross that is born is either given a name from one of the three 'original' Crosses and the leader of the tribe that first lived in Crosstown, Vincent. So, if a male is born, he's named either 'Vane' or 'Vincent'. If a female is born, she's called 'Veronica'."

I glanced around to make sure no one was listening in on my conversation. It was almost pitch black but I didn't take that as an assurance I was alone. Navigating my way through the motel grounds to find a relatively secluded spot took a short while. I eventually settled at the rear of the building near the dumpsters.

"So there's always a Vincent, Vane and Veronica?"

"Yes,"_my dad answered gravely. _"And you know how the Crescentish were quite fond of 'keeping their bloodline pure'?"

That sparked all sorts of thoughts in my head... Particularly thoughts about me screwing my own son - adopted mind you - but incest was still a prominent thought.

"They wouldn't..."

"I see no other reasoning why the Vincent, Vane and Veronica who lived over three hundred years ago look similar to the Vincent, Vane and Veronica currently living today."

I grunted in disgust. Okay, I was being a little hypocritical there but let's face it, if I messed around with my son, there was no way in hell I was ever going to impregnate him... unless it was some sort of twisted fantasy world where he did get pregnant from my seed and I could feel our 'son' kicking from his engorged stomach...

I shook the disturbing - and yet arousing - thought from my head and returned my attention to my dad. "Where are they now?"

"While filming is being done in their_castle, they're living in a quaint residence not too far from the castle itself. I'm sending you the coordinates. Oh, another thing you should know... This generation of Crosses... are a little off."_

I flicked my tail slightly as I straightened. "How so...?"

"There is a third son. Vladimir. And he's a wolf."

That had to be a fun existence... Being the odd child out after about three generations of your family had remained consistently with three children, two boys and one girl. But judging from the fact that Vladimir was still alive - I didn't miss my dad's use of the present tense - I guessed that the Crosses were the kind of give 'natural selection' a helping paw.

"Thanks dad... And why did you suddenly come up with this information?"

"Alexiel asked me to investigate."

Dang...

And I was a jerk to Alexiel... When I got home, I promised myself that I'd bring him something good. Maybe I'd finally concede and let him allow some big-shot movie producer make my books into a movie. I think one of my stipulations would be that Chad had to be in it, though.

"Tell him I said thanks."

"Will do. Be careful, Jake."

"Thanks, dad."

"Oh... Before you go... Is it true? Did you actually hook up with Chad West? And is it true you two were caught doing it doggy-style in the woods?"

My fur bristled and I growled softly. "No."

"Oh... Then I better tell Alexiel to get to taking down those animated pictures then..."

I narrowed my gaze even if my dad couldn't see it. "What animated pictures?"

...

"Dad..." I snarled.

"Well... There's some pictures circulating that include Chad transforming into the big feral wolf he becomes in the movie and mounts you..."

Embarrassment burned my cheeks I imagined Chad charging at me through the thick forest. He leapt into the air and his entire body erupted into a shower of fur and clothes as muscles bulged and flesh rippled. A huge, russet wolf slammed me to the ground, ferociously ripping my pants off and shoving his hot, erect cock into my ass...

Yarf...

"Dad... Chad and I are a couple... but he's not a werewolf..."

"Damn... I was hoping you could collect some of DNA for me... I wanted to add it to the database."

"Dad!" I cried incredulously.

"I mean, you're getting his semen in you anyway, right?"

"He's not a werewolf!" I snapped.

"I know, I know. I was just hoping..."

"No, dad. And even if he was, I am not going to milk him just so you can get some data on him!"

"I was just joking, Jake,"_he laughed. _"Well... Mostly."

That's my dad for you... I swear, the only thing that's keeping him from mounting me himself is mom's tight leash... Though I have this eerie feeling that the only reason mom his holding him back is because she wants me to find my own partner and not 'keep it within the family' so to speak. I bet the instant I told them I was mated, she'd let the leash go and my dad would be all over me...

"Dad..." I sighed.

"Well, I'll just delete those files from the computer then."

"See that you do."

"I'll show your mother first though."

"Dad!"

"Bye son! Remember to use protection since he is_of a similar species!"_

I just groaned as he hung up. The last thing I needed was imagery of my parents making out to a little cycling animated picture of Chad transforming and screwing me.

Great...

I needed something to get that image out of my head...

And a visit to the Crosses might just be exactly the distraction I needed...

I got a text from dad a few seconds later.

Jake, here are the coordinates. You'll have to take a pretty steep road to get there. Attached are several pictures of the property. Before I forget, I picked up another bit of info...

My heart clenched at the last sentence...

The Crosses are personally backing the film.

Chapter 8.1: Crossroads

Cross Residence

It was still early morning by the time I reached the Cross Residence.

'Quaint' wasn't exactly the term I would use to describe the place.

A huge, modern structure rose from the forest and overlooked the southern face of a mountain. A large majority of the home was made of glass, giving it an almost museum-like appearance as I easily peered into the interior of the well-furnished home. Even from a distance, it looked pristine, clean and something that came out of a display home catalogue.

A modern beauty amidst the wild, rugged forest that surrounded it like a defiant claim of modern Mortaelians against Mother Nature.

And yet, despite all that beauty, there was a hint of... menace in the home. The all-glass structure didn't seem like a quiet, three-storey sanctum to observe the beauty of nature... It seemed more like a sole, deadly fortress with an all-round view of the surrounding landscape. A watchtower of sorts...

Jacob shut off the silent engine of his car and stepped out. He slammed the door shut to make enough of a noise that anyone who was even just half deaf would have known they had visitors.

I didn't have to wait long.

The door to the home opened.

A puma - his fur black as night - stood there with piercing black eyes. My blood went cold with that gaze but I managed to move my limbs to mount the small steps towards the door. I somehow pulled off a smile as I approached the puma.

"Hi," I greeted. "My name is -"

"Jacob Reaper," the puma replied in a cool, silky tone. "You are the recent addition to Robert Lester's production. I believe he recently introduced 'Hybrids' was it? Half-werewolf, half-vampire?"

There was an odd edge to his smile that I didn't like. It was almost as if he was mocking me; telling me I was a desperate, last ditch grab for better reviews. In my mind, I was but I felt like he was mocking Rob more than me and I didn't like that one bit.

"Yeah, that's the one."

The puma stepped aside and gestured me into his home with one paw. "Why don't you come in? I'd love to hear the latest news from the production crew. Robert hasn't been coming up to visit lately and it worries us."

"Why would it worry you?" I asked warily, stepping into his home.

Wasn't there something written about entering an evil supernatural being's home...? That they couldn't touch you unless you were on their property? Or was it the other way around...? They couldn't attack unless you invited them?

Either way, I felt like I had just jumped into a well without looking.

Thankfully, I was fully dressed and had my handguns and combat knife. Plus, I had left several crystals at key locations after receiving dad's call. If I needed to, I could easily escape with a simple thought.

"It's our home he's using as his stage," the puma chuckled. "We're eager to return."

Whoops... I suddenly felt like a douche.

"Oh... Right..."

"Anyway, I haven't introduced myself," the puma said, as I turned to him. He held out his paw. "My name is Vane. Vane Cross III."

I hesitantly shook his paw. I expected it to be cold and without a pulse. Strangely, it was warm and... well... normal. Hadn't expected that... To be honest, I expected him to suddenly leap upon me, dig his supernaturally long fangs into my throat and drain my of all my blood before leaving me to die only to come back as his undead servant...

"Pleasure to meet you," I answered. "You already know who I am."

Vane gestured that we adjourn to the adjacent room which was a wide, open lounge room. He asked that I take off my shoes and socks. I wondered why I had to take off my socks but when my bare feet pressed against the heated floorboards, I realised why.

These guys were loaded.

Heated floorboards!?

Even we didn't have that back in the mansion. My dad wanted to because he claimed it'd make sex easier since anyone could just drop down onto the floor and do it without having to go to a bed. My mom countered with the fact that such floorboards would be expensive to build and maintain but I think she secretly didn't want them just because my dad mentioned how comfortable it would be to have sex anywhere in the house.

Socks with heated floorboards was also incredibly uncomfortable. The heat just built up in your socks, your feet get sweaty and with fur like mine... yeah, it just gets uncomfortable.

I noticed that Vane was going around barefoot too. He was a plantigrade like me.

"So to what do I owe this visit?" Vane asked, indicating I sit down on the white, leather sofas. I sat down as Vane pulled out two wine bottles and poured a red liquid into them. I was about to choke out, 'I don't drink blood' when I caught the distinct scent of rich, velvety red wine.

"I just wanted to talk to the original owners of Cross Castle and get your take on Rob's recent rewrites," I lied. Truth be told, I wanted to learn more about their... lineage. "You've got a lot invested in this project as well from what I hear."

There was a momentary flicker of... something in the puma's face as he handed me the red wine. "Where did you hear that?"

I wasn't about to put Rob or my dad at risk.

"The rumour mill," I said with a shrug.

"I see..." Vane's eyes narrowed a little as he remained standing and swirled his wine. "You are correct, of course. We personally financed Robert Lester's endeavour to make his books into a movie."

"Any particular reason why?" I asked.

Vane's lips curled up into that same, mocking smile. "Look are around you, Jacob. Does Crosstown really look that self-sufficient? We don't actually have any exports and rely on tourism. In earlier years, people come to Cross Castle for a tour or two and visit Point Edge or Cliff Beach. But as the world becomes more modern as tastes lean towards the electronic, natural beauty is lost to the world.

"Take this wine for instance," he said, taking a delicate sip. His smile turned slightly genuine as he regarded it. "It's a 1753 Leour" - he pronounced it 'lay-oh' - _"_but people these days don't care so much for the taste, texture or aroma of the wine. Rather, they would merely have it sitting in their cellars further aging and for the prestige of having such an exquisite red wine."

I think he was insulting me...

Calling me 'one of those people who won't know a good wine if it hit him on the nose' in not so many words.

I think...

I set down my glass. "Perhaps for some of those people, the right time to pop the cork just hasn't come around. Oh look! The sun's rising!"

Vane's left eyebrow twitched in what I thought was irritation.

It was a little early to be drinking wine...

He took another sip and swirled it in his muzzle for a few moments before regarding me once more. "In any case, we backed Robert's endeavours so that he could bring more tourism into Crosstown. In recent months alone, there has been a boom in people wanting to see the land where Crimson Hearts was filmed. With Port Cherubliss nearby to provide further entertainment, our little area is capable of supporting itself once more."

"Until the last movie is filmed."

Again, that slight twitch of the eyebrow. "Hopefully, by then, we will have come by another way to boost our economy." He sat down in an armchair opposite to me and set down his glass. "We are a small province, Jacob. We must do what we can to attract attention."

I nodded and stared at the wine glass in front of me. "I can respect that. But as I understand it, your family didn't always rely on tourism. You're - what... the third generation of Crosses that have been here?"

The smile was gone from Vane's expression. "Fourth if you wish to be technical... but yes. This area was quite... different three hundred years ago. Port Cherubliss was a bustling harbour and we had much trading coming in. Crosstown was a popular rest stop and trading post. Of course, with modern technology, our little home has turned into a mere spot on the map marked by a small star."

"It's just a dot now, actually."

His expression didn't change as he drained his glass. "My forefathers were a proud kind, Jacob. I can hazard a guess as to why you are here. Yes, there was a war between my ancestors and the people of Crosstown. Yes, there was much bloodshed and yes, the first Veronica Cross died as she was caught in the crossfire of her two lovers.

"However, what you should know is that the legends were not entirely true. The child she bore from Vincent was born before she died. It was this child, in fact, that sparked the war between the two. There was heavy deliberations as to where the child belonged, with his natural father or his surrogate father. That child - Vincent II - was the cause of the war not as the legends state, some terrible form of necromancy and the intervention of ancestral spirits."

I nodded slowly. I was slowly starting to get a good picture on the Cross Family history.

"And who did Vincent II marry, if you don't mind me asking?"

The puma paused for a long moment. "He kept the bloodline pure."

That could mean anything... but I knew better.

I nodded slowly and got to me feet. "Thanks for accommodating me, Mr. Cross. I'm an author first and foremost and I guess I was just a little curious. Been hearing a lot of rumours around the place and my curiosity got the better of me."

"Won't you finish your wine, Jacob?"

I glanced at the glass and shook my head. "No thanks. It's still too early."

Vane stood up and headed over to his wine cabinet. He pulled out the opened bottle and handed it to me. "Then take this as a gift from me."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Alright, the wine was opened and it just lost a lot of its value since it was a 300 year old, vintage brew but still...

"Are you sure?"

Vane chuckled and nodded towards the wine cabinet. I saw a whole row of the same wines. "My family aren't avid drinkers. Our tastes run a little... richer. Take the wine, Jacob. It's the least I could do for someone who is helping to keep our town aloft and filled with tourists."

I was in awe...

Damn...

Even if it was opened, I was still amazed.

Suddenly, I wished my regeneration didn't get rid of alcohol so quickly.

"Thanks," I murmured, still in awe. I twisted the bottle in my paws. The crest on it was wonderfully inscribed into the label with - what I think - was pure gold.

"I have one stipulation," Vane said, smiling at me benignly. "You share it with Robert. After all the work he is doing, he deserves it."

"I will."

I thanked Vane one more time and left the Cross Residence, letting the wine bottle delicately in the passenger seat of my car and driving back to Crosstown.

A piece of the puzzle had landed on my lap but I wasn't sure where it all fit in yet.

What did I know?

I was supposed to deal with vampires. Nova warned me about them.

A Seal was involved. A Seal was always involved when there was a paper crane around.

The Crosses interbred within their family...

... there was something wrong with that statement there...

Something... about the circumstances of Vincent II's birth and the cause of the war that ended Veronica's life...

It wasn't until I was back at the Crosstown Motel that it hit me.

Vincent II was a wolf!

Vane had said that Vincent II was the original Vincent's son!

That meant that Vincent II had to be lupine!

It would've been impossible to 'keep the bloodline pure'!

If Veronica died in the battle then there would only be two Crosses left; Vane and Vincent II!

Vane would've been a feline and Vincent a lupine!

If one was female, neither would've been able to reproduce because they were of a different species!

...

So... What did that mean...?

My heart froze as a thought occurred to me.

The production crew had gone off to filming and I was probably late. No doubt I'd find a note from Rob telling me that despite the great sex, he needed me on set. But filming was the last thing on my mind.

I charged back into my room - ignoring the smell of sex, Chad and Rob - and pulled out my laptop. I let the device scan my eye for my identity and I accessed my dad's private server wirelessly. I flicked through all the documents there and found all the data he had collated about vampires.

A lot of research there...

I remembered my dad saying that modern vampires were immune to the burning effects of sunlight...

Vane didn't burn when the sun came up.

His research stated that vampires could live indefinitely... practically immortal except for certain vulnerabilities...

The Cross bloodline couldn't have been continued unless another Cross was born... But without Veronica... That was impossible. And of the Crosses were all felines save for Vladimir which my dad told me was a wolf...

... then...

...

I needed confirmation.

I pulled up the files on the Crosses.

I flicked through four generations of photographs and painted pictures.

There were four of them.

And I got stumped again.

One feline... and three wolves.

"What...?" I muttered, pulling back. "I thought..."

Weren't all vampires meant to be feline...? Or was I taking Rob's interpretation too literally...?

... but that still didn't answer my question about why Vane said Vincent II 'had kept the bloodline pure'.

Although...

Upon comparing at the portraits and photographs, I had no doubt each of the people in all four images were the same. Their clothes changed but they were the same. They switched places in each picture to confuse people but there was no doubt in my mind who they were.

A black puma.

A white-furred wolf, male.

A silver-furred wolf, female...

... and a sandy wolf... also male...

What the...?

Could vampirism spread to other races too...?

Were the three wolves vampires as well?

My mind was messed up... twisted... and so convoluted that I suddenly needed another distraction. Before I went looking for my distraction, however, I took a picture of the bottle of wine Vane gave me and attached it to an email I prepared to send to my father.

_ Dad,_

_ I'm convinced the Crosses are vampires... but... their species confuses me. I dunno if I'm taking the whole 'only felines can be vampires' or 'only wolves can be werewolves' thing but the fact that there are_ three wolves_and one feline in the picture just throws a wrench into the works. Could you do more research for me?_

_ I'm pretty sure they're the same people in each of the pictures. I spoke to Vane - the puma - and he said something about 'keeping the bloodline pure'. He told me that before Veronica died, she had a child - Vincent II. That can account for two of the wolves but I have_ no_idea who the third wolf is._

_ On a lighter note, Vane gave me a_ 1753 Leuor_. Picture as attached. I'll save you some._

_ Jake._

I sent off the email and shut my laptop.

I needed to clear my head and filming a movie based on the very mystery I was trying to solve wasn't going to help.

What was the most peaceful place around here...?

I thought about Cliff Beach and Point Edge but that would just stir memories of Chad and I couldn't afford thinking about sex.

The glade... The one with the lightning struck tree...

Yeah... That ought to do the trick.

I got up, jumped back into my car and drove back halfway up to Cross Castle.

Trekking through the woods brought back memories of that night I got stuck in the storm but I dismissed them as I diligently searched for the grove once more. It was relatively close to where I had parked the car so it didn't take long to find it.

And there it was... the glade.

Just was peaceful and serene as it was the first time I saw it.

... except...

I was already up to the lightning struck tree sticking out of that barren rock when I remembered this was the first time I was confronted by Kristine. Memories of Kristine's little, cryptic message brought up memories about my tirade on her back at Cherubliss and that made me think again about her other cryptic message...

"I'm happy for you, you know. It's not what I had in mind... but maybe... Maybe because of this, you can actually save him..."

Damnit... so much for peace and quiet.

Okay... Maybe thoughts of sex would be better...

I turned around -

... and stopped.

There was someone else in the glade.

A wolf... with sand-coloured fur and jet-black eyes.

Uh-oh...

The guy was fit under the black trench coat he wore. He was in an all-black attire except for his boots which were made of a brown leather. I could see muscles brimming beneath the colourless attire and just the way his neck was so thick told me to be wary of him. I especially didn't like the way he had this half-smile on his face and his tail was swaying back and forth.

Maybe he was just a passerby who coincidentally looked like the guy in the photographs that I had seen...

I offered the guy a brief wave and he waved back. That big bulge in his bicep made me gulp and not in a good way.

Taking an alternate, more scenic route back to my car sounded like a good idea.

I turned around -

... and he was suddenly there, about a hundred metres in front of me...

Twin?

Please be a twin.

I glanced over my shoulder...

Gone...

I heard a faint whoosh and closed my eyes... wincing a little.

"You're there, aren't you?"

"I guess you've written enough books to know what happens next, huh?" he said in a deep but youthful voice filled with mirth and confidence.

I dared a peek at him... He was about an inch taller than me... and the black of his irises had spread all through his eyes, giving him nothing but black orbs.

Eek...

"This the part where I scream for help and you kill me?" I asked.

The wolf threw his head back and let out a little laugh. "Yeah, you're an author." He smirked and reached up with a paw, brushing my jaw line with the back of his paw. "Don't think everything is so... predictable." As he uttered that one last word, I saw his abnormally sharp canines.

Vampire... definitely vampire.

"My dad tells me you might have figured us out..."

"That you're actually immortal undead that have lived through the centuries on the blood of your victims? That your taste runs 'richer' than 300 year old wine?"

My ears were assaulted by that youthful laugh again. "Close enough." He crossed his arms across his impressive chest.

I knew I could teleport away in a heartbeat and I was banking on that. Villains always go on a monologue or over-confident rant when they think they've won. This was an opportunity. This mysterious wolf was a source of knowledge. If I just kept him talking long enough...

"So, what do you think I'm going to do with you?" he asked.

Damn... A guessing game. That gave him room to avoid my probing...

Well... I had to try.

"You're going to drag me off to the dark depths of your castle and drain me of all blood?"

Once more, he laughed and I sent chills down my spine. His paw wrapped around my jaw tightly, forcing me to look straight into his eyes.

"I won't lie," the wolf chuckled. "That's definitely on the agenda." A grin crossed his features. "But not before I stick my dick in you and force my cum down your throat!"

I went rigid and tried to pull away at the thought but his grip was strong. Vampires are meant to be supernaturally strong.

The wolf's eyes gleamed with maniacal glee. "Then... As my cum pours down your throat and your blood pours down mine, you'll slowly feel my venom take hold of you... And when you next wake up, you'll be just..."

He leaned towards me.

"... like..."

His lips hovered over my neck.

"... me."

"Jake!"

The wolf's grip loosened around my jaw giving me enough leverage to spin around.

Chad was standing at the edge of the woods... next to another group of large, burly wolves.

Damnit!

I couldn't teleport all of them!

"Chad! Run!" I cried.

"Damn mutts," the wolf behind me snarled. His strong arms suddenly wrapped around my waist and he hoisted me onto his shoulders.

I suddenly felt like a goddamn princess...

"Vladimir!" one of the bigger wolves shouted in a deep, reverberating voice. "Let him go!"

Vladimir...?

As in Vladimir Cross...?

Like my brain needed to be fried before I got turned into a vampire.

"You can't stop me, Pearce," the wolf chortled. "You want him? Just try and catch me!"

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, we were zooming out of the glade faster than I ever thought possible. I was twisted around as Vladimir made his escape out of the glade. Just before my vision was engulfed by the line of trees, I saw Chad surged forward. My Husky's entire body just exploded in a burst of fur, muscle and fang. A huge russet wolf with a white patch on his jaw and underbelly surged after us.

I must be dreaming...

My boyfriend was a werewolf!

Although... to be honest, some part of me wasn't that surprised...

What do you know? A superhero dating a werewolf...

Our kids would be so fucked up.

That is if I don't get turned into a vampire.

"Let me go!" I growled, pounding Vladimir's back with my fists. It felt like I was hitting concrete!

The Cross just threw his head back and laughed. "Save your breath! You'll love being a Cross! If you want, you can even claim that hot Husky of yours!"

"Fuck you!"

"I get the eerie feeling you just might!"

I inclined my head to the side as I was jerked to the right. Vladimir leapt into the air and landed in the middle of a shallow river. He stormed across the river's path, splashing water wherever he went. Loud howls pierced the air and I snapped back down the path.

A whole pack of those enormous wolves were chasing us, leaping from one bank of the river to the other. Leading them was a huge, black wolf but right behind the alpha was my Husky... erm... werewolf?

"What?" Vladimir laughed. "You surprised that I don't mind sucking dick or getting fucked? Seriously. One girl, three guys and all eternity? What do you think we get up to?"

...

"I honestly have no idea nor do I want to know," I said, purposefully pushing the thoughts out of my mind. "Let me go! I'm warning you!"

"You can't do anything to me, little man!" Vladimir snickered, his lead extending over the wolves. "I'm faster, stronger and smarter than those dumb animals and any normal Mortaelian."

I growled and shoved my paw into my jacket, gripping by combat knife. "I'm not an ordinary Mortaelian."

I pulled out my knife, reversed it and plunged it straight down into Vladimir's spine.

The vampire threw his head back but this time not to laugh. He let out a loud, agonising scream and toppled over as all the nerves below his chest were severed. I flung through the air faster than any normal wolf should travel.

If I landed, I'd be splattered all over whatever I landed.

Reflexes took over as I flung around, called a crystal to my paw and hurled it behind me. I instantly flashed and landed knee ankle deep in the running waters of the river, my momentum drained by the gravitational forces.

Vladimir snarled as he staggered to his feet, clutching his back. There was no blood on my knife - didn't expect any - but I still caused him pain.

"What the hell!?" he snarled. "How the hell did you do that with a bloody knife!?"

I shoved my combat knife back into its sheathe. "I I told you that, then there'd be nothing to eat you up inside." I slowly reached behind me, gripping my handguns that were crossed against my back.

"That's impossible," Vladimir sneered. "My flesh is harder than any metal! Nothing can cut through it!"

A small smile crossed my muzzle as I pulled out Turmoil and Tumult, my handguns. Loud barks made Vladimir spun around as the huge werewolves came storming down the river.

"Nothing?" I repeated. "Then why do you look so worried?"

My knife itself was a Special Ops issue combat knife. It had a special ionised edge that could cut through anything by deconstructing the atoms around its edge. As long as something was made out of atoms, my knife could cut through it.

Vladimir's black, soulless eyes flicked back towards me. "Worried? Ha! I'm not worried. You caught me off guard, meatbag!"

"Doesn't bode very well for you if you turn me, does it?" I retorted.

Despite the darkness of his eyes, I could see a flash of irritation across his features. "When you join us, you'll see that we have to stick together as a family."

My eyes flicked past the vampire's shoulders. The big black wolf stopped a few metres away from Vladimir and Chad - the red and white one - stopped a few paced ahead of him, looking at me worriedly with his expressive, brown eyes. It was weird, even as a car-sized wolf, he still looked like my adorable, puppy Husky.

I turned my attention back to Vladimir. "I've got a family and I've got friends. I would never leave them."

The vampire smirked. "You say that now... But wait until you wake up without blood or fear in your veins and the strength of a thousand men!"

"Just a thousand?" I replied. "That's not even an orgy."

The big, black wolf let out a loud bark. Vladimir snarled back at him.

"Don't think you can intimidate me, Pearce," the vampire said over his shoulder. "Your unevolved attack dogs are no match for me."

I did a quick check of my handguns. They were armed with the Incendiary Rounds my dad had given me and I had two spare clips tucked away in the lining of my jacket. Each clip had eighteen rounds. In total, that gave me seventy-two shots.

I just needed one...

I levelled my handguns at Vladimir. "Those 'attack dogs' aren't the only thing you should worry about."

Vladimir scoffed at me. "You think those peashooters will harm me?"

"I dunno. You said the same thing about my knife."

That shut him up.

There were a few tense moments as we stared each other down...

Then Vladimir relaxed his stance and shrugged, flashing me a cocky grin. "You know, it's really quite futile to fight me. One way or another, you're going to end up a Cross. You know too much and there is no way we're going to let these mutts" - he nodded at the werewolves - "sink their fangs into you. Instead, I'm going sink my fangs into you while I shove my dick up your ass!"

Chad growled loudly.

I resisted the urge to mention that I had sunk my fangs into a certain werewolf... or that said werewolf had sunk something else into me...

"Over my dead body."

I realised that was probably the wrong thing to say considering the circumstances.

Vladimir grinned broadly. "I was hoping you'd say that."

My body instantly switched to combat mode. It was like time slowed down to half its normal speed. Vladimir charged at me and the werewolves let out a yelp - Chad howled. I could see everything in clear, complete detail and I had time to think.

I planned my next move...

...pictured it in my mind...

... and fought a vampire.

Chapter 8.1-A: Detour

Azuria River

****Chadstone West****

Jacob Reaper, the wolf that I loved, fired two shots, one from each of his black and gold handguns. I had no idea where he had gotten them. Hell, I don't even know where he had gotten that really wicked sick combat knife or how he'd escape from Vladimir in the first place.

Then I had to remind myself that he wasn't your ordinary wolf.

Just like I wasn't your ordinary werewolf.

See, it was only until recently that I had been turned. I'd rather not go into details... it was... uh... Kinda embarrassing and I don't want Jake to know...

Please don't tell him.

I love him so much I don't want to lose him.

Thing is, when I got turned, Pearce - my Alpha both in and outside of the movie - explicitly told me to break it off with Jake. I wasn't allowed to see him anymore because... well... Apparently, he just didn't have 'the right stuff' to make a werewolf. I think it's because Jake is a Worldrider... Whatever that is. I just remember Truce calling him that and I think it's what makes him special.

To me though... He's really special.

The instant Vladimir charged at my wolf, my emotions got the better of me and I let out an anguished howl. I heard the two telltale 'bangs' from Jake's handguns but I didn't need to watch to know that Vladimir had dodged the bullets easily.

If the vampire was anywhere near as strong as a werewolf, mere bullets wouldn't hurt him.

Then the tables just turned.

Jake jumped into the air and somersaulted over Vladimir! He arched slowly over the vampire!

I didn't think that was even possible!

When I got turned, I got all the information about hunting vampires from generations of past werewolves. I knew that werewolves could never catch up to the speed of a vampire. We were physically stronger and had faster regeneration but our advantage against them was our numbers and our ability to telepathically coordinate our attacks.

Yeah, we werewolves can talk to each other telepathically. We can't share deep emotions or anything unless we 'verbally' share it with the rest of the pack. Thing is, our 'voices' have to go through the Alpha. Essentially, we talk to the Alpha and the Alpha relays our thoughts to whoever we're addressing. That way, the Alpha - Pearce in my case - always knows what we're saying.

And Pearce was a good Alpha, don't get me wrong, but he just didn't know Jake like I did...

... though I get this feeling that even I don't know Jake that well...

When Jake reached the zenith of his arch, his form erupted into a burst of darkness and he appeared right in front me, his tail brushing my nose. I got a whiff of his clean, crystal-like scent and it stirred my cock. Damn... I wish I could take him now...

Damnit! We're in danger! I can't think about sex now!

I tried to bark a warning but he suddenly threw one of his handguns into the air and his now-free hand snapped out, catching something from the air. There was a faint crack and flames suddenly erupted from between his fingers.

Vladimir was just spinning around and when he saw the fire, his eyes went horribly wide.

Vampires are really vulnerable to fire.

Jake hurled his paw forward and the flames burst from his palm in the shape of a writhing, burning ball. Vladimir gave a shout of shock and bolted towards the woods just as the ball of flame struck the river, sending an ear-splitting boom followed by a surge of steam.

I was lost.

Did he control fire too?

Why didn't he tell me about that?

He cast a gaze over his shoulder and grinned at me. "Incendiary Rounds," he explained as if reading my mind.

I had no idea what 'Incendiary Rounds' were... Were they another term for 'fireball'?

His eyes darted back towards the cloud of steam and he vanished again in that burst of darkness. Vampires are fast but werewolves have sharp reflexes and a sense of smell. I could smell Vladimir bolting from tree to tree. I jerked my head towards the trees as Vladimir came surging out of the forest and dove straight into the steam cloud.

I raced after -

"Stop!"

I froze. My mind was racing, worried sick about my boyfriend and my heart was begging me to dive after Vladimir now that I had him in my sights.

But my body just didn't respond.

It was an Alpha's command.

You can't disobey an Alpha's command.

_"But -"_I began. Nothing came out of my muzzle except a whimper. In my 'feral form', I couldn't actually speak. But remember that 'wolf telepathy'? Yeah, that's how I heard Pearce's voice in my head.

_"No... This is Reaper's fight,"_my Alpha said, his bright, green eyes flicking back into the cloud.

"He's no match for a vampire!"

Pearce paused... I knew he wasn't telling me everything. I sensed it when he... turned me. He was holding back information. I didn't like that but after Jake told me he was a superhero... I kinda felt... what's the word... emasculated? I was topping him, yeah, but he was stronger. That... and I guess I was a little jealous.

Oh and I didn't really have a choice.

Apparently, Pearce and his back have had his eye on me for a long time...

"Just watch."

I couldn't disobey. One of the downsides of being a werewolf. But I guess I didn't mind it. I was stronger, faster and... well... A little hornier than before. When I first turned, I couldn't wait to tell Jake... then Pearce told me I couldn't see him anymore...

Wait...

Was this how Pearce planned to keep us apart!?

By letting Jake die!

"Are you -?"

I never got to finish.

There was a loud cry and two figures burst from the cloud. Jake shot out towards the right, somersaulted in midair and planted his feet on the trunk of the closest tree. Without wasting a second, he bolted up the trunk of the tree. Vladimir mirrored the move on the other side of the river but he ran way faster than Jake and covered more distance in a shorter amount of time.

That is until Jake began teleporting. He threw those small, pea-like crystals ahead of him and they zoomed ahead faster than even Vladimir could run. They seemed to have a mind of their own and darted in different directions as well, homing in on certain branches and even on branches from across the river on Vladimir's side.

Jake flashed to a branch slightly above Vladimir and he was suddenly poised to fire.

BAM! BAM!

He sent two shots and flashed again, appeared directly in front of the vampire! Jake had holstered his guns and lashed out with his combat knife. Vladimir easily dodged it and lashed out at him but long before his claws could even scratch a fur on Jake's body, my wolf was on and back on his side of the river.

I didn't get why Jake did that... He shouldn't know Vladimir would dodge such a close-ranged attack. His best bet was keeping his distance...

Then I realised it wasn't about hitting the vampire with his knife.

It was about distracting Vladimir.

BOOM!

The two bullets Jake had fired earlier collided with Vladimir just as the vampire was recovering from the knife attack, erupting in a burst of flame and smoke. An ear-splitting howl cut through the air, one that didn't belong to any wolf, feral, Mortaelian or werewolf.

I couldn't help but grin.

"That's mah boy_!"_ I laughed mentally.

_"Don't celebrate too soon..."_Pearce warned.

Something darted out of the cloud, shooting straight towards Jake... Vladimir!

"Jake!"

Vladimir hit Jake -

... or not.

Just before the bloodsucker's claws could dig into my boyfriend, Jake flashed just two paces to the left of the branch he was standing on. Vladimir froze as he suddenly found Jacob standing coolly to his left, one of those gold and black handguns levelled at his head.

Who needs to be supernaturally fast when you can teleport?

BOOM!

Jake fired and flashed some distance away to another tree.

That unnatural howl again.

Vladimir surged out of the smoke and fire, his clothes torn revealing a chiselled torso. If he wasn't a bloody leech I would've found him pretty hot. My eyes flicked from the vampire's sculpted body to my boyfriend's calm stance but laser-like, sapphire-blue eyes. The instant Vladimir was within a metre of him, Jake flashed to the other side of river and shot four times - two from each handgun.

It was a waste of bullets!

He was too far!

Vladimir smirked and easily dodged the blow, leaping across the trees and suddenly colliding with my boyfriend! Fear ripped through my throat in the form of a loud howl as Jake was slammed against the tree trunk, Vladimir's fangs inches from his neck. With his free paw, Vladimir ripped Jake's guns away and tossed them to the ground.

"Any last words?" the vampire snarled.

"Yeah..." Jake answered, his lips curling up in a smirk. "Boom."

Vladimir blinked.

And he missed it.

Those four bullets Jake fired earlier?

They suddenly came zooming back at Vladimir from four different directions!

BOOM!

My jaw dropped... and I could sense the shock of my packmates. Even Pearce was surprised.

Jake flashed twice, catching his guns before they hit the ground. He somersaulted and jumped back into the river, landing on a large rock and standing there in a picturesque pose. His stance was calm... serene... but his eyes were so intense that they could've burned through steel. I was reminded of several Valanese movies where the star would stand beneath a waterfall to meditate... Their bodies were so relaxed but their eyes held a frightening intensity that always made me pause.

And Jake's stare... Well, made my heart stop only to start it again with an electric jolt.

A ferocious roar ripped through the woods as Vladimir landed in the river as well, his fur untouched but still smoking.

What was this guy!? Some sort of 'super-vampire'!?

"What the hell are you!?" Vladimir roared. "Have these werewolves already fucked your brains out!?" The sandy-coloured wolf shook his head. "No... that can't be... you have their scent on you but you're not emitting that scent... Your blood still smells fresh to me! Untainted... So you can't be a vampire either! What!?"

Jake smiled softly. "You don't need to be a werewolf or a vampire to be super."

I think the shock hit everyone except me and Jake.

Pearce's eyes widened and he actually took a step back. I watched the rest of my pack do the same. Vladimir flinched.

"Y - You're a superhero!?"

Jake lifted his handguns again. "Part-time. I'm also an author-slash-editor. And sorry... but your character just isn't cutting it for me in this story. If it's any consolation, I'll make sure you go out with a 'bang'."

Vladimir snarled and his body tensed. He crouched low, ready for another attack. "You'll never kill me! Fire those fire bullets at me all you want! You see they're not doing anything!"

A weird look of calculation crossed Jake's face... I had seen that before. When I first kissed him and he made that bargain for a first date... When he pretended he didn't want sex on our first time... I swear, he's part fox.

But I love him for that.

I grinned.

"This is gonna be good."

"You're right," Jake said, shrugging and lowering his guns. "I might as well give up." He lifted his guns into the air. "So... I give up."

He dropped his guns.

_"No!"_Pearce shouted.

"Trust me,"_I reassured him, grinning. _"He's got a plan."

Vladimir smirked and bolted forward. He had his paw out ready to clamp down on Jake's throat...

... but at the last second, Jake ducked and spun around, snatching both his guns from the air before they hit the water and were washed away. He rolled forward, bowling Vladimir over and leapt to his feet, launching himself into the air and flipping himself upside down. In midair, he attached his two guns with the top of their barrels pressed against one another. The grips twisted backwards, making a single, metallic rod with two gun barrels at their tip. The barrels pulled apart to form a gap of about a paw-span.

A brilliant, blade of white light shot out from between the parted gun barrels forming a longsword!

Jake landed deftly a stunned Vladimir spun around. My boyfriend flashed and appeared right behind the vampire, unleashing a flurry of slashes mixed with kicks and dance-like moves! Vladimir was faster and he dodged most of the blows but every time he swung aside, one of Jake's limbs was always there to punish him.

Jake's blade sliced through the air diagonally and Vladimir sidestepped the move. Too bad Jake used the momentum of his slash to take him spinning through the air, his feet smashing against the vampire's face. The instant Jake landed, he flashed right above me, hanging upside down. He pointed his blade at Vladimir who was still reeling from the initial attack.

BANG! BANG!

Jake pulled the triggers of his guns and two bullets shot out from the still functioning gun barrels to -

BOOM!

Collide with Vladimir.

Man my boyfriend is awesome.

A large crystal appeared in Jake's free palm and he hurled it forward. It was slower than most and I was worried Vladimir would intercept it. My heart practically stopped when Vladimir surged out of the cloud of fire and smoke and smashed the crystal into tiny bits!

I glanced up at Jake...

... to see him smiling.

He flashed, taking the place of one of the crystal shards. Jake bolted forward and lashed out at Vladimir who quickly dodged the move and retaliated with a backhand sweep. Jake flashed again and was suddenly above Vladimir and bringing down his sword. Vladimir dodged -

SWISH!

"Aaaargh!" the vampire cried as Jake's blade sliced lightly across his back.

Then we all saw he was in a trap.

The vampire had shattered Jake's crystal... but now there were hundreds of tiny crystals around him... each one a opportunity for Jake to teleport to... He was completely surrounded!

_"Whoa..."_I heard someone exclaim.

I couldn't help but agree.

Jake was suddenly flashing like crazy, his movements a frightening blur as he darted from countless directions and angles, lashing out at Vladimir in a flurry of shining sword strikes. His movements only seemed to accelerate and soon, I thought I was seeing more than one Jacob Reaper!

Vladimir tried to dodge the blows but Jake was getting too fast for him!

SWISH! SWISH-SWISH!

The vampire staggered out of the dome of shattered crystals, clutching his right wrist. His paw was gone.

"Jake!"_I shouted but it only came out as a bark. _"Kill him now! He'll just regenerate!"

True to my word, the wound began healing up rapidly... too fast actually... Within seconds, Vladimir had his paw again. Vampires shouldn't be able to regenerate that fast! They actually had to sleep outside of daylight to heal all wounds!

What was going on!?

Jake just smirked at that.

"You see?" Vladimir scowled but managing a crooked grin. "You cannot defeat me! I'll just keep coming back! My wounds will constantly heal!"

"Unless I cauterise them," Jake added darkly. He lifted his blade and ran his left paw across the weapon's edge. Flames surged out of the two gun barrels and engulfed the energy sword, turning it a bright, shifting red.

Vladimir's eyes widened in horror. "Nice lightshow, freak." Despite his words, I could smell his fear.

There was nothing more I wanted to do than to jump in there and aid my boyfriend.

"So says the glorified leech in fur."

The vampire charged, becoming a blur of motion. Jake was again a swift spring of twisting limbs and stylish flourishes. I recognised many of his dance moves. At one point, he did a leg sweep that he quickly turned into a rising uppercut that Vladimir barely dodged. Too bad Jake quickly turned it into a somersault where he ended up planting his feet against the vampire's chest and kicking off. Jake rolled backwards, fired twice and flashed behind Vladimir!

The vampire jumped to the side to avoid the shots but as they were about to hit Jake, the bullets swerved away from their owner and slammed into Vladimir!

I remembered Jake could alter gravity... Could it be that he could alter the path of bullets as well?

"That's it!"

Vladimir surged into the air...

... a pair of huge webbed wings on his back!

"What the -!?"

I staggered back, my tail slipping between my legs... This was no ordinary vampire... Vampires don't have wings!

Even Pearce looked scared!

"I'm done playing around!" Vladimir shouted, his fangs lengthening until they were actually protruding from his lips and curling down past his jaw. "I don't care what my father says! You aren't worth the effort! You die now!"

WHAM!

"Jake!"

I never even saw Vladimir move.

He was just suddenly on top of Jake.

My boyfriend flashed some distance away but Vladimir was suddenly there -

WHAM!

_..._and driving his huge fist into Jake's stomach.

_"We have to do something!"_I begged.

Pearce was silent and I saw him starting to back away. "What can we do...? Against a monster like that... We have to leave..."

"No! I won't leave him!"

I heard the tearing of flesh and Jake's cry of agony. I turned my eyes back to the battle. The river ran red with blood. Vladimir's claws were buried deep in Jake's chest, barely missing his heart!

"Chad! We have to go! We have to leave for the good of the pack!"

"Jake is_part of the pack! He's my boyfriend!"_

Jake flashed and he was standing closer to us, staggering back while clutching his chest. The wounds were healing but -

CRRACK!

Vladimir kneed him in the chest. His entire form was bent over in an agonising angle.

"You're too young to understand! The pack comes first!"

"No!"

_"Do as I say!"_Pearce growled, looming over me. He was bigger than me... and he was my Alpha. My body was obeying but my heart and mind.

"Jake..."

"Get up!" Vladimir snarled.

WHAM!

He kicked Jake and my boyfriend shot by between Pearce and I, landing in the water.

No!

I bounded over to him -

_"Leave him!"_Pearce shouted.

I froze in mid-step... I tried to resist... but... I just... I just couldn't...

Then... Then Jake staggered to his feet. He was battered... bruised... bleeding and one eye was swollen shut. But even through all the battering, he still held onto his sword... A fighter to the end...

I wondered what he was fighting for...

... was it me...?

Was he risking his life for me...?

"Now..." Vladimir snarled, his black eyes striking fear deep into me. "Now you die!"

All time seemed to just slow down to a crawl. I leapt back as Vladimir surged past me... Jake straightened... no fear in his eyes as he brought up his sword... His jaw clenched...

My boyfriend... was going to die...

... I became a werewolf to protect him... To help him when he went out to save people... and here I am, unable to do anything!

Jake!

Then a weird tune filled my ears...

I... I think it was... the Funeral March?

You know, that song old video games use to play when something bad was about to happen or a player had died...

The... 'dun...dah-dun-dun... dun.. dah-dun-dun-duuuuuuuuuun.'

Only then did I see fear in Jake's eyes...

His sapphire orbs went wide and his jaw dropped. The sky seemed to darken, the winds fell silent and I couldn't hear the running water of the river anymore. Everything fell absolutely silent.

For a second... Jake's body went limp... Then he immediately tensed and leapt into the air!

At that moment... I saw this huge black scythe spinning in horizontal towards him!

The scythe just barely missed him, the blade a millimetre from grazing his nose!

... but Vladimir...

He was too late.

The scythe sliced him across the waist cleanly!

His two halves plopped into the river, the vampire's eyes wide in horror.

WHOOOOSH!

This huge black figure appeared right beside me! It had to be at least nine feet tall and it hovered off the ground, dressed in a billowing, tattered black cloak with a hood over its features. It caught the scythe in a skeletal hand deftly and spun it once before -

SWISH!

Slamming the point straight into Vladimir's severed ass.

"Filthy half-dead vermin," I heard the creature whispered in a raspy tone that I could feel and hear from the very depths of my soul. My legs went weak and I collapsed into the river, shaking.

The creature's head turned to face Jake.

"Reaper..."

Jake landed at that moment and immediately pulled out his phone. "Grim..."

This was Grim...!?

No wonder Jake was so scared of him!

I thought he was just exaggerating when he said that the Avatar of Death was after him... but... Holy Hell!

"Your time has come, Reaper."

"Sure... can I just take one more picture for the road?"

"Die!"

Grim surged forward. I wanted to leap in front of him, let him take my life instead of Jake's... but my entire body was frozen!

Then Jake did the craziest thing I had ever seen.

He kicked Vladimir's upper half straight into Grim! The vampire's eyes went wide in horror as his torso touched the black cloth. My eyes went wide in horror when I saw the vampire's flesh blacked and start flaking off in a terrible slow motion. His eyes dried up and plopped out of his skull which quickly became visible as his flesh and fur dissipated into dust. Bone completely blackened and slipped into Grim's cloak, still grasping for freedom!

But the process slowed down Grim considerably like taking the soul of someone actually made him stop.

Jake immediately flipped open his phone, positioned it at Grim and said, "Smile!"

Fwash!

Chapter 8.2: Dead End

Azuria River

******Jacob Reaper******

My knees gave way out from underneath me and I collapsed into the river. Every part of me was shaking but not from the pain of the battle. That was quickly fading thanks to my regeneration...

I just couldn't believe how lucky I was...

Grim... Damn... How could I have forgotten about him!?

If it weren't for my phone - which was programmed to warn me when Grim was near - I would be dead...

Grim had also killed Vladimir for me... Well, I sort of pushed Vladimir into Grim but that's beside the point.

Just when I thought when Razor - my energy sword - was channelling the Incendiary Rounds would actually deal some real damage - which it did - Vladimir had to go all psychotic on me. I didn't think vampires had an alternate form...

Damn nearly cost me my life...

Never thought I'd be thankful for Grim being around...

I collapsed down to my paws and knees... my entire body quaking.

Damn...

I heard a faint whimper from my right and I turned to find that big, russet wolf standing there... big brown eyes filled with worry. I tried to give him a grin but I think I just ended up worrying him. "I'm okay... Thanks for asking."

He leaned in close to me and nuzzled my neck tenderly. His big tongue gently lapped up at the wounds on my face. It stung and I knew his drool wouldn't help my healing... but I still appreciated the gesture.

Shaking, I tucked my phone away and wrapped my free arm around his large neck. He helped me get to my feet by seizing my pants in his jaws and pulling me up. Man... He was taller than me and this was his feral form... I wondered if he had grown in other places too... I tried not to look but hey, I'm only mortal.

Damn... I making jokes...

Well, I guess did just have a brush with Death...

"You're very lucky."

I looked up...

A big, black, naked wolf stood in front of me...

Yarf.

Don't look at his crotch.

Don't look at his crotch.

...

I looked at Chad's crotch instead.

Chad bumped me with his nose.

"Shut up," I muttered.

The wolf, crossed his arms across his chest, taking no pains to hide his... maleness. "My name is Pearce Barrows. I'm the Alpha of the pack."

"Hi..." I murmured, trying to keep my eyes away from his crotch. The horrible thing was, other werewolves padded in to flank Pearce. Their forms shifted, muscles bubbling, fur twisting and bones cracking. Suddenly, I was surrounded by about twenty, muscular wolves all naked and all with rather impressive packages.

Damn... I looked.

I think I also noticed Michael, that camera boy that knocked my off the cliff. The wolf gave me a meek wave. I smiled briefly back.

"I apologise for having not come to your aid," Pearce said. Dang... His voice was deep, manly and really sexy. "It was your fight and we would have only gotten in the way."

I guess that was true... Besides, I didn't want to see Chad get hurt.

"It's okay..." I murmured, twisting my head to the side. There was as audible crack and a sharp jab of pain as a few bones were reset. "... What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

Pearce grunted and seemed to agree with that sentiment. "Seeing as Chad is incapable of speech right now, I feel I should explain a few things."

I glanced at my boyfriend... or mate... A werewolf... Yikes. Chad whimpered slightly and ducked his head. I petted him gently and he nuzzled my paw.

"Every legend has a grain of truth," Pearce rumbled. "When Robert Lester wrote about the vampires and werewolves that inhabit this area, he didn't know he had essentially found that grain amongst the thousands on the beach. I am a local of Crosstown. As such, I was born a werewolf. The vampires also exist but in Cross Castle as you may have guessed.

"When he began filming, however, certain... events led to one of the filming crew becoming a werewolf as well." Pearce cast his gaze at Michael who whimpered and tried to slink away but a bigger werewolf kept him in place. "Needless to say, certain urges became uncontrollable and the condition spread. Many of the lupines or canines that now work for Mr. Lester are werewolves including the 'werewolves' of his cast."

"Even Chad?" I asked.

"No... Not until recently. You see, there is animosity between the werewolves and the vampires as you have seen today. We protect those not gifted with our condition from the bloodsuckers and they hunt for food relentlessly. Once they are fed, the victims bolster their numbers. Unfortunately, because of certain conditions, our numbers are much lower than the vampires."

That piqued my curiosity. In all the werewolf/vampire books and movies I've read or watched, the biggest advantage the werewolves had were their numbers and their 'pack mentality'. It was unusual for the werewolves to be low on numbers...

"What do you mean by that exactly...?"

Pearce maintained his stoic stance but everyone else in the crowd of werewolves shuffled uncomfortably. Chad let out a weird, wolfish chuckle.

"Normally, a werewolf is born through natural causes," the Alpha explained. "We cannot infect others. However, when one of Mr. Lester's crewmen became a werewolf... we discovered another way to bolster our numbers."

"And that is...?" I asked, narrowing my gaze.

Pearce paused.

For a good, long while.

Then...

"Through the exchange of bodily fluids... particularly semen."

...

My eyes widened. "Whoa... wait... You drink each other's cum and you turn into werewolves!?"

Pearce shook his head. A lot of the werewolves were blushing deeply now. "No. Drinking of our seminal fluids merely result in the semen being digested and rendered useless. No. In order to transform someone, one must ejaculate into their anal cavity and tie with that person. My keeping the semen in that person... the condition is given time to cultivate and spread... allowing full transformation..."

My jaw hit the ground.

I couldn't believe it!

To become a werewolf... you had to be fucked by a werewolf!

As if I didn't have enough shocks for today...

Oh wait...

I stared at each of the werewolves. "Oh my god... You're all gay!"

There wasn't a single woman amongst them.

Pearce coughed loudly and I could detect the faintest edge of embarrassment on his face. "It was a... necessary lifestyle to fulfil our duty."

A totally hot one!

"In any case," Pearce murmured, locking gazes with me again. "We needed to bolster our ranks and Chad... well we sensed Chad shared our... leanings and we were inclined to change him. We began inducting him slowly. While ingesting our seminal juices does not offer a full transformation, it does give temporary werewolf-like abilities. Supernatural strength and sometimes, a mental link to the pack. We opted to ease him into the pack."

Sounded almost like brainwashing...

... but I wasn't about to say anything.

I was trying to hide my erection.

"When we learned that he was in fact... one of us, we decided to change him fully... However, we couldn't risk you entering the fray as well. If the two of you suddenly chose to stay in Crosstown, then we would raw much attention and our secret could be potentially exposed. I forbade Chad to see you again..."

Then his features softened surprisingly. "However, considering what happened today, I can see how your relationship could benefit us all." He winked at us slyly. "You have my blessing to pursue your boyfriend, Chad."

Chad let out an excited bark and his tail began wagging.

I rolled my eyes.

"Horndog."

He just rolled his eyes and poked my crotch with his nose.

"A word of warning," Pearce said. "Remember what I said about Chad's semen being infectious. Use protection."

"Yes, dad," I said, rolling my eyes.

Pearce nodded and grinned. "Now you know our secret, Jacob Reaper. I trust you will keep it that way? A secret?"

"Hey, I've got my own," I chuckled, raising a paw. "As long as you do the same, I'll honour your secret."

"Good." Pearce pulled a slightly smaller wolf towards himself. "Now, if you'll excuse us, this is cause for celebration! A vampire has just been killed!"

The werewolves all turned and shifted back into their feral forms, leaping into the woods and disappearing into the shadows with frightening ease. Watching them go was pretty cool.

And I couldn't believe that my boyfriend was now a werewolf!

I wondered if he'll let me 'get to know' the pack a little better at one point.

"Jake...?"

I turned towards Chad...

... and staggered back.

"Whoa!"

A seven foot monster stood in front of me, grinning broadly and brimming with so much muscle that I swear a tank wouldn't be able to run him over. He - and I was sure it was a he - wore the same fur as Chad but he was just so big that he actually had a slight hunch to his stance.

"It's me," Chad chuckled, resting a huge paw on my shoulder. "We werewolves have three forms. Our normal forms, our feral and this... I guess you can call it Lupine form."

That blew my perception of werewolves out the window.

My mind was blown.

Especially upon looking at his coconut-sized balls.

"What're you thinking?"

Don't say what you're thinking... Don't say what you're thinking...

"You have a lovely bunch of coconuts..." I sang softly.

Well... it wasn't what I was thinking...

Chad laughed and scooped my up in his huge arms. It was like resting in a bed of pulsing, molten iron. Soft when you need it to be but hard otherwise. Chad bent down and tenderly kissed me, our muzzled merging into one. Despite the way he looked and what he was now... He was still my Husky... My Husky-Wolf.

He pulled away and appraised me closely. "You ready for this?"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, we were zooming through the woods again. I buried my face into his thick fur, laughing softly as I found it ironic just last night, it was I who had taken him through a supernatural flight. Now he was carrying me...

Wow...

The world is funny that way...

Before I knew it, Chad had come to a halt.

I looked up and found myself back at Point Edge.

Slowly, Chad crouched down and rested me down on the soft grass, gently resting above me and smiling. I knew what he wanted.

I was fully healed at that point and after seeing a whole bunch of naked wolves and seeing my guy bulk up about two hundred pounds... Oh yeah! I wanted it too!

Chad slipped his large paws under my shirt, causing me to gasp as he brushed my nipples lightly. "So... you go around armed like a commando all the time?"

"Not all the time," I snickered. "When I'm naked and in bed with you, I don't have a gun."

"Yeah you do." He reached snapped my belt with one, sharp claw and tossed it aside. His paw slipped into my pants, gently brushing my totally hard cock.

I could see his member stirring in his sheath.

"Let me help you there," I chuckled. He shifted over me, positioning his cock rock over my head. I wrapped my lips around his furry sheath, breathing in his clear scent mixed with the heavy musk of his arousal. I smelled other wolves on him and I guessed that he had fun when he had been turned.

Just thinking about it made me hard all over again.

I drew circles around the edges of his sheath, teasing his cock to come out. I heard him grunt as I cupped his balls - one in each paw - and massaged them. His thick, muscular thighs - bigger than tree trunks and with pulsing veins like the roots of a redwood - clenched and gripped my sides tightly. His bright, red cock began pressing against the roof of my muzzle and I tasted the saltiness of his precum dripping onto my tongue.

"Oooh.... Oooh Jake..." he grunted.

I smirked and licked at his cock, sucking gently and teasing his cumslit with my tongue. His arousal was quickly growing and within a few seconds, my muzzle was full of his member and copious amounts of precum were pouring down my throat, filling me with warmth. He grunted loudly and another inch emerged from his sheath.

I felt the grass brush up against my back as I was pushed along the ground as his cock just kept growing!

My eyes widened as I watched his cock literally carry me past his abs and up to his chest! His cock had to be over a foot and a half long and thicker than four beer cans tied together! How in the hell did anyone expect them to stick that anywhere!?

Mesmerised, I slowly wrapped my legs around his pulsing member and felt his pulse beating through the thick, red meat like a living, needy pole. I could barely get the tip in my muzzle as I lathered it with my saliva and brushed my tongue all over it.

Chad grunted as I began stroking him off. Each of his veins was about as thick as my stubby fingers and it drove me wild seeing just how thick they were. One such vein pulsed against his massive pecs - each one way bigger than my own chest! I reached out with one paw and tweaked his left nipple.

He threw back his head and let out a longing whine.

"Jake... I gotta... Oh please.... Please let me fuck you Jake... Please?"

Okay... that got my attention.

I pulled his cock out of my muzzle and slipped off his pole. He gave me a puzzled look as I stood up and reached into my wallet. There, I pulled out a condom. XXL but I doubted even that would fit Chad now.

"Protection," I told him.

"But..." he began.

I gave him a stern look. As awesome as it may sound on paper to become a werewolf - especially to become part of a pack of gay werewolves - I could sense that Pearce was hiding something from me. He wanted me to be part of the pack and was using reverse psychology on us to ensure that I was. He basically encouraged us to have sex but warned us about consequences if we had unprotected sex. Then he flaunted his sexual freedom in front of us by basically announcing an orgy and rubbing it in our noses.

He was good but I saw through it.

Chad sighed. "Alright... Let me just... Urgh!"

His entire body clenched and his veins popped from his body. All those sweet, round muscles began receding back into his thick, russet fur. Unfortunately, his cock also began to shrink. Then I again, I wasn't that loose. As much as I would have loved to run my tongue over that amazing eight-pack abs or those perfectly rounded biceps and bulging thighs, I had to be careful.

Too many times, my hormones had gotten me into trouble.

My Husky was back to his normal self but was still sporting that erection. He was panting heavily like the transformation had taken a lot out of him. I wondered where all that muscle went.

Smiling, I took out the condom and offered it to him.

He regarded it with disgust but slipped it over his cock anyway as I pulled off my shirt and threw aside my pants. Fully naked, I pressed myself against him - my body still a little bigger from my earlier fight - and wrapped my lips around his. Our kiss was full of passion and love.

I honestly thought I was on the verge of losing him for a moment there and especially when Grim showed up... Since I didn't... I felt like I had to treasure Chad more than ever now. Some possibilities flew into my mind. Now that he was bound to the pack, I had no doubt there were some difficulties ahead of us...

I mean, he'd be running around with them all the time, protecting people from the vampires and I'd be protecting people from supervillains. We'd probably get to see each other less now and we'd constantly be sick with worry...

But I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment.

I loved Chad and I had no doubt we would work through any problems that arose between us.

I pulled my lips away from him, giving him a sly grin. Turned around, swinging my tail tauntingly as I bent down on all fours.

"Full moon tonight," I chuckled, lifting my tail.

"And I'm just the wolf to howl at it," Chad chuckled, squeezing his condom covered cock. He pressed his hot, muscular body over mine, his abs brushing against my back. Those powerful, corded arms wrapped around my chest, holding me tightly as he pressed his lips against mine.

I closed my eyes, lost in the moment and bracing for that moment when -

"Ah!" I gasped.

His hot cock pressed deep into me. There was no pain... Just a warming familiarity and that sense of 'rightness'. Like his cock was always meant to be there or that his cock was like a key to my door. A perfect fit.

Chad grunted as he slipped in and out of me, his balls bouncing against my ass with his powerful thighs gripping mine. His paws wrapped around my member, squeezing it hard and stroking me off. Hot wads of my precum pouring down onto the grass and some splattered against my chest. His other paw slid up to my sensitive nipples, first brushing over then and then gripping one tightly and wiggling it playfully.

Every little wiggle caused me to spurt a large burst of precum.

Wiggle-wiggle-wiggle...

... splat-splat-splat!

"Chad..." I moaned, as he pressed deeper into me. I could feel his knot forming and it was pushing the boundaries of my ass.

He growled in response, licking my neck and nibbling at the flesh there. Every little press of his fangs against my fur was like a taser shock. It sent bolts of electricity down my spine, tensing every muscle and infusing more and more of himself with me.

"Jake..." he rumbled, his voice echoing in my ears. "I love you, Jake..."

"I - yarf! - I love you too, Ch - Ch - Chad!" I cried as he squeezed hard on my cock.

He began pounding hard and fast against me. Every time he pressed that thick, bulbous knot against my ass, I would grind my ass into him and try to wiggle more of it into me. That thick, throbbing piece of meat of his brushed against my prostate, pouring more and more of my precum onto the ground. I squeezed down hard on his cock with my ass and he moaned in bliss. I felt his precum pour into me, softening up my ass for the inevitable entrance of his member.

"J - Jake..." he grunted, panting out my name. "C - C - Can I...? C - Can I bite you...?"

I blinked, a little bit of clarity in the wild, sexual haze.

"... I... I wanna... Urf... I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, J - Jake!" Chad cried. "Oh god... Oh god! I'm close... P - Please, Jake... W - Will you be my... my... my mate...?"

This had to be a first...

Proposing during sex...

But who was I to complain!

He was proposing to me!

Hell yeah!

"Yes!" I cried, throwing my head back. "God yes!"

Several things happened at the same time...

Chad's knot popped straight into me at that moment. He pulled me back up against him and we tumbled backwards. I landed on top of him just as his fangs found purchase of my shoulder.

I arched my back and let out an ear-splitting howl as I came all over us.

The mating bite filled me with more power than I ever felt before. I filled my every pore, my every cell and my every being with Chad. My cock shook violently and sprayed us both with my thick, white seed. My entire body felt so hot, almost feverish as sweat rolled off my body, mixing with my salty cum.

And I felt him cum... Inside me...

I felt his scalding, hot cum pour into me as he too orgasmed. His cock vibrated inside of me, shaking my entire body and jostling my entire being as if our two worlds had just collided and were now in the process of reconstituting themselves to be one.

I felt complete...

... I was in love...

... I was mated...

With Chadstone West...

Just thinking his name made my entire body spasm violently and more cum poured out of me.

I was left gasping... exhausted... but full...

Chad slowly pulled his fangs away from my shoulder. He was panting too... but he quickly licked the small wounds he had made. As my regeneration took care of the light - but utterly loving and welcome - injury, he drew his lips up my neck, running it across my jaws before planting them against mine.

I sighed into the kiss... Feeling like if there was one moment in my life that would define who I was... it would be this one...

Chad sighed as well... and as he pulled away, he smiled at me.

"Welcome to the Pack, Jake."

...

Huh?