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The first thing Aiden was aware of as he was coming to from a drowsy slumber was a splitting headache, feeling the throbbing cross a line over his forehead from ear to ear. Along with the headache his entire body felt numb yet as he tried to move his limbs around he could distinctly feel some soreness in his joints. It felt like he had been squeezed by a bear or a vise and something was keeping his nerves numb from the pain but not by a lot.

The second thing Aiden was aware of, before his eyes would willingly open, was muffled chattering somewhere in the distances. Lindsey's, Gary's cousin he had managed to drag all the way from California just to check on Aiden, was the only voice he recognized. The other sounded deep but carried off with a sensitive tone. He didn't hear Gary...but he could smell his blood. Fractured images of memory swarmed in Aiden's head, recalling a scene where the front door had been unusually kicked in and Gary was laying on the floor with the door resting on top spotting crimson red blood matting the back of his black hair. Someone had invaded the house; Gary could be dead.

Aiden started to stir, fighting off the grogginess intruding his strength, wanting to make sure if Gary was alive, if Lindsey was ok. Rolling to his stomach Aiden suddenly felt air and dropped with a heavy thud onto a carpeted ground, yelping as he held his battered arm with the opposite forepaw. The painful surprise brought Aiden's eyes wide open, realizing now he was in the family room connected to the kitchen. His eyes stared up at the ceiling for a while, taking a moment to put back together the missing pieces of the event that had caused him to blackout suddenly.

It was nighttime now, the day having drawn to a close. Strangely all the lights inside the house weren't on, the moonlight shining outside the only source illuminating parts of the room. Aiden began to sniff frantically where he lay; detecting Lindsey and Gary somewhere close in the house. There was another too belonging to the domineering scent from back in the woods where he last left Luna. It must belong to the new voice that had been talking to Lindsey, whom now Aiden could hear her footsteps rushing into the family.

"Aiden?" Lindsey cried, dropping to a knell as she held Aiden's head in her hands. "You alright?"

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck," Aiden said, laughing a little as he could see her face more clearly, relieved to see Lindsey was perfectly fine. His face froze in shock as he clasped a forepaw over his neck. "What the...I can talk again?"

"Suppose so," Lindsey said, helping Aiden back to his hindpaws only to end up gently dropping him back on the couch he had been sleeping on. "You sniffed up some weird powder. He said it would speed up the reversion process while keeping you under."

"Reversion? What do you..." Aiden realized what Lindsey meant he began to notice something odd about what he was seeing in front of his eyes. His snout was visible anymore, prompting him to feel his face with his forepaws, which turned out that not only was his muzzle flat again but his own paws were hands once more. Aiden began to study the rest of his body, discovering he was now physically human again. Only certain appendages or features seemed to remain; small patches of his brown fur covered parts of his skin with his shoulders and waist retaining most of its thickness, both fore and hindpaws were human hands and feet but his claws and padded calluses stayed put, his nose was still flared and coated in a brownish leather while his fangs remained settled inside his mouth. What appeared to have stayed permanently unchanged was his wolfish ears and tail. Aiden hugged his tail around his waist stroking softly as he silently whimpered, feeling a part of him had been stripped and what stayed could only ease the depression swelling in his heart.

I'm ugly again Aiden thought, beginning to wander if he could show his face to Luna now.

"Aiden," Lindsey spoke softly, brushing lightly over Aiden's furry shoulder, "he said you needed to be human for this, so your inner wolf wasn't distracting you what he had to say."

He? Wait...that man...

"You're talking about the thing in the living room, aren't you?" Aiden said sternly, halting Lindsey's petting in fright. "I can smell him. He was in the woods. He's the same guy who hurt Gary, isn't he? Why are you listening to him?"

"Cause apparently he has some answers to our pressing questions, buddy."

Aiden's wolfish ears perked eagerly to that voice, spinning around on the couch and sitting on his knees tail wagging like an excited puppy dog as the gut-wrenching fear that Gary might have been dead obliterated happily with him walking into the kitchen boasting his signature sly smile. "You're ok!" Aiden shouted, tongue rolling out into a pant.

"Down boy," Gary snickered, turning his attention to Lindsey. "I thought he said that powder shit was supposed to make him normal again. Aiden's still wily like Sophie."

"At least his talking again," Lindsey said, "and he does seem to still be thinking like a human again on some level. It should be enough."

Aiden, baffled at the one-sided conversation shook his head and barked grabbing both Lindsey's and Gary's focus. "Damn Aiden," Gary groaned, "can you not act like an animal for two seconds?"

"Sorry," Aiden spoke, a light whine carrying in his voice, "but I'm getting a little confused here and you two sound like you made some kind of pact with the asshole that tore down your front door and banged the back of your head."

"Yeah, true," Gary agreed, rubbing the back of his head carefully without pulling at the bandage dried with his blood. "Don't worry about me, though. Lindsey took me to the hospital early after all this shit. Got four shots and some staples; the shots hurt the most." Gary turned back to the kitchen, "And Mister Outdoorsy-kick's-peoples-doors-down guy is gonna pay for both my medical bills And a new door just so you know!"

"He said he was sorry already," Lindsey defended, looking back to Aiden. "The guy is actually sweeter than his appearance and actions lends on. He says he was felt rushed and needed to see you immediately."

Aiden looked away from the two of them staring down at the floor, contemplating the situation. It seemed strange after what this strange had done that his friends were suddenly buddy-buddy, especially now that he was remembering the stranglehold that bastard managed to put on him even when he was still a werewolf. Then again, he could remember the ember eyes and fangs, and his scent was lupine too. That means he was like him, a werewolf. But something about the way he smelled annoyed him. Lindsey says this guy is actually sweet and innocent yet he smells like a wolf that has gotten into many fights and had shed enough blood in his day, that domineering smell which made him think the stranger was a foreboding boss or leader.

An Alpha?

"You guys said he wanted to talk to me?" Aiden finally spoke.

"Yeah," Lindsey said weakly, both her and Gary shuddering from Aiden's calm yet chilling tone. "He's waiting for you in the living room. I think you really need to hear what he has to say."

Aiden nodded and stood up, tumbling a little bit prompting Lindsey and Gary to rush to him and holding him up by his shoulders. "Guess that powder stuff hasn't gone away yet," Aiden attempted to joke though coming out more like an irritation.

"Actually," Lindsey hummed sheepishly, "you're probably feeling the effects of the Morphine...that I...kind of..."

"Liz stuck you in the ass with her needle," Gary blurted out with a laugh.

Aiden looked to Lindsey with wide eye shock. "Sorry," Lindsey apologized, "but this might be the only time I will ever get to learn about werewolves. That and at the time I thought helping him keep you calm might work into some kind of negotiation to spare our lives if it came to that."

"Yeah, real smooth cuz," Gary smiled, earning a slap to the back of the head from Lindsey. "Ouch! Dammit Liz."

Lindsey giggled pleasingly.

Gary and Lindsey continued to help Aiden into the kitchen and down the hallway, Aiden noting the front door lying next to the wall with the hinges snapped off; a thick green blanket nailed to the entryway to keep out the breeze and bugs that could slip in. Across the living room the rugged man in the red plaited wool jacket sat on a small chair near Gary's unlit fireplace, the open window left of them cascading pale moonlight to help illuminate the area. Aiden's feral eyes could see everything clearly, the moonlight only adding more detail he couldn't see before. The rugged man was just sitting there slouched over with his hands clasped together between his legs almost as if he was asleep. For a werewolf that smelled threatening and powerful he sure looked harmless and ridiculous.

"I see your finally awake," the rugged man suddenly spoke, leaning back against the chair showing his face and ember eyes. "Good. You look better. Why don't you take a seat there on the sofa and I'll try to be out of your hair, or fur, as quick as possible."

Aiden gazed fiercely at the stranger as his friends helped him over to the sofa. As gentle as this guy sounded; his scent still left an unnaturally authoritarian mark keeping Aiden aggressively alert. Brightly colored cotton sudden whipped at this face starling him for a moment. It was a towel thrown by Gary, clearing his throat as he motioned his hands around his waist. Aiden nodded, getting the hint as he covered his waist to look less nude in front of everyone, prying his tail out from behind resting next to his leg to not be crushed.

"Comfortable?" The rugged man asked politely.

Aiden said nothing, eyes piercing the stranger.

"I can understand why you must be angry at me," The rugged man began leaning forward as before, "and I sincerely apologize for getting your friend hurt. He said he was heading for the phone so I thought he'd be away from the door by then."

"Well you thought wrong," Gary grumbled, arms crossed as he and Lindsey lay back on opposite sides of the wall corners leading upstairs.

"And I will fix your door before I leave," The rugged man replied to Gary humorously, "but you might have to wait away before I can repay you for the hospital bill."

"Don't worry," Lindsey said, "I can take care of that."

"I see you all gotten so chummy after you all ganged up on me," Aiden growled, the room silent after that for a bit.

"I was just as surprised by Ms. Pillar as you were," the rugged man continued, "and I'm actually thankful for her assistance. For a human she understands the seriousness of the matter."

"That's what she has been saying," Aiden said while looking to Lindsey, bringing his fixed furious gaze back on the stranger. "So who are you exactly? You smell like a wolf but you're still human."

The rugged man began to laugh softly to himself, removing his cap to scratch his head. "I'm starting to think we need to let you rest a little longer until you're completely human again...unless I'm talking to Aiden and not the wolf."

Aiden's head cocked back confusingly. "I don't understand. I know who I am."

"Do you?" The rugged man answered back. "Are you truly aware of what is happening to you; what this is doing to you?"

Aiden snarled, "You said you had something to tell me, right? Well what is it?"

The rugged man sighed and stood straight in his seat, his face molded into a strict complexion that demanded to be taken seriously. "Before I tell you what I need to you need to promise me you will listen and thoughtfully think about any decisions you'll need to make later. I also would like it if you could tone down your voice. I'm trying to be friendly."

Aiden suddenly shot up from the sofa, snarling wildly with fangs bare and claws flexed, his ears folded back and tail erected straight behind. "You nearly killed my best friend you asshole! And what did you do to Luna? Where is she!?"

"Aiden!?" Both Gary and Lindsey shouted, ready to leap in and try to hold Aiden back as best as they could regardless of what he could do to retaliate. Aiden's rage suddenly vanished the moment the rugged man stood firmly and glared menacingly into his eyes. It petrified him, enough to make him feel lowly and submissive whimpering as he knelled down back to the sofa with his tail whipping between his legs. Gary and Lindsey were astonished, a mild sigh of relief escaping from their lips as they lay back against the wall.

"How did you do that?" Lindsey asked.

"Because your friend can sense it," the rugged man spoke slowly sitting back down in his chair. "As much as your friend wants to put his claws and fangs to good use, for understandable reasons, he knows now that would be a bad idea."

"Because you're an Alpha, aren't you?" Aiden spoke up, calm but still rigid. "I'm not that stupid; I learned about stuff like this back in high school. But I guess it is my animal side that's recognizing it."

"Well now that we've gotten that out of the way," the rugged man now known as the Alpha began, "will you be a little more considerate and listen to what I have to say."

"Kind of feel like I don't have a choice anymore," Aiden muttered, throwing the towel that had fallen off him during his rage back on his lap.

"Ironically," the Alpha chuckled, "that's what this is exactly about."

Aiden's head tilted in curiosity.

"As I said before; first off, I'm sorry for my rude entrance. I mean no harm and didn't mean to get anyone hurt. On that note I'm sorry I had to be a bit rough with you. I wasn't sure how far gone you were into your lupine nature and didn't feel like I had enough to time to coax you into taking a whiff of my special little powder. It just has the same effects as Ms. Pillar's shot, only less with the loopy and numbness and more with helping suppress your hormones so your body can natural change back to its human form."

"Suppress my hormones?" Aiden questioned ears erect.

"I'll get to that part in a bit," the Alpha smiled. "Second, Luna is fine. She's a part of our pack so no one is harming her. And don't worry about anyone taking her either; she seems to be reserving that for you only."

Aiden couldn't help but grin proudly; his love for Luna increased ever further knowing she was waiting for him.

"Wait," Gary interrupted, "Who the heck is Luna?"

"My mate," Aiden replied, looking back to Gary with his grin still stretched over his fanged lips. Gary looked back at him funny raising an eyebrow.

"Now Aiden," the Alpha resumed, "Can you tell me if there was anything different about you that you knew from the start; feeling out of place, behaving abnormally, or possibly born with a particular deformity uncommon to humans?"

Aiden's eyes gradually dropped down to the towel, the originally sign that he wasn't born normal.

The Alpha grinned and nodded. "How long have you been aware that you were a werewolf like us?"

"Not until two nights ago," Aiden replied. "I guess I should have figured that out once I found out what was wrong with my...well, you know. But I just took it as a genetic anomaly...that and I was scared and embarrassed of what doctors might do to me."

"So the changes started only two nights ago. That's how you discovered you were one of us?"

"I guess. Technically I suppose I started acting different than normal the day of my twenty-first birthday. I'm not normally a sexual guy; never really cared about going out and fucking any woman I saw like Mister Stud behind me."

Gary's face stretched into a macho styled smile, Lindsey scoffing; shaking her head in disgust.

"It wasn't until that night," Aiden continued, "that I started smelling something. I think a couple of stray dogs were outside the complex's barren backyard. All I remember was that I smelled this potent odor. It...set me off. All of a sudden I was horny as hell and, well...after that night I got obsessed with going out with someone, anyone who was pretty eager to mate."

"I helped set that up," Gary gloated. "I just didn't know it would all go freaky and nuts."

Aiden shrugged at the comment, blushing harder as the Alpha let out a quiet laugh at Gary's remark. "I guess," Aiden went out sheepishly, "I smelled pheromones, wasn't I?"

The Alpha removed his cap and brushed the back of his hair smacking his lips. "That would about do it in most cases. Thing is, with my pack, our inner wolves aren't as responsive with mating with human females. Of course, that all depends on tastes and all, but that's just how it seems to work. With you most likely the prospect of mating for the first time was enough to set off your inner wolf to surface. But now that it has it will be mainly interested in mating with its own kind, even sometimes our own animal cousins. The bottom line though is, with our pack anyways, our transformations are linked to our hormones."

"You said you were born with a lupine cock?" Lindsey asked, face cringing awkwardly from asking.

Aiden looked back and nodded weakly.

"Well," Lindsey started, first looking to Gary, "I'm not a full fledge doctor," and then turned back to Aiden, "but I did have to study about human physiology and biology to get my degree. This is just a guess since I've never heard of a case of a human being living with a healthy workable animal phallus, but maybe the reason you're changing into a wolf is because of all the sexual stimulus surrounding lately, which in turn could be creating lupine hormones to balance out your genetics. The more your sexually aroused, the more your physiology and genetic make-up becomes overridden until you take a full form."

"And how do you know this," Gary mocked, "Ms. Expert on Werewolfism?"

Lindsey sharply turned to Gary with a cold stare. "Like I said it's just a guess. For all I know everything I just said is complete bull-shit."

"Actually," the Alpha spoke scratching one side of his temples, "that's about as close to a reasonable scientific explanation than I could ever come up with."

Lindsey's eyes beamed surprisingly, and then boasted a victorious smile at Gary, to which he responded by letting out an irritated groan.

Aiden held back his laughter.

"So your friend is pretty close," the Alpha resumed. "Though there is one thing that tends to be random in our pack. Some of my pack mates began to discover their own inner wolves only after until they became eighteen to twenty-one. In human standards that is the age of adult maturity to most. Equivalently, it would be similar to a wolf's age of maturity. And it's around that time that wolves are within breeding age and when shewolves become susceptible to heat cycles. Although we had a few members that became sexual aware and curious earlier in their youth and even then unlocked their inner wolves. Like I said, we are apparently a breed created entirely out of randomness."

Aiden, Gary, and Lindsey all looked a bit perplexed by the Alpha's possible attempt in metaphor.

"What should be clear is that it wasn't just by chance you just became sexual active. You turned twenty-one right in the middle of our mating season. Your own inner wolf has been responding to it, which is way you may feel like you have little control over your actions and might believe that this is all natural, and technically it is in a way. But in order for you to understand what will happen if you give in completely I needed to bring you back to a clearer, non-instinctual state."

"Why?" Aiden questioned. "I was still here. I can still understand what everyone was saying?"

"Not as much from my perspective, buddy," Gary muttered.

"That's because you were too busy freaking out to pay attention," Aiden rebutted.

"I couldn't chance it," the Alpha answered. "Trust me, sometimes it's not that easy to know when it's you talking and when it's the wolf."

"Why is that so bad?" Aiden protested further. "I know I've been acting and thinking like a animal more and more but I haven't yet felt like I was being completely stripped of my freewill. In fact I'm becoming quite fond of being a wolf now. I even prepared too..."

The Alpha brought out a flat hand stopping Aiden mid-sentence. "I have a feeling I know what you're going to say. Before you do now would be the time I should tell what I wanted to go over with you in the first place.

"I want you to be aware, Aiden, that changing lifestyles might not be the best ideas. Just so you know, if you do choose to live as a wolf you are welcomed into our pack. But be aware; like as a wolf is not all glamorous."

"Well it's not like he has to stay a wolf, does he?" Gary asked troublingly. "I mean you guys are werewolves; you can shapeshift back to normal anytime, right?"

"Generally, you would be correct. And it is possible; I'm living proof. However, in some cases; members' of my pack for example, going back to a human life isn't that easy. Some of us become so enthralled or enamored with our changes that they don't want to go back. Others, having lived the life of a wolf for so long, do pine for it but have forgotten how to be human. There are exceptions; lucky exceptions. Some of us that can't change back completely can at least take a humanoid physique but remain in the form of a wolf, like in some movies. But the fact of the matter is once you go wolf you might never go back."

The Alpha paused for a moment judging Aiden's gaze towards him. His ember eyes kept a frightful firm lock on him, showing he was at least paying attention attentively. But he sensed that Aiden's lupine side remained the most dominant, wondering now if it was already too late or if this boy truly was comfortable with his new life.

"Let me tell a short story," The Alpha un-paused. "There was once a man who was as confused as you were when he realized he wasn't particularly normal, especially with his package. He eventually met and became close friends with others with the same condition. Not long after they became mature enough they all soon fell victim to their animal side's baser instincts and soon drowned in the conquest for sexual gratification, looking to mate as much as they could. I believe it was around the mating season as well.

"In time, these boys began to discover what was happening to them, turning little by little into werewolves, yet their animal sides kept them pretty preoccupied with the need to mate that, before long, it felt as if all these instincts and urges their inner wolves had were theirs as well. It only became worse once they tracked down female werewolves born with the same condition...as well as roaming pureblooded wolves. Flung into the mating cycle of the season they all soon became so drunk with the need to oblige their animal baser instincts that many of them became almost oblivious to the fact they were no longer human, believing being a wolf was their sole purpose in life. And, for a while, they were all happy and proud of what they had become, forming their own pack and tending to any young born from the mating season, progressing onward with simple goals. Roaming, hunting, feeding, and mating. There were, of course, a couple of pack members that mated out of love."

"Not to be a buzz kill," Gary cut in, "but I'm guessing this story is about you, isn't it?"

The Alpha gave Gary a detested look for a brief moment, fading into a grin. "Kind of blew my twist ending there, kiddo. But your friend is right, Aiden. Those men were me and my friends. It practically took us a year or two to realize how much time had passed since we became wolves and when some of us started to miss what we left behind. Albeit being human has its own cons, but it can be the little things that can start to eat you up. Missing loved ones in the human world, for example, can be quiet devastating."

If I had anyone to miss Aiden thought to himself. My step parents never really seemed to care about me. I doubt they barely miss me. Gary really is the only friend I have and kept all these years. I hope...he won't hate me for my decision.

"Question," Lindsey jumped in, raising her hand as if back in a classroom wishing to be noticed by the teacher. "Out of curiosity, can you transmit this kind of lycanthropy by bite or blood? Or is this only heredity?"

"To my current knowledge," the Alpha addressed her, "we're not considered infectious. I've never heard or seen anyone we may have bitten or possibly mated with become a werewolf like us. This was something we were born with, our unique anatomy the sign."

"So then Aiden's real parents could have been werewolves?" Gary added.

"Yes, or at least from one, though the likelihood of that happen is pretty uncommon. And considering how my pack hasn't really put that theory to work I can't honestly say."

"Is it also uncommon to have werewolves in your pack that have remained human physically but wolf mentally?" Aiden questioned, having looked down over himself for a bit until he brought back his feral stern gaze to the Alpha.

"You're referring to Luna, correct?"

Aiden nodded. "Not that it matters to me that much, but Luna came off as someone who has been living a wolf lifestyle for a long time now. But until we met she's been human. Has she always been stuck that way or does she posses the ability to shapeshift?"

The Alpha leaned back in his chair; hands clasped back resting on his stomach. "Luna, like you, is a unique case with little answers to go by. You see Luna didn't become part of our pack until we found her. She was...wounded, not badly just apparently had the wind knocked out of her. But when we found her we also found her old pack...slaughtered."

Aiden could hear Lindsey gasp behind her, sporting a similar shock in his eyes but generally unchanged.

"Luna was about in her preteens when we found her and her fallen pack. We also found the group of hunters that had shot them all down. After we took retribution for our slain cousins we brought her back with us and tended to her until she regained her strength. When she came time we immediately discovered how well adapted she was to a wolf's lifestyle, moving and behavior only as an animal. From her scent and sex it was clear she was one of us, not much less an oddity that a pureblood wolf pack had raised her. She took it hard once she realized her pack was gone, but she slowly assimilated into our family and become one of our sisters."

"I figured as much she was literary raised by wolves," Aiden said, "but she does posses some human intelligence. She managed to hint at her own name even when she couldn't speak. And she knows...other things...pretty well."

"The pack and I taught her some human knowledge," the Alpha answered back, "only minor things; simple things. Sometimes though it doesn't really stick; took me two weeks to get her to understand where the name we picked for her came from and how to pronounce it. As for the 'other things' you can blame some of my pack mates for that. As it's somewhat made clear, our breed is highly sexual in nature. It's not rare for all of us to have 'pleasured' each other at one point in time and not pick up on certain techniques remembered and displayed from our human lives."

"Shit!" Gary exclaimed, "You're saying your pack have wild werewolf orgies!?"

Lindsey slapped his arm hard but similar showed the same bizarre astonishment. Aiden, though, began to look uneasy.

"It's only explicit during the mating season," the Alpha bashfully replied, "though most of the first members have learned some self-control by now. But, in some cases, our baser instincts and human sense of sexual attraction tend to lead to situations like that. For Luna, she's no stranger to it. In fact she is one of the few members that have shown signs of her inner wolf physically manifesting before she reached human maturity. Let me also put it this way; sexuality to us is like a drug, a bad habit that's too difficult to kick. And Luna, believe it or not, is a very sexual being."

"So," Aiden moaned, "you're saying she's had multiple partners."

"Well that now lays into another unique thing about her; she's never been mated. It's been tried, I assure you. There is no male in my pack; that hasn't already found their own mate, that hasn't once tried to court Luna into mating and succeed. She's gone as far as willingly presenting herself to an anxious wolf, but just as they appeared coupled she stirs up into a mighty fit and thrashes the wolf off her. We had no clue why she acted this way for the longest time. The only time she allowed herself sexual release with another wolf merely stimulating her sex orally or, from the few that could shift back into humanoid forms, forepaws. And then, of course, by her own means. That much has allowed her to bend the cage keeping her animal self physically locked in, but never as much as to take a truer lupine shape.

"Not until now," the Alpha said pointing at Aiden. "Not until you showed up and came into her life."

"Me?" Aiden asked, his tail wagging against the sofa.

"For some reason, Luna chose you. Of course, you helped aggravated that decision when you apparently appeared in the woods two nights ago. Your scent was all over her, and just in case you want to know her jubilant mood the next morning made some of the male jealous."

We were together two nights ago? Aiden thought, searching frantically in his memories of any such event. But...I don't remember anything at all about that night, not after Vivian stormed out of my apartment and after getting a decent look at what I was turning into.

"It didn't appear the two of you had mated yet," the Alpha continued, "having not smelled any signs of copulating. But whatever you did you left an impression on her. Luna may not talk but her cheery and sultry behavior expressed her feelings for you that entire day. It wasn't until last night I finally got to get a good look at whom she had become so infatuated with. I was surprised that it was another wolf like us, but I was further surprised at how she seemed to like you the most out of all the males she had grown up with in our pack so quickly."

That proud smile crept over Aiden's face once more, feeling a stir in his wolfhood at the thought of his sexual prowess with Luna.

"Is it weird that I'm starting to get curious about werewolf porn from all this?" Gary half-joked. Lindsey once more looked at him funnily, shoving Gary a bit playfully.

"Is she waiting for me?" Aiden asked.

"She is," the Alpha answered, Aiden cocking his head back slowly eyes closed, that same smile widening. "But I asked her to stay away from you at least until tomorrow night."

The smile broke into a frown. "What? Why?"

"Because if you see her now after this conversation you might fall back into your lupine lustful mindset again, forgetting everything I had told you about in pursuit of sexual conquest. Similarly, it is so she can't influence your decision."

"My decision?"

"Yes, which brings us to the climax of our little chat. I would like for you to let everything I have told you about our lifestyle, its pros and cons, sink into your head for at least one day. Hopefully that will be enough time for you to come to a rational decision that will be your own and not the wolf inside. As I have said, if you do choose to let yourself become a wolf completely you are welcomed to join our pack. Be warned though, we plan to move east after tomorrow night. There is no telling when we will turn back west to this town. Luna will be coming with us; it would too dangerous for her to hide out in your woods for too long without guidance even if you were there for her. I couldn't risk possible exposure."

"Wait," Lindsey squeaked distressfully. "Then...what will happen to us?"

The Alpha laughed heartedly. "Don't worry. I believe I have your trust that you will keep our pack secret, for your friend's sake.

"Aiden," the Alpha resumed, "I'm not trying to keep you from becoming a wolf. If it is really what you want then so be it. But I've gone through all this so I made sure You had the choice, not the wolf. It's hard to let go of a life you might possibly never come back too. I want you to be absolutely sure you can be mentally and emotionally prepared to move on. If not, then I would suggest learning to cope with your urges to an extent. And I would also suggest trying to forget about Luna if that were the case."

The room fell silent for a while, the moonlight from outside beginning to sink away from inside the living room. The Alpha soon rose after from his seat and tipped his cap to everyone with a grin.

"I believe that's all I had to say. Mr. Richter, I need to run out and finish up some last minute errands. I'll return shortly to guard your house until the morning. The hardware store in your town should be opened then. As promised I'll make sure your front door is fixed up before the end of the day."

"It better," Gary said, "or my mom's gonna have a fit when she comes back from Las Vegas this week."

The Alpha chuckled, turning to Aiden still sitting silently deep in thought. "If you chose to join us meet us at the river where you and Luna visited yesterday and this morning. If you don't show up after dawn my pack will head out. Can't say when we will return. Until then; goodnight brother." Aiden didn't respond or flinch, leaving the Alpha to smile; believing Aiden was taking his words to heart. He walked up to both Gary and Lindsey, shaking Gary's hand firmly and Lindsey's with a gentleman's kiss to the hand. He soon headed for the blanketed front door.

"Wait!" Aiden shouted, jumping from his seat to face the Alpha, looking back just as he parted the blanket away. "I want to thank you for telling me all this...for letting me know I have a choice in all this."

The Alpha nodded, beginning to lean out the door.

"But it doesn't change my decision," Aiden cried. The Alpha paused, stepping back fully into the house as he crossed his arms and listened. "I understand becoming a wolf isn't going to be glamorous. I understand I might miss some things about my human life." Aiden turned to Gary and Lindsey after his last sentence, display a guilty smile. "Some bonds can never be forgotten." He turned back to the Alpha. "But I don't need my inner wolf to whisper in my ears if being a wolf is right. I was scared when I first started transforming, even worse when I didn't recall anything from the other night. But after last night, being with Luna, I felt something I never thought I would feel while thought I was becoming a monster. Acceptance. Love. Wholeness."

"Are you sure that's how you really felt?" the Alpha asked. "Or are you sure it was just your hormones seeking her out?"

"Maybe it started like that at first. But I remember everything from last night with Luna. I remember the awkwardness of being so aroused around her, the timid feeling of being fawned over by a beautiful woman, the thrill of racing into the woods alongside her. When we made love, when we mate; yes, it's incredibly sexually gratifying. But it's with her I feel whole. Something about her fills this painful void that struck me after mating with Vivian. Maybe I am growing an addiction to her; it feels maddening being apart. All I know is I can't abandon Luna. I know she would be torn in two if you forced her to leave me behind if I stayed. I couldn't move on without her either. I love her. She's mine and I am hers. She's my mate."

The Alpha shook his head lightly scratching his stubble chin. "You must be some kind of hopeless romantic, aren't you?"

"I remind him of that every day," Gary spoke up, sulking back against the wall.

"I guess I am," Aiden said, "but I feel like it's more than that. Last night I had a dream where we were together. It was technically Vivian's face but everything else was her from scent to fur and behavior. In that dream her voice was Vivian's but she spoke of me needing to look for her. She said she was waiting for me. As soon as I wake from it she stood outside my apartment. Maybe my mind was trying to piece together our time between us the other night, but it felt more like a calling, fate maybe."

"Interesting," the Alpha muttered.

"I'm sorry if it sounds like I've wasted your time," Aiden continued, "but I made my decision last night and I stick by it even knowing what I know now. I will happily become a wolf if it means being with Luna. I already feel like I'm better suited for it."

"Sure," Gary grumbled, looking away from the gang. "Just take off and leave everyone who actually gives a shit about you behind."

Aiden's stomach churned but he inhaled deeply, keeping in the pride he was feeling from his speech as he walked to his best friend laying a hand over Gary's shoulder.

"I told you, Gary. Some bonds can't be forgotten. I'm gonna miss hanging out with you, seriously. Hell, even he said I don't have to stay a wolf forever."

"But you will," Gary slowly began to sob, forcing down the tears in attempt to retain his macho demeanor. "You said it yourself. You rather be a dumb mutt. You're not gonna want to change back again."

"Of course I will. How else am I going to come back and bug the heck out of you like you've done with me, huh?"

The two stared at each other, an icy chill forming between them until they both suddenly burst into laughter. It was a hard blow to Gary knowing he wasn't going to Aiden to kick around with as much anymore, the two of them having been best friends since Elementary. But he started to finally believe, as much as Aiden did, that this wasn't going to be a final goodbye. Aiden would be back to help cause up a ruckus. It was the not knowing when that plagued Gary.

"You really love this wolf chick, do you?" Gary asked sincerely.

"Pretty much," Aiden chuckled awkwardly.

"Aiden," the Alpha called to him. "If this is your wish then remember the meeting spot; by the river from last night. We will all be waiting." Once more, with a tip of his cap and final haunting glare of his own ember eyes the Alpha ducked under the blanket leaving the house. Lindsey waved good-bye as she joined Aiden and Gary.

"So you feel any better, Gary?" Lindsey asked.

"Not really. But hey, who am I to get in the way of true love...even if it is pretty bizarre. Hey Aiden?"

"Yeah Gary?"

"You sticking around for the night?"

"Suppose I should. It would be the last night we hang out for a while, right?"

"Yep. So...any chance can I convince you to put your clothes back on until tomorrow?"

Aiden went wide eyed a laughed weakly as he loomed over the sofa behind him, snatching the towel and wrapping it around his waist. "Any chance I could borrow more from you?"

Gary's eyes rolled back and grunted, all three of them laughing after.

"Hey, why didn't we have any of the lights on? Was that weirdo sensitive to them or something?"