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Lykos - Lone Wolf

Chapter 13

The days passed quickly as the training of the pack resumed. Ben had been nervous when Mitchell had said he wanted to observe the training, but as Ben no longer had any right to speak against him or deny his orders, which the keeper was polite enough to phrase as requests, which made the alpha feel slightly better, so he behaved as normally as he could. As the human refrained from questioning his training methods, Ben soon returned to his bold, confident teaching methods and had the lessons back on track.

By the night before Moon Night, they were as ready as they could be under the circumstances. Ben took the day after the full moon off in preparation. He expected that after a night of running around and fighting, he would want to take a day to sleep in, and said as much to Steve, who annoyed him by laughing. "Trust me," he said. "The moon energizes us. The next day will leave you more jittery than exhausted." Ben could only shake his head at that, unable to believe it.

That afternoon, they got into their vehicles and drove to the sanctuary. It wasn't an actual animal sanctuary as much as a few acres of privately owned land that was the property of Ino, who had set it aside for the wolves' use during the nights of the full moon. They arrived a few minutes before sunset and got out, then met up with Mitchell and headed towards the others who had already gathered at the end of an old, overgrown access road that led into the forested wilderness.

The scents of other werewolves and humans filled the air, making it hard to tell who was who or what. Ben found it impossible to tell one scent from another and soon gave up trying when it started giving him a headache. He hadn't realized that so many werewolves existed. *And this is just the wolves from around here?* he wondered. *Controlling them all will be difficult, but if I can gain dominance over the other alphas, that will make controlling the packs easier,* he thought to himself. He wasn't thinking that in the egotistical manner he had since he had first become a n alpha; he was thinking it as a leader and military commander who was analyzing the situation and taking everything into account. the change was subtle, but significant enough for him to have noticed it within himself. *I guess meditation really is starting to pay off,* he thought.

Ever since he had begun the regimen of daily meditation, Ben had begun to feel less aggressive; less prone to react instinctually, but rather take a moment to think before he acted. The real test had been with Luke when the beta had seen him eating a few milk bones while watching TV, making sure to avoid getting crumbs everywhere the way Kyle tended to, and had said that eating them made the alpha look like he was crazy. Ben had become furious at that, rising off of the couch rapidly.

"You know DAMNED well I hate being called that!" he'd growled fiercely, jabbing an accusory finger at the lesser wolf, but had refrained from lashing out physically like his instincts wanted him to. "Never call me that again!"

"Yes, Alpha," Luke had said with a small smile as Mitchell came in from the kitchen, nodding in approval.

"Good, very good, Ben. You're starting to gain control over your instincts," the keeper had said approvingly.

"You were testing me?" Ben asked with annoyance.

"Yes, and you passed. Congratulations."

Growling in annoyance, Ben threw himself back onto the couch and bit another canine biscuit in half. "Assholes," he muttered as they walked away, leaving him to mull that over. Once Ben had calmed down, he saw that he was indeed getting a better handle on his aggressiveness. After a few minutes more, he began to feel grateful for Mitchell's hard work and gained a new level of respect and appreciation for his newest keeper...

He was pulled out of his thoughts as a woman of Swedish descent with long, flat brown hair and graceful features came up to him, surrounded by a small group of men and women who seemed to take their lead from her. There was an unpleasant tang in the air; an odd, herbalistic scent that made Ben's nose itch uncomfortably, and he realized that his body was growing hairier against his will. He masked his confusion and focused on controlling his form, feeling the power of the wolf squirm within him uncomfortably. "Angela," Steve said from Ben's right hand side, "This is Ben, our alpha."

"You're the one who drove off the direwolf," she said in a vaguely distracted way, seemingly unable to fully focus on Ben as she gazed at him. "Not bad for someone who was human at the time."

"Thanks," Ben said uncertainly, unable to guess what the female alpha's intentions were.

"I look forward to meeting you inside and seeing how strong you are," Angela said causally. Ben frowned in confusion. She sounded more curious than threatening. The she-wolf leaned in close and sniffed him over. Ben did likewise, his nose itching uncomfortably at the strange, smoky odor that hung around her like a cloud as he memorized the feminine scent of the woman under the unpleasant herbal scent.

"See you later," she said in a dreamy manner and literally drifted away, as though he was of mild interest that had been satisfied.

Once she had walked away from the baffled male alpha, Ben gave in to a minor fit of intentional sneezes to clear his sinuses of the smoky stench that had lingered over them as the large burly males of Angele's pack began to roar eagerly in each other's faces and slam their chests against each other like college jocks getting ready for a game of American football. He recovered from the efforts to clean out his nasal passages and watched them for a moment before he shook his head sadly at the overly macho display.

"Typical breeders," Luke muttered in disgust.

"What was that stink all over them?" Ben asked.

"Wolfsbane," Luke answered in a tone of utter disgust. "You think they could just settle for the power of the moon like normal wolves."

As they walked around, some of the werewolves looked at the pack they referred to jokingly as the 'Omega Pack' with shock as they saw how much more confident the omegas seemed. The keepers noticed the change as well, but with expressions of approval. Ben noted, however, that they were all eyeing him apprehensively, like he was about to sprout horns, or something. They went around to the alphas, whispering in their ears. Berke looked thoughtful and Monica calculating, while the other male alphas shoved the keepers away with glares of annoyance. The remaining female alpha merely looked thoughtful as she was told to be ready and keep an eye on Ben.

It was a few minutes later that Berke came over with Wallace, Misty and Dennis in tow. "Ben," the burly alpha said with a nod as he approached. Ben felt a surge of approval when he saw that the lesser alpha's gaze went no higher than his nose, showing he still knew his place. "I just want o let you know that I'm a man of my word, so your pack will get no special trouble from us tonight."

"Good to hear," Ben said approvingly. "There's already enough fighting going on around here without adding more to the mix. I want there to be peace between our packs."

"There will be," Berke said, making it a promise and offered his huge hand. Ben shook it and leaned in close to memorize Berke's scent, who did likewise. "I'm curious to see your primal wolf," Berke added with interest. "As powerful as you are, I'm sure you'll make quite the sight."

"I admit to being curious as well," Ben answered.. "You're already huge as it is, but I wonder just how much bigger you get."

Berke chuckled at that, blushing slightly before he took his leave.

In the distance, Ben saw Monica cast a nervous glance at him before dropping her gaze and walking away. Seeing that, Ben knew that the she-wolf wouldn't be a problem. He turned at the sound of determined steps to see a tall, thin man with mocha skin, short black hair that was kinked in the manner of those of African descent, and brown eyes behind black framed, horn-rimmed glasses. He was dressed in an orange button-front shirt and black slacks with a black leather jacket over his shoulder.

"Sooo..." he drawled in a tone of forced casualness overlaid with blatant hostility. "You're the pretender, huh?" He looked Ben up and down with an expression of distaste on his face and snorted dismissively. "I'm not impressed."

"Lester," Steve said with a clenched jaw, "Meet our new alpha, Ben."

"Ben, huh?" Lester said with a fierce look in his brown eyes that turned gold as he removed his glasses. "Well don't get used to the title of alpha. Once I stomp you into the dirt, you'll be calling ME alpha."

Ben swelled with indignation, his alpha ego surging forward in outrage as his eyes and teeth changed. His instincts were sharper today, reacting to the power of the coming power of the moon, and his instincts surged to the fore. "Don't even think I'll roll over for you, asshole!"

"You wanna roll?" Lester asked, licking his lips in anticipation of a fight, "let's roll. Who needs the moon to settle this?"

Both alphas flinched in pain at the sudden, sharp blast of a dog whistle aimed right at them, several other wolves nearby calling out in pain and protest at the unexpected blast of high frequency sound. "Break it up!" Mitchell said sharply as he saw the impending trouble and intervened. "Lester, you better not be causing trouble again!" the keeper warned, pointing an accusory finger at the instigator.

Lester leaned in close to Ben and sniffed him over as Ben did the same, each memorizing the scent of their rival. "See you inside, Little Man," Lester said threateningly. Seeing as how he was only two inches taller than Ben and somewhat thinner from his wiry build, the insult wasn't as mocking as Lester apparently thought it was. With a last dirty glance of open disgust at Mitchell, Lester and his pack walked away.

"Lovely people around here," Ben grumbled bitterly as he stared at Lester from behind as the rival walked away.

For the next few minutes, the pack wandered around aimlessly, waiting for the keepers' instruction to enter the sanctuary. Suddenly, Ken looked to the right in alarm. "Ben!" he tried to warn the alpha, before someone shoved the alpha hard in the side, coming up out of nowhere, and sending him sprawling. He looked up, snarling despite his human form to see a man with short brown hair and stubble glaring at him with the most hateful expression of seething rage Ben had ever seen.

"So you're the one? The worthless little faggot who thinks he can beat me?"

Ben felt the rage boil up inside of him, but kept from letting it consume him. "You must be James," he spat in disgust.

"James, please," a human man who was rather short and thin pleaded, his ice blue eyes wide with fear. Ben caught the man's scent and recognized him as human. "You know the rules! No fighting outside the barrier!"

"Shut up!" James snapped.

The man persisted. "You can't go picking a fight like this," he said, his voice trembling.

"I SAID SHUT UP, BENTLEY!" James shouted, shoving the man hard and sending him sprawling into a snow drift. He turned to Ben as the alpha went to rise up and kicked him in the foot, causing Ben to collapse back to the ground with a gasp of pain as he clutched his shoe protectively. "You stay down in the dirt where you belong if you know what's good for you!"

Ben's betas stared at the rival alpha with utter hatred on their faces, but didn't interfere. Ben went to rise, but James snarled in fury and tried to kick him again. Ben caught the foot and shoved, sending James flying off of his feet to land hard on his back. "Don't touch me, you mother fucker!" Ben snarled.

James' pack gathered close. "James! Did he hurt you?" a woman asked fearfully.

"Let me help you, Alpha" a man said, eagerly reaching down to offer a hand.

"Me too!" another man said eagerly, offering his own hand.

"BACK OFF!!!" James shouted furiously, swatting away their hands with contempt. He stood up on his own and the two men along with a second woman came forward to eagerly brush the snow off of his clothes before he shoved the two men away with disgust to send them sprawling in the snow. They scrambled back to their feet eagerly and tentatively reached for him, trying once more to clean the snow off of him. He shrugged past them as Ben stood up, starring at them in utter shock. They way they acted... It was as if James' well being was the only thing they cared about. Even the horrible way he was treating them didn't seem to matter at all to the pack. They acted like they thought he was a god, or something. It was revolting to see, making Ben's stomach turn.

*I could never stand to have anyone act like that, even to me. Having the love and respect of my betas is one thing, but this is just sick! It's like they're brain-washed cultists, or something! At least my pack can think and act for themselves... At least they act like the independent people they deserve to be!*

James noted the focus of his attention and gave him a nasty smile. "That's right, take a good look. This is the way a REAL pack is supposed to behave! This is the power of a REAL alpha!" He looked to a blonde woman who seemed practically skeletal, she was so thin. "Crissy, come here." The woman moved forward eagerly despite her timidness. He kissed her, then threw her to the ground, kicked her onto her back, and stepped down on her chest in a way that was clearly painful. The woman merely moaned in pain, but didn't resist. James looked down at her. "Who do you love, Crissy?" he cooed.

"You, James," the woman said passionately. "I love you," she said, reaching up with her hands to caress his shoe in a tender, loving way that made the bile rise in Ben's throat.

"Who is the strongest, most deserving alpha to ever live?"

"You, Alpha James!" Crissy said enthusiastically, the rest of his pack echoing her in agreement.

Ben could only stand there, numb with horror. How? How could they act like this to someone who treated them like garbage?!? And the way the sinister alpha drank it in... These weren't people as far as James was concerned... They were possessions to do with what he wanted... And they literally worshipped him for it! Ben fought hard to avoid throwing up, his disgust was so great. "You call that a pack!?" he gasped. "These aren't people; they're slaves! If that's your idea of what being an alpha is then you don't understand the meaning of the concept!" he said, his voice thick with contempt.

"That only proves how weak you are," James sneered, removing his foot from Crissy's chest and striding over to Ben, sniffing him to get his scent. It made Ben sick inside to do so, but he memorized the way James... His enemy... Smelled. He wanted to be able to smell the bastard coming.

"James!" a woman Ben didn't recognize said walking up to them. "Are you causing trouble again!"

James turned to her sharply and snarled. "Mind you own fucking business, Keeper!" He turned back to Ben. "We'll settle this inside," he growled, then turned and walked away.

"Count on it!" Ben spat savagely, hating James more deeply than he had ever though was possible to feel about anyone.

Once James and his pack had moved away, Ben turned to his own pack, understanding the piece of trash that called itself James and what he truly was. His behavior towards his pack had nothing to do with being an alpha, the power of the wolf was just a tool he used to control his followers. His attitude and ego were all human in nature, and if he were still human, he'd be leading some militaristic cult somewhere. James only cared about having power over others. His human ego was what allowed him to control his wolf because he refused to be controlled by anyone or anything. ben's instincts recognized this in his enemy and recognized now just how dangerous the other wolf truly was. What was worse was that he was shrewd. The fact that he had been running free for so long was proof of that. If there were only more people willing to try to work together to stop him...

Ben could tell that Angela, for all that she was an alpha, seemed too worried about being high to take more authority and control. Ben could feel that on an instinctual level, just as he had gotten the measure of James. She was a wild card, however, and Ben had no illusions that she would bother to help in opposing James, seeing as how she hadn't lifted a finger against him, from what Ben could tell.

Berke, and perhaps Monica, might be willing to help, seeing as how they were now both submissive to Ben, but he was still too new to have earned their respect enough for them to follow his commands. They had lost and submitted to him, but he held no real power over them yet. Ben planned to change that tonight through his defeats of Lester and James. Lester for his attitude, deserved to be dominated, and Ben looked forward to having the wolf submit to him and acknowledge that he was worthy of being an alpha.

James, however, HAD to be dominated for the good of werewolves the world over. Ben refused to lose to a monster like him!

He looked to his betas, seeing the resolve on each of their faces. "We stick together as planned. Watch each others backs and protect one another. Leave the alphas to me... And guys?" he said softly. "If I ever start treating you the way James treats his wolves, promise me you'll tear my throat out! I'd rather die than treat anyone like that, and you all deserve better than someone like him bossing you around!"

"We promise," Steve said, the other betas nodding in agreement, feeling love and respect for their alpha, as well as gratitude for his compassion and respect for their feelings.

As the last light of sunset faded away into true dusk, the keepers went into action. "Everyone?" Mitchell's voice called out loudly. "It's time! Wolves inside the perimeter; keepers in position!"

Fighting to hide his nervousness, Ben led his pack inside, then let Kyle take the lead on finding them a good spot near the entrance to await to coming of the moon. They walked in and disappeared among the tree until they reached a small clearing where some of Monica's pack were waiting. They took one look at Ben and left rapidly to find somewhere else to change, surrendering the clearing instantly to the stronger alpha and his betas. They stood around for a moment, then Steve closed his eyes with an expression of near ecstasy. "I can feel it coming," he said softly, his voice trembling slightly in eagerness.

Ben closed his eyes and realized that he could literally feel it as well. The moon, hidden just below the horizon to the west, was like a physical presence... Like sensing someone standing just outside his field of vision. The moon was like a magnet to his inner wolf, which felt drawn to it in like manner. There was a stillness within him, like the sensation of getting himself ready to pounce, and he began to feel more and more energized. His senses seemed to increase, focusing in intensity. Sound, smells and the sight of movement within his eyesight all became stronger and sharper at a slowly increasing rate.

The betas began to remove their clothing. "Alpha?" Ken said, "you'd better take your clothes off. You won't need them again until morning and you'll tear them up when you change if you keep them on."

"What about the cold?" Ben asked.

"You'll grow an undercoat to help protect you against it," Kyle said. "Don't worry, it can keep you warm in temperatures as low as forty below."

Ben felt surprised at that, learning something new, and took off all of his clothes, shivering in the cold snow.

"Sorry your first moon is a winter one," Luke told him. "The warmer moons are a lot less torture to wait for."

Ben nodded as he began to shiver. Then something odd happened a few minutes later as the last of the daylight faded away and the first hint of moonlight on the horizon touched the sky... Ben began to feel oddly warm as the blood flow throughout his body increased in intensity.

"It's here," Steve said, his voice trembling in a mixture of awe and excitement as he looked to the East.

The first silvery light of the rising moon broke through the trees and began to edge it's way across the clearing. Ben felt an intense sensation, half pull and half a swelling of something deep inside of him, which grew rapidly in intensity. The feeling was as gentle as it was intense, and Ben felt his fear wash away in anticipation... Feeling as though a long-held promise was about to be fulfilled. The ghostly white light of the moon filled the clearing more and more, touched the top of the alpha's head...

And in that instant, as he knew he would be forever changed, it happened.

The swelling of power merged with pleasure within him, building up less like a bomb and more like something filling him beyond capacity until he overflowed, like a pot filled with water until it spilled over the top, but with the force of an orgasm. The power reached the breaking point and burst forth as he began to transform, staring wide-eyed at the moon as it's power awoke the true nature of the beast inside of him...

His skin itched as dark, nearly all black fur pushed out slowly from every pore on his body as his muscles swelled, surging with newfound power. He felt his bones and flesh moving in strange, yet satisfying ways as his body began to grow in size, causing him to leave his average six feet of height behind, rising to seven and beyond. The erotic euphoria he always felt when he changed increased in intensity, feeling more like a continuous orgasm despite the fact that he wasn't coming. His hair turned darker and rougher in texture, taking on the consistency of coarse fur as his ears became pointed and slowly began to move upwards, inch by inch, sprouting fur of their own. His teeth itched and wiggled as the fillings in them loosened within his mouth, bringing stabs of intense pain as the nerves were exposed. He wasn't worried, though. Steve had told him that loosing his fillings would happen as they transformed, becoming whole, strong and healthy. He spat them out onto the ground without concern as his proto-muzzle formed, never taking his eyes off of the moon, which filled his entire world with its presence. The teeth filled in, sealing away the raw nerve endings and bringing him relief. The muzzle didn't stop at it's typical inch of length, however. As his nose turned upwards and became triangular, darkening more than usual and taking on a pebbled texture like leather and his tongue became long, flat and wide and a cleft formed in his upper lip, his jaws began to push forward slowly as his muzzle stretched forward two inches, then three, then even further...

As his head began to change, the muscles in his body grew beyond the limits of humanity, swelling and defining as he grew even taller, his tail sprouting slowly, becoming even longer and more luxurious than before. He felt his buttocks move apart slightly revealing his anus as the most intimate part of his body pushed out slightly, the posterior becoming a hybrid of human and canine. His legs shifted, the lower legs shrinking in length beneath the growing fur as he was forced up onto the front half of his feet as the heels shrank and the feet stretched longer as they thinned, becoming boney and narrowing slightly. The front half of his feet transformed effortlessly into the paws of a true wolf, covered with dark fur that was a mixture of black and grey with brown and light grey undertones to match the thick fur that was covering his body, and the soles of them darkened and swelled out into thick, leathery paw pads. His knees bent forward as his legs changed, adjusting his stance to help him maintain balance.

His arms grew strong muscle under the thickening fur, lengthening by a few inches that would make moving on all fours easier while still maintaining a elegant balance of proportion, the undercoat growing in to protect him from the cold, as his palms swelled out into paw pad-like textures and thickness, helping to protect the underside for whenever he would run, while his claws grew out and darkened as they pressed into the flesh of his fingers and toes, taking on the shape of true canine claws. His chest swelled and the muscles under the fur became filled with incredible power and grace, yet remained well proportioned as his abs hardened and he began to hunch forward slightly as the fur on the back of his head, neck and shoulders thickened out further into a wolven mane of canine hair, his neck shifting slightly forward to a gradual forward tilt as his head become for canine in configuration.

And still the transformation showed no sign of ending, nor did the incredibly pleasurable sensations that filled him...

Ben felt movement in his groin, and despite his fascination with the fullness of the rising moon, he tore his gaze away from the glowing orb in the sky with difficulty to look down at his genitals as the already canine penis, blood red and glistening as the knot formed, swelled even larger, going past its usual seven inches in length, growing longer and thicker until it reached fourteen inches in length and was literally as thick as a soda can, the knot the size of a grapefruit as it lifted upwards, the sheath swelling and forming a membrane that attached it to his torso, holding it permanently upwards.

Ben trembled with lust, drooling copiously from his open muzzle as it grew, longing to hold his phallus but not daring to try, knowing he would come instantly if he so much as touched it. He refrained, wanting the moment to last. Beneath it, his testicles swelled past the size of oranges, growing plump and heavy with sperm just waiting to spray forth. Precum poured from his canine urethra like a faucet partially opened; the sweet, mucky nectar running like warm honey as it drooled down the length of his shaft, over his knot and soaking the fur of his sheath and balls before dripping to the ground lewdly.

The orgasmic euphoria pushed him beyond thought, and the instincts of the wolf took over. It became hard to think in things like words and sentences. His mind degraded in part, as his thoughts became more basic in nature. His thoughts came in the form of mental images, pictures, non-vocal ideas, motions and senses like thinking of what it would feel like to run, to feel the taste of a warm kill in his tongue, the blood and warm, wet meat in his growing muzzle; the smell of water as he briefly noted a vague thrust; the memory of the smell of his mate Steve; the sound of a long deep howl he did not voice. He had to force himself to concentrate long enough to form complex language and ideas in his mind, before the more animalistic ways of thinking took over once more. He was still aware, he could still think and feel. He could still love and feel the joy of laughter despite no longer having the proper body parts to vocalize them. He was still a person, he was still Ben Summers, but now his was more animal than man, and that affected his mind without robbing him of his sense of self.

He looked back up to the moon as he felt the final changes taking place, knowing instinctually that his true self, the full manifestation of his lycanthropic power, was about to be completed. He could feel the eyes of his betas upon him; he wanted them to see, to bare witness. Ben Summers the human was being washed away and a new, truer identity that reflected his supernatural nature was about to emerge. His wolven face was finally taking shape and he wanted his pack to be the first to see who and what he really was. He was a beast... A fucking animal... And he fell as much in love with his true nature as he did with the moon above, which bathed him in its pale illumination.

The ears became pointed, erect and conical as they reached the top of his head and his muzzle stretched to its full length, being over six inches from nose to base, filled with razor sharp pointed teeth, a long, flat, wide and dexterous tongue as his whiskers sprouted. His golden eyes now filled his sockets, showing no white as his head became that of a true wolf. The head, tail, lower legs and genitals were canine, but the rest of him was mostly human in shape except for this butt, which was a well proportioned cross between that of man and wolf, the buttocks still fairly plump despite the anus now being more prominent. He was a true werewolf, standing on his digitigraded hind paws beneath powerful legs that were half man and half wolf, the muscles of his body putting those of professional athletes to shame as he stood slightly hunched forward, his thick mane bristling slightly behind him in pleasure as his tail swished around as he stood at half past eight feet in height despite being hunched over slightly, covered in thick fur that was mostly black with dark brown and dark grey highlights beneath the surface.

The transformation settled with a spasm of intense pleasure like a miniature orgasm...

And Ben lost it, his balls drawing up close to the base of his sheath as his lupine cock began to jump and spew out his yellow canine jizz... And he completed the change as he came. The sensations swelled within him beyond comprehension as his chest swelled, his lungs filling to capacity...

And he fucking howled to the night and the full moon as his penis danced in the air, shooting his seed everywhere without him even needing to touch it; announcing his rebirth as a newer, better creature to the world and all who could hear.

He stared at the moon as the howl ended, panting in pleasure, filling a deep love and gratitude to it for making this possible. Ben felt whole... Complete... The promise of his power as a werewolf fulfilled. He was an animal, a savage predator filled with unstoppable power... And he loved his lycanthropic nature and felt more pride in himself than ever before.

Grunting in bliss at the intensity of his continuing orgasm, the alpha finally tore his attention away from the moon at the sounds of bones and flesh moving, accompanied by groans, growls and snarls of pleasure. He looked to his pack, watching them transform. Luke was the furthest along, his sprouting fur mostly brown in color with grey mixed in as he stood there, drinking in the sight of his alpha standing before him in and in the throes of orgasm, spewing his alpha wolf spunk from his twitching cock as the beta gazed upon him. Kyle was not far behind him, on all fours on the ground as his face began to slowly stretch out into a muzzle, the fur growing in a yellowish, creamy white that looked like werewolf spunk to the alpha, making him feel amused at the comparison. Ken was groaning in bliss, barely able to remain standing as his hands caressed his thickening jet black fur as his penis began to swell. Steve was staring at Ben with a deep hunger, unable to take his eyes off of the magnificent display of canine masculinity he loved so deeply as his grey fur engulfed his body.

*Oh fuck...* Steve thought. *He's incredible!*

As he spasmed in pleasure from his transformation, Kyle opened his eyes to see the full glory of his alpha. He gasped, seeing just how big and powerful the alpha was. *He IS like a god!* the wolf-born thought in awe, before another shudder of pleasure made him close his eyes.

Ben, however was still cumming and decided to make use of it. He walked over to Ken, took his quivering, spewing wolf meat in his hand, and took aim before a jet of sperm shot forth to splash up onto the beta's furry face. The Japanese man moaned in surprise and erotic bliss at that, and his muzzle exploded forward rapidly. Ben growled deeply at that, the tress nearby nearly trembling for the power of his voice, the alpha realizing that his raw sexual power was bringing out the beast in his beta even faster.

Seeing it as a ritual, Ben moved to Kyle and shot another burst of wolf spunk from his shaft, coating the changing werewolf's head in his essence. Kyle snarled at that in shock, looked up at his alpha with an expression of lust, excitement and an intense thrill of his rising power, locking eyes with the senior wolf as his muzzle began to stretch forward.

Ben saw the display, the pleasure in his beta's eyes, and flexed, displaying the raw power of his lupine masculinity to his pack mate as a second jet of sperm splashed forth from the alpha's erect penis to splash onto Kyle's exposed back. It all proved too much for him, and Kyle came as his body continued to transform, his eyes squeezing shut at the intensity of the sensations he was feeling.

Seeing that Kyle would be preoccupied for awhile, Ben moved to Luke, who had been watching. The beta dropped to his knees in eager anticipation, loving the erotic way Ben displayed his authority over his betas. *THIS is a real pack!* Luke thought, fighting hard to maintain coherency. *This is so fucking hot! I fucking LOVE being in a gay pack with a fucking studly alpha like him!* Luke thought savagely, and looked up into Ben's golden eyes with his own changing ones, the golden irises and pupils swelling outward slowly as the whites receded, his eyes becoming fully canine in his still mostly human head. He stared up, nodding, practically begging for what they both wanted the alpha to do. Ben snarled in lust as another blast of ejaculate exploded from his urethra, anointing the beta in his alpha's juices. It splashed against Luke's fur-sprouting face, covering him in his alpha's scent. The mechanic threw back his head, turning his gaze to the moon above as his muzzle began to grow out, roaring in lust-fueled abandon, the masculine, erotic display blowing his mind and driving his awareness to fully instinctual thought processes. He growled and snarled in lust as the wolf within him manifested further and further and he began to masturbate feverishly until he came.

Feeling his orgasm begin to weaken ever so slightly, Ben moved over to his own, personal mate, who was already down on all fours in eager anticipation. Ben gave the head beta his anointing sperm gladly, painting his scent onto the transforming wolf. Steve growled and moaned as his long canine tongue lapped out over his growing muzzle, wanting to taste the spent spunk of the person he loved, who eagerly replaced it with more and completing what he knew would now be their ritual every full moon from now on. Ben's lust swelled even stronger, and he could take it no more. He had to mount someone; to plunge his throbbing wolfcock into warm depths and feel the tight hole of another squeezing the source of his masculinity. He dropped to all fours and began to move easily, his transformed limbs making walking on all fours effortless and natural. He moved behind Steve, who came out of his revere long enough to growl in need as he moved his tail away from his quivering anus as it surged outward slightly, acting almost like it was reaching out towards the alpha to accept his hard, throbbing length that much sooner. Steve whined, begging for it.

Ben obliged, climbing on top of his transforming mate and jabbing away blindly, poking at Steve's backside several times before finding his sphincter by chance and thrusting in to the top of the knot. Steve, however wasn't satisfied. He pushed back eagerly, not caring that Ben was fully erect and knowing what would happen. "A-all of it!" he growled, his changing voice barely intelligible as his muzzle surged forward another inch in length. Ben snarled fiercely and gave the beta what he wanted. He slammed forward with all his strength, tearing his way inside of his mate's ass, knowing that the power of the full moon would heal the damage he caused. Steve roared in euphoria and agony at the intense pain...

And the power of his wolf exploded outward, finishing his transformation in seconds. He lifted his head and howled in bliss as he came, the sensitive, burning and bleeding flesh of his anus beginning to heal around the hard lump of Ben's knot. As the howl died in his throat, the beta began to pant heavily as Ben humped him with reckless abandon until his orgasm, which had yet to end, began all over again. The alpha groaned and growled, grabbing the hackles of his mate in his powerful jaws to hold him in place as he came for the second time that night.

Luke, overcome with lust, moved over to Ken, who saw the expression of intense need on his mate's face and presented himself enthusiastically. Luke growled in lust and mounted him without ceremony, humping the black-furred werewolf rapidly. Kyle finished his transformation and looked around, seeing the mated pairs of the pack experiencing the joy of mating, and began to whimper, feeling left out and sad as his ears and tail drooped.

Luke's ear swiveled to catch the sound and he looked over to his pack mate. Of course. Kyle had always been able to mate with Steve during Moon Nights, but with the head beta having a true mate of his own, Kyle was now effectively the fifth wheel in the pack. Wanting him to feel included, Luke woofed as his transformation settled, lifting his tail away suggestively.

Seeing this, Kyle forgot his despair as his ears and tail lifted, and he scrambled through the snow, pounced eagerly on the waiting back, and with long-practiced skill, penetrated the offered orifice before he pistoned rapidly, forgetting his sorrow as he lost himself in the throes of passion. Ken finished transforming as he came, feeling Luke's shaft pulse rhythmically deep inside of him, and let out a growling sigh of pleasure. They each shuddered in release, the five primal wolves, and they all stood there on all fours, waiting for the their knots to deflate enough to allow them to separate. Once they were free of one another, Ben rose up to stand on his hind paws, the posture almost as easy and natural as being on all fours, and he looked his pack mates over.

They were beautiful... Each and every one of them. Ben was massive, an eight-and-a-half-foot tall mountain of athletic muscle covered in mostly black fur with dark brown and dark grey undertones; Steve a close second in height and muscle, covered in the grey fur with black, white and tan highlights of a traditional grey wolf, Luke in his brownish fur with hints of black and grey over his muscled form that was over seven and a half feet tall; Kyle in his creamy blonde-white fur that still looked like wolf sperm, standing at just under seven and a half feet tall with a lean, runner's build; and Ken with his jet black fur and wiry build, the shortest of them at just barely over seven feet in height. Each of them looked to him, but kept their gazes lowered to the proper levels, showing their rank and level of submissiveness.

They were amazing, and Ben fell in love with the sight of them, finding them gorgeous all over again. These were his wolves, his betas... His pack. He moved forward, exchanging tender licks to the face and head with each of them, sharing his love and appreciation of them with each of his betas, who returned the favor with enthusiasm. He sucked in his breath, the beta's following his lead; then they howled their fully manifested glory to the world and all it bore...

After the howl ended, Ben became thoughtful. He was forgetting something... Something he wanted to do... He forced himself to concentrate, to think with intelligence, rather than instinct with a bit of effort... Then brightened as he remembered what he had forgotten. He turned, dropped to all fours, and took off, his strong paws tearing up the snow as the pack fell in behind him and the cold night air of winter rushed through his fur as he ran off into the night, never feeling more pumped, more aware of and in tune with the world around him...

...Never feeling more alive...

*****

Jessica shivered, pulling the blanket closer around her as she inched as close to the fire as she could safely get. "It's too fucking cold out here," she swore irritably.

"Here," Jack said, handing her a small vial.

"What is it?" the keeper-in-training asked as she took it from him.

"It helps stimulate blood flow to help keep you warmer."

"That's handy," she said, downing it quickly before replacing the cork.

"Well, since potion-making is all I have to go on, I might as well make the most of it," Jack said with resignation.

"There's no harm in having limitations, Jack. Just focus on your strengths," Mitchell said, sipping his coffee, frowning at how cold it had become, then held it in his hand and pulled something from his pocket. "Please don't touch me for a minute or two," he told everyone as he held a small metal rod in his hand and dipped it into his coffee, then concentrated as he kept it there.

As Helen watched her husband carefully, wondering what he was doing, steam began to rise from the tepid beverage until it was radiating forth like a freshly brewed cup of java. "I never knew you could do something like that!" she said with interest as he pulled the rod out and dipped it in the snow nearby, causing the frozen white powder from the skies to sizzle and hiss as he used it to cool the rod back down for safety's sake. "Remind me to ask you to do that next time my feet get cold in bed," she added, brushing her long, curly brown hair away from her eyes and making Jessica giggle at the remark.

"Helen, I'm not a space heater," Mitchell grumbled in good-natured annoyance. "Besides, it's more complicated than that."

"Never hurts to ask," Helen said wistfully, staring into the fire.

Mitchell shook his head sadly and sat next to her as feet came crunching up out of the snow. They looked to see Robert coming towards, them, making his rounds to check on the stability of this portion of the barrier. He was a fairly handsome man in his mid thirties with shoulder-length dark blonde hair in a horsetail and a full, short-trimmed goatee and mustache with dark blue eyes. He was dressed for the weather in a navy blue winter coat, black ski cap and blue jeans over black snowshoes. "Hey, is that coffee?" he asked with interest.

"Help yourself," Jack said, handing over a cup and thermos which was still warm.

"Thanks," Robert said, pouring himself a cup and downing it rapidly. "Too cold out here," he said, wrapping his arms around himself. "Hey Jessica," he said, turning to greet the trainee as he remembered his manners.

"Uh... Hi. Kind of cold, huh?" she answered, fighting hard not to blush in embarrassment and feeling foolish at her lame response.

Seeing as how he had just said as much himself, the man only smiled politely, intentionally ignoring her verbal stumble. "Well, it's no where near as bad as that polar vortex that hit the country last winter... I'm just glad we didn't get the worst of it."

"Yeah, I heard it got down to thirty below in some places," Jessica said with a grimace.

"Yeah... Well, I should-" Robert began, setting down the cup and starting to inch away nervously. Helen interrupted him with a clearing of the throat and her best 'Do it now, or I'll punch you in the balls!' kind of look. Robert cleared his throat nervously with embarrassment. "Say, uh, Jessica? Are you, uh, doing anything, you know, on Saturday?"

Jessica stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh... No," she said automatically, unable to stop herself from speaking.

Robert shifted from one foot to the other apprehensively. "There's, um, a restaurant... A kind of nice one... I've been thinking about going there... You know... To eat." He blushed furiously at that. *What else do people do at restaurants, Dummy?* he yelled at himself inside his own head. "Would you... Like to go? ...With me?" he added quickly.

"Uhhhh, okay," Jessica replied numbly.

"Great!" Robert said, his voice cracking from nerves. "It's, you know... Kind of a formal wear type of place... So, um, if you have anything kind of fancy to wear..."

Jessica remembered her solstice gift. "Yeah, I have something for that."

"Good... See you... I mean pick you up at seven thirty?" Robert said nervously. Jessica didn't trust herself to speak, so she nodded rapidly. "Okay then..." Robert said with a smile, then proceeded to stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Robert," Mitchell said with a restrained smile.

"Yeah?" the long-haired man said.

"Don't forget to finish your patrol," the senior keeper reminded him gently.

Robert blushed furiously "Oh, uh, right! I, um, need to go," he said to Jessica. "See you Saturday...Uh, Saturday evening, I mean."

"Okay," Jessica replied numbly, unable to get her brain working properly.

Robert turned and hurried away. It wasn't until he was gone that Jack and Mitchell snickered to themselves.

"Shut up you two," Helen said, smacking her husband's shoulder, "It was sweet." Then the woman sat back, staring into the fire. There was something about her smile, a knowing quality, that made Jessica annoyed.

"You bitch!" she said, half in shocked outrage and half in disbelief. "You set me up!"

Helen shrugged. "With the way you two are around each other, I wasn't given much of a choice!" she said bluntly.

"I hate you..."

"You're welcome..." was the sweetly-toned reply.

"How long has it been now?" Jessica asked, changing subjects to compensate for her plethora of mixed emotions.

"Only a half hour since moonrise," Jack said, checking his watch as a low, deep howl came from somewhere nearby, muffled slightly by the glowing barrier before them.

Helen shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Don't be scared," Mitchell said, wrapping a protective arm around her.

"I'm not," she replied. "It's just that this is still so strange to me," the woman said staring into the distance beyond the barrier. "It's so surreal... Like standing on the edge of another world." Helen and Mitchell had been married for three years now, but she had only recently taken an interest in learning more about his 'side job' as she liked to call it in a humorous way.

"I suppose in a way, it is," Mitchell said thoughtfully. "Thanks for coming out here again."

She nodded. "Well, I like them and want to understand them better. I may not be able to become a keeper, thanks to not having a magical bone in my body, but I want to understand them and show my support."

"That's a good mentality to have."

"Are you sure they can't get through there?" Helen asked nervously, eyeing the glowing wall of power nervously.

"The barrier is completely impervious," Jack said gently. "Don't worry, and don't be scared if you see one of them."

"I'll be brave," she said with a firm chin and a nod.

More howls came from the farther distance, sounding randomly from time to time... Then they all heard a group of wolves howl from not too far beyond the barrier. "Is that them?" Jessica asked.

"I think so..." Jack said slowly. "I think that might be Ben with them... I haven't heard him howl very much, and the voice gets deeper when they turn primal, so it's hard to tell."

A few minutes later, several shapes came bounding up out of the darkness, running on all fours. Five primal wolves ran towards them, skidding to a halt on the other side of the barrier, causing snow to splash up against it before sliding down, making the wall of energy ripple like the surface of a still body of water is it was disturbed, as Helen flinched away nervously before she calmed herself.

As the pack came to a stop, the humans stared at them. To see a full pack in primal form was almost unheard of. A wolf or two, yes, but not an entire pack, even one as small as this. Jack and Jessica had never seen their charges in the primal wolf state before, but there were subtle clues to some of them, such as the brown of Luke's fur that reminded them of his hair, the playful, puppy-like expression on the blonde wolf's canine face that reminded them of Kyle, and the large, quiet, yet muscular form of Steve. They saw a smaller, black-furred wolf that had an almost Asian feel to the way his body moved, like every movement was planned out in advance, that reminded them of Ken's kata practices he did in his spare time...

But it was the massive, dark-furred beast in front that drew everyone's eye.

Helen, Jack and Jessica gasped as the creature stood up, towering over them like a Brown bear, which was larger than the grizzly bear most people thought of when they pictured a massive, aggressive mammal, as he stood on two legs, the light of the barrier illuminating his fur. "Fuck, he's huge," Mitchell muttered softly. He had seen a fair number of primal wolves before, but never one was tall and strong as this. "Ben? Is that you?" he asked, raising his voice slightly to carry across the barrier. The wolf looked at his nose, refusing to meet the keeper's gaze despite his larger size and powerful form, and nodded two times in a slow, deliberate motion.

"He can understand you?" Helen asked in shock.

"Yes," Mitchell replied. "Even though their minds and bodies are more animal than man, they still remember human language. They have a very difficult time talking and can't say much in human language, but they understand us clearly."

Ben turned to Jessica, then pointed to her backpack. "What?" she asked, then remembered what he had asked of her that morning. Sighing with annoyance and rolling her eyes, she reached into it and pulled out a digital camera. "Do I REALLY have to do this?" she asked the werewolf with a pained expression. Ben 'woof 'ed at her, so she sighed, shook her head with disgust, then turned it on to video capture mode.

~

'I just want to see what I look like fully transformed,' Ben had said.

Mitchell had shaken his head. 'We can't have evidence laying around, Ben. What if it fell into the wrong hands?'

'I just want to see it once, then you can delete it. Please?' he had almost begged, so the keepers had relented.

~

"Say cheese," Jessica said in exasperation, aiming the camera at him. Then she started recording as Ben moved around, showing all of his body and standing sideways, alternating between standing on two paws and all four, then turning and making a few facial expressions. *Oh shit!* the woman thought in realization. *He actually POSING!* "You are such a narcissist!" she said with disgust. Ben stopped at that and glared at her with an expression of resentment on his lupine face. "Well you are," she added sweetly, flashing her teeth as she smiled.

Ben saw that, bristled, and began snarling at her fiercely, his savage canine voice echoing in a muffled manner through the barrier like he was on the other side of a wall.

"JESSICA!" Mitchell said sharply. "Close your mouth! NOW!" The woman did so. "Never show your teeth to a wolf, especially a primal one! They'll see that as an act of aggression!"

Jessica nodded. "Sorry, Ben" she apologized. "I didn't mean it that way, honest!" she added.

Ben closed his mouth, the snarl turning into a growl before he snorted and went silent, letting the matter go.

The keepers turned their attention to the other wolves. "Luke?" Jack asked o the brown-furred wolf, who paused, looking as though he was fighting to remember something, then gave them, of all things, a thumbs up.

"Ken?" Jessica said to the black wolf, who nodded. "Steve?" she asked the large grey wolf, who 'woof 'ed and wagged his tail in greeting.

The last wolf was easy. Kyle ran up to the barrier and began licking it rapidly with enthusiasm, making Jessica and Helen giggle as Jack and Mitchell chuckled at the puppy-like display. "Oh, he's adorable!" Helen said, moving up to the barrier and placing a hand against the solid wall of force, wishing she could pet him. Kyle licked at the space where her hand was, wagging his tail enthusiastically.

"Don't be fooled," Mitchell said. "He may act cute and cuddly now, but he can be just as ferocious as any other wolf."

"Well he's still cute." Helen said, smiling at him with a closed mouth. "Who's a good boy?" Kyle woofed instantly, his tail a blur of motion.

"Helen," Mitchell said with a wince of exasperation, "he's not a dog."

"Of course not," the woman cooed. "You're a big o' fluffy wolfie, aren't you?" Kyle barked enthusiastically, his tongue hanging out the side of his muzzle as he panted happily.

"Okay, guys," Jessica said, turning off the camera. "Show's over."

Kyle wilted and rose up on all fours, then moved back to join the others as Ben approached the barrier, looking it over. He stood up close to it, the glow of the energies shining in his eyes, and he placed a hand against it, sending ripples across the surface. He pulled his paw-like hand back and much to the keepers' concern, rapped against it two times, as though testing the strength of it. He growled and nodded in approval as it remained solid, which surprised Mitchell.

*Even as a primal wolf he still acts like a strategist!* the keeper thought in shock. *Is this what being unified does to a werewolf?* he wondered. *The wolves of the region tended to act more animalistic, making Ben's behavior seem highly unusual.

Just then, there was a long, savage howl, full of blatant hostility in the distance. Ben turned and snarled at it, his hackles rising to stand on end. He took a deep breath and let out a furious response, the humans covering their ears in shock at the power of the alpha's canine voice.

"Ben!" Mitchell said, causing the werewolf to look back over his shoulder with a snarl. "Good luck," the keeper said grimly, recognizing the howl of challenge.

Ben nodded to show his gratitude, then barked to his pack, dropped to all fours, and took off running into the wilderness, sending another spray of snow up against the barrier as he kicked off.

The humans watched nervously as the massive beasts vanished quickly among the trees...

*****

The pack ran towards the sound of the howl, homing in on the source. It was a savage, angry sound, full of challenge and contempt. Ben howled again, a defiant, fierce retort that said 'I hear you, asshole. I'm coming to face your challenge and I'm going to beat the shit out of you!'

They finally made it to a large clearing in the sanctuary to find most of the wolves already gathered. The event was highly unusual, but they were all curious enough about Ben to feel it even on an instinctual level and had gathered together to see what this new wolf was made of. Ben's pack looked around nervously, wary of all the wolves who had bullied them mercilessly every full moon for the last few years all gathered together.

In the center of the clearing a wolf stood on all fours, snarling at Ben in challenge. Ben took a whiff and growled aggressively in hatred as he recognized Lester by scent. The rival wolf was as sleek in his primal wolven form as he was as a human, covered in short black fur with tangerine-colored eyes. He snarled again, issuing his challenge.

Ben, however, was nervous about being surrounded. As he looked around, no one made a move against him and his pack, nor against Lester, and he began to understand that they were here as witnesses more than anything else. He looked around and saw that of all the wolves, one in particular was even more massive than Ben himself, which could only be Berke. He stood there on his hind paws, reaching a mind-boggling ten feet tall, covered in dark grey fur and built like a literal mountain of muscle with greenish yellow eyes. If Ben was the size of a Brown Bear, Berke was the size of a Polar bear in comparison.

The pack began to feel nervous, surrounded on all sides by their tormentors, but Berke woofed at them in invitation, and they paused with uncertainty. Ben looked at the alpha, who refused to look him in the eye, showing his submissiveness. Many of the wolves let out growls, barks or other various sounds to display their shock that the largest and most powerful wolf in the region was allowing Ben to dominate him. Berke woofed again, repeating the invitation. Ben saw that he was offering to protect the pack from malice, allowing Ben to focus all of his attention on his opponent. He woofed to his betas, ordering them to go to Berke. They did so nervously, fighting hard not to show submissive posturing, and sat with his pack, who looked at the other packs with glares of warning. Ben relaxed at that, knowing his loves would be safe. Berke was indeed a wolf of his word... Ben could trust him.

With the only true concern gone, Ben turned to Lester, bore his fangs, and snarled in a challenge of his own. Lester went berserk and charged him. Ben shot forward, they slammed into one another, and began to lash out at one another with fangs and claws. Lester fought ferociously, but Ben had skill and several weeks' worth of training on his side. As Lester tried to tear away at him like a rabid animal, Ben fought with skill, his lupine instincts remembering the training and letting him control his savagery. He fought with Lester for several minutes, striking with precision and power, giving his rival better than he got in return. Finally, Ben got in a good hit to Lester's left shoulder that knocked him down, and Ben pounced as he fell, clawing at his hip to incapacitate the leaner wolf. Lester, realizing he was about to lose, did the only thing he could, he looked up, staring at Ben with all of his will. Ben stared back, snarling and focusing all of his might into his eyes.

Lester trembled under the terrible power of Ben's stare, and flinched away, filled with shame and burning with resentment.

He had lost.

Ben snarled at him once more to reinforce his superiority, but Lester hobbled to his paws and hopped away, looking more angry than humbled. Ben knew he had won the fight, but was uncertain if the lesser alpha would cause more trouble later. He snorted with disgust, turning away, his side aching from a nasty slash to the ribs as the wound began to heal, the battle ended.

He began to make his way over to his pack when another, snarling wolf barreled right at him and began ripping away at him before he could react. After a few furious blows, Ben lashed out and caught the second challenger in the side, knocking him away. The wolf snarled and Ben recognized him by scent.

It was James.

He was, compared to the wolves around them, of average size and build, covered with slightly mangy fur that was a mottled mess of greys, browns and black. It was a rather unflattering coloring that made him look more like a junkyard dog than a wolf. His amber eyes were narrowed as he bore his fangs, snarling in challenge. Ben snarled back, hatred bubbling up inside of him. James was attacking him without so much as a formal challenge, clearly having waited until he was already weakened from another battle. It was the act of a coward and a bully.

From the sidelines, Steve growled and snarled, furious that James was using such dirty tricks, and rose to all fours. Beside him, Berke growled a warning 'Don't interfere. This is his fight, not yours'. Steve growled, then moaned with worry as he sat back on his haunches. Berke growled in a tone of agreement. The massive alpha didn't like this either, but if Ben was to be a strong alpha, he needed to stand on his own as a strong, self-sufficient wolf. The rest of the pack was growling and snarling, showing their support for their alpha and their contempt for James' underhanded ways.

Ben and James tore away at each other, neither of them getting the upper hand in what was clearly a stalemate. They fought for several minutes until Ben was able to knock James to the ground, but before Ben could close in on him, James rolled up and away, putting some distance between them.

They paused, panting with effort as the wounds they had already sustained began to close. Ben realized that James was a far better fighter than the other alphas he had faced. He knew how to use what he had well, and defeating him was anything but certain. But Ben HAD to win. To let a monster like this have superiority over him? It was something Ben knew he could never live with. He paused as he panted, then as human concepts filled his mind as he concentrated, he did something no primal wolf would think to do...

He slowed his panting, focusing on it as he began to use it to meditate, getting his instincts under control.

He would never beat James using only the tactics of a wolf, so he would need to also rely on his training and focus on clear, precise moves that would make use of both sides of his unified mind and soul. James faltered, noting the change within Ben, and he wasn't alone. The wolves gathered around them paused with uncertainty as they saw the change come over the dark-furred wolf.

James snarled and charged, but Ben didn't snarl back like before, he merely growled as his enemy rushed towards him. James tried to tackle him, but Ben stepped to the side and shoved James, sending the mottled wolf sprawling before he lunged in and quickly took the hateful alpha's neck in his powerful jaws. James reacted instantly, but not to surrender. He lifted his hand up and dragged his claws down Ben's underside, starting to cut him open lengthwise, and forcing the dark wolf to let go and leap away to avoid a life-threatening injury. He backed away, cradling his slashed open chest with one of his hands as the wound began to close, his healing powers amplified by the moon.

James got up quickly and lunged for Ben's head with a clawed hand paw, aiming for his right eye to gouge it. Ben reacted by spinning sideways to his left in order to evade the blow, feeling James' claws scrape through the fur on the back of his head as he dropped down to a knee. Then he rammed his right elbow into the other wolf's sternum, driving the breath out of him. Ben followed instantly by swinging the back of his right fist up in an upward, backhanded arc, bashing James hard across the muzzle and snapping his head back, before twisting his hand around, snapping it open, and slashing downwards, barely missing the throat before dragging his claws in a diagonal slash down James' exposed torso, cutting deep into the flesh and roaring as much in pain from his wounds as in savage fury as he cut into his opponent.

James roared in a combination of agony and outrage and stumbled backwards. Snarling in both pain and fury, Ben rose up, grabbed him by the arm with one hand paw as he sank his claws into the opposite thigh with his other, then spun around in a circle and a half before flinging him through the air as some of the watching wolves scattered out of the way when James flew past the spot where they had been to slam into a tree. He bounced off of it, spinning like a ragdoll before he landed hard in the snow and laid there.

Ben, snarling, stalked over to his foe, and kicked him over.

As he did so, James flung up his hand paw to send a spray of snow up into Ben's face. He snarled in shock, backed away, and in doing so barely managed to avoid the claw-filled kick James aimed at Ben's right knee region, trying to use his foot claws to hamstring his opponent. He tried to get up, but a stab of agony from a broken rib caused him to fall back, and he rolled over with a snarl of pain and began to limp away.

Ben snarled in rage, not wanting to let James get away. He had seen the hamstring move coming, recognizing it with his intellectual mind, and grown furious. James was using every dirty trick he could from the get go, rather than falling back on them as a last resort the way Ben did. It was clear that James was doing everything within his power to use attacks that would either cripple or kill his opponent. All Ben wanted to do was show his strength and superiority. James, however, was trying to eliminate the competition any way he could. Ben had no intention of letting him get away with such displays of cruelty.

As Ben got closer to James, he heard snarls of challenge and shock from behind him and turned to see several wolves trying to attack his pack mates, but they were aided by Berke's wolves, who helped to defend them from their attackers. Angered, Ben rushed them, ignoring his injuries for the sake of protecting his loved ones. The wolves that attacked them only tried to attack for a few minutes before they scattered, but Ben had gotten close enough to smell James' scent all over some of them. Snarling in rage, Ben turned back to his opponent to find that the hateful wolf had fled. It was then that Ben growled furiously, burning with resentment as he realized that James' pack had distracted him to allow their cowardly alpha to escape.

He stood there, panting in exhaustion and pain, knowing that things were far from settled with the cruel, underhanded alpha. He looked around the clearing. James and his pack had fled, Lester was stalking away, throwing a resentful, hate-filled look at Ben back over his shoulder. Ben knew that Lester was also still a rival despite his surrender and submission, but Ben was too weak and injured to settle the matter for now, let alone try to chase after James, so he settled for the victories he had claimed, bitter and unresolved as they were.

There were two other packs left, each centered around wolves that smelled female to Ben. Both were lean, one with dark grey fur and a mane that seemed almost frizzed out. He looked her in the eye, but she quickly dropped her gaze. He sniffed the air again and recognized Monica's scent. She laid down in a manner that radiated surrender. Ben growled in approval, seeing that Monica was acknowledging his superiority once more. He turned to the other she-wolf, one with a light brown fur that was almost reddish in a way, and she rose up to her foot paws before she strolled forward casually.

Ben growled in warning, showing he wasn't in the mood for another challenge, though this time it was mostly a bluff. He had nothing left in him. She stopped a short ways from him and stared into his eyes in challenge. Ben glared back, still having more than enough strength of will left to show the power of character he possessed. He sniffed, recognizing Angela.

She tilted her head as she felt the power of his will wash over her, Ben growling savagely as her eyes widened speculatively; then she did the unthinkable...

She dropped her gaze, despite clearly having the will to continue to challenge him, dropped to the ground and rolled over as she turned her head to the side, exposing her throat and belly in surrender.

Ben faltered. "GRRRrurgg?!?" he vocalized, his growl turning into a sound of confusion. He dropped to all fours, grunting in pain as the impact of his hand paws made the wound in his chest burn like fire, then moved close to her. She didn't whimper, didn't tremble, all she did was release a small trickle of urine in submission. Ben faltered, then backed away and woofed softly, giving her permission to rise. She did so slowly and sat up, then turned to him and kept her gaze no higher than his collarbone. She had submitted without any attempt to challenge him.

Ben was confused. He had felt her power and saw the strength of her body. She had the drive and power to challenge him easily, yet she hadn't even bothered; as though it wasn't worth the hassle to try. She could've beaten him if she had attacked; he was too weak to fight back by this point. If she had wanted a fair fight, she could've waited. Instead, she had taken his measure and surrendered almost instantly, leaving the male alpha baffled.

Feeling confused, he turned away, dismissing the puzzling female alpha. She rose and padded away softly, her pack scattering as they left the clearing. Monica rose and led her pack away into the darkness, having seen all they needed to. Ben looked to Berke, who came over to him and licked the side of his head, showing his approval and support.

Then the massive alpha moved away, barked to summon his pack to him, and headed some distance away to leave Ben and his betas alone in the clearing before they stopped and laid down, still within eyesight. Ben saw that Berke was playing honor guard of a sort, making sure no one messed with the senior alpha during his time of vulnerability. Ben felt grateful for that, then collapsed as his energy faded.

The betas rushed forward across the bloodstained snow, whimpering with concern and licking him all over, offering comfort and support as Ben laid there, letting the power of the moon fuel his healing abilities as he began to recover from his ordeal...

*****

Wilkins made his way through the trees, the soft glow of the barrier in the distance. He was dressed in white camouflage only his brown eyes visible, his scent masked. He brandished a deadly array of weaponry, many made of silver to aid him in his mission, each in a protective case to mask the distinctive smell from his intended target. He skirted the edge of the barrier and widened his search pattern until he felt a prickle against his senses, alerting him to his prey. Sensing the target, he took off at speed, making his way through the woods, moving with stealth and speed. He drew ever closer, sensing the creature he was hunting getting closer and closer.

*Tonight you die,* the assassin thought, readying himself to charge in for the kill, drawing a long steel sword coated in silver. He rushed forward, putting on a burst of speed as he came up close, the beast just a few more yards away, masked by the trees...

*WHAT?!?* he gasped in shock, his mind derailing as the presence he felt suddenly vanished.

The keeper entered the clearing cautiously, looking around for his target. *It has to be here! I know it was here! I felt it!*

He looked around, stretching all of his senses, both mundane and magical, but the target had suddenly vanished. One moment it had been there, clear to his mind, the next, like a blink of the eye, it was gone.

He looked down, trying to find any tracks of tracks in the snow, but seeing nothing. He had been waiting in the area for over a week, knowing that the full moon would drive the thing out of hiding, finally allowing it to be tracked; but to have it vanish all of a sudden, as though it had suddenly ceased to exist, made no sense. He knelt down, looking for even the slightest trace in the fallen, yet undisturbed snow, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Something massive and dark slammed into him from above, driving him down into the snow... Then he screamed in agony as his sword arm was bitten off at the elbow. A second bite, another scream, and his remaining arm was torn off of his body by powerful jaws. He was knocked over by a powerful paw, flipping over onto his back to feel hot wet breath that stank like rotten meat against his masked face. He looked up in horror to see burning, blood red eyes staring down at him, insane and full of hunger.

"How?" the keeper assassin wheezed. "How did you do that? How did you disappear? It's impossible!" His eyes widened in shock as he caught the unmistakable sensation radiating from his intended target. "No...! You had-"

The monster lunged forward, taking the man's head into his powerful jaws, and bit down savagely, crushing the fragile human skull with ease. The monster yanked hard, tearing the head free of the body and flinging it away to smash off of a tree, leaving a wet, red stain from the impact as the crushed cranium bounced off and rolled away.

Snarling in as much glee as need, the horrid thing tore the clothing away, sending the covered silver weaponry scattering away harmlessly as the casing of the various silver tools of assassination protected the beast from harm. It dragged the body a ways away for good measure before plopping down in the snow, growling from the burning pain that was its constant companion...

And the direwolf began to consume his kill...

*****

It was about three hours before Ben had recovered from his injuries and felt up to moving. The pack pulled away to let him rise to all fours as he groaned and stretched, working out the kinks in his body and noting that he was still sore and slightly tender, but the healing powers of his primal wolf had allowed him to recover much more quickly than would normally be possible.

In the distance, Berke lifted his head and barked in inquiry. Ben barked back, telling him with the single sound that he was better now and grateful for the other alpha's guardianship. Berke barked back 'You're Welcome', then stood on all fours, stretched, and loped away with his pack in tow. Finally alone, Ben mulled over what to do, felt full of nervous energy, then with a woof of command, took off running, his pack ranging out around him as they took off among the trees.

Ben had enjoyed running in his wolfman form, but running as a primal wolf felt so much better. The crisp winter wind rushed past his face as he weaved his way through the woods, his four paws kicking up the snow in his wake, enjoying the power of his body, the freedom he felt, and his unity with the world around him. All of his cares faded away for the time being, leaving with the simple, pure joy of running. They wandered aimlessly, the betas enjoying the fullness of the moon for the first time in years, running and playing like puppies with newfound joy. For the first time, the night was one of pleasure and freedom, not fear, pain and torment. Tonight they ran for pleasure, rather than protection from their tormentors.

For an hour they ran, enjoying themselves, before Ben's sharp ears heard the sound of an animal crying out in fear and pain. Curious, the alpha followed the sound, his pack trailing behind him, and soon the source was revealed to be a female deer, barely an adult, being used by several wolves. There were three of them, all male and muscular, and the goonish way the wolves acted stirred a sense for familiarity in Ben. The sounds were coming from the deer, which to his disgust, was currently being raped by one of the werewolves, while the other two took turns snapping it across the face, them making sounds that were disturbingly similar to thuggish laughter. The stench of fear and blood from minor wounds mixed with the scents of sex. One of the deer's legs stuck out at a strange angle, showing that it had been broken to prevent the creature from escaping to safety.

Steve let out a sound of disgust, as the other betas looked upon the display with shame. The one mounting the helpless animal looked tot hem and smiled in a canine manner, his tongue hanging out the side of his muzzle as he grunted lewdly, humping the deer like he didn't have a care in the world.

Ben took one look at the scene and felt his blood boil in fury as his hackles rose and he began to snarl. The two wolves slapping the deer took one look at him in shock, finally realizing they were no longer alone, and their eyes widened in shock. Roaring in fury, Ben charged forward, snapping and clawing at the pair with savage, rage-fueled wrath.

After several painful strikes, they yelped in fear and took off running as Steve attacked the last wolf, who yelped in fear. Ben turned to him and lunged, swatting the rapist hard across the face with his claws and bowling him over before lunging in a second time to bite the offending wolf hard on the ass, making the wolf cry out in pain, shock and fear before he cried out again as Ben slashed downward with his claws, cutting into the fur-covered, meaty mound of flesh and giving him pain beyond what he had inflicted on his victim. Steve added a nip to the tail for good measure before they let him go, the wolf yelping in fear and pain as he limped away rapidly, too injured to run.

With the perverted werewolves gone, Ben turned to the deer, who continued to wail in fear and pain. Ben struck quickly, biting the animal on the throat, and with a sudden, powerful jerking motion, snapped the creature's neck, ending it's torment with a quick, merciful kill. The alpha stared down at the body, looking sad at the waste of a life... Then, wanting to honor its sacrifice, leaned down and tore of a chuck of steaming hot meat as he began to eat. Ben wasn't very hungry, however, so he only ate a small portion of the kill before he moved away and barked softly, granting permission to his pack, who rushed forward for a share of their own. The meat was soon gone, leaving only the bones.

Thoughtful, Steve brought the largest intact leg bone and placed it at Ben's feet in in offering as the alpha fished licking himself clean. He leaned forward, giving his mate a lick on the side of the head in gratitude, then laid down and began munching away on the treat he had been given.

Once even the bones were finished, Ben rose up, stretching once more, then remembering James' cowardly retreat and wanting to settle the matter, he led the pack on a long search of the sanctuary, having little luck in finding any trace of the rogue alpha. By the time they located the trail, Kyle looked up into the sky, whimpering. Noting the sounds of distress, Ben looked up to see the moon sinking below the trees.

Their time was up.

He growled, feeling cheated. James would pay for what he had done, but it would have to wait for another time. He woofed, getting Kyle's attending. With another woof, he told the beta to lead them. Knowing what the alpha was saying, Kyle took the lead and headed back to where they had begun the night. They reached the clearing and found their clothing, then waited for the power of the moon to wane.

Ben stood there, looking down at himself and feeling sad that his beautiful dark fur would soon be gone. He wished that he could be like this whenever he wanted, but felt a twinge of hope as he new that he could be like this every moth, if not every day. He stood there and looked at each of his betas, during their primal wolf appearances into his mind to savor later. He went to each of them, caressing their bodies and licking them, ending with Steve as he buried his nose in the furry nape of his mate's neck and sighed heavily with regret. As beautiful as Steve was normally, it felt special to be with him this way. He resolved to spend more time with his mate in moons to come, wanting some alone time with the one he felt the deepest love for. The pull of the moon began to fade and as he felt the first stirring within his body, he whimpered with regret.

Steve gave him a consoling lick, feeling the same way, and stepped away from him. Ben growled in shock and bliss as the erotic sensations returned, filling him like a balloon inside his body, then he shuddered as he began to shrink, the luxurious fur pulling back into the skin as his tail, muzzle and the lower portions of his limbs began to recede, his ears sliding down his skull as the muscles reduced in size and the tingling in his groin as the membrane faded away, causing his sheath to droop. His heels widened as the lowered him to the ground. The transformation reversed itself, making him smaller and more human in nature as the sexual sensations continued to fill him, feeling like a form of apology for the lessening of his wolven power.

Within a bittersweet minute, he was standing once more in his human form, the power of the primal wolf going from a roaring flame to smoldering embers inside of him as the fullness of his lupine power went back into hibernation. He shuddered in bliss, experiencing a dry orgasm as he finished changing back, then sighed and opened his hazel eyes to see his pack mates standing there naked, Kyle being the last to finish his transformation as he shuddered and gasped, apparently experiencing his own dry orgasm as the transformation settled into place. Ben noted that even though they were all back in their human forms, they all seemed hairier now. the hair on their heads and faces seemed longer and thicker than before. Ben noted that his hair was longer and his beard bushier than before, then recalled that Steve had mentioned that it was a side effect of the primal transformation.

They looked around at each other, all with a trace of sadness that the night had ended. "That was amazing," Ben said softly. "I wish it wasn't over."

"I know what you mean," Luke said with a sigh of regret. "But there's always next moon, and the one after that, and so on, and so on."

"True," Ben replied thoughtfully, then shook his head to clear away the feeling of melancholy, then shivered as the cold began to have an effect on his naked body.

"We'd better get dressed," Ken said, his teeth beginning to chatter.

"Good idea-ah," Ben said as he began shivering more intensely. They donned their clothes, grumbling at how cold the cloth was against their skin, then Steve looked around in the snow until he found what he was looking for, with Kyle to help him.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked them.

"Finding your fillings. Best to leave as few traces as possible. The keepers will send a windstorm through the sanctuary once we're out to obliterate our tracks and hide the blood. You never know if someone will come snooping around here and find something we don't want them to."

Kyle walked over and gave the spilled fillings to Ben, who put them into his pocket for safekeeping. "Good idea," he said.

With that, the pack headed back to the entrance to meet up with their keepers...

*****

The man struggled, gasping for breath within the wet, warm darkness, clawing away with his fingernails until, with a wet, tearing sound, light and cold air hit him as he tore his way free of the prison of flesh. Gasping at the residual, fading burning sensation in his body, he fought his way free and slid out of the husk with a wet sliding motion to land in the cold snow. He gasped as the frigid winter weather hit his naked, gore-covered body, making him shiver. He looked down at the remains of the monster he had been, then looked around to see that he had ended up back at his starting point. He hurried over to a tree, opened a backpack and pulled out a white snowsuit, which he put on rapidly.

Don shivered as he looked back to the husk, then looked over to see the splattered remains of his prior human husk nearby, reached into a pocket and pulled out a small paper packet filled with black powder. He blew on it, and the dust rose into the air, moving with purpose before it divided like smoky tendrils and flew to every portion of the human husk. As the dust came into contact with the discarded flesh, the remains bubbled and sizzled, as if boiling or frying, before they vaporized, leaving no traces behind. Don looked at the direwolf husk. There was no need to destroy it. The form had served it's purpose for the night. "Thanks for the ride," he said casually as he always did, reaching into another pocket to pull forth a small grey stone covered in strange, intricate glyphs. He held it in his palm. "Avagarasha," he whispered to it, and the stone began to glow a deep red along the lines of the glyphs that covered it. He put the stone back into his pocket and began to walk away.

As he did so, the footprints he made in the snow receded moments after their creation, filling in until only fresh, undisturbed snow remained, hiding his tracks. He looked back to make sure the stone was working its magic, then made his way quickly back to the road and headed down it a ways to the car, got in and started it up. He belched, feeling the remains of last night's snack shifting within his gut. Grumbling, he reached for a bottle of water, opened it and drank some, wincing at the icy coldness of the fluid. "Stay down there, you bitch," he muttered, not wanting to barf up any of his well-earned meal.

He put the SUV into drive, pulled onto the road and drove away, picking up a cell phone and dialing.

~"Did you have fun?"~ an elderly woman's voice said on the other end of the line in a tone of amusement. The voice could've belonged to a kindly old grandmother if not for the haggish, sinister undertone to it.

"You know it," Don said casually. "Even got in a good snack to tide me over. Oh, there's one less assassin to worry about, by the way."

~"Good. Did the ash dust and masking stones work properly?"~

"Worked like a couple of charms," Don answered with a smile, checking the rearview mirror and seeing that no one was following him. "The assassin came right to me, then stood there like a dumb shit until I pounced. The look on his face was priceless!" he added with a smile.

~"You made sure to destroy the brain, yes?"~

"Crushed his head like a beer can."

~"Excellent. We can't afford any traces, not even residual memories, to be left behind; there are ways to recover the final thoughts of the dead, and we don't want to tip our hand just yet."~

"So what now? The same as last month?"

~"Yes. Return to Seattle and lay low, using the masking stones to conceal yourself. We'll call you when the time comes."~

"Sounds good," Don said. "Later." He hung up, then turned on the cd player and started the disk, skipping ahead to his favorite track. The Marching music from Prokofiev's 'Peter And The Wolf' began to pour from the speakers...

And he whistled along to the music as he headed down the highway...