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Chapter V: Horsing Around

The Connors Mansion had always been rather extravagant but with the annual Alpha Pack ball, its ‘extravagance’ was a little more ostentatious. The distinct wolf motif of the entire mansion was made even more evident with huge spotlights with wolf-head silhouettes dancing in the night sky. Large holograms of wolves wandered the enormous front grounds and even a large one had been erected above the mansion to display a large, white, full moon.

David emerged from the limo that Ben had sent to pick them up. “Wolf Christ. It’s like they’re trying to tell the world they’re the friggin’ Alpha Pack. I don’t know why we never noticed this before.”

Lillian nudged his ribs with her elbow. The billowing ruby-red dress she wore was one she donned whenever she had to go to official parties or events for the senator of California. The strapless gown fit her figure quite well and the fabric was sown in such a way that it looked like they were overlapping each other diagonally, generally leading the eye towards her cleavage and her waist. Even after having three kids and raising an adopted one, she still cut an amazing figure.

“Be nice, David,” she said, sweeping back the single curled strand of hair in front of her face set there by design. “You promised not to be aggressive tonight.”

“I said ‘frigging’, didn’t I?”

Abigail Hale was the next to emerge and like her mother, she donned a red dress but one with straps and glimmering with sequence. Apparently, it was her prom dress and she had to lose a bit of weight to fit back in. She wouldn’t stop talking about how much weight she had to lose to fit in her wedding dress for next year.

Her fiancé, Arthur the otter, emerged a short while later. The smaller, bespectacled otter looked up at the mansion. Like the other men, he was dressed in a white suit but unlike them, he wore a rather worried look on his face. Having spent dinner with the Hales on multiple occasions, Arthur was always under the threat of being ‘eaten’ due to the ravenous nature of the wolves. Being at a werewolf party was likely kicking in his fight or flight instincts.

Caleb emerged from the limo after the otter followed by Lance and Leon. He felt a little like a celebrity with his two burly bodyguards as they headed up the blood-red carpet leading up the stairs into the mansion itself. The enormous, wooden doors were wide open revealing the enormous congregation beyond. Behind them, other limos were making their way up the highway which was the Connors’ front yard indicating the large number of people yet to come.

The air was thick with the scent of wolf even though there were very few actual wolves in the group. A myriad of scents followed from the musk of arousal, the saltiness of fear and even the coppery tang of bloodlust. With his dad leading the family, he stepped into the atrium where everyone was mingling.

It wasn’t long before a man stepped up to them. He wore a black suit, human and a little short at about only 5’10’’. He was flanked by two other burly men.

“My my!” exclaimed their greeter. “It’s very rare to see a family of untouched wolves at a Connors party!” The man held out his hand. His nails were painted black and sharpened to claws. “My name is Leman Carter. Alpha of the Sea Howl Pack from Florida. How do you do?”

David wasn’t moving so Caleb stepped forward and took his hand. “Caleb Hale. This is my family. We were invited by Ben Connors.”

Leman’s eyes widened and he gave them a rather predatory grin. “A guest of the esteemed Benjamin Connors? My that is a surprise! Interested in becoming a werewolf, pup?”

“What?” he laughed. “No. We’re just here to have fun.” He tried to pull his paw away but Leman’s grip was like a vice.

“Oh I assure you. You will have some fun.” Leman’s eyes transformed from their cool brown into a bright yellow. His grin showed off his large canines.

David was starting to step forward when Leman and his werewolves suddenly froze, looking past the Hale family. The werewolf suddenly let go of Caleb’s paw like he was made of acid and ducked his head in shame.

“There is a code of conduct here, Leman,” rumbled the thundering voice of Samson Connors. Caleb turned and found the imposing, barrel-chested human and patriarch of the Alpha Pack standing behind him. “Or have you forgotten the reason why these good people are dressed as they are.”

Caleb glanced at the suit he was given. Ben had sent them the suits to wear and while it had taken a lot of coaxing to get David to wear his, he was suddenly very grateful for it.

“I’m sorry, Alpha Samson…” murmured the werewolf. “I just –”

“Thought that could turn one of Ben’s friends and thereby pull yourself up the ranks?” interrupted the Alpha. “Hold them hostage? Make them subservient to you and thus force Ben to compromise or lower himself to your own level? Ambitious.”

Lightning fast, Samson suddenly lashed out past Caleb, seized Leman’s arm and –

Crack!

The smaller werewolf let out a cry as his shoulder was ripped out of its socket. Abby and Lillian flinched at the sight while Arthur clung to his fiancé tightly. No one else paid them any attention.

“Your only warning, Leman,” growled Samson. “Try anything like that again and it’ll be your head.”

The humiliated werewolf ducked his head, murmured apologies and slinked off.

Once he had disappeared into the crowd, Samson let out a soft sigh and turned towards the Hales. “I apologise for that. Sadly, events such as this is prime for power struggles and ambitions by lesser packs.”

“So I see,” David growled, his eyes narrowed with hostility. “And let me guess. Later on this evening, you’re going to reveal to the world who we are and thus skyrocket the Alpha Pack into securing their dominion over the lesser werewolves?”

Samson gave him a benevolent smile though his eyes spoke of dark intent. “Now don’t let your suspicions ruin the night, David. No one is going to turn you or force you to reveal your identity.”

Caleb’s phone buzzed and he snuck a peak. It was Mary.

‘Samson just baited your dad. He said he wouldn’t ‘force’ him to reveal his identity but seeing as your dad is surrounded by werewolves and now fears someone is going to turn your family, he just might be forced to!’

She was back.

Thinking fast, Caleb said, “Thanks for having us, Samson.” Both alpha male’s eyes went to him. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you mean that we were dressed like this for a reason? Ben was really insistent we wear white and the girls wear red.”

The Alpha Pack Alpha glanced back towards David with a small smile. “All people were are rather… colour coded, if you will. Werewolves are dressed in black, such as myself. Servitors are dressed in dark blue. In case you were wondering, Servitors are the non-werewolves who are hoping to become part of the pack.” He shot David another look as if trying to challenge him. “Those in white and red are not to be touched as they are exclusive guests of the hosts.” He pressed a large hand against his chest. “Us. Anyone who tries to turn them or even assaults them without asking will feel the wrath of the Alpha Pack.”

Again Caleb’s phone buzzed and he spared a moment to look at it.

‘He said ‘assaults them without asking’.’

The message was received loud and clear. Yes, no werewolf could bite them and turn them except if they asked.

“Thanks for looking out for us, Samson,” Caleb said, resolving to speak with Ben. “Where’s Ben, by the way?”

“He should be somewhere.” Samson waved a hand absently around the atrium. “Go, have fun. Enjoy yourselves. We will be having dinner shortly and then the ball afterwards. I hope you know how to dance.” He directed the last at David whose tail was raised and erect in aggression. Lillian had to hold her husband’s paw tightly to keep him from attacking.

The evil mastermind of the Alpha Pack gave them a nod and then headed off to greet the other guests.

“We should leave,” growled David. “This was a mistake. This place is a death trap!”

“Dad, come on,” Abby said. “When is the next time we’re going to a fancy ball like this?”

“I’ll throw you a gala in a fucking castle, princess. Just as long as we get out of here.”

Before Abby could pounce on the opportunity, Lillian seized her husband’s paw. “Honey, try to enjoy yourself. Like Samson said, we can’t be touched and you saw what he did to people who tried. So long as none of us have any intention of turning into werewolves and asking someone to turn us, we are fine.”

Seemed that Lillian had picked up on Samson’s hint as well and David just gave her a puzzled look.

“What? But he said –”

As Lillian explained Samson’s little technicality, Caleb told the rest of his family that he was off the find Ben and headed into the thick crowd of werewolves. It was like trying to squeeze through a rave only with suits and fancy gowns instead of glow sticks and fishnet clothes. With his bulk, it was fairly easy to push through the masses of people but he could feel the predatory stares of the other werewolves at him as he passed. Someone even grabbed his ass as he passed. Given that he was a high school jock and on the football team, however, he was used to such treatment and just brushed it off.

He found Ben in the far corner of the atrium, just behind the grand staircase. Mary, Lars, Ashton and Rhiannon were with him.

“Hey guys,” he greeted with a smile. His turned to Mary in particular. “How’re you holding up?”

“Better, thanks,” she answered with a bright, genuine smile. “I actually asked Jacob to help me deal with my powers and help train me. He suggested I turn to Gwen.”

Rhiannon’s nostrils flared.

“But,” Mary continued, enjoying Rhiannon’s reaction for a little longer, “I insisted he help. He’s the one that talked me down. Not her. Plus he’s the one with the gauntlet that has more psychic powers than I do.”

“I still think you should talk to my mom,” Ben said. “She doesn’t have full-on psychic powers like you but she has clairvoyance and shamanistic powers.”

“I’ll give it some thought, Ben.” Then she looked towards Caleb. “And I owe you for meddling in my life for once instead of the other way around.”

“Is that ‘owe’ as in you’ll melt my brain from the inside one night or ‘owe’ that I’ll get an extra special Christmas present?”

“I already got your Christmas present. It’ll be an extra special birthday present.”

Caleb beamed. “Sweet.” That set aside, he turned to Ben. “So… Your dad trying to tempt my dad into unleashing his powers to defend his family and announce his presence at this party?”

“Actually…” began Ben with a slight blush on his cheek. “My dad is trying to turn your dad into a werewolf.”

He frowned at that. “Come again?”

“When you think about it…”

Rhiannon held up a paw. “Hang on. Werewolves have very good hearing. We can’t just talk out loud like this while out in the open like in the cafeteria.”

Ashton, who had a glass of champagne in his paw let out a soft hiccup. “What is with that anyway? You’d think given all our loud confrontations and stuff, someone would’ve pieced together who we are.” Then in a high-pitched voice, he added, “Plot convenieeeeeence!” Dropping his voice once more and regarding his half-empty glass he said, “Or is it selective hearing…?”

Caleb’s ears folded back. “Oh boy… How many has he had of those?”

“Three,” Mary sighed miserably. “I honestly don’t know where he gets it.”

Rhiannon waved her paws through the air in intricate patterns. The noise of the crowd died out, leaving them in silence even though Caleb could see people’s lips or muzzles moving. “There we go. We can talk in private.”

“Thanks Rhia,” Ben said with a grin. “Anyway Cale, my dad figured that with about half of your family having superpowers, it’d be easier to convert them all into werewolves instead of trying to put you guys into our debt. I mean, if your dad becomes a werewolf, who do you think he’ll turn to first? Especially if my dad is there to ‘rescue’ him, punish the bastard that bit him and then offer his condolences.”

Caleb gave Ben a sour look causing the werewolf to lift his paws.

“Hey! That’s why I got you guys those white suits and made sure your mom and sister wore red dresses! Red means that you’re totally off the market.”

“Then why am I wearing white?”

“Only way I could compromise with my dad. He was pissed enough when I insisted you guys not wear grey.”

“What does grey mean?” Lars asked, dressed in a red suit. Mary was likewise in red but Rhiannon wore a pristine white suit.

“Basically?” Ben answered bashfully. “Grey means you’re up for grabs.” He nodded past Caleb where several black-clad werewolves were fawning over a huge frill neck lizard wearing grey. They were admiring his muscles, licking their lips and their eyes glowing a predatory yellow. “My dad insists every pack bring at least one grey into these things. It’s sort of a social statement. Each one is like a notch on your belt; shows that you managed to convince someone to be a werewolf, resisted the urge to transform them and have big enough balls to risk them falling into someone else’s paws.”

“But it’s a double edged sword, isn’t it?” Mary said. “You lose a potential member to your pack and empower someone else. At the same time, you could be saying that you have enough members of your pack that you don’t care if someone else takes these newbies.”

Ben nodded grimly. “That’s right. They greys are sort of used like… bargaining chips as well. Pack alliances can be made or broken based on trades of the greys.”

“You’re treating them like slaves,” Caleb accused. “Pieces of meat!”

“We’re villains, remember?” Ben said with a shrug. “Well, the Alpha Pack is. There are packs here that aren’t into the whole evil empire thing. But they’re really no fun. You can usually tell who they are if they guard their grey like it’s their last meal.” He took a drink from his wine. “Loosen up, Cale. You’re not wearing grey. White was the best I could do given what my dad wants.”

Give the authority Samson had over the Alpha Pack, Caleb had to admit that Ben did have a lot of balls to have stood up against him.

“Thanks Ben,” he sighed.

“I’ll keep an eye on your family,” Mary said. “Even through all this, their minds shine like a beacon.” She flashed him a smile. “And you don’t have to worry about Leon being jealous of the members of your family with powers. Being in the police academy instilled a strong sense of justice in him and he thinks the werewolves are disgusting.”

“Thanks,” Ben muttered softly.

“You’re welcome,” she answered haughtily. “So when does the orgy begin.”

Caleb’s tail fluffed out. “Orgy!?”

“Werewolves redefine the term ‘white Christmas’,” Ben snickered. “Don’t worry. Our cum isn’t infectious. If it were, Hotrod here would’ve been a werewolf long ago.”

Lars flashed his fangs at Ben. “Low blow, dude.”

“Please tell me when the orgy is going to begin so I can leave really quickly,” Caleb said.

Rhiannon nudged his ribs lightly. “They’re joking. There’s no orgy.” She turned towards Ben with a slight frown. “Though I hear you guys are a little religious in times like this.”

Ben rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. “Yeah. You’d think being supervillains we wouldn’t be so tied by our beliefs but I guess since it is Christmas and we got everyone here, we’ve got to put up appearances. Just…” He winced as he regarded the others. “… Don’t make it weird, okay? Just go with it.”

Now Caleb was curious. It was hard to believe that the villainous Alpha Pack would worship a god. Maybe they worshiped Jesus Christ given how he returned as a wolf. That would be fitting for werewolves.

With the sensitive information gone, Rhiannon dropped her spell and the noise of the crowd returned.

“So… I know we haven’t really talked about this but…” Lars began. “We still going to NYC?”

No one spoke for a long moment.

Then…

“Yeah, we should,” Caleb said, surprising everyone. “We need the break guys. After all the shit that’s happened, we need a break. I mean, the new year is upon us. Even superheroes need a break, right? Besides, we jump out in a few days. Cancelling those tickets would be hell on our wallets.”

“We’re not using portals,” Ben said, smiling smugly. “I’ve got us a private shuttle.”

“Of course you did,” Caleb sighed.

“It’s the least I could do for dragging you out tonight.”

That sounded like the invitation wasn’t Ben’s idea. Thinking back to all the times when Ben had brought up the topic, the werewolf was either distracted by the Hound of Destruction or sounded really hesitant about the idea.

“The invitation wasn’t your idea?”

“My dad’s, remember?” answered Ben.

“Right…” He gripped Ben’s shoulder affectionately. “Thanks for looking out for us, man.”

Blood Wolf gave him a grin, holding his paw in turn. “Hey, my dad goes for the whole ‘dominate’ thing and loves to manipulate people to falling on their knees for him. Me, I want people to come to me of their own free will. When you can control people’s blood and practically paralyse them, it’s way too easy to turn people against their will. I want my wolves loyal to me, heart and soul.”

Caleb removed his paw and took a step away from him. “Walking away now.”

Just as he turned, he froze when he found the lithe, stunning figure of Martha Connors standing in front of him. Her jet-black hair tied up in a long ponytail and her features utterly flawless. As with every time she looked at him, the matron of the Alpha Pack wore a look of utter sadness that never failed to unnerve him.

“Caleb,” she greeted with her airy, soothing whisper like the voice of the wind. “It’s good to see you.” The smile she wore barely hid whatever heavy emotion she was wearing.

“Hi Mrs. Connors,” he muttered, glancing behind him at the rest of the group. They all watched the exchange cautiously.

“I was actually here for young Mary,” she said, turning towards Mary. “I hear you’ve recently come into some… unique information.”

Mary nodded with a polite smile. “That I have, ma’am.”

“I am here to offer my assistance given my skills with such matters. The burden of knowledge is often… overwhelming.”

“Tell me about it.”

Martha’s frown returned as she turned towards Caleb. “Speaking of which… I can no longer see your future, my dear pup.”

Those words confused the lupine Outsider. At every opportunity, Martha seemed out to reiterate her premonition about someone betraying him leading to heartbreak and death. It was a dreaded prediction that Caleb thought repeated itself over and over in his life. First there was Minos who had died and betrayal from Gabe for being the Original and the heartbreak that followed.

“Maybe because it’s already come true?” Caleb offered. “Considering what happened…”

She shook her head sadly. “It’s not that. Every time I look into your future, all I see are these…” Her eyes narrowed and her face scrunched up in effort. “These… eyes. Deep blue. Staring back at me. Mocking me.”

“Wait, wait,” Rhiannon interrupted. “Do these have weirdly shaped pupils? Shaped like eight-pointed stars? Tips cutting into the irises?”

Martha’s eyes widened. “Yes! What are they?”

The Hound of Destruction groaned, shoulders sagging. “They’re Jacob’s eyes.”

The Alpha Pack member known as Moon Paw frowned at her. “Jacob? As in Legion?”

“He goes by the title ‘R3 the Writer of Reality’. At his full power, he has the ability to rewrite all of reality itself and can even create entire universes at will. His eyes apparently allows him to see all possibilities and all instances at any time. Coupled with the fact that he has an army of gods behind him and Realmbreaker…”

Martha looked utterly worried. “We have him wandering around? Samson would be very interested… But why am I seeing his eyes?”

“It’s what the gods see as well when they try to peer into the future now,” answered Rhiannon grimly. “Before, it was all a blur but now that they asked him to intervene, they just see his eyes. It’s a weird block that his very presence causes to the entire timeline. If it’s not his eyes, then it’s another No One’s. They don’t exist in time and space, remember? Their meddling just makes the future utterly unreadable.”

“That is… troubling.” Martha Connors crossed her arms. “I can still see the future of others but your group… even you Ben, they are obscured to me. Perhaps we should speak with Legion.”

Rhia snorted derisively. “Good luck. Just don’t piss him off or he’ll unleash one of his Advocates on your or, god forbid, Realmbreaker.”

“Realmbreaker,” Caleb said, turning back towards her. “I heard you mention that before but I have no idea what it is.”

“You whispered it as well when Legion first fought the Genesians,” Lars said. “I never heard you so… disturbed before.”

Rhiannon sighed and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. “We don’t know what Realmbreaker is. All we know is that it is extremely powerful. It isn’t an actual physical weapon either. Some think it’s a phenomenon. Or perhaps it’s a manifestation of Legion’s very soul. We just don’t know and that’s what scares the gods the most. Probably one of the many reasons why restrictions were put on him.”

Martha lifted her head curiously. “I see… If you wouldn’t mind, Rhiannon, could we please discuss Legion’s powers and capabilities?”

“Sure. Happy to always talk about Reaper behind his back.”

“I should go to,” Mary said, toasting her champagne glass into the air. Then as an afterthought, she seized Ashton’s glass. “Got to keep an eye on the rest of your family, Caleb.”

“Thanks Mary,” answered the wolf.

As the three women left, Caleb sighed and turned back to those that remained. Ashton shrugged and headed off looking for another drink. Lars, Ben and Caleb just chatted absently while the party continued around them. He told them about his new job working with Jacob at the bar. Apparently, arrangements were made during the day while Caleb was at school. Lars offered him sympathy. School plus training plus late nights at the bar would strain him. Not for the first time, Caleb wished he had superpowers so that he could at least recover faster.

“I know Rhia’s not here to keep people from overhearing us but I need to tell you guys,” Ben began. “There’s a lot of chatter about werewolves joining up with the Gene Stealers.”

“What else is new?” Lars rumbled with a roll of his eyes. “What else can you expect from villains?”

“True but… if they turned into guys like you, the Alpha Pack’s authority would be undermined. Just think about it.”

The only reason the Alpha Pack remained on top was because they were not only werewolves but supers as well. On top of their supernatural regeneration and strength, they also had the powers of a super including baseline superpowers. In theory, they were stronger than any individual super but since there were only twelve of them, they lacked the numbers to match the Alliance.

If more werewolves obtained superpowers or became Gen 4s which were still above average supers…

“I just realised…” Lars began grimly. “If Gen 4s were created from werewolves, wouldn’t that work around the whole Gen 4s not being able to infect thing?”

There, Ben nodded sternly. “Exactly why my dad wasn’t to expand the power of the Alpha Pack and keep the other werewolves in line.” He glanced around the atrium. “This whole thing is more about showing off our muscle than anything else. A reason why he was adamant about making sure the entire Pack was here and still hosting it. In recent years, as long as a couple members of the Pack were present, no one cared. I’ve skipped a few myself. Tonight though, dad was insistent we all attend.”

A bell rang out and the crowd began filing into the dining room.

“Come on,” said the werewolf. “We gotta eat.”

They headed into the enormous dining room where Caleb remembered his last dinner with including himself, his dad and the rest of the Alpha Pack as well as a few other guests. He didn’t think they could fit into the room given the rest of the guests that had attended and his questions were answered when he noticed that the rest of the guests were being led elsewhere.

When he asked Ben about this, Blood Wolf’s reply was, “Only the guests of honour and big shots of the werewolf world get to dine with the Alpha Pack. The other Packs are sent into the ballroom where they can eat and socialise. It’s considered a high honour to dine with us.”

Clearly there was still a lot about the world of the Alpha Pack that Caleb had to learn about.

The dining room table was extended to fit up to thirty guests. With the twelve members of the Alpha Pack, seven members of the Hale party, Mary, Lars, Ashton and Rhiannon, that already took up twenty-three seats. The others were reserved for other high-ranking werewolves. Much to Caleb’s surprise, David and Lillian were offered seats at the head of the table beside Samson and Martha. The hungry eyes of the other pack leads were eyeing the two, wondering who they were and why these ‘untouchables’ were given such high ranking seats. Caleb, his family and the rest of his friends were seated on the side of his dad and mom. Ben sat beside Caleb as a buffer between him and the rest of the werewolves. The remaining Alpha Pack sat on Samson’s side. Strangely, Rhiannon and Martha were still absent and Caleb wondered what they were doing and exactly what they were discussing.

“Welcome friends and family,” Samson said, rising out of his seat and greeting them all. “This is a momentous occasion. It has been a while since the entire Alpha Pack has been together for a Christmas gala.

“So let us begin this wondering occasion with prayer.”

Mary suddenly let out a snicker.

Ben leaned over across Caleb. “Don’t make this weird.”

“Sorry,” she giggled.

Caleb frowned and was about to ask what was happening as he began to fold his paws together in prayer. Then a waiter came in and deposited a platter in front of Samson, a silver cloche covering whatever was underneath it.

He heard… clucking from beneath the cloche.

“Did that thing just…” he began.

He was hushed by both Ben and Mary.

Samson pulled the silver dome off to reveal a live feral chicken looking around in confusion, a look mirrored by the Hale family and Lars. Ashton was happily drunk, ignoring what was happening while muttering something about happiness and its relation to cyanide.

“Uh… what’s going on…?” began David.

“We’re praying,” Samson answered brightly and seized the startled chicken by the throat. Without so much as an ounce of warning, he tore the bird’s head clean off!

“Jesus Christ!” Leon exclaimed.

“That’s the spirit!” Samson exclaimed gleefully. “Blaspheme!” He turned to the rest of the werewolves. “Now you know how this goes.”

“Pisorum et dolor sit amet!” the werewolves chanted in unison, raising their hands and paws into the air. “Pisorum et dolor sit amet! Pisorum et dolor sit amet!”

Caleb’s jaw dropped wide open while Samson smeared flesh chicken blood over his cheeks and turned towards the nearby wall. Hands still bloodied, he painted a pentagram on the wall while the werewolves continued to chant.

“Pisorum et dolor sit amet! Pisorum et dolor sit amet!”

Waiters suddenly came in. Each of them was completely naked save for spiked collars wrapped around their necks. Abigail whimpered and covered her eyes while Lillian held her husband for dear life. The lights were dimmed and only the candles on the table illuminated the room. The naked and admittedly very fit men set down platters and cloches in front of everyone. A moment later waitresses similarly clad entered and set down wooden boxes with satanic symbols etched into each one.

“Pisorum et dolor sit amet! Pisorum et dolor sit amet! Pisorum et dolor sit amet!”

One by one, each of the werewolves opened their boxes. An unholy red light emanated from deep within the box. Ben reached in to his and pulled out an ornate dagger; its edges were wavy and etched with deep red runes. The hilt was shaped like a goat’s skull emblazoned over a pentagram with a human skull capping off the pommel.

“Come on, Cale,” Ben said, grinning at him. “Chant with us! Pisorum et dolor sit amet!”

“I… Uh… I don’t know the words,” Caleb muttered.

“It’s easy! Pisorum et dolor sit amet!”

He cast a look towards his father who, wide-eyed, just shook his head in terror.

“Pisorum et dolor sit amet! Pisorum et dolor sit amet! Pisorum et dolor sit amet!”

The waiters pulled off the cloches.

“Oh fuck no!” Leon cried.

There was a lamb sitting on the platters in front of them, seemingly unconscious and staring up at them with blank, expressionless eyes.

Ben lifted the knife into the air.

“Stop!” David shouted.

The ritual froze.

“David…” Samson said with a benign smile. “Please, you must respect our customs. We do this every year. Come, it’s not so bad. Try it. You’ll feel… so much lighter afterwards. Like a weight has been lifted from your chest.”

“Oh shit…” Caleb muttered, staring at the unconscious, unmoving lamb in shock. “He’s asking us to sell our souls…”

“No!” David shouted, rising to his feet. “No! Just no! I am not letting my family participate in some unholy Satanist ritual! Just no!”

Then Mary giggled, a maniacal little girl’s snicker the likes of one that would come from a demonically possessed child. All eyes turned to her as she deftly cut the head off the lamb in front of her much to everyone’s horror. She then sliced off the ear and slipped it into her mouth.

Caleb had to pin his muzzle shut with his paws to keep himself from throwing up.

“Oooh! Chocolate!”

…

David narrowed his eyes. “Wait a second…” He leaned down and swiped a finger against the lamb’s wool, actually sweeping off a piece of it. He put it to his muzzle and his eyes widened. “The hell? It’s icing!”

Caleb stared at the ‘lamb’ in front of him and poked it with a finger. A soft ‘squish’ was his answer… that and the feeling of cake crumbling under the pressure.

The lights sprang back up and all the werewolves burst into laughter.

Samson, who was laughing the hardest, clapped David on the shoulder. “Oh you should see your face, my man! It is priceless.”

David just stared at the head werewolf in shock.

“So… It’s not an actual lamb…?” Abigail began. “We weren’t about to murder a helpless, innocent, cute baby sheep?”

“No, my dear!” Samson grinned and spread his arms wide. “Tonight’s theme is ‘Living Food’! We will be serving you meals that look like actual living creatures but are actually creatively constructed food!” He clapped his hands. “The lambs are actually a desert. Now for the first course. Chop-chop.”

He sat back down with a sigh and wiping a tear from his eye. With a napkin, he wiped the ‘blood’ off his cheeks.

“So… the demonic boxes?” Caleb began.

Ben turned one of the boxes towards him to show the lights embedded into the bottom of the box to give it the ‘demonic’ glow. “Just a trick. We lowered the lights on purpose to hide the fact that they’re rigged and how the cakes were actually cakes and not actual lambs.”

Now that he looked at the dishes in the full light, they did seem fairly obviously fake.

“And the naked waiters and waitresses?”

“Body suits.”

“And… the chicken?”

“Oh that was real.”

Abby still looked like she was going to be sick but she joined in the nervous laughter as casual chatter broke out around the table. Lillian had to take several deep breaths on the side while David patted her paw. The Hale alpha was shooting Samson a piercing stare while Samson pretended not to notice but was smirking to himself.

Caleb shot Mary a stare. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“She probably did,” Ben snickered. “But she ruined the fun before we got you all to ‘sell your souls’ or storm out.”

“You guys are bastards,” he growled.

Suddenly, the earth shook and the entire room was bathed in red light. Caleb gave Ben a stare but the werewolf just stared back in surprise.

Poof!

There was suddenly a blast of black smoke from the centre of the table.

“Who has summoned me!?” came the booming voice.

“Motherfucker!” Lance cried.

Ben stood up and blew at the smoke. “Rhia, Mary ruined it.”

The black smoke instantly vanished and Rhiannon was revealed standing on the table in a big, black cloak with enormous, webbed wings sprouting from her back and a headless chicken in her other paw. “What? We’re not doing this thing anymore?”

…

She was just met with stares.

Rhia turned the chicken towards Caleb and squeezed the neck twice, blood spurting out of the neck hole and onto Caleb’s pristine white suit.

“Squirt-squirt.”

******

“I honestly do not appreciate anyone interfering with my visions.”

Martha Connors stood in a dark room, the bedroom she shared with Samson in fact. Opposite to her stood the enigmatic black wolf with blonde hair. Rhiannon had called him; this ‘Jacob Reaper’. She used her powers to bring him here.

“That is no fault of my own,” answered Jacob with a shrug. “As someone who exists out of time and space, when I enter the timeline, your future becomes completely and utterly unknowable. The gods figure that since they can’t predict the future anymore, why not go for broke? Call in a No One.”

“What is a No One?” Martha demanded.

“Exactly that. A No One. I don’t exist and yet I do.”

She clenched her fists and growled at him, her eyes turning into an icy blue. “I do not enjoy being toyed with, child.”

Jacob seemed genuinely amused at that. “Child? Really? Me?”

“Despite my looks, I am two centuries and a half old. I have watched this world change both with and without my guidance.”

“Oh well, far be it for me who was just introduced into this reality a little over a month ago.”

There, she balked. “What? You look like you’re in your twenties…”

“The benefits of being a No One. This body was created for this purpose for this reality. Of course, I’ve been to countless other realities and I really can’t measure how long I’ve existed. Time conversions between realms of existence is really a pain, you know. I mean, there was this one reality where people lived for a thousand years but by my best estimate, it was really just ten or so years in comparison to time here. But that’s all because the laws of physics are different there.”

Martha lifted her head in understanding. “Ah… So you travel the multiverse then.”

“Nope. I travel the multiverse_s_. Emphasis on the ‘s’. I’m unbound by the laws of your existence. I can jump into any reality I want and not just the ones you can find or the ones connected to one another.” He gave her a smirk. “You’re jealous aren’t you?”

She scowled at him. “Don’t act so smug at me.”

“So long as you stop pretending you’re not jealous about the fact that I will always see more than you and that my mere presence here prevents you from being the ‘guiding light’ to your Alpha Pack. And before you wolf out on me and threaten to snap my neck, just be warned that I am here for a reason. The gods called me here and while they would be fine with me being out of their hair, I’m pretty sure they’ll be pissed at the consequences.”

Moon Paw and the matron of the Alpha Pack calmed a little, forcing herself to unclench her hands. “What consequences?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. But I’m not your enemy. The Ring is.”

She gave him a curious look. “The what?”

“That’s all I can say, Martha Connors. That and to warn your universe is cyclical. Find the Ring and you’ll find your answers.”

“No, that’s not it,” answered the werewolf with a furious shake of her head. “You know about the Ring as well?

The blonde-haired wolf looked genuine surprised but also pleased. “Huh. And here I thought I was the only one who knew them or even believed in their existence. I kept trying to tout them to the gods but they just refused to believe that anyone is capable of manipulating them.” He shrugged. “But what else is new? Supreme powers either can’t or refuse to see that there is always someone stronger than them.”

“You, for instance?” Martha asked dubiously.

“You can’t put me on that scale. I don’t exist.”

She shook her head at the tired mantra. “What do you know of the Ring?”

“Only that they are the greatest enemy of this world and Chimera is tied to them somehow.”

“Have you told anyone else about this?”

“Hinted it to Caleb but until I have solid proof of their existence or activities, I’m keeping it to myself.”

Martha bit her lower lip. She began pacing the room worriedly. “Every time I look into the future, well into the future, I always see the emblem of a circle with four points at the four cardinal locations. There is a fifth point just outside this circle. I always get the feeling of ‘the Ring’ from it.”

“That’s the emblem of the Ring, yes.”

She glanced worriedly at him. “What are they?”

“I don’t know,” he answered with a shake of his head. “I’m not omniscient though people would constantly argue otherwise and claim I should be able to do more. When I was asked to help around with this reality, I didn’t get much time to do any research before I was dragged in. Plus I was researching parallel universes as well and I’ve got instances of myself helping out on those planes as well…”

“There are more of you?”

“Outside of space and time, remember? Don’t worry about it.”

Martha sighed and slumped into her bed. “I don’t know much more than that unfortunately. And with you blocking the future, I cannot see more. The Ring… All paths seem to lead to them and I am frightened what that could mean.”

Jacob took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “A ring represents eternity, commitment and in some cases, continuity. Judging from personal experience, that usually means one thing: someone wants to recreate the world in their image. Considering Chimera’s efforts, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

The werewolf matron nodded in agreement. “I had reached that agreement as well but I was not too sure…”

“Then I think this is the point where we team up,” said the wolf, folding his arms confidently. “I’ll see if I can accost the gods for anything they might know. You?”

“I’ll search ancient texts and ask the spirits,” she answered, rising to her feet. “I do know one thing though…”

“The Stranger?” Jacob finished.

“You know of him?”

“The supposed fifth member of the ring.” Jacob’s expression grew dark. “The creator of the Outsiders.”

******

Dinner was very interesting and after the initial disgust at eating ‘Eye Ball Soup’ – the eyeballs were really just colourful wantons – everyone enjoyed themselves. If anything, the fake satanic ritual had served as an excellent ice breaker and all guests were actually speaking to one another with ease. Whether or not it was actually Samson’s plan to humiliate David like that or to serve as a conversation piece no longer mattered.

People were genuinely having fun.

“So are you guys actually religious?” Caleb asked through a mouthful of ‘human brain’ which was actually well-crafted spaghetti.

“The Alpha Pack really isn’t. Each individual Pack is allowed to worship whomever they want. Some Packs even worship some gods who supposedly use them as some sort of army or shock troops. Kind of where the whole ‘werewolves are vulnerable to silver’ idea came from.”

“You’re not vulnerable to silver?”

“Nope. Some Packs are thanks to certain blessings given onto them but the Alpha Pack, nope.” Ben dapped his lips delicately with a napkin. “Have you guys thought about what you wanted to do in NYC, by the way?”

As conversation got back into their holiday, Martha Connors finally arrived apologising for being late even though they were already halfway through dinner. Caleb shrugged it off as continued eating. Now with everyone present, however, Samson delicately tapped his glass with a fork to catch everyone’s attention.

David didn’t seem to be suspicious now as Samson stood up with a wine glass in his hand. “Friends, now that we are all here I would just like to say a few words.” He cleared his throat as conversation died down. “We live in trying times. Our very way of life is threatened by these Gene Stealers. Previously, only the supernatural races could alter the very genetics of people be they werewolf, vampire or even weretiger.”

Caleb leaned towards Ben. “There are weretigers?” he whispered softly.

“Yeah but they mostly keep to themselves. Not very many left.”

Samson continued. “Some of us remember the turmoil of the Gene Wars where the line between fur and human were blurred and many lives were lost due to the conflict. The ruins of Thelkosia still hang in orbit around our fair planet as an eternal memento over that terrible time.”

Caleb shuddered involuntarily. Though the Gene Wars happened a long time before he was born, it was still a piece of history that terrified him especially with the current issue with the Gene Stealers. Thelkosia was actually a large chunk of land created within the Pacific Ocean by the pro-Gene movement known as GenFree later known as Thelkosians. They had biological agents that would scramble the genes of individuals in entire cities much like the Gene Stealers. This wasn’t just turning people into a different kind of fur either. This was creating hybrids. Tigers would suddenly have horns of a bull, wolves hooves like a horse and other mismatched bodies that while aesthetically pleasing damaged genes to the point where most of those infected couldn’t properly conceive any children. Only cloning and intensive gene therapy would allow Thelkosians to produce offspring.

When a missile was launched at Germany that transformed a town into Thelkosians, the world retaliated and send a coordinated attack at the underwater city. The Thelkosian’s response was to immediately launch their entire city into space. Everyone was shocked when there was suddenly a self-sustaining mini-moon hovering above them. Worse yet, the Thelkosians had an orbital weapon that could devastate entire armies.

The Gene Wars ended with Thelkosia being raided and destroyed.

In many ways, the Gene Stealers were a lot like the Thelkosians but in other ways, very different. The Thelkosians aspired for ‘free genetics’; believing that everyone should have the right and the choice to change their heritage and genetics as they see fit. The Gene Stealers… Well, they seemed obsessed with creating more and more of themselves for whatever reason.

“So today I ask for unity and reaffirm our position as a single species,” Samson continued. “I know there is talk of turning to the Gene Stealers for whatever reason but I can assure you, such a path will only lead to pain, anguish and the wrath of the Alpha Pack.”

No one spoke but Caleb could feel a few werewolf eyes directed at him.

He gestured towards David and Lillian. “And I am sure some of you are wondering who my special guests are. These are my very special friends. David and Lillian Hale and their family.”

Mary subtly pulled her phone from her pocket and rapidly tapped a message on it before handing it to Caleb. No doubt hearing a phone buzz during Samson’s speech would be seen as disrespectful.

‘Ben! Your dad just painted a huge target on David’s back! Do something!’

Realising it wasn’t for him but still to his benefit, Caleb handed the phone to Ben. Having named David in front of the most powerful werewolves at the table, Caleb realised exactly what Mary meant. David was being backed into a corner! His family was now identified to the werewolf world. Tonight, they were immune to being touched but what would happen after the dinner? Would a werewolf risk the wrath of the Alpha Pack?

Ben tapped a message back and handed it under the table to Caleb.

‘I know! I know! I didn’t make the seating arrangements! But I don’t know what to do!’

Again Mary tapped out a message and handed it back with Caleb once again reading it.

‘Be a werewolf! Demand we need to eat! And Caleb, stop reading these messages!’

“They are under the Alpha Pack’s protection,” continued Samson. “On top of any who would turn their back on their race, any who would dare to strike at the Hales will be met with our full and merciless retribution. No one is to turn them against their will.”

But that didn’t stop any werewolves from approaching them and trying to tempt them. Caleb could just imagine werewolves approaching everyone from his dad to Leon, trying to coax them into becoming a werewolf for the powers and the prestige that came with it. There were vulnerabilities they could exploit.

His mom was stressed with work and he was sure having a bit of connections as a werewolf could help make her job a little easier.

Abby clearly loved the idea of being rich and opulent and being a werewolf clearly came with its benefits.

Arthur might be tired of being small and weak compared to the bigger Hales and being a werewolf could give him a lot more weight.

On top of his existing powers, being a werewolf could skyrocket Lance to the very top of the Elemental Alliance and getting a leading member in control of the Alliance and a werewolf could prove strategic value.

Leon was just starting out as a cop and being a werewolf could give him that extra ‘oomph’ over Reggie.

And Caleb, as an Outsider, would always feel second best to supers since he didn’t have baseline superpowers. As a werewolf, that wouldn’t matter.

And David…

His dad suddenly cleared his throat and stood up. “If I may Samson.”

The Alpha werewolf remained cool but it was clear he was surprised by David’s announcement. “Of course.”

Clearing his throat, David looked on down the table. “I’m sure most if not all of you are wondering exactly who I am and exactly how I could be the ‘special friend’ of the esteemed Samson Connors here.”

Mary suddenly jabbed Caleb’s side with a finger, handing him her phone.

‘Caleb, your –’

But before he got past the second word, David said, “I am Feral Steel.”

To prove his point, every piece of cutlery on the table began to lift off the table and glided through the air towards him. Everyone on the table was in shock, Lillian included. All the forks, knives and even spoons hovered behind David in a dizzying array.

“I’m sure you’ve already guessed by now that this is my family,” he gestured towards the Hales. “Even the otter. And yes, one of them is Feral Fang and the other is Weapons Master. I won’t tell you who but it won’t really matter. Because I am sure as you would all agree, any leak of this information will be very detrimental to your health.”

All the cutlery suddenly shifted in the air, pointing straight at the werewolves.

“Identities revealed in this room remains within this room,” David continued with an ominous tone. “If any of you so much as dare to touch one of my family in any way shape or form just remember that my staunch ally, Samson and the Alpha Pack has all of your names. We know where you live. I have the awesome might of Arsenal behind me, the full force of the Alpha Pack, the godly powers of the Hound of Death and Destruction and upon recently, the wildcard known as Legion in my back pocket.”

Mary turned towards Caleb apologetically. “Caleb, don’t be mad at Ben. He had no idea.”

He gave her a puzzled look.

“Who do you think you are to threaten us like this?” demanded one of the werewolves on the far end of the table. “Invoke the Alpha Pack’s name all you want but you are not one of us! You’re not a werewolf! You have no right to threaten us like that!”

David’s steely resolve was unwavering. “As the thirteenth member of the Alpha Pack, I can. And to formalise it…” He unbuttoned his sleeve and held it out in front of the wide-eyed leader of the Alpha Pack. “Samson, if you will…”

“Dad!” Lance exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

“David!” cried Lillian.

Caleb just stood there in wide-eyed horror and he glanced at Ben who was equally as horrified. Then he turned to Samson whose eyes glimmered with ambition but his brow was furrowed in confusion and conflict.

In the war between David and Samson, there was suddenly a stalemate. No doubt Samson wanted to turn David into a werewolf, bring him to heel beneath the Alpha Pack and thus empower the Pack. But he wanted it on his terms. He wanted to break David and have him come grovelling to the Alpha Pack on paws and knees. Yes he would be an Alpha but he would owe Samson. Not this. David was offering himself to become a werewolf perhaps as a heroic sacrifice for the rest of his family. With such a public offering, either Samson accepted and risked a rebellious Alpha not under his control or he refused and showed weakness in front of his guests.

There was really only one thing the head of the Alpha Pack could do.

Samson opened his jaws, his canines extending into fangs.

Caleb leapt to his feet. “Dad! No!”

Samson bit down.

******

The office of the Mayor of West California Island was simply swamped with issues for the past few months. Ever since the Gene Stealers had become public enemy number one, Francis Dalton was practically buried under paperwork. But he really wasn’t that worried. There were bumps along the road but he knew he could bring out the full potential of West California Island.

The full potential that Chimera had envisioned.

It had been months in the making but finally, apparently the first Gen 4 was created. Sadly, the transformation needed data from Weapons Master and Flare Blue. Neither were cooperating but they eventually would. That was assured.

Francis leaned back in his broad, leather chair at his large, oak desk. Piles of papers were stacked on his desk. Really, not many people used paper these days save for when you wanted to make sure a file was read. It was all too easy to send a file via email to a person and for the recipient to just leave it unattended on their tablet. If you want someone to read what you have to say, use genuine paper.

And for the past few months, Francis had been purposefully letting these documents stack up.

And it all came to a head today.

The rotund 6’3’’ man with a bald pate on his grey-black hair was quivering all over. It was finally the day. When Trojan sent one of his many sleeper agents to attack Ulysses, he knew that his turn would come very soon.

Then he got the message.

The doors to his office sprang open and in strode the towering figure of his personal bodyguard Shaun Knox. The tall, slim cougar was not really that imposing as a bodyguard like one would expect. Most other mayoral candidates had bodyguards who were built like brick walls and practically bursting out of their suits. Shaun was lean, strong and most importantly, fast. Having left the military, he had combat experience and was undyingly loyal. Just… not to his country. Not anymore.

A reason why he was willingly escorting the towering figure of Trojan into Francis’ office.

“Got him, boss,” Shaun said.

“Shut the door, Shaun,” Francis said, rising from his seat.

As the office was plunged into semi-darkness again, the Mayor of West California Island got to look at the amazing, statuesque body of the Trojan. The equine Gene Stealer was simply titanic. Standing taller than eight feet tall, and with muscles so big that they would put any bodybuilder to shame, Trojan was both an intimidating sight and an orgasm-inducing one. Francis was drooling and his heart was pounding not only because he lusted over a body like Trojan’s but because he knew exactly what was coming next.

“Francis,” grunted the tremendous equine with that cocky grin of his. “How’re things?”

“Busy as always,” answered Francis with a shrug. He waved at the papers around him. “I’ve been West Cali in a state of alert and throwing funds for Gene Stealer reparations as instructed. I’m not sure I’ll be re-elected come next year but I don’t think that’ll matter, will it?”

Trojan let out a deep, rumbling chortle. “No it will not.” The equine strode confidently over to the window, the tight spandex he wore over his body outlining every muscle across his form. With his massive hands behind his back, he peered out into the night where dozens of news outlets and curious citizens had gathered in front of the town hall. They were all there waiting eagerly for Francis’ press conference regarding the latest attack from the Gene Stealers.

It was late in the night, of course. Not many people in the streets but that was planned. Francis and Shaun weren’t meant to be a full on attack. Just another hot prod to push Weapons Master and Arsenal. They would be rewarded, of course. The less people infected, the better, but if the mayor himself was turned live on camera and news crews also turned, well…

“Have you thought of your names yet?” Trojan asked.

“Really depends on what forms and powers we get,” answered Francis with a shrug. He could barely contain his excitement but he was a politician. He knew how to keep calm and cool. “We will be Generation 3s, right?”

Trojan lifted a hand and regarded it in the light. “Yes. That is assured. You will have baseline superpowers, a single shared power that those you infect will inherit and one other unique superpower.”

“We can’t be a Gen 4?” Shaun grunted.

The Gene Stealer chuckled softly. “The only way to make them so far is to be injected with an Original Serum, be a full-blown super and then reverted back by Weapons Master. We haven’t been able to replicate that yet.”

“Why can’t you give us Original Serums?”

Francis his bodyguard a piercing look but Shaun was never intimidated by him. It was one of the many reasons he loved the guy. Everyone he ever hired were faceless ‘Yes Men’. No one ever stood up to him. Except for Shaun. The cougar stood up to him, had the balls to tell him when he was wrong and had the cock to put remind Francis about what was important. For a man who was in charge, Francis adored it when someone else was in charge especially in bed.

“Original Serums only work on supers,” Trojan explained displaying infinite patience. “Attempts to inject it into non-supers leads to incredible instability and your cells ripping themselves apart. Only way to currently give non-supers like yourselves powers is to get infected by an Original.”

“And that’ll be what Gen 5s are, right?” pressed Shaun. “You will be able to infect everyone?”

The titanic equine laughed softly and turned towards them. Francis’ eyes went wide at the presence of the enormous dick that was now tenting the equine’s already tight spandex shorts. Slowly, tauntingly, the Original pulled down the garment. The strong scent of equine musk filled the mayor’s nostrils and he shuddered, his knees going weak.

“No. Gen 4 is meant to be the generation where we are able to infect anyone. Thus far, the only Gen 4 is Lars McLeod and we are unable to reach him. A reason why we are doing this.”

Even Shaun had to lick his lips at the sight of the enormous equine dong dripping precum onto the floor. Trojan rubbed his mottled member seductively.

“So what’s Gen 5?” croaked the cougar. He was already taking a step forward towards the dick.

“We will be just like Chimera.”

Francis moved out from behind his desk, waddling over towards Trojan. He fell to his knees in front of the massive equine. His eyes closed as the source of that heady musk filled his lungs. His own cock began pressing up against his slacks. Shaun likewise knelt beside him. The cougar’s strong paw fell on his shoulders and he was drawn into a kiss from his lover. Trojan’s precum drizzled them both, baptising them into the Gene Stealers.

“Total control over our shape…” Trojan rumbled, a big grin on his equine muzzle. “…and our powers.”

Both Francis and Shaun tasted a distinct saltiness between their lips. Having both tasted semen in their time together, they were accustomed to the taste. But this was something else. The moment their tastebuds were hit by the strong briny flavour, powerful signals were sent straight to their bodies, their very genes. Their cells began mutating, changing, their very genetic structure altering to fit their new shapes. With their hearts pumping madly, these changes spread through their bodies rapidly.

Francis moaned loudly and his hands instinctively went down towards his crotch. His dick was pounding hard with need. Intense heat began rising from his throbbing cock. Precum began leaking out like coolant; every drop of liquid that streamed out, the hotter his rod became. His precum was like molten, pure meat. It flooded up his length and seeped into every inch of his cock, pushing out its girth and length. But with each pulse, there was too much precum being produced to and it came squirting out of the tip.

The fabric of his briefs began to stretch as both his dick and balls jostled with lust. All the cells that could not be converted were pushed through his veins and straight into his testicles. Veins buried beneath layers of fat thickened and pushed up against his skin forming roadmaps all across arms, neck and legs. Fluids were pumped straight to his balls which became factories that churned away, gurgling loudly and changing the unused cells into semen.

His body changed and contorted into an image of pure muscle. His cock vibrated as more and more of his precum was pumped out of it. Its entire length began sliding down his legs, becoming a visible lump down his thighs. The fabric of his slacks became strained as his thighs became as big as tires. Loud tearing filled his office as the slacks burst at the seams, revealing thick, muscular legs. All the fat from his legs travelled straight to his ass, ripping the seat of his pants.

His back and chest formed a perfect ‘V’ against his waist. All the fat from his pronounced belly bubbled away, feeding the growth of his muscles. A loud groaning rose from his throat accompanied by the sound of his muscles stretching and his bones rapidly growing. Rock hard abdominals pressed up against his shrinking belly, a wall of eight perfectly shaped muscled cubes leading down towards his slim waist and constantly growing dick.

His coat and shirt hung loosely on him for a brief moment. Then his shoulders thickened and stretched, becoming nearly three feet in length and offering him an incredible area of mass. Buttons across his suit jacket strained with the growing mass of his chest, pectorals pushing out of his body. As Francis continued to lustily mash his lips against his lover’s, his chest rose up towards his chin. His neck thickened to the point where it was impossible to tell where his head and chest began.

His arms strained with fluids as his biceps passed well over thirty inches. His hands thickened and broadened, easily wrapping around ever growing member. Thick veins crisscrossed up their entire length, a sort of bizarre race occurring as the blue rivers flooded down his growing muscles with his arms equally stretching longer and longer. The mounds of his biceps offered obstacles that the lines had to overcome, twisting over them, diverging and finally splitting into roots all along his thick forearms.

With a resounding rip, his cock finally burst free of his briefs. The elastic snapped just over his dick, lashing backwards and flying towards the wall with a wet slap. His pants utterly shredded, his monster of a cock came flying out, fully erect at an immense fourteen inches and still growing.

Like some great pressure had been lifted off his legs, his thighs ballooned out until they touched no matter what. It would have been impossible for him to let his cock dangle between them unless it was erect. His calves thickened into perfect heart-shaped bulges decorated with thick, vascular ropes like vines.

Francis, completely lost in the lust, broke away from Shaun’s lips and wrapped his lips around Trojan’s offered dick. The flood of precum directly from the source accelerated the changes throughout his body. His already square jaw inched forward, lips sliding over Trojan’s erect dick. Human features lengthened, nostrils flaring out into large, flat discs and ears being pulled back into pointed, leaf-like appendages sitting at the top of his head. The long, equine muzzle settled easily around Trojan’s massive member but only just making it past the thick menial ring. His tongue lashed out, lapping up the salty, succulent precum pouring down his throat. As the pink muscle began to grow longer and longer, he couldn’t keep it stuffed in the back of his throat where Trojan’s dick fed him. He curled the length easily around meaty length.

The mayor’s eyes fluttered open as the tip of his newly formed muzzle began to turn a light pink at the end. White strands of fur began sprouting out just where his nostrils ended, rushing towards his eyes like a wave of white water. He closed his eyes again as the tingling of new pelt swept over his features and began rushing down towards his neck and over his chest. The grey hairs that had formed his human hair thickened and crossed the barren desert that had made his bald pate. A thick, steely grey mane rushed down the back of his head, forming a luscious waterfall of slate that stopped just between his broad shoulders.

Strong hands suddenly seized Francis’ waist, yanking him violently to his legs. The emerging Gene Stealer glanced over his shoulder at Shaun, awed at his mate’s transformations.

For Shaun, the change was far more different. His body began to throb in a mild pain but he was a soldier and he bore through it. The moment that Francis broke their kiss, his change completely started. He was undyingly loyal to the mayor and his mate. They were both disillusioned by the world around them and saw the Gene Stealers as a way to fix that. In some way, he still resisted. He still didn’t like the idea of being in the dark for the most part but that was how Chimera operated; every cell was self-contained and should they be compromised, the greater the entire operation wouldn’t be in jeopardy.

It was this fighting that caused him some discomfort. He felt a pain at his feet and he stretched out his legs in front of him. His size 10 feet throbbed and pulsated beneath his black, formal shoes. A loud moan rose from his throat as his clawed feet erupted from them, each toe throbbing like they had a miniature heart inside of them. Each claw began to grow and thicken, creeping over each appendage. The moment the black nails touched one another, they began knitting together, merging into a single, solid hoof. Shaun kicked madly, an instinct that was quickly implanting itself into his mind. With each jerk, his legs ballooned out.

Huge veins began pumping through his legs and entered his calves and inflating them into the size of footballs. His thighs became like two tree trunks covered in vines, shredding right through his pants with relative ease. Eager to test out his new limbs, Shaun immediately jumped to his feet, still stamping his new hooves madly. It felt so good to feel the power in each of his legs; the blood in these new muscles, the strength… it was intoxicating! He loved these legs.

Perhaps out of that base desire, Shaun felt to pinpricks burst out from his waist, just at the corners of his pelvis. He grunted and stopped fighting the change. Even as his own dick continued to grow in front of him, a similar pleasure began blossoming from his waist. He looked down in surprise at his lower body, awed at the sensation of his flesh being stretched by two, large mounds rising just above his existing legs. Shaun’s eyes rolled into the back of his head with arousal. The growths were flooding his mind and body with endorphins and pleasurable chemicals. It was like getting aroused from two sources all over again.

The flood of ecstasy was well timed as his entire body began twisting and changing. His spine lengthened and suddenly snapped just at his waist. His pelvis was suddenly at right angles to the rest of his body but his legs remained firmly planted on the ground. Every muscle on his body began rapidly vibrating as muscles and mass began growing backwards. His feet were pushed back inch by inch, his cock being dragged behind him and repositioned to fit his new stance. Shaun staggered forward and was caught by two, strong hands.

He looked up at Trojan in confusion, unsure what exactly he was becoming. But all concerns were washed away when the twin pleasures rising from just below his abs intensified. A loud moan rose from his throat as a second pair of tree-trunk thighs grew out of the lumps spearheaded by another pair of solid, black hooves. Strong muscles emerged, bones strengthened and lengthened until a second pair of legs slammed into the ground beneath him, flanking the transforming Francis.

Shaun threw his head back, a silent gasp rising from his throat. Hard abdominals made from years of service hardened into immovable bricks. His slim shoulders burst out of his suit while lean arms became as thick as bowling balls with forearms to match. His chest tore his shirt right down the middle, leaving him with a rather sexy cleft made by his block-like pectorals. His thick brown hair swept down the back of his neck, rushing down the valley made by his immense back and even running all the way down his new quadrupedal lower half. It swept over his long, ropey tale even as the appendage shrank back while the hairs took over leaving only long ropes of horse hair.

The cougar’s features launched forward, the feline visage being lost into a lust stallion’s complete with tawny fur, a creamy underside to his jaw and a jet-black tip to his muzzle. Shaun’s dick throbbed powerfully and he could feel it still growing even outstripping Trojan’s immense member. With a lusty nicker, he reached down and pulled Francis’ powerful rump into the air. He pushed the thick former-mayor beneath him and shoved his dick straight into the waiting ass like many time before.

This sensation was something entirely different. Drive by pure instinct and lust, Shaun threw his head back and let out a tremendous whinny of pleasure. Francis practically choked on Trojan’s cock as the immense stallion, still the biggest of the three, continued to pump his cock into the white horse. The twin forces of the two dominant males pumping him full of their essence collided in the middle of Francis’ body. Like two erupting volcanoes, the forces erupted just behind his shoulder blades.

Two, huge feathered wings burst from his back, spreading wide and knocking Shaun back in surprise. Though he was loathed to pull away from Trojan’s cock, Shaun was gripping onto him tightly and yanked him back and onto the floor. As blood rushed into his wings, Francis flailed madly but that only allowed Shaun to enter him completely. He let out his own nicker of pleasure as the stallion stuffed him completely, powerful thrusts causing his own dick to lose all semblance of its human shape. It grew dark and mottled, the mushroom-head melding into a flat equine shaft.

Francis let out a cry and seized his cock. His cum and the rest of his identity as the Mayor of West California Island came rushing out of his enormous balls and pumping up his eighteen inch cock. Hot white spunk blasted out of the tip of his dick and smeared his desk with his seed. He bucked his hips madly, eyes rolled into the back of his eyes as he rode the waves of blissful orgasm like never before.

His cry devolved into grunts. Even as the stream from his dick began to ebb, Shaun was far from done and continued to hump him madly. More and more cum came blasting out of his dick, pushing him closer and closer into another orgasm. The thick meat inside of him pushed all his buttons. The raw power, the dominating strength and that hot warmth was just too much.

Shaun roared, some part of his cougar-self remaining as he poured his semen deep into Francis. The winged horse could only grunt and shudder as a second orgasm came blasting out of his dick. He was surprised when hot cum splashed onto his face from another direction and he instinctively lapped it up. Some part of him registered that it was from Trojan but he was just far too caught in the heat and the lust to care.

Francis and Shaun quaked, enormous bodies wound together.

They couldn’t lie in afterglow for very long however.

Someone was knocking on the door.

“Mr. Mayor! Are you alright in there? The press is here…”

Trojan, their master, laughed softly and his voice woke them from their dazed state. “It’s time to get up, boys. Time to introduce the world to Pegasus and Sleipnir.”

Pegasus.

Francis like that name.

******

“What were you thinking!?” Lillian demanded.

In the wake of the surprise that David had pulled on them, the Hale family and friends retreated to a private room that Ben had quickly pointed out. David sat on a big, luxurious seat while his wife examined the deep bite wounds on his forearm.

“It’s fine,” David said, brushing her off.

“No it’s not!” she countered. “David, you just joined the Alpha Pack! That’s a criminal organisation! Worse! You’re not a werewolf!”

“I resent that,” Ben muttered. Lillian shot him a piercing stare but he gazed back in apology. “Mr. Hale, why…?”

David sighed and ran a paw down his features. “Because your dad is a conniving sonofabitch. He basically pointed a big target on our backs. Not only with his announcement of our identities but by dressing us in the one colour that says we can’t be touched tonight unless we ask to get bitten.” He growled at the door which currently separated them from the rest of the party. “I’m not an idiot, Benjamin.”

Caleb winced at the use of Ben’s full name.

“I saw full well what your dad was trying to do,” David continued. “I now understand why he was so eager to get us to this party, why he was so glad when he met us and why he showed off his power in front of us when we first came. He was reinforcing the fact that the Alpha Pack can protect us. So after today, if a werewolf just happens to come in and threaten us, who is the only person we will have to turn to?” David grunted and shook his head. He was starting to break out into a sweat. “I bet he even paid off that asshole that accosted us. If I were a villain, I would’ve executed him straight off instead of just letting him go off with a warning.”

Ben shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “I had no idea…”

David sighed softly and gave him an apologetic look. “Probably not…” He regarded his bloodied arm. The wounds were already starting to heal thanks to his superpowers. “This was the only way I could think of to beat him. He wanted me under his power. If not me, someone else. He wanted us to go to him begging for protection then we’d owe him. With this…” He held up his arm. “I’m part of the Alpha Pack on my terms. No werewolf would dare attack us.”

Caleb had never been in more awe or had more respect for his dad than he did at that moment. David had really taken a bullet for the family, perhaps even a silver bullet. There was no telling how the world of the werewolves would do to him or if he could take it. When the Elemental Alliance heard of this as well… There had never been a werewolf superhero before. As far as Caleb knew, they all fell under the Alpha Pack which was driven to crime. Those who were werewolves and supers at the same time were influenced by the Pack regardless of whether or not they were part of the Pack itself.

Looking towards Lance, he saw the conflict in his brother’s eyes. Leon wore the very safe face. Abby was holding Arthur tightly. Lars and even Rhiannon were still in shock. Mary met his gaze guilty and mouthed an apology. He nodded in return.

Samson’s trap had been ingenious. If they left here without some sort of show of power, they would be targets for the entire world and there was a lot they could lose if their identities ever got out. Someone could realise that he or Lance were out there fighting crime and blackmail them with their identities. Leon was very vulnerable as a budding police officer as well.

This… This was the only way, it seemed.

“It doesn’t really work that way,” Ben explained. “You have to dominate other packs…”

The doors suddenly burst open and Samson strode in accompanied by Martha. His expression was impassive.

“And he just dominated over eight packs with his display at dinner,” Samson announced. “I underestimated you, David. Revealing you were a super, let alone Feral Steel, identifying your sons and threatening everyone there.” A coy smile crossed his features. “Word is already spreading and the fact that you cornered me as well is causing a lot of people to piss themselves. Bravo. You’re really one of us.”

“Not sure if should thank you or not,” David growled. He wiped his brow with the back of his paw. “Fuck… I’m burning up.”

“Consequence of being turned into a werewolf, unfortunately. Since you’re already a super before you became a werewolf, your baseline superpowers are fighting off the lycanthropy. They’ll lose but you’ll have a fever for longer than any normal person would or if you were infected before you came into your powers.”

“How long?” David croaked, his eyes already starting to glaze over with the fever.

“Three days at minimum.”

“Fucking hell…”

Lillian fell to her knees beside him. “David…” He leaned in to kiss him but Martha immediately seized her shoulder and pulled her away.

“I’m really sorry,” Martha said softly. “Your husband is… very infectious at this stage. Even a stray speck of blood or a kiss could lead to any of you being infected as well. His body is fighting the infection but that means the infection is also extremely active.”

“So I can’t even kiss my husband!?”

“No… I’m sorry. And even after that…”

Lillian’s eyes widened in terror. “Are you kidding me!?”

“You will be able to kiss him,” Martha said gently. “But you won’t be able to…” She wrung her hands together anxiously. “Werewolves are inherently instinctual creatures. David will be… very emotional and prone to… savagery. As a werewolf and a super, he is far stronger than the average super. He could break you like a twig in the throes of lust…”

Lillian broke out into tears and collapsed into Martha’s arms.

“Fuck me…” David grunted. “Can’t even… fuck my…” He squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing laboured and heavy.

“Ben, let’s get him comfortable,” Samson ordered. “Everyone else, you’re welcome to spend the night if –”

Suddenly, ‘Waiting for You’ played and Caleb growled as he seized his phone. He heard Lars, Mary and Ben’s phones all ring at the same time.

“Of all the rotten…” he began, bringing the phone to his ear. “Bren, this isn’t a good time.”

“What if I told you the mayor just transformed into a Gen 3 at his press conference tonight and is now changing everyone right there and then live on air?”

Caleb’s eyes widened in terror.

“The mayor!?”

There Lillian lifted her head in shock. “What about the mayor?”

“He’s just been infected,” Mary responded, even her expression was wide in terror. She looked straight to Samson whose unreadable mask shattered like glass. “If this gets out tonight of all nights…”

“Werewolves are going to flock to the Gene Stealers,” Samson growled. His eyes darted back and forth between Mary and David. “They’re making a statement… They can hit even the city’s officials. No one is safe.” He bared his fangs and spun to Ben. “Ben, activate the jammers. Total media blackout. Now.” Ben bolted out of the room, a red blur. “Martha, meet me in the dining room, now. The entire Pack needs to show a unified front and that we are unperturbed by this development.”

Samson then turned apologetically towards Lillian. “Lillian, I am truly sorry to leave you in such a vulnerable position but please, stay here. Do not kiss your husband unless you wish to join him as a werewolf.” He glanced to the other Hales. “Please, all of you. Stay here. We’ll post guards.”

Lastly, his eyes fell to the members of Arsenal. “Can you handle this? We’ll head out and send reinforcements as soon as we can.”

Caleb pocketed his phone and nodded. “We got this.”

David struggled to his feet but collapsed into Lillian’s arms. “I’m… I’m…”

“You’re not going anywhere, brother,” Samson said. “You are in no position to fight.”

“I’m not… Oh boy…” Then David’s head slumped forward and he drifted into unconsciousness.

Caleb gave his dad one fierce stare, silently promising himself that he would stop whatever was happening at the press conference and come straight back. He turned to Samson, eyes like blue embers.

“Look after him,” he growled and immediately stormed out of the room.

Lars and Mary were right beside him and they were rushing out of the Connors’ mansion. Werewolves and guests of the Connors stared after them as they bolted out the door even as members of the Alpha Pack began trying to calm and distract them. They were barely out massive double doors before a big, black van came rushing up the driveway towards them. It skidded to a halt and the back sprung open to reveal Madman with Ballistic in the back and Bren at the wheel of the van.

“Hurry up,” rumbled the big hyena. “I don’t think I need to tell you how bad this is.”

Caleb jumped onto Ballistic and kicked up the engine while Mary jumped behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. As he readied the bike, she shoved helmets onto both of them. A moment later, he was zooming out of the Connors’ front yard with Bren right behind them. Once they were a good five minutes away from prying eyes, he pressed a button on his dashboard starting up ‘Weapons Mode’ of his bike.

The bike instantly transformed, gaining golden tints and a hood that forced him and Mary to press their bodies against the bike. Side ‘wings’ sprang up from the front of the bike, wrapping around their flanks and making the bike look like a vicious arrow bolting down the streets. A soft tingling rushed up his body. His white suit vanished to be replaced by his black, sleeveless Weapons Master uniform.

“Don’t be alarmed,” Rhiannon said over their communicators. “I just cast the spell to replace your clothes with your uniforms. Ben can have them back after we’ve dealt with the mayor.”

“What’s the damage?” Caleb asked.

“Minimal,” Elliot answered. “At least in terms of people transformed. Really just the few staff that were in the mayor’s office at the time and a few reporters that got caught in the initial attack. Their transformation method doesn’t seem to be very infectious. Seems that they have to physically fuck people to get them to transform.”

“So much for subtlety,” Mary muttered.

“Where were the Gene Stealers ever really that subtle, Barbie?” came the orca’s sarcastic reply. “But it’s the aftermath that’ll be a problem.”

“What do you mean?” Caleb asked. He could hear sirens off in the distance. There wasn’t any smoke or a fire but news choppers were already zooming in to the site. He mentally wondered what genius decided it was a good idea to send in more news reporters to a site where other reporters were already being transformed.

It was Bren who answered.

“Think about it, Caleb. The Mayor of West California Island just got transformed into a Gene Stealer and started attacking people live on TV. People are going to pounce on Arsenal for this. If Chimera’s threat wasn’t real enough, this certainly is. There’ll be a power vacuum left after this blows over and support for us is going to plummet.”

“Fuck…” He shook his head. “Let’s deal with that after we stop these guys. Mary, hold on.”

He felt Mary’s hands tighten around his waist as he kicked up the Time-Space Fold Engine of Ballistic. His entire body, Ballistic and Mary both became semi-transparent. He veered his bike in the direction of the town hall, aiming himself right through a nearby building. Without stopping, he hit the accelerator and Ballistic shot forward. The brick wall didn’t stop them. They just passed right through the wall, its occupants and everything in between on their way to the site.

“Tactical analysis for you, Caleb,” Rhiannon said. “There’s two Gen 3s here. One is a winged horse. The other is a four-legged horse on ground.”

“A feral?”

“No. Sort of like… a horse centaur if that makes sense. There are about twenty other infected around them. None of them have the other mutations but they’re definitely basic Gen 3s with one shared power. I think… Yes, I think they have momentum armour.”

“What’s that?”

Mary tapped his shoulder and he nodded, bringing Ballistic to a grinding halt just as they emerged from a building. The town hall sat right in front of them. A total scene of destruction and chaos sat there. The regal face of the town hall with its archways and pillars were stained with cum and bullet holes. News trucks and police vehicles were caught in a deadlock as about twenty, huge, horses rampaged around them. Most of them were stuck on the stairs where they shoved hapless victims down their dicks or in the cases of females, forced them to drink from their engorged breasts. A few had managed to break through the barrier and were rushing against police officers or civilians.

In the air, a pure white winged equine with wings hovered. The Gen 3 suddenly bent down towards his own massive dick and suckled on his enormous equine dong. The act of impressive aerial acrobatics was short lived as with a muzzle full of bodily fluids, he dove down and plucked an officer who was distracted with evacuating others. The Gene Stealer didn’t give his stag victim a chance to scream as he pushed his muzzle against the man’s, shoving the contents of his mouth down the stag’s throat. The stag’s limbs began to flail madly and a distinct bulge began to grow at his crotch.

Then the winged horse dropped his victim.

“No!” Caleb cried, immediately shutting off Ballistic. He slammed a fist against one of the side panels and light danced all over his body, giving him a solid blade, a pauldron and a piece of leg armour. A shield manifested itself on his other arm. Just as he was slipping out, the stag slammed into a nearby police car, caving the roof in completely.

A huge horse cock suddenly blasted out from the crater of metal, cum blasting out like a fountain. A newly made horse leapt from the car that had cushioned his blow, tossing his mane madly and letting out a whinny of ecstasy.

“WM! Watch it!”

Caleb glanced to his right and immediately rolled forward. A huge four-legged horse but still possessing the upper torso of a muscled equine fur came charging past him. The massive dick hanging between his back legs was like a lance and it immediately speared a stunned police officer, shoving down his face and damning him to become another horse.

“Goddamnit!” Caleb growled. He swung his sword through the air. Diamond-hard bull golems wielding enormous axes appeared on either side of him and spread out in an effort to contain the chaos.

“Caleb, listen to me,” Rhiannon said through his earpiece. “Their common power is momentum armour. Basically, the faster they get the more unstoppable they become. Do not let them build up momentum.”

The stag that had been transformed loomed over him. The towering eleven foot equine was truly imposing. At seven feet tall, Caleb was dwarfed by the titan. For now.

“Think you’re such a big shot?” he growled. “Well watch this.”

Caleb grunted and opened the floodgates to Branding Iron’s power. A powerful heat coursed through his entire body as the strength of the weapon manifest in his entire body. His black and white fur turned a deep brown as every muscle on his body began to expand and grow. Bones stretched and lengthened, pushing him to an intimidating ten feet tall and with his mass doubling. His clothes, enchanted by the Hound of Destruction, stretched with his form. A pain erupted from him temples momentarily as his horns breached his skin. Within moments, a full set of bull horns had emerged and he threw his head back, letting out a tremendous roar.

The now bull-shaped Weapons Master, lifted his huge shield in front of him. Though he was still smaller than the equine by a foot, he was bulkier and effectively a tank. His foe just grinned at him and lowered his shoulder for a charge. Caleb did the same and bolted forward faster than the horse could react.

WHAM!

His shield slammed into the horse, sending him reeling and crashing into the very police car that he had emerged from. Caleb slammed the pommel of his blade into the horse’s temple, knocking him out.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t the esteemed Weapons Master!”

The winged horse came down from the sky like an angel. With the news copters casting light down upon him, it really seemed like he was coming down from Heaven.

“Mayor Dalton?” Caleb asked.

“That’s right!” He threw his head back, silvery man glistening in the light and with his arms spread wide as it to welcome all of West California to look upon his glorious new body. “Feast upon my magnificence, West California Island! This is your mayor! This is what the Gene Stealers can bring to you!”

Those words seemed off. All the other Gen 3s he’d fought were savage at least for a little while but Dalton was speaking with clarity. It was as if…

“You wanted this,” Caleb gawked. “You were working with the Gene Stealers!”

“Very astute!” Dalton laughed. The four-legged horse came galloping up towards the winged Gen 3. The bigger equine wrapped his arms around Dalton, nuzzling his neck affectionately. “We were both working with the Gene Stealers! Everything we did was for Chimera’s plan! You hear that West Cali! Even your trusted, beloved mayor was working with the Gene Stealers! Don’t resist! You too can be this beautiful!”

He flexed a bicep for emphasis and spread one wing.

“Don’t listen to him!” Caleb shouted, waving his sword through the air. “All the Gene Stealers will do is rob you of your identity!”

“What if my identity was this in the first place?” Dalton laughed, running his hand over his pectorals. “What if I was a beautiful winged horse trapped in a fat, balding man’s body? What if all the Gene Stealers are doing is unleashing your true potential and it is paranoid, selfish Outsiders and supers like yourself that are keeping everyone from progressing!” Dalton spread his arms again. “Listen to me, West Cali! The Gene Stealers can give you superpowers! Just give in to them!”

Then he flashed Caleb a vicious grin. “And what you don’t realise is that we’re already amongst you. Your mayor was working with the Gene Stealers. Who else could be one?”

“Enough!”

Brilliant blue flamed cascaded down from the skies. The four-legged Gene Stealer swept Dalton up onto his back and galloped up the stairs to the town hall. Lars, dressed in his brilliant black and blue outfit of Flare Blue descended from the sky, sharp, blue flames jutting from his feet and keeping him aloft.

“If the Gene Stealers were so benevolent they would’ve just come out and offered their services to those that will listen,” Lars shouted. “Why are they sneaking around if all they want is what’s better for everyone? Why cause so much damage? Why cause so much death? What are you hiding!?”

There, Dalton faltered and couldn’t answer.

“The Gene Stealers will give you powers!” Lars shouted. He gestured at the savage horses all around them. Bren and his truck came zooming in a moment later, Madman and the agent jumping out to stand beside Caleb, Mary and Lars. “But at what cost? If not your identity, then it’s something else. They aren’t tell us what they want. Chimera came outright and threatened everyone! How can you claim to be there to help people when you have someone like him leading you?”

Dalton sneered. “Fine. Be that way.” He spread his wings and launched himself into the air. “I wasn’t here to convert people anyway. Feel the might of Pegasus!”

He suddenly beat his might wings and a tremendous gale of wind kicked up in front of him. The blast of wind launched a whole police car off the ground and rushing towards them. Madman immediately jumped front of them and caught the car with his might paws.

“Got to try harder than that, asshole!” snarled the hyena.

Dalton – Pegasus – snickered. “Sleipnir!”

The four-legged Gen 3 grinned and stamped the ground with one mighty hoof. The ground shook violently like an earthquake had just hit. Madman stumbled. Caleb and Lars immediately caught the car and tossed it aside before it could fall on the hyena.

“One has power over wind and the other can cause earthquakes,” Elliot stated. “Fitting.”

“Madman, Bren, Mary,” Caleb growled. “Contain the other horses. Keep them from getting out. Lars, take the guy in the air. I got the four-legged freak.”

The team immediately split up. Bren used his superior marksman skills to shoot at the rampaging horses, catching their attention. As they were distracted, Madman seized cars and news vans, tossing them mightily overhead and sending them crashing across the street for form a makeshift barricade. Those that tried to attack, Mary was instantly upon, her shifting blades flashing madly as causing cuts that would have sent most horses to the figurative glue factory.

Lars launched himself into the air and raced straight after Pegasus.

Caleb squared off Sleipnir.

“You have no idea what you’re up against,” growled the equine, pawing at the ground with a hoof idly. “You’re way out of your league kid.”

“That’s never stopped me before,” he snarled back. Two more diamond Minotaurs appeared on either side of him, enormous axes at the ready.

“You have no idea how many of us are already deeply embedded in the city, in the world. You’ll all fall eventually.”

“How many supervillains have said that?” Caleb answered with a smirk.

Sleipnir’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Kneel!” He stomped the ground, sending another quake launching after him. A glass platform immediately sprang up from the earth beneath Caleb; a hexagon about a foot thick. It lifted off the ground, suspended by his power. His Minotaurs were caught in the quake and shattered but he was unaffected.

“Try again!”

On some unspoke command, the platform flew down towards Sleipnir.

BOOM!

A gust of wind struck Caleb hard from the right, sending him crashing to the ground. Branding Iron skittered away from him. A shadow fell upon him and Sleipnir hovered above him. The Gene Stealer grinned and reared up on his hind legs, hooves ready to cave Caleb’s head in. The bull instinctively lashed out and seized the horse’s ankles before they could crush him. But a Gen 3 had baseline superpowers and his strength was still far superior to Caleb even in his bull form.

Caleb gritted his teeth as those hooves inched closer and closer to his face.

Then he felt something wet slap against his leg.

Suddenly feeling very dirty he lashed out with his own hoofed feet and –

“YEOW!”

Sleipnir toppled back as Caleb’s hoof crunched against his delicate nuts. The four-legged horse staggered away with a limp, tears in his eyes.

“Dirty trick!” snarled the equine.

“You know what else is dirty?” Caleb snarled. He launched himself at the limping Gene Stealer. His weight fell upon the villain’s back and he seized the male’s mane, pulling it back. “Yah!”

“Fuck!”

Sleipnir bucked and kicked but Caleb had a very firm grip on him. The equine bolted down the stairs, throwing his head back and forth. He smashed right into a parked car, sending it hurling into a nearby building. As more and more momentum built, he became nearly unstoppable but he was effectively a shield for Caleb. The big wolf-turned-bull crouched behind Sleipnir’s bulky frame as the horse smashed right into an adjacent building. Bricks and debris peppered Caleb but Sleipnir took the majority of the blow. They circled through the atrium of the building before ploughing right through the same wall back onto the streets.

Utterly blinded by pain and desperation, Sleipnir had no idea where he was going. Even when he rushed towards a furry, orange figure, he didn’t stop.

“Bren! Look out!”

The agent turned and didn’t do more than lift a single eyebrow before Sleipnir slammed into him and trounced him with his hooves.

“About time he died…” Rhiannon muttered. “Caleb, you got to stop Sleipnir. He’ll tear up the entire street this way!”

“I’m trying but –” A loud tearing noise filled his ears and his hand pulled away from Sleipnir’s mane, a handful of horsehair between his fingers. “Oh shit –!”

Without a grip and Sleipnir’s speed, Caleb was hurled back and slammed into the ground a second time. Stars flashed before his eyes but he quickly shook them off. High above him, Lars and Pegasus were in heated combat with Lars – being a Gen 4 – clearly having the advantage. Lars was faster, stronger and far more experienced with his powers.

He grinned at his boyfriend’s skills when he remembered he had his own problems.

Pushing himself up, his heart sunk as Sleipnir showed up down the street and slowly turned towards him, murder the four-legged equine’s eyes.

“Oh boy…”

Sleipnir charged.

“Caleb!” Rhiannon cried.

His eyes went to the handful of horsehair in his hands.

“Please be something good,” he begged and clenched his fist around it. Ethereal blue light erupted from between his fingers, white feathers orbiting the light. A cold, metallic wire wrapped around his wrist. The light extended out from between his fingers, forming an almost serpentine length that coiled down around him. The light vanished in a dizzying flurry of white feathers.

A long whip lay in his hands, bound to his wrist by a steel coil. There was something… strange about the way the whip looked. It was almost… metallic in appearance like it was made of a sort of a midnight black, flexible metal.

“Weapons Master!” Mary screamed.

He snapped his attention back to Sleipnir.

The horse was seconds from trampling him!

He lashed out with the whip in desperation –

BOOM!

And huge live wires erupted from the ground and collided with the Gen 3. The Gene Stealer screamed as thousands of volts of electricity lashed out throughout his entire body; the wires viciously attacked him, shocking him from all directions as they wound around his form and pinned him to the ground. All momentum was lost and he crashed to the ground, body wracked with spasms while bolts of electricity danced all over his body.

“Wires,” Caleb stated. “First bones, then glass and now wires.”

He scrambled to his feet, taking a deep breath. There was a lot that had happened this day alone. Mary was revealed to be a demigod, he got a job as a bartender, Ben’s werewolf party, his dad became a werewolf and now the Gene Stealers were making their play. Every part of him just wanted to scream, shout and destroy something around him.

But he remembered Gabe’s advice in such situations.

He took a deep breath…

… and counted to ten.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a smile on his face. “Ten…” he whispered.

Calm, in control, Caleb lifted the whip over his head and cracked it with a thunderous snap.

Wires exploded out of the ground all around him and snaked out like a swarm of vipers. The rampages horses were struck by them, bodies convulsing before collapsing to the ground. Those that tried to get away were bound by the wires before being electrified and knocked unconscious.

In the air, Pegasus looked at the falling Gene Stealers and at the wires rapidly rushing towards him.

Francis Dalton knew this was the end of his little rampage.

And he just spread his wings… and laughed, arms wide in welcome.

******

Caleb was impatient to get back to the Connor’s mansion but his dad wasn’t around to work the media like he usually did in these cases. And the media was hungry for answers. Questions were flying around about how the mayor could have been in cahoots with the Gene Stealers and what this meant for the West California Island. People were asking about who would take over the position of mayor, how Arsenal couldn’t have known and what else the Gene Stealers had in plan.

Back in his lupine form, he just closed his eyes and took another ten seconds to himself. Pushing aside the stress of the past few days, the lack of sleep from working at the bar and now everything that had happened, he opened his eyes again calm and ready with an answer.

“It is incredibly unfortunate that Mayor Dalton was indeed transformed,” he said. “Whether or not his true allegiances were with the Gene Stealers or his ranting was brought on by the mania induced by such a rapid transformation still has to be determined. Arsenal and indeed all our allies will do what we can to ensure that the mayor gets the best treatment available and we will naturally work to find a cure as we always have.

“As for the power vacuum now left in the wake of this, Arsenal isn’t a political force. There will be no attempts by our team to seize the now empty seat as mayor and we will entrust the city’s council to determine Mayor Dalton’s temporary replacement. I am sure that a fair election will be held to properly set this person on the seat and hopefully with their guidance and the assistance of Arsenal, something like this will never happen again.”

He noticed Mary’s proud smile and Bren’s nod of approval.

Lucky the tiger had a spare body lying close by as he immediately stepped in front of Caleb after he made his statement. “That is Arsenal’s official statement on the matter. Now please, I am sure we have a lot of clean up to do. If you would all please –”

“An official statement from an officially incompetent hero.”

The crowd instantly went silent.

Caleb’s heart sank.

Mary’s smile dropped.

A grey-maned lion stepped out from the crowd, parting the people like he was Moses and the Red Sea.

“George Geoffrey Guinness of Channel 17,” said the feline with a predatory smile. Guinness was a lot bigger in person than Caleb had thought. He was a full 7’9’’, just a little smaller than Caleb but he had a powerful barrel chest and it looked like even in his advanced age, he kept fit. His suit fit him well but Caleb could see that it was likely tailor made to mask just how big his arms and legs were. Little wonder he was such a blow hard. He had the build to back it up. “Can you tell the world exactly how a team who touts itself as the protector of West California Island against the Gene Stealers could be so stupid as to let someone who was working with the Gene Stealers for so long lead this great city of ours down such a ruinous path?”

Caleb’s paws tightened into fists. He felt Mary’s hand gently brush against his.

In that moment, Lars stepped forward. “As Weapons Master said, Mayor Dalton’s declaration that he was in cahoots with the Gene Stealers could just be brought on by temporary delusions we know tend to grip victims of the Gene Stealer transformations. Until we discern the true cause of it –”

“Does it even bother you that it was clear our esteemed ‘mayor’ clearly said he wasn’t there to convert people anyway?”

“What? He –”

Guinness flicked a paw over his shoulder. “Johnson, can we get a playback?”

A hologram instantly erupted overhead showing Pegasus.

“Fine. Be that way. I wasn’t here to convert people anyway. Feel the might of Pegasus!”

Lars’ eyes bulged.

“Is that truly the words of someone gripped by temporary insanity?” Guinness continued. “Sounds to me that ‘Pegasus’ knew exactly what his role was and what he was doing? So the question remains, is this Arsenal trying to explain away their idiocy and inexperience or are they blatantly lying to our faces right here, right now on national TV?”

“Fuck…” Bren whispered softly as the cameras and microphones were shoved right into their faces.

“You listen here, you smarmy little jackass,” growled Madman. “A hell of a lot more people could’ve gotten hurt if we hadn’t stepped in! You should be goddamn grateful!”

“Ah,” exclaimed Guinness, his eyes bright with glee. “Madman. We’re you a victim of the Gene Stealers? In fact, aren’t you infectious? Shouldn’t a simple laugh from you turn everyone here into maniacal hyenas like you?”

“You wish, pussy cat. This collar stops that.” He gestured at the collar around his neck.

“Oh! So Arsenal doesn’t even trust its own allies with their powers? They employ a former victim of a Gene Stealer as their muscle and leash him like a dog. What does that say about the poor innocents that were transformed by this newest strain? Will their fate be the same? And how exactly do you even come up with these ‘cures’ of yours? What horrible experiments must be undertaken on victims of circumstance before a cure can be made?”

Caleb’s heart began to fill with fire and fury. Guinness was twisting everything they were saying into something that could be used against them. He tried to keep his calm but his tail was starting to go erect and his ears had already folded back. Mary held onto his paw tightly but he was shaking in rage.

“It’s not like that, fuckwad!” Madman roared. “I chose to be part of Arsenal. I chose not to be cured because I chose to do something to help people!”

“And we’re supposed to trust the word of a collar dog?” His eyes switched to Caleb. “Nothing to say Weapons Master? Oh why am I even bothering with the mascot? Where is Feral Steel? Where is the true brains of this operation? The diabolical mastermind that skyrocketed himself back into the realm of relevance after he denounced his ties to the Elemental Alliance and back the new, upcoming and hip Outsider movement?”

“What!?” Caleb sneered but Mary immediately pulled him back.

“You heard me,” laughed Guinness. “That’s all Feral Steel was doing. He realised he was being racist and Arsenal was rising in the popularity polls so in an effort to make sure that he was still top dog, he abandoned his the Elemental Alliance and commandeered Arsenal. The effect was genius, really. Now he’s part of the ‘in’ group, more popular than ever and his name on everyone’s lips. It’s all a publicity stunt.”

“You –”

“Feral Steel’s intentions and reasons for joining Arsenal are strictly confidential,” Mary interrupted sharply, putting herself in front of Caleb. “I would advise you not to pry further as it would be an issue of national security. I don’t think I need to remind you that the FBI was involved in Arsenal’s founding.”

For a moment, Guinness lifted an eyebrow seemingly stopped for the moment. “Oh of course. But I’m sure the public would want to know why Feral Steel didn’t make an appearance in tonight’s fracas.”

“Even superheroes need a night off, Mr. Guinness,” Mary answered with a smile. “Unless you’re suggesting that superheroes should be worshiped like gods and are expected to omnipotent and save everyone regardless of the time of day or need. That would be akin to considering supers like your slaves, don’t you think?” Before Guinness could reply, Mary quickly cut him off. “Oh, you broke a nail, Mr. Guinness, why not call a super to grow it back for you? Late for work? Why not call a super to fly you there? Is that the world that you’re implying, Mr. Guinness? A world where supers, just because they can, should be subservient to everyone else because they’re stronger? Wouldn’t that be akin to communism? Are you vying for a communist world, Mr. Guinness?”

Caleb couldn’t help but grin.

Guinness was silenced and it was clear the lion was irked by Mary’s barrage.

“Of course not,” answered the feline in cool, calm tones with barely contained fury. “I guess it’s just too much to expect for Feral Steel to make an effort to save the world and has to send his pet bitch to fight his battles for him while he’s off somewhere with his tail between his legs.”

Something just snapped in Caleb.

“You motherfucker!”

He lunged at Guinness, fist colliding with the lion’s face. There was a sickening crack as the antagonising news anchor toppled to the ground. A gasp rang up from the rest of the reporters and in that instant, Caleb realised he had done something very stupid.

Guinness rubbed his muzzle, blood seeping between his fingers. Despite a tooth missing, he still grinned up at Caleb.

“Well… I believe we’ve just seen a new side to our ‘heroic’ Weapons Master.”