ã€ŠShe Wolfã€‹


 Chapter 1

    My name is Pete.

    I¡¯m your average small town 18 year old boy fresh out of high school. I wish I could talk a lot more about my town, but there¡¯s really not that much to say. The whole town is supported by a lumbering business that provides employment for a lot of people in town, which in turn fuels a small consumer economy that sustains our little place.

    I did receive some attention from our townsfolk when I was growing up, sad to say it was the wrong kind. My father left my mother when I was just 7 years old. One day he was home and the next day he was.. not. My mother refused to say much about my father¡¯s disappearance other than stress the fact that he won¡¯t be coming back. I guess she was trying to make sure I wouldn¡¯t be hurt by holding out false hope that my father would be back one day.

    Even though my mom refused to talk about it, the townsfolk had plenty to say about my father and they had no compunctions about using very colourful language in front of a child either.

    ¡°Your father done gone caught hisself in a tramp¡¯s honeypot¡± as old lady Clarke so eloquently put it.

    Already being shy and quite introverted, the attention and pity of the townsfolk didn¡¯t exactly make my life easier. I was already subject to a lot of teasing from my classmates. My bullies in school seemed to take my family tragedy as divine providence. Reggie Mayweather and his cronies in particular seemed to take vindictive pleasure in bullying me everyday till I was on the verge of crying. And if I did cry they¡¯d use that as fodder to humiliate me even further.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    I wish I could say there was someone very brave in our class who stood up for me and we became best friends for life, but sadly that wasn¡¯t the case. Everyone¡¯s instinct for self preservation won out over desire to commit heroic deeds. After all, no one made enemies out of Reggie and his cronies lightly.

    Our financial situation wasn¡¯t that great either since my father¡¯s job at the lumber mill was our main source of income. My mom managed to keep us afloat with her hair salon and I would help her out whenever I could. This coupled with the fact that the puberty fairy skipped me led to my bullies giving me the most original nickname: ¡®Faggy Pete¡¯. My androgynous looks and soft blonde hair didn¡¯t help much either.

    You can imagine what that did to my dating prospects in high school. Not that I had much of a chance, mind you, given my stellar social standing. I didn¡¯t find any of the girls in my high school that attractive anyway. Their pretty faces couldn¡¯t hide away the ugliness that I could see underneath, their indifferent eyes watching my suffering was enough to turn me off.

    Yet, life went on with just me and my mom. I can¡¯t honestly say I was very happy, but I was content. I was determined that, as soon as I graduated, whatever happened, I¡¯d leave this town with my mom and never look back. I got my wish, in that perverse and twisted way that universe usually granted my wishes.

    It was about a week after graduation that we found out that my mom¡¯s smoking habit had finally caught up to her. Lung cancer ,final stage, nothing to be done, or so the doctors said. I was strangely numb through the whole ordeal, feeling like the last bit of light in my life was ebbing away. My mom wanted me to focus on my college applications, which was impossible for me considering the circumstances.

    My mom passed in 3 months and I¡¯m glad I got to spend all that time with her. After her funeral, I packed everything up, put our house for sale and finally left behind the town I fervently hated.

    And that¡¯s how I found myself on a fine May morning 2006, heading to Carson city and leaving my old home in the rear view mirror.

 Chapter 2

    I managed to find a cheap apartment in Carson city. The apartment was more like the size of a closet and the neighbourhood wasn¡¯t all that great, but I didn¡¯t have a lot of money to blow and I just had to survive here for a few months until I could get into a halfway decent college. I found a help needed ad at a nearby restaurant, upon inquiry, I managed to land a job as a busboy. I thought this job could help cover my living expenses and make sure I didn¡¯t run out of cash before college.

    I had already divested myself of my old car since I didn¡¯t find much use for it in the city. It wasn¡¯t like my new apartment came with parking space. Work was okay, the restaurant owner was a bit of a dick, but since it wasn¡¯t in my nature to push back, things didn¡¯t escalate. The other staff were really nice. Although, almost always, at the centre of attention was Rob. Rob was the bartender at the restaurant and was well liked by most. I¡¯d spent most of my life thinking that good looking guys with some charm had to be assholes. My opinion was mostly colored by Reggie and his cronies¡¯ behaviour in high school.

    It wasn¡¯t like Rob had a stellar reputation with everyone, couple of the female staff were definitely giving him the stink eye. I understood that Rob was somewhat of a player. Rob was 6 foot 1 compared to my 5 foot 6, he looked strong and lithe whereas I looked sickly. I could see why he could be a player if he wanted to.

    Anyway, he was never mean to me and seemed genuinely interested when he inquired about my life. He told me he was from a small town like me and had moved to the city in search of a new life. He apparently had a few close friends who had also moved into the city with him. He was nice enough to invite me to meet them, but I told him I¡¯d think about it. Meeting a bunch of new people outside of work would not likely be a great experience for me. I wasn¡¯t exactly known for my skills in socialisation.

    One day I was walking back to my apartment from work. It was a bit later than usual, which was making me a bit nervous. My neighbourhood wasn¡¯t exactly known for being the safest. I was passing an alley when suddenly, I was painfully brought back to reality by the sound of a body hitting the pavement. I turned around just in time to see 3 guys kicking a man on the floor.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I was too stunned to do anything other than stare in shock at the scene unfolding before my very eyes. Then suddenly one of the guys turned and his eyes suddenly locked on to mine.

    ¡°What¡¯re you starin at faggot?¡± he asked.

    I couldn¡¯t do anything but stare in shock at the man with a scruffy beard as he slowly took a step towards me. Almost involuntarily, I took a step back, my eyes still glued to his terrifying face. He took another appraising look at me and  saw his anger soon turn to contempt as he rightly judged that I wasn¡¯t much of a threat.

    ¡°Get¡­The.. Fuck¡­OUTTA HERE¡± he screamed, while pointing towards the street.

    I took another look at the poor man getting beaten and started walking briskly. The scruffy bearded attacker went back to assaulting his victim. Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn¡¯t believe I just did that. I, who blamed everyone in my class for not standing up for me, was now fleeing from the same situation now that I was the observer. No, I had to do something. I quickly fished out my phone from my pocket and contacted emergency services. The precious few seconds it took me to connect and report the incident felt like years. I think I was holding my breath until the dispatcher assured me that the police were on their way.

    The next moment is something I¡¯ll remember for the rest of my life.I turned around to look at the alley and I was greeted with the sight of the man who threatened me looking right at me from across the street. I gulped and lowered my phone, fervently hoping that he didn¡¯t notice me using my phone. At the exact same moment, the warning sounds of police sirens became audible. I saw his face contort into something far uglier than the glare that he previously gave me. I turned around and ran like I¡¯d never run before. I didn¡¯t stop until I reached my apartment and collapsed on the bed after locking my door behind me. Never in my life had I felt such fear. I pulled the windows shut and huddled up on the bed, crying my heart out as I remembered what my mother¡¯s sweet embrace felt like.

 Chapter 3

    I called in sick for the next couple of days. I huddled up in the safety of my apartment ordering takeout. The delivery guys must have thought that I was insane considering I was telling them to leave the food outside in the hallway while I slid money under the door. I tipped them generously, so they weren¡¯t complaining. By the third day, I was starting to get cautiously optimistic. It¡¯s not like I could stay inside my apartment forever and besides, what were the chances that Mr scruffy beard could track me down to exact revenge. I just had to be a bit careful and keep my head down.

    I went back to work the next day. Although I was a bit stressed about walking up to the restaurant, by evening I was much more relaxed. Things fell back into a familiar rhythm at work that soothed me. It was late afternoon when Rob finally came in for his shift. I thought I saw him throwing a few concerned glances my way. I thought I was imagining something until Rob came up to me and told me that he needed to have a chat with me. What really worried me was the fact that the ever cheerful Rob had a very serious look on his face.

    I met Rob in the alley behind our restaurant.

    ¡°Pete, Did you jump in the middle of an alley beatdown and call the cops a couple days ago?¡±

    All the comfort that I had built up after the incident vanished in an instant, a primal fear rushing into me. Rob noticed my expression as his lips drew into a thin line.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s true then,¡± Rob said with a sigh.

    ¡°Listen to me Pete, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you¡¯re in deep shit. Those guys you called the cops on belong to a white supermacist gang in the city. And they generally don¡¯t take too kindly to people who rat them out.¡±

    I was too stunned to reply for a while. When my brain started to work again I asked him how he came to know about it. Apparently, a couple of guys had been making inquiries about me in the neighbourhood and yesterday evening they had come into the restaurant. Sadly, a picture of all the staff from the owner¡¯s birthday party last week was on full display behind the bar. Rob saw them taking the owner out for a chat. I wasn¡¯t exactly a favourite of that man and I couldn¡¯t imagine him ever standing up to a couple of gang members for my sake.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Rob, how do you know for certain they were gang members and they were looking for me?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a friend who¡¯s had some dealings with them in the past. I¡¯ve met one of the guys who came to look for you at a party. We¡¯re not friends or anything, but he knows me well enough that he told me what he was here for.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god.. Oh my god¡­Oh my god..Oh my god.. What am I gonna do? Should I call the cops? Report them? What¡­What should I do?¡±

    ¡°What help will that be Pete? Even if you go to the cops, you can only identify the people you saw, which is only a fraction of the gang. The rest of them are gonna come after you. And I gotta tell you upfront that I can¡¯t be involved with the cops. If they ever ask me, I¡¯m gonna deny that this conversation ever took place. I think you¡¯ll only escalate things even further if you go to the cops now.¡±

    ¡°Then what can I do?¡±. I was at my wit¡¯s end with stress and worry. I had only just escaped the bullies from school and now it seemed like I¡¯d become the target of an entire organisation that was much more dangerous and deadly.

    ¡°For now, I suggest you lay low for a while. Let me talk to my friend, he might be able to come up with a solution. Like I said before, he¡¯s had some dealings with their organisation. He might be able to work something out.¡±

    For me, Rob¡¯s words were like the straw extended before a drowning man. I thanked him profusely and very much hoped that his friend would be able to resolve the issue that was now threatening my life.

    The rest of my shift after our conversation passed in a blur and I soon found myself treading the familiar path back to my apartment. I opened my apartment door to find a scene that absolutely terrified me. My apartment was ransacked by someone. Things were strewn about everywhere. If I were less shocked, I think I would have screamed. It hit me suddenly just how much I depended on the safety of my apartment. It had been like my castle in the last few days when I was hiding out.

    Now, as I stood there with tears streaming down my eyes, I felt like a sailor stranded at sea with nowhere to turn. I felt as if I was another person looking down at my body, connected and disconnected at the same time. After what felt like an eternity, I took out my phone and called Rob.

    ¡°Rob, they¡¯ve found me, they¡¯ve been in my apartment.¡±

    There was a pause at his end ¡°I¡¯m coming over, wait there.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Rob gave me instructions over the phone to secure my apartment until he could get here. I propped up a chair against my doorknob, shut my windows and armed myself with a kitchen knife while I anxiously waited for him. It took Rob about half an hour to get to me, it may have been the longest 30 mins that I¡¯d ever spent in my life. I think I let out a breath I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d been holding when Rob entered my apartment. At this point he was the only hope in my life of ever making it out of this situation without serious bodily harm.

    Rob quickly surveyed my apartment and arrived at a very accurate and succinct conclusion.

    ¡°They know your name, what you look like, your address- new and old based on how they¡¯ve thrown around your cheque book. They also have someone who can break into your apartment without breaking down your door. We gotta get you the hell out of here before this thing escalates further¡± Rob said.

    I couldn¡¯t have agreed more.

    Rob took out his phone and started talking to someone rapidly. It seemed like he was calling a few of his friends. I had plopped myself down on a chair feeling a distinct lack of energy after the whole ordeal. After a while, I was dimly aware as Rob pulled up a chair next to me.

    ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the deal. I talked to a couple of buddies of mine. They¡¯ll come around here soon with their truck. Pack up some essential stuff that you need and we¡¯ll go meet Luke. He¡¯s probably the only guy who can find a solution to this. Having said that, I¡¯m not entirely sure he¡¯ll jump in to help you. He¡¯s a peculiar guy. He might help you, he might not. Either way, you need to stay away from this place for a few days¡±.

    I nodded in reply.

    ¡°Is there anything I can do to persuade this guy Luke to help me, Rob? I could pay him. I don¡¯t have a lot of money. How much do you think It¡¯ll take to convince him to help me?¡±.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s definitely the wrong track to take with him. Luke¡¯s not that much concerned with money. The thing that¡¯s most important with someone like him is respect. Showing him the proper respect is more important than anything else. You¡¯ll be literally asking him to save your life. Keep that in mind and never treat him like a hired help that you¡¯re buying with your money. In fact, don¡¯t bring up money unless he specifically asks about it. ¡± Rob said with a serious expression.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I assured Rob that I won¡¯t show his friend any disrespect and thanked him for his advice. I set about packing things I¡¯d need for a few days. In the end, I managed to fill 3 bags when Rob¡¯s friends showed up an hour later.

    Rob introduced them both to me. Sam and Jay were both around the same height as Rob and seemed to possess similar builds. Sam seemed cheerful and jolly like Rob was while Jay was silent for the most part. I had the feeling that Rob may have called in a couple of favours to bring Jay here. He looked like he didn¡¯t really want to be here.

    With their help, we moved my stuff into the bed of the large pickup truck they had parked on the street. We soon set off towards our destination. Rob and Sam were making small talk over the stereo. I was too wound up to pay attention to them talking about mundane things. But then again, I was the only one in this truck whose life was hanging in balance, entirely dependent on a stranger showing me kindness. My heart was beating rapidly in my ribcage as I racked my brain to come up with a persuasive argument that would convince him to help me.

    The ride seemed all too short before the truck pulled into a garage named Hunter¡¯s Auto. The auto repair shop was mostly dark except for the light coming from an elevated room which I assumed was the office area. The curtains were pulled down, so I couldn¡¯t make out anything inside.

    I followed Rob as the four of us made our way up the stairs to the office. Rob knocked on the door ¡°Luke, you there?¡±.

    ¡°Come in¡± came the reply in a loud bass voice.

    I stepped into the room after Rob and saw Luke get up from the couch to greet us. He was absolutely massive, even a couple inches taller than Rob, who was a little over 6 feet. While Rob looked strong and lithe, this guy was absolutely ripped. I could see his t-shirt straining against his chest while barely holding up against his bulging biceps.

    He had a ruggedly handsome face and my first impression of Luke was that he cut an intimidating figure. More than just his figure, there was something in his gaze as his eyes met mine. Some primal sense was telling me that this was a man I should never challenge. I felt like a midget standing at least 6 inches shorter than the second shortest guy in the room.

    Rob broke the silence by saying ¡° Hey Luke, this is Pete, Pete, this is my friend Luke¡±.

    ¡°Hi Pete¡± Luke said with a short nod that conveyed his complete confidence and control of the situation. I told him hi back in a tone that conveyed that I possessed anything but confidence.

    ¡°Rob¡¯s filled me in your situation Pete. Tell me, Why should I help you? And for your sake please don¡¯t say money¡± Luke said.

    I gulped nervously as my useless brain presented me with a complete blank as I tried to come up with a halfway decent argument why my life was worth his time.

    He watched me with a predatory smile as he patiently waited for my answer.

 Chapter 5

    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Someone more eloquent could have made a case for their life in that situation. But all I managed to do was stand around and mumble a few words that amounted to ¡®Please help meee¡­¡¯.

    Luke seemed to consider me with a piercing gaze ¡°Pete, you seem like an okay guy and Rob vouched for you. But that alone is not enough for me to risk my life and business interests to protect you. You see these guys around you, they¡¯re more than just friends for me. They¡¯re family. They¡¯re completely devoted to me and I¡¯d do anything for them. But you, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re worth it Pete¡±.

    ¡°Please Luke, you¡¯re the only one who can help me. I swear I¡¯ll never forget if you help me out. I can be a friend to you. Whatever you need me to do, I¡¯ll do it. Please help me, I have nowhere else to turn¡± I told him with an expression that I was sure would have looked rather pathetic. But I was beyond caring about stuff like that at this point.

    Luke seemed to consider my words for a moment before turning to Rob ¡°What do you think Rob?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only known Pete for a few weeks, but I think he¡¯s a good guy. My gut tells me you won¡¯t regret helping him out¡± Rob said.

    I shot a thankful look towards Rob. I was really lucky to have met someone like him. He was sticking his neck out for my sake.

    ¡°I¡¯ll trust your instincts Rob. They¡¯ve never led me wrong before¡± said Luke nodding towards Rob.

    Luke took a step towards me, I had to crane my neck to look up at him as he loomed over me. I felt his intimidating presence crash down on me.

    ¡°Alright Pete, I¡¯ll help you sort out this mess. But, you have to do exactly what I say. Fail to follow my instructions and I¡¯ll chuck you out right where I found you. Got it?¡±

    I nodded and mumbled yes before Luke took a step away from me.

    ¡°First we¡¯ll get you a new place to stay. You need to lie low for a while. You need to quit your job and avoid contacting anyone you know. Ditch your phone as well, Rob will get you a new one. I¡¯ll try and get this resolved quickly, but it might take some time. Meanwhile you can work here, help out around the office and the floor when you¡¯re needed. That should cover your rent and other expenses that¡¯ll cost me¡±.

    I almost offered to pay him for his troubles, but then I remembered Rob¡¯s warning and kept my mouth shut. The new place I was staying was apparently right here in the shop. One of the doors that lead out of the office led to a stairway and then a hallway. The shop had two rooms upstairs. One of them was occupied by Luke while the other guys helped me move into the next room.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    I didn¡¯t realise how exhausted I was till I hit the bed. I fell asleep almost instantly in blissful relief. It looked like my life wasn¡¯t in any immediate danger. I was woken up the next morning by Sam banging on my door. He told me to get ready and meet him downstairs in the office. I had donuts and coffee with Sam while he explained what I¡¯d be doing in the office. Sam¡¯s cheerfulness was a bit infectious, helping to take some edge off from the fact that I¡¯d be starting a new job.

    Jay also joined us a bit later, but he wasn¡¯t as talkative as Sam. He filled in on certain details when he thought Sam hadn¡¯t explained them to me properly. Luke joined us a while later. He didn¡¯t stay for breakfast and headed out to run some errands. With the help of Sam and Jay, I started my work. We ordered lunch while the guys helped me clear up some of the doubts I had regarding the job. Luke returned in the afternoon and went up to his room. From their interactions and the way the guys talked about Luke, I got the distinct impression that Luke was the man who decided things in their circle.

    While Sam, Jay and Rob were equals, Luke seemed a step above in the social standing. Luke didn¡¯t talk all that much and when he did, it was mostly giving orders to others. The shop closed down around 7 PM and we had our dinner together. After dinner, Luke and the guys went out for a bit while I was told to stay in my room. I woke up early the next day and was in the office when Sam came in the next day. Today, we were joined by both Jay and Rob. Rob had managed to get me a new burner phone. The phone had Luke, Sam, Jay and Rob¡¯s number already programmed into it.

    Luke joined us in a bit, but didn¡¯t join us for breakfast. He and Rob left soon afterwards while the 3 of us got started on our work. The pattern pretty much repeated itself in the next 4 days as I got myself more familiarised with the workings of the shop. It was a bit weird, but I felt like we weren''t handling nearly as much volume of cars as we should have been able to. Luke wasn¡¯t around for a lot of the time and Sam and Jay occasionally disappeared as well. Then again, I guess that made sense considering the guys Luke was connected to. Anway, it wasn¡¯t my place to ask questions about it. I just hoped that whatever he was doing, Luke would be able to resolve my problems quickly.

    It was on saturday that I met a new person since I came here. Her name was Layla. It seemed that she was also part of Luke¡¯s close circle of friends. She was a pretty brunette girl about the same height as me. She looked at me about the same way as most pretty girls did for most of my life. But it seemed that she was particularly pissed off about something as she talked to me like trash or talked over me like I didn¡¯t exist.

    She left soon afterwards with Luke. I asked Sam if I¡¯d done something to offend her and he assured me it wasn¡¯t something I did. Apparently Layla sometimes would decide to be nasty to people she didn¡¯t like at first glance. I inquired about her relationship with Luke. I was told that they were close, but he also warned me not to refer to her as Luke¡¯s girlfriend in front of Luke.

    I was left wondering exactly what kind of relationship they had. I didn¡¯t have to wonder for long as I found out exactly what their relationship was later that night.

 Chapter 6

    I was in my room at night when I heard the door of Luke¡¯s room shut. He was back earlier than usual that night. I was doing some light reading on my laptop when I heard a dull thud against the wall separating our rooms. I put down my laptop and inched closer. When I didn¡¯t hear anything in the next few moments, I thought that maybe I¡¯d imagined the sound.

    ¡°Oh my god Luke.. yes¡­aaaa¡­AAAARGHH..¡±.

    There was no mistaking it, Luke was banging a girl in his room and from the sound of it, she was loving it. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I was reasonably certain that it was Layla¡¯s moans that were coming through the walls.

    I was a virgin and this was the first time I¡¯d ever heard anyone having sex. The thought of Luke banging Layla¡¯s hot body left me feeling so horny. I was slowly backing away from the wall when I heard the first loud thud of something hitting the wall. This was followed by rhythmic thuds that seemed to hit the wall with a strong rhythm. Punctuated with Layla¡¯s ecstatic moans, it was easy to figure out that Luke was banging her hard against the wall and she was absolutely loving it.

    I was left to wonder what kind of strength the man must have as it felt like the entire apartment was vibrating with the force of his blows. Even more impressive was how long he was able to maintain his rhythmic ramming, steadily increasing in tempo. I was genuinely scared of the apartment wall collapsing as he built up his tempo. At last when it seemed like the frequency of his pounding reached a fevered pitch, I heard her cry outDid you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡° OH..GAWD¡­YES¡­AAAAAA¡±

    Her cries of pleasure was followed by a low rumble that almost seemed bestial. A little while later, I heard something like mattress springs squeaking in Luke¡¯s room.

    I went back to my bed thinking about what I¡¯d just heard. I couldn''t help but feel really jealous. The likelihood that I¡¯d ever get to do something like that with a girl like Layla was probably less than zero. It was pretty late before I¡¯d calmed down enough to be able to go to sleep. I woke up before my alarm rang even though I went to bed late.

    I went down to the office at the usual time. Sam asked me if I was okay. I hastily replied yes and changed the subject to work. Luke came down a bit later alone. I guess Layla didn¡¯t stay the night. It seemed like hot sex was the cornerstone of their relationship and not much else. I had trouble meeting Luke¡¯s eyes. He had to have known that I¡¯d heard everything last night. If he noticed anything off about my behaviour, he didn¡¯t comment on it.

    That evening, both Sam and Jay had left and asked me to square up all the loose tools and equipment. I closed all the shutters except the small door at the side of the shop. It was a bit late when I heard someone enter the shop.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯re closed for the day.¡± I said, as I rounded a van to get a better look at the customer.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright sweetheart, I didn¡¯t exactly come here for auto repairs¡± a cruel voice answered.

    I was stunned as I once again gazed at the face that haunted my dreams for days. I didn¡¯t know how, but Mr Scruffy beard had found me, and I was all alone.

 Chapter 7

    I saw him take a step towards me as I woke up from my state of stunned disbelief. I ran to the other side of the shop, but unfortunately, I¡¯d already locked all the exits save for one which he was blocking. The staircase to the office and my apartment was also in the same direction. I ran behind the cover of a van while grabbing a wrench along the way.

    I tried to fish the phone out of my pocket before realising with a jolt that I¡¯d left my phone in the office since I was doing manual labour.

    ¡°Come on out goldilocks, no point in hiding¡±, I heard his voice drawing closer as my heart began to beat faster in my ribcage.

    I had to get to the office. If I could get to the office and shut the door behind me, the guy would have to break down 3 doors before he could get to me. I could probably call and have the guys come over long before he¡¯d be able to accomplish that feat.

    I slowly crept forwards, trying to move as noiselessly as possible. I had to get to the office while that guy was still blundering around looking for me. I could hear him moving toward my position. I used a van as cover to slowly slip past him. I thought I had successfully managed to slip past him. Therefore it came as a complete shock when a sharp kick landed on my right side, which sent me sprawling on the floor. I saw the wrench slipping out of my grasp and sliding under a car.

    I looked up to see a bald guy in a goatee staring down at me in apparent delight.

    ¡®Oh shit.. Scruffy beard had brought back up¡¯.

    I saw Scruffy beard come up from behind a car. ¡°Great job Steve¡±, he said to the bald man.

    I was still on the floor as he knelt beside me. ¡°So, Is this the pussy who called the cops on us the other day?¡± Steve asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s him, scrawny little faggot, couldn¡¯t mind his own business¡± he sneered.

    Scruffy beard grabbed me by the collar and hoisted me up before slamming me against the wall of the garage.

    ¡°Please¡­I..¡± I didn¡¯t get to say any more before the bald guy¡¯s fist painfully slammed into my stomach. I doubled over wheezing. When I was finally able to look up, I saw that scruffy beard had a big serrated knife in his hands. I started struggling and hyperventilating at the sight of that. But the bald guy had me pinned to the wall in an iron grip.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Goldilocks, in death, you¡¯ll accomplish much more dead than alive. You¡¯ll become a symbol. A symbol of what¡¯ll happens when you fuck with us¡±.

    Scruffy beard extended his hand and flexed his knife, drawing my attention to the way the dim light reflected on the surface of the razor sharp knife. It was at this moment that a gloved hand shot out of the dark from behind scruffy beard to grab him by the forearm. I saw him looking up at stunned disbelief at Luke¡¯s massive form as he emerged from the shadows. Scruffy beard was yanked off his foot and slammed bodily into the side of a van before collapsing senseless on the floor. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    The bald guy didn¡¯t exactly have time to react or protest before Rob and Sam peeled him off me and laid into him. I collapsed on the floor from pain and relief in equal measure as my assailants were subdued. I was dimly aware of Jay leaning beside me asking if I was okay. Tears were streaming down my face as I hunched over, still processing what had happened.

    After what seemed like only a moment, Jay was shaking me. I looked up at him.

    ¡°Come on Pete, Luke wants to see you.¡±

    I was led to one of the back rooms of the auto shop. The first thing that caught my eye was the massive form of Luke looming over everyone in the room, still clad in his leather jacket and gloves. Both of my attackers were subdued, bound and gagged. The bald guy was sitting in a corner of the room with Rob standing close by. Scruffy beard was standing on his toes with his arms tied up and secured to a chain block. Low whimpers were escaping from his throat through his gagged mouth as he looked at me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a problem Pete, Wanna know what that is?¡± Luke said. I nodded as I maintained eye contact with him, occasionally glancing at both of my attackers.

    ¡°I made a deal with their organisation, I told them you were part of my group and you were to be left alone in return for some favours. And yet, here I find out that these guys have decided to defy me and come after you¡­in here¡­IN MY PLACE OF BUSINESS.¡±

    That was the first time I¡¯d ever heard Luke yell and the effect was chilling. There was cold rage burning in his eyes.

    ¡°My word means something in this town and they¡¯re gonna find out that there are consequences for breaking a deal with me¡± there was cold certainty in Luke¡¯s eyes as he said this.

    ¡°Come here¡±, Luke pulled me closer as he thrust something into my hands. I stared down at my hands and found myself holding the very same knife scruffy beard was threatening me with.

    I must have looked like an idiot with my eyes darting between the knife in my hand and Luke¡¯s face.

    ¡°Cut him,¡± Luke said.

    I looked up at Luke, my face probably showing how horrified I felt. But like most things Luke said, this wasn¡¯t a mere suggestion.

    ¡°I told you Pete, When you¡¯re with us, you¡¯re with us all the way and you do what I say¡± Luke¡¯s tone was low and dangerous. His presence was bearing down upon me. There was no doubt in his eyes, no room for interpretation.

    I gulped as I took a small step toward scruffy beard who was standing on his toes and struggling against his bonds. I tried to remind myself that this man wanted me dead and he deserved what was coming. I raised the knife in my hand when his terrified squeak drew my attention. I looked into his eyes, they were wide with fear, silently pleading with me not to hurt him.

    I felt the strength go out of my arms as I gazed into his face. No, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. I lowered the weapon in my hand by a fraction when I felt Luke¡¯s arm clasp over my hand that was holding on to the handle of the knife.

    The knife suddenly plunged forwards, penetrating the terrified man¡¯s abdomen. I felt a sharp sting on my index finger as it slipped slightly past the knife¡¯s guard and touched the blade. I felt Luke¡¯s hand drag mine as he pulled the serrated edge of the knife across Scruffy¡¯s abdomen. When Luke pulled my hand out, I could see his intestine spill out of the large gash the knife had made in his abdomen.

    The last thing I remembered was puking my guts out at the corner of the room, before the darkness of the floor came up to meet me.

 Chapter 8

    ROB

    Sam and I were cruising through town in our truck. The stereo was playing mellow music while we were on our way to dump the two bodies in the bed of our truck. It may be surprising for most, but I was feeling quite calm and content at the moment.

    Some people might refer to me as a narcissist because I consider myself a step above most of the people you¡¯d see on the street. But the truth of the matter is that I have adequate reason to feel superior to most people. Unlike most of the people who live blissfully ignorant in this world, I am aware. I am present and I can influence the world like they never could. I am a werewolf. A proud member of the Hunter pack. Robert Hunter.

    There¡¯s a lot of lore known around the world about werewolves, most of it is hogwash. Actually, except for our kind¡¯s relation with the moon, everything else widely known about us is wrong. Even our association with the moon is only partially true. The truth is that we don¡¯t need a full moon to transform into our wolf selves and silver bullets do just as much damage as regular bullets which is jack all. And I have yet to encounter any herbs or poisons that do significantly more damage to us than humans.

    While it is true that we are at our maximum strength during full moon, the difference in our strength during full moon and new moon is nothing to write home about. We are truly only vulnerable during a lunar eclipse when we can¡¯t transform, if you happen to be on the side of the world that is not facing the moon. Nowadays, with the advancement in astronomy and the revolutionary strides in aviation in the last half century means that all you have to do is catch a flight outta the wrong side of the world before the eclipse.

    Werewolves are without a doubt, the most civilised of all the supernatural creatures.

    We don¡¯t need to consume anything from humans in any shape or form to sustain ourselves, unlike vampires or deepcrawlers. This allows us to live independent lives coexisting with humans.

    This was not always the case. It wasn¡¯t like our race was simply handed down all these desirable features from heavens above. No, we acquired it and it took us centuries of hard work to perfect it. Apparently, werewolves used to be just as barbaric and undisciplined as other creatures of legend as recent as 7 centuries ago.

    The reason for our superior breeding today can be traced back to the Luciente family in Italy.

    Luciente emerged into prominence from the ashes left behind by the passage of black death through Italy. They were one of the families with wolf blood in Italy that were arrogant enough to claim direct descent from Romulus. But unlike most of the other Italian wolfblood families, the Luciente could back up their words with their deeds. Historians are still not sure how, but the first of the modern day Alphas came from the Luciente family.

    It wasn¡¯t uncommon for werewolves to come together to fight during a crisis, but the rigid pack system that is the norm today was established by Luciente alphas. A group of werewolves was like a blunt iron rod, able to do a lot of widespread damage, but not very effective. Under the pack structure led by alphas, these blunt rods were turned into fine steel tipped spears. Luciente alphas brought the werewolf population of Italy and soon the entire Europe under their control. Those that didn¡¯t bend were broken. Weaknesses were systematically bred out of the werewolf population. By the time Europeans settlers were venturing into the Americas, the Lucientes had changed the werewolf population into highly effective units under the command of alphas.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    I¡¯ve read the works of many mundane authors about how it was that the European settlers were able to kill, drive out or assimilate the majority of the native americans. What these books don¡¯t mention are the relentless battles carried out by werewolves against wendigos, the uktena, the owl witches and a myriad of other creatures to finally emerge as the apex supernatural species of these lands. The advancement of our species, spearheaded by the Luciente meant that we could move independent of humans, allowing us to expand and settle in the most hostile of environments.

    Once werewolves established themselves as the apex supernatural species, naturally, the infighting started. There was only so much the non Luciente alphas were willing to take with the Luciente hoarding all of their secrets and lording it over others. In a civil war that followed, the new age alphas, allying themselves with other species, managed to oust the main branch of Luciente family from their throne. Their line practically disappeared, taking a lot of their secrets with them.

    Their end sparked a new age of decentralised packs, all vying for power. And this particular political climate provides a lot of opportunities for someone like me and our pack. Our alpha Luke is an ambitious and capable man. My place in the pack is as his second in command.

    I had a lot to feel good about today. Today marked the completion of the first stage of a difficult task that Luke assigned me a few months ago. An alpha¡¯s power was like a tree. A tree that needs challenges as fuel to grow and thrive. Being from the Hunter family line of alphas meant that most things came easy for him. But Luke was not the kind of guy who¡¯d be content with resting on his laurels. So, a few months back, Luke had set himself a task that would challenge him as an alpha. To turn someone mundane into a werewolf.

    In order for someone to become a werewolf, there were 2 conditions. First, they had to be of wolfblood and second, an alpha had to share his power with you. It was possible to change someone without wolfblood into a werewolf, but most alphas wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. That alone was challenging enough. But, Luke, being the overachiever he always was, wanted to do something even more daring. He would perform a ritual that would change the gender of the person as well. An alpha exerting ultimate control.

    I advised Luke against going for it, but he was convinced that this challenge could push his power to the next level. If the ritual failed, Luke risked consequences ranging from losing his alpha powers to death itself. Before anything though, I had to find him a suitable candidate.

    I looked for months before fate finally smiled at me in the form of dear old Pete. He was a small town boy with no close living relatives. He was introverted and didn¡¯t have many friends. I had marked him as a lead candidate among a few others. I followed him a few days after he left work and found out where he lived. A golden opportunity presented itself one day when I saw him get in the middle of an alley beatdown.

    Pete was smart enough to run away from the scene and that problem would have ended there but for me watching. I knew he was really spooked when he didn¡¯t show up for work for a couple of days. When I saw that he did show up for work after 3 days, I had Sam and Jay ransack his place. I knew for a fact that he and the restaurant owner didn¡¯t get along, so it was easy to spin a story about the idiots from the alley being part of a huge organisation and convincing him that the owner gave up his information. Sure enough, as soon as he got home and saw the condition of the apartment, he freaked out and called me.

    After that it was easy to confine him to the garage and cut off his communication with everyone else. Not that he had many friends to begin with. The final part of the drama played out this afternoon, when I managed to rile up the 2 self important idiots from earlier and convinced them that Pete was a grave threat to them. Those 2 idiots had walked into the trap without a second thought and now Pete had blood on his hands. It was technically Luke that did the deed, but the blood and fingerprints on the murder weapon belonged to Pete, making his freedom beholden to Luke¡¯s whims.

    The final piece of the first step would be completed when Sam and I dumped these 2 bodies somewhere out of the way, so that city police can find them later tonight or tomorrow morning. Some might think of me as downright evil, but that¡¯s because they have no idea how the world really works. Me, I¡¯m just pragmatic.

    I leaned back in my seat as a soothing melody started playing from the car stereo.

 Chapter 9

    Luke

    In this world, you move forward or you become obsolete and die. Everyone knows this, but most choose to ignore it. The mundane world is peaceful enough that a person could lie to themselves and pretend that everything¡¯s hunky dory.

    In our world though, death is the price you pay for weakness. It may not be your own life, but someone will always have to pay the price for weakness.

    I paid the price for my father¡¯s weakness once. Never again, never will I let it happen. I¡¯ll forge a path forward till I stand at the apex or die trying. I don¡¯t care what I have to trample on my way to get there, but get there I will. Pete might think of me as a monster, but he¡¯ll be stronger because of me.

    The power of an alpha was like an investment. You had to spend money to make money. I had to invest a certain amount of power to grow my pack and as the individual members of the pack got stronger, I became stronger, sort of like cashing in on a long term investment. Right now, my pack consists of three warrior class wolves and one concubine wolf.

    While the warriors under my command increased my physical strength, possession of Layla served to increase my willpower and aura. But Layla was the weakest member of the pack and she wasn¡¯t yielding me much power. That¡¯s where I planned to make use of Pete. The ritual of changing him would be so arduous that if successful, it¡¯ll push my willpower and aura to the next level.

    The risk of failure was also high. The price of failure, at the very least, would result in the loss of my alpha powers. But there were no rewards without risks and I for one would rather die than stagnate or regress.

    Pete

    I was lying facedown on my mattress. It felt weird, since it wasn¡¯t usually the position I liked to sleep in. I groggily looked up as I tried to get my bearings. My brain felt fuzzy as I looked out the window. It looked like it was past noon. What was I doing sleeping past noon?

    I sat bolt upright as things came flooding back to my head in an unwelcome cascade.

    ¡®Oh my god, I was attacked¡­.they¡­they tried to kill me¡­and I¡­I¡­¡¯. At that moment the vivid image of a sharp knife entering a man¡¯s belly came to my mind. I ran to the bathroom and dry heaved into the toilet.

    ¡®Oh god..I..I killed someone..Wait no..no.. it wasn¡¯t me it was him.. Luke, he was the one responsible for their deaths. He was much more dangerous and unhinged than I¡¯d ever imagined. I had to get out of here. I¡­I¡¯d go to the authorities. I was the victim here¡¯

    I rinsed my mouth and washed my face. As I looked at my pale face and bloodshot eyes in the mirror, my next course of action was clear.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I strode back into the room and immediately froze as I saw Luke standing by the doorway, casually leaning against the frame.

    ¡°Hi Pete, I see that you¡¯re up¡± he said, not a hint of fear or worry on his face.

    ¡®How the fuck can he be so calm? He killed someone yesterday.. Wait, does that mean he¡¯s done this before? Is he a fucking psychopath?¡¯

    I felt fear creeping up my veins as I considered this.

    ¡°Have a seat Pete¡± he said, indicating towards the bed. I was frozen in place.

    ¡°Sit down,¡± he ordered. There was a strange weight to his words as I found myself sitting down on my bed.

    Luke pulled up a chair as he sat across from me.

    ¡°Is there something you wanna tell me first Pete? You look like you¡¯re about to burst¡±.

    ¡°You ¡­ You killed him¡±.

    ¡°No Pete, WE killed him¡±.

    ¡°No, No¡­I had nothing to do with it, it was you..¡±

    ¡°Oh.. It was all me, was it?¡± Luke¡¯s tone betrayed a hint of anger.

    ¡°Tell me Pete, Why were they in my shop? Who was responsible? You came to me asking for help to save your life. And I did just that Pete. Or, have you already forgotten what they were about to do to you before I intervened? They would have never stopped coming after you, had they been left alive¡±.

    I couldn¡¯t come up with a reply immediately. He had a point. I¡¯d probably be dead if he hadn¡¯t come to my rescue. But that didn¡¯t mean that it was okay to just kill someone like that. I just wanted to get outta here. He seemed to be reading my mind as he replied ¡° Your first impulse would be to get the hell out of here. But I¡¯d advise against it. You could just run. Even though your attackers may be dead, their organisation is still active. They can and would track you down with ease and finish the job those two came here to do in the first place.¡±

    He paused before continuing

    ¡°Or, you could go to the authorities, and try to pin the murders on me¡±.

    He said murders, plural. That meant that they killed the bald headed guy as well.I swallowed guiltily as his eyes zeroed in on mine with laser focus. ¡°In that case, the cops will find no evidence that connects those two to any of us. What they might find though, would be the murder weapon, with your fingerprints and blood on it¡±. Luke said with a slight smile.

    I flinched back as I remembered that I was the one holding the knife last night while Luke was wearing gloves. The small gash on my right hand index finger served as a painful reminder of how I cut my finger on the knife last night. I looked up at Luke, feeling horrified.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry Pete, I don¡¯t mean you any harm. That knife will never see the light of day as long as you don¡¯t betray me. But it does, sadly, mean that I can¡¯t let you leave and it would be inadvisable for you to try and leave. Don¡¯t worry Pete, this state of affairs won¡¯t last for long. I¡¯ll find a way to get the target off your back and find a way for you to repay us for protection.¡±

    He smiled at me as if expecting an answer. SInce I didn¡¯t trust my voice yet, I settled for nodding. He got up and left the room, closing the door behind him. He may have tried to sugarcoat it, but I was his detainee and I had no option of leaving here. Even if they let me leave, I couldn¡¯t survive and they could pin a double homicide on me whenever they wanted. I was well and truly fucked.

 Chapter 10

    Rob

    Gathering ingredients was always a pain in the ass job. But, it had to be done. I was just glad that I was able to pawn off most of the work on Sam and Jay. The mixing and preparation of the concoction had to be done by me of course. My bartending skills were just an extension of my amazing potion brewing skills.

    It¡¯s been almost a week since we dumped the bodies of those two idiots. As far as I knew, the cops were treating it as a case of gang violence, which it kind of was in a way I guess. Poor Pete was loads better this morning compared to how he was a few days ago. The guy was really shaken up, which was a normal reaction considering how little mundanes were exposed to real violence.

    Luke had talked to him after he woke up from his little drug induced slumber (Which he didn¡¯t know about) and talked to him about the choices available to him. Pete had at least been smart enough to not try and run away, not that he actually could have. I visited him the next morning with a tasty breakfast. It¡¯s amazing what some good food could do to a person¡¯s temperament. I pretty much doubled down on what Luke said and told him everything was done to protect him in the long term.

    I visited him a few more times in the next couple of days and gave glowing reports of all that Luke was doing to make sure that the fictitious white supermacist organisation wouldn¡¯t retaliate. In truth, Luke was out banging that bitch Layla in her apartment. She really did have a big appetite. I could¡¯ve happily accommodated her, bitchy and weak as she was, she had a body that was just made for sex. Then again, girl wolves were bred for beauty and appeal. Too bad girls in the pack were the exclusive property of the alpha. I can¡¯t really complain since I was practically drowning in mundane pussy. But still, ya know.

    Pete did ask me how a few of us were going to stand up to an entire gang. I got out of the question by hinting at the supernatural and said that he¡¯d find out soon enough. I hope the guy didn¡¯t have too much of a shock when he found out later tonight.

    I finished adding the penultimate ingredient in the potion as it started to alternate between bubbling and dead calm. I looked at the potion for a moment before transferring it into a clean sterilised thermos flask. I was a very good potion maker and had confidence in my brew. I just wished the damn Luciente family had left behind at least some of their secrets before disappearing. Werewolf alchemy was set back by centuries after the Lucientes were ousted. Their hoarding habits were one of the reasons why the werewolf community got rid of them. Those fuckers probably had a formula for making this same brew so that it could halve the strain placed on the alpha and double the benefits. Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk.

    The fate of our pack would be decided tonight. It was an unnecessary risk in my opinion. But, Luke wouldn¡¯t be Luke if he was the kind to play it safe.

    Pete

    I was putting on my hiking boots and packing a small bag. Luke had just informed me that we were going out into the woods that lay to the northwest of the city. Apparently, it was time for my initiation and this would apparently solve all my problems. The first thing that popped into my mind was that they were gonna kill me and bury me in the forest. But, If they wanted to kill me, they could have done so anytime last week. After all, they did kill 2 people twice my size and take care of it without flinching.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I spent the first two days after the murder with almost no sleep thinking that they were gonna come in through my door and kill me at any moment. Rob and Sam¡¯s visit and attitude in the following days gave me a different impression.There was no logical need to put in so much effort with someone you were gonna get rid of soon. They needed me around for something. I just wasn¡¯t sure what that something was. My little nest egg from selling my mother¡¯s house was a valid target, but they¡¯d made no mention of money. No matter what torture they subjected me to, I vowed to never let them have that money. If my fate was already decided, I¡¯d have the final say in at least one thing.

    I was definitely missing something. Rob had said some cryptic things that made no sense whatsoever. There was only one thing I was certain of. These guys were much more dangerous for me than any gang out there. Since I couldn¡¯t find any plausible way to escape, I decided to bide my time. My life experiences and instincts told me it was better not to escalate things, I needed more information.

    A few minutes after I¡¯d finished packing and slipped my swiss army knife into my pocket, Sam and Rob came to get me. They made small talk as we walked downstairs. The way they answered my questions made them sound like they were a couple of frat guys taking a pledge to his initiation ceremony. Either they really were not planning to kill me or they were psychopathic sadists.

    Luke and Jay were waiting for us outside with two trucks. Rob and I were with Luke while Sam rode with Jay. It took us half an hour to get out of the woods and a further 15 min ride to reach the woods. Rob was talking all the way through as if this was just another camping trip while Luke stayed mostly silent and focused.

    We disembarked and waited for Sam and Jay once we reached the edge of the woods. Once they joined us, we started moving into the forest with Luke in the lead. I was conspicuously in the middle of the single file as Sam and Jay stayed in my rear. I had no idea what markers they were using to navigate as I couldn¡¯t even see properly. I¡¯d never be able to find my way back to the highway without the help of these guys. Whether I was ever coming out of this forest was seeming more and more improbable as we moved deeper into the woods.

    We were walking for half an hour before we reached our destination, which was a perfectly circular clearing in the middle of the forest. You could see the full moon in all it¡¯s glory by looking up directly. While I was distracted looking up at the moon, the 4 guys had fanned out around me.

    I steeled myself before asking them the question that I was dreading.

    ¡° Why are we here guys?¡±

    ¡° I think it¡¯s best if we show you first¡± said Luke before nodding towards Jay.

    Jay tapped his chest twice and suddenly, everything he was wearing got sucked into his chest like there was a vortex there. It almost seemed like he had been wearing a painting of clothes all this time rather than actual clothes.

    Jay stepped forwards, barefoot and naked. I caught a glimpse of a small tattoo that glowed briefly above his heart. Jay¡¯s eyes locked on to mine and suddenly there was a yellow glow in his pupil. His muscles seemed to bulge outwards as he started to shoot up. His nose elongated into a snout as brown fur started to cover every inch of his body. His nails elongated into claws while his feet changed into paws. In a few short seconds Jay had disappeared and in his place there was a nine foot tall monster of fur and sinew staring down at me with a yellow slitted pupil.

    I was frozen in shock before Luke¡¯s voice brought me back to reality.

    ¡°Pete, We¡¯re werewolves¡± he said.

 Chapter 11

    Pete

    I was rooted in place, unable to move a muscle. Luke was right, it was better to show me this before talking. I never would have believed them otherwise. I probably would have fainted at this sight just a few days ago, but the past week had somewhat tempered me.

    I had a thousand things racing through my mind. First and foremost was the fact that an escape from here would be impossible. While the possibility of my scrawny self escaping 4 well built men was already near zero, escaping from four men who could transform into¡­that was downright impossible.

    ¡°So when you said initiation¡­.¡± I asked.

    ¡° Yes, it means you are joining our little pack¡±, Rob said in a tone that seemed to suggest that I was about to receive a christmas present.

    ¡° You see, Pete, We¡¯ve told the gang that¡¯s looking for you that you¡¯ve left town. Once you complete the transformation and return to the human form, you¡¯ll have a new identity and they¡¯ll never be able to find you. Normally only people with wolfblood are changed into werewolves, but given your situation, we¡¯ll put in the extra effort needed to change you even though you''re a mundane.¡± Sam chimed in.

    As I thought, they weren¡¯t offering me a choice here, just telling me what needed to be done. Also, shining shit and calling it gold while they were at it.

    ¡° How? Would I look really all that different after I transform and return to human form?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the part where we need a little bit of a sacrifice from you, Pete¡±, Rob said.

    ¡®What the fuck?, so the transformation and joining their pack part wasn¡¯t what they considered sacrifice?¡¯

    ¡°What¡¯s the sacrifice?¡± I asked, knowing that I¡¯d hate the answer.

    ¡°Right now, the power balance of our pack is a little skewed Pete. We have more than enough male werewolves who enhance the physical strength of the pack, but we¡¯re lagging behind in terms of female wolves who could enhance the pack¡¯s aura and willpower¡± Sam said.

    Oh no.. Oh shit¡­no¡­no..no¡­

    ¡°The transformation will end up changing you into a woman Pete¡± Luke said, speaking for the first time since entering the clearing. His voice carried that strange weight I¡¯d noticed before.

    I realised what I''d always known on some level. Luke wasn¡¯t just an alpha male, he was an Alpha, the leader of this pack.

    I could try and run away, but I doubt I¡¯d get far with 4 werewolves on my tail. If I refused to join their pack, then I was just a scrawny 5 foot 6 guy in the middle of the forest, who¡¯s a murder witness. They¡¯d either kill me or force the transformation on me. If I go kicking and screaming, I¡¯d probably be kept forever on a short leash. They hadn''t let me leave the apartment and go into the shop all of last week.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    I¡¯d walked into this forest thinking that I''d be killed. This was definitely a better outcome, though not by much. But, if they could change my gender, I could probably find a way to change back eventually. I needed a lot more information and time, but I could see a sliver of hope of getting myself out of the clutches of these people.

    For now, they were keeping up the ruse, pretending like I had a choice when I really didn¡¯t. But, it was important to convince them I was excited about the prospect of changing my gender and species. I had to make sure they trusted me before I could finally find a way to escape.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s it like being a werewolf?¡± I asked Sam.

    ¡°Oh it¡¯s great Pete. You¡¯ll be able to run faster than a Cheetah, be stronger than an Elephant, be able to track better than a Bloodhound and become almost invulnerable to all things mundane. Even when you transform back, your enhanced capabilities stay with you, although muted. But, you¡¯ll still be stronger and faster than any mundane in their peak condition¡± Sam said with glee, obviously glad that I was reacting positively to the idea.

    I pretended to think for a while, doing my best to imitate a thoughtful expression.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I like the idea of turning into a girl, but given my situation, I don¡¯t think I have a choice. I¡¯m really looking forward to having super strength though¡± I said.

    While partially true, I¡¯d much rather have inhabited my scrawny, weak body than have a connection that I didn¡¯t understand the full extent of with this group of psychopaths who could murder someone without even flinching.

    ¡°That¡¯s great Pete. I¡¯m so glad you could join us¡± Luke said with a sly grin that told me that he may not have bought my willingness to join and that he didn¡¯t really care either way. It told me that the amount of command he had over the pack was substantial enough that he was confident about bringing me in line.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s start things off huh?¡± Rob asked.

    Luke nodded in reply and Rob took out a thermos from his pack and opened it.

    ¡°First I¡¯m gonna need some of your blood Pete¡± Rob said.

    ¡° Um.. How much do you need?¡±

    ¡°Just a couple of drops will do.¡±

    I took the knife he offered me and poked the tip of my index finger. I squeezed and let a few drops of blood fall into the thermos. The solution inside sizzled angrily as my blood mingled with the solution. Sam looked satisfied, he turned to Luke. Luke took the knife and cut his palm open, squeezing as a stream of blood flowed into the thermos. The solution started giving off a large amount of vapours. Luke wiped his hand and I could already see the cut on his palm mending.

    ¡°Alright Pete, now you drink¡± said Sam as he handed me the thermos. I brought the flask near my mouth. Thankfully, the vapours weren¡¯t giving off any heat. I brought the thermos to my lips and hesitated for a moment before gulping it down. I was pleasantly surprised that the solution was almost tasteless, with only a slight taste of iron. I finished the content of the thermos in four gulps and handed it back to Sam.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yep, almost done¡±, said Sam.

    ¡°AAARGHHH¡­¡± I screamed out loud as I felt some sharp things piercing my neck. I turned around to see Luke standing behind me with his head transformed into that of a werewolf, my blood painting his sharp fangs crimson.

    I clapped my hand over my wound as I felt a burn spreading from my wound. Soon I was on the floor writhing in pain as I felt like someone poured napalm down my throat. I heard the sound of my bone snapping as my consciousness started to fade.

    The last thing I remembered seeing was Luke falling forward before darkness took me.

 Chapter 12

    Rob

    I knew it. I knew this was a bad fucking idea from the start. I warned Luke not to try this shit. Anyway, It was too late to cry about it.

    We didn¡¯t encounter any real difficulties with getting Pete to take the potion. It was a bit tricky since the blood had to be willingly given by the person undergoing the transformation. Had he refused, we would have had to dispose of him and start the search for a new candidate. The potion was finally completed when Luke added his own blood into the mix. Pete had gulped it down without any complaint.

    The problems started after the bite and the triggering of Pete¡¯s transformation. Pete was still passed out in his transformed state in the now covered bed of my truck. He¡¯d changed into a white fur (That¡¯s kinda rare) wolf about 7 feet tall, which was about what was expected from a girl wolf. The only real problem was with Luke. He collapsed about the same time as Pete did and was still unconscious. The possibility of him not waking up was definitely there. He might have bitten off more than he could chew this time, even with that absurdly large maw of his.

    A pack with it¡¯s alpha out of commission was extremely vulnerable. And if he never woke up, well let¡¯s just say our life wouldn¡¯t be smooth sailing going forwards. Right now, Luke was in the bed of the truck Sam was driving. Last he checked, Luke was sweating buckets and completely unresponsive. About an hour after we left the woods, we pulled into the shop.

    Pete was still in his transformed state, mostly still now, except for a few twitches now and then. Luke was completely still, his chest barely rising from the shallow breaths that he was talking. Jay carried Pete up to his room while Sam and I transferred Luke from the bed of the truck to his actual bed.

    ¡°Oh shit..Shit¡­shit¡­shit¡­¡± mumbled Sam while pulling on his hair.

    Yeap, my thoughts exactly buddy.

    ¡°What are we gonna do Rob? He¡¯s not waking up¡±.

    ¡®Oh really, I hadn¡¯t noticed..¡¯ I almost replied.

    Sam was stressed out, just as I was. I had to show some leadership skills, since I was Luke¡¯s second in command.

    ¡°There¡¯s only one thing we can do, Sam. Wait. Luke brought our pack this far. We have to believe in his strength like we always have.¡±

    Sam sighed before plopping himself down on the couch. I pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of Luke¡¯s bed.

    Jay was apparently still in the next room with Pete. I doubted he would come here. He was the only person in the pack who would be glad if Luke never woke up from his slumber. Jay was more like a prisoner of war than a bona fide pack member like me or Sam. At the other end of the spectrum was Layla. The bitch was obsessed with Luke and she was a slave to his command without him ever having to use any of his aura to influence her. She had somehow arrived at the conclusion that Luke using her as a cumdump made her more important than everyone else in the pack. I didn¡¯t know if I could have taken her hysterical reaction to this situation had she been here. It was lucky that she wasn¡¯t around. Thank god for small mercies.

    Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Sam and I waited silently, waiting for our alpha to wake up.

    Luke

    Things were proceeding smoothly. Pete had taken the potion and as soon as he was done, I had bitten him from behind. I had been warned many times by Rob that expending so much of my power would come with a severe backlash. But, I was still surprised by the impact of it as it hit me. It felt like all the muscles in my body had turned to liquid as a sudden fogginess covered my brain. I remembered seeing the ground swaying beneath the feet before darkness rose up to meet me.

    I woke up to the familiar pleasant aroma of lilacs. When I opened my eyes, I knew that I was either dreaming or dead. Because, in front of me was the most beautiful face I¡¯d ever seen in my life. A face I knew I¡¯d never see again in my life. Peyton. My Peyton. She was smiling at me, holding my hands. She looked just like the way I remembered her when we were both 15.

    ¡°Are you real?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m real you dummy. I¡¯m here aren¡¯t I?¡±. She said in that mischievous tone that drove me nuts countless times.

    ¡° You know what I mean. You¡­ You died P¡±.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡° I know, it was a real bummer. But just because I¡¯m dead doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m gone. I¡¯ll be around as long as you are¡±.

    Her smile was just as infectious as I remembered. We walked, ran and chased each other through our old haunts just as we had during the happiest times of my life.

    We ended up near a babbling brook. She was lying on my lap while I dipped my feet in the water, savouring the feeling of water running over my feet.

    ¡°We could stay here forever,¡± I said.

    ¡°Yes, yes we could,¡± she said, taking hold of my hand, with a look of utter contentment on her face.

    I had to close my eyes for a moment as a light flashed in my eyes. It was from the sun catching the light on her bracelet. Wait, I knew that bracelet. I¡¯d gifted it to her for her 15th birthday. I recoiled as a sudden image of the bracelet lying broken in the ground flashed in front of my eyes.

    The scene in front of me reformed as I saw the bracelet broken and shattered on the ground in front of me. Lying a few feet away was the girl I loved. Her throat slashed open with angry claw marks that went all the way down to her ribs, her lifeblood staining the dried leaves below her. Her sweet eyes that were once full of life were now staring up vacantly. This was exactly how I¡¯d found her body that fateful day. My hands were shaking as I clenched them.

    The next instant I was lying in a hole in the ground, Peyton lying next to me. Hooded, faceless figures were looking down at us and as soon as I noticed them, they started shovelling dirt on top of us. I tried to move, but I found that I was paralyzed. Dirt was falling all around us, soon it¡¯d bury us.

    No, No¡­. I couldn¡¯t let this happen. I¡¯ll never be weak like my father. This was not how it¡¯d end. I strained against the invisible bonds holding me down and directed every drop of my aura and willpower against it.

    I screamed as the bonds strained and started to give under the relentless onslaught of my aura.

    I sat bolt upright on my own bed, looking at the startled and relieved faces of Rob and Sam. I was back. My sheets were drenched with sweat and I was feeling exhausted, both in body and in mind. But, this was a good kind of exhaustion, the kind you have in the gym after a good workout session. I took a moment to compose myself.

    I could already tell I had broken through a bottleneck and vastly increased my aura pool. I could feel a new unfamiliar thread connecting to me from the next room.

    My pack had a new member. A new female wolf. The ritual was a complete success.

    ¡°Luke, are you okay?¡± Sam asked with a worried voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine Sam, just feeling a bit tired¡±.

    Sam and Rob both let out a sigh of relief hearing my voice. I got up from the bed and went to the bathroom. It seemed that Jay was in the next room. Not that I¡¯d ever expected him to be huddled around my sick bed.

    I washed my face and changed my clothes before heading over to Pete¡¯s room with Rob and Sam. Jay was standing in a corner while Pete was lying face down on his bed. It seemed like he had finished the transformation. His blonde hair had apparently grown a lot and became silky as I could see it sprawled out over the blanket.

    Rob went over and yanked out the blanket covering him and let out a wolf whistle. Scrawny Pete had really transitioned into a sexy chick with a great ass as we took in his bubble butt and slender waist.

    ¡°Daamn, I gotta say I like what I see from the back, now let¡¯s see what the front¡¯s like¡± said Rob before rolling her over on her back.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Sam said from beside me. I had to agree, even I was impressed. And I wasn¡¯t someone who was easily impressed. The girl in front of us had the figure of a buxom, lithe beauty. Her breasts, although big, but not to the extent of being vulgarly disproportionate with her body, were nothing short of perfect. It almost seemed gravity defying in it¡¯s movement when Rob rolled her over. The beauty of her bosom was further accentuated by her thin shapely waist that flared out into her beautiful hips. She seemed completely hairless from her neck down.This was a nice little bonus after the rewards I reaped tonight.

    Her face was still covered by her hair. Rob bent forward and moved the hair out of her face.

    ¡°I gotta say, she¡¯s a perfect 10¡± Sam said after taking in her face.

    ¡°Have to agree with you there buddy. What do you think, Luke? Luke, you okay man?¡± Rob asked.

    It seemed to me like Rob¡¯s voice was coming from miles away. I couldn¡¯t believe it. Her face..no. While her face still had some features of Pete, I couldn¡¯t believe how much it resembled that of Peyton.

    ¡®What the fuck was going on?¡¯

    ¡°Luke, You okay man?¡± I heard Rob¡¯s voice ask again.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± I said as I composed my face.

    ¡°It feels like I can¡¯t take my eyes off her¡±. Rob said, looking at her with undisguised lust.

    I was surprised at the sudden jolt of anger I felt as my aura flared. Rob and Sam took a step back from me in alarm as my aura lashed out against them. I stepped forward and covered up her body under the blanket.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long day. I think you guys better leave now¡± I said.

    They glanced at each other with worry, but they filed out of the room without a word.

    I heard them walk down the stairs and leave through the door before I made my way to the door. I rested my head against the door frame.

    ¡®What the fuck was happening to me?¡¯

 Chapter 13

    Pete

    I usually woke up from my sleep feeling groggy and tired. Thus, I was a bit surprised when I felt rather clear headed as I sat up on my bed. My movements felt oddly fluid. It was like I¡¯d had a reboot and a new upgrade had been installed that eliminated all the lags in the system.  I was aware of the strange weight on my chest and the fact that I was completely naked. I looked down to see two large globes hanging on my chest. I discarded the blanket and stepped in front of the mirror.

    There was a beautiful girl staring back at me. I knew that I was supposed to feel immense shock at losing my manhood and my identity, but it just wasn¡¯t happening.

    A part of me was feeling an immense disconnect from this body while another part felt oddly connected. It was as if the reptilian part of my brain had suddenly acquired more control over me. I focused on the more rational part of my mind as I examined my new body. There was no mistaking it. I was 100% a girl now, a gorgeous one at that.

    At the same time, I was aware of questioning myself how I could so easily accept all this. One part was struggling to catch up and reconcile with what had happened while another part was ready and present, already accepting the identity as a woman and a werewolf.

    My hair had grown so much that it now reached up to the small of my back.The ladies¡¯ whose hair I used to style back at my mom¡¯s saloon would have killed to have such luxurious silky hair that I possess now. I had a pretty face with large eyes and long lashes. My breasts were large but shapely and perfectly complemented by a slim waist that widened into beautifully curved hips.I also noticed that I stood about 2 inches taller than I did before.I was about 5¡¯8¡± tall now. Again, I knew I wouldn¡¯t have been able to notice this and make this calculation from simple observation back when I was Pete.

    ¡®Oh shit.. I was already thinking of my name in past tense. What was wrong with me?¡¯

    I started to spin out of control, but then, suddenly, calm returned again as I focused on my rational brain. I decided to take a shower and went into the bathroom. It was a completely weird experience for me as everything physical seemed much easier than it was before the transformation while my mind was intermittently engaging in a wrestling match with itself. One second I was enjoying the feeling of warm water flowing over my body as my hand traced my body¡¯s curves while the next, I was feeling guilty as if I was doing something perverse.

    ¡®Come on, it¡¯s your own body¡¯

    For the sake of my sanity, I decided to focus more on the part of my mind that was living in the moment. I wrapped  towels around my hair and across my chest and stepped out of the bathroom. My next immediate concern was finding something to wear that would fit me. I ended up choosing an old t-shirt and cargo pants. I obviously had no bra or women¡¯s underwear, so I settled for wearing boxers. The t-shirt was pretty tight around my chest and the cargo pants were riding low on my waist while being a bit uncomfortably tight around my butt.

    As I was making adjustments to my pants, I noticed Luke at the door in the corner of the mirror. I pretended that I didn¡¯t see him. This was the guy who was ultimately responsible for all that¡¯s happened to me. Sadly, I was sure that he could beat me easily even with my newfound strength and dexterity. I needed to earn his trust and bide my time before I could make a move.

    Suddenly I felt something bear down upon me. I was made acutely aware of a connection, a thread that stretched from my heart towards Luke. I guessed that this was the ¡®Aura¡¯ they spoke of last night.

    I turned around to see Luke standing at my doorway.

    ¡° Good morning,¡± He said with a smile.

    What really surprised me was the fact that this actually felt like a genuine smile. I was sure it was my first time seeing it.

    ¡°Good morning Luke¡± I replied with a slight smile.

    ¡° How are you feeling?¡±.

    ¡° A little weird if I¡¯m honest¡±.

    ¡° That¡¯s to be expected. But you¡¯re okay physically?¡± he asked.

    ¡° Yeah, I feel fine.¡± I replied before suddenly remembering that this guy bit down on my neck last night. My hands absently went to my neck to check.

    ¡° Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve transitioned into a full werewolf now. Any injuries will heal on its own¡­Pete¡±. Luke said my name awkwardly at the end.

    ¡°I guess the name doesn¡¯t sound quite right huh.¡± I replied honestly.

    ¡° You guys said last night that you were gonna give me a new identity. Does that mean you already have a new name set up for me?¡±.

    ¡° Yeah, I do actually.¡± Luke said as he stepped closer to me till he was only a couple of feet away from me.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    I could feel the aura radiating off his body as he stepped closer to me. My lizard brain was quickly processing it and sending alarm bells as I felt just how powerful he truly was. At the same time , I felt that the aura wasn¡¯t fully in control. It felt agitated somehow.

    ¡° Your new name will be Peyton.¡±

    From the way he said that name, it was obvious to me that it meant something to him. I was fairly certain that this wasn¡¯t some random name.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± He asked expectantly.

    ¡°I love it. Peyton, it feels right.¡± I said. I got another genuine smile in return as he nodded.

    I¡¯d become Peyton. I¡¯d let him think that I was amenable, that I was a good little pack member. Until the day he would find out that I wasn''t.

    Rob

    I woke up as the alarm went off at 7:00 AM. I didn¡¯t usually wake up this early, but I wanted to check on Luke. There was a groan coming from the naked chick I was sleeping next to. I think her name was Michelle or something. I picked her up in a bar last night. She was a good lay.. I think. I¡¯d downed so much alcohol last night that even my werewolf brain was ringing.

    By 7:30, I managed to get her out of the house. She didn¡¯t look too happy about it. I was too hungover to care. I was out the door by 8:00 and grabbed breakfast before picking up Sam and driving over to the auto repair shop. We talked about how much Luke¡¯s aura had grown as a result of yesterday. This would take our pack to a whole new level.

    We entered the office area to find Luke and¡­.( Fem Pete? Lady pete?

    She pete?... Shete¡­sounds good) Shete having breakfast. It was unusual for Luke to be up this early and even stranger was that I recognized the wrapper from the breakfast they were having. It was Diner that was one of Luke¡¯s favourite places, which meant that he¡¯d actually gone to the trouble of getting up early in the morning to buy breakfast for him and Shete.

    ¡®What the fuck was going on?¡¯.

    I saw my doubts reflected in Sam¡¯s face as I glanced at him. I mean, Shete was hot, sure. But, I¡¯d never seen Luke bother himself this way for any girl. It was usually wham..bang and done. When it came to women, the guy was the definition of an indifferent ass hole. And that¡¯s really saying something coming from me. Luke was only truly excited by power. That¡¯s who he was and I¡¯d known him since we were 16. And then there was that reaction from him last night. Something was definitely off.

    ¡°Hi Rob, Sam¡± Shete said.

    She looked oddly content for someone who was strong armed into changing species and gender last night.

    ¡° Hi Pete.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Not Pete, I¡¯m Peyton now.¡± Shete declared.

    ¡°Peyton?¡± Sam asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s her new identity. Peyton Hunter.¡± Luke said.

    ¡®What the hell? We¡¯d already agreed on Sandra earlier and the passport guy was probably halfway done with making the fake papers. Where the hell did Peyton suddenly pop up from?¡¯

    ¡°Okay. Peyton hunter it is I guess. Nice to meet you Peyton.¡± I said.

    ¡°Likewise Rob. I¡¯ll go get ready¡± She said with a twinkle in her eyes before getting up and running upstairs.

    ¡°What¡¯s she getting ready for?¡± Sam asked.

    ¡°She needs new clothes and a few other supplies,¡± Luke replied.

    ¡°Not it.¡± I said quickly, I didn¡¯t wanna spend the whole day helping her with shopping.

    ¡°Sam¡¯s temperament is much more suited for a shopping partner¡± I said as Sam grimaced.

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll take her.¡±

    I felt my mouth hanging open. If I hadn¡¯t heard Luke¡¯s mouth actually move, I wouldn¡¯t have believed he said it.

    I sent a faint pulse of aura back on the thread connecting me to the alpha, yanking on it. I felt Luke¡¯s aura land on me in full force as my knees almost buckled under its pressure.

    ¡®Yep, it was definitely Luke¡¯.

    ¡°What¡¯s the big idea?¡± Luke snarled.

    ¡°Just checking that it was really you man¡± I replied through my gritted teeth.

    Luke¡¯s aura receded just as fast as it came. He looked like he was about to shout something but seemed to think better of it.

    Shete¡­I¡¯m sorry.. Peyton came down soon afterwards, wearing a t-shirt that was too tight and cargo pants she¡¯d secured to her slender waist using a belt.

    She and Luke left soon afterward, leaving Sam and I to come to terms with the fact that Luke had just volunteered to take a guy turned girl shopping.

    ¡°That was one of the weirdest things that I¡¯ve seen over the years, including the time we walked in on that wendigo succubus orgy.¡± I said as Sam nodded in agreement.

    I felt like my hangover from today morning was getting worse as I racked my brain trying to come up with a logical explanation for the sudden behavioural change of our alpha. I was roused from my thoughts by the sound of someone climbing the stairs to the office. It seemed like the shop had an early customer. That was Sam¡¯s problem, he was the one in charge of the shop. I didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with any more problems today morning.

    The door opened to reveal a grinning Layla striding into the room with a package in her hand.

    ¡°Hey Sam, Rob. Good morning. Where¡¯s Luke? Is he up yet? I¡¯ve got a surprise for him¡±.

    ¡®Oh shit¡¯.

    Sam was the closest to the door.

    ¡°Oh no.. I forgot that thing.. In the lot¡± Sam mumbled before hastily making his escape.

    ¡®Sam, you lucky bastard¡¯ I thought as I tried and failed to make a smile appear on my face, as I turned to face Layla.

 Chapter 14

    Layla

    I was in a shop trying to pick out a couple of camping gear items as a gift for Luke. He¡¯d really appreciate my thoughtfulness and realise how lucky he was to have a girlfriend like me. The sleazy salesboy in the shop kept trying to hit on me. He got the message and backed away after I sent a few glares his way. These mundane idiots, thinking they actually have a chance with someone like me. No one would have even dared to meet my eyes if they really knew that I could rip their balls off with a single yank.

    I got home and put away the shopping bags before settling down in front of the TV. I¡¯d gotten a text message from Luke earlier saying that he¡¯d be busy tonight without explaining why and he still hadn¡¯t replied to my inquiries. It had something to do with that scrawny fucker I saw earlier joining the pack. I had no idea what Luke was thinking, inviting someone like him to join the pack.

    I changed channels and settled on one where a few women were discussing pay gap and gender inequality in the workplace. I really couldn¡¯t sympathise with them. Compared to the situation of werewolf women, these bitches had it easy in life.

    There were no woman alphas, at least none that I¡¯d ever heard of.

    A she-wolf in the pack was always at the mercy of the alpha. If the alpha wanted to take her, there was pretty much nothing she could do unless she was an extremely talented aura user, which was very rare. There were many such packs in which the women served as nothing more than the playthings of the alpha.

    It made my skin crawl just to think about it. Thank goodness I had Luke. I was the member of the pack who had known Luke the longest. I had known him since we were kids. He was the son of alpha Reynold and I knew he was my way to a better life. For someone like me, with only a secondary wolfblood line, Luke was like a lottery ticket. I had been trying to get close to him since primary school. We became friends, but I couldn¡¯t get any further with him because he only had eyes for that bitch.

    Peyton. He was always running after her, not sparing me much attention.

    Thankfully, when we were 15, she went and got herself killed. The event was a double jackpot as the incident triggered Luke¡¯s alpha transformation. When Luke decided to leave town a year later, I left with him. The rest, as they say, is history.

    I am the queen of a strong pack now, even though Luke had so far refused to breed with me. We had plenty of unprotected sex, but unfortunately, for me to get pregnant with an alpha¡¯s children, he¡¯d have to take me while we were in transformed state, which he had refused to do so far.

    Luke was a bit too worried about power in my opinion. But, sooner or later he was going to realise how much I loved him and how great we could be as a family. I was in a really good mood as I went to bed that night. I decided to surprise him the next morning with my gift. He would probably be feeling tired after inducting a new member to the pack. And I was always the perfect one to cheer him up.

    As I was walking into the Auto shop, I saw Jay pulling up. I spared him a glance before walking inside. Of all the members of the pack, he was the least trustworthy. He didn¡¯t join the pack voluntarily like Rob or Sam, he was ¡¯acquired¡¯ by Luke because of his superior warrior bloodline. I made a beeline for the office area of the shop. I found Rob and Sam in the office. Sam had to leave real quick because he forgot something.

    I found myself alone with sleazy Rob who had a stupid expression on his face. I¡¯d caught the guy staring at me countless times. As if any girl would look at him twice when Luke was around. He seemed like he was working up to something before he turned to face me.

    Rob

    ¡®Aw¡­man.. I really don¡¯t wanna deal with queen bitch.¡¯ I thought, before realising something. Something that any motivational speaker worth his salt will tell you. Every problem was an opportunity. This was no different. It was an opportunity for me to have some fun and possibly gather some information.

    ¡°Sorry Layla, Luke¡¯s out right now, in fact you just missed him¡±. I saw her face fall a bit

    ¡®Oh yes..¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit early for him isn¡¯t it? Did you guys postpone the new member joining the pack or something?¡±she asked, looking sceptical.

    ¡°Oh no, we do have a new member in our pack.¡± I replied with a smile.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡®Ohoho.. Here it comes..¡¯

    ¡°Oh, Where is he? His name was Pete wasn¡¯t it?I¡¯m actually surprised he survived the transition. He looked about ready to keel over from a stiff breeze.¡± She said disdainfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, She¡¯s perfectly fine. In fact, Luke¡¯s out with her right now, shopping for clothes and stuff.¡± I said with barely concealed glee.

    ¡°What¡­wait¡­ What??.... What the fuck do you mean SHE? And Luke¡¯s out doing WHAT??¡±.

    ¡°What I mean, Layla, is that the ritual last night was a double transmutation. A new female pack member was created from a mundane male¡± I said.

    I watched her eyes go wider and wider until it was threatening to pop out of her sockets. Ah, yes, there¡¯s the expression I wanted to see.

    Layla¡¯s face was changing colours rapidly as her expression changed from disbelief to anger.

    ¡°You mean to tell me you guys actually attempted a double transmutation. Do you know just how fucking dangerous that is?¡± She shrieked.

    ¡°I do, actually. I warned Luke countless times not to try something so huge with his present aura strength. But, you know how stubborn he can be. He was right though. He was able to pull it off successfully and improve his aura skills, which were lagging behind his physical¡±.

    I saw her flinch at my dig about Luke lagging behind on his aura. Luke¡¯s aura would¡¯ve been better if she wasn¡¯t below average in hers. She stayed silent for a while before sitting down.

    ¡°So when will he be back after escorting that faggoty guy?¡± She asked, venom dripping from her every word.

    ¡°That¡¯s just it though, she looks nothing like he did before the transformation. She¡¯s quite something to look at¡± I said with a smile.

    I saw her face darken and her jaw clench.

    ¡®Oh yes, queen bitchiness was definitely feeling insecure. Now, Let''s see if I can¡¯t get some info out of her¡¯

    ¡°By the way, our new member has a new name to go with her rocking hot body¡±.

    ¡°What?¡± She asked through gritted teeth.

    ¡°It was a bit funny, we already had a name picked out, But, Luke decided to change it to Peyton¡±.

    I saw the colour leaching off her face as she knocked over the vase she was fiddling with. She was staring at me with a horrified expression before getting up and turning away from me.

    ¡°That name means something to you, Layla?¡±.

    ¡°No¡± came her answer in an emotionless voice.

    ¡®Liar, that name meant something to her the same as it did for Luke. It was a name from their shared past, A name that Luke loved and she hated¡¯.

    I doubted I could get anything more out of her. She seemed to have clammed up. This meant that Luke¡¯s attraction to our new girl was more than just skin deep. That could become problematic down the line. I needed to think about this more. I left Layla standing in the office as I made my exit.

    Peyton

    It was evening by the time we got back from our shopping trip. I was trying to be frugal and get only the essentials, but Luke insisted that we get me an entire wardrobe. It wasn¡¯t like we were shopping at discount stores either. He took me to designer stores and spent a fortune getting everything we required. He carried around a lot of cash. I would have never carried around so much currency for the fear of getting mugged.

    But, someone actually successfully robbing the 6¡¯4¡± alpha werewolf walking beside me was laughable.

    I found out that I was a D cup girl now and the amount of interest he showed in helping me pick out lingerie left me not many doubts as to what his intentions were.

    I contemplated the possibility of running away, but I had a feeling that he could use the connection tethering me to him to track me down. And if the money he was spending on me was any indication, he didn¡¯t lack material resources either.

    I wasn¡¯t that better off than I was yesterday. I didn¡¯t have many options. Which meant that I¡¯d  have to bite the bullet. As a guy, I stayed as a virgin for 18 years. Somehow, I didn¡¯t think I''d have that option as a girl.

    Sam and Jay were on the floor of the shop when we came in.  Luke told them to help me with moving our cargo to my room. I heard Sam informing Luke that Layla was waiting in the office. Luke nodded before we set off. I¡¯d guess his pseudo girlfriend/ fuckbuddy was not gonna be pleased to see me. The look I received from her as we entered confirmed my suspicions. While she obviously disliked me before, the look that she was giving me was one of pure hate.

    Luke told the three of us to head on up. We¡¯d barely reached my apartment before we could hear the sounds of Layla yelling. We focused on unpacking and in a little while we heard Luke come up and slam the door to his room. Jay and Sam left me soon afterwards as I fell down on my bed, trying to process all the things that had happened to me today.

 Chapter 15

    Luke

    I went out with Peyton to help her pick out some stuff that she needed. It was a weird experience. Sometimes I felt as if I had my Peyton back and other times it just reminded me that I¡¯d lost her. I couldn¡¯t make up my mind as to whether I felt happy or sad.

    When we got back, Sam informed me that Layla was waiting in the office. As expected, she wasn¡¯t in a great mood. I saw her eyes go wide as she took in Peyton.

    I realised with a jolt that she would be the only one beside me who would see what I saw on Peyton¡¯s face.

    ¡°Luke, What the hell are you doing?¡± She burst out as soon as the others were out of the room.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, squarely looking her in the eyes.

    ¡°You performed a double transmutation without even telling me. And her, Why the fuck does she look like that?¡±.

    I manifested a bit of my aura and sent it her way. I saw her taking a step back as her breath caught.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware I needed your permission to perform a double transmutation Layla. Do I need to remind you who the alpha is?¡± I asked, ignoring the second part of her question.

    Layla was silent for a while before she opened her mouth again.

    ¡°Peyton¡¯s dead Luke¡±. She said, glaring at me.

    ¡°I know that Layla¡±.

    ¡°DO YOU LUKE? Or have you started forgetting things? The reason why you became an alpha¡±.

    She continued while I refused to reply.

    ¡°You wanted to become the strongest alpha. Is that still your aim? Or are you now content with playing house with her and stagnating like your father?¡±.

    I felt my anger surge as I sent the full force of my aura against her. She dropped to her knees as if her strings were cut and started gasping for breath. I eased up a bit.

    ¡°I haven''t forgotten who I am or what I set out to do, Layla. The reason I had to perform a double transmutation was because of your weakness¡± I saw her flinch as I pointed out her flaw.

    ¡°She¡¯s in the pack to make myself and the pack stronger. I gave her that name because it¡¯s a foolproof identity that can never be traced back as a forgery. That¡¯s it.

    The one who¡¯s delusional is you, Layla. Did you imagine yourself to be my girlfriend, my breed mate? Know your place. Get stronger and become useful to the pack or I¡¯ll chuck you out myself.¡±.

    I left her sobbing on the floor as I went to my room and slammed my door shut. I¡¯d never admit it to Layla, but her words really stung. I¡¯d fooled myself into thinking for a little while that my Peyton was back by my side. She was dead, gone, never to return. That was the bitter truth. The person in the next room was just someone who shared a resemblance to her. She was nothing more than another stepping stone on my climb and I¡¯d use her as such. I couldn¡¯t afford to get distracted. Our relationship would be that of an alpha and a concubine wolf, which was what she was and I¡¯d show her that soon enough.

    Peyton

    I had finished unpacking and arranging my stuff. Working at my mom¡¯s salon had given me adequate knowledge about most things women dealt with every day.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    About an hour later, Sam came up with a few books for me to read. They were essentially what wolfblood children learned from primary school onwards, but being a new member of the supernatural community, I found them very fascinating. There were books that dealt with history, biology and cultural practises of werewolves.

    I was so engrossed with reading them that I was surprised to see it had grown dark outside my windows when I heard a knock at my door. I opened the door to find Luke standing there. The expression on his face was completely different from what it was today morning. I was just about to open my mouth to say something when I felt his aura crash into me. It was an overpowering and oppressive feeling. I tried to push him back, but then I felt the aura double in strength as I had to clutch the wall for support.

    I already knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him. But, seeing how futile my effort was still frustrated me. He stepped closer to me as I was trapped between him and the wall. I wanted to push him off me, but I felt my body react to him differently. My breath turned more rapid as my heart accelerated. I felt a cool tingling feeling making its way down my stomach. It felt as if there was something vibrating down there.

    Again, I felt the strange split of my mind. One part, the part that pushed against his aura was still trying and was almost fully spent while another part was more in touch with my body.That part wanted him to come closer. It seemed as if the second part was winning as the first failed to push back Luke¡¯s aura.

    I saw Luke come closer as his intense gaze rooted me there. I saw the intent in his eyes before I felt his lips meet mine. Soft at first and then with hunger as his tongue explored his mouth. My hands came up to push at his chest feebly as they found no purchase against his rock hard muscles. Luke used one of his hands to hold both of mine above my head while he used the other hand to take my top off.

    My head and back were against the wall as he pushed deeper and deeper into me. I felt my feet leave the ground as he lifted me up against the wall. My head arched back as he pulled on my long hair. I felt his lips meet my neck in a flurry of kisses as his tongue played on my neck. My nails were digging into his arms and back as he started travelling down my neck.

    I heard myself moan as he pulled down my bra and started sucking on my nipples. A part of me wanted to resist, but was subdued by his aura while my brain was getting flooded with happy juices as Luke worked on my body. Luke lifted me off the wall and deposited me on the bed. I felt my D Cup tits jiggle as my back hit the bed. He stared down at me as he took off his shirt. I could see the muscles rolling beneath his skin as I took in his 6¡¯4¡± form. I was distracted looking at his chest before I realised he had taken off his pants. I was greeted by the sight of his erect penis. That thing had to be at least 10 inches long and had girth to match. I swallowed loudly and scooted a bit back in bed, but he was on me once again, his lips meeting mine and his tongue exploring my mouth. The heady mix of his aura and scent was making me feel light headed.

    I felt him trace his fingers down my neck, along my erect nipples, continuing to caress my slender waist till it reached my vagina. I felt an electric current pass through me as his fingers met the fabric of my underwear. Soon I was spasming on the bed as his fingers did their work. I was so wet that my underwear was practically sticking to my pussy when he removed it. He spread my legs wide as he rubbed the tip of his penis against my wet vaginal lips.

    His dick was so huge. I was sure I would break if he put that thing inside me. He met my eyes for a second before thrusting forward. I felt my world erupt in a blinding flash of pain as he moved into me. I tried to push him away, but it was like pushing against a boulder as his rock hard muscles refused to give. He started moving his hips slowly as he thrust his member inside me.

    I could soon feel a strange tingling feeling inside me that I instinctively knew as my body¡¯s healing the damage of his entry. I could feel a pressure build up every time he thrust inside and a strange cool tingling as he pulled out. Soon, I started to feel my vaginal walls contract around his penis. I felt like there was an itch in their walls that only his penis could scratch. Suddenly I wanted him in there, I needed him there.

    He started picking up the tempo as I felt something build up inside me. It was rising to a crescendo with each thrust. Suddenly I felt his lips on my neck and I immediately crested the peak. It was as if my entire body had been electrocuted, I spasmed, only dimly aware of my surroundings as waves of pleasure crashed over me. I didn¡¯t come down much from this state of heightened pleasure as he continued to pound away inside me. Suddenly, I felt him tense up as something hot flooded inside me. His penis was vibrating inside mine which brought me to another peak.

    His eyes were locked on to mine when I looked up. He brought his face down as he stared into my eyes. I felt the pressure of his aura vanish as he looked deeply into my eyes.

    ¡°Peyton¡± He said in a voice so soft I doubted that it was his own.

    Then,just as suddenly, his expression changed as his face went back to an impassive mask. He got up, grabbed his clothes and left without a word, closing the door behind him.

    I sank back into my bed, trying to process what had happened. That was the first sexual experience of my life and I wasn¡¯t sure weather I loved it or hated it.

    As I got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom with shaky feet that were still numb, one thing was certain. Whether I loved or hated the experience, I wasn¡¯t given a choice.

 Chapter 16

    Peyton

    I was tossing and turning in my bed, unable to get any sleep after what had happened. I¡¯d pretty much known that this was coming, but nothing could really prepare me for what my body and mind went through. I found the fact that he could suppress me with his aura like that highly infuriating. Finally, I gave up trying to sleep and delved into the books that Sam gave me. The more information I could gather, the better.

    I was relieved to learn that werewolves could only conceive when they had sex in the transformed state. The supernatural community still seemed to live with a rather barbaric set of rules compared to modern society. Strength was law and that was pretty much it, it seemed. Ever since the fall of some bigshot family called Luciente, werewolves had a decentralised structure. Each alpha had a territory that was marked and if there were disputes, they were settled between packs, rather violently most of the time.

    With all the alphas being male and having a position of unassailable power in the pack, I¡¯d assumed that what I went through last night was fairly common. The book I was perusing was trying very hard to sweep it all under the rug as ¡®such activities were for the eventual betterment and evolution of the pack and the bloodline¡¯.

    Sometime in the early morning, I fell into an uneasy sleep. Despite going to sleep late, I woke up at the regular time. I made my way down to the office. Sam and Jay joined us a bit later with breakfast. I greeted them. I thought I¡¯d kept my face passive. So I was rather surprised when Jay spoke up

    ¡°Are you okay Peyton?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine Jay.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen last night?¡± Jay asked, looking concerned.

    ¡°Oh, did Luke take you last night?¡± Sam asked with a tone that suggested as if Luke took me to the movies last night.

    ¡°Take me?¡± I growled as I felt my anger flare. Sam flinched back from me.

    ¡°Whoa, take it easy. It¡¯s fairly common in a pack with an unmated alpha like ours. Don¡¯t take it too personally. In fact, most packs practice it as a rule since it helps a female wolf improve her aura when she interacts with the alpha like that. And Luke¡¯s all about building the strength of the pack if nothing else.¡±

    ¡®So, it was done for my benefit was it?¡¯ I grit my teeth as I restrained myself from snapping at Sam. I wondered how he¡¯d feel if it was done to him. I fixed him with a glare as he winced and moved away from me a little bit.

    ¡°I can see that it¡¯s already working. Do you mind not hitting me with your aura like that Peyton?¡± Sam asked.

    ¡®Wait, I did what now?¡¯

    Jay saw the look of puzzlement on my face. ¡°You probably weren¡¯t doing it consciously, Peyton, but you were directing your aura against Sam right now¡±.

    ¡°Yeah, it was pretty good too. I think you might already be stronger than Layla, though, that¡¯s a pretty low bar to set. Still, having this much aura only a day after becoming a werewolf is really impressive¡± Sam said while Jay nodded.

    ¡°So , I have an aura now?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Every werewolf has an aura. The important thing is the quantity and the ability to make it denser and apply it with your will.¡± Jay said.

    At that moment,  we heard Luke coming down the stairs. As he entered the room, our eyes met for a brief moment before he looked away. His face was a mask of indifference, which pissed me off to no small extent. But, I knew that shouting wasn¡¯t going to accomplish anything.

    ¡°Good morning Luke. Guess what? Peyton just hit me with her aura. Her aura is pretty darn good for a day old werewolf¡±.

    ¡°I already know that.¡± Luke said.

    ¡®Oh yeah, the fucker must¡¯ve noticed last night while he was stifling my aura into submission with his aura last night¡¯.

    Luke asked Jay to step out with him for a moment. Jay returned a couple of minutes later while Luke headed out.

    ¡°Peyton, you need to go get dressed after breakfast. We¡¯re going out¡±. Jay said.

    ¡°Why? Where are we going?¡±.

    ¡°Luke has asked me to train you. We¡¯ll be going to the woods¡±.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Why did he ask you to train me and not Sam or Rob?¡±. I asked. I had the distinct impression that Luke was much more close to them than Jay.

    ¡°Because, I¡¯m the strongest in the pack after Luke¡± Jay replied. His tone wasn¡¯t boasting or anything. It was a simple statement of fact.

    ¡°For now, I¡¯m gonna catch up to you soon Jay.¡± Sam piped up.

    ¡°Sure, Sure¡±. Jay replied looking uninterested.

    I finished breakfast and went up to change. I donned on some of my workout gear and went out to meet Jay. I had to get stronger. Strong enough that I¡¯d be able to determine my own destiny. Jay had already pulled up his truck by the time I made it down and we set off towards the woods.

    We were both silent for a while before Jay suddenly said ¡°I¡¯m sorry Peyton¡±.

    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that this is happening to you and I¡¯m sorry there¡¯s not much I can do to help you¡±.

    I considered him for a moment.

    ¡°You feel sorry? And yet you continue serving him. Words are cheap enough Jay. It¡¯s actions that count.¡± I said. I saw Jay¡¯s hands tighten over the steering wheel.

    ¡°My situation is more similar to your own than you think, Peyton. I¡¯m not here by choice either. Or at the very least, I was offered the same shitty choices that you were.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Peyton, I come from a line of wolves that are known for our superior skills as warriors. I was targeted by Luke because of that. In the end, the choice was between me joining the pack in exchange for keeping my little sister out of it or them taking my sister away by force. The only reason I serve Luke is to make sure that my sister doesn¡¯t end up where you are now.¡±

    There was unmistakable pain in Jay¡¯s voice as he said this. I didn¡¯t know if I believed him yet. But I knew Luke was more than capable and cold enough to do what Jay said.

    ¡°What about the others? Did they join the pack the same way too?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, Layla¡¯s obsessed with Luke and I¡¯m pretty sure Sam and Rob joined the pack for power and no other reason. Unlike me, Luke really trusts them. That¡¯s why Rob is the second in command even though he¡¯s weaker than me.¡±

    I was silent for a while as I mulled over his words. What he said corresponded with what I¡¯d observed about the pack. But, I still couldn¡¯t bring myself to fully trust him. I had trusted Rob and that was how I¡¯d ended up here. Still, Jay was a valuable source of information.

    ¡°So, What exactly is it that a werewolf pack does?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, the official version is that a pack exists to bring humans protection and good governance from the supernatural community. Of all the supernaturals, werewolves are the most powerful species that need not hurt or kill humans to survive. Apparently, a long time ago, werewolves used to be just as harmful to humans as vampires or wendigos. A family called Luciente changed all that. They turned werewolves from uncontrollable wandering loners to a regimented unit spearheaded by alphas. Somehow, they found a method to sacrifice individuality and freedom to attain more power and control. They used the argument of protecting humans to subdue other werewolves and wage war against other supernatural beings. The principles they established then still function as the basis of werewolf society today. An alpha is technically responsible for protecting the humans in his territory against other supernatural beings¡±.

    Jay looked at me before continuing. ¡°Like I said, that¡¯s the rosy official version. In truth, it¡¯s all about power. Werewolves took command and pushed other supernatural beings to the sidelines because they wanted to hoard power. As you know from personal experience, werewolves have no compunctions about harming humans if it means they can increase their power.¡±.

    ¡°So what is it exactly that our pack does? Do we have a mission statement or something?¡± I asked.

    Jay chuckled darkly. ¡°No we don¡¯t. But if we had one it¡¯d be ¡®more power, more money and even more power¡¯. The main source of revenue for the pack comes from a tow truck company. Luke uses it to move money, drugs, guns and whatever else that needs moving. When he first moved into town 5 years ago, Luke offered his services to a local drug kingpin. He refused since he had his own supply network. Luke fired a couple of warning shots against their organisation. But, they chose to retaliate rather than negotiate. Suddenly, the kingpin found that his lieutenants were disappearing, as if they vanished off the face of the earth. His network broke down and the cops found him a month later in an alley with his throat cut. The rival who took over his territory was wiser and he was only too happy to use Luke¡¯s services¡±.

    ¡°Did the cops never manage to get wind of this operation?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tail and find evidence on a werewolf and almost impossible to build a case when all the witnesses end up disappearing. Witnesses aren¡¯t exactly safe in a safe house when you¡¯ve got werewolves tracking them. Luke¡¯s well entrenched in the city now. He¡¯s got enough legitimate businesses set up through shell corporations and proxies that he has no problem laundering money. The whole operation runs like a well oiled machine with Luke¡¯s mundane lieutenants doing most of the day to day work. We¡¯re only asked to step in when something serious happens¡±.

    ¡®No wonder they weren¡¯t interested in the money I got from selling my mother¡¯s house. The guy probably had millions in cash lying around¡¯. I thought.

    ¡°Can the alpha track members of the pack anytime he wants?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so Peyton. You must¡¯ve felt it too right? A connection linking you to the alpha. Luke can use it to track you down any time he wants. It¡¯s one of the foundational facts responsible for an alpha¡¯s power over the pack.¡± He said.

    ¡°Escape¡¯s not easy Peyton. Otherwise I¡¯d have done it already¡± Jay said as we pulled in at the edge of the woods.

    I tried not to show any disappointment on my face.

    ¡°So, training. What will we be doing today?¡±.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple, Peyton. You¡¯re gonna try and stop me from grinding you into the ground¡±.

    ¡°Wait, WHAT?¡±.

 Chapter 17

    Peyton

    Jay and I were standing in the middle of the clearing where I was transformed after a brief trek through the forest. We reached our destination a lot faster than the last time we made the journey thanks to my new body. Jay turned to face me once we reached the clearing.

    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll be focusing on exercises to improve your aura¡±.

    ¡°What exactly is an aura?¡± I asked him. I¡¯d already felt it and used it without intending it, but I was interested in hearing Jay¡¯s take on it.

    ¡°Any werewolf has two components to their power. Aura and Physical strength. It¡¯s a combination of both that determines our total power. She wolves tend to be stronger in aura while male wolves do better in physical strength.

    To answer your question, Aura is a manifestation of your will power. It presents as a force impeding the mind of your enemy. The effects range from mild annoyance to rendering your enemy into a comatose state, depending on your strength¡±. Jay said.

    ¡°If male wolves are lagging in aura, does that mean that Luke¡¯s bad at it too¡±. I asked.

    ¡°No, alphas are an exception to this general rule. They¡¯ll naturally have a greater affinity towards aura and it will be extremely rare for any member of the pack to surpass the alpha in terms of the strength of the aura¡±. He said.

    ¡®Extremely rare, but not impossible.¡¯ I thought.

    ¡°So we¡¯ll be working exclusively on my aura then?¡±. I asked.

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll be focusing on your aura primarily, but we¡¯ll need to improve your physical strength too. Aura and your physical strength are linked. You can only advance your aura so much without improving your physical strength and vice versa¡±.

    ¡°Okay, so what exactly are we going to do today?¡± I asked with a little apprehension.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be charging at you and you need to try and stop me in my tracks using your aura¡± Jay said with a little bit of amusement in his eyes.

    I had just started to think that Jay might not be a psychopath like the rest, I may have to reevaluate.

    Jay went to the other end of the clearing and we started circling each other like we were wrestlers before a fight. Then suddenly Jay charged at me. I extended my hand forward as if trying to conjure up a forcefield in front of me.

    Sadly, the forcefield did not appear as Jay slammed into me. I imagine this is what it would feel like to have a truck slam into me as I was thrown into a nearby tree. The impact knocked the wind out of me as I struggled to catch my breath. I was wincing as I stood back up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll heal soon. Perks of being a werewolf¡±. Jay said with a smile.

    ¡®Oh joy¡¯ I thought as I scowled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t focus on your physical actions too much, Peyton. Your aura is not something physical that you¡¯re trying to conjure up. It¡¯s coming from your mind. Don¡¯t panic and try to focus on trying to stop me¡±. Jay said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I wear body armour or something if we¡¯re gonna do this.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°No can do. Pain is an essential part to helping you improve. Your aura won¡¯t improve if you don¡¯t think that there are consequences to your failure. And in a real fight, that¡¯s exactly what you¡¯ll face¡±.

    I growled unhappily as I moved back to take my position again. The second attempt went about as well as the first and we went again and again and again.

    Three hours later, by the time we stopped our so-called training session, I felt that I was sore all over. I still hadn¡¯t managed to even bother Jay, let alone stop him with my aura. Jay said there was definite improvement of my aura during my final attempts compared to my initial ones. I doubted if he was saying that just to make me feel better because I sure as hell didn¡¯t feel like I made any improvement.

    We stopped at a steak place on our way back to the shop and had lunch. Luke still wasn¡¯t back and Sam was the only one in the shop when we got back.  I went up to my room and took a shower to wash the forest floor musk off me before taking a short nap. After I woke up, I continued my werewolf studies. It was late afternoon when I heard a knock on my door. I opened the door to see Luke standing there with a stack of books in his arms.

    I wanted to shut the door on him, but I also knew that if he really wanted to come in, a door wasn¡¯t going to be much of an obstacle. I tried not to show my frustration on my face as I stepped back to let him in.

    ¡°These are some more books to help with your training and learning¡±. He said.

    When I didn¡¯t reply, he continued ¡°Jay told me you did good in today¡¯s training. Good work¡±. He said.

    I didn¡¯t reply and just nodded, still refusing to make eye contact with him. He dropped the books on my table and took a step closer before lifting my chin up to meet his eyes.

    ¡°Luke, I don¡¯t want to¡±, I said, finally meeting his eyes.

    ¡°In the mundane world, society grants you the right to say no Peyton. But in our world, you have to earn that right. You¡¯ll have it when you raise your aura past half of my aura pool¡±. He said with an emotionless face just before I felt his aura bearing down on me.

    I tried to push him back, but like last night, his aura completely stifled mine as I felt my knees grow weak. His lips crashed into mine as I felt his tongue invade my mouth once again. He soon had my clothes off and had me spread out on all fours in the bed. He was going to take me like a bitch till I grew strong enough to stop him. I winced as I felt his long thick cock enter me once again. I felt his power each time he thrust into me. I was biting my lips hard as equal measure of pleasure and pain went through me.

    I felt a sharp pain in my scalp as he pulled on my hair, pulling my head back towards him. He twisted my neck so that our eyes met. He kissed me slowly while his other hand was fondling the big, shapely globes on my chest. I moaned into his mouth when he squeezed my pink nipples with his hand. His arm was sliding down the curve of my breasts to my flat tummy as his fingers made their way to my clit. He stroked me down there while his huge cock was still ramming into me. I screamed out loud as I climaxed. His strong arms held me in place as spasms took my body.

    He dropped me on my bed and I was lying prone as he started ramming into me again. I really wished I hated this whole experience . That would have been so much easier. But, no matter how I tried, I couldn¡¯t deny the waves of pleasure he was sending through my body. I hated it and wanted more of it at the same time. I spasmed and arched my back as I felt him flood my insides with his hot sperm again.

    He planted a small kiss on my neck before leaving me lying prone on my bed. I could feel his sperm oozing out of me onto my sheets as he left.

    I screamed into my mattress in frustration. But, I was determined. He would pay for this one day. It might take me years or even decades, but he would pay for what he did to me.

    Luke

    I went straight into the shower after I got back from Peyton¡¯s room, I stood there for a while. A sudden surge of white hot anger surged through me as I punched the wall and saw a couple of bathroom tiles breaking and falling to the floor.

    ¡®She must absolutely hate me by now¡¯. I thought. That was my intention, yet, it didn¡¯t stop me from feeling like shit. Still, it had to be done. She and the pack would  become stronger because of it. Even as I said this to myself I knew that this was a lie. I was lying to myself to cover up the real reason.

    If she ever showed the slightest preference for me, if she ever gave me a genuine smile, I didn¡¯t know what would happen to me. She needed to hate me, despise me and grow stronger because of it. I could take her hate, harness it and move towards my goal, but if she ever came to like me I feared that I¡¯d crumble. My heart had petrified the day I beheld her body in the woods. I needed it that way. I couldn¡¯t afford for it to start beating again.

 Chapter 18

    Jay

    Peyton had messaged me yesterday telling me that she wanted to start her training early today. I would have thought that all the hits she received yesterday might have put her off. Either she was a masochist or something was really driving her. It wasn¡¯t exactly hard to guess what. An alpha who only thought about his pack members as pieces to improve his strength wasn¡¯t easy to live under, especially for a she wolf. I was both glad and sad that she ended up in the pack. I was sad because of how it was done to her. I was glad because I finally had someone in the pack who felt the same way I did.

    Peyton was already raring to go when I got there. I wondered what had happened last night. I didn¡¯t press as I had a good hunch. If she wanted to talk to me about it, we¡¯d talk about it. We had a quick breakfast together before we set out to our training grounds. We picked up from where we left off yesterday. She had shown remarkable improvements with just 3 hours of training yesterday. She¡¯d gone from being able to make a slight tingling to being able to create a low buzz in my mind.

    I came at her again as she tried to use her aura to stop me. I could hear the buzz get harder as I got closer but it still wasn''t anywhere close enough to stop me in my tracks. Upon impact, I ended up sending her into the trees just like yesterday. She got up, dusted herself off and got right back into it.

    She requested that we continue our training session for longer than usual. I got the distinct impression that rather than going back there, she preferred getting the stuffing beaten out of her.

    It was late afternoon by the time we were on our way back to the shop.

    ¡°Do you mind if I give you some advice Peyton?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Go ahead¡±, She said, looking amused.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give him the satisfaction of knowing he¡¯s hurt you. That¡¯ll just make him come at you more. That¡¯s how bullies are.¡± I said.

    ¡°From my rather extensive knowledge of bullies, they¡¯ll keep coming at you anyway. At least until you¡¯re strong enough to stop them.¡±

    I looked at her sitting there with a dark smile on her face. I guess her life had already been hard enough before the transformation.

    ¡°Thanks for the advice though. I know you mean well¡± She said.

    I nodded. The rest of the ride mostly passed in silence. I was really frustrated by the fact that there wasn¡¯t much I could do to help her. I didn¡¯t know how, but I really hoped that someday I could.

    ROB

    It''d been a little over two weeks since we''d changed Pete to Peyton. I was packing my bags and I was kinda happy to be getting out of town for a while. My phone rang as I was packing. I didn''t pick up the call as it was from Layla. She''d gone crazy recently, crazier than usual that is.

    Luke had apparently stopped fucking her since Peyton and since Luke wasn''t giving her an ear, she¡¯d picked me to come and complain to.

    ''I''m not even fucking her and now I''ve gotta listen to her complain. Fuck no''.

    I''d shut her down fast and sent her packing, but not before telling me that I shouldn''t trust Peyton and that she''d betray and hurt Luke if she got the chance. ''Duh'' . Did she really think that I didn''t already know that? The only thing that mattered was whether she was powerful enough to do that. And she definitely wasn''t.

    That being said, I did question Luke''s wisdom of having Jay train her. Luke told me that at this stage she needed someone like Jay to grow strong and to feel like she actually belonged to at least a part of the pack. I told him that I didn''t think it was a good idea but it was his call. I was going to the town of Drissam for a bit of research. What was so special about Drissam?

    It was the seat of power for the Luciente main family before their fall. The trip that I was about to take was like a pilgrimage for a lot of werewolves.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Luciente had disappeared with a wealth of knowledge and it was every alphas dream to find some hidden source of fantastic powers by researching them.

    It was a bit of a vanity project if you asked me. I very much doubted that I''d unearth anything that hadn''t been found by the hundreds or thousands of werewolves who visited the place before me. But, It wasn''t like I had something important to do here. The businesses were running fine under the care of our mundane minions and I could use a break. Maybe some other alphas had the same idea and sent hot werewolves chick researchers.

    I chucked my backpack in the truck before saying goodbye to Carson City. My daring raid into the lost tombs of Luciente begins or at the very least, a successful raid into that panties of a hot she wolf.

    Peyton

    I was on the ground. There was a gash in my arm that was just starting to heal from when I''d hit a tree earlier. But, it was with satisfaction that I looked up to see Jay panting and doubled over with his hands on his knees. He had managed to knock me into the ground, but unlike last week, he couldn''t do it with impunity.  I was exacting a toll on him using my aura. Jay told me that when we began, the best I could do was to create a faint buzzing in his head. Now it was a full on head splitting headache that made him sluggish and greatly weakened his attacking capabilities.

    Both of us took a couple of minutes to catch our breath before facing each other again. I knew I was really close to stopping him in his tracks. We had been training like crazy this past week and Jay had said that the improvement in my aura had been nothing short of amazing. As good as that may have been, I knew that I wasn''t even close to where I should have been. Luke was still much stronger than me. I hated to admit it, but pushing my aura against him had helped me improve. I had decided to bide my time with him. Whenever we were together, I pushed against him till I felt like I had nothing left in me and then he would be on me. I''d concentrate on the feelings of my body rather than my mind when I was with him. Until I was strong enough to stop him, I had to put up with it.

    I took a deep breath as I focused on Jay. He steadied himself with a shake of his head as he focused on me. I could feel him activate his aura to protect himself. It wasn¡¯t perceptible to me when we¡¯d started the training. It was much easier to perceive aura when it was directed against you. But now, I could sense Jay¡¯s aura even when he was using it defensively. I saw Jay crouch low as he readied himself to pounce on me. I had to get stronger, no matter what it took, no matter what I had to suffer through. I¡¯d acquire enough strength to make sure no one ever did to me what this pack put me through. I focused every bit of my intent against Jay. I needed to stop him, whatever it took. I grimaced as my face contorted. I saw Jay¡¯s step falter before he looked at me. He tried to push through, but the very next second, he was on the ground clutching his head, writhing in pain.

    I withdrew my aura as I knelt down to check on Jay.

    ¡°Jay, are you alright?¡± I asked. He didn¡¯t answer me right away. He was shaking on the ground.

    ¡°Jay, Jay talk to me.¡± I said before I turned him over and saw that he was laughing.

    ¡°What the fuck Jay? I was worried I¡¯d done some permanent damage.¡± I said as I shoved him away from me with a scowl.

    Jay was still smiling when he got up.

    ¡°You almost did Peyton. Matter of fact, I still got a killer migraine. But, You did it Peyton. You managed to stop me. I don¡¯t think you understand how fucking amazing it is to do that just two weeks after you¡¯ve been turned. Congrats Peyton¡±. Jay said before he stepped forward and enveloped me in a hug. Jay smelled of the forest floor that he¡¯d been lying in. It felt nice to be held like that by a man who was possibly my friend. I smiled into his chest before we both pulled away.

    ¡°Does this mean my training¡¯s done?¡± I asked, trying to hide the blush on my cheeks.

    ¡°Not even close. But you have successfully completed the first stage of the aura training. To be honest I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to stop me with just the initial stage¡±.

    ¡°What? Then what were you going to do if I couldn¡¯t stop you?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d have continued with this training for a few more weeks until I felt like you had hit a ceiling and then we¡¯d have moved to physical training before coming back to your aura again. You remember what I said about how you can improve your aura only so far before you need to improve your physical strength.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡±.

    ¡°You managed to stop me with your aura even before we needed to start working on your physical strength, Peyton. So, I¡¯m gonna bring up the schedule of your training and get you into the fast track. Be prepared, it¡¯s gonna get a lot harder¡±. Jay said with a smile.

    ¡°I can take it¡±. I said confidently.

    ¡°Yes I do believe you can Peyton.¡± Jay said with a smile lighting up his face.

    We made our way back to the truck and had a big meal from one of my favourite places before we eventually made our way back to the auto shop. Just as we were coming to a stop, I saw Layla march in front of the truck. With the look that she was giving me, I was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t just here to see Luke.

 Chapter 19

    Layla

    That bitch had ruined everything. I had thought that Peyton was out of our lives years ago. Then, as if reincarnated, that name had come back to haunt me. Luke hadn''t been intimate with me ever since she''d joined the pack. He began ducking my calls and when I finally confronted him about it, he simply said that he didn''t feel like fucking me and proceeded to shut me down with his aura.

    My life was almost perfect before she showed up. I was sure that Luke would''ve chosen to breed with me by now if it wasn''t for her showing up. I was going to put that bitch in her place and show her that she couldn''t just steal Luke away from me like that.

    I knew that Luke would be away on business today. She''d have to face me today instead of hiding behind his back. I saw her pull up with Jay. Her clothes looked really dirty. I could smell the grime on her even before the car came to a complete stop. Disgusting bitch. I felt my anger really flare up at the thought of being set aside for someone like her. She was gonna get put in her place today.

    Sam

    Things were not looking good. It was around the usual time that Jay and Peyton would return when Layla showed up. It didn''t exactly take a genius to know what she was here for.

    I''d gotten word about her drama from Rob before he left. If it were anyone else, I could have summoned up some sympathy. I felt that Layla really had it coming, treating the rest of us like garbage despite being the weakest member in the pack. She did that because she fancied herself as a true mate of the alpha. Now that Luke had finally stopped fucking her, she''d been forced to come to terms with the reality of the situation. And she was putting all the blame on Peyton.

    She knew perfectly well that Luke wouldn''t be here when she showed up. But, I wasn''t all that worried. Even If things got a bit heated, me and Jay were more than enough to restore order. But we''d only intervene if it was absolutely necessary. I think it''s pretty healthy to let off some steam every once in a while. I saw Layla haughtily walk up and stand in front of Jay''s truck.

    '' Possible cat fight, fuck yeah.''

    Peyton wasn''t even fully out of the truck when Layla started.

    "We need to talk bitch" she said with barely contained rage.

    Peyton''s face was neutral and indifferent when she replied

    "About what?".

    "About you being a little homewrecking faggot trying to steal my man".

    I saw Peyton''s eyes narrow and her face twist in anger. I had to hand it to Layla. She really knew how to trigger people. Jay stepped forward and opened his mouth as if to say something angry to Layla, but he was stopped by Peyton who raised her hand in his direction.

    Peyton composed herself before answering " I didn''t ask for any of this. Whatever happened to me during the night of the transformation and whatever followed, it wasn''t my choice. It was done to me. So, if you wanna ask someone for an explanation, go ask Luke."

    I saw Layla''s jaw clench as she struggled with the truth of Peyton''s statement. She only really had Luke to blame, but that was something she couldn''t do. Peyton took one more look at Layla before shaking her head and walking away from her. However, it seemed that Layla had no intention of letting her walk away that easily.

    I saw Layla grab Peyton¡¯s arm and yank her, probably intending to throw her against the hood of the car. Layla¡¯s eyes widened in surprise when she saw that Peyton wasn¡¯t budging. She took a step back and shoved Peyton again only to end up with the same disappointing result. I had to say I was impressed. It had only been a couple of weeks since Peyton changed and it seemed like her physical state was already better than that of Layla. My conclusion proved right in the next moment as Peyton¡¯s shove sent Layla sprawling to the floor.

    ¡°You fucking bitch¡± I heard Layla shreik from the floor.

    I could tell by looking at her, she¡¯d absolutely lost it. Jay and I may have to step in after all. I saw Layla tapping her side as her clothes started getting sucked into her pack mark as she began changing simultaneously. Reddish fur replaced her skin as Layla¡¯s face elongated into that of a 7 foot tall werewolf. She let out a snarl just as she finished her transformation. She had to be completely out of it to transform in the shop in broad daylight. If a customer walked in right now, either they¡¯d end up believing that they were hallucinating or spend the rest of their life branded as a crazy person.

    I was about to initiate my transformation to stop her when I felt it. An aura that had my hairs standing up. I immediately recoiled on instinct just as I realised that the aura wasn¡¯t directed against me. No, I was just in it¡¯s zone. I¡¯d barely processed this when I saw Layla¡¯s wolf form drop to the ground writhing on the floor, screaming in pure agony. Layla¡¯s writhing soon turned into a seizure before she passed out completely and reverted back into her human form. I saw Peyton walk past me with a huff before I fully processed what had happened.

    Peyton had just taken down Layla using her aura. More amazing still, she had done it while remaining in human form whereas Layla had transformed. Transformation usually doubles your aura. There was no way a wolf who was a couple weeks old could pull off something like that. I turned around to see Jay standing there with a smile on his face looking down on Layla¡¯s unconscious form.

    ¡°Jay, Did you help her out?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Did you feel my aura Sam?¡± Jay asked.

    If I trusted my own senses, then the honest answer was no. I knew the feel of Jay¡¯s aura and I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t feel it.

    ¡°It was all her?¡± I asked, still unable to believe what I saw and felt.

    Jay nodded before getting back into his truck and backing away. I looked incredulously in the direction of Peyton¡¯s room.

    That girl was a true monster. In just a few weeks, she had managed to bring down Layla in her wolf form using her aura alone. And she hadn¡¯t even looked that winded doing it. Granted, Layla was the weakest member of the pack, but she wasn¡¯t completely useless. She should never have been able to beat her so easily. It was altogether plausible that she might have grown stronger than even me at this point. I really needed to push myself more or I was gonna end up at the bottom of the pack hierarchy.

    I picked Layla up and carried her to a cot in the office before leaving a message for Luke. The newest member of our pack was getting stronger. Scarily fast at that.

    Sheriff John Lawton

    I was feeling uncomfortable in his seat as he drove to work. To be fair, I had been feeling this way for the last five months with only brief windows of calm and happiness in my life.

    I am a proud member of the town of Bison¡¯s creek. Population 1456. I was born and bred here and had every intention of making this town my final resting place. There were a lot of people who said you never really grew until you travelled around a lot. But for me, I found every other place I¡¯d visited inferior to my hometown. I couldn¡¯t contemplate living in a big city next to neighbours you hardly knew and walking around in a sea of strange faces every day. I had no idea how the city cops got their job done effectively. I knew almost every single person in the town that I was policing. I was living a fairly happy life here, at least until about 5 months ago.

    I parked my car in front of the station before I made my way into my office. I was stopped in front of our notice board by the sight that had been haunting me. The missing posters of Sadie Newton and Amy Schweitzer. Both young girls had gone missing in the last five months. I still remembered the panicked phone call I received from Mrs. Newton, telling me that her 19 year old daughter hadn¡¯t made it home from work that night and that she hadn¡¯t been able to reach her on her cell phone.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I had reassured her that night telling her that it was probably nothing to worry about. I informed my deputies Jim and Pam about the case before I personally went to talk to Trey, the owner of the copy place that Sadie Newton worked at. He told me that she left at the regular time and that he had noticed nothing unusual. My deputies and I had cruised the stretch of the road from Sadie¡¯s work to home and found no trace of her car. We spent the rest of the night talking to Sadie¡¯s friends, each of them confirming that they hadn¡¯t been in contact with her for the last few hours.

    I think it was at that moment that I finally accepted that maybe something horrible had actually happened in my quiet town. I was still clinging on to the hope that maybe she just ran away from her parents as an act of some teen rebellion when I put out an APB on her car. All my hopes were dashed when I got a call next morning from the sheriff of the adjoining county that they¡¯d found Sadie¡¯s car abandoned in a ditch on the side of the road. There was no sign of her inside. There was no blood, nothing to indicate that the car had been in an accident other than a slight bump in the bumper of the car.

    Sadie had just disappeared. We sent out everyone we could gather to help with searching the woods near the place where the car was found. The search turned up nothing. The dogs couldn¡¯t trace Sadie¡¯s scent anywhere. It was as if she just vanished. We continued the search for a few more days before we finally gave up. Sadie¡¯s mom was calling me every so often asking for updates. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a complete failure as I had nothing to give her. I could understand the pain and frustration she must''ve been feeling. Sadie was only a year older than my own daughter Mary. They went to the same school and had known each other. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what I would do if it had happened to my daughter instead of Sadie.

    We had questioned all the usual unsavoury elements in town, but were unable to come up with any meaningful links to Sadie. We¡¯d hit a dead end everywhere we looked. The mayor and I used every bit of influence we had to get the FBI down here to investigate. Their investigation failed to turn up any new leads either and they lost interest much faster than we did. As far as they were concerned, this was just a missing persons case out in the middle of nowhere. They had bigger fish to fry.

    The People of Bison¡¯s creek were shaken up, but things were starting to go back to normal for most of the townsfolk two months after Sadie¡¯s disappearance. It seemed like the only people who truly cared were Sadie¡¯s parents and us. It was just as the town was slipping back into a false sense of security that disaster struck again.

    This time it was Amy Schweitzer who went missing. Amy was 23 and ran a diner that was a popular stop for locals and truckers passing through the highway. She closed up shop with her co-workers as usual, but never made it home. We found her car abandoned on the side of the road, no blood and no sign of her inside the car. The similarities with Sadie¡¯s case was undeniable. Amy was supposed to be getting married to her fiance in a couple of months. By all accounts she was happy and had absolutely no reason to run away or disappear. We definitely had a predator on our hands that left us no evidence.

    While Sadie¡¯s disappearance shook up the town, Amy¡¯s similar fate sent the town into an absolute pandemonium. The complete lack of any usable evidence or progress in the case sent people into a frenzy. There were crazy theories floating around that ranged from alien abductions and government experiments to the curse of the native american tribe that previously inhabited the valley. However, The more practical people seemed to settle on one theory. Amy¡¯s diner was a popular stop for a lot of out of town truckers. That and the fact that both the girl¡¯s cars were found on the side of the road seemed to lead people to the conclusion that both girls were run off the road by truckers and abducted.

    Despite there being no real evidence to support this theory, in the absence of any other leads, the townspeople had decided to take the law into their own hands. There were a slew of violent altercations that eventually resulted in one of the truckers ending up in a coma. My popularity in this town had already been low since I couldn¡¯t produce any leads on the case of the missing girls. It hit absolute rock bottom when I had to arrest Daryl Richards for attempted murder regarding the trucker in coma. It didn¡¯t matter to them that the trucker was a father of three with no prior records. I was the one standing in the way of justice. I fully expected to lose the next election. Bison¡¯s creek was feeling less and less like home as each day passed.

    I sat down on my chair in the office. I had just started my day and I already felt like I had a headache. Sadie and Amy¡¯s files were on top of my desk as usual. I stared at the board with their case details sprawled out in the corner. I started going through the files once again even though by now, I practically knew them by heart. I knew that I was going through the motions, but it felt like it was the only way to hold on to my sanity. There were only a couple of calls that came in for the day and I dispatched my deputies to take care of them.

    It was around 7PM that my phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was my wife Sheila.

    ¡°Hey honey, Sorry I¡¯m a bit late. I¡¯ll be home soon.¡± I said.

    ¡°J..John¡­.I ¡°

    I sat bolt upright as I realised that my wife was sobbing on the other end. She was not the kind of woman that would cry easily. A feeling of utter dread crept up as I felt my insides twist.

    ¡°Honey¡­Talk to me. What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±.

    There was more sobbing before my wife summoned up the strength to tell me ¡°John, I can¡¯t get a hold of Mary. John.. our daughter is missing¡±.

    I felt the earth beneath my feet drop out as the phone receiver slipped from my grasp.

    ********************************************************************************

    The last few hours seemed to pass without me being able to make any sense of what was happening. All of our deputies and the deputies of the adjoining counties were out looking for my daughter Mary and her friend Daphne who was with her. The last anyone saw them was when they left the mall together. I was dimly aware of holding on to my wife¡¯s almost lifeless form on the couch beside me. I was sure I didn¡¯t look all that better. I¡¯d called everyone I knew and cashed in every favour I had to get as many people on the ground as possible.

    I don¡¯t know how much time had passed when deputy Jim came into our living room. I already knew what he would say even before he opened his mouth. But still, I listened to him as he said that my daughter¡¯s car had been found abandoned on the side of the road. No blood, no witnesses, no evidence. They were still looking and were hopeful that something might turn up. Any other parent might have the luxury of having a sliver of hope left. But, I didn¡¯t have even that. I knew they weren¡¯t gonna find any evidence, just like how we hadn¡¯t found anything in the case of Sadie and Amy.

    I heard my wife screaming as if I was underwater. I felt like there was a barrier separating me from the rest of the world. This couldn¡¯t be real. This couldn¡¯t be happening. I seemed to be losing time as I found myself sitting alone in the living room in the dark. A bottle of whiskey had apparently found its way into my hands. I wondered what would happen if I downed the entire bottle. This bottle could probably grant me a permanent release from the pain. No, I couldn¡¯t do that to my wife. I placed the bottle on the table and got up, wobbling dangerously as I did so.

    I didn¡¯t know if it was the alcohol or my grief, but an old memory suddenly popped up into my head. It was that of my predecessor Sheriff Roland. It was about the day he handed over the responsibility of the safety of this town to me. After everything, he had handed me a plain white card with a phone number.

    ¡°What¡¯s this for Sheriff?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°This number John, is for a time when you feel like the town is in peril and there¡¯s nothing you could do to save it¡±.

    ¡°So, I should just call this number whenever I feel like I¡¯m out of my depth?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, This is for a time when everything stops making sense. When you feel like there¡¯s nothing humanly possible that you can do. I hope you never have to face such a thing as Sheriff, but keep this just in case you do.¡± He said.

    ¡°So, this is for when people see spaceships and little green men walking around the town?¡± I asked with a chuckle. We used to pull some pranks on rookies joining the department. I guessed that this was Sheriff Roland¡¯s last prank. But he didn¡¯t smile as he faced me.

    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding John. Keep this number safe. I pray you don¡¯t need it. But keep it with you¡±.

    I¡¯d kept that card with me for no other reason than for something to remember my mentor by. Right now, I felt like Roland¡¯s words had come true. Nothing made sense to me anymore and the town was in grave peril. I went to my study and found the card in a box where I¡¯d kept some odd things. I felt like a drowning man grasping at straws as I dialled the number on the card. The phone on the other end rang twice before it was picked up.

    ¡°Hello Sheriff Lawton,¡± A female voice answered.

    ¡°Hello. Who is this? I.. I was told to call this number by Sheriff Roland in case¡­. certain things happened.¡± I replied.

    ¡°This is the department of Homeland affairs. How can I help you, Sheriff?¡±

    I had never heard about such a department in the U.S. But, I had guessed that this might not be something conventional. I told her about what was happening in my town. My explanation wasn¡¯t exactly coherent, but I did the best I could to answer all her questions.

    ¡°We¡¯ll send our people out to meet you soon¡± She said before abruptly hanging up. She hadn¡¯t bothered to tell me when, who or how many were coming. I tried calling her again, but it went unanswered. I slumped into the chair in my study, feeling the last bit of hope slipping away from me.

    Luke

    It was close to midnight when my phone rang. The caller ID didn¡¯t show a name or a number, but I had an idea who was calling.

    ¡°Hello.¡± I answered.

    ¡°Hello alpha Luke. This is the department of Homeland affairs. There has been an approved investigation request near your territory. Are you willing to accept?¡± A familiar female voice asked.

    ¡°Give me the details.¡± I said.

    She proceeded to fill me in on the details regarding the request. I took down the important details and accepted the investigation.

    I smiled as I looked down at the paper. This had come at a perfect time. It looked like Bison¡¯s creek would be Peyton¡¯s first assignment in the pack.

 Chapter 20

    Peyton

    It had been two weeks since I sent that bitch Layla packing. I had thought that there was a slight possibility that Luke would give me a hard time about it, but that never happened. If anything, I thought that he had gotten more excited. Some of the behaviour that he had shown just after my transformation was showing itself again. There were times I was certain he was seeking my approval and good opinion. There was also an unmistakable shift when he fucked me. While he used to be angry and suppressing earlier, he was now more slow and tender. Though I had no problem acting like I liked the change in him, if he really thought that that could change my opinion of him, then he was an idiot.

    Jay and I had continued with my training with more emphasis now on my physical strength. This involved taking a few laps around a mountain trail that was 20 miles long. I was doing half my running in wolf form which felt much easier. Just as I was starting to get somewhat comfortable with running such a ridiculous distance everyday, Jay had informed me that from tomorrow onwards, I¡¯d be running with a log tied around my waist. I knew that Jay was a good guy who was on my side, but it was so hard to remember when he said such things with obvious pleasure.

    When we got back to the auto shop, Sam was waiting for us. Sam was pretty much running the shop by himself and a couple of mundanes these days as Rob still hadn¡¯t gotten back from his trip and Jay was busy with training me. Luke had never been around much to begin with. I think that Sam really missed his psychopathic best friend Rob.

    ¡°What¡¯s up Sam?¡± Jay asked as it was pretty obvious that Sam had been waiting to talk to us. I noticed yet again how Jay¡¯s voice lost its warmth whenever he was speaking to any pack member except me.

    ¡°There¡¯s been an investigation request from the department. Luke accepted,¡± Sam said.

    ¡°Who¡¯s going?¡± Jay asked.

    ¡°You and Peyton will. The details are in the office¡± he said, before walking off.

    ¡®Wow, seems like he¡¯s in a worse mood than usual¡¯ I thought. Jay had a serious expression on his face as he seemed to chew over Sam¡¯s words.

    ¡°Do you know what an investigation request is, Peyton?¡± Jay asked me as we were walking towards the office.

    ¡°It¡¯s a request given by the department of homeland affairs to an alpha when something that is suspected of supernatural origin has happened on or near an alpha¡¯s territory right?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much the gist of it. It¡¯s one of the only useful things that we do for normal humans. Technically, any report of supernatural activity out in the open can trigger an investigation request. But, in practice, we usually investigate only when bodies start dropping or people start to disappear.¡± Jay said in a grim voice.

    ¡°So that means¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s probably already multiple victims¡± Jay said in a grim tone.

    We walked in silence as I processed this information. To be responsible to bring justice or at least some sort of closure to grieving family members seemed like a daunting task.

    ¡°Have you done a lot of these investigations?¡± I asked.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been on a few, but in most cases, the culprits turn out to be mundanes. Other times, whatever caused it is long gone by the time we get there. There was only one instance where I was actually able to do something.¡± Jay said.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.

    ¡°A minotaur running wild. Killed 10 people before we put it down. They¡¯re extremely strong physically, but their aura is weak. Still, it took three of us to bring it down safely in the end¡± Jay said.

    ¡°I thought you said that physical strength couldn¡¯t advance too much without improving your aura¡±.

    ¡°That¡¯s true for werewolves, but most magical creatures are not as balanced as us. Or as civilised for that matter. There are still creatures out there that have to depend on taking human lives to keep up their strength. We¡¯ve nearly hunted them to extinction, but they¡¯re still out there.¡± Jay said as we stepped into the office.

    There were 2 identical files lying on the desk, which contained information regarding the case. We didn¡¯t talk to each other for a few minutes as we were going through the file. The investigation request had been raised by a Sheriff Lawton and that was who we¡¯d be liaising with. The case involved 4 girls who had gone missing in the town of Bison''s creek in a span of five months. It was with a slight jolt that I realised that one of the girls who had gone missing, Mary Lawton, was the daughter of the sheriff.

    All the girls who had gone missing were around my age, none of them older than 25. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the horror that their parents must be feeling. I wondered what would have happened to my mother if I had disappeared while she was alive. I honestly thought thatI t would¡¯ve killed her. There wasn¡¯t much to be thankful about regarding my situation. But, the fact that my mother hadn¡¯t been around to feel the fallout was definitely one of them.

    Jay had finished reading the file and put it down before I did.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked once I¡¯d finished as well.

    I arranged my thoughts for a bit before answering ¡°It¡¯s horrible that this has happened, but I¡¯m doubting the presence of anything supernatural so far. This could easily be the work of a sexual predator. All the girls who were taken belong to the same race and age group and are rather good looking. We could be dealing with someone who has a twisted fantasy targeting girls.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re thinking this is the work of a serial killer?¡± Jay asked.

    ¡°It could be, but the total lack of evidence bugs me. And the last two girls were taken together. I think it suggests one or more accomplices if it is just regular humans¡±. I said.

    Jay didn¡¯t say anything for a while as he considered my words.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked Jay.

    ¡°I think that I don¡¯t know anything until I examine the place and the evidence firsthand. This file is pretty thin. I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s enough in it to make any theories¡± Jay said with a smile.

    ¡°Then why the hell did you just ask me to share my theory?¡± I asked, feeling tricked.

    ¡°Aha, I didn¡¯t ask you to share a theory, Peyton. I just asked you what you thought. You came up with the theory all by yourself which leads us to the first lesson of criminal investigation my young padawan. Don¡¯t assume anything unless you have verifiable evidence backing it up, supernatural or mundane¡± Jay said with a smug face.

    I flipped him off while he laughed before glancing through the file once again. One more look at the faces of all the women was enough to remove all the levity in my mood.

    ¡°When do we leave?¡± I asked.

    ¡°When do you want to leave? There¡¯s no fixed schedule or deadline for this¡± Jay said.

    ¡°Can we leave tonight?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Sure. Go pack. I¡¯ll meet you here in an hour¡± Jay said before grabbing his keys and leaving.

    I still wasn¡¯t sure that I¡¯d be able to do anything to help these girls or their families, but I sure as hell was going to give it all I got. I just hoped that it¡¯d be enough.

 Chapter 21

    Deputy Sheriff Jim

    I was feeling a bit groggy after I woke up. The domestic disturbance in the Delaney household last night had dragged on and by the time I was free to get back home, it had been really late. I got up and went to the kitchen in my trailer to make some coffee. I tried to arrange my thoughts as I gradually woke up from the daze that I was in. The situation was still absolute shit in this town. Four girls were still missing and by now, presumed dead. In a town this size, that was a massive number.

    The faith that the people had in the police force had all but evaporated. Even the Sheriff¡¯s daughter Mary had gone missing along with her friend Daphne three days ago and so far we had jack shit by way of evidence or leads. The complete lack of respect that the populace now had for the police force translated into more and more violent incidents springing up around town. I had to wonder about just how long we¡¯d be able to uphold the law and order here with things as bad as they were.

    I was awoken from my musings by my phone ringing. I went over to grab it from the side of the bed. I thought it was probably Pam, asking me when I was going to come in. Therefore, I was pretty surprised to see that it was Sheriff Lawton who was calling me. I had avoided calling him for the last couple of days since I had no updates that I could give the man. It was a really shitty feeling when you ended up in a position where you could do nothing for your mentor. I was green as grass before sheriff Lawton took me under his wing and taught me all I know about police work. The haunting, lifeless look in his eyes from our last meeting was still on my mind as I answered the call.

    ¡°Hello sheriff, good morning¡± I said.

    ¡°Good morning Jim¡± he replied.

    I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that the tone of his voice didn¡¯t sound utterly depressed like last time.

    ¡°I was just calling to tell you that I¡¯ll be coming in today. Make sure we have everyone on duty assembled at the station by 10AM.¡± he said.

    ¡°Alright, got it sir. Look forward to having you back at the station, Sheriff¡± I said.

    There was a pause before he replied ¡°Thanks Jim¡± and hung up the phone.

    I straightened up, feeling a lot more energetic than I did a few minutes ago. I wondered what had happened to give him the fresh hope that was apparent in his voice before picking up my cell to call the rest of the gang to share the happy news.

    Peyton

    Jay and I reached Bison¡¯s creek by morning and decided to head over to Sheriff Lawton¡¯s house right away. It was a bit early, but we figured we¡¯d get started right away. Jay and I were both dressed in formals and had our fake IDs with us. I had to say that Jay cut a fine figure dressed in a suit. I think he caught me staring at him a few times, much to my embarrassment.

    The house looked pretty much the same as every house in the area in the neighbourhood. The trash cart parked on the side was full and the lid was not fully closed. There was a definite air of unkemptness around the property. Jay knocked on the door only once before it was opened by a well built middle aged man who looked dishevelled.

    ¡°Sheriff Lawton?¡± Jay asked.

    ¡°Yeah, Who¡¯re you?¡± he replied with a slurred voice. He¡¯d either started drinking this early in the morning or was still drunk from last night judging from the smell that was coming from him.

    ¡°We¡¯re from the department of homeland affairs. I understand that you raised an investigation request¡± Jay said as I watched the sheriff¡¯s eyes go wide and his mouth pop open slightly.

    ¡°Oh my god. ah..You¡¯re real, you¡¯re actually real. I was starting to think that I¡¯d hallucinated about that phone call. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Come on in¡±, the sheriff stammered out.

    Jay and I nodded in acknowledgement before Jay sent me a look. We had discussed that he wanted me to take a more leading role in the investigation as part of my training. My communication skills hadn¡¯t exactly been great before my transformation.

    ¡°Before we come in, Sheriff Lawton, know that you¡¯re the only one in this town who¡¯ll know about the department of homeland affairs. As for everyone else, we¡¯re just two FBI agents sent to consult with you on the matter. You understand?¡± I asked as I stepped forwards.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me, but what if someone runs your ID?¡± Sheriff asked.

    ¡°They can run our ID¡¯s. It¡¯ll come back verifying us as FBI agents. Don¡¯t worry¡±. I said reassuringly.

    The Sheriff nodded, not seeming particularly reassured about how the authorities of governmental agencies were being subverted. Jay had explained to me last night that there was an entire division inside the FBI that was controlled by our agency and that they could activate and deactivate ID¡¯s at will.

    ¡°What should I call you guys?¡± the sheriff asked.

    Oops, we hadn¡¯t yet introduced ourselves. I straightened up before extending my hand to him.

    ¡°I¡¯m agent Peyton Smith and this is agent Jay Brown¡± I said.

    ¡°Well, come on in Agents Smith and Brown. You can call me Sheriff or just John¡± he said before he stepped inside and gestured to us to follow him. I saw Jay give me a wink just as the sheriff went in.

    ¡°How¡¯d I do?¡± I asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Very good Peyton. You sounded strong and reassuring. You make a good lead investigator. Keep it up¡± Jay said with a genuine smile.

    I blushed a bit as I muttered my thanks. I arranged my face into a neutral expression as we stepped into the house.

    The sheriff was busy moving a few files and boxes out of the couch before offering us a seat on it. It seemed obvious that the man had been working feverishly, but with little success. My gaze fell on the half full bottle of whiskey on the table. The sheriff immediately moved to hide the bottle behind the couch before all of us sat down.

    ¡°Mind if we talk a bit quietly? My wife¡¯s not up yet. She went to bed late last night.¡± the sheriff said. There was unmistakable pain on his face as he said this. I could imagine what it was that had kept her up late. I wondered if both the parents had gotten anything better than fitful naps since their daughter had been taken.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite alright Sheriff, we don¡¯t mind¡± I said reassuringly with a smile.

    I got a weak smile in return before he ran a hand over his face as if to shake away the cobwebs.

    ¡°So, What is it that you guys are planning to do exactly?¡± Sheriff asked, suddenly focused.

    ¡°We plan to investigate, Sheriff. We¡¯ll be going over the work you guys have done so far and try to advance from there.¡± I said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the FBI has already consulted on this case a few months back after Sadie Newton and Amy Schweitzer went missing. They weren¡¯t able to dig up any leads then. What makes you think that you¡¯ll be able to crack the case when they weren¡¯t?¡± he asked.

    I took in a breath and waited a moment before answering. Beneath the calm mask that he was wearing I could sense the struggle of a man who was trying to reign in any hope he felt, lest he be disappointed. It was important that we didn¡¯t give out false hope, but I didn¡¯t want to leave the father in him utterly shattered either.

    ¡°We can¡¯t guarantee a breakthrough or success John. But what we do have are certain tools to investigate this that nobody else possesses. I wish I could explain to you in detail what that was, but I¡¯m afraid for now you¡¯ll have to trust that we know what we¡¯re doing¡± I said trying to be gentle towards his feelings and be firm in our duties.

    The sheriff didn¡¯t look too pleased that we couldn¡¯t tell him exactly what we were planning to do, but seemed to accept it nonetheless.

    ¡°What do you need from me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°We need you to introduce us to your deputies and let us have a look at the detailed reports on your investigation so far¡± I said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll also need something with your daughter Mary¡¯s smell sample on it¡± I added hastily as I almost forgot one important detail.

    Sheriff was a bit perplexed when he replied ¡°The K-9 unit has already been all over the scene of their disappearance. They didn¡¯t find anything a few hours after the girls disappeared.¡± he said.

    ¡°Still, we¡¯d like a scent sample. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s one of those things that we can¡¯t explain about¡± I said.

    Sheriff Lawton let out a breath  before replying.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get you a scent sample and everything else you need. Gimme a few minutes to get changed¡± he said.

    ¡°Take your time Sheriff, we¡¯ll wait outside¡± Jay said, speaking for the first time since he entered the house.

    We walked out of the house towards our car while we heard the Sheriff making calls on his phone. His voice had a lot more energy than when he was talking to us. I was careful not to give him any false hope, but I started to worry if I¡¯d ended up doing just that.

    ¡°How¡¯d I do Jay?¡± I asked, my tone tinted with worry.

    ¡°You did well Peyton, I couldn¡¯t have done any better myself¡± Jay said as he placed a hand on my shoulders reassuringly.

    I sure hoped that he was right. I knew that I¡¯d rather run 1000 rounds nonstop around my mountain trail than to have to leave here without bringing closure to these people.

 Chapter 22

    Deputy Sheriff Jim

    Even though the Sheriff said 10AM and I slept really late last night, I was too amped up to just chill in my trailer. I changed and grabbed a quick breakfast from Macy¡¯s diner before heading to the station. I managed to get to the station by 9:30 to find that the Sheriff¡¯s car was already there along with another car that I didn¡¯t recognize. I walked up to the reception to see Darla arranging some papers.

    ¡°Good morning Darla,¡± I said.

    ¡°Morning Jim¡± she replied with a smile. Darla was a middle aged woman with a pretty face that had been a fixture in this station long before I joined.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Sheriff?¡± I asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s in his office with the FBI agents,¡± she replied.

    ¡°FBI agents?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Agents Smith and Brown, they got here today morning,¡± she said.

    ¡°Ah, okay¡±, I found myself deflating a little. I was kinda hoping that the sheriff had found some new lead or had a new direction for the investigation. The FBI were called here a few months ago as well. They hadn¡¯t managed to accomplish much of anything other than pissing off most of the people in the station by pretending they were better than us.

    ¡°The sheriff wanted you to go into his office as soon as you arrived,¡± Darla said.

    I nodded as I started moving towards the sheriff¡¯s office. There was a pit in my stomach as I made my way over there. I fully expected it to be a repeat performance of last time. Couple of guys picking apart the work that I¡¯d done and criticising me while doing jack all to contribute to the case themselves.

    I could hear muffled sounds coming from the office as I knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in¡±, I heard the Sheriff¡¯s voice say. I was glad to hear the energy that was apparent in his voice. I knew he wouldn¡¯t just lie down and succumb to grief.

    As I entered, I was prepared to be greeted with the famously condescending eyes that the federal agents reserved for the staties. What I was definitely not prepared for was to look into the face of the most beautiful girl I¡¯d ever met and be graced with a smile. I think I was stuck in the doorway for a few moments, taking in the beauty of the goddess in pantsuit, before the sound of the Sheriff¡¯s voice calling out my name repeatedly brought me back to reality.

    ¡°This is deputy Jim, he is the primary investigator on this case. Jim, this is agent Smith and agent Brown¡± the Sheriff introduced me as I stood there with an awkward smile.

    ¡®Way to go dumbass. You¡¯ve managed to make her think that you¡¯re an idiot without even opening your mouth¡¯ I thought to myself.

    ¡°Hi there¡± I said as I told myself to act more professional. They said hi back as I slowly processed the scene in front of me. The goddess in the pantsuit was agent Peyton Smith and the well built tall guy with her was agent Jay Brown. A glance at her hand revealed that she was not married or engaged and I really hoped that she didn¡¯t have a boyfriend or was opposed to dating small town cops. I felt really intimidated by agent Jay even though he seemed nice.

    Our conversation over the next hour only served to impress me even more. She had none of that dickish attitude I¡¯d come to associate with FBI agents as she questioned me about the steps taken for the investigation over the last 3 days and the last month overall. Almost all the questions were asked by Peyton while agent Brown stayed mostly silent, interjecting only once or twice during our conversation. They never criticised me or asked me accusatory questions any time during the interview and seemed genuinely pleased with the work that I¡¯d done.

    ¡°Would you mind showing us the site where Mary¡¯s car was found?¡± She asked in that musical voice of hers.

    ¡°Of course, yes¡± I replied, a little more enthusiastically than I meant to do.

    ¡°Could you guys wait by the car for a moment? I need to have a word with deputy Jim¡± the Sheriff said.

    ¡°Sure,¡± She replied with a nod.

    Both the agents exited the room as I braced myself for a lecture from John about conducting myself in a professional manner.

    ¡°Jim, show them around and give them the information that they need. But if they ask you to leave them alone, you be sure to oblige them without complaint. They have their own way of investigation that they¡¯re comfortable with. Your job is to assist them and that¡¯s all. You understand?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You think I¡¯ll get in their way?¡± I asked, feeling a bit offended. I¡¯d expected this from the FBI agents, not from my own mentor.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that Jim. I know you¡¯re a good cop. I trained you myself. I¡¯m just saying that they prefer investigating in private and anyone from this station, including myself, should give them space when they ask¡± he said.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It was a bit puzzling, but I could understand not wanting to work with someone looking over your shoulder, so I nodded in agreement before rising to leave the office.

    ¡°Oh Jim, make sure you don¡¯t get tangled up with them. Once the investigation is done, they¡¯ll be leaving this town and we¡¯re unlikely to hear from them again. So, don¡¯t go putting yourself in any situation where you¡¯ll get hurt¡± he said.

    I nodded a bit curtly as I stepped out of his office. If this were any other day, I would¡¯ve said something back to him. But, the man was going through enough and I didn¡¯t want to be the one piling things on him. It still hurt me a bit that he didn¡¯t think of me as sensible enough as I made my way to the parking lot.

    Peyton

    ¡°Deputy Jim seems sweet on you Peyton¡± was what Jay said as soon as we reached the parking lot.

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not. He just met me¡± I said, defending deputy Jim¡¯s honour, even though I noticed that he had been staring at me a lot.

    ¡°I guess it was love at first sight,¡± Jay said with a smile.

    ¡°You.. just..shush¡± I said, feeling exasperated.

    ¡°Oh my, what a witty comeback. I gotta remember that one¡± Jay said while laughing.

    I decided to take the high road and chose not to reply to any of his childish taunts. I settled for just sticking my tongue out at him and turning my back on him while he continued laughing.

    Jim joined us a little while later and led us to the site where Mary and Daphne went missing. The spot was an unremarkable stretch of the highway. Either side of the road was covered in woods that stretched to a valley at one end and a hill on the other. We needed to do some exploring in the woods, the kind we needed to do alone using Mary¡¯s scent sample.

    ¡°Thank you deputy Jim. I think we can take it from here¡± I said. He nodded towards both of us, wished us a good day and left. I guessed that the Sheriff had already warned him to leave us to our own devices. Once the deputy was out of sight, I turned to Jay.

    ¡°Shall we?¡± I asked.

    Jay nodded as I grabbed the smell sample containing Mary¡¯s scent that was given to us by the Sheriff before we left his home. The packet contained a few articles of intimate clothing worn by Mary that was in her laundry basket.

    ¡°Do you think this¡¯ll really work? The dogs have already been through this place the day they disappeared¡± I asked, feeling a bit sceptical.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work, Peyton, but our noses in wolf form are better than any dog breed out there. If there¡¯s anything that they missed, we¡¯ll be able to pick it up.¡± Jay said confidently as we stepped into the woods. I saw Jay tapping on his chest as his clothes receded into the pack mark and his transformation initiated.

    I took in a gulp as my hand hovered over my pack mark on the left side of my stomach. It had simply appeared a week ago like a tattoo. All that was needed to place the mark was for the alpha to will it to appear. I tapped my pack mark and felt my clothes disappearing from my body as I focused on my connection to the alpha. It was like a string that connected me to Luke even though we were miles apart. It was something that left a sour taste in my mouth every time I did it, but it was absolutely essential to effect the transformation.

    A moment later I was staring up at Jay¡¯s nine foot form while I grew to a height of 7 feet. I flexed my hands as a feeling of power coursed through me. My senses felt sharper and more refined, hearing more clearly and seeing more vividly than any human ever would. I could understand why the werewolves felt so detached from humanity. You could very well get lost in this feeling of power if you weren¡¯t careful.

    Jay and I were soon on our way having sniffed through Mary¡¯s undergarments. We could trace Mary¡¯s faint scent at the place where her car was discovered. But it disappeared soon after. Her scent was only present around a 20 foot radius of where the car was found and then it suddenly vanished. Jay and I decided to split up with him scouting the valley and me heading towards the hills. I kept my nose closer to the ground and walked on all fours trying to find any trace of her. I moved slowly, valuing precision over speed as I slowly swept my way up to the hill.

    It was more than 2 hours later that I noticed something. I was close to the summit when I noticed a faint trace of an aura. It was so miniscule that it was practically non-existent, but I could instinctively tell that it didn¡¯t belong to a werewolf. I stood up and let out a signalling howl to alert Jay to come to my location. The howl was well below 20Hz in frequency and thus couldn¡¯t be heard by humans. It had a range of about 30 miles, so I was confident that Jay could hear me.

    Jay was at my side within 10 minutes. He sniffed the area around me and turned to me with a quizzical expression on his wolf face.

    ¡°You don¡¯t sense that aura?¡± I asked in my low and gravelly wolf voice.

    He checked once more before shaking his head.

    ¡°There¡¯s something here. It¡¯s faint, but it¡¯s definitely there¡± I said.

    ¡°It could be some ambient aura left behind by some supernatural being that was here long ago. Come to think of it, the area around this place would be an ideal habitat for a mountain goblin tribe.¡± Jay said reasonably

    ¡°But mountain goblins almost never attack humans right?¡± I asked, remembering information about their species from my studies

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Unless they¡¯re attacked by humans first, there¡¯s no record of them ever having gone on the offensive. Besides, they¡¯re a little too simple minded as a species to pull off something like an abduction without leaving any trace that we can find.¡± Jay said.

    We searched the area around the summit for another hour before giving up and continuing our way to search the valley. We continued our search for another 3 hours in the area around Mary¡¯s school before we finally called it a day and got back to our car.

    I was feeling pretty down as we made our way back to the motel that we were staying at. Our first day of investigation had failed to yield any tangible results and it was looking more and more like we wouldn¡¯t find any evidence of supernatural beings. The aura that I sensed atop the hill still kept bugging me though. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it, but I felt that there was something malevolent about the faint aura that I sensed back there.