"This is stupid" I sighed to the fierce red eyes opposite me.
"It isn't stupid" the gruff voice growled back as a clawed hand reached up to squeeze my cheeks tightly "it's what you need to know to survive out there."
I rolled by eyes and peered out of the cave face I dangled my legs from.
Ever since finding myself here last night, this stranger was adamant on helping me.
The guy looked rough. Sharp teeth, knotted long hair and clothes peppered with holes.
The man lived off the land. By his appearance, stench, and bones jutting out of his waxy skin, this guy wasn't living the dream he thought he might be out here.
I woke up to find this guy here. He introduced himself as Conri, I politely told him I was Lu, and now I couldn't escape him and his decided new name for me; 'Lupe'.
Lu was short for Lewis, but Conri wasn't listening.
The cave face was way too sheer to slide down. I was stranded here until I figured out how to get down without breaking my neck.
I had until tonight. Then it would all be over to the wild side to lead.
"You should howl" Conri nudged me.
"I don't see how howling is going to help me in this situation" I scoffed back, standing to pace the edge "I need a ladder.....something tall...."
I wasn't some animal like he thought I was. Sure, I knew I really fucked up by being the bleeding heart trying to help a tangled dog I could barely see in the night. The mangy thing bit me on the arm before it ran off.
I just ran it under some water until it stopped bleeding so much and wrapped it up. I didn't go to the doctors because I was too afraid of getting a shot.
Now, I was losing control of myself and ending up in situations like this. It was like I was something else entirely when the moonlight forced my body to become a whole new.... beast.
But that didn't make me an animal. I was still me right now.
"You aren't going to get down just by looking at it" Conri smirked, peering down over the edge "I'm surprised your little claws could make it up this high."
"They're nails" I grumbled back, looking at them stuffed with gunk "I'm actually surprised too."
"Little Lupe" he teased "this isn't your first shift, is it?"
I lowered my eyes and turned from the man in annoyance.
Ever since that bite, things had been shit. I only had six days from getting it to finding myself here.
There was a sort of anger bubbling inside me that I had never felt before. I had snapped at my coworkers like I was higher than them, snarled at my own boss for giving me an order, and turned my bedroom into a void of nothingness.
I was only a fast food bagger. I scraped and salted chips for a measley seventeen dollers an hour; one doller equal to each year older i was.
It was a miracle I managed to keep my job. I had to appolagise for my outburst and try to keep the growling anger inside.
It wasn't like me at all. I wasn't feral.
I had run all the way here in the darkness when teeth had snapped at my heels and cackled at my fear.
Something feral would have been brave enough to fight them.
"If you are going to make it through tonight, you need to listen to me."
Conri gestured for me to sit by the cave enterance with him.
I had no choice. I wasn't getting down anytime soon.
I flopped down and copied the same cross-legged stance he had.
" Give me a howl" he ordered.
This again.
"Awoo" I snorted back.
Conri's hand struck the side of my face sharply to startle me. Tears prickled in my eyes that glared back.
"Properly!" he snarled "I'm not wasting my time for someone who doesn't appreciate it!"
"Why do you even give a damn?!"
"Because I'm not seeing some fresh meat die tonight!"
Die?
"That got you to listen" he snapped and wrapped his hand around my throat so he could straighten me "now, if you aren't going to howl, you can at least give me growl."
I kept my lips shut. They were trembling from the sting of his slap and the stab of my possible death tonight.
Conri peeled back his lips and let out a low growl that rumbled through his skinny body. It grew more aggressive and stretched into a snarl that had me barely breathing around his tightening hand.
"If you hesitate, they'll kill you out there" he warned me as he slipped his hand away.
"I'll stay in here then" I mumbled.
"All night?" he glanced out at the afternoon sun "you don't want to come hunting? Be part of a pack that can protect you?"
"Hunting?" I held back my giggles when I saw how serious he still was "I can go grab some ham and cheese and slap it on some bread if you like? I've got money."
Slipping out my wallet, I shook it so that the coins jingled.
"Don't mock me" he shot towards me again with anger radiating through him "you won't last a second out there without me."
I looked over his skinny frame and sarcastically agreed.
The hand found my throat again, but this time I was pressed to the ground.
"Tonight, you'll join the pack. Then, you'll hunt with them. If you are lucky, you may even find yourself a little mate of your own."
"A mate?" I choked out before Conri let me breathe "like, a partner?"
I couldn't even talk to the girls at work. They had thier own social circles and gossip that I was outside of. Sometimes a few of them would look over and laugh at me, but I couldn't tell if it was genuinely because they liked me or were jabbing at me.
I hadn't actually actively gone looking for a partner.
Was that normal with his kind?
"Just do as I say" Conri pulled from me to lean against the entrance "and stay close."
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFn0BMuRuu
Night fell quicker than I expected and forced the change within my body.
My blood boiled from the bite and spread through me like a disease. Hair infested my skin that itched with every limb being covered in my natural brown.
The tail was the worst. It bubbled and crawled pain up my spine that itched where the new part of my body had lengthened from.
When my claws tore through the nail beds and my teeth shattered to thicken the shards into fangs, I shook off the skin still clinging to me.
"You really are fresh" Conri marveled when he pulled up beside me.
Unlike my hands and feet planted on the ground, Conri stood on two bent legs. He hunched over to show off every bump in his spine beneath the silver fur.
His arms had lengthened, and the claws curved from his hands were easily as long and deadly as knives themselves.
He had the same tail I did, but that was the only similarity.
Despite us both being covered in fur and shedding our human skins, it was obvious we were different.
"What even are you?" I breathed.
"Lycan" he smirked, scaling down the side of the cliff easily.
I gripped onto the rock and scrambled down, feeling Conri's claws grab me and lower me down when I was close to the ground.
"Is there a difference?" I frowned when he dropped to all-fours to lead the way.
"You change with the moonlight" he glanced back at me trying to keep up "I can change whenever."
That sounded horrible. At least mine was limited to shifting when the moonlight was it's brightest; on a full moon.
"Also, Lycans are stronger and faster than Were's" he added cheekily "our Alpha is a Were, but I'm there as his left hand to keep him safe."
"Not his right?" I noticed the wording he used.
Conri snorted and shook his head.
"That goes to Remi. He earned that spot."
So, Conri was kind of like the third in command in this whole 'pack' thing...
"The one thing you do is listen to the Alpha. He makes the rules, you just follow them."
"Like my boss at work?"
"Like your boss" Conri agreed as I peeled up to his side "you can't challenge the Alpha, and you can't mess with his Luna."
"Luna?"
Conri shook his head, remembering I wasn't as knowledgeable as he was with this all.
"His Luna is his moon. It's a word to describe his mate. She's the top female in the pack. You can't go near her, as tempting as she may make herself to be."
I saw Conri swallow forcefully.
So, she was taken. Don't go near the boss and his wife.
That was easy enough. I wasn't the person to mess in relationships anyway.
"You'll find your place amongst us when you are taken to the Alpha. You'll join us on a hunt to see if you are capable, and then you'll present the kill to the Alpha himself as a token of gratitude."
"So, I don't even get to keep the thing I work so hard for?" I complained "that's not fair!"
"Little Lupe" Conri smiled at me "the world isn't fair. You just need to have someone in it who can keep you safe."
"From what?"
Conri only smiled at my question and started to slow down.
"We are getting close" he dropped his voice "remember, stay close and behind me. Don't say anything."
I looked around at the forestry and noticed the trees grew thicker here. I saw shadows moving amongst them, hovering near a tiny path stamped into the dirt that Conri followed.
Low growls rose from the trees when Conri advanced towards them, snapping as we drew closer.
"Relax, Russell, it's me" Conri snorted at the other Lycan inching from its cover "nothing else come through?"
"Well, I haven't seen it, obviously" his gruff voice jeered back, with a gesture to the sliced milky white left eye.
His black fur made him almost impossible to see. I wouldnt have noticed a second Were lurking to its right if it didn't grin at the sight of me.
"A bite to eat?" it spoke, hissing like a snake.
"It's just a pup, for the Alpha" Conri pushed aside its eagerness that deflated immediately.
"Good luck, little pup" the Were snickered when I passed it, nipping at my tail I tucked.
"Stay quiet" Conri muttered when I went to speak to him "we're almost there."
My heart was hammering in my throat as I huddled close behind Conri. I kept myself as small as possible as eyes glinted all around me, followed by teeth spreading wide when I cowered through them.
The dirt turned to stone, stumbling me. I saw Conri dip down beneath a rock arch that had more curious eyes following.
The rock stretched through the trees that now grew on the outskirts of a clearing we passed through. Upcrops with lounging Were's and Lycan's lined our path toward the cave that a massive black Were laid outside of.
Inside, I saw a larger white Were resting. It's brilliant blue eyes opened to look us over when the black one rose. I saw a white Lycan beside the Were rise up too.
"My Alpha" Conri bowed his head to the wolf "I've come with a pup for you. He's still young and had his first shift just last night."
The black Were looked me over, then peered at Conri.
"He's packless and mateless" Conri added hopefully.
Looking around myself, I found that the sets of eyes studying me always came in pairs. Those that didn't weren't far from others like them.
Everyone here had a partner?
Did the Alpha play matchmaker in the woods?
"What is your name?" the massive Were spoke.
His voice was so warm and gentle. It caught me by surprise that a creature who looked so terrifying could sound like a wise, old man.
"Lu..." I dragged out, seeing Conri shooting me a wide-eyed look of warning "...pe. It's Lupe."
I sighed, knowing I couldn't escape the silly name.
"It's a strong name" the Alpha acknowledged with a nod that turned to Conri "where did you find this one?"
"At the Cave of Stars" he answered promptly "a neighboring pack chased him up there."
"We'll make sure they don't come on our land, Alpha" the white Lycan slipped from the cave to hover behind the worried Alpha, his voice hissing "the Luna is safe with us."
That must have been Remi. I could see why he was valued so highly. The Lycan was making my blood run cold just at looking at him. He even had the same red eyes as Conri did.
"She's safe with us" Conri agreed fiercely.
"You had better initiate him then if you don't want him to be bones for thier dens" the white Were spoke up now with her gentle voice teasing and smiling to me.
I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw she wasn't looking away from me. Her blue eyes really had me captivated.
This was all moving so fast. I was still trying to understand what I was, let alone being thrown into everything involved with being a Were.
"Mar" the Alpha snapped to the surroundings sharply.
"Yes, Alpha?" a maroon Were picked itself up from a rock to stand beside me.
"Go and mark a creature for our recruit to hunt" the Alpha smiled at me "make it a tough one. He's got good, young blood in him."
"Yes, Alpha" Mar bowed and rushed off through the rocky arch and into the forest.
"Lupe, our pack is small but strong. If you prove you can provide for it, you will have to swear your loyalty to myself and your Luna. I can't have Wolves or Lycans who decide to leave when it comes to protecting our territory. Those who abandon thier pack, are considered the enemy."
"Uh, yes, I won't do that" I looked for help on what to say, seeing Conri imitating a bow.
I lowered myself before the Alpha, feeling exposed and awkward in what I was doing.
Never would I have thought I'd be pledging my life to a glorified wolf of all things.
"Alpha" Conri whispered to me.
"Oh!" I shot up before remembering to bow again "I won't leave, Mr Alpha boss."
I heard him chuckle back at me.
"Uh, I'll stay here, Mrs Luna" I addressed to her equally amused smile with a hurried bow.
Conri held back a laugh with Remi. They thought i was amusing.
I never even got this much acknowledgement at work. Being the naive one was working in my favour.
"Alpha!" I heard Mar call from the other side of the arch "the creature is on the move!"
The Alpha smiled to me and tilted his head towards Mar.
"Good luck" he grinned "Mar doesn't go easy."
I grimaced to Conri who came to my side, dropping his voice.
"Just meet him over there" he pointed to the darkness where Mar was barely visible "and he'll give you the scent of the creature. It'll be one with claw marks in it."
Claw marks. Scent. Bring it back.
"Do I kill it? Or...."
"Kill it" Conri nudged me towards Mar, calling out as I picked up the pace "and don't forget to bring it back!"
Mar peered in the direction of his Alpha when I joined him, spotting the piece of green weed he had clamped in his jaws.
"It's a tough one" he warned me "if you can handle it."
"I'm barely handling being this" I tried to make light of the situation that he wasn't rolling with.
"Just try not to die" he grumbled and dropped the weed "I don't want to leave again just to confirm you are dead."
He left me to rejoin the pack, nuzzling into the side of another who greeted him.
Right. I could do this.
Hesitating, I nipped up the end of the weed that hadn't been drooled on and took off blindly back the way I had come.
I saw the milky eye of Russell and peered around in confusion.
"Hunting?" he pulled from the trees "I remember my first one."
"The one that blinded you, you fool?" the wolf jabbed with a sharp laugh "you look lost, little snack."
"I've got no clue where to go" I admitted.
I didn't know how to track yet. All I could smell was the gross weed and the dirt all-around me. The trees all had thier own sharp scent of pine and sunburnt leaves that hid any trace of what I carried.
"I'll help you" Russell offered "the rule is that you have to hunt it. No thing's there about helping lead you to the beast."
"You'll get in trouble" the other warned "youre meant to guard the area from anything that might come through here."
"I haven't seen anything in months" Russell turned "besides, you are my eyes anyway. I'm only the claws if things get serious. I'll be gone for a few minutes. They won't even know I've left."
"Don't be an idiot" the other grumbled "drop it off and come right back."
Russell flopped an arm back to his Were companion and came over to gently tug the weed from my mouth so he could take in the scent of it.
"He's really got you on a tough one" he commented, leading the way "this is a Mossed Verona. Really tall, really defensive."
"But I can kill it?" I worried.
"For sure" Russell nodded "but you'll need to drag it down first. These things are tricky to keep up with, being so tall."
Tall? What exactly did Mar mark for me?
"It's not far" Russell spoke softly, slowing his pace "they hang around the trees."
He pointed, but I couldn't see anything.
"I should leave you to it" Russell stopped when we inched closer "you can see the mossy bits on its body sticking out there."
He pointed again to something bending in the light breeze, but, again, I couldn't really tell.
Russell gave a little wave before quickly rushing back to his post.
Squinting as I crept forward, I could see moss growing on the sides of the trees ahead, along with a few ferns and glowing buds.
Still, I couldn't see the beast amongst them.
It couldn't be that hard. I already had several clues that put me in a better advantage than it.
This would be easy.
The leaves in the trees rustled when I slinked closer to the moss. Despite being no breeze, the trunks groaned from the shallow air dancing above.
Then, the ferns on the moss started to move.
It had me frozen in confusion at it. Nothing should have been making the leaves swirl like that. It was just bizarre.
The moss started to shift. I watched the ferns rise upwards and split into four.
The canopy of leaves grumbled to life when I realised that the mossy trees were actually legs.
The creature stood on two legs, but dragged its front arms along the ground. With its leaf-covered belly, I almost didn't see the gigantic skull covering its face.
And there, on the right leg, was an X cut into it.
So, this was my target...
An arm swung at me before I could form a plan to take it down. Leaping out of the way, my only option was to go on the offensive and try to land as many hits as I could.
With only claws and teeth, I snapped into the mark to peel back the barky flesh.
The creature dropped leaves on me as it turned, swinging again and smashing the trees apart.
I kept at it, sliding and lunging to pierce my way through the marking. If I could stagger the towering thing, I might be able to kill it then.
The whole idea of killing it wasn't daunting me, now that I was dancing with my life on the line. In a way, feeling the power surge through me when I stripped at the bleeding bark filled me with confidence.
The creature staggered when I dug into the pit I had created. It gave me the perfect opportunity to rip at its arms and leave them bare.
When it rose again, the creature was lined with bare flesh from where I had torn off the protective layers.
I was acing this! I was going to win!
Lunging for the hand that tried to grab me, I managed to rip my way up to where the knuckles should have been.
The creature was faltering. It was losing too much sappy blood to keep going.
I heard noise rise from the way I had come.
Looking back, my hopes rose when I saw it was Conri crashing through the forestry for me.
"Hey! Look! I almost got it!" I called happily to him.
"LUPE!" he shrieked as his eyes darted upwards "LOOK OUT!"
I turned back to see the creature bringing its fist down towards me.
I felt something wind me as I was hurled into the leaves and gasped for the air that had been knocked out of me.
Conri had saved me. His panting breaths pulled from me when he rushed over to distract the creature from taking another shot.
"It's weak!" he shouted to me "finish it off!"
I staggered to my feet to heave in a few lungfuls of breath so I could charge once more.
With Conri now here, my pride swelled. It fuelled me into bringing the creature down to its side where I savaged it to pieces.
The limp body was far too heavy to carry back. I'd have to figure something else out.
"Take the head" Conri offered when he saw my struggle "we can send others out to bring the rest back."
The head. I could do that.
It didn't even look like it was connected anymore. Only a light tug on it made the whole skull peel up into my teeth that gripped it.
Conri grinned at me dragging the skull, admiring my strength when I started back for the Alpha.
"Didn't you think I could do it?" I spoke up smugly to him catching up.
"I just didn't want the hassle of saying you had died" he shrugged "and fighting a Mossed Verona was going to be a bit of a hassle for you."
Was he worried about me?
"I had it" I reassured him as we approached the rocks again "I really didn't need your help."
Conri deflated and hung back when I proudly took the lead to drag the skull up to the Alpha and drop it at his feet.
His Luna blinked in surprise at the offering and looked to Remi who hunched closer to inspect it.
"I did it, Alpha" I grinned to the quiet black Were "the rest of it is still out there."
"Let's not waste it" Remi spoke to the Alpha "I can bring it back before anyone else claims it."
"Do it" the Alpha nodded, making Remi rush over the rocks to snarl at the nearest Were's and Lycans to join his side.
"You did well" the Alpha smiled down on me "not an easy task for a first kill."
It seemed easy to me, but I was showering in the praise.
"Come. Sit with my Luna so we can eat together."
Was this really happening? This had to be good, right?
I wouldn't turn down a chance to be close to her. She really was beautiful and made my body do all sorts of strange things when I was near her.
Conri snarled when I went to approach the cave, blocking my way and shoving me towards her right.
Conri took his place near her head while I sat at her feet and tail. The Alpha ignored Conri's reaction to press his head to his Luna and snuggle into her. He moved away so he could greet the party starting to return with the first of the segmented cresture.
Grabbing an arm, the Alpha placed it down before his Luna. Conri moved out of the way so she could drag and tear at it hungrily.
The Alpha took a segment of leg for himself, then watched Conri circle the growing mound for the best piece.
Once he took it and returned at the Luna's head, I crept forward to have my turn before his snarl stopped me again.
"Remi gets next choice, then you'll get yours with everyone else."
It was right there. But, with Conri's authority bearing down on me, I didn't risk upsetting the order.
His red eyes drilled holes through me. I could feel the heat radiating off him when Remi snatched up his segement and also tried to swipe Conri's on the way through.
Both Lycans growled and lunged for each other before the temptation of food broke them apart to seperates sides of the cave.
Remi approached to take my area, growling and raising his hackles as he did.
I wasn't going to fight for an area. With Remi towering over me, he'd tear me apart in seconds.
Meekly, I cowered out of the area and closer to the Alpha at the entrance who called the area to the feast provided.
Darting out with the others, I winced at lashing teeth and recoiled at slashing claws when I snatched up a small segment of fatty thigh to return to the Alpha.
I was too hungry to care about the disgust of eating something raw like this. This side of me didn't find it as disturbing as my human side did. In a way, it craved the fresh blood and fat dangling from the chunk.
Laying down to easily pull at it, I felt like I had accomplished something benificial to the pack scattering to enjoy what I had provided them.
My eyes traveled back to the Luna who smiled through her feast. Blood smeared into her beautiful fur when she savaged her large portion of meat.
If it wasn't for the Alpha, I'd take her as my mate. Even knowing she was his was making me second guess everything I knew about myself.
I wanted to steal her for myself. She had the Alpha, but she could have been mine instead.
A low rumble beside me made me aware of the Alpha's eyes watching me gazing at his Luna. I turned back to my meal, burning that I had been caught so easily.
I could see why Conri had warned me earlier. She hadn't done anything to tempt me, but here I was, contemplating theft just to have her with me forever.
My heart pounded at the thought of a mate so soon, especially one so powerful.
It would make shifting easier. I'd have someone to help me through them and see the positives on the other side.
Keeping my eyes glued to my meat, I almost missed Remi leaving his position to mutter something to the Alpha and leave with most of his meal still clutched in his jaws.
Sliding back at the Luna's right, I tore off a portion to nudge up towards her.
She didn't see it at first. When I nudged her side to get her attention, she eyed the meat trailing it's way up to her.
Stuck at her middle, I didn't dare to push my luck with Conri's eyes already snapped onto what I was doing as he ate. He was warning me, but I ignored him in my attempt to get on the Luna's good side.
She reached over to take the offering and gulp it down gratiously. I beamed at her acceptance and went to peel off more meat before my eyes met the Alpha's.
All kindness was gone in an instant. His lips curled back to reveal his glistening teeth ready to pierce through me.
The Alpha lunged for me in snarling fury. His teeth siezed my throat and pinned me down so his claws could shred into my side.
I tried to kick away or squirm out of his grip, but he was locked. My cries of pain and fear came out as terrified yelps squealing through the air.
Conri snapped at the Alpha and left his position to lunge for him.
Knocking the Alpha from me and taking the retaliating bites, Conri guarded me. His head dropped low as he flared and hissed at the furious Alpha.
"I'm sorry, Alpha" he muttered before turning to me and harshly nudging my side to get me on my feet.
"What are you doing?" I complained, feeling Conri nip my heels to get me moving.
We leapt over the rocks near the cave and slipped into the forestry so the walk of shame through the pack was avoided.
"You were rejected" Conri muttered when I looked back to the cave "I told you to stay away from the Luna!"
"I was only sharing food" I grumbled back "it was harmless!"
"And it showed you wanted her as something more" Conri hissed, growling at me "what's done is done. You can't go near them again."
I boiled and kept my mouth shut as we walked.
"I'll look after you" Conri vowed "you aren't getting into another pack after doing the hunt for that one. You're an outcast."
I dropped my eyes to the ground in shame.
"But, hey" Conri reached over a claw to prod me "we can be outcasts together, right?"
His wide smile met my shocked expression gazing back.
"But the pack? The Alpha? Luna?"
"I kind of threw that all away when I jumped in to save you. No-one faces an Alpha like that and gets to sit by his side again."
So, I was the reason he had nothing left.
"But, I wouldn't have done anything if I didn't find a reason to" Conri added "you'll see, it'll be better like this."
"Better" I scoffed "sure."
"We'll have more food" he piped up "and our own place wherever we want it. Maybe, we could even take a few full moons to be our own Alphas?"
I saw Conri look elsewhere when my brain tried to mill over what he was saying.
Oh....
"Mates?" I blurted.
"I'll keep you safe" he promised "wherever we go. We don't need to be that straight away. We can take it easy going into it."
Conri was ready to sacrifice it all since the moment we met. I still wasn't sure having someone so fierce as my partner.
The tug I felt was for the Luna wasn't it? She was the one in the cave when I wanted to risk it all for her.
But, Conri had been there too. Right beside her the whole way.
Was my gut clenching for him?
"Nothing is going to get you I promise, my Little Lupe" Conri smiled and leant down to rub his head against mine as he rushed ahead to the cliffside where the familiar cave rested near the top.
He waited at the bottom for me, keeping his eyes on the surroundings when I passed him to climb.
My face burned from the contact still prickling against it, and I bubbled at how loud my heart was pounding from the surprise of it all.
Conri leapt up to the cave when I pulled myself across the dirt, coming over to box me in with his body and force me to curl against him as we lowered down.
He was boiling. I could feel every bone sticking into me as he shielded me from the enterance and it's elements.
Mates.
Maybe it could work after all?
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