Controlled Burn (BxB) (Werewolf)

Chapter 1: The Emerald City

Rain lashed against the windows of a greasy diner tucked into the corner of Seattle's sprawling landscape. Outside, the neon sign flickered, casting a sickly green glow over the rain-soaked asphalt. Inside, Callum Thorne watched the droplets race each other down the glass, his pale blue eyes reflecting the city's graying afternoon sky. His mind raced with hope and anxiety over the present and the future, but the gloomy storms overhead made positive thoughts scarce.

At seventeen, Callum was lean, lanky, with the type of wiry muscles developed from hard work rather than gym time. His jet-black hair was perpetually tousled, always looking as if he'd just rolled out of bed. He wanted to spend more time fixing up his appearance, but the idea of waking up any earlier than he already had to for school was dreadful. The thought of fending off his foster siblings for extra time in front of the bathroom mirror was less than motivating.

He worked as a car wash attendant at the local garage, a job he'd managed to snag thanks to his foster father's begrudging assistance. It wasn't glamorous or well-paying, but it was honest work, and he needed every cent if he wanted to buy something he wouldn't have to share with everyone else. Callum wasn't selfish, far from it, but after living a life with not much to call his own, it was nice to have a few things all to himself. The picture of his mother and father was one such thing. He cherished it. It something that was his and his alone.

A soft sigh escaped him as he drew his gaze back to the half-eaten burger on the plate in front of him. It was far from the best meal he'd ever had, but at least it was warm, and it was his. Foster care had taught him the importance of such small blessings. While his life wasn't perfect, he had seen others his age and younger who've experienced far, far worse. He felt guilty taking things for granted and even more guilty for letting food go to waste knowing there were so many people going hungry.

A sudden clap of thunder echoed through the diner, followed closely by a flash of lightning. The sudden shift made him wince. His heart yearned for calm and peace, a desire that felt like a physical ache deep in his chest. Normalcy. But normalcy was a rare commodity for someone like him, a foster kid shunted from home to home. He wasn't wishing for a billion dollars or to raise his parents from their graves. He only wanted peace, and he hoped whatever deity was floating around in the greater beyond would eventually hear his simple wishes when he blew out his birthday candles every year. He accepted it as a long shot with a much lower than average probability, less than zero, if that were even possible. Maybe the universe decided a quiet life was not for him.

Incapable of eating another bite, he pushed his plate away and threw a few crumpled bills on the table. Shrugging into his threadbare jacket, he braced himself before stepping out into the downpour and raising his raggedy umbrella. His next shift at the car wash was about to start, and he couldn't afford to be late. The last thing he wanted was to be on his manager's naughty list.

The walk to work was a familiar one. It took him through the heart of the city, past the towering skyscrapers that stretched towards the ever gray sky, through alleyways splashed with colorful graffiti and down busy streets lined with eclectic stores. He'd pass businessmen, homeless folk, street performers, and tourists, all going about their day, oblivious to the teenage boy who moved among them.

The city was a blur of gray and green around him. Seattle's moniker, the Emerald City, had always struck him as somewhat ironic. The endless concrete and glass of the cityscape was a far cry from the emerald woods of his dreams. But there was an element of truth in the name too. Just as an emerald hid within it a spark of green fire, so too did the city hide something within its depths, something that resonated deep within Callum, an instinctual, primal part of him he didn't fully understand.

Despite his sometimes downcast demeanor and pessimistic perspective, there were things Callum was good at. He had a sarcastic wit, was good with numbers, and had a keen mind, especially when it came to biology. His favorite teacher, Mrs. Gasper, who was actually a math teacher, had recognized his talent in the subject and nurtured it by giving him books and magazines to explore topics not featured in the school's science curriculum. Through biology, Callum had discovered a world more appealing than his own - a world of life cycles, ecosystems, and evolution. It fascinated him, the diversity and complexity of life, the miraculous way nature operated, and it was one of the few subjects that made the slog of school worthwhile.