Bria was pulled from sleep by Dakota slamming her door open.
"Get up, we only have a half hour to get ready," barked Dakota as she threw some clothes on her bed.
Pulling the comforter off her head Bria opened one eye and stared at the clock. She had never been a morning person, so 5 am was out of the question. Only for Alex was she willing to get up that early.
After a five minute shower, and packing her clothes, she had a quick breakfast during which she fell asleep three times. After stuffing all the supplies into the trunk of Dakota station wagon, Bria moved towards the front seat.
"Oh no, you're in the back," Dakota barked again.
Upon Bria giving her a death stare, she pointed at the back passenger door.
"He may want to talk about what's going to happen so I need him up front."
It only took five minutes after getting in the car for Bria to fall back to sleep. Later she woke up the second she heard a car door slam.
"Alex," she cried looking around not seeing the man she was desperate to be with. The front passenger seat was empty. Instead, the seat next to her had been filled with a freckled, brown haired, muscular man.
"Bria I'm sure you remember guy, he will be helping us with Alex's first time."
Grumpily she shook his hand before laying back and closing her eyes again. She awoke once more when she heard a familiar voice.
"So is this guy, your boyfriend?" said Alex sarcastically from the front seat looking even more hostile than Bria felt.
"Alex, you came."
Bria reached our a hand and put it on his shoulder to greet him, but he just brushed it off, giving her a look that could kill.
Devastated she slumped into her seat against the seat belt. It hurt for him to be that angry with her, but also because she had been stupid to think that he would get over it in a few days. However, this weekend was exactly as Dakota had pointed out, a chance for her to mend the damage she caused. She was just going to have to be as supportive as possible and watch her step.
"This is our friend, his name is Guy, he has helped us with people's first full moon for years. And we find it's easier for the person if they can talk to someone they can relate too. So if you need to talk about the changes, you will be going through he is here."
Dakota smiled at Alex welcomingly, and Bria could tell that she was going to put her heart into getting him through this ordeal. Alex however just scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Jeez you make it sound like I'm going through puberty or something, and not turning into a bloodthirsty monster."
Dakota started fuming, being someone who never responded well to being chastised when she was trying to help.
"Let's just get this over with," she growled as she abruptly change lanes cutting off the car behind them.
Alex turned and stared out the window, however from where she sat Bria could see his reflection in the window. He was looking pale again, which was common for someone nearing their first full moon. Unfortunately, it reminded her of when he had been dying, and she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She had tried her hardest to ignore the fact that she had betrayed Alex's trust, even if it was to save his life. She had been a Lycan long enough to know that no one should have the condition forced on them because it often ended badly.
For ten minutes, they sat in silence, till Bria heard a noise from the front seat.
"Alex did you have breakfast?" she asked concerned.
"What if I didn't."
His tone made it clear he was even more frustrated than before, not that Bria could blame it. For a Lycan often the first time was a cause of great anxiety.
"Your body is about to go through massive changes for the first time; you're going to need as much fuel for your body as you can get," Dakota stated matter-of-factually.
"if you don't eat enough your body will shut down during the transformation. And trust me you don't want that."
Alex stared at her, his face sweating anxiety. Sighing guy opened the mini cooler between him and Bria and pulled out something wrapped in tinfoil.
"Roast Beef, I made them myself," he said proudly as he handed it to Alex.
When he unwrapped it, sandwich smelled fantastic. Guy had seemed to have added some of his homemade mustard. Unfortunately due to the current situation Bria did not feel hungry in the slightest. She spent the rest of the two-hour car ride, staring out the window wondering where her relationship with Alex would go from where they were now.
When she had decided to bite him, she thought at this point Alex would have forgiven her, and they would be reveling in the unlimited time they had together.
However, she could see how foolish that was now that she saw the anger in Alex's eyes every time theirs met.
Her only hope was that she could convince him to forgive her, the good news was now that they were both werewolves, they had all the time in the world work things out. She became so deep in thought that she did not realize they had reached the cabin until Dakota parked the car, and she heard the doors slam. Coming back to earth Bria fought for a few seconds to get her seat belt off then jumped out the car door.
The cabin was as rustic and inviting as it ever was built out of oak it was two stories tall. The living room had large windows that took up almost an entire wall. All the furniture had been bought from local second-hand stores. Despite that, Bria with Dakota's help felt that they had done a good job decorating it with not a large budget. Dakota carried some of the groceries to the back door, put the key to the lock. As usual the lock didn't want to cooperate, causing her to jiggle the key for a few seconds.
"Dammit, we paid that local locksmith to fix this but looks like he accepted our money and never showed up," Dakota growled, as she finally forced the door to open.
The inside of the cabin smelled musty as it always did when they had not been there in a while.
"Jeez, what is that smell?" Alex demanded as he entered the kitchen.
Bria sniffed the air to see if there was an odor she was not aware of. When she smelled nothing, she shrugged.
"Relax Alex the place is just a bit musty."
Dakota put the groceries on the counter and stared at him.
"A little, that is the strongest smell I have ever encountered.
Alex held his hand to his nose while crinkling his face. Dakota sighed leaning over she grabbed his hand and pulled it down.
"Looks like your super sense of smell is kicking in. It can be very sensitive at first, luckily Olfactory fatigue is possible when werewolves are in human form, just keep breathing, and the strength will fade.
Having plugged the refrigerator back in, Bria hopped onto the couch and laid back. What she would not have given to have Alex on the couch with her, and being able to lay her head on his chest. However, she is not so relationship inept that she would dare to ask the way things currently were. Alex turned around and saw that she was staring at him, causing her to look away and blush.
"Get up miss lazy we still have work to do," Dakota demanded as she gave her a disapproving look. For the rest of the day, they cleaned the entire cabin, something Bria was never fond of. Then they spent several hours lying around till it was time for Dakota to make dinner
Bria was laying on the couch thinking about the best thing she was Alex could have been doing with her when she opened her eyes. Her ears detected the sound of tires was coming up the gravel driveway.
"There's a car coming, one guess who it is."
Dakota rushed to the window, getting a sour look on her face. She marched over to the couch and grabbed Bria by the arm.
"She's back; you better handle this."
With a reluctant sigh, Bria went out the kitchen door to greet the squad car that had parked behind the station wagon.
"Sheriff what a surprise."
_ _ _ _ _
Alex moved to the window to see the newcomer. Her uniform was pristine; her short red hair looked fiery as the attitude in her expression. He opened the window to try to hear what they're saying, but they were too far away.
"If only I could hear what they are saying," he sighed now wishing that he could read lips.
"Well, this would be a good opportunity for you to try to learn how to control one of your senses."
Guy walked over and closed the window, which only confused Alex.
"Now stare out the window at them, try to adjust what you are hearing. It's kind of like using the focus on a pair of binoculars."
Doing as instructed, Alex stared at Bria and the woman. At first all he heard was someone's breathing, and then the sound of the wind. Finally, he could hear their voices, they went in and out like bad reception on a radio till he got it right.
"Miss Hemming you still haven't answered my question, Am I going to get called up here tonight?"
Bria just shrugged her shoulders, and replied, "No of course not we are just going to have a quiet evening."
The sheriff continued to glare at her seemingly unconvinced. She looked over Bria's shoulder at the station wagon and towards the house.
"I don't know how you have been getting away with it for so long, but I will catch you eventually. Legally there is nothing I can do about you running around your property at night naked as long as you stick to your land. Just don't let me catch you on your neighbor's property again."
Giving the house one more look the sheriff got back in her car, pulled out and sped away at an unsafe speed.
When Bria came back in Alex could not help himself from inquiring about what he just seen.
"Why has she seen you running around the woods naked?"
Embarrassment crept across Bria's face as she replied "You heard all that?"
She looked at Dakota, who did not react before setting her sights on Guy.
"What," said Guy defensively, "I didn't expect him to get on the first try."
Dakota motion for Alex to come over and help to unload the groceries for which there were a lot.
"Well what do you know, he's a natural," she smiled at him.
"See Alex you got this under control."
"However Alex did not find the thought very comforting. All he had managed to do was listen to someone over a distance; somehow he doubted that was the same as turning into a bloodthirsty beast and maintaining control.
"Well anyway the sheriff is convinced that I'm breeding wolves up here," Bria finally replied as she threw a bag of potatoes onto the counter.
"Why would she think that?" Alex asked Instantly distracted by a wonderful new smell.
Dakota, who had gotten out several large stakes, was cutting them into strips. The aroma was intoxicating, the bad part was however that the fact that they were raw meat made them more appealing than ever.
"Your drooling all over yourself," Dakota said sounding amused.
Alex quickly wiped his mouth feeling rather embarrassed.
"No need to fret," laughed Dakota as she laid the strips on the cutting board.
"Because it's a few hours away from the moon rising your lycan impulses are kicking in. Just give it time and you'll get the hang of it."
Needing a distraction from the wonderful smell, Alex continued the conversation.
"So why on earth would the sheriff think that."
Now Dakota was cooking the strips of steak on a skillet, the sizzling of which made it even harder to focus.
"I know you are sorely tempted, but even try to come over here and I will lock you outside till dinner."
Bria turned her head around and shot Dakota a dirty look.
"Way to make him feel like the family dog."
"Anyway, we only come here for two reasons," replied Dakota as she added more strips.
"Either to train a new pup, I mean Lycan. Or more commonly to reconnect with nature and run in the forest at night."
Now Dakota was seasoning the meat, so Alex had to look away to maintain control.
"Well, there are local packs of actual wolves in the area. So when our neighbors find footprints, hear howling at night, it's not surprising she would make that conclusion. Especially if our property seems to be the epicenter."
As Dakota started to load the finished steak strips onto a plate, Alex felt relief that his temptation was almost over.
"So what about the you walking around naked part," Alex asked his eyes transfixed on the plate.
Dakota snickered as she got several large bowls of premade mashed potatoes out of the fridge.
"Funny story, when we shift we have to take off our clothes off or risk shredding them. So when we change back in the morning, we are nowhere near the house, so we have to walk back. She has come across us on a few of those occasions."
Dakota carried the plate of savory meat over to the table, followed by Guy, who brought over the mashed potatoes.
"Dinner," cheered Dakota smiling at the relief on Alex's face as he sat down at the table.
"Try to eat fast guys we only have a few hours till moonrise," said Bria off-handedly.
Alex swiveled his head towards the window, the idea that in a short time he would become a monster finally sinking in. He dropped his fork having a sudden loss of appetite.
After he had remained motionless for a minute, Bria looked up at him concerned.
"Come on Alex you have to be hungry, it's really good."
She waved a piece of steak under his nose trying to tempt him. It did smell divine, but Alex was not interested. She shot a pleading look at Dakota, who sighed.
"Alex, I don't think I have to remind you what will happen when you transform on an empty stomach. However, you need to keep in mind that when you do your feral instincts will take over. It will do anything to fill it's basic needs. The last thing we need is to have to explain where the neighbor's dog went."
That was all the motivation Alex needed, he grabbed his fork and started to shovel steak into his mouth.
"You're going to need a lot of carbs too," said an amused Dakota as she pushed a bowl of potatoes towards him.
Bria had a concerned expression and looked like she was about to say something when Dakota cut her off."
"Let him freak out if he wants too."
An hour later after they cleaned up dinner, they went out the back door. The air was crisp here, Alex had started to notice just how polluted the city was since he had been bitten. They walked around the cabin towards a medium-sized barn. It was an old and decrepit looking structure. The wood was frayed, and the ugly brown paint was peeling. As guy slid the large doors open, it made a horrible shriek. The sound pierced Alex's super sensitive ears causing him to wince.
"We need to oil that," mumbled Bria, who walked inside.
Dakota, fumbled around in the dark, till she found the switch for the ancient lighting. Several dully lit bulbs buzzed to life illuminating the barns filthy interior. Everything on the walls was what you would expect to see. Tools, farming equipment, and bridles hung neatly on rusty hooks on the walls. It was the center of the floor that drew Alex's attention. A large circle was drawn in blue paint, speckled with dark brown splotches that Alex's nose told him was blood. In the dead center of the circle two heavy chains were bolted into the cement floor, at the end of each large manacles were welded.
"There is no way in hell I'm putting those on," explained Alex taking a step back.
"Sorry, Alex it's for safety."
Dakota came up behind him and pushed him forwards. He was surprised to find she was stronger than he was.
"We have to take precautions when you transform, since we won't just be dealing with your feral instincts, but also your innermost self too."
Alex gave her a look of confusion, as he dug in his heels trying to stop his progression into the circle.
"Let me give you a simple example," grunted Dakota as she shoved him forward.
"One time Bria brought one of her old boyfriends here after receiving the bite. When he changed, he proceeded to try to kill us. You see deep down beneath his gentle exterior, he was sadistic and cruel."
"In short a total monster," finished Bria, her hands trembling.
Alex gave her a sympathetic look since it had never occurred to him that he wasn't the first guy she had bitten. However given that she had lived over a century, it was not all that big of a surprise.
"So I'm going to become a monster?" Alex asked feeling compelled to comfort Bria but was immobilized by Dakota holding him by his shoulders.
"Not necessarily," replied Dakota as she checked to see that the manacles were big enough for his arms, by sizing them up.
"The metamorphosis does not change your personality. It simply brings out your innermost self, for instance, I was a shy mousy girl."
It was hard for Alex to imagine her as anything then the sassy, outgoing, instigator she was now.
"Anyway it just basically means unless you already have a cold blooded killer in there, you have nothing to worry about."
He turned to look at Bria, only to feel a jolt of guilt at the apprehensive look on her face.
He wanted to say something to comfort her, but just then Dakota tried to pull his shirt over his head. He tried to push her away, but again she had superior strength.
"You need to strip; I know you will be feeling self-conscious. Everybody does the first time, but why destroy perfectly good clothes."
Once she got his shirt off, she started to unbuckle his belt, which crossed a line for Alex when it came to personal space.
"I got it," he growled in a way that almost didn't sound human.
"Jeez relax, and if it helps you can keep your boxers on if you don't mind losing them."
He could tell that even Dakota was starting to feel tense from a hostile tone in her voice.
After he had removed everything but his boxers, Alex had to suffer the indignity of having Dakota and Guy Shackle him in place. If that wasn't bad enough, he looked at Bria, who no longer seemed upset but was giving him a sideways look. Which was obviously a pathetic attempt not to stare at him.
"Really?" he growled straining against the chains a little.
"I'm about to go through the most painful experience of my life, and you are staring at me and drooling all over yourself."
"Sorry, it's just I been waiting to see you in your... nevermind."
Bria's face turned red, and she looked away, causing Dakota to snap at him.
"Don't be an ass, oh and like you said this will be the most painful thing you have ever experienced so try not to soil yourself when you shift."
He glared at her as she stood up, done inspecting the chains, a satisfied smirk on her face."
"Now Alex I can tell you have re-framed from being curious of what's going to happen once you shift, so as to not freak yourself out. But before it happens is there anything you want to know?"
Alex thought about it for a minute, but he was sure any spoilers was just going to make his last few minutes as human even more agonizing.
"Nothing that I'd rather you fill me in on after," he said trying to sound tough but, was given away by the fact his body had started to shake.
He froze when he realized that the light of the full moon had been creeping in through the open barn door. It was already at the edge of the circle and was making headway towards him. Bria ran over and embraced him tightly.
"It's going to be okay, it will be over before you know it."
For a second, things between them felt the way they had been before she had bitten him. He was tempted to tell her something, but he just wasn't ready to move on. As the light moved to his feet, his whole body began to tingle. Seeing his terrified face, Dakota tried to be supportive.
"Don't worry everyone blacks out before the pain reaches it's peak. In fact, you most likely won't remember anything after that when you wake up tomorrow."
Alex cried out as every bone in his body started to ache. Dakota grabbed Bria by the shoulder and pulled her out of the circle. His gums began to sting, and he could feel new razor-sharp teeth breakthrough with his tongue. Then a new pain started as his fingernails fell out, replaced with long sharp claws. The pain was indescribable; it was a hundred times worse than when he had been shot in the chest in combat. It only got worse however as his bones began to stretch, his face elongating into a snout. His feet and ankles were bending to take a lupine form. Just when he thought he would die from the pain, he was relieved by unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was Bria's face in torment.