It's been this long. I'm back with another chapter
"Hey, mom! I'm on my way to school! Might be out for a while, today is band practice." Eric said, hitching his backpack up and kissing his mom goodbye."Okay, hon. Don't be late out!" She replied, drying her hands on her apron. She was coffee-skinned, like her son, and had a strong, angular yet beautiful face. The hands that she dried were weathered and rough: the hands of a working single mother."Eric?" She called him back. He turned, frowning as he saw the worried look on his mother's face. She smiled worriedly at him and he turned his face to the side, squinting his eyes scrutinizing her "Mom, I have my spare keys." He said uncertainly."No, It's not that.""My homework's in my backpack...""I know, I trust you.""I definitely didn't take weed this morning.""Eric!" She hit him with a napkin "You wouldn't, anyway. I'll kill you if I smell a whiff of that stuff in this house." She said, but her heart wasn't in the jokes."So what then? Why do you look so worried?" He asked, foldin
As soon as Eric stepped out into the night, cold rods of rain accosted his body. He gasped and shivered, holding his arms to his body. In a matter of seconds he was dripping from head to toe. He ran back into Beth's house and went to the cupboard under the stairs, where he knew Beth kept a couple of umbrellas. He sighted an old black one that Lauren loved so much, and smiled sourly, remembering those moments when protruding rods from the umbrella had ruined a couple of his shirts. Lauren had liked the umbrella because it had mojo, whatever that was supposed to mean.The memory was at once sweet and painful, and a feeling of hopelessness blossomed in his chest as he thought of Lauren again. He shook his head in defiance, trying not to let thoughts like those cloud his judgement.He ignored the old black umbrella and settled for a smaller green one instead, pairing it with a pale green parka. He walked back out, the umbrella held high over his head, and instinctively shivered again. Des
Eric gagged, his eyes widening as the man tightened his grip. The man shook his neck as though he was wiggling a rag doll."What are you looking at?" The man growled."Elias!" Someone at the back called. Hands reached out from the backseat and grabbed the driver. He loosened his hold on Eric's neck and the boy coughed and gasped for breath, clutching his chest."Stop it!" A woman said, leaning out of the backseat and staring into Elias' eyes. She had tightly curled ginger hair and a lean, well-toned body. She had her back to Eric and the earthy smell of woods and wet soil hit his nose as she shook her head in objection. "Snap out of it." She said "We don't want the death of a human added to the list of our problems."Human. There's that word again, Eric thought to himself."If he looks at my scars again, I'll tear him limb from limb." Elias snarled through gritted teeth, his eyes on the redhead."Why do you keep calling me a human?" Eric managed to blurt, rubbing his already sore neck
"Run!" Robin snarled. She was all in his face, her hand grabbing his collar "Run and don't look back. Forget you ever saw any of this."Eric stared at her with widened eyes, his mouth dry and his heart thudding like a tribal drum. Her canines were elongated and her eyes, although still grey, were glowing unnaturally. Reddish hair was beginning to sprout on her face, and the other people were crouched, a combined low growl emanating from them, as though waiting for a cue to attack.Before he could do anything, Elias and another man who looked a lot like him had moved forward and grabbed Robin, pulling her backwards. "Go!" Elias yelled at him but Eric was rooted to the spot in fear. "Go?" The little girl Emma asked, turning to Jacob "Go where? We should kill him. He could tell other people about us, he could endanger our lives!""Kill? No." Jacob answered, placing a calming hand on Emma's shoulder "We might be monsters, Emma. But we do not kill innocent people."Eric heard the girl Emm
Eric was back where he had started, meters from where Robin had tried to attack him. The vans: that of Elias and Jacob was still parked there, one behind the other. The people, however, were gone. Only about a dozen or more dogs stood there now: big dogs with shiny fur and teeth that looked capable of ripping out flesh. They had various colours of fur, and although brown and black were pretty common dog fur colours, there were also some unusual ones, like silver and red.They looked like stray dogs, although Eric couldn't really tell. They were much cleaner and looked much healthier than stray dogs though, and Eric narrowed his eyes, unable to see much in the darkness. Curiosity got the better of him and he took a step forward, snapping a twig in the process. One of the dogs' head shot up and looked in his direction, and he saw the eyes of the dog glow. That's no ordinary dog, he thought.The dog was the one with the reddish pelt, and the eyes that looked in his direction looked uneas
Beth's truck was parked in front of the facility on the other side of the road. The rain had stopped, her windshield fogged and dripping with water. She looked at the building with mixed feelings of fear and hatred. She'd worked here for so long, longer than she wanted to dwell on.The place had been a mental and physical prison, and she had thought she would never escape from there. Dr Makovsky had had a hold on her: he'd convinced her that the things they were doing were for a greater good. She had never been a very strong-willed person, and her fragile will had crumbled under the doctor's influence. He had a way with words, that man. Deep down her conscience knew nothing she was doing was any good, but she'd managed to convince herself that it was.Until she had Changed Mike on that fateful night, four years ago. How the doctor had convinced her that the serum she made was to change a werewolf back to human, she didn't know. But she'd found herself making the serum, although someth
"Oh, whoa and a half!" Axel exclaimed, his mouth gaping open. The number of werewolves that poured out from the forest was impressive, and Axel was truly in awe as they faced Dr Makovsky's horde, snarling and pawing the ground."That's Jacob's pack!" Beth whispered, shaking her head proudly "He had a change of mind! They came through for us!"Dr Makovsky was momentarily shocked by the appearance of more wolves. He looked like he had been expecting people, not werewolves. But he quickly rearranged his expression and faced the werewolves head on. The largest of the wolves, a black monster with flecks of gray in his coat and teeth like a shark's, gave a panting doglike grunt. As he moved forward, between one step and the next he seemed to curl and change like a piece of paper in flames. The wolf became a stocky curly-haired man that Beth recognised as Alpha Jacob."We didn't come for a fight." They heard Alpha Jacob say to Dr Makovsky "We came for one of ours whom you seem to have with y
The sound of battle had roused Aidan from where he was sitting. He was still on the rooftop, had been there since Dr Makovsky had subdued him with just a flick of his wrist. A whole day had passed since that incident, and Aidan had left the roof only for bathroom breaks and lunch. He couldn't leave the facility yet: he hadn't gotten the antidote he wanted. Besides, he had no other place to go now.Before he'd come to Dr Makovsky for help, he had been a free bird of sorts, squatting with people who would keep him, moving aimlessly, never staying in one place for too long. He'd shuttled between Perkins, Rodstone and other small towns in the area. Even Beacontown had been no stranger to his wanderings. He'd once stayed for a week with an old lady mere houses away from where Lauren lived. He'd seen Lauren once or twice although she'd never seen him, and so when Dr Makovsky had asked him to be his eyes and ears, he'd been able to find her easily. Aidan raked his fingers through his dark ha
The sight stopped Lauren in her tracks.The room was massive, its walls lined with industrial shelves and crates. But it wasn’t the size or the clutter that made her freeze.It was the wolves. Dozens of them, filling the space, their eyes glowing with an unnatural red light. Each one snarled and snapped, their lips pulled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. Lauren had forgotten just how terrified she was of these animals. She'd never seen so many of her father’s creations in one place before. These weren’t ordinary wolves. They were rabid, their movements jerky and their stares too focused.“They’re waiting for something,” Aiden muttered under his breath, stepping slightly in front of her. Lauren’s throat was dry. “Yeah,” she whispered. “A signal from my father to attack us.”The wolves didn’t attack, but their growls deepened as another sound entered the room: a door creaking open. Lauren and Aiden turned sharply toward it.From a side entrance, Dr. Makovsky stepped into view, wipin
"Wait!"Lauren stopped suddenly in front of a small building that was a bar. The bar in question was different. Its windows were dark, and the sign above the door was faded and cracked, barely legible in the faint glow of a streetlamp.“Aiden,” she whispered, tugging his arm. “Circle back.”He frowned but followed her lead, doubling back until they stood in front of the bar. Lauren pressed her face against the glass, squinting to get a better look inside.There was only one person inside, a lone barman. He was wiping down a glass, his round face glistening with sweat under the dim lights. The place was empty. No patrons, no music, not even a hint of life. “This doesn’t feel right,” Lauren muttered.Aiden glanced at her. “It’s Perkins. Nothing here feels right.”Lauren ignored him. How could this bar be empty when the rest of the town was practically bursting at the seams with music and alcohol? It made no sense.“I’m going in,” she said abruptly, already placing her hand on the door.
Running as a wolf was exhilarating. The forest blurred past Lauren, trees and shadows twisting together into a single dark ribbon. She felt the earth under her paws, the wind streaking through her fur, the thundering of her pack all around her. It had been so long since she last did something like this, and for a few brief, wild moments, it was easy to forget why they were running in the first place.Eric.Aiden ran beside her, his sleek black wolf larger and faster than the others. His golden eyes flicked toward her, and for a split second, Lauren thought she saw something in them. Determination, maybe. Or worry. Whatever it was, it pushed her to run harder.Soon the edge of the forest came into view. Perkins was never much to look at. It was a grimy little town with cracked pavement and neon signs that flickered like they were running on borrowed time.Lauren shifted back into her human form first, and walked around to thaw herself out. She wiggled her fingers that were stiff from t
Lauren stepped outside, frowning when she saw Beth and her mother, Katherine, hovering near the doorway, clearly listening in. She folded her arms and asked, “What exactly are you two doing out here?”Beth and Katherine exchanged a sheepish look. “We were…just curious,” Katherine admitted, glancing away.Beth nodded, her voice quieter as she added, “We wanted to know what was going on. It sounded…serious.”Before Lauren could respond, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Mike emerging from the room, looking more relaxed than he had a moment ago. Katherine noticed him as well and asked, “Is everything okay now?”Mike nodded. “It’s fine for now, but we need to focus on stopping Dr. Makovsky for good.”Lauren’s stomach tightened. Just the mention of that name was enough to make her blood boil. But before she could reply, she heard something—a series of voices and footsteps coming from outside the house. Her heart jumped, and without a word, she moved quickly toward the front
Mike sat in silence for minutes, while Lauren waited. His face was shadowed by more than exhaustion; it was weighed down by something that couldn’t be spoken aloud. She’d been around him long enough to know his moods, but this was different. This was heavy and dark. “So, you found him,” she prompted. She tried to keep her voice steady, almost afraid of setting him off. "Did he...did Scott recognize you?"Mike didn’t respond at first. His hands clenched together on the table, knuckles white. “He wasn’t...he wasn’t Scott anymore.”Lauren bit her lip, not sure of what to say. She knew what he was hinting at but was terrified to hear it. “Mike… are you saying he was—?”“Rabid,” he finished, voice cold, clipped. “I went there to ask him for help, and I found... a monster. A wolf that wanted nothing but to tear me apart. And the worst part? I could see him—Scott. My friend. My best friend… just trapped, like a ghost, in those cursed red eyes.”Lauren reached for him, her fingers hovering n
Lauren paced in Beth's living room, her footsteps echoing off the walls as she wrung her hands. She kept glancing between the clock and the front door. "Lauren, this room is too small for your pacing." Beth groaned. "You're making me sick just looking at you.""They should be back by now," Lauren muttered aloud, then turned to Beth. "Right? They should be back by now!"Her mother, seated on the couch beside Beth, gave her a comforting look, but it did little to ease Lauren's anxiety. "Maybe they're just taking time to rally the wolves. Things like this take time, Lauren," her mother said softly, though Lauren could tell she was concerned as well.Lauren scoffed and walked the length of the living room again. "For them to be taking this long, something must've gone wrong," she replied, glancing down at her wristwatch. The hands pointed to nine p.m., and she felt the knot of dread tightening in her stomach. Every minute that ticked by felt like a countdown she couldn't control.Without
Aiden’s body screamed in pain. His chest felt like it had been cracked open. Every breath felt like he was inhaling needles. He could hear muffled voices nearby, but his mind struggled to focus, swimming in and out of the haze. Slowly, he began to make sense of the conversation around him.“I’ll kill you if you touch him again!” That was Lia’s voice, fierce and sharp.Alpha Lyall chuckled darkly. “You think you’re in a position to make threats, little girl? You should be more worried about your own life.”“Let her go!” Axel’s voice broke through. “We’re not here for trouble, alright? We didn’t come to fight! Just let her go!”Aiden groaned, trying to push himself up. His arms shook from the effort, and his head spinned as the pain pulsed through his skull. His eyes barely opened, and through the blur, he saw Lyall towering over Lia, his hand wrapped around her throat. Axel was being restrained by two other Alphas, his face twisted with helplessness as he struggled against their grip.
Aiden stepped into the large alcove of trees. His heart was roaring as he crossed the invisible line that marked the borders of his father’s old pack. The air here was different, heavier, filled with memories of the past and the burden of what he knew had been happening. His eyes roamed around the dense foliage, and through the shadows, he saw pairs of eyes staring back at him—watchful, wary. The pack members in hiding.He swallowed hard, forcing himself not to break under their silent gaze. These were the people he had come to save. This was what was left of the strongest, largest pack in Beacontown. His father's pack. And now, they hid in the shadows, oppressed by those who should have protected them.In the middle of the camp, the hearth was burning low. And there, to one side and around a wooden table, sat the reason for all the suffering: the Council of Alphas.Seven of them, haughty-looking men, all dressed in fine suits that seemed out of place in the wildness of the forest. T
The forest was eerily quiet, save for the soft crunch of leaves beneath their boots. Axel and Lia moved ahead, their heads bent close together as they whispered back and forth. Aiden couldn’t hear what they were saying—not that he cared to. He needed to be alone. His mind was too loud, filled with a thousand thoughts clashing like swords.Aiden trailed behind, letting the shadows of the trees swallow him whole. It was better this way.He knew what had to be done once they reached his father’s old pack. And he knew he had to prepare himself for it.Aiden’s eyes scanned the treeline, his senses sharp. The familiar scent of pine and earth filled the air, mingling with the distant scent of something faintly metallic, almost like blood. Familiar for an area populated by werewolves.His stomach twisted at the thought, but he pushed it aside. This was no time to show weakness. He had to be ready.Suddenly, there was a rustle behind him.Aiden’s body tensed, and he stopped in his tracks, his