Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2013 23:21:00 -0000 From: Ryan Subject: The Wolfish Stalker Chapter 10 Hey guys another chapter for you to read, this one was a little trickier than that last one mostly because my internet got cut while I was moving house. This is also what partially led to the other chapter not getting put up until tonight as I never noticed that I hadn't posted it but now people that haven't read it will have two to read. I hope this makes it worth the wait. I have changed the course of the story a slight bit which has increased the number of chapters that I have to do but I see it lasting maybe another 4 or 5 chapters at the very most. However if the series is popular enough I will keep writing it as I have two more stories with the characters that I am writing. Anyway onto this chapter firstly. As before if you have any questions, comments, concerns or general nit picks then please feel free to write to kasaihowler@gmail.com and enjoy the chapter. Mike jolted awake with a start as he felt the swear pouring off of him. He felt around for anyone else who might be there but was relieved to find himself alone. Mike then put his hands up to his head to wipe off some of the sweat and when they touched his head he felt how hot his hands actually were. Mike got out of bed and then went into the bathroom to get a towel to wipe himself. After a few minutes Mike went back into his bed but when he did he was shocked to see his blankets, on the underside they were torn right through to the material. Mike was horrified as there was no other explanation, he had done this. Mike quickly picked up the blankets and put them into a bag to get rid of them in the morning. He quickly got another set and then put them onto his bed before getting back into it. Mike just sat up in bed trying to let his mind wonder to sleep but it wasn't happening as of yet. He couldn't believe what he had done to his cover, what else would this change do to him? The Moon-Born within him had already changed his appearance, his body, his senses and his social life. He picked up his phone and seen the time, it was nearly half 3 in the morning. He couldn't even think as to how he was going to go to sleep, especially if his Mom or dad could wake him up in the morning to find it. Mike eventually found his way to his phone book, he went to his most used number now and then studied it for a second. Derek had said anytime but would that mean 3 in the morning. Mike decided to call it as he needed some advice on how he could get to sleep. "Hell....Hello?" asked Mike as he heard someone pick up the phone extremely quickly. Mike was delighted to hear Derek's voice despite his earlier trepidation. "Mikey? What are you doing up at this time?" asked Derek to Mike over the phone, he didn't say it in a scolding voice but more of a concerned voice. "Hi Derek, I....I woke up because I destroyed my blankets" said Mike almost sounding ashamed which was exactly how he felt. Mike hoped that Derek wouldn't get angry or give him the talk about controlling himself. "I see, well your mind must have been really scared or upset, not that I blame you" he said over the phone while he switched it to the other ear. "You need to get some sleep though, anything you can do to relax?" he asked Mike. Mike shook his head as he looked around his room, he didn't feel like the computer and playing the drums wasn't appropriate at this time of night. "Not really Derek, I'll manage though" he said as he stood up and stretched before sitting down again. "Well if you want to then we could go for a run if you want?" said Derek to Mike over the phone in a very serious tone despite the fact that Mike would have thought he was joking. "Are you crazy, it's half 3 in the morning Derek?" asked Mike as he looked at the half moon outside in the sky which was pitch black. "I can't run all the way over to your house and you'll wake up my parents if you come here" said Mike as he got up and looked at his book shelf. Derek made a noise that sounded like a sigh and then said "Mikey, look out your window". Mike looked at the phone like it would bite his ear and then went to his window. As he looked outside he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking at. "What's up" asked Mike as he looked around a little more and then jumped to a start as he seen Derek waving up at him. Mike noticed how hot Derek looked as he merely wore a pair of boots, a pair of shorts and a t shirt. What was he thinking he would be freezing. "You want to come out?" asked Derek as he put the phone to his ear and then pointed to the ground. "Yeah but how do I get out, I don't want to wake anyone" said Mike as he looked at his door and then out the window again. "Jump!" said Derek in a rather matter of fact voice and pointed to the ground again. Mike nearly dropped the phone when Derek suggested this. "Derek I do want to come out but I'm not breaking my legs" said Mike as he still thought Derek was insane. He wasn't going to jump outside no way. "Come on Mikey you can do this" said Derek in an encouraging voice from through the phone. Mike however wasn't hearing any of it. "I'm not coming out the window Derek, I'll sneak out the door" said Mike as he quickly put down the phone and then quickly changed into a pair of pants, a t shirt and a pair of shoes. Mike quickly sneaked down the stairs so not to keep Derek waiting. When Mike got outside he looked around to see if he could see Derek. He was a little concerned when he couldn't, Derek wouldn't sneak away surely. "Hey Mikey" said Derek as he literally appeared out of nowhere. Mike jumped again and this time nearly jumped out his skin. "Derek you asshole, you want me to change again" he said as he smacked Derek a few times. He took note of the fact that he didn't feel so powerless to Derek now. His heart was still beating 100 miles an hour as he looked at where Derek had come from. He had come from the tree that was a little away from his window, on the first floor. "Derek how did you do that?" asked Mike as he looked at where Derek had jumped from with interest. "I jumped Mikey, didn't I tell you that we were tougher than normal humans. We have to run quite a lot and the muscles in our legs take that" he said as he brought up his leg to show Mike how firm it was. To say that Mike found this a little hot was an understatement, however he was very sure to keep his mind away from lust at the moment. "OK Derek, where should we go?" asked Mike as he looked around to see where they could go. Derek pointed to the much darker part of the street to make sure they wouldn't be seen. Mike followed him as they walked in silence for a few minutes. "I was watching you, you know to make sure that nothing had happened" said Derek. Mike listened to his explanation as it made sense as to why he was outside the window at the exact moment he had called him. "I'm glad Derek, because we could meet here now" said Mike although his voice sounded slightly off and his eyes looked very tired. The street looked so different at this time but it was obvious that they were going out the way of the main street and sticking to side alleys or just wooded areas. Derek obviously did not want to be seen. "I know Mikey, I'm glad we could too. I did say anytime you needed me I would answer" said Derek as he took Mike's hand and smiled. "You know if you wanted to we could go for a run" said Derek as he smiled rather broadly to Mike. Mike was a little unnerved with this as he said "I'm OK walking just now, I couldn't run in this footwear anyway" said Mike as his eyes drooped to the ground. Derek stopped him for a second and then smiled a little less, "Mikey you miss what I mean, I meant really run, four legged and furry" he said as he awaited Mike's answer. At this Mike perked right up and then shook his head vehemently. "No way Derek, after the last two days.....I'm just not ready for that" said Mike as he looked into Derek's eyes to try and get him to understand. Derek let his smile pick back up again but this time it took on a more genuine appearance. "Don't worry Mikey, I just asked. It's OK to say no" he said as he took Mike's hand and they continued walking. They had been walking for almost an hour before they were nearly back at Mike's house. "Derek am I.....am I a monster" asked Mike to his boyfriend. Derek nearly tripped when Mike asked him this, he almost immediately said "No way Mikey, don't you ever say that" and it shocked him with the speed he had said it. "Mikey, we're not monsters. No way, were creatures of the night but we are in control of what we are. If were good or bad it's up to us" said Derek trying to reassure Mike. Mike didn't want Derek thinking he was a baby or anything but this was something he felt very strongly about as he didn't know why he had become a Moon-Born. "Thanks Derek, listen I'm going to get back and get some sleep. But thank you for walking with me. It means a lot to have you in my life" he said as he gave him a kiss. Mike and Derek kissed for about five minutes before Derek let Mike go into his house. Mike walked through careful not to wake anyone up. After Mike reached through his room he got back into the top he had been sleeping in and into his boxers. He lay down on the pillow and then looked up to the ceiling. Mike actually felt a lot more refreshed after the walk. Mike fell asleep so quickly despite not actually remembering falling asleep. Mike yawned as he waited outside on the street for Kyle to show up. He didn't regret going outside last night but he didn't feel very awake or alert right now. Mike soon enough heard the sound of Kyle's car coming up the road, this was long before he had even seen it. No doubt because of his sensitive hearing. "Hey, how was your trip" said Kyle winking at Mike and smiling broadly as he opened the door for Mike to get in. Kyle was obviously in a good mood for some reason. Mike assumed it was to do with the fact that he knew about Mike and Derek now and was happy with it. Mike grunted "It was OK, eventful" and then got in and shut the door. So over the next ten or fifteen minutes he explained to Kyle what had happened over the weekend, leaving out the obvious details. He had told Kyle what he had told his parents about them enjoying the trip and simply staying longer. As they got out the car and got ready to go into the school Kyle was still talking about how boring it had been without him. Mike on the other hand was only partially paying attention as he was trying to keep everything in mind about what Derek had said, breathing, concentration and a whole host of other things to prevent him from changing in the middle of school. The hardest one would be his aggression, although he didn't show it all Moon-Born had a very big inborn aggression. However some Moon-Born could hide this better than others. "Man Mikey, you must really be beat I've tried insulting you twice and you've not fallen for it" said Kyle as he nudged Mike on the shoulder. Mike turned to him and then said "Sorry Kyle didn't sleep very well at all last night", which wasn't all a lie. Kyle then made his face turn serious and then said "Sorry Mikey, didn't know but it's good to have you back". Mike was sure he was trying to act as normal as possible but he got the impression that Kyle had noticed something different about him. As they went into school Mike didn't see Derek at all, he was a little worried that Derek would have stayed and watched Mike all night to make sure that nothing had happened to him. Mike's first two classes went OK for the most part, he kept on hearing everything that the people around him were saying and he could have went insane with it. He kept on smelling everything around him, from girl's sickening perfumes to everybody's socks smell. How on earth did the other Moon-Born block it out, if he could get enough of those socks the black wolf wouldn't come near him again. At lunch Mike was standing in the line, he was quite idle with his thoughts as he tried not to smell the pungent odour of the rotten food. He didn't know how he could have eaten this stuff before. Mike was staring into space when he felt something trip him up. The people around him looked at him as he fell to the ground with his tray which thankfully didn't have anything on it yet. Mike seemed to lose it for a second as he seen red for a split second. He stood up and then turned and looked to see who had tripped him. When he looked he seen Kevin and his two cronies, great this was the worst thing that could have happened. "Hey queer, you missed us?" asked Kevin as he took one step toward Mike. Mike got to his feet and gave himself a wipe down, the people around him moved to either side and cleared a space for Mike and the three bullies. "Yeah like I missed a cold" said Mike, the first witty thing he had said in a few days. Mike felt the urge in the back of his head getting stronger, to strike back against the one who had hurt him. It took everything he had to stop himself from changing and mauling him there and then. As he said that he noticed Dimetri and Derek to his side, Dimetri seemed very apprehensive but Derek looked curious more than anything. "What the fuck did you say queer, you getting smart with me?" he asked, as he did this he tried to trip Mike again. As he did Mike seemed to react much faster than Kevin did and moved his leg out the way, again the instinct to attack came. It almost took more than he had to resist. Again Kevin tried to trip him but again he moved out the way. Mike began to feel his patience slip, and it seemed to when Kevin tried to punch him. Kevin let his fist go flying toward Mike's face, to Mike it seemed to be going a little slower than it should and with his left hand Mike grabbed Kevin's hand. Mike was amazed at what he had just done. He had stopped the hand of a guy who was bigger and stronger than himself, or at least he was before. Mike held the hand for a second and then began squeezing it hard. As he did this Kevin grabbed his arm with his other hand and attempted to break free but it wasn't working. Mike wasn't letting go, he had a very stern look on his face as if he was concentrating on trying to break Kevin's hand and wrist. "Mike stop" shouted Derek from the side attempting to get Mike to let Kevin go. As if coming back from being asleep Mike let Kevin go in a flash and Kevin pulled his fist back and punched himself on the chin. Mike looked around as if horrified with himself and then went bright red. The people around him began a small applause for what he had done. It clearly had impressed some of the people who had been bullied before by the jocks. Mike then ran out the hall not bothering to look at anyone. Mike ran through the hall and then out the front door of the school. Mike couldn't have taken any more than a minute to get out, much faster than he should have been able to. Mike ran away from the school grounds drawing some looks from the people around him, it was obvious that they were concerned, or freaked out by him. Mike went into the forest and then finding a large covered tree sat down and put his head in both hands on his knees. His head felt ready to split again and he was not sure how he could continue on like this. Mike sat in the woods for a good ten minutes before he heard someone else come by to where he was. He could hear it a full minute before they came but the scent was undeniable. It was both Derek and Bobby, he could hear what they were saying now and it didn't sound good. ".....well he got what was coming to him, maybe now he'll think twice for now on" said the voice of Derek as Mike listened to the other one. "Just because he could do it doesn't mean he could, what if we get exposed Derek did you think of that?" asked the voice of Bobby. It was clear what they were arguing about, Mike himself. They obviously had a disagreement over how he had handled himself. When they seen Mike they stopped talking and studied him for a second, Mike was still a little red and didn't look at them right away. "Hey Mikey, how you holding up?" asked Derek as he walked over to his boyfriend, he took him in an embrace and then let him go a second later. Mike didn't answer the question but looked at him with the same tired look he had used last night when they had walked through the woods. "Well that was quite a show of strength" said Bobby as he looked at Mike like he was judging him. Mike and Derek split apart when Bobby had said this, Mike looked at Derek about what he should do. "Bobby, don't" said Derek as he began growling at his friend. Bobby responded with a growl of his own and then both of them began to move toward each other. However before they got anymore than a few steps Mike got in between them. "Guys don't fight like this, I know what you are going to say and your right" said Mike as he put his hands down and then looked at the ground ashamed. Derek and Bobby both looked at him, Bobby like he was still judging him and Derek with a curious glance. "I know I shouldn't have almost lost it with Kevin back there, but the.....other half of me wasn't wanting to let him go" said Mike as he tried his best to describe the feelings he had at that specific point. "Listen, and listen good, we can't be exposed to the humans here at the town or in the school" said Bobby to Mike. Bobby knew exactly what Mike went through because he had went through the same thing except for the fact that he had given into his own wolf. "I know about the whole inner wolf Mike, I know all about it but you have to be better than I was, and keep it in control. I know it's not easy but that's why we're here to help you" said Bobby as he looked at Derek to see if he was going to say anything. Derek looked annoyed, very annoyed with Bobby saying all of this to Mike but Mike had figured out why it was Derek who hadn't said it. Obviously he would want to protect Mike from the truth to take that extra pressure off of him. "Thanks Bobby, I think I needed that" said Mike as he gave Bobby a thumbs up. To Derek he said "And I know you probably didn't want him to but don't be angry with him. I....I actually think it helped" said Mike as he pointed to his head and then said "I don't feel quite as out of control". They continued in the forest for the next couple of hours as Bobby and Derek and later Dimetri taught Mike different techniques, from breathing to listening to the wind. Each Moon-Born had something different that would keep them calm, Mike had to find his. Dimetri hadn't been happy with them ditching school and leaving him inside, but he understood why they had to. Over the next few weeks Mike travelled all over the forest with the three wolves. They taught them different fighting techniques as well as how to change at different times and in different positions. He had to practice changing while jumping in the air as well as falling to the ground from high heights. He also practiced doing it while running, all of this helped put his time to two seconds on average for him to change. All the other wolves could do it in about a second so he wasn't too far behind. In the last weekend of November, a few weeks after the incident Derek and his pack mates took Mike into the forest, all of them in their wolf selves. Mike had grown more comfortable with it but it still freaked him out something terrible especially how he considered that he could hurt the people he cared about. His parents had noticed a change, especially since he went out wearing less clothes than usual and sometimes never answered his phone for hours. "Mike, are you in a gang or something?" asked his Mom one day out of curiosity. Mike looked at her strangely and then said "Not the last time I checked Mom, no I just hang around with my three friends, and sometimes Amanda and Kyle" he said. His Mom did find this a little suspicious but let it slip. Sadly the change had affected his relationship with Kyle and Amanda as both of them noticed he looked more drained during the day and a lot more prone to sleeping. His skin also looked more rough and more tanned. Mike had tried to say that he still wasn't feeling well but the truth couldn't be any further from it. He was feeling too healthy, he hadn't had one cold, one headache or one disease since becoming a Moon-Born and it felt like a welcome relief. If anything this was the best part of being a Moon-Born for him. In school Mike also noticed people start talking about him even more than usual. It hadn't been this bad since he had started hanging around with Bobby, Dimetri and Derek. He would have thought that him, a nerd hanging around with three of the most popular guys in school would have strung up enough conversation but it was him standing up to Kevin that had done it. Most people had no idea how he had even done it since at the time he had been a walking toothpick, with a little tiny bit of muscle now. However since Mike had become a Moon-Born he had been gaining a little bit muscle and losing some of the fat he had. Mike liked his new shape, he was beginning to feel a little bit more like a pack member to Derek and the others. One night Mike lay in his bed, he was sleeping peacefully in his bed for the second night in a row. He hadn't had another bad experience for a couple of nights now and it was beginning to make him actually begin to enjoy life now a little more. Mike must have been dreaming something good because when he woke up he had a raging hard on. Mike was tempted to take care of it but he flew around to hear something hit the window. Mike got up out of his bed and then went to check the window while he was still half asleep. Mike rubbed his eyes as he looked out. Mike looked toward the ground but didn't see anything in the dark, however as he looked closer he began to make out shapes in the dark and then gradually he began to see movement. On the ground was a pair of wolves, the larger frame of Bobby and the slightly smaller one of Dimetri. Both of them were looking up at him as if expecting him to do something. Mike squinted his eyes as he looked around, there was no way that they would be there without Derek being close by. Mike continued looking around until he heard a "Mikey, come on move it". Mike jumped away from his window frame and then turned his eyes to the tree that was close to his window. Up on the tree was Derek with a very serious looking face which made Mike think there was something wrong. "Derek, what's up and why are you guys.....?" said Mike before he was cut off by Derek. "Mike get ready, and then follow us into the forest we have a few things we need to do" said Derek as he didn't even wait for an answer and then leapt to the ground from the tree. This seemed to draw a look of concern from Mike for a second until he remembered the fact that it wouldn't hurt his boyfriend. Mike looked at the tree and then began to wonder about if or not he should jump. "Maybe...." he said, until he simply rolled his eyes and then got on his shorts, t-shirt and shoes. Mike then went down to the front door being as quickly as he could without being heard by his parents. When Mike got out the door he seen Derek heading to the shadows of the street, Bobby and Dimetri had already vanished and Derek was following their footsteps. Mike followed Derek through the streets for around ten minutes before they got into the forest. This was a part he had only ran by and never actually went into. As Mike went through the forest his eyes adjusted pretty well to the darkness. He was amazed by this as Derek had said that his eyesight would take ages before it fully came to him. Mike could not smell, hear and see much better than a normal human being. As Mike was distracted he felt himself bump into something in front of him. Mike turned to see that Derek had stopped and was looking around. He then turned to see Mike and said "Listen Mike, I need you to turn into your wolf self with me" he said as he took off his shorts and shirt. Mike did the same without even a second thought although as he did this he couldn't help but feel a little self conscious. Mike got off his clothing and then sat them on a bag that Derek had brought with him. Mike looked at Derek with a little fear on his face, Derek was being unusually cold with him, more so than he should have been. "Derek what's going on, why are you....?" said Mike before he was cut off by Derek. Derek put his finger on his mouth and then said "Shhhh, not yet" and then took a few steps away from Mike and then began his shift to become his wolf form. Mike could not figure out what was going on, where was Derek and the others leading him and what were they doing. As Mike watched Derek in the diminished light he seen his powerful silver form as he turned away from Mike and waited for him. Mike then took off his clothes and put them next to Derek's. When he had done so he began to shift to become his wolf self. Mike then looked through his wolf eyes and then sighted Derek running through the forest to where he could only assume that it was that Bobby and Dimetri were. Mike felt the wind go by in his ears and through his fur as he went as fast as he could to keep up with the bigger wolf. Along with the healing part of his new body this was easily the best part, being able to run at unknown speeds. He really enjoyed this and always got excited doing it. As they continued through the forest Mike sniffed a little and began to scent Bobby and Dimetri ahead. As if on cue Derek slowed down at a certain point in the forest. Mike slowed down also behind Derek and then looked and sniffed around. Bobby and Dimetri were in the small clearing they had stopped it. They were just sitting kind of like large sentinels guarding something. Mike was not sure what to make of it but before he could take much more than a few glances Derek ran and took his place with Bobby and Dimetri. He of course took his place in the center of them. Mike could see perfectly despite the complete darkness, this pleased him somewhat. He watched Derek as he seemed to be having a mental conversation with Bobby and Dimetri despite that they did no more than bob their heads or shake them a few times. Mike was sure that this level of understanding had to come from being in a pack for so long. Finally after about two minutes Derek leapt onto his two back paws and then quickly shifted back to his normal human form. Mike liked seeing him naked, it made him very excited and more importantly hard. However he didn't really have time to admire Derek before he shouted to Mike "Mikey, step forward for me" in a voice that he hadn't used since before they were going out. Mike stepped forward very slightly at first and very carefully because and as bad as he felt for thinking it he couldn't help but feel uneasy among Bobby and Dimetri because they stood perfectly still now on their haunches with their faces perfectly serious bordering on angry. Mike had never seen this from them. What were they doing here? Mike stopped about ten feet from Derek as his eyes swiped from Derek to Bobby to Dimetri and back again. Mike felt like growling at them until they told him why they were here. "Michael, you are a recently changed Moon-Born and although you may not know our laws you know that the pack you see before you owns this area and defends it from outside threats" he said as he let it sink it for Mike. Mike shifted his position uneasily, this much he knew but he hadn't really thought about it very much since becoming a Moon-Born. "You are now changed long enough that you are considered an outsider to us. You are a rouge wolf to us and must be treated as such" he said as he looked at Mike with very dark eyes. Mike struggled to find some part of his boyfriend in there, he couldn't understand what was going on here. "You are however allowed to join this pack if that's your wish. You aren't obligated to join however should you not you wouldn't be able to have the free run of this town or this forest. You wouldn't be able to interact with this pack either. We would have no choice but to shun you" said Derek in a very serious voice with a very stern face. Mike was shocked by this, not be allowed to run in the forest, how would he control his inner wolf. Not even allowed to join Derek, Bobby or Dimetri or talk to them. It sounds like they took this very seriously. Mike wondered why? "Mike, if you join this pack we will welcome you with open arms, just as we always have but also much more, as you might soon see" he said as he waited for Mike to answer. He knew that Mike would take a few minutes to answer, he always had a way of analyzing everything. Mike thought rather rapidly for a few minutes. This shouldn't even really be a choice, of course he would join the pack but there had to more to it than that. Derek wouldn't have brought him here at this time or in this way if that wasn't the case. Mike then looked at Derek and then with his green eyes he nodded his head to Derek signalling that he wanted to join. At this Derek smiled very slightly and then looked at Dimetri and then to Bobby. Dimetri nodded his head to Derek while Bobby simply stared back. It looked like they were pleased by his reaction. Derek then looked at Mike once again before saying "Mike, I'm glad you accepted but now as your alpha I must ask you to bow to me as your Alpha" said Derek. A big part of Mike rejected the very notion of bowing to someone, however the biggest more logical part of him bowed to Derek. Mike felt his head go to the ground and then the upper half of his body go down also. He had done it, he had bowed to Derek. Derek nodded and then letting his body shudder he took his wolf form again and then shifted back until he was on four legs again. Immediately he let out a large howl to the sky. This alarmed Mike until Bobby and Dimetri joined him. Mike could not describe what was happening but he felt a very big urge to howl with them. To howl with his "brothers". He didn't know where the instinct came from or what possessed him to do so but Mike let out a large howl to the heavens. His head rocked back and he let out a howl of sheer joy, for the first time he felt truly alive as a Moon-Born. He actually felt like he might be able to survive his life this way. The four of them howled for nearly five minutes before they let it go. As all four of them had stopped Bobby and Dimetri came over to Mike and sniffed and rubbed against him with their fur. Mike did the same to them, this was his new pack and he was proud of them. They were better than friends, they were his pack, his brothers. Bobby and Dimetri soon backed off from Mike while Derek came down and was now face to face with Mike. As Derek blinked Mike did the same, and in that time Mike felt a large pain in his fore leg. Mike opened his eyes to see Derek biting into his leg. Mike felt a jolt of pain for a second after Derek had let go, however the pain soon vanished after. Mike snarled at Derek and then, as if some instinct drove him to it he bit into Derek in the very same way that Derek had to him. Mike held on a little more than Derek had and probably bit a little deeper too but not once did Derek wince, whine or otherwise do anything. Mike finally let go and then looked horrified as he had seen what his inner wolf self had did. He watched Derek and then turned to Bobby and Dimetri while looking at them for any sort of retaliation. Only a couple of minutes in the pack and he had already attacked Derek, the alpha and his boyfriend. However as he scanned the three of them he couldn't help but notice that they didn't even seem bothered by it, in fact it he weren't mistaken he thought that Derek would have looked pleased. As soon as enough time had passed Bobby and Dimetri both turned and ran into the forest. Mike was about to follow them but as he did he felt some sort of force distract him for a second. It felt like his attention had been distracted by someone putting a large blanket in front of him to stop him from seeing. However Mike could still see but he felt compelled to look around at Derek. Derek still in his wolf form was facing the other way from Mike. He was standing as if he expected something from Mike. He then used his head and nudged toward the forest, and then in the blink of an eye began running the exact opposite way from the others. Mike didn't know what to do but something was telling him to follow Derek. Mike then eventually did so leaving large gouges in the earth where he ran. Mike felt the wind rush past him as he felt the earth bounce him along at top speed to try and keep up with Derek. He really was amazed by the silver wolf's speed. He was the fastest wolf and Mike got to experience this with him, how could that be a bad thing. After running for nearly an hour Derek finally stopped and then waited for Mike to join him. Mike did so and then hugged into Derek as they rubbed their heads and bodies together. Mike liked this as it felt like his Derek had returned to him and he really had wanted that all night. After another half hour of just being together Mike and Derek finally returned to where they had their clothes and then got them back on when they turned back to their human forms. "So, what was all that about Derek?" asked Mike when he was putting on his shorts. He then started putting on his shoes and then went over and put his warm hands over Derek's body. "Hey Mikey, you have to know I didn't want to do that. It's just.....well I had to....it's like a Moon-Born thing. Our packs are a very powerful thing and you only got a taste of what that means" he said as he held up his arm where Mike had bitten him. Immediately Mike looked horrified, Derek had small marks on his skin, they looked like animal bites. Not very serious ones but they were noticeable to anyone who looked. Why hadn't he noticed them before? Derek caught Mike's look and then said "You, Bobby and Dimetri did these to me when you joined the pack". He then continued by saying "Each time a member joins the pack they have to be bitten on the body by the alpha and then he or she will get to bite in return. That's why you did it and that's what your instincts said you had to do" said Derek as he seemed to know what Mike was going to ask before he did. "But.....why Derek? I still don't get it" said Mike as he tilted his head from side to side before looking at his own arm, his left one and seeing that he had a bite mark now. "It's to symbolize the bond between Moon-Born, if we are willing to bear this mark then it shows that we are supposed to be together" said Derek as he smiled and kissed Mike on the mouth and then on his new mark. "But wait you said you had two before this, how come I never noticed them?" asked Mike asking another smart question. He couldn't fully enjoy Derek's company while these questions burned within him. It was just something he had learned to with him. "It's quite simply Mikey, normal humans can't see it only Moon-Born, although don't ask me what does it. It's something that's never been explained to us" said Derek as he took Mike's body to his own and then kissed him. Mike let Derek enjoy the kiss for a minutes but then asked another question. "Derek, why did I feel like howling earlier? Was it my wolf self again, I thought it was but it felt.....different" said Mike as he looked up at the taller man. Derek smiled slightly but Mike could tell that he was getting impatient to enjoy himself with Mike. "It's more than your wolf, way more Mikey. It was partly my wolf and partly Bobby and Dimetri's as well" said Derek. Mike looked horrified at this and then said "Did I read your minds?" and then grabbed his head in his hands and looked at Derek with large eyes. Derek grabbed both of his hands and then brought their heads together. "Mikey, don't panic, you're not psycho or anything....I mean psychic" he said correcting himself. "No, it's.....well it's almost like a pack instinct" said Derek as he tried his best to explain. "You see as a pack we have a pack mind that gives us a great instinct when we are altogether. It works kind of like the way a tank would with its soldiers inside, someone piloting it, someone looks at the screens and someone manning the gun. It works well when we do. It gives you instincts to make us work well. No pack can work well without an alpha just as no robot can work well without all the parts" said Derek. Finally Mike was understanding, he could listen to the instinct of the pack and let it guide him. "Ohhh, that's amazing not to mention cool. I can't wait till we get into a fight with that son of a bitch again. I won't feel so alone next time I have you guys with me" said Mike as he kissed Derek with his full passion this time. Mike even did a play bite to Derek on the neck. Derek did the same back to him, perhaps a little more than he meant to. Mike and Derek walked home to Mike's house as they kept mostly to the shadows, as he stared at his watch it was now almost half four in the morning. Mike knew that he, Derek and the others would need to sleep as they all had school in the morning. Mike noticed that Derek could barely look away from him now and it would have been bordering on freaky if he hadn't liked the attention. "You OK Mikey?" he asked to Mike after everything tonight. Mike nodded and then smiled as they arrived outside Mike's house and stayed in the shadows to make sure that nobody would see them. Mike was hugging into Derek while they kissed slightly. "Derek, what will change now that I'm a member of the pack?" asked Mike. Derek took his mouth from Mike's rather grudgingly to talk to Mike. "You'll be able to sniff out Bobby, Dimetri and me a lot easier than before and you'll be able to tell if we're in danger from anywhere. No matter how far away" said Derek explaining the whole process to Mike. Mike listened and then said "I take it that would work in reverse?" "Yeah that way we'll know if your being attacked by anything or anyone" said Derek as Mike felt him tighten up especially around his arms and wrists at the mention of the black wolf, ever since that day Derek had been determined to tear his head off and then shove it up his ass. "That's good to know Derek, don't worry I'm not afraid of that wolf anymore. Just knowing you guys are with me, and being one of you doesn't hurt either" said Mike as he smiled at Derek and then kissed him one more time on the lips. Mike headed into the house as quietly as he could so that he could avoid waking up his parents. As he headed into the kitchen he seen the light which was strangely on. As he walked into it he heard his father's voice say "Morning Michael, out for a late night stroll?" Mike didn't know what to say but he settled with "Yeah Dad I couldn't sleep, and I just kind of wanted some air". Ethan seemed to accept this and then nodded to his son. "That's OK, I'm just getting ready for work. I'm on the early shift today" he said as he put a lot of documents into the brief case. He then closed it with one of the documents still out the brief case. "While I'm here and while I remember you asked me to look into Amanda's father Giovanni didn't you?" he asked Mike. With all his own Moon-Born issues going on as well as most of the other things going on he had forgotten about it until this moment. "Yeah Dad, what did you find out?" asked Mike. Ethan handed Mike the one piece of paper and then Mike began to read it. As he scanned it he seen a lot of things about the company he owned as a whole but not a lot on the man himself. "Dad, this has a lot of information on Mr. Granger's company but not a lot on him" said Mike in a bit of a whiny voice. "Yeah I noticed that myself, it's like this guy is the cleanest guy on earth, he hasn't ever been in trouble with the law nor is there any records on him outside of official ones" said Ethan. "Don't worry though I'm going to keep on looking" said Ethan as he smiled at his son. Mike gave a bit of a smile back even if it did look a bit strange and misshapen. "Thanks Dad, I appreciate this you know?" he said. Ethan nodded and then said "That's fine Mike, anyway how is your school work going?" he asked Mike. This seemed to shock Mike a little and he almost flinched at the asking. Ethan noticed this and then said "What, just because I don't ask all the time doesn't mean I don't care about you" said Ethan. Mike then nodded and then went into a large spiel about his school and social life were doing. He went into details about where he was struggling and his friends in general. "So you still hanging about with Kyle then huh?" asked Ethan. Mike took a second to answer before saying "Yeah we hang out mostly at weekends sometimes and in school but....Dad you know about who else I have been hanging around with?" asked Mike a little hesitantly. Ethan looked up at Mike with one raised eyebrow and then said "Yes the local jocks from your school. I have heard they were trouble" and then put his briefcase on the floor and then went to collect his tie. He seemed to be having trouble with his tie as he looked in the mirror. "Well, it's not really like that Dad, the guys are a bit loud and a little obnoxious but they aren't trouble makers" said Mike as he continued with "Bobby, Dimetri....and Derek, they are some of the most awesome guys in the school. They totally look out for me and because of that nobody picks on me anymore" said Mike sounding a little happier than he should have especially when he said "Derek". His Dad seemed to have picked up on this as he turned to look at Mike. Despite Mike being a little more tanned than it was before Mike felt himself go a little red. "Mike, is there something....more going on with one of these people?" asked Ethan. Judging by the way his voice went Mike guessed he already suspected something. "It's Derek Bradshaw Dad, he is the best guy I know and I really like him" said Mike as he went even redder. Ethan nudged for his son to come help him with the tie and as Mike put it into position properly he said "That's good for you son, I think I know the boy's Father Daniel. He is the mechanic in the garage in town isn't he?" Mike nodded and then said "Yeah I have met him a few times as well when I have stayed at Derek's house". Ethan nodded as his tie looked good on him and then said "Thanks for that, it's obvious that you got your attention to detail from your mother". Mike laughed and then said "And my hard head from you". Both of them laughed for a second before Ethan made his way to the door and then said "OK, tell your Mother I'll see her later today. I didn't want to wake her up. See you later son". "Sure thing Dad, and have a good day at work" said Mike as he shut the door behind his Father. Mike paused to get a drink of water and then reflected on the events of the night. All he had to do was tell his Mom about the relationship and then everyone in the house would know as well as those closest to him. It was quite a good feeling. Mike made his way to bed to get ready for the day tomorrow to find out what being part of a pack meant. He had already considered himself a member of Derek's pack and the fact that he now bore the marks on his forearm invisible to his parents solidified that fact. Mike couldn't wait to see what the coming weeks would bring. Over the next few weeks Mike felt a content feeling unlike anything he had ever felt before. He had since told his Mother about everything that was going on with Derek and the gang, minus the Moon-Born part. Mike had also learned about pack hunting and scouting from the three jocks as well as fighting other Moon-Born, like how to get out the way of one or go for the killing spots like the throat. Mike excelled through school better than ever now that he was finally able to focus without his Moon-Born half breaking through constantly. One side effect he hadn't noticed at first was that he seemed to be able to learn a lot more, a lot quicker. It was like his side effect of being a Moon-Born, like Bobby was bigger and more powerful and Dimetri was nimble and more quick. On the other side through things had gotten much worse for Kyle and Amanda, Amanda's Father had been able to get her over the weekend, every weekend now. Despite Amanda being 18 years old Mr. Granger had been able to make Amanda's Mother Delia look like a monster in the eyes of the court and thus grant Giovanni more or less full time custody. Kyle hated this and it seemed like every time Mike seen him he seemed to lose more of his cheer. It really made Mike angry and he was determined to help his friend any way possible. "Don't worry about me Mikey, there isn't anything anyone can do" said Kyle one day. Mike hurt seeing them like this, it made him think back to the person that he had seen and had dinner with on that day months ago. That person had been nice to him but this person was also hurting his best friend, the one of the most important people in the world to him. The black wolf hadn't shown up in the past few weeks either ever since the attack on Mike and now that they had his scent it would be easier to detect him coming. Mike was constantly on alert now and was constantly learning the scents around him. He knew Bobby, Dimetri and Derek as well as the Black wolf, those were the only Moon-Born in the area but he was beginning to learn the scents of his family and friends also. He had even managed to learn Kevin's and this was useful for avoiding him. "Mikey, you want to come around to Dimetri's after school, we're staying the weekend at his house" said Derek to Mike as they exited the school on Friday. It was now just over a week until Christmas and Mike knew that he would have to go buy everything he needed this weekend. Thanks to being a Moon-Born and his school work he hadn't even found time to get a part time job this year. His only money would come from selling his work online. "Sure, why not then I can go to town and pick up some shit tomorrow. This Moon-Born stuff is a drag on my work life" he said as he remembered his time last year. "What's a drag on your social life Mikey?" said Dimetri as he seemed to appear out of nowhere. He joined Mike and Derek behind them and began to listen to what they were saying. "I thought Moon....." said Mike before he was grabbed from behind and dragged to the side, drawing some concerned looks from other people. At least until they noticed who was being grabbed. All three of them were now a respectable distance from the crowd when Derek whispered "You want to blow our cover?" and then got Dimetri to let him go. Mike gave them a thumbs up and then put his hand over his mouth to show them he wasn't going to say anything else. "Sorry guys, still slightly new to me" he said. At this Derek merely put his eyes up and then went to walk home with the others. As they walked Mike noticed the strange way they took through the forest, it was the way to Dimetri's house and although he had been there before he had never taken this route. With the three of them there Mike was sure he would be safe, and if the wolf did attack he wouldn't be able to resist trying to tear it's head off. The trip home was pretty uneventful for the three of them but as they went into Dimetri's house they were greeted by Dimetri's mother. It was now obvious which side of the family Dimetri got both his humor and his accent from. "Hi there boys, are any of you hungry. I need an excuse to use the new cooker" she said as she showed them a brand new cooker which had been delivered that morning. "No thanks Mum, I don't think we'd survive", however before he could finish Derek quickly dragged Dimetri away before his Mom had noticed what he had said. As they emerged in Dimetri's room Mike was left speechless as always, the room was massive. The outside of the house was large enough but this was something else. Dimetri's family obviously did quite well judging by the equipment in the room like the Large TV or the Xbox 360 but also by the house itself. It was on the rich side of town of course. "So Mikey, what you getting me for my Christmas" asked Dimetri as he sat down on his bed. Mike knew that Dimetri had only asked him this to annoy him and he still refused to answer. "So where are we all sleeping tonight or can we all fit on the bed" asked Mike to his friends. Nobody answered but something passed between Derek and Dimetri that made them both laugh like a pair of mules. Mike should have known better than to ask but he couldn't resist it. "What's so funny?" he asked. Almost looking like he was in pain Derek said "Well a while ago, I thought Dimetri was into you Mikey". Mike looked at Dimetri and then Derek with a strange expression and then mouthed to them both "Really?" Dimetri then mouthed back "Really" and then went to his computer which had just recently been installed. They went over a few things while Mike was there, during that time Derek played the Xbox 360. Eventually Bobby showed up from collecting his things he would need for today and tomorrow. When all three of them were with Dimetri the night became fun. They went out for a while to do some running on two legs while it was still light but when it became dark enough they all became their wolf forms and spent a while in the forest, not training but just running, play fighting and then catching a deer. Mike spent the night at Dimetri's and then in the morning went to the town to collect Christmas presents with Derek. Derek found it curious watching Mike collect presents, it was obvious that Mike put more thought into it than Derek did. "Well well well, look who's in town" said a voice that Mike recognised as Kyle's. Mike smiled to himself and then turning he seen Kyle and Amanda heading toward them. Mike noticed that while Kyle looked a little more like himself, there was no other word he could use for Amanda except miserable. "Hey Amanda, how are you?" asked Mike as she stared at the ground. As Mike had called her name it was like she was waking from a nightmare. "Oh Hi Mike" said Amanda as she smiled at him and then excusing herself went to look at a shop window pretty much ignoring what went on with the three men. "Derek...." said Kyle nodding to Derek trying to be polite. Derek gave a small nod in return. The exchange made Mike notice how much the two still did not get along. Despite all the times they had been together and how many times they had talked it seemed like they only got on for Mike and not because they actually liked each other. It was something he had gotten used to but he had hoped that it might change. Mike and Kyle got to talking for a few minutes while Derek simply listened or otherwise paid attention to something else. However as Mike was listening to what Kyle was saying he caught a scent in the air. He turned his head to see a large limo heading their way. Mike's heart dropped, and from the looks of Kyle and Amanda as well when she heard the noise it looks like their hearts dropped also. As the Limo drew closed it became apparent that it belonged to none other than Mr. Granger. Sure enough as soon as the car was close enough to the path the door furthest back opened and in his rather expensive shoes Mr. Granger emerged. He seemed to be in a very good mood as he smiled at both Amanda and Kyle. Kyle grimaced at his presence while Amanda looked plain moody. "My daughter, and the best man. Kyle and Amanda how are you both doing" said Mr. Granger as he walked over to them positively beaming at everyone around him. It was not a normal person who could look that cheery and still wear those colors. "I'm fine Dad, what are you doing here?" asked Amanda not without rudeness to her voice. As she said this the atmosphere seemed to darken slightly for the four teens but not for Mr. Granger. "You know me, just out and about I was in the office and wanted to step out for something for something to eat and I happened across all of you" said Mr. Granger. At this Mike couldn't help but think to himself I'll bet but he didn't voice any of these words to anyone else. In an attempt to distract him from his friends Mike talked to Mr. Granger. "Mr. Granger it's been a long time how are you doing?" he asked. As if for the first time noticing Mike Mr Granger smiled at him although a little more sensible a smile. "I am doing fine my boy, how are you since last we met" he said. "Alright for the most part, just struggling a little with school work but other than that fine" said Mike. "Well if you ever....." but before Mr. Granger could say anything more Kyle had had enough. "Mr. Granger what are you doing here besides hurting Amanda?" asked Kyle as he had a face that could have killed someone. He then went to Mr. Granger and then got between Mr. Granger and Amanda. "I'm not hurting Amanda, what would ever give you an idea like that. I'm just going to invite you both to dinner" said Mr. Granger as if urging her to accept. "I'm sorry Dad, but I'm going for dinner with Mom today it is after all my day with her isn't it?" she said to him with her face looking quite haunted. Mr. Granger then looked a little more serious and then said "Well I'm afraid I must....insist, both yourself and Kyle" said Mr. Granger as he motioned to the car door. "I don't think so" said Kyle as he went and pushed Mr. Granger away from the two of them. At this Mr. Granger didn't seem to respond. "I see you're pretty handy when you want to be my boy, it's one of the things I like about you but I wouldn't advise you to do that again" said Mr. Granger in a very threatening but very collected tone. At this Mike could feel the tone becoming quickly more violent. He knew that he was going to get to see now what made Mr. Granger so frightening, he was taller than most people Mike knew and he knew that this fact would make him something fierce to behold. "Oh yeah" said Kyle as he went to try and push Mr. Granger closer to the door but before he could Mr. Granger picked up Kyle by the shirt with apparent ease with one hand. At this he said "Fine then, but my daughter is coming with me. You are unfit to be with her and I assure you you'll regret it" said Mr. Granger. At this Amanda hit her father on the side a few times trying to get her to drop Kyle. As Derek didn't know if or not to interfere, Mike showed no such restraint. He took a few steps forward and then grabbed Mr. Granger's arm. He then tried to force him to let go of Kyle but he found his strength was simply no match for the older man's. At this he then felt his inner strength increasing thanks to his Moon-Born half, however as he tried to pry Kyle free he found he couldn't move Mr. Granger. "You have some grip on you young man" said Mr. Granger as if noticing that Mike was trying to get to him. Mike took a few steps back when Kyle landed on the ground and then looked at Mike like his chest was in pain as he clutched it. Mr. Granger had a very stern look on his face as he went back to his car. "You will regret this Kyle, Amanda and you too Mike. I promise you, you will regret this" said Mr. Granger as he went into his car again where he had come from and then drove away with a signal to the driver. Mike held his hand and then made sure that Kyle and Amanda were OK. Amanda started crying as Kyle led her away while mouthing "Thank you" in a tearful way. Mike nodded to him as he himself felt upset. "What the fuck is that guy on?" asked Derek when Kyle and Amanda were away far enough. Mike looked at Derek and then looked at the ground. He now could see exactly how dangerous Mr. Granger was. Later that night Mike got a text from Kyle explaining about what was happening. Amanda still had to go and stay with her father despite what had happened, the reasons being that there were no reliable witnesses that had seen what had happened, Kyle, Mike and Derek were discarded as "mere children" and Amanda was discarded for being biased about wanting to stay with her mother. This made Mike angry as he knew exactly how violent Mr. Granger could be now. One thing was for sure that Amanda was in danger, Kyle had a real fight on his hands. Almost a week after the incident Mike had noticed that Kyle seemed to be more quiet and withdrawn in school. He almost showed no sign of alertness in school and as a result his school work was suffering. Mike hated to see him like this and it was even harder to control his Moon-Born half now that he could focus on something he hated except the Black wolf. It made him want to change right there and then go and rip Mr. Granger's head off. "But Derek, I swear to you I used my Moon-Born strength on him. It didn't make a bit of difference" said Mike to Derek when they were out in the school yard on the 21st December, four days before Christmas. Mike had been telling Derek about what he had done to Mr. Granger a week past and he found it hard to believe. "I just don't get how he could have resisted you, by everything you should have broken his arm" said Derek as he took a drink of his energy drink. It had been a recent habit he had taken to since he was failing on some of his studies despite Mike's help. Mike thought about the possibility of breaking the man's arm, it did make him think for a second but he discarded it and then decided against trying to do it. "Well I didn't want that but when it was him against me I thought I would have won" he said as he stared at the ground for a few seconds trying to tune out the voices around him. Compared to before when he could tune them out easily, he now had to focus on that one quiet part within himself and let it come to the surface. "Well....I don't know maybe because your strength hasn't fully formed yet we overestimated you. That coupled with his massive body might have what stopped you from overpowering him" said Derek as he looked a little sketchy at the prospect. "Well whatever happened, I'll have to watch him in the future the guy is a psycho" said Mike as he looked to the sky and then around the school ground to see if he could see Kyle. He couldn't see him as he hadn't been able to that day or yesterday. He hoped he hadn't done anything stupid. "Yeah I seen, I'm sorry I didn't help but I will watch your back next time Mikey. Even if I have to break his arm" said Derek as he crushed the can in half and cut his hand in the process. Mike looked a little squeamish around this but he looked away. He knew that Derek would if he had to despite the consequences. The two of them headed back to class by the time the bell rung. The following day since school as done for the year Mike decided to meet up with Bobby, Dimetri and Derek and have some fun for most of the day. The group/pack decided to take a walk into town and then go for some football practice in the afternoon. Mike did this for once with Derek in his team and Bobby and Dimetri in the other, he found that he was no match for Bobby but with Dimetri he fared a little better. Despite this however he couldn't help but feel that maybe his strength wasn't all it was supposed to be. It was just little things like not being able to put up as good a fight as he felt he should against Dimetri. After this Mike got all three of them to come swimming with him despite the objection of Bobby and Derek. Both of them didn't do well in the water compared with the two smaller members of the pack. At night time they went for dinner in the local burger place they usually went to. It was quite a nice place to eat once you got used to it and Mike had even been able to put away a large burger and two plates of fries, what the others ate was still beyond him. He still couldn't pull off two or two and a half burgers at once. As they walked home Mike was enjoying the night air, they had spent all day together and now Mike had to return home. Not because of any obligations but because he wanted to check on Kyle. It seemed like he hadn't been able to get a hold of him all day, and he had tried like four times which was strange for him. He hoped that Kyle was alright. His mind kept on racing to Mr. Granger and him doing something to his daughter and her boyfriend. He shrugged these thoughts off though as it would look too suspicious if something were to happen to either of them. As Mike walked up the road with Bobby, Dimetri and Derek his head turned as he heard something heading toward them. It was a couple of police cars that had their sirens blazing and their engines on full speed. Mike held his ears and then said "That's loud as fuck, how do you guys put up with that" and then as they went passed dropped his hands. As he did he heard his phone ring with the familiar tone that was his Mom. He picked it up and then said "Hello....". "Mike, Mike please come home quickly......it's your Father....he's been....on my god...please come back now" she said as she put down the phone. Mike heard the familiar tone that meant the other person had hung up. Mike's eyes nearly bulged out his head as he turned to the others and then now knowing what to say simply said "I have to get home" and then not caring how fast he was going he began running down the road. Derek looked at Bobby and Dimetri with a great concern on his face, it was obvious that he had heard everything on the phone and had no idea what was going on.