Savage Moon

The New Breed 28

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"Savage Moon: The New Breed 28"

The sinister chills that rolled through me as I lay in that bed, staring up at a dark ceiling above me...were almost as terrifying as the thoughts I was contemplating on what I might have to do next. This wasn't about merely getting in 'trouble'. This wasn't about my dad yelling at me, or getting grounded for the rest of the Summer. No...there was real danger present in this place. Mortal danger. And I found myself so overwhelmed by a lack of ideas that I was almost paralyzed by the terror of it all.

My mind was rapidly working itself into a frenzy to piece together the events of the last few hours as fast as it could. Then the last few days. Then the last few weeks. What had I done? What drove me to commit the wicked actss that I've been a part of in the past few hours alone???

Cyrus baited me. He told me everything that I wanted to hear...that I needed to hear...and he made good on his dark covenant. Or so I believed. I had all the liquor, all the freedom, all the sex, that I could ever want or hope for. But, in the end, I chose to willingly give him my soul in exchange. He owned it. And now I don't know if I can ever get it back again.

Strange. Mentally...spiritually...I almost felt a great deal of sadness from being temporarily detached from the rest of my brethren here at the house. Even in these troubled moments. I really couldn't understand it, as it's not like we had been a family unit for very long. And the time that I spent here with them had been crowded with death and intimidation and violence. One would think that it would be fairly easy to turn away from a situation like this. To just regain my conscience, take responsibility for the evils I've been a part of, and simply find the will and the courage to hightail it away from this Hellish nightmare as fast as my feet, or Isaac's truck, could carry me!

But...

It wasn't like that.

It wasn't like that at all.

I couldn't tell if it was the 'calling' within me, or an actual, genuine, emotion of my own creation...but the truth is...Father trusted me. He...he told me that I was ok. Special, even. He embraced me as one of his own and gave me a family that inspired and supported me more than the one I could claim by blood relation alone. He promised me a world of knowledge. One of acceptance. Cyrus had his moments where he scared the living shit out of me, sure. But he also had moments where I felt a sincere sense of true brotherhood. Shared, and sincere. And thinking about it clouded my every other thought with the temptation to just make this ONE little sacrifice...Isaac's life...if only Father would let me stay with them in this dark paradise for just a little bit longer. I didn't really know Isaac, right? Not personally, anyway. I could do it. I could close my eyes...and I could do it. Quick. Painless. And Father would believe in me again. He would trust me. Father will take care of me. They all will.

His words....our words...rang true. 'Who am I without my brethren? Without my brethren, I am nothing.'

Was it a trick? A self inflicted hypnotic suggestion, given to me by a master of manipulation? Is it even possible to break free of his influence? If only for the short few moments that it would take to get out of this house with our lives in tact?

I'm sorry, Father. I'm so sorry.

Father? No! Not Father! Cyrus! I have to remember that. Cyrus. Keep his name in your mind, Wesley....Cyrus. Cyrus! Don't give in. It was so easy for the energies within to lull me back into an easy trance. The lustful allure of the calling allowed me the carefree attitude to justify almost anything that would bring me a moment's pleasure without consequence. Even murder. It could be...sooooo seductive. But....no. NO! I needed to think clearly. Resist the temptation. Get the calling out of your head, Wesley. It's a trick. An illusion. Cyrus was offering me the keys to a fake city of gold, and I had to be strong enough to tell him no. Every last good and decent part of me is lost forever if I don't.

We need to go. We've got to get out of this place. And we have to do it before the morning sun finishes its journey up and over that distant horizon.

That means now!

I decided to make my move, and the guilt in my heart finally gave me the courage to slowly shake Isaac out of his sleep.

So peaceful. Isaac must have had no idea what kind of a monster I was to allow himself to rest so peacefully at my side. No sense of caution. No awareness of the fact that his very life was in peril. Wake up, Isaac. For the love of God, please wake up!

Isaac was really tuckered out from the extensive lovemaking we had been doing since the moment he came upstairs. As horny a teenager as I was, I never thought that I would just let loose like that once I got a boy of my very own. The sweet, full, lips. The warm tongue. The moistened heat of a tightly clutching hole, hidden in the valley of two thick mounds of smooth, round, bubble shaped, flesh. It felt...good. SO good. I won't deny the overwhelming sensation of it. But was that me speaking? Or the calling? It was getting so hard to tell the difference these days.

"Awww, Wesley...again?" Isaac moaned. "Can we wait a few minutes. I think I'm still a little sore from the last time." I shook him a bit more. "Sooooo tired..." He said. "What time is it?"

"Isaac, wake up. This is serious." I whispered as quietly as I could while still having him hear me.

"Mmmm...ok. Just one more time, then I have to get some sleep, ok?" Isaac said, and he lazily rolled over onto his back, gently raising his legs in the air and holding them at the back of the knee to expose himself to me once again.

I had to keep him quiet. I used my hands to put his legs back down and leaned into his ear. "Isaac, I can't explain this right now, but we have to get OUT of this house. Like, right now!"

He was still half asleep, but I could tell that he was trying to regain his senses. "Wait...what do you mean?" He asked in a normal voice, but I was quick to hush him up again by putting my hand over his mouth. Cyrus might hear us. Cyrus hears everything.

"Listen, I need you to quietly get up, and get dressed. Ok? You have to hurry, but don't make ANY noise! Do you understand?"

"I don't get it. What's going on?" He whispered.

"We're in trouble. Big trouble. I need you to get back in your truck and drive me home."

"I thought this was your home...?" He said.

"No. I need your help. Ok? If we don't get out of here before dawn, the others...they're going to hurt us both."

"Hurt us? But, I thought...I thought they were your friends?"

Dammit, why wasn't he moving already??? "Isaac, PLEASE..." I said, almost crying from the fear rising up within me at the moment. "...I'll come clean and tell you everything later! But for right now, I need you to grab your stuff, ok? We have to go. We NEED to go! Get up. And try not to make a sound."

I quickly hopped off of the bed and started putting my clothes on again. I think Isaac was still shaking some of the cobwebs out of his head, wondering what I was even talking about. But once he saw me with my pants on and quickly looking for my shirt...he finally realized that I might just be telling him the truth about the danger that awaited us just outside that bedroom door.

"Shhhh...!" I said, with barely enough breath to make the command audible at all. I know that Isaac was actually doing his best to be silent, but I don't think he knew just how silent I needed him to be. I didn't even expect to sneak past John Boy. I was just hoping he wouldn't think anything of me getting up out of bed and opening the door for some fresh air. I was praying that it would be too late for anyone to stop us by the time we were outside and rushing towards the truck. But yeah...the very idea of sneaking past John Boy alone was a suspension of disbelief that I couldn't entertain, not even for a moment.

"Where are your keys?" I whispered.

"Huh?"

"Your keys. To your truck. Where are they?"

Isaac felt his pocket, then answered, "You friend, Cyrus, told me to leave them in the ignition. They're still outside."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Nobody would have moved them, right? Since we got out?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It's possible, but...I think we all came into the house together, didn't we?"

It was a high risk, simply assuming that the keys would still be in the truck once we got back outside...but it was one that we were going to have to take. We didn't have much choice.

Finally, Isaac was dressed and had most of his wits about him again. He was getting ready to put on his shoes but I was quick to stop him. "Carry them in your hands until we get outside. K?"

My heart was thumping wildly in my chest. I was sure they could hear it. I was sure the whole house could hear it. I needed to be quick, but I needed to be quiet. And not TOO quick, or they'll know something is up.

I thought about Evren told me at the barn, about breaking my union with my brethren. I had to remain slightly submerged in the calling, but well balanced enough to not fall back under its spell. It was a difficult balance to pull off, and in the end, I couldn't even tell if I was doing it right. I took Isaac softly by the hand. Was he really breathing that loud? Or was it just my enhanced hearing. Oh God...we are never going to get away with this...

I stopped Isaac before getting too close to the door. I stood there for a moment. Breathless. I stretched my hearing out as far as I possibly could. I didn't hear any movement at all. Still, I was afraid to step forward. Too scared to turn the knob on that bedroom door.

Isaac whispered, "I don't think they're awake. It's still dark out."

"I can't be sure..." I said.

After a few seconds, he said, "They had a lot to drink. Maybe they're passed out or something..."

"It won't matter." I told him. "Shhh...follow me. Remember...not a SOUND, ok?" And he nodded in agreement. I had to take a chance. Every second that I wasted being too afraid to open that door was another moment that we could be using to make our escape. I can see my family again. My friends. At last...I can go home. All I have to do...is make it back to that truck in one solid piece.

Ok...here goes nothing....

I reached out my hand, and I slowly turned the knob on the door. Even the sound of the gentle 'click' as it opened was enough to make me cringe with fright. The hinges seemed to whine softly as I opened the door wide enough for us to slip through, and I was sure to test the floorboards under my feet before putting my full weight on them.

I peeked my head out of the room, scanning both ends of the dark hallway, looking for any movement. Listening for any sounds. Anything as faint as a heartbeat, I was sure I'd be able to detect if I was careful enough. But...the coast seemed to be clear.

Still not completely satisfied with my level of safety, I lifted my nose slightly into the air, sniffing. No pheromones. No perspiration. No scent of alcohol. Nothing except for me and Isaac. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps my family had their liquor, had their sex, and dozed off for the night.

I didn't really believe it...but I tried to have hope.

I stepped a single foot outside of the room, making sure to silently warn Isaac not to move too fast. Then took another step, and lightly pulled him in my direction to get him to follow.

Every measured step took my breath away. I began to quake in the center of my stomach until I was almost nauseous from the motion. Those inner tremors only became more turbulent as Isaac and I approached the staircase, our sock feet stepping over the huge bloodstain in the carpet.

'Don't look at it', I told myself. I just needed to keep going. Slow and easy. So far...so good.

There were a few pieces of random junk on the steps that we made sure to avoid. And I tested each one for any loud squeaks or creaks before taking the next step down to the ground level of the house.

The living room was empty.

Littered with trash and discarded clothes, the whole floor was like a minefield that needed to be navigated with extreme caution.

I wish Isaac wasn't so nervous. I could hear him. I could smell his fear and his tension in the air. If he doesn't do something to hide his presence....he's going to end up getting both of us killed!

It was at that moment that I noticed Isaac's foot stepping forward...and it was about to accidentally kick one of the lone beer bottles laying on it's side on the floor. Luckily, my reflexes were quick to reach out and push back on his knee before that happened, but the disturbed look on my face reminded him to be CAREFUL!

I don't think he understand just how insane our predicament is at this point.

More measured steps. More silent signals. More strained inhalations of breath.

We were almost there. Almost to the front door. I couldn't help but to speed up my pace, ever so slightly, as freedom seemed SO close, and yet so far away.

Almost there. Steady now.

Reach out....

Grab the door handle...

Open it slowly....

Shhhhhhhh.....

Isaac and I stepped out onto the front porch, and I turned to lightly close the door. Partially, but not all the way. I didn't want the latch to click.

I was about to whisper for Isaac to hurry up and get to the truck when I heard a little whistle coming from a dark patch of shadows on the front porch.

I instantly froze. So did Isaac. And it was then that I saw Cyrus lean forward just enough for the fading moonlight to illuminate the bottom half of his face...his eyes staring at me with a dull glow. A wicked smile on his face.

"Little pig, little pig...let me in." He smirked. "What's going on in that devious little mind of your, Wesley?"

We were caught. Easily caught. Should I have expected anything less?

"Cyrus...I can...I can explain..."

"Shhhhh...quiet little pup. Let's not get ourselves all bent out of shape. The fun is just beginning..." He said, and I became aware of more footsteps as the rest of the pack slowly began to emerge from the front door, one by one. All eyes fixed on me.

Scout immediately walked over and sat in Cyrus' lap, wrapping his little arms around his neck as he scolded me with his eyes. "You see, Father? I told you he wasn't worthy. I told you he was no good."

Cyrus kissed Scout on the cheek and said, "Aww, come now, Scout...we haven't given our new breed a chance to defend himself yet. I'm sure the two of them were just coming out here to get some fresh air after a long night of hardcore fucking. Weren't you, Wesley?"

"I wasn't trying to leave..." I whimpered with a panicked tone.

"There is no leaving me, Wes. Haven't you gotten that by now?" Cyrus' eyes began to glow even brighter, his smile spreading slowly across his face. "You're a part of me. I hear every word that is spoken in this house. I know you better than you know yourself. Even if you left...it would take me little to no effort at all to follow your scent. You're not all that hard to track...back to your house. Back to your mother. And your father. And even back to baby brother, Nick. Back to Kyla...and Freddie...even Casey up at the old gas station." Then his voice deepened to a growl as his stare hardened with menace..."And...even if you, your friends, and your family, could somehow get far enough away from me to catch your signature scent...I'll still be able to find you. Wherever you go. You're a part of me. A part of all of us. I'm in your blood, Wesley. I'm in the dreams you have when you sleep. I'm in the very oxygen that you breathe. You? Me? There's no separation. Not anymore. Not ever again."

Isaac was shaking with fear and wasn't quite sure what to do. But the moment he took a single step back towards the truck...every head quickly turned in his direction...daring him to go further.

"I...I wouldn't betray you, Father. I wouldn't." I said.

"Sure, sure. I know." Cyrus said. "Still...it looks awfully suspicious, you trying to sneak off with our breakfast like that. It makes me feel like you don't want to share. Makes me feel like...I can't trust you."

"You can! You can! I just..."

"Save it." He snapped. "Please don't insult me. I hate it when you whine. You're better than that." He patted Scout lightly on the butt to get him to hop down out of his lap as he stood up to step into the light. "You know...sometimes you can truly be a disappointment, boy." The closer he came, the more intense was the fear in my heart. When Cyrus looked into your eyes, your entire soul was exposed to him. And he made no efforts to hide the fact that he knew it. "Haven't I given you enough? What have I done to leave you so unsatisfied?" He said. "I gave you one simple task, Wesley. Have your fun...then slaughter the lamb. How could you fail me when I've put so much faith in you."

"I can't." I sniffled. "I won't."

"I gave you a home, Wesley. I gave you a family. I gave you protection. Love. I gave you gifts that no one else had even bothered to notice you were missing. I gave you freedom from the dark pit of loneliness in your empty heart. I gave you purpose. And this is how you repay me? You turn your back on your brethren? You betray your alpha, who was there for you when no one else gave a damn? I took you in. I believed in you, fed you, gave you my knowledge and wisdom...I made you better, Wesley. Better than ALL those who would keep you enslaved until the day you died if they felt it served their needs. All these things, I gave to you from my heart...and now you're telling me that you want to throw it all away...for a pretty little Amish boy...that you met at a party less than 24 hours ago." Cyrus turned to Isaac and grinned to himself. "I definitely have to hand it to you, Mr. Montrager...you must be one sweet, TIGHT, piece of ass to have Wesley risk his life like this for another shot at it. That's saying something. I only wish I had sampled it myself. I must be missing out on something special."

"Please...just let us go." Isaac mumbled.

"Us? Hehehe, what, you mean you and Wesley here? You're not a 'couple', Isaac. And Wesley, normal as he may seem, he's not what you think he is. He's not like you. He's soooo much more advanced. Trust me on this, there were never any wedding bells in your future where this situation was concerned. To us...you're not much more than a talking cheeseburger. I find it kind of amusing that you could think of yourself as anything more."

I noticed that Shank and Razor were both stepping off of the sides of the porch steps. Cyrus had given them a silent order, but I could feel it. The calling alerted me. They weren't playing a prank this time. They meant to kill Isaac. And they meant to kill me if I tried to stop them. Even though the second order came with some slight hesitation on Father's part.

Cyrus leaned over the railing to look a terrified Isaac in the eye. "Do you want to know what the key is to human cannibalism, Ike? I can call you 'Ike', right?" Isaac's eyes widened. I could have sworn that I actually heard his heart stop. "Tourniquets. That's the key. Tourniquets." Too afraid to move, we both remained frozen as Cyrus came down another step. "You see...while my 'buddies' and I are decent in numbers, and heh...believe me, we carry quite an appetite...eating an entire human body can be an exhausting task. Even for the best of us." As Cyrus came down another step, the others began to follow. "We like to keep our meat as fresh and as tender as possible. So if we were to kill our prey right away...well, you'd be surprised how quickly the meat begins to spoil. The key...is to keep the victim alive for as long as possible. Hours. Days, maybe. Keep the blood circulating. So we use tourniquets to keep you from bleeding out too quickly and wasting good meat by having it rot on us. Heh...leftovers...sometimes you're just not in the mood, ya know?" Cyrus liked the fear. He embraced it with joy. "We begin by eating the arms. Then the legs. And we tie you off to make sure that you stay with us until we're finished with you. Then we move to the thighs, then the tender meat and fat deposits on your stomach, sides, and slender hips. Perhaps the meat on your collarbone and shoulders. And we just keep eating and eating until there's nothing left...except for your head...and your heart."

"And the EYES!" Dexter giggled.

Cyrus leaned towards Dex to put an arm over his shoulder and place a lingering kiss on his cheek. His fingers teasing his blond curls. "Yes, little one. And the eyes too."

"I like the eyes..." Dex sighed.

Tears began to run down Isaac's face, and I found myself with NO way to comfort him. Cyrus loudly clapped his hands together and pointed in Isaac's direction with a big 'game show host' smile. "Don't look so sad, sweetie. It's gonna be a fun few days for all of us. In fact, you can even say that it'll be medically fascinating! So few people ever get the chance to see what their 'insides' look like!"

They seemed like they were just making a joke out of the whole thing. A celebration, even. And I heard my own voice before I really had a chance to speak up. "Cyrus, please? He's scared, alright? We're both scared. Now, just let him go, ok?"

"No can do, Wesley. He's seen our faces. He's been to our house. Letting him simply wander back to society is not an option."

"You can't do this. None of you can do this. Can't you see that this is wrong???" I said, getting a strange smirk from Cyrus. The others remained silent behind him, but I tried to see if one of them might be able to help me. "John Boy? Dexter?" But they showed me not a single sign of hesitation or remorse. Only loyalty to Father's order.

Cyrus snickered to himself. "Really, Wes? Was that you're best shot?" He sat down on the front steps and put his elbows on his knees. "Always the little boy scout. Do you want to know why I chose you, Wesley? Do you finally want to know the reason you're here?" He asked. "I 'chose' you...for your conflicts. Your desperate need to cling to a notion of good and evil, right and wrong. You had the aura that I have been searching for. You were a godsend." I could feel the union of my brethren flowing through me, still trying to pull me back into a trance, but I fought it off as best I could. "As you can tell...I may be a strong leader, but a 'role model' I'm not. And I never will be. I'm ok with that. But as our pack has grown in number over the years, grown stronger, grown closer to one another...our activities tend to bring some unwanted attention our way. As you know, we tend to go a little crazy from time to time."

"I don't...I don't understand..."

"Well, building a pack is an art form of sorts. The goal being to take many gifts and attributes from each of us and contribute to a stronger unit. A perfect whole built using the best assets of its imperfect parts." Cyrus looked around at his 'creation' with pride. "Kristen's intuition. John Boy's heightened senses. Kriegar's muscle. Sebastian's allure. Scout's unwavering loyalty. And Dex? Hehehe, well Dex is just a bundle of laughs." Cyrus leaned forward, "But...hopefully...you'll never have to find out what other purposes Dexter has when the new moon approaches." Shank and Razor kept the perimeter tight around us. I wouldn't be able to step in either direction without them ripping me to shreds. "All of my children have a distinct reason to be here. I assure you that I've built a very strong pack indeed. However, even with all of our assembled gifts and resources...we were still in need of one thing." He said. "A conscience."

"A...a what?"

"I know, right? Sounds strange coming from me, doesn't it?" I only wish I could find away to distract them long enough for Isaac to get to the truck. If he could even will his legs to move at this point. "Some of our...let's call them 'antics'...have alerted a certain someone to our current whereabouts. Someone who has been rather persistent in following us wherever we go. Someone who has made it his duty and lifelong pursuit to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. The problem is...he's made quite a spectacle of himself over the years. He rants, he raves, he tries to convince anyone and everyone who will listen that our kind exists. Werewolves...dun dun dun! To most people in town...he's just a crazy old man. That has become our protection. But he's become so well known for his ramblings that it would become more of an inconvenience for him to meet up with an unfortunate 'accident' than it would be for us to just stay out of his way. That has become his protection. Bottom line, you're the one who's going to help us maintain our privacy. Perhaps even teach us to behave every now and then." Cyrus' fangs began to show, but just slightly. Ever so slightly. "I couldn't have just any wolf join the pack. I needed another alpha. I needed someone the others would listen to and obey if necessary."

"I ain't NEVER going to listen to him!" Scout pouted, sitting at Father's side.

"I won't be a part of this, Cyrus. I won't do this anymore. I want to go home..."

"There's nothing waiting for you at home, Wesley. Nothing."

"I'm not a monster..."

"Oh, but you are a monster, Wes. Don't you remember? Don't you remember the things you've done?" He asked, and flashes of murder seemed to race through my mind, accompanied by the ringing of pain screams in my ears. "You're still trying for the fairy tale ending, aren't you? Think back to that night...on the cliff at Rainbow's End. You first kiss with Sebastian. Do you remember who you were back then? Hmm? Back when you thought your 'morality' was as strong as an iron chain...but it turns out that it was as thin as a spider's web. You were innocent. Good hearted, obedient to your parents, never had a drop of alcohol before. The morals you stood upon...you were soooo sure that they would support you when you needed them most. But they didn't, did they?"

"You tricked me!" I said.

"Did I? I took nothing from you. You gave it to me. Your self respect, your humility, your fear, your virginity...ALL of it. You gave it to me, willingly, over and over again. And do you want to know why? Because your morality is a joke. Just like everyone else's. It doesn't exist, it never did. It's something that you made up in your mind. You mentally change and restructure the rules of the game at a moment's notice just to serve your own selfish needs. You're not bound by any personal code of honor, Wesley. You're suffering from an unstable form of inconsistent hysteria." Again, Cyrus pointed in Isaac's direction. "Is THIS your idea of innocent? Is this moral and sweet and good? This boy actually had the audacity to talk to me about values and religion and truth. All while driving us back here, to this house...so he could spend the rest of the evening bareback FUCKING a stranger! And I must applaud you, sir Montrager...because it must have taken some pretty extensive mental gymnastics on your part to make it seem like THAT was a good idea!" I heard giggles from the others as they judged us from the front porch. Maybe Cyrus was right. But I can change things. And it all starts with me getting us out here. "The innocent little fairy tale isn't real. It's soooo easy to claim to be a good person when you haven't been tempted. But then again, temptation is the great measure of a man's merit, is it not? If you don't believe me...just look at how far you've fallen from grace...and how quickly you rushed to leave it all behind you." I could feel Shank and Razor decreasing their perimeter around us, and Kriegar put down the liquor bottle he was holding...to crack his knuckles. "Don't you see? There are no more 'heroes' in the world, Wesley. No more angels. No more saints. No more pure and righteous men with divine purpose. Just pretty little clown masks and the backstabbing LIARS who wear them. Wolves in sheep's clothing. Nothing more." He said, as I saw John Boy remove his dark circle sunglasses and put them in his shirt pocket, those silver contacts glimmering from a distance. "You're kidding yourself if you think killing or not killing this boy will make any difference at this point. There's no redemption for you or your lost soul. Not anymore. That moment is long gone. And the same so-called 'morality' that you cling to in hopes of keeping yourself from slitting this piglet's throat and burying his corpse in the backyard...? It is as artificial, interchangeable, and as easily tossed aside, as the fake morals you threw in the trash last night to bring him here and fuck him in the first place."

"I just...wanna go home..." I whimpered.

"You are home."

"Cyrus...please..."

"You ARE home!" He growled. "And STOP begging!" I could feel the tensions flaring around me. Something tells me that Cyrus wasn't going to give me any more time to think of a way out of this. Whatever I was going to do, I was going to have to do it now.

"You can't do this! He didn't do anything wrong!"

"Neither did the victims of Hurricane Katrina, or the workers at the World Trade Center. Sometimes...shit just happens." He said.

"Cyrus....Cyrus, listen to me! You wanted me to be your conscience. Let me do my job..."

"You're not ready yet, pup. But don't worry. You'll learn your place soon enough."

My voice was beginning to crack as frightened tears rolled down my cheeks. "He'll...he'll be missed! He's got family! Friends! You said you wanted to lay low! The police will investigate. They'll come here looking for him. They'll find us out..."

"Don't let that primetime CSI cop drama bullshit fool you, Wesley. Thousands of people disappear every single day, and they are simply never heard from again. It'll be fine."

I felt Shank and Razor stepping in closer. And CLOSER! "I WANT HIM!" I shouted out, still clutching at straws. "You told me I can have him, Father, please! I can change him. I can make him one of us..."

"Hehehe, he has nothing to offer this pack outside of a few tasty meals. Your request is rejected. The boy is dead weight at best." He said. "My mind is made up, Wesley. Now you can either help...or you can starve. We work as a team in this pack. And you only keep what you kill. Now stop your whining and take your place at my side with the rest of your brethren."

In a panic, I heard Isaac shuffling his feet backward. Crying his eyes out, sniffling like mad. "Don't run..." I whispered to him.

"Wh-what...?"

"Don't run, Isaac. You'll never make it to the truck." I don't think that calmed him down any.

Perhaps it was the heightened emotion that trigged it. Perhaps the desperation in my heart. Or maybe it was just some built in defense mechanism, like the knee jerk reaction from having a giant spider dropped in your lap. Whatever it was, I suddenly stood between Isaac and my brethren...spread my arms out to either side to protect him...and I felt my eyes burn brightly as a guttural growl bubbled up in the back of my throat.

Suddenly, all at once, the entire family of wolves glared at me...and their eyes began to glow as well and Cyrus slowly rose to his feet. "Wesley? What is it that you think you're doing?" The fever washed over me in a flash. I could feel my bones beginning to lubricate as my teeth sharpened themselves on their own. "Stand down, Wesley." Cyrus ordered. The pressure of the entire pack fell upon my shoulders, and they all began to step down off of the porch. "STAND DOWN, WESLEY!!!" Cyrus shouted, nearly making my knees so weak that I could hardly stand!

Ok....so...maybe this wasn't the best of ideas...

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