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I shook my head. "I'm not scared. I just want to know what's happening." Okay, I was scared, but I didn’t want to admit it.

Ares spoke softly to me. "You are going to change for the first time when the full moon rises tomorrow night. Your body is going through your transition phase and during that phase you can be a little bit temperamental."

"Great! So it's like getting your period all over again."

Ares smiled. "Sort of. How old are you, Artemis?"

I looked at his face and gauged him at about twenty three. "Seventeen. Well, I’ll be eighteen tomorrow."

Ares smile fell slightly at the corners. "You're turning eighteen?"

I nodded my head. "Yep. I'm hoping to make it a couple more years too."

Koda and Matt laughed, but Ares just regained his full smile. "It would be a truly

amazing feat for you to hold off your change on your eighteenth birthday, but I do not think it will be possible. You’re getting a double whammy of full moon and eighteenth birthday."

I shrugged. "Can't hurt to try."

Matt laughed again. "I like her. She has a much older soul than her human years."

Ares nodded his head. "It has to do with the fact that she is my match."

I sighed. "I don't understand this whole match thing. I mean, I don't even remember

answering your call or whatever. I started having convulsions after I saw you on TV and my dad stopped them by throwing me in the creek. I went to sleep, and when I woke up, I could smell wolves. When I went outside, you were there."

"You must have answered before your dad threw you in the creek."

The memory of my wolf self howling played in my mind and my eyes widened. I asked,

"So, what happens now?"

Ares stood up and held out his hand for me. I stood up without his hand brushing off my

pants. Ares smiled at me and walked towards Koda and Matt. "Now we continue moving

towards our destination. Once there, we will take you to a special place to wait for your first change."

I shook my head. "I won't change tomorrow night."

Ares smiled. "We'll see about that, but we must hurry."

I looked at Matt and Koda in their wolf bodies and human heads, and at Ares, and sighed.

"Why is this happening to me? Why couldn't I just have a normal life?"

Ares frowned. "Your father said you were an outsider anyway."

I laughed. "An outsider to everyone but Bret and Billy."

Ares snarled. "You have to forget about them. You will never see them again."

I stared in shock at him. "What? Why? You promised not to kill them!" I felt my anger boiling up and my skin started to turn hot. I took a step towards him and growled. A deep wolf growl came from my throat, but I didn't cringe.

Ares growled back. "Do not try to fight me Artemis. You are completely human until you change, and I don't want to hurt you."

“Then answer my questions." I snarled at him.

Ares snarled back at me, taking a step towards me. I fought my body and stayed still, not stepping back from him even though I could feel the pressure building against me. "I will only let your aggressive gestures last so long. I understand that you are not used to the werewolf way, but I am your dominant, and you must treat me as such. Your friends will be alive and fine, but you will not be allowed to visit them or anyone else. After you have your first change, your food instincts are a little off."

I stopped snarling and stared at him in shock. "You mean that I might end up trying to eat them?"

Ares nodded his head. "Exactly.”

I frowned. “Aren’t humans the top of the food chain?”

“Humans were never the top of the food chain,” Ares answered angrily.

“What is?” I asked.

“We are.” Ares answered.

I decided to leave the food chain topic alone, and walked towards Koda and Matt. "How old are you three?"

Koda frowned. "You don't want to know."

"Try me."

Matt laughed. "Just wait until you know everything about us before we tell you our age."

I sighed. "Fine, be secretive. See if I care! Now let's go. I'm starving."

Koda smiled. "Me too."

I looked at him and realized he was trying to make a joke. I laughed and turned to Ares.

"So I guess you'll be carrying me again?"

Ares shrugged. "Would you rather ride one of them?"

I looked at Matt and Koda and asked, "Would one of you let me?"

Koda stepped forward and nodded his human head. "Of course. Hop on." He coughed and I cringed as his face snapped and popped and extended into its wolf form.

I shook my body. "At least you look natural again, but that's disgusting to hear."

"Wait until it's your body doing it." said Matt.

Ares snarled and Matt quickly changed his head back to wolf. I reached out towards

Koda and stopped mid way. I looked back at Ares. "Are they still them?"

He tilted his head to the side in a very canine like manner. "You mean are they still thinking like themselves or are they thinking like a dog?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah. If I pet him is he going to try to bite me?"

Ares shrugged. "Depends on what kind of mood he is in."

I looked into Koda's eyes and said, "Don't bite me." I reached forward and stroked his fur with my hand. "It's so thick."

Koda laid down so I could get on to him easier. I climbed up and grabbed a fist full of his fur enjoying the feel of it in my hands. He stood up slowly and started walking. I tucked my legs up slightly to get a better hold, since he was too large to ride like a horse
.
Koda crouched down and then sprang forward in a full run. I held on tightly, leaning forward so the wind and branches wouldn't hit me. We ran much faster than before and came out of the forest in a few minutes to a flat grass field. Koda slowed, and Ares walked to stand beside us. He looked around, then nodded his head. Matt walked forward into the open field and looked around carefully. He got to the middle of the field and howled loudly. I watched as five wolves ran from the trees on the other side of the field, and walked up to Matt. They smelled each other's faces and then sat down on their butts. Matt turned back to us and nodded his head. Koda and Ares walked together towards the group. I lay down flat on Koda's back trying to hide as much as possible in his fur.

We reached the group and Koda sat down making it harder for me to hang on, but I gripped

his fur tighter not wanting to fall. Ares still in his human form said, "Greetings, fellow wolves.

We come to seek shelter in your town."

Another man who had changed forms answered, "Greetings, Prince Ares. Of course you

may stay with us. You need not even ask our permission."

"Thank you, Gregory, but I wanted to be polite and not insist you let me stay with you."

Ares said in a lighthearted tone.

My grip slipped through Koda's fur and I hit the ground making an "oomf” sound as I

landed. The other man growled. "What do you have with you?"

I peeked around Koda and Ares smiled at me. "It's alright Artemis. Come here."

I walked slowly toward Ares eyeing the other wolves cautiously. "Are you sure they

aren't going to hurt me?"

Ares smiled and held out his hand. "You are one of us, and you are mine. They will not harm you." I took his hand and hurried the rest of the way to his side. He said, "Gregory, I would like you to meet Artemis, my
passt genau."

Gregory, the only naked man, shook his head in disbelief. "Your match? I did not think it was possible for a wolf to find a match."

Ares smiled and kissed the back of my hands sending chills up my spine. "Neither did I, but we had been dreaming of each other. I sent out a call and she answered from a state away.

Her father did not tell her about our kind and kept her away. She has yet to change though."

Gregory stared in shock at me. "How old?"

"Seventeen, eighteen tomorrow."

Gregory shook his head. "Amazing. It must have something to do with her not being

around our kind."

Ares nodded his head staring at my face. "That's what I assumed. Her father has even refused to change in front of her. She had no idea that werewolves even existed until a few hours ago when I came to her."

I couldn't help but look at Gregory's body. He was muscled like Ares and naked. I started to look lower, but Ares tapped my face making me look at him. He whispered, "I assure you that there is nothing special for you to look at on him."

I blushed and turned away from both of them. "You can't get mad at me. I hadn't seen a naked man before you changed at my house."

Ares snorted. "Don't lie. I could tell that you have slept with that boy."

"Define slept with. I have been asleep in the same bed with him, if that is what you mean, but I have never even kissed him, more than a kiss on the cheek."

Ares sighed. "Now is not the time to discuss this. We must hurry to your place. The full moon comes tomorrow, and she will need her rest."

I nodded my head. "Especially if I'm going to stop the change."

Gregory shook his head. "You can't stop it."

I glared at him, no longer unable to meet his eyes. "Do not tell me what I can or cannot do."

Ares laughed. "See Gregory. She is perfect."

Gregory smiled. "She is something, great Prince. Hurry and follow me then."

He changed back to a wolf, his body popping and snapping as it changed. I cringed at the

sound and moved towards Ares, but he was changing too. I ran to Koda and hopped up on his back as he started to stand up. I clung to him as he ran with the others.

~~~~

We ran for a few hours through the trees before coming to a clearing. The large clearing

was filled with little log cabin houses and one large concrete warehouse building. Adults and children of various races walked around smiling, talking and laughing as our pack of wolves ran by them. I stared in shock, not believing that this sight wasn't scaring them.
How can this be
normal? Are all of these people werewolves? I
shuddered at the thought of so many werewolves being in one place.
Aren't werewolves supposed to be angry and bloodthirsty?

Our group stopped in front of the largest house and the men changed from wolves to

human. I kept my face burrowed in Koda's fur as they walked inside so that I wouldn't have to look at their naked bodies. Koda turned his head to me and nudged my arm. I looked up and he snorted. I slid from his back and walked forward until I was on the steps of the house. I could hear Koda's body popping and snapping and cringed with each sound. He made a stretching

noise and said from very close behind me, "Come on. Everyone went to get clothes so that they wouldn't embarrass you anymore."

I felt the blush on my cheeks and was glad that I didn't have to look at him. I walked into the house quickly before anymore naked men showed up. When I was inside the doorway, I

stopped. The house had a very warm feeling. The entryway had rows of pictures of people and wolves with a chandelier made of deer antlers hanging over the doorway. The living room sat off to the left, the bedrooms to the right, and the kitchen was straight ahead. I frowned at the set-up and then shrugged.
Not my house to decide how to set it up.
I loved how normal everything looked and hoped that my life wouldn't have to change too much.

Ares walked out of one of the bedrooms in a pair of blue jeans and nothing else and I

stared at him as he walked towards me. His flawless caramel skin begged for me to lick it and his piercing blue eyes would be perfect staring down at me while he...

I broke the thought off and turned away as a burning blush roared up my cheeks. I felt

Ares behind me and desperately wanted to turn around and touch him, but I stayed still, digging my fingers into my arms to hold myself together.
You don’t even know this guy and you're
already thinking about doing things you have never done with any other man before.
I swallowed hard.
Man. He was definitely a man.

"Artemis." Ares whispered behind me. If his voice was a physical element, it would be velvet.

I swallowed hard. "Yes?"

He moved closer to me so that a large thought would make us touch. "Are you alright?"

I nodded my head quickly then sighed. "I...I..."

Ares wrapped his arms around my waist and I moaned at the feel of his burning skin

against mine. He placed his lips next to my ear and asked, "Would you like me to give you some space?"

I tried to say yes, but my mouth said, "NO!" I spun around in his arms and stared at his gorgeous face. His rugged physical features reminded me of the men who often camped in the nearby mountains. If he had wanted to, he could have been a model. I felt the muscles of his arms against me and his chest muscles as he wrapped his arms around me. My eyes rolled in the back of my head. He laughed quietly and set me down in a chair walking across the room. I stared after him and fought my body to stay in the chair. He smiled and I smiled back at him.

Matt whistled from the doorway and spoke in his thick British accent, "Wow, she really is all bonkers fer ya. I can't believe you have
a passt genau."

Ares smiled and nodded his head. "She's perfect. Well, except that she hasn't changed yet."

I frowned. "I'm not going to change."

Ares shrugged and smiled. "Whatever you say."

I smelled steak and licked my lips. "Are we going to eat soon? I'm starving." Ares started walking towards me and wicked thoughts about parts of him I wouldn't mind nibbling on instantly sprang to mind. I shook my head trying to clear it and asked, "Did you put some type of spell or something on me?"

He whispered from behind me. "No. It's just how we are together."

I groaned. "Great. Just great."

Matt and Koda walked into the room and sat down on the love seat. They were both

wearing only pants like Ares and it took all of my willpower to look away from their bodies and stare at my hands as I sat down on the farthest seat of the couch. I pressed myself into the corner trying to hide and disappear even though I knew it was impossible. I stayed staring at my hands even when someone sat down next to me on the couch.