Authors: Ava Frost
Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #Paranormal, #Vampires, #Werewolves & Shifters, #Angels, #Demons & Devils, #Ghosts, #Psychics, #Witches & Wizards
The trail made a sudden turn toward the road. Becky saw a small store. A cab waited out front for someone with money and a need to travel. She jumped in the cab and told the driver to take her to her hotel where her rented car was parked. The cabbie had to write down her destination. He wrote slowly.
While she waited, she looked back to the trail. She saw the wolf standing still behind a tree. She could see his eyes and not much else. The wolf looked from side to side. Becky knew it was making sure it was alone and unseen.
Bad luck fell on the wolf. Shifting clouds created patches of sunlight that wandered around the forest. One of the patches fell on the wolf from behind. Becky could see him quite clearly through the branches.
The animal was suddenly encased in a thick, white fog. Inside the fog, she could see the shape of the wolf change. It stood up on its hind legs and developed shoulders, a flat belly and fully developed legs and arms. The fog blew away. John Knowles stood before her, stark naked.
She couldn't help herself. She took in his upper and lower body then her eyes concentrated on his huge member. She gasped. She didn't have any experience with men but she knew that John Knowles was big. She muttered, "Wow. How does he fit inside a woman?"
Humans don’t always control their ideas. Insights pierce our minds without our permission. Becky’s mind brought up a subject she wouldn’t have thought about under any other conditions. She thought, “I wonder if he’d fit inside of me.” She gasped.
The cabbie finished the paperwork. As they drove off, Becky watched John take clothes out of the small backpack and start to get dressed.
The cab drove for five minutes down a road bordered with thick pine trees until five police cars surrounded it and forced it to stop.
John got out of one of them and walked toward the cab.
She expected anger and profanity. She didn’t see it. He looked troubled. He said, "Come with me" and nothing else.
She followed him to one of the police cars, and they drove away.
The RCMP barracks looked like any other RCMP barracks anywhere in Canada, except for the thirty foot high chain link fence surrounding it and the coils of razor wire along the top.
John took her to an office labeled ‘Superintendent Henry Eikins’.
A man stood behind a desk in the office. He was mid-size with brown hair and eyes and an athletic build. Becky looked at his eyes. It might have been all in her mind, but she thought she could see an eternity's worth of experience in those eyes.
The man said, "I'm Superintendent Henry Eikins, Miss Stimson. I understand you've seen something that can't be unseen. John should have been more careful. Do you have any questions about what you saw?"
Becky recognized the artful construction of the question. It was open-ended and deceptive. It assumed she'd seen a wolf change into a man and that she'd go along with the assumption without resistance.
Henry’s eyes saw everything inside her, and she knew it. She said, "John tried to conceal himself behind some trees. It wasn't his fault if they didn't have as many branches as he thought."
"That’s kind of you. But what did you see?"
"I saw a huge wolf standing in the forest. A dense cloud grew around it. The light came through the trees and I could see the silhouette inside. The wolf changed shape. He grew shoulders and arms and two legs. I don't know what it was."
"It was a werewolf, Miss Stimson. Everyone in this compound is a werewolf."
John Knowles made a small yowl of pain. Becky jumped and looked at him. He stretched his arms and shoulders and rubbed his legs as if he had cramps. He howled again and tried to get comfortable. He said, “Excuse me. P.T. was rough this morning.”
He trembled violently and stood up. He stretched and rubbed his legs again. He muttered, “Pardon me” and left the room.
"Can we help him?” Becky asked. It sounded like he was in pain."
"He is. Let me explain.” He paused. “I know this is a bit much to take in all at once. Bear with me. You’ll understand when I’m finished.” Becky had trouble concentrating. She worried about John.
Henry continued, “Werewolves have some of the qualities of humans and some of wolves. Like wolves, we go through an intense experience when it's time for us to mate. That happens twice a year. Like humans, however, the desire to mate never leaves us. It binds our pairs together. We've never had a divorce in our pack." He abruptly stood up. "I'm going to show you something disturbing, and I want you to think it over.”
Becky got to her feet. Henry said, "Our survival depends on complete secrecy. You've found out one of our secrets and it's very dangerous to let you leave."
Becky looked at him with wide eyes. "You mean I'm a prisoner?"
Henry looked uncomfortable. "No. You're not. If I can persuade you to stay, that would be best; but we're not built to break the law or hurt people unnecessarily. You may leave with our hope that you'll never tell anyone what you've seen."
"Exactly what are you suggesting? If I stay here, do I have to become a werewolf?"
He shook his head. “We don’t do that.” He opened the door. "Let me tell you the positive side of our race. We're homo lycanthropus, by the way, not homo sapiens." He continued talking as they moved further back into the center of the compound. "Virtually all wolves are in the Canadian Armed Forces or the RCMP. We get our dedication to public service from our wolf side. Loyalty to the pack is much stronger in wolves than humans. The human race is our pack. To me, the chance to serve is more important than anything else but my family.”
He stopped walking. “We have longer life spans than humans. We live to be six hundred years old." He held up his hand. "That's not strictly true. Our nature is to seek out danger. The death of every wolf I have ever known has been in battle or an armed conflict with a criminal. I’ve never heard of a wolf that died of old age. The average is about four hundred years. We can run sixty five miles an hour, leap thirty feet in the air and jump over tennis courts. There are only two negatives. First, the mating frenzy has to be dealt with until marriage." He stopped again. "The second breaks my heart. Humans hate us and try to kill us on sight. We spend our lives keeping them safe, and they want us dead. That's why we must require secrecy. Those nice people on the street would slaughter us in a second if they knew who we really were."
They stopped in front of a small building. Henry motioned for Becky to look in the window. "These are young males who don't have mates. We don't have as many females as males so some have to do without. They're going through the frenzy right now."
Four mammoth wolves prowled around a bare room. They attacked each other violently and relentlessly. Henry said, "They won't do any permanent damage. We regenerate too fast, but they're in mortal pain. I've been through it. I wanted to die more than anything else."
One wolf crawled away from the fight. He lay on the floor and panted. Becky could see the pain and loneliness, the sense of failure and hopelessness in his eyes. She looked away. "Is that what John is going to go through?"
"He's a little older than these wolves. His frenzy will be worse."
"Oh dear." She bit her lip. "I don't want him to feel that way. Could I... That is, could I..."
"Volunteer? I didn’t think you liked John Knowles very much.”
“I don’t, but I don’t want him to suffer if I can help him avoid it.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Henry allowed a small smile to settle on his lips. "You can help him with his frenzy, but it will be hard on you. It’s very physical. You still want to do it?”
“I’m strong and solidly built. Yes, I’ll help.”
“Good for you. You don't have to become a werewolf, and you can leave afterwards." He paused again. "There's something else you should know. We're five times stronger than humans and our mating is very aggressive. John has good self-control. He won’t rip your arms and legs off.”
Becky had the uncomfortable feeling that the man was completely serious.
Henry said it again; to make sure she knew what she was in for. “You'll survive without permanent injury, but you'll have bruises and soreness to remind you of what you've been through."
Becky nodded. “I’ll do it. I can make a contribution to my country and help a brave man."
"Come this way." As they walked along, Henry said, "Are you wearing anything that has value to you? Clothes tend to be shredded during the frenzy."
Becky went over the clothes she'd put on that morning. "I have a pair of panties that are embroidered with the word 'Tuesday'. This is Monday. But that's about it."
Henry laughed. "I like your attitude, Miss Stimson."
They stopped at a small house; single quarters for male members of the Constabulary. Henry knocked on the door. A haggard and frantic man answered. Becky thought they must stay mostly human for their frenzy. The man ahead of her had bigger shoulders and arms that she remembered. His face looked the same except for a bigger lower jaw and fangs that fell below his lower lip.
For a moment, Becky didn't recognize him. His eyes looked like the eyes of a lunatic. He didn't say anything.
Henry said, "Miss Stimson has volunteered to help you out in the next few hours."
John croaked, "No. She can't. I won't let her. She's human." He panted with exertion. "She'll die."
Henry gently pushed him aside. "No, she won't. I showed her the other males who don't have mates. She doesn't want you to go through that."
John repeated, “No, she’ll die.”
Henry patted him on the shoulder. “You can control yourself. I know that. It’ll be alright.” He shook Becky’s hand. "Good luck, Miss Stimson" She heard the door shut and lock behind her.
She could see than John was barely maintaining his control. He said, "Really, you should leave. This will be painful and long."
"No. I don’t think I like you, but I don't want you to go through this. Henry took me to see other wolves who are in the frenzy. It was tragic. If I can give you some support, I'll feel good about it."
He lifted his face to the ceiling and howled loud enough to shake the walls. He looked at her and said, in a surprisingly calm voice, "Your call."
He picked her up and slammed her against the wall. "Ooomph," she let out the small sound as the wind was knocked out of her.
He stopped and looked at her with worry in his eyes. She said, "It's alright. You surprised me. That's all."
John surprised her again by ripping her blouse from her body and tearing her bra in two.
Becky felt small and helpless next to John’s undeniable bulk. His shoulders stretched twice as wide as hers. His chest intimidated her. Henry said that wolves were five times stronger than humans. Males in the frenzy must be even stronger. She had a moment of hesitation.
She was naked above the waist. He looked down at her breasts with intense lust on his face. His eyes flashed with a wildness she’d only seen in feral beasts. She watched him conquer his desire to bite and tear.
She suddenly remembered that she was more than inexperienced with men, she was a virgin. Before she lost weight, no men wanted to help her change that.
She felt her hands tremble as they pressed against the wall. She looked up and they stopped shaking. The care she saw in his eyes made her feel relaxed and safe. She heard his teeth snap together. She didn’t worry. She knew now he wouldn’t hurt her. “Well,” she thought, with a smile, “No more than she wanted him to.”
He moved his head and his teeth toward her left nipple. She let him and was delighted with his gentleness. He bit her without force and sucked and licked her. She pressed him against her breast tenderly and stroked his hair. His lips and teeth worked on her with a tenderness that touched her heart.
She was in the lion’s mouth and the lion wouldn’t harm her.
Abruptly, she felt the force of the frenzy surge through his body. It came in waves that threatened to brush past his self-control. He lifted his head to howl then lunged against her, pressing her body against the wall so hard she couldn’t breathe. She felt his body in sections. She became aware of his legs; so thick they threatened to burst his pants, and his chest. She imagined he had a baseball bat in his pants that was pressing against her belly.
He covered her completely. She was helpless. He had to take care of her or she would be damaged or killed.
He backed off and grabbed her skirt and lifted it to her waist.
Between desperate breaths, she gasped, "You can rip my panties off if you want."
He glanced down at her lingerie. "It's not Tuesday. It's Monday."
"I didn't know anyone would be seeing them so I put on whatever I took from my drawer."
He grabbed the waistband with one hand and tore them away.
He stopped to look under her skirt. She thought she heard an animal outside or a piece of heavy equipment running outside the house. She realized he was growling. She said, "Go ahead. I'm strong for a human woman. You won't break me."
He threw her on the bed. She flew ten feet through the air and landed on her back. She bounced twice. By the second bounce, John had her legs spread and his face buried in her private garden. She felt him lick and nuzzle. She closed her eyes and smiled at the ceiling. She put her hand on the back of his head to encourage him.
She felt herself gush with liquid. John lapped it up then stood, spread his arms and lifted his head to the heavens. His howl of triumph was deafening. He took his own clothes off quickly. Becky raised herself up on her elbows to look at him. She gasped. "You're huge." John stood between her knees and grunted. He said, "Touch. Taste. Suck." His normal voice was gone. He could only speak crudely, in single words. The wolf’s growl covered his normal tone.
She bent over and took him in her mouth. She had to open very wide. He tasted wild, like the forest itself. She worked on him with her mouth and tongue and hands for a few minutes before he pushed her away.