《To become A werewolf》


 Wolf Bite

    Angelina


    It wasn¡¯t meant to happen.


    I''d repressed my desires for twenty years and prevented the worst from happening. I¡¯d learned to manage it, my secret, and the forces within me.


    I¡¯d been warned many times that something dangerous would happen if I fell in love and tried to be with the man. My mother had warned. In her story, she had tried to fall in love and lost.


    Everything started with my grandmother and her hubby, my grandfather. She lost her husband, and then my mother followed in her steps and lost her husband too, and now I was in their shoes.


    I shook my head as I stared at Collins; how could I avoid this, the tremors that erupted in my heart anytime we met. How intensifying it always was, even though we had been separated for a year? He had moved to London and I went to California to start my career. How could I tell him we couldn¡¯t be together because of a 50-year-old spell?


    I squirmed on his lap, and, as his hand reached for my back, I stared into his eyes.


    I should stop after this one kiss, but the more taste of his lip I had, the more I wanted him, the more I wanted to lose my senses and replace that with pleasure. What''s life without fun? What''s life without being held by the one you loved on the night of Christmas, with the room dimly lit like a cinema? It felt like the moment was designed for us. Like it was the two of us, and we had the whole world to ourselves.


    But there were consequences if we pushed too hard and I lost control of my power.


    I¡¯d learned this since childhood. And I knew how to act like I was like humans. I could control the other half of me, the best part of me.


    I was meant to spend the holiday with him. When I arrived about an hour ago, the house smelled of too much citrus scent. He must have added more of it after cleaning the rooms, even after I told him many times that all that mattered was his presence, voice, and jokes about how neat my fingernails were. Yes, wolves cherished their nails.


    I dipped my hands into his boxers. For a long time, I had been worried. Maybe, just maybe, he had finally found someone in London. And one day, he would tell me about it. I feared that day would come, the dreaded moment when he would tell me about a girl that captured his attention and his preparations to propose to her.


    We were sitting on the couch and talking about holidays when he held my hands and asked me to be part of the rest of his life. "I want you, Angie," he had said. Then I let caution fly away and embraced the pleasure of the moment. I sat on his lap, holding his face in my palm. We hadn''t done this before, and I had been waiting for it.


    My heart beat harder as I remembered what Grandma told me. You can''t be with the one you love because of the spell.


    But the urge was strong that I let go of everything. I heard and obeyed the voice in my head that kept saying I should forget precaution and take what I had always dreamed of. I had longed for this to happen, on those lonely nights when I sent messages to him in London, asking for a video call on my way home sitting in Uber.


    So, we kissed.


    I had taken a risk, but, at the moment, the only thing that mattered was the yearnings in my heart. The movements of my hands towards every corner of his body.


    I kissed him, eyes closed at first. Shutting my eyes wasn''t deliberate. There was little I could do differently when his hands were on my sides, and the waves of desire traveled through my body. I teased his ears with my fingernails and pushed my body closer as if I wanted us to merge and become one.


    He grabbed my face at one point and forced me to keep still. Then I opened my eyes slowly; my breathing was intense, my mind wasn¡¯t mine, my strength to resist failed me. So I stared into his green eyes and held them for a second too long, and when I let go, I was gasping for breath. The worst had happened. My head pounded like my skull was being hit repeatedly, or some wires had disconnected. Some strange noise happened in my brain, like a faulty speaker, guitar strings, and the sound of a boy scout band. And I winced in pain.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Now I had more strength than before, and I stepped away from his lap.


    I was doing things. I was walking, but my mind was far away. I was transforming. Collins was in front of me, frightened. He hid behind a chair, trying to protect himself from me. I shouted at him, but it came out as a howl. Fear was written on his face.


    He raised the chair. I wouldn''t let him attack me, so when he flung the chair in my direction, I roared and charged at him, grabbed him, and bit him on the neck. He gaped at me frighteningly, and I stared back the same because I didn''t want to do that. I just did. Collin watched me with pleading eyes as if I was his mother, and he needed me to forgive him for his sins.


    I let go of him. He ran away from me but not as far. He stood behind the door and watched me, eyes red, tears pouring, and head shaking. He placed his left hand on his neck, which was now heavily covered in his blood.


    I tried to snatch myself back into a calm state, but my mind resisted. I shook my head, but I was suppressed, controlled by something more powerful. I stared at my hands and legs too. It wasn''t my body either. I had nails and hairy hands, tough palms, and hard punches that could crack a rock. I closed my eyes.


    I¡¯d fully transformed into a wolf.


    I wanted to wake from the nightmares, the worst of them. I could control when to transform and what I do, but not this moment. It was as if someone had hacked and gained access to what I could and should not do.


    I had bitten Collins now. My crush. I was in a place where I didn''t know what to do. My energy grew, bringing the urge to attack something, to run, to jump, to pounce on something and show how mighty and strengthened I¡¯d become.


    ¡°What have you become?¡± Collins asked.


    I wanted to shout that he shouldn''t look at me like that, as if I was a monster. I was more powerful, and I could rip him apart, but the voice only came out as a snare, a wild howl that made Collins step back from the window. I walked around the house and headed to one of the windows. Placing my front paws on the windowpane, I watched the street.


    It was Christmas, after all, and people were making loud noises. I could hear the sound of the firecrackers, and there were lots of fireworks in the sky. The road that led down the street was familiar. I snared as a car drove past, and two kids popped their heads out of the car''s open roof and screamed hoo-hoo. I growled when too many lights shone in the sky. I should have gone after those boys and pounced on them, but the door opened behind me. I turned around, snarling at the intruder. It was Collins. I squinted at him, then stepped back, ready to jump on him, but something changed. I felt cold as if I''d stepped into winter.


    He sang. His song was smooth, and it made me cry. The bite on his neck had caused blood to cover him to the toes. And with his voice in the air, I began to lose my strength. He sang and sang louder, and the world became silent; the noise of the firecrackers dropped to the background. His voice grew louder, as if he wasn''t singing alone. Yet, his voice was the only one I heard. I saw only him standing by the door, singing through serious pain. I felt relieved soon, so I closed my eyes as my legs finally surrendered and collapsed to the floor. I lay down, and he ran towards me after that.


    I must have slept for a while after that. When I opened my eyes again, my head was on his lap. I saw the damage I had caused. He was still bleeding, and from what I knew about werewolves, he would become like me soon. I had gone too far, and the worst had happened. I got up.


    "What happened? Oh my God. I did this." They were obvious answers, and I understood what had happened perfectly well. I hadn''t lost control like this before. It had never happened without my grandmother watching and helping me. From her, I learned how to control my secret abilities. I had hidden it from the world enough, but it chose twenty-six years to ruin the only love I ever had.


    ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s stop the blood,¡± I said. I looked around the house. ¡°Collins, do you have first aid? Anything?¡±


    ¡°About what happened. It is the reason you didn¡¯t want to date me, right?¡± he asked.


    I nodded as though it wasn''t time for questions. We would find a way to solve this, and I wouldn''t let him become a wolf.


    "I will be back," I said, and I walked to his bedroom and returned with a bowl of water, alcohol, and a piece of cloth. Those were the things I could find. "I didn''t want this to happen," I said as I began to attend to the wound.


    ¡°You need to tell me everything. Even if I die, I deserve to know everything.¡±


    ¡°You won''t die,¡± I said and began to cry.


    ¡°Then tell me,¡± he insisted.


    There was no point hiding anything from him anymore. I had bitten him already.


    So, I began to talk.

 Angelina Adeline Cole

    COLLINS


    I did stupid things tonight because of love. The thought of making her excited had nudged me to do stuff.


    I stood and smiled in front of the mirror. I could jump out of my bed in the middle of the night, walk barefoot on fire or run around with life support for all things related to Angelina Adeline Cole. I could moonwalk in my bedroom since she was on her way to my house. The time was perfect. My plan was working.


    Angelina Adeline Cole, the finest of souls. We started since I could understand the difference between green and blue. I was six, and she was seven, the best kids in class, the children couple, even though I didn''t think too much of it at the time. We were too young to have such thoughts. But, silently, or rather secretively, my heart¡­ our hearts burned with the fire of fondness.


    Not lust. We were kids, and at that stage, all we wanted was to see each other play, but it was more than that. There were childish dreams of going to the altar and getting married even though, at the time, we were only a few inches taller than the said altar.


    But, why, why, after all the years, she hadn''t admitted that she wanted to accept my genuine request? We could both go to England if she said yes. Tonight, my only wish was that this wouldn''t be another no.


    The weather was quite dull this evening, like it would rain. At half-past five, the sun had retreated. I looked at the fireplace; there was enough wood to keep us warm for the night. It would be a sign of good luck if it eventually did rain. It would be my best night if everything worked in my favor.


    She called eventually and said she was outside. She didn''t need to call, though. I had heard a car pull over in front of the house and looked out of the window. She stood there by the road and stared straight at my window. How different did she look from last year? Wearing a gold-colored gown and brown shoes, smiling at me, and holding her purse so elegantly --- she was perfect. The wet road, street lamps, dark sky, and bulb-decorated shops made it look like one of Da Vinci''s masterpieces.


    But there was something more beautiful than what a mere artist could create.


    Angelina.


    We were friends. We were still friends. We separated after getting jobs in different countries and only communicated over the phone. The best time it really felt like we were friends again, like childhood sweethearts, was every Christmas and a week after that before I fled back to London. We would arrange a meeting and spend time together. It had been happening for six years, the rush home during the holiday and the anxiety to run away when the break was over. It wasn''t how I wanted it. But when I wanted more, she reminded me I was asking for too much. Dating was out of the question; friendship was the game we had to play.


    She waved at me, and I waved back. I had stared too long, letting her wait a little longer than she should have. Stupid thing I did. I¡¯d been stunned by her presence, staring at her like a moment that nature had carved out. An angel on the wet and silent but Christmas-decorated street.


    I immediately walked to the door, dashed out of the living room, and ran down the stairs.


    When I got to Angelina''s side, she rushed to meet me. She stopped right before me, grinning like I was holding her favorite present. This excitement, she always had it whenever we met, whenever we made phone calls which were weekly. I used to feel like I had some gifts that excited her. Or, Oh... I was the present; seeing me again was the prize.


    Inviting her here was a decision I had to make. I told her if we were truly friends, and I meant a lot to her, she would spend the night of Christmas with me. That''s what I said, but what I meant was greater. I shouldn''t push too hard yet, not here on the street. Six years ago, the last time I did, she would never talk to me again. And it all felt like a miracle when she called again after a year.


    "You look gorgeous," I said.


    "Thank you," she said. Oh my God, the way she giggled, harmlessly like a child. The way her eyes blinked away when I tried to make eye contact. Those blue eyes held as much power as the sun. I stared too hard, and sometimes it felt like I was in a trance. My child, my first child, would be lucky to have those hazel eyes, the type that looked at you and melted you, starting from your feet, and by the time it got to your knee, you were already asking God for a chance to die this way often and often.


    "You are staring," she said and looked away. Then she glanced back at me and said, "come here." I moved closer, and we hugged. In the moment of that embrace, old memories came back flooding. We once played a game when we were young. I was seventeen, and she was nineteen. We held each other''s gaze for more than one minute, and we ended up being hypnotized. It was a secret, our secret. We couldn''t explain it and never told anyone about it, so we would take it to our graves.


    I pulled out of the hug and held her left hand. Together, we walked toward the house. The smell was familiar; the tattoo on her left breast was still there. Nothing had changed. I glanced at her neck. The necklace was a new one, though, a different one, not the one I gave her last year, the one I thought she would wear.


    "I miss you. I miss this town. And I was planning to have more time together this year."


    "I am glad you chose to spend this night with me."


    She stopped walking and looked at me. Oh, my, I wished we could hold our gaze for long. I would love to experience that miracle again. But, perhaps it was a mistake, and unless we tried again, we would never find out if it was true or a false assumption.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "This is the best holiday moment for me too," she said. "I just wish¡­. We could¡­"


    I frowned. "We could what?"


    "I wish we would have some pancakes. I hope you haven¡¯t lost your touch? Because I would have to force you to remember."


    I laughed and looked at the left side of the road. There was a signboard some meters away. We couldn''t see what was written from a distance, but we both knew the words on it. It was the road to her grandmother''s farm. The note on the board was Mrs. Adeline''s street, named after her grandmother.


    Her grandmother was the most decorated woman in the town who was still living. She acted bravely when the city started and was there to save the lives of those who fell during the civil war.


    "I still cook everything pretty well. Pancakes aren''t an exception."


    She nodded. "Trust you. Is there something you don''t get better at? Collins?"


    I laughed as we walked toward the house. Now it seemed we would go down memory lane of how I was a good sportsman: football, horse riding, and swimming. But life happened. I got a job that brought me back home once a year after four years in the university. Those were four miserable years if you asked me. Every holiday felt like liberation, and I would jump on the first flight leaving London because our town had something that mattered to me. At first, it seemed she didn''t share the same enthusiasm, but I would soon learn she had been afraid of something for years. But it was true that no matter how long and how far we had been separated, there was a line that would draw us back to one another.


    "Welcome to my place," I said, pushing the door open.


    "Thank you," she said and walked in.


    Then she exhaled and smiled. I had done the work, vacuumed the rug, removed the cobwebs, and washed the flower vases. I didn''t know how best to prepare the house in a bit of time, but I did my best. To Angelina, even my barest efforts were encouraged with don''t worry, "I know you did your best." But why didn''t she want more than what we shared at the moment? I was ready to give all of me, every part of me, to her. She felt the same. The last time she rejected the offer to be with me for life, she cried for days because she couldn''t say yes.


    She walked to the table and picked up the bottle of Johnie Walker. Oh, I had forgotten the ice cube and the juice just how she liked it. I was too nervous, forgot some of these things, and now she was heading to the kitchen to get them. She understood the house. She''d lived here, like a family when my parents were still alive.


    "Oh, stop. I could get you the ice," I said, walking after her. But she wouldn''t stop or listen to me. Instead, she waved my offer for help with a hand and went ahead.


    "I need some juice," she said, pointing the glass of wine at me. "I hope you have some in the fridge."


    "Yes, I do."


    So she went to the kitchen and fetched a bottle of juice. I watched as she mixed some of it with the ice and the liquor. Then she took a sip, and she folded her lips. Hmmm, she said, and I partly did the same even though I was only looking and not drinking.


    "You want to have some," she asked.


    I wanted some, but she was already mixing the liquids inside another glass cup. Then she handed it over to me.


    "Do you have something we could eat now?" she asked.


    "Could you please make yourself comfortable while I do the work?"


    She nodded and giggled.


    We spent the next hour talking about her job in California. She had met a man named Eric, and this Eric guy seemed to be a guy who liked to have as many women as he could in a month. But something had kept them together, the fact that he was her boss. She would need his favor if she wanted to settle down. She needed to get better pay and rent a better house than the miserable and tiny place she''d rented with her meager salary.


    And there was me¡ªthe big boy who lived in London. I worked with one of the biggest companies in Europe. I could afford a home for us, and our papers would be processed so she could move in with me. I could get temporary documents since I was working in a company. We could get married next month, and if she wished, we could have our first child, a daughter with hazel eyes, in some years.


    "Tell me about where you live. Is it comfortable?"


    "It is comfortable. But I would have preferred someone I know so well to be around, at least. I have only a few people, and it is difficult. Promise you will come to California one day."


    "Yeah, sure."


    It was a beautiful city, California. I spent hours seeing the pictures on Instagram, and we made video calls when she went shopping around the town.


    "Can I taste that?" she asked.


    "Of course, I am doing this because I want you to enjoy a first-class meal."


    She giggled and took the dish I served her. I turned to continue cooking the last batch of pancakes. Then we moved to the dining seats next to each other, glasses of liquor in hand and a bottle of Johnie Walker on our table. I didn''t really know whose idea it was that we should watch Bridgerton, but it was worth it as we saw it and talked about our lives in different countries.


    "If I am being honest, coming home isn''t important to me every year."


    "Why did you say that?"


    "Sometimes, I feel like I have nothing here anymore."


    "What about me?"


    "You can guess the reason I still show up every year," I said. "I can''t do it without you."


    She took a sip from the glass cup and exhaled. "To be honest, I only have three people here. I have a family here. And you¡­ You, my grandmother, and my mother. You are my family."


    "It''s crazy for me. Sometimes, I want to have my holiday in London, but I can''t rest once the holiday begins. I always want to see you. Have you ever felt that too?"


    She wouldn''t look at my face. Instead, she was quiet, her fingers rubbing the side of her glass in circles. Then she smiled. "It''s "us," Collins. I am always happy to be here with you. It''s another feeling entirely. And it is strange." Now she licked her lips. "It is like I can have this feeling again once a year." Then she lifted the glass cup and took a big gulp, a mouthful that she tried too hard to take in. She swallowed it completely, and then she exhaled. "I wished there was something I could do about it, but¡­."


    I had to stop her before she could choose another excuse why we could not share a future together. I was tired of hearing all of them: we are meant to be siblings, her parents wouldn''t approve of it, or the time she told me I was better off without her. How could she have said that when all the time I spent in London, I thought of her? An angel grew up with me, and I thought she would keep growing with me for the rest of my life. "Let''s do something about it, Angelina. I don''t want to spend the next year without you beside me."


    I reached for her left hand. She set the glass down with her other hand and exhaled. Then, before I could blink thrice, she was sitting on my lap, and we were kissing. I had waited long about this, so we ravished each other''s lips and tongues.


    And then, she transformed into a wolf.

 I was warned

    Angelina


    I began to talk.


    My grandmother and my mother were werewolves. I learned about my superpowers from both of them when I was born.


    I couldn''t call it power at the time because it always put me in trouble with the other kids. I would snap and fight everyone as if I was possessed.


    I had to be home-schooled by two women. I wasn''t just taught arithmetic and the English language. I was taught embroidering, sewing, makeup, and, most importantly, how to control my power. I learned to manage it for a long time before I was allowed to go to a standard school. My mother and grandmother had always stayed in this town. I was the first to settle out of town.


    There was the truth: I was a werewolf, and the only problem was ¡°love¡±.


    It was the weakness of the two women in my life. The men they¡¯d loved had to die a cruel death, and they had to live the rest of their lives alone, not falling in love, not giving marriage or love a second chance. My mother failed. My grandmother failed too.


    There was always that moment when something went wrong; they snapped out of control in the presence of the lovers. Then they attacked and killed them, killing their lovers to death. I''d been running away from this all my life. And it was because of a witch''s spell.


    I exhaled as I spoke about it. I told Collins everything and the warnings my grandmother and mother gave me. ¡°My grandmother was an aggressive advocate of the danger of taking love seriously. She said that I should never get carried away,¡± I said.


    I exhaled and stared at Collins''s neck and the gash created by my own teeth.


    The tears would come down like an impending rain meant to create more chaos on earth, and then I would open my mouth and exhale. I needed more fresh air in my lungs every second.


    "So what''s going to happen to me," Collins asked.


    I stared at the wound on his shoulder. Then I picked up the bottle of liquor. "Hold tight," I said. Then I poured the alcohol on the wound.


    He yelped and gritted his teeth. "Should I be afraid?" he asked.


    I could sense it. The fear beating through his chest was loud and clear, and I shook my head. I couldn''t stop the tears that began to pour again. Then he reached for my shoulder and squeezed it gently.


    "It''s not your fault," he said.


    No, it was my fault.


    I was warned.


    ***


    Collins


    Something must kill a man.


    Romeo and Jack both died for love. It was my turn, and I thought I was going to die. So I sat on the couch as Angelina took care of the wound. I could guess what would happen next, but I waited till she would tell me. Angelina spoke skeptically as if she was talking in a language she didn''t understand too well. But I understood why she didn''t want to explain what would happen next. It''s a sad tale.


    It was a spell! Before today, I could have argued that magic wasn¡¯t real or that Angelina wasn¡¯t a werewolf. We were in 2012, for goodness sake.


    How things change!


    Angelina walked to the window and cried while looking at the street, where I stood some hours ago when I was waiting for her arrival. The same spot where she tried to jump out.


    "You should know, Collins, I have never loved anyone else. I always wanted to date you," she said.


    She was still standing by the window, crying her eyes out. I was trying to save her from jumping down from there a moment ago. She would have gone out to the street, and many other people would have met their untimely deaths, their last Christmases.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I shifted on the chair and glanced at her. I didn''t know what she was thinking, but standing at the window with the wind blowing her hair didn''t sit well with me. I wanted her away from there. The worst had happened already, and I would tell my story in another full moon or so.


    "I need some help here," I said. "Can you help me with some water?"


    She stepped away from the window and went to the dining. She came with a glass of water. Then she sat beside me and watched as I drank. I sighed and rested my head on the couch.


    "You sang when I transformed. How did you know to sing for me?"


    "Your grandmother once told me."


    "She did?"


    "She didn''t say you were a wolf. She said if it ever happens that you are angry and out of control, I shouldn''t panic. I should sing for you."


    "Oh!"


    "I remember what she meant now."


    "Thank you," she said, "you didn''t run away."


    "I guess it would have been worse."


    After some minutes, she placed a hand on my chest as if she wanted to know how fast I was breathing.


    "Are you trying to measure my heartbeat rate?"


    She shook her head. "There will be a full moon today, and I don''t know what to do to save you," she said with a sad face.


    "You said your grandmother and your mother both attacked and killed their partners."


    "Yeah," she nodded.


    "So that''s why you grow up without a father."


    She nodded and sniffed. "Yeah. They didn''t survive it. They died instantly."


    "See? I''m lucky to be alive."


    She shook her head, then started crying. "No, I ¨C I don''t want to watch you like this."


    "Yeah, I know. I wish there¡¯s something..."


    She came close to me. Her hand shook when she laid it on my chest again. She gazed at the wound, and for a second, I thought I had been bitten by someone else.


    She cared.


    "I would really prefer to be in this house when I finally die," I said, looking around the room.


    She got up, turned around, and folded her hands on her chest. When she turned to face me, her eyes were red.


    I had been holding back tears, too, but now I let loose the fluid.


    "You won''t die, alright?" she snapped. ¡°You should have died by now. It means you won¡¯t die, but¡­¡±


    "But what? What will happen to me? I don''t want to become a werewolf."


    She nodded. "You will become a wolf. You will only have the chance to become a human once a month. But that''s the thing we are going to figure out. It won''t be a permanent situation," she said.


    ¡°I read about that. Didn¡¯t know it would be my story.¡± I frowned and winced in pain as I tried to sit up. "So tell me how we are going to change the situation."


    "We will need a witch to turn you into a real wolf. Like me, my mother and grandmother."


    "Good God. How will I survive that? How do you find a witch?"


    "You will survive it, alright. I am going to find a witch."


    I stared around the room, the cleaned space that smelled of air freshener. I had plans for the day. We would walk around later and say merry Christmas at the top of the mountain, where we played as kids. The idea was to be in each other''s company throughout the night. It was ruined by an unfortunate incident. I didn''t want the day to go like this. I wanted to lay down and talk and say things I had wanted to say to her for years.


    But now, I was like a dying man counting the hours to the moment he would lose everything, his house, his wealth, and the life I had started to build in London. I already owned a house and a car. Everything would be gone, and I would become a werewolf.


    I thought I had a good life in London, but there was only one missing piece. Angelina. I thought if I could ask her again to be my girlfriend, and she said yes, my life would have been close to perfect.


    "We have to go, Collins. My grandmother might find something."


    I laughed. "I will become a wolf," I said, "once the moon comes out tonight." It was supposed to be the luckiest day of my life, but that changed. I laughed again.


    "Don''t do this, Collin," she said. Angelina was crying again. "I know you will be fine." Then she laid her head on my chest and wept. She cried hard like she''d lost the biggest thing in her life. I patted her head and hair, telling her it might be better to let go, to be separated, but she wouldn''t listen to me.


    I looked out of the window and stared at the sky. The moon wasn''t out yet. I shifted back on the couch anyway and put a hand under my head. Life would put you in a situation where you can have all the good things except one. She was all I wanted. I was afraid of losing her forever, and now I had to lose my normal life.


    As a werewolf, there would be fewer human activities I could do. I would have to join a pack, which shouldn''t be that difficult. I had seen this in movies. I said these things to Angelina and laughed, using humor to mask my anxieties. But she shook her head and said it was more complicated than that.


    "If you can''t turn to a human on your own, things can be dangerous," she said. She sighed, looking down.


    I wanted her to look at my face, but that was buried in my chest, and I couldn''t lift her head with one hand. So I tried another attempt. I had a few hours left as a human, and I would rather talk about childhood than wallow in pain.


    "Since this would be the last conversation we would have¡­ as humans till the next full moon, probably. Why not share with me all the secrets," I said.


    She lifted her head, placed her left palm on my chest, and looked at my face. The pain in my arm was getting worse, but I managed to smile. "What secret?"


    "Any secrets at all? Surprise me." I said. As I tried to lay on the couch conveniently, my hand began to shake, and the veins were swelling.

 A witch In California

    Jennifer Griffin


    I liked the house. It was quiet and had enough space. I would be all by myself, too, which meant, freedom, I could do as I wished, a feeling every nineteen-year-old would love.


    When my grandmother showed me the vision that I should move to another city, I rejected it. I was reluctant for a whole day. But I told my mother, and then she told me to do as our dead grandmother had said.


    I needed to move to California. That was my grandmother ¡ª always showing me things, always directing me. She showed a vision ¡ª this city, the river Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, the signboards. She meant that moving here was important to develop more power. It was a good move anyway because I applied to universities in two different cities¡ªCalifornia and Chicago (where I grew up).


    So I rented a house in California, paid for it to be cleaned, and moved there two days later.


    I drove down here all by myself because my mother had to be at work.


    It was a lot quieter than I expected, but I loved it anyway¡ªthe quieter, the better when deciding where a witch should choose to live.


    I walked around the rooms. The main living room was spacious and had long, tall windows. I could sit there and watch the lonely street; in the last couple of minutes, only some birds had flown past.


    I believed the things the old witches had told me. I believed all I needed to do to develop my power was in this city.


    This was what my grandmother did. She wanted me here.


    The bedroom had the same length as my room in Chicago. The best part of it was that I had no neighbor here. When I opened the window to the left, no perverts were looking out his room for a naked lady. It was just trees and a small river running down. There were houses, but they were far away. Anyone would need a telescope to see from there.


    The other room in the house was the ¡°secret room.¡± It had no windows. I smiled as I stepped into the darkness, using the light from my phone in one hand. I waved my hand at the little lamp on the table, and it turned on. I wanted a green hue and got it by waving my hand again.


    I sat on the floor and looked at the ceiling. Then, closing my eyes, I held my breath and released it slowly. I could hear a loud sound like a woman''s voice, heavy and burdened with pain. A good pain. It was the type of sound a witch would make when her magic worked. When I opened my eyes, the wind blew gently, shaking the chandelier above my head, and the metal clinked against one another.


    I got up and turned around and round.


    It would take some time to get used to the new house. The secret room still needed more things ¡ª oils, feathers, pots for mixing herbs. My mother said these things were easier to buy in the good old days, when vampires, witches, werewolves, and humans co-existed. I loved those times, but it was the same period where heads were hung on a spike for having the affinity for blood and witches were burnt on a stakes.


    Things have changed, but in more good ways than bad. Only a few people knew and believed that people like us existed.


    I walked out of the room. I picked out my coat, put it on, and headed to the parking lot, where I parked my car. I needed to have some fun before I resumed life here. After that, I would go to college, and I needed to get acquainted with the city.


    For tonight, I needed something, and I knew exactly how to get it.


    I stopped the car at a turn to my house and watched the road. I looked to the left to find any sign of a bad omen. It was a strange world we lived in where humans would ignore the signals and symbols staring at them. But I was trained to see with the eyes and then with the inner eyes.


    I chose the right turn.


    I drove for a while before I came to a club. It was a good time to have a taste of a California guy. I stopped the vehicle outside and scanned the place for a short minute. The signboard at the top said The Haven. Not a bad one.


    You could tell this was a favorite place in the city. A club was on the other side, just as quiet as my secret room. Nothing was happening except the lights at the entrance. But yes, a lot could be going on inside.


    I stood outside my car and watched as everyone walked past me in the parking lots, looking at the building like they couldn''t wait one more second before they got in.


    I just needed a boy. Probably older than my age. I was nineteen. I liked them to be strong and taller. He could be black or white as long he knew how to satisfy another white girl; that was all I needed. It was just for the sex. It was always for the sex.


    I found him around the door. He was tall, bearded, and had brown hair. He was more than six feet away from me, but I could read him like an open book. He was walking into the club, holding a girl''s hand.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Oh, it was the other way round. The way the girl gripped him said a lot about the kind of man he was. He didn''t want to be here, perhaps. He looked around as he tried to follow his girlfriend, who was leading him inside like a toddler who wasn''t used to walking alone. He wa stupid. He was trying to please her. I wanted him. And nothing could stop me, not even if the girl walking beside him had blonde and smooth flawless skin like she was baked freshly like a perfect cake from a professional chef. I wanted that one for the night, and I would have him. So I locked the door of my car, adjusted my coat, and headed into the club.


    There are two things I could do to make him follow me home to have an amazing round of sex. I had to either look into his eyes or hold his hands and cast a short spell. That was all I ever needed to do.


    I cleared my throat and began walking toward the door as fast as possible. I didn''t want to risk losing him if he got into the building before I could.


    I couldn''t catch up with him before they got inside the building, but I was quick enough to see the spot where he was standing.


    They ordered drinks. Then they walked around the hall and sat in a corner while his girlfriend placed her hand on his thigh.


    I stood before the bartender and ordered a drink, too.


    ¡°Something hot, please," I said.


    I turned around and stared at the guy, but he wasn''t even looking at me. He would sip his drink and grin at the lady beside him. It amazed me. How could he do that in a room filled with all sorts of human species, almost all dressed, watching, acting like they wanted to get laid this minute?


    I was served my drink. I sat on the stool and drank while watching the guy. The bartender wanted to start a conversation. "Hey, red," he said, "are you looking for someone¡­."


    "Yes," I said. Then, before he could ask who, I put the rest of my drinks down and walked towards my target.


    I knew the dangerous person between the two, the one who would raise a lot of hell. So I walked to the lady, stared into her eyes, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said. "Hello, dear, I want to steal your boyfriend for the night."


    I turned around and looked at the boyfriend too. Staring into his eyes and holding his hands, I bewitched him. He didn''t resist. Jennifer Griffin wasn''t a woman you could ignore when she walked past you. And not when she used her powers on you.


    I led him out of the hall and then outside. He walked with me, smiling as I led him out. My car would have been the perfect place to know what he''s got, but I would rather spend the night with him. I wanted to hear about the city and things I should know. I''d moved here all too suddenly because my grandmother showed me a vision. I needed to know this part of the city a lot better.


    As I drove to my house, I engaged him in conversations.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±I asked.


    ¡°Darius. You can call me Grace.¡± Grace was my grandmother¡¯s name. ¡°Do you find me attractive?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°I like tall girls. Your eyes too. You look like someone who can take any man by just staring at him.¡±


    For that, he wasn''t lying. But most men didn''t need that much to win them over anyway. They were available for taking all too often.


    When we arrived at my place, I parked the car outside and reached for him. He knew what he was here for. I sat on him, dipped a hand into his shirt, under his vest, and rubbed his skin. He touched my hips to hold me in place. That was an invite that I wanted to see. So I crossed over to his side of the seat and sat on his lap. Squirming and kissing him, I pressed my body against his.


    His hands were on my butt, and he squeezed each of them and released them simultaneously. I stopped and giggled. I had picked the right choice of man, the one who knew exactly what to do and where to touch. It was mere entertainment, though. In the morning, he wouldn''t even know if this happened. Then, he would go back to that possessive girlfriend and would never remember me.


    He moved his hand to my waist and slowly worked his fingers around it. Masseur? Was that what he did for a living? I exhaled and wiggled my waist.


    He rubbed again, and I lifted my head up. Shutting my eyes close, I could feel his hands on my back now. He was hard underneath me, and each second I spent with my eyes shut was transitioning.


    I saw things. All these things were in a blur, like a mix-mash of colors a painter was working on. I could make sense of a few things because I had seen them before. My old grandmother''s shelf. A city that she took me to when I was a child. We went there in spirit. We sat in her secret room like a yoga teacher and her student. Then she held my hands and asked me to close my hands. We went into a city I had never been to before.


    Darius man held my nipple in his lips in a soft grip and jolted me out of the trance.


    ¡°Oh!¡± I said, looking down at him. He could have asked me to take off the vest, but he didn''t. Instead, he chose to have the nipple through the fabric. I held his hand and stepped out of the car with him following.


    ¡°Come on, let''s go inside,¡± I said.


    We went inside the house and resumed our sorting of each other''s bodies right on the couch. I was the first to lose my clothes because I wanted him as fast as possible. I didn¡¯t want to lose the vision that appeared a moment ago. There was a chance of seeing more of those things again, making me want to get on with what we had started. So I pushed him onto the sofa and helped him out of his clothes, trousers first and then shirt followed.


    His manhood stood and poked out his trouser when I pulled them down. So I held and stroked it up and down a few times before straddling him again. He slid in. Yes, he was long, and the deeper he got into me, the more I wanted to push back and scream his name. Darius! or whatever he called it. His hands were on my waist, guiding me to move gently, and I did.


    He lifted me off him and turned me around, the kind of initiative I wanted. Take control of me when I need you, too, but I would like to dictate things most of the time. He slid in from behind while his hands held me by the waist like one firm belt fastened too tight. Each slamming of thighs against my buttocks sent me screaming and mumbling words.


    I didn¡¯t want to say some incantations. They just came out of me on their own.


    I shut my eyes tighter and lifted my head up. The images were forming in my head, a city or somewhere that looked like a small town. Everything came as a blur, like flashes of light and images. In a second, I was in a trance, and in the next, I was back to reality with this young man holding and trying to take the whole length of him at once.


    Another flash of images, a room with two people. Another flash and I saw a blurry image of a girl and a wolf.


    The place wasn¡¯t California. It looked like a faraway local neighborhood. I needed to know exactly what my grandmother was planning. Something was peculiar about the girl and the wolf, but that could wait till I was done with Darius.

 Becoming a wolf (1)

    Collins


    Angelina was silent now, tracing my chest with her fingers. She did it in circles and then down; her eyes were still shedding tears, and I''d thought I would distract her once she started talking. But my shirt was soaked, and her face was still a mess. We had little time anyway, and I had to make her pour out all that we should have said to each other over the last six years. That was not the first time I made it known I wanted more than friendship.


    "My grandmother and my grandfather were match-make. They were werewolves, but my grandmother killed him. It was a spell. We later find out. Apparently, my grandfather was a hot dude. A witch was crushing on him, and they were seeing each other. So he broke up with her and had to settle for the woman he was meant to marry my grandmother," Angelina said. "I wish I know more, actually. There''s something my grandfather didn''t tell his wife," Angelina sighed. "She warned me about this, my grandmother." She wiped her face with the back of her palm. Her eyes seemed yellowish, or perhaps I did not see clearly. My head hurt. My body was getting weak, like I would fall asleep at any moment.


    "She said it happened too fast. When she attacked him, he didn''t fight back like a wolf. My grandmother warned me not to fall in love with you. But that is already out of the equation. The other thing was to control my impulses when I am around you. You are my weakness." She raised her shoulders and looked up. "And I can do that for a long time until whenever I feel something stronger," she said and glanced at me.


    I nodded. I''d heard all of these today, but it sounded like I had been told about it many times. It was true. It all made sense. I had tried to get more out of this relationship, but she had avoided the request so many times, in words and simple gestures. Yet, she didn''t let go of me. I didn''t want her to leave either. The longest she tried to stop talking to me was six months, and she called to bring us back after that. I wouldn''t have rejected it; I wanted the same.


    "What about your mum''s? Did she tell you? I mean about how she¡­."


    She frowned and stared at me. "She did. Her man, my father, died too," she shook her head and reached for my hand. "I would do everything to make you like me. I promise," she said.


    "Tell more about how your mum''s husband died, Angie," I said in a low voice.


    She looked at me and sighed¡­ "You wouldn''t die, Collins," she said, touching my face. But after some seconds, she began to talk again. "My mother said my father struggled for like two minutes before he died. They were having sex when it happened."


    I raised my head and winced in pain as the muscle of my shoulder pulled so hard like I had hot water all over my body. "It''s been thirty minutes, and I didn''t die. I am lucky," I said and laughed.


    She put a hand on my shoulder and shook her head. "I told you, the bite will not kill you because it didn''t cause fatal damage, but¡­."


    "But what?"


    She stopped talking and jumped up. She looked around the room, picked up her phone, and slid it into her handbag. "First, let''s get you to my grandmother. She could help with anything."


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "Some minutes ago, you said the options were clear. I¡­uh¡­"


    "None of the past boyfriends stayed this long. That means she could help with something." She reached for my arm and tried to get me on my feet. I could feel how panicked she felt. Her body was trembling as she helped me to my feet. My energy was depreciating, and I doubted I wanted to go around past a couple of streets to get to her grandmother''s house.


    "Maybe we should accept our fate," I said.


    "Stop talking."


    "What other thing could happen if I didn''t die."


    "I already told you. You''ll become a wolf. There''s no other thing, but let''s get you to granny."


    We walked out of the house and waited for some minutes until a cab arrived. Once I sat behind the car, Angelina pressed the piece of cloth on my shoulder and stared at me. I was trying too hard not to shut my eyes by this time. She would look at the driver and back at me as if she wanted to pass a message to the man, but she decided against it.


    "If I make it and instead become¡­ transitioned," I said, "what do I need to know."


    "We can''t talk about that right now. We need to get to my grandmother first."


    I looked out of the window and at the sky. Once the moon appeared, I would be over. I closed my eyes. What would it be like to sleep every night in the forest that bordered our town with the next town? I had been there with my father. We didn''t have stories about wolves. The animals we met were bears. I would live with those. But there was a slim chance that I would become a wolf. That was better than dying.


    The fever got worse, and it took what was left of my strength. Two slaps hit me on the cheek, and I woke up again. "Don''t leave me," Angelina said. "Please, don''t leave me."


    The cab driver looked in his mirror. "Is he alright?" he asked.


    "Yeah, he''s fine."


    "Are you sure, ma''am? He looks like he''s losing it. Should I take him to the hospital?" he said.


    "No, no, no. He will be fine once I get him home and he''s rested."


    I wanted to tell the driver that he should drive faster and take us to Angelina''s grandmother. We wouldn''t get to the hospital on time even if we tried. I could transition right there at the hospital. It would be a big scandal for Angelina and her grandmother, the most decorated woman in town.


    "Do as she says, man," I said to the driver. The words came out like they were pushed out of my chest. My body was fighting the pain with a hot gasp.


    "We should get him to the hospital." The driver repeated. Now my fears were becoming real. What would it mean if the man went to the hospital and the doctors found a wolf lying in bed later? They would probably tame me. It would be a life spent behind a cage, and the world would come for Angelina and her family. They would be extinct before the next day. I closed my eyes again and tried to open them, but I couldn''t. Briefly, very briefly, I saw my father. The vision blurred as I squinted again. The next image that appeared was my dead parents holding hands. They looked sad, like those days when I had got a broken wrist after playing football in high school. They were disappointed.


    Two or more slaps landed on my cheeks again, but I was too weak to open my eyes fully. I tried, but I failed. I would have said a few things to Angelina. I loved her. Even after this, I wished there was a world that could include us. I wished we had a chance somewhere else. I was leaving, but¡­


    She kissed me.


    And there was something about a kiss; if it came from the right person, all the body systems wake up. So I opened my eyes, and she smiled back at me. I could see the expression of joy in her gaze, which said: I wouldn''t let you die.


    The night was fast approaching, and the moon would soon be out.


    "Will you ever leave me," I asked.

 A night to remember

    Angelina


    I kissed him.


    I pressed my lips into his and waited for him to connect with mine. I tasted him ¡ª slowly and briefly.


    And he woke up and stared at me. I¡¯d feared the worst would happen when he shut his eyes. I would prefer him as a wolf than dead.


    I held his face and smiled.


    ¡°Will you leave me?¡±


    I shook my head many times and rubbed my finger on his face to wipe the moisture away.


    The cab stopped at our house eventually, and then we descended. I paid the driver, and the man stared at Collins as if I had made a bad choice on his behalf.


    Collins was half-awake anyway. He said thank you and nodded at the man while I helped him out of the cab and towards my grandmother''s house.


    Grandmother was sitting by the window of her room on the upper floor. The moon wasn''t out yet. She used to watch the moon on days like this. She said it energized her, and she would feel young again anytime the sky went dark and the spherical-shaped light turned out.


    When she heard us coming, she turned around and stared at me.


    "What happened?" she asked when we got to her bedroom.


    I laid Collins on Granny''s bed and pressed the cloth on the wound with one hand.


    "I lost control and bit him," I said. I stared at her while wiping my forehead with the back of my hand. "But it''s almost an hour, and he isn''t dead. Is there something you can do? I can''t take him to the hospital?"


    Grandma walked towards Collins and stared at the wound.


    "He survived," she said. Then she touched him as if she¡¯d just seen someone walking out of a fire.


    Collins coughed and turned his head slowly in the direction of Grandma.


    Grandma stood upright and paced around the room. "Collins," she called. "How did he survive it?"


    "He ran before I could bite him too hard. We were about¡­ we were in the mood."


    "I ran¡­" Collins interrupted, and then he coughed. "I remembered you told me to stay away and talk from a distance."


    "Lucky you. I always knew you were a smart boy."


    I looked from my grandmother to Collins. They had left me out of the conversation, and I wanted answers. "I don''t understand," I said.


    Grandmother walked towards her shelf and brought a glass cup and a bottle of concoction. She had given me that before. She made it with some imported herbs. When I was young, the content helped me cope with pain during transformation.


    She handed the cup to Collins, "here," she said and poured the herb into the cup.


    "Why are you giving him that?" I asked. "He is not a real wolf."


    "He would soon be. This will help with the pain."


    "I know he would soon be a wolf. Can we do something? Like, help him."


    "You know everything, Adeline. I explained it all. Now it has happened, what do you suggest?"


    "I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I couldn¡¯t. But he¡¯s not born a real wolf. You know more than me, Grandma. Please help him."


    "Nothing we can do, darling¡­. Well, unless we can remove all the blood in his body and replace it with a fresh one before the full moon."


    "That''s not possible," I said.


    "Yeah, exactly,¡± she said.


    I shook my head and looked at Collins. He drank the cup''s content and handed it to my grandmother.


    Fresh tears flowed down my cheeks as easily as I blinked. he looked at me and told me to come closer. When I got to his side, he held my hand and squeezed it gently as if urging me to keep calm; I had given my best.


    ¡°Remember old, times. When we were in high school,¡± he said. ¡°You were always fighting other girls for crushing on me.¡±


    I chuckled and then sniffed back tears.


    Our romance started in middle school. He was this boy with fast legs, athletic, dark curly, and long hair. He was also good at a lot of things. So it happened that we used to be the teacher''s favorite to take assignments together. We fought most of the time, and his family would invite our family during holidays. Or my family did. We were the only kids and had to play together. We continued our relationship in high school.


    ¡°I feel better after thinking about it. And the herb,¡± he said, looking at my grandmother.


    ¡°It will help you when you transform,¡± I said.


    "Well, that''s some good news," Collins said.


    "I¡¯m so sorry," I said.


    "Whatever you want to say to each other," my grandmother said. She walked back to her shelf and put the bottle back inside. "I suggest you start saying it. He¡¯ll begin to transform once the moon is out. The process will continue till dawn because this is his first time."


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I turned to my grandmother. "Will it hurt him?" I asked.


    "Not as bad as it would have been without the herb."


    I turned to Collins again. "I¡¯m so sorry."


    My grandmother placed a hand on my shoulder. "You should make this moment count, Adeline." She used to call me the name she bestowed on me. "Your mother and I were not this lucky." Then she patted my shoulder and left the room.


    It was Collins and me alone. He wasn''t closing his eyes as he did previously. He was awake. He was asking questions with his eyes, which we both didn''t have answers to. Was this the end? What am I going to do? What would be my plan?


    I held his hands tighter. He wasn''t in much pain anymore.


    "You remember when my father died?" he said, staring at my hands. "We had this kind of these awkward moments."


    It was a night never to be forgotten. The next night was even worse because I cried like the one who had lost her father all over. Collin''s maternal uncle had come to town and asked to take him away. He had no choice but to leave.


    "And when you told me you are leaving town the next day," I said and chuckled. Then I wiped my face with the back of my hand.


    "Crazy night. You were crying."


    "And you were forming a big boy. Tell me why did you run back after a week?"


    "I thought I needed a break. And you won''t stop calling."


    "Yeah, I couldn''t let you go," I said.


    "Angie, I want you to know you are my choice of a woman. I kept looking back at our relationship when I should date someone else. Something always tells me there''s a woman. The right person. I have already made up my mind that any date will not work. Kind of."


    "I was actually doing the same. Not directly. When I meet someone and want to turn them away, I tell them about you. I told a woman about you because she wants to hook me up with her cousin or something." I sighed. "I wanted you, but¡­." I shook my head.


    He looked outside again. "It''s okay," he said.


    The sky was getting darker. Perhaps it would rain, and the moon wouldn''t appear early enough or take a break tonight.


    "Will you take care of my parent''s house till I am sure of what to do with it?"


    I nodded. This was the part where I needed to tell him all the things I had bottled up because of my secret¡­ which, as it seemed, was no more a secret.


    "Collins," I started, placing a hand on his chest. His heart was beating hard against my palm, like someone running a race. "I have always wanted to be with you. I have always wanted to build a future with you, and when I made up stories in my head about marriage and the kind of man I want to spend my life with, you are part of it. You are the man. You are always part of everything. I was afraid that this¡­ would happen if I said yes. I was afraid¡­."


    "It''s okay. I understand now. This isn''t how I think it would turn out, but¡­" he nodded. "Come here," he said and pulled me into a hug. "It''s sad. Our story could have been different. I love you, Angelina Adeline Cole. I always will."


    I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine. "I love you too," I said.


    Then we had our third kiss for the night. My hands were on his shoulder at first while his lips and tongues searched for lost treasure in my mouth. I had this feeling in my chest whenever we kissed ¡ª like I was receiving head and body massages simultaneously. My body was super active, and yet I did was slowly, the tongue-twisting, the rubbing the back of his head, the gentle nudge on his arm.


    My eyes were shut, and when I opened them again, he had closed his eyes. I pushed him back gently so he had to rest his back on the bed. My hands were moving around him, searching for his buttons, squeezing his nipples. My thighs were pressed lightly against his groin. I had wanted to do this for many years. This was the moment to seek all the pleasure I had fantasized about, the lust that had caused sleeplessness.


    He was kissing my neck, and his hands loosened the zipper at the back of my gown. I stood up and moved the arm of the dress from my shoulder so that it fell off the floor. I stepped out and crawled to him. I stood before him and helped unbuckle his belt and then his trousers, his clothes off.


    When I tried to straddle him, he said, lie down.


    ¡°You sure?¡± I asked.


    He nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I desire you, Angie,¡± he said.


    Lying on the bed with my back, I sighed. "Okay," I said.


    I started kissing my body from my knees and moved from one side of my body up and up until he was on my stomach. He evaded the breast and went upper part of my body.


    His mouth found a path on my neck, and his tongue sent a shock through my body. I looked up at the ceiling and gasped.


    ¡°Have you been with another woman. In London?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I always think about you. I wanted you.¡± Then he kissed me so that it was hard to breathe.


    I pushed back and kissed him even harder.


    He took off my bra and stared at my breast for a while. What did he think of their size, the redness of the nipples? He caressed them first with his palm and then with his tongue, one at a time. His hands were on my hip, tracing the lines of my panties. We kissed again, and his hands pushed my panties down, so I lifted my butt and let him get them off.


    He slowly pushed my back down on the bed as if I should prepare for what was coming. I bit my lips and lay down, hands spread to each side of the bed and holding the bedsheet. I should touch his head and play with his hair as his tongue touched my left nipple, the right one, then he traced down my cleavage with his tongue.


    Down he went on my body, to the stomach and the groin. And the hitch! Ah! The touch of his lips on the opening was electrifying, tickling. I giggled briefly and looked down at him. He crawled up to kiss me again and down, there, he slid in. But it was impossible not to scream. I held his waist and moaned out loud.


    The rain started after that. It continued as we both enjoyed the pleasure and warmth inside each other''s bodies. We took turns and rode each other. The sound of the downpour on the roof and window seemed like a background tune. This was a memory, the sweetest, the saddest, the joyous one we had ever had, and nature was in support.


    We lay in bed after that, stark naked. The rain hadn''t stopped.


    "So," he said, "will you come to visit wherever I go after my transformation."


    I stared at his face now, and he pushed my hair sideways. My left hand was on his stomach, rubbing the hairs that extended down. But I really wanted to hold his dick and stroke it till it got hard again.


    "You will be by my side. There is no need for any separation," I said.


    ¡°I would be a wolf, You think people won¡¯t ask questions.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. You¡¯re coming with me to California. People can say whatever they like. We will figure out to make you a hybrid,¡± I said.


    He smiled. I didn''t know what he was thinking, but he patted my arm and pulled my body towards him. Then slowly, like I was sneaking something I didn''t want him to notice, I touched his dick. I tried to raise it, and it dropped in my hands. He chuckled. I turned to face him only to be met by another kiss.


    As I kissed and stroked my hands, he got an erection again, and we started the pleasure ride again. I was the one at the top this time.


    We were resting after that again when the rain stopped.


    Outside the room, we heard the shout of merry Christmas.


    "Merry Christmas," I said.


    "Yeah," he said, but it sounded like a cry.


    He was staring down at his hands. His nails were growing longer, and his arms were becoming hairier. His eyes turned dark and slowly; the normal bluish color came back but with some yellowish around it.


    I looked outside the window and saw the moon emerging. I got up from the bed, stepped back from him, and tried not to burst into tears as I waited for him to become a wolf.

 Becoming a wolf (2)

    Collins


    Humans should have had the magic to predict what would happen in an hour or even the next second. I would have laughed if I had known that I would become a wolf.


    But it was time to accept a new life, a new role, the dark and boring life of a carnivore.


    Angelina knelt before me and cried. She wept hard as the transformation started. And when it ended, her face was a blend of tears and snot. But did that change a thing? Did I regret this?


    No, it was a crazy night, the roller coaster of excitement, fear, despair, romance, love, and confession. Now, sitting as a furry creature, I had the calmness of ice water. My love life had morphed me into a new being, but all the memories were still with me, the smell of Angela''s dress, the taste of her lips, the feeling of me inside her.


    She got up and began to wear her gown. She was talking to me. I just stared at her, not ready to test my voice or whatever the voice of a real wolf.


    "This is us," she said. "We will spend the rest of our lives together. I''m a wolf too, and I can change whenever I want so we can be together in the same form." She spoke animatedly and distant, as if she wasn''t really talking to me but to someone else.


    I could smell better, too, and I could read her heart rate by staring at her eyes. From what I was seeing, she wasn''t doing pretty well. She was afraid, too afraid.


    "Yes, I am afraid,¡± she said. ¡°I was afraid that this would happen, and it did happen. Yet I am afraid." She walked to the mirror and used a towel to clean her face, which was messy. Then she stopped cleaning, turned around to look at me, and burst into fresh tears. I walked closer and tapped her legs. She knelt before me and embraced me in a hug.


    "We will be fine," she said. "You and I will be fine. I just. I was used to seeing you as human. I love you still. I will always love you."


    This pouring out of affection and words. This was how things changed people. When you lose something, the words that were hard to find ¡ª the words you have kept secret for years ¡ª would come to the surface.


    She wiped her face and cleaned up, and then we heard a knock on the door.


    It was her grandmother.


    Angelina opened the door to let in.


    Mrs Adeline glanced at me. "Don''t worry, you will be back by the next full moon," she said.


    She walked closer and knelt before me too. Her face wasn''t happy or sad; her heartbeat was normal. She lay her hands on me and stared into my eyes. "Whatever you are thinking, just know you are different. You are special. We can hear. Just use your mind. You''re a super being now."


    I whined a little and looked away. I was close to tears too, but a short glance at Angelina and I sniffed it back. It wasn''t worth it. She had shed enough tears already, and the last thing I wanted was to make her break down into fresh tears. Another full moon was just in thirty days or less or more. I could hold it.


    "What about mum?" Angelina said. "I need to tell her."


    "She is not returning home tonight," her grandmother answered.


    "Why?"


    "You know why?"


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Right, I guessed so."


    "A gentleman is in the sitting room. Eric. He¡¯s waiting for you. I didn''t know what to tell him," her grandmother said.


    Angelina glanced at me, and then her grandmother did the same as if I should be worried about hearing that name. I hit my punches on the floor and snarled. This wasn''t the plan. I stared at Angelina to let her understand I didn''t want to meet him.


    "You¡¯re going to tell Eric that you can''t see him anymore," I said in my mind.


    "Okay, okay, relax,¡± She said, looking at me and then her grandmother.


    "Calm down," Angelina said. "I have to tell him the truth that I don''t love him." Then she turned to her grandmother. "Tell him I went out with my friend," she said.


    Her grandmother nodded.


    Angelina picked up her phone and walked to the window. "Come, Collins, let''s go for a walk."


    She climbed out of the window and held the frame for me as I climbed out too. Then she shut it close.


    It was cold outside since it just rained a few minutes ago. The town was extra bright with Christmas lights. We could hear the greetings, the joyous noise, music, and kids shouting. This was supposed to be a night for families to be together, but Angelina and I had to walk around town.


    She was silent, but I listened to her. She was thinking about that man that had come to greet her for Christmas. Eric. She looked back at me, and I looked away quickly. She laughed at me.


    "You look funny when you''re jealous," she said.


    We were heading towards that mountain where we used to hang out during childhood, and the farther we went, the quieter it got. We stopped at a small store at the end of town, and she bought two cans of malt.


    We walked past the old Catholic church that signified we had reached the end of town. The next thing would be the signboard that said ¡°bye-bye to our town.¡±


    "You remember we used to walk like this," she said.


    I laughed, but it would look like breathing with my tongue out to her.


    "Yeah, I know you do. It''s one of my best moments."


    I slowed down so that she could walk ahead. I listened as she spoke. She would look back at me as if she understood why I had slowed down, and she began to cat-walk.


    "This hasn''t changed, has it? You¡¯re walking behind me so you can look at me. So yeah, let''s do this."


    She said as she swayed left and right, giving me that sexy look with her hazel eyes.


    We reached our destination eventually, the foot of the mountain. Then we climbed it and sat at the top, looking down at the town, Angelina telling jokes, holding my can of malt while I drank. Our town was a piece of land with a few giant buildings and some factories, most of which were there before we were born. To the right, it was bounded by a forest. To the left, it went and went until we couldn¡¯t see more but clouds.


    As a wolf, I looked at everything I had seen as a human differently. Many of them had smells, of course. The insects that flew past us. The butterfly flying round and round. I could hear the movements of rats around the grasses some feet away even though it was moving so stealthily.


    Her phone rang, and she answered.


    It was her mother, and I could hear their conversation.


    "Your grandmother told me about Collins. Where is he?"


    "He is fine,¡± Angeline said and looked back at me. ¡°We are at the mountain, having a private Christmas."


    "Angelina, there is an old man who can help him," her mother said.


    "What? What man?"


    "A witch? All we need is a witch. And your grandma knows a man in Japan who could help. He¡¯s a witch," her mother said on the phone.


    "What? She didn¡¯t tell us about him?"


    "She knew him when she was young, though. Like thirty years ago. Grandma believed he could be dead. But we could still be lucky."


    "And what can this man do?"


    "Help Collins become like us. You don''t want him to be a wolf for most of his life. Do you?"


    She nodded. "Yeah, no! I mean Japan?" Angelina asked again, and then she looked at me with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, we have to try.¡±


    She nodded again.


    When the call ended, Angelina screamed so loud. "Yes!" as if she wanted the whole town to hear her voice from the top of the mountain. "Yesssss!" she repeated.


    She turned to me and repeated the good news, and I joined her and howled so loud that the town and the next town would have heard it.


    There was hope in love after all.


    I looked down at our town and smiled. We had to go to Japan to find someone who could have been dead.


    Then she sighed and looked back at me. "We have to try," she said.

 A New Start

    Angelina


    Collins and I returned home later to hear the rest of the story of how grandmother met a witch in Japan.


    Eric was no longer there. Grandmother said he left angrily.


    There was another urgent matter to listen to anyway, so I let it slide and focused on my grandmother''s story.


    She told us about it ¡ª how she went looking for witches and how she failed to find one everywhere she turned.


    After my grandfather died, she found out she was pregnant and started having nightmares. So she started asking around for help. She was scared to ask in the country, too. No one would admit they were a human with dark magic and expect people to clap and not lynch them.


    Grandma said she traveled to Japan because she had heard some people talking about a witch. She told Collins and me about her journey and how she went round and round before she found the man. She didn''t finish the story that night because she was tired and needed to sleep.


    But she continued the next day and told us everything about Japan and the witch.


    He was a sixty-nine-year-old man. He lived in a small town and had a wife, who could be a witch, too, but the man didn''t say. Grandma spent two weeks with him while the man tried to cast a spell on her, but he didn¡¯t succeed after many attempts.


    The man offered an explanation: the spell had a duration. Grandmother should come back after ten years.


    By the time my grandmother wanted to go back, my mother was already nine years old. So she went back with my mother.


    The Japanese witch tried again and failed.


    Grandmother was sitting on her bed and looking at the window all the time she was talking. "So permit me to say I didn''t want to try again after that. But I still went again after another ten years. Your mother was nineteen by then, going twenty. So I went to Japan, spent two weeks there, and this man couldn''t undo the spell. I was there, terrified. He did all he could, made sacrifices with his blood, my blood. I would lay down, and he would say his incantations¡­." She stopped and looked at Collins, who sat on the floor beside grandmother, listening attentively. "We couldn''t undo the spell again and again."


    "So, a witch can''t undo it," I asked.


    "A witch can," my grandmother said. "But we don''t know when he will be able to. It could be the next hundred years or the next five years. We won''t know."


    "So, it''s a matter of knowing when the spell could be broken," I asked.


    "Yes, exactly. The witch who cast the spell was angry at your grandfather and me. She could have made it a hundred years long or till when I died. She''s the only one that could tell."


    ¡°But who is this witch?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s better you don''t know. She''s dead now.¡±


    I walked around with this new revelation throughout the day and the few days that followed. I pondered on the possibility of finding a solution. There were many probabilities. What if the spell could only be broken by the one who created it? What if the man in Japan died, or he tried and failed at it again? We would spend another few weeks of our lives in a hopeless spell exercise.


    But¡­ what if he could break the spell this time? It had been thirty years since the last attempt, and I wasn''t born by then. So there was a chance that we could get lucky.


    I had hopes and fears, but I was willing to try.


    Carefully, I got all the details I needed ¡ª the man¡¯s famous alias, his town, and how to get there. We would be spending days in Japan, so I needed time to plan our trip.


    I needed to put things in order with my boss ¡ª my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend ¡ª so that even if I traveled, I would still have a job as his accountant when I returned.


    So Collins and I agreed to move to California to plan things. Then we would go to Japan. Or, if we were lucky, we could find another witch in the city or the country. I had plans to ask around and even set an anonymous page on the internet to ask for recommendations.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I really would have wished to remain in our town. It was small, and people looked at my grandmother as an angel, the true daughter. It would have been a perfect place to hide, protect, and keep an eye on Collins. My mother and grandmother could somehow protect us.


    But I needed to return to California, where I had a job. Collins needed to become a full hybrid like me. He should be able to become a human or a wolf whenever he wanted, which was the plan.


    So the weekend after the new year, l left our town with Collins for California.


    I had to make fake reports that Collins was missing so that no one would suspect what had happened. The sheriff promised to help in every way he could. He had my number and would reach out to ask questions that needed answers.


    We left our town and I drove us to California.


    My house was as quiet as I had left it, all the furniture arranged, the rooms in order. I knew Collins would often be hungry. So I left him at home and went out to get a few items. When I got back, I stocked the fridge with fresh meat. Later, I would try my best to fry the meat so he wouldn''t often eat them raw. The smell of raw flesh can be so inviting to him, but it wouldn''t taste as good as fried.


    It was our first night at my house. I took him around the rooms, showed him the restroom and the garden, and promised that this would be our home until we could find a witch. We could be together, but not the way we wanted. But there was hope, and as fickle as it seemed, I still wanted to believe we could help him become a hybrid.


    In the evening, around 8 pm, we sat outside, watching the stars and listening to Rihanna''s song on my phone.


    I spoke while he listened.


    "Do you know we used to sit after school while we ate sushi? You and me. The mountain was our refuge. We would sit and watch."


    I was a wolf, too, and I understood what it meant when he stamped his left foot on the floor and wagged his tail. He was calling my attention, telling me he knew what I was talking about.


    I smiled at him. Then I sighed when I remembered I would resume work the following day and explain to my boss why I have been avoiding him and refusing to answer the phone and the text.


    Quietly, I feared for us. My boss would be angry when I told him it was over. He might fire me. He would want to know the other guy.


    Collins placed his paws on my knee and stared into my eyes.


    ¡°I remember how it used to be,¡± he said with his mind.


    "I missed that, too," I said, looking back at him. "When I first moved here, it was quite lonely for me. I wish you were here. I desperately wanted you to be here."


    He growled slowly beside me and wagged his tail. He was here now.


    "I know. You''re the best part of my life. And I am glad you are here."


    I shifted towards him and hugged him. There would be no calling at night just to hear his voice, to complain about how my day went. He was here in the flesh; we could talk and spend most of our evenings together. It was just me talking most of the time while he would listen and watch me.


    "I wish we could find a witch easily here," I said. "But no one would admit they were a witch or knew who could have dark magic. And the cost of going to Japan was not part of the plan."


    He stood all of a sudden and began to walk towards the road.


    It was dangerous, so I got up and ran after him.


    "Hey, Collins¡­ Cole. Stop."


    I needed to stop calling him Collins. It could bring all the attention, and people could start asking questions. Cole ¡ª I would call him Cole.


    He wasn''t stopping, though; I had to run after him to get his attention.


    I ran faster and crossed him.


    "What are you doing? You can''t go around here without a leash." I was afraid that someone would see us and ask questions. It was too early to attract attention, too dangerous for him and me. History told us that humans were always afraid of humans and creatures with more power and abilities than them. We could be killed.


    He walked past me.


    "Wait, Cole..." I said in the most pleading voice I''ve got. "This is California. Going out like this can be dangerous for both of us."


    He nodded but walked away even further for a few feet and then stopped. He looked back at me, nodding as if he were inviting me to join him. I didn''t want to listen to what he had to say in his mind, but I had no choice. He wanted to walk with him whether I wanted to listen or not. He was a wolf, and he could speak to me without opening his mouth.


    He wanted to go for a walk.


    "No, we can''t. It''s not a good idea."


    All I wanted to do tonight was to sit at home and watch a movie with him. But would it be a bad idea to go for a walk?


    He began to walk away, and I ran to catch up with him. We began to stroll side by side in silence. He would look up at me, and I would look at him, then smile as if he had both said something funny. These were the things Collins would make you do if you were with him. When we were in high school, he wouldn''t want me to feel bad, moody, or sad about trivial things like losing a debate. So he would make me laugh by holding my hand, compelling me to dance, or swirling me around in circles.


    "You really know what I wanted tonight," I said.


    He wagged his tail slowly and began to jog while I tried to keep up.


    When we got to a busy part of the street, I told Collins to wait in front of a church. He sat on the church''s stairs and promised he wouldn''t leave. He raised his right paw, and I folded a punch and touched his paw in a friendly gesture. Then I walked forward and went to buy ice cream.


    I returned and held his ice cream for him to eat while I ate mine. Then we watched the people and the street. And God, it was much better than thinking of how to break up with my boss.


    I didn''t know Collins had another ridiculous idea in his head.

 What has been erased may never be completely clean

    Jennifer Griffin


    The show on the Tv was pretty boring, but I didn''t care. All I needed was a distraction.


    A week had passed in this new house, and all I had been engaged with was finding clues and answers to that mysterious vision. I tried to sit and be still, to converge with the dead, so they could tell me exactly what the images of a lady and a wolf represented. But I didn''t get any good answers. It was as if someone showed me the images to torment me. As if I had been given a taste of something powerful, and it was my turn to guess the recipe.


    I crossed my legs in front of me on the couch and held the TV remote in my hand. On the right, three books were sitting there. I''d collected them from the library. The first one had a hundred pages, like a short read of some kind. It was written by a Japanese witch to her daughter and was hidden from the public for years. The book title was "Zin: Life of the Uncommons." The other two were written by Greeks and Scottish authors, explaining what they believed about magic, witchcraft, and all.


    They¡¯d been my companion for the past seven days, but none of them had given me the answers I wanted.


    I tried to figure it out every day for the past week. Finally, after that night with Darius, I went into the secret room and performed the usual routine of seeing powerful visions ¡ª lavender oil, flame, and incantations like my mother had taught me. But I didn''t see any vision, not even when I sat there for hours and screamed because of my failure to really see things when I needed it badly. I tried the next day again, ignoring that it was Christmas and I should be outside having fun. But, no, I wanted to know what a girl and a wolf had to do with me.


    A week had passed pretty fast, and yet. In that one week, I celebrated Christmas and New Year by myself. It felt strange. I had never celebrated Christmas alone, same with the New Year. In the past seven days, I just bought and drank alcohol, ate food, and watched television. And I read.


    On TV, the man was saying something about being the only person alive with his kind of powers. He was a magician. He could turn things around, rabbits to a handkerchief, pen to scissors.


    I shook my head. My mother said when my grandmother was alive, she could turn a man into a deer, camel, or anything she wanted. I wished I was half as powerful as her. But here I was, unable to unravel a simple vision or what it meant. Of course, it was a movie, but this man was foolish to make such a comment. Why would he say such a thing when he should have known as a witch that there were too many mysteries in this world to be uncovered?


    I put the remote control down and set my foot on the floor. I would try the magic again to see if something happened. So I walked to the secret room. I turned on the light by clapping my hands. The room was a bit darker, and I changed the appearance by making one side of the room look like a giant piece of art. It was as perfect as I had conceived it in my imagination ¡ª a wall with the painting of a dragon. I smiled and sat down on the floor. A small metal bowl was on the table, where I''d been burning incense for the past two weeks.


    I was confused. If this vision was important, my grandmother would have shown me the details of the images. I would have seen their faces and understood what to do. But, if they were not important either, why did I see it, to begin with?


    I should have enjoyed the sex with Darius in peace, but no, the thought of what the images meant had distorted the whole experience a little.


    I folded my legs like a yoga pose. I reached for the blue incense in a small bowl and dashed some into the brazier in front of me. Then I closed my eyes and began to cast spells.


    My voice gradually faded into a long distance pretty fast, and I felt a warm brightness on my face. The fire had started in the brazier, responding to the words that came out of my mouth. I tried to concentrate on my mind instead and tried to direct where it was leading me. I was like a camera moving in a strong wind. I was jumping, running, and speeding through dark clouds, thick smoke, and loud cries of voices that sounded like ancient gods and witches. Their pains and joys were a mix of echoes. Some of them laughed while being burned on the stake, and some cursed the humans who did it. There was nothing to see, just gloom, mists, and blurs, but the noises could be made out loud enough to make me put both hands on my ears, but I didn''t. Instead, I closed my eyes tighter and tried to keep my palms together in front of me.


    My mind slowed down. I was in a city, and I could see familiar houses and buildings. My heart rate, which had been jumping for a few seconds, had dropped so bad that it felt like I would go numb. My body was physically colder. In the vision, I walked around and tried to make sense of my surroundings. There was a church. It was a big old Catholic church with several stairs, and you had to raise your head to see the door. I couldn''t see any soul, but if this was what my grandmother wanted to show me, why did she show that of a lady and a werewolf? I tried to push forward, to make sense of my purpose around here. So I tried to move into the building, but I was stopped in my tracks like an invincible wall had appeared before me. I gasped for breath and opened my eyes. I sighed and coughed and coughed. The fire in front of me was still burning. Slowly, it went down and down.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°K¨¢pse, to fos tis psych¨ªs mou, k¨¢pse,¡± I intonated.


    The flame grew higher again in the burning brazier, and I watched it glowing and brightening the walls of the room and the magical artworks on it. I knew it wasn''t real, but I marveled at it anyway, the perfect distraction from my mind today.


    I would go back to the books later and try to learn more magic. Maybe I would find something helpful in the books. Maybe not.


    But I needed a break. I needed something different than books and the sound of my movement around the house.


    I walked out of the room, picked up my jacket from the bedroom, car keys, and phone from the living room, and headed out of the house.


    I didn''t think too much about where I was going. I wanted to be outside, grab some drinks and come back home. It was as if I had been locked into some mysterious mission for one week. Each massive effort always put me in a dark, luckless spot where I fought to understand what I was doing wrong.


    I drove to the same bar again and walked inside. I wasn''t interested in going home with a man. I was only here to have a drink and experience something different than what my silent house had to offer ¡ª noise, booze, the smell of hemp, sweating men pressing their bodies against women, and the funny expression of women who wanted the most attention and then pretended to be surprised when they got it. So I sat in a corner and asked for a glass of drink. The waiter prepared my request, and I slid some banknotes to him.


    A wolf and a girl. I kept thinking about them. I didn''t have a full picture in the vision, but I could still remember what it looked like; blurry, but I could tell what it was. A wolf and girl. Not a man and dog. It was a wolf.


    I sat on a couch and in a corner. There was no need to use magic here. I only wanted to drink and watch. If I had other plans, the boy on the other side of the couch would have been a good fit. He was wearing a sleeveless vest and holding a bottle of beer. Yeah, I could drink that on his body if he wanted me.


    But no, I just want to drink and watch.


    Someone sat in front of me, and looking up at him, I almost choked on my drink.


    Darius.


    I coughed and used my hand to shield my face.


    ¡°Hi, did I scare you. I am so sorry,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hi, it''s okay. It''s okay. I wasn''t. I was shocked, just that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.. uhm¡­ When I see you, I think you look familiar. I couldn''t say where exactly, but I¡¯m confused. I don''t know if we had met before.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°We have not met before.¡±


    Yes, we did meet, and he was good in bed. But that was all I wanted. No attachment. No relationship. If I needed him again, I would hold his hands and stare into his eyes, and that would be it. But not today. Not ever again, maybe. I ensured I made him forget everything after the sex that night. I looked down at his arms and shook my head slowly as I repeated myself, "no, we have never met before," I said, grinning.


    "Okay," he said. Then he looked back at the other hall area as if he was being cautious of someone. "I am Darius, by the way," as he turned to me and extended his hand for a handshake.


    ¡°Jenniffer,¡± I said, extending my hand to take his hand.


    Something tinged inside of me when I touched him. The flash of the night we had together, the screams of orgasm, and the thought of his strong hands holding me down as he slammed against my buttocks and thrust inside me.


    ¡°Are you sure we haven''t met¡­. Sorry. Sorry, I am sorry for pestering. I¡¯m just crazy. Just maybe I had too much,¡± he said, pointing at the bartender.


    I smiled. No, he wasn''t going crazy, but he wouldn''t remember even if I told him what happened.


    ¡°It''s nice meeting you, Darius,¡± I said.


    Someone slapped my hand off his. It was my girlfriend, the same girl from the other night. I wanted to get up and do something crazy to her, like cast some spell and make her strip naked or, even worse, pour drinks on herself, but I stared at her. She was a lot taller than me, and I had learned to always avoid attention to myself. I had seen and read many horror stories of how people like me died at the hands of humans ¡ª because we were more gifted because we had these powers. How dare us!


    "I think I have to go," I said, looking at Darius again.


    Then I got up and walked out of the hall again. What was I thinking to have come to this hall again? I should have. I was so confident in the potency of my powers that I thought he wouldn''t remember me ever again.


    When I got into the car, I exhaled and started driving in the direction that suited me. I just wanted to keep the car moving and moving. I just want to say I wasn''t eager to figure things out anymore. I wanted things to be normal again, no bizarre visions or things that would take this hard to figure out. But that was the point of moving here ¡ª to become more powerful and have my grandmother''s abilities.


    I must have driven the car for an hour or more. I eventually parked because I was tired and wanted to get out and get some snacks in the restaurant.


    So I found a nice restaurant by the road and stepped out of the car to get out of the car.


    I went in to get some chicken and chips and came out of the building carrying the items I had bought in one hand.


    Something caught my attention on the other side of the road. A church. A catholic church. The same one I saw in my visions some hours ago. I opened the front door of my car doors, dropped the items on the seat, and closed it.


    I began to walk to the other side of the road.


    Driving here wasn''t a coincidence, and I was ready to find out what was inside the church.

 Play Mates

    Angelina


    I scanned the area to see if anyone would notice a girl and a dog. I looked at the restaurant on the other side, the busy road, and the people who walked by, but no one seemed to care about our presence.


    ¡°You should relax,¡± he spoke with his mind. ¡°If anyone shows up, we will run."


    I chuckled. ¡°We shouldn''t be looking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°We are not. Look at us. We are just eating ice cream, sitting down, falling in love all over again.¡±


    I looked at him and nodded. So we continued to talk and laugh. He told me jokes and demonstrated things by standing up or raising his paws.


    Thirty minutes went by too quickly, and we didn''t do more than eat ice cream, talk or watch the street.


    Walking home was different from how I came out tonight. It felt like a relief, like a cold shower on a tiring day. I smiled as if I had gotten some wraps of chocolate in my folded palms. We walked slowly like we were both reluctant to go home.


    The night sky had only a few stars. The weather was mild, and everything was decorated to meet my mood, the way dessert beautifies a dining table. As we strolled down the street, we continued our lovers'' conversations about things ¡ª random things ¡ª how he would like his next birthday celebrated. Private party. Loud party or a mix of both.


    I''d forgotten I was working on a street with a "dog." To me, I was walking with my boyfriend. But to the police officer who saw us on our way home, a woman was walking with a dog without a leash.


    I would have stopped and apologized. I would have explained what happened, how Colins ran off, and I was trying to get him home. I would let the officer understand that Collins wouldn''t harm anyone.


    ¡°Hey, maam,¡± the officer called.


    I''d stopped walking, expecting the officer to come along. But I felt a pull on my pants. Collins was pulling me along. He growled at me and stared at my face. I got the idea and obeyed. We followed in opposite directions.


    ¡°Stop, ma¡¯am. You have to stop,¡± the officer shouted.


    We turned a corner and ran through a quiet street. Collins led the way, and I followed, both of us using our inhumane abilities to navigate the dark. His eyes glowed when he glanced at me. I slowed down for a minute, and then I transformed into a wolf. We ran now, side by side. As we ran, I deliberately bumped into him, so he staggered to the side and got his footing back quickly. And then we both laughed.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Nothing in the world mattered at this moment. Two wolves were enjoying an evening along the streets in California, running, jumping, and enjoying the night. When one looked at the orangery eyes of the other, love was evident. Pure. The excitement of being extraordinary beings.


    We ran and made our way to someone''s lawn. There, we rested, lay side by side as if the land was ours ¡ª as if we used to come here every day to chill. My back on the ground next to him, I laid my head on the side of his arm and gently rubbed the side of his cheek on my head. We understood each other. All we had to do was look into each other''s eyes or follow the other''s actions.


    Later, when we stepped out of the lawn, I was a full human again. Collins glanced at me with the same expression that said, ¡°you did enjoy yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. We shouldn''t do that often,¡± I said, laughing. I knew he wouldn''t promise me that. I didn''t want him to promise that either. I could sense it. We would have a good time here in California. We were meant to be. And all I had to do was find a way to make him become a hybrid like me.


    We walked home with a little more energy in our feet, like the soles of our shoes had recoiling springs, like we bounced as we walked. We laughed as we headed home. I would look at the sky and then Collin''s face and smile. This was better than sitting down at home.


    But I didn''t lock the door of the house before we left home.


    This, I realized when we got back to the house. The power was kept on. I wouldn''t have kept the light on and gone out. It was wasteful, and it could attract attackers to the house.


    But¡­ the house was not empty when I opened the front door and peeped into the living room. We could hear movement, noise, the clattering of plates, and the footprint of someone''s shoes on the rug.


    The sounds were from the kitchen. Collins matched in like an army general at the sight of a familiar and weak enemy. He growled, and I pulled him closer. If the person inside was here to steal, he must be ready to fight two wolves. I cracked my first and closed the door behind us.


    That was when I saw the coat hung on the arm of the couch. I knew who it was.


    My boss.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I called Collins to stop growling. I eyed him with the expression that I got this. ¡°I want you to keep calm, okay? I will handle this and explain later," I said with my mind.


    He stopped growling, and I sighed. "Thank you.¡±


    Although he stopped, he was still looking at me, uncertain. I glanced at his feet on the floor. I understood that stance. He was still ready to fight this if there was a need, and I hoped there wouldn''t be any need. I watched Collins for a while and glanced toward the kitchen.


    My boss¡­ to-be-ex-boyfriend¡­ Eric walked out of the kitchen, holding two paper bags in one hand and a liquor bottle in the other.


    ¡°Angie, hi!¡± he said, smiling at me. ¡°I know you will be coming back today. So I am here to welcome you,¡± he said, raising his hands up for me to see what he''d gotten.


    I had been avoiding him since the night when Collins and I officially became girlfriend and boyfriend. "Hi¡­ urm," I said, holding both hands in front of me and rubbing the nail of my thumbs against the other. Then I looked back at Collins.


    He was growling again, and ¡ª from what I heard his mind saying ¡ª he was ready to attack.

 The lady and her dog

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

 How to ruin a nice evening

    Collins


    We had a nice day. I meant I made her laugh. She ran around the street when she could have been sitting there and thinking all bad thoughts. She was happy, and I made it happen.


    She would have sat on the porch like a cat who lost its kitten. And I didn''t want that for her. It was not her fault that someone had cast a spell on her generation; she didn''t have to go through much trouble because of me. So I did what I thought was best for her. I made her run.


    It was fun. Everything was normal until we arrived and saw someone had broken into the house.


    It turned out the person wasn''t a stranger. It was a guy called Eric. He was bald, tall, and bearded. His head was nothing interesting; I thought of a round big yellow egg with some hair. He looked comfortable holding some food he had bought and a bottle of Jack Daniels.


    I would have attacked him, but it seemed his appearance wasn''t new. Yet, I stayed alert, legs spread apart, eyes on the target, teeth ready for a bite.


    They greeted each other-- he and Angelina. Then Angelina turned to me and spoke with her mind. She could see my stance and tell that I was ready to make the intruder regret why he was standing there. She knelt and spoke with her mind.


    ¡°Calm down, calm down, Collins,¡± she begged. ¡°I got this. You have to trust me. Please, trust me,¡± she embraced me in a hug. Then she got up and led me towards the bedroom. Once I was inside, she locked the door from the outside.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice big dog. Where did you get him from?¡± the loud-mouthed guy asked.


    ¡°I will be back. Do not cause any trouble,¡± Angelina spoke.


    I listened to her because all I wanted to do was protect her, and as far as I knew, the other shouldn''t be near her. Yes, I met him for the first time a couple of minutes ago, but I''d heard about him. I knew he had other girls, but ¡°it was nothing serious.¡± That wasn''t the type of relationship to have with a woman you care about. You don''t keep her guessing where your head was. Keep things real or get out of her life.


    I paced the room around and around, looking for the best route to break out. The window was there, but it led outside the house and was locked. There was an image of me on the nightstand. Angelina and I were both in the image, hands around each other. I smiled and walked closer until I could see the date below: December 2008. That was two years ago. The picture was taken during Christmas. I remembered how we went partying, drinking, and cooking that night. It was just us in our own world that day, from night till dawn.


    We¡¯d both added weights compared to what¡¯s in the picture.


    Eric raised his voice. ¡°You shut up!¡± he shouted at her.


    I turned around, walked toward the door, and placed my ears on the doorframe to eavesdrop. This was the part I liked about being a wolf. I could use my ability to hear them clearly, and I could listen to Angelina¡¯s heartbeat.


    Eric''s heart was beating faster, and it was more of rage as if he was ready to fight someone. I would break the door if the worst happened. Though it would be a little difficult, I would try anyway, even if Angelina didn''t want me to interfere. I would have no choice if the man raising his voice did something stupid, like hitting her.


    I could hear her voice. She was communicating with me, saying sweet things to me. ¡°I know you''re listening. Please don''t come out. He is a curious thing and won''t leave you alone once he suspects something. Please, stay,¡± she spoke.


    ¡°I hear you, Angie, but it''s up to him. If he lay his hands on you, I won''t spare him,¡± I spoke back.


    ¡°You''re not even listening to me,¡± Eric cut in. ¡°What do you want from me, Angie?¡±


    He shouldn''t call her that. He didn''t have the right.


    ¡°I am listening to you,¡± Angelina begged, ¡°but now isn''t the right time. We can talk about this at work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Are you pregnant? Or are you seeing someone else,¡± he asked.


    I was confused and straining my ears to listen --- even more, to hear what Angelina had to say about that. But she was quiet. She wasn''t even talking to me with her mind, even though I wanted her to say something.


    ¡°No,¡± she blurted out.


    "So what? I''ve been trying to reach you, but you''re avoiding me."


    ¡°I-I have something I need to sort out. Personally,¡± she said.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Everything went silent for a second. I strained my ears even harder, but all I could hear was the sounds of two hearts beating harder and louder than normal. They weren''t not running or jumping, but their heartbeats were banging in their chest like heavy drums in a brigadier''s hands. I wanted to step out so badly to see their physical reactions, to intervene before things could get worse.


    ¡°Don''t do it, Collins,¡± Angelina said.


    That was all I needed to stay calm again and pay attention.


    ¡°You''re not breaking up with me. Are you?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Do you know how much I care about you? The future we''re going to have. The plans we had and the things we would do with our time after we get married,¡± he said all of these carefully, like a rehearsal of some kind. Like he had those words at the back of his hands.


    ¡°I didn''t plan anything serious with you, Eric,¡± Angelina said. ¡°I only accepted your date once. And the night... I didn''t promise a commitment or forever,¡± she said.


    I could hear some footsteps walking away, but Eric¡¯s voice came, and the feet stopped moving. ¡°Okay, wait! I can make things right. What did I do wrong? What do you want me to do that I haven''t? Tell me the truth and I will change.¡±


    I set the front paws on the door and spoke. ¡°Tell him you don''t want a change. You want an end. You don''t want to see his bald head who always has options. He should stick with his other girls.¡±


    ¡°Relax, Collins. I got this,¡± she spoke.


    I set my paws on the floor. I wish I knew what happened next, but I could hear a few slaps, and twice, Angelina shouted, get off me! Then everything got silent again, yet two hearts beat harder and harder. Eric was getting angry, and I wished the bedroom door wasn''t locked so I could stand by Angelina and prevent any assault. She needed me.


    Something crashed to the floor. It was probably a bottle or bottle. I waited for the sound of fighting or struggling, but I heard none of those. The main door to the house slammed shut, and then the house fell silent again until Angelina began to clear whatever mess had been left to clean.


    I waited for her to open the door, but she took her time doing it even though I was hitting my hand on the door and speaking to her with my mind. She took her time. She opened the door eventually. I walked out of the bedroom and followed her to the living room. I could see the spilled alcohol.


    Angelina walked into the kitchen to continue her cooking. I could smell fried meat all over the room and licked my lip in anticipation. But there was a greater problem to deal with. Eric had ruined Angelina''s evening, and she was walking around the kitchen like an active drunk. Someone whose mind was away, but the body was present. She handled the kitchen spoon like she was holding a stick. Her hands held the spoon in the middle, and sometimes, she walked around and dropped it far away, only to return for it a few seconds later.


    I had a question on my mind, and it would be stupid to ask why Eric was asking about pregnancy. I would wait till things got less tense. They¡¯d been dating, seeing each other, and having sex, but it was still a painful thought that he could have gotten her pregnant. I would ask later. Angelina wasn''t herself. She sighed again and brushed her hair backward for the tenth time since I had been standing here.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I called her, and she looked back at me. ¡°Did that guy hurt you?¡± I asked her.


    She looked back at me and smiled.


    ¡°No,¡± she said out loud. ¡°He is¡­ as expected, angry,¡± she said.


    I walked closer, and the closer I got, the stronger the smell of the meat. I glanced at the sizzling oil and the meat and then turned to Angelina. ¡°You''re worried he is going to fire you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°And I know him. He is not giving up. He will want to hurt me before he gets rid of me before he fires me.¡±


    ¡°Hurt you?¡±


    ¡°I don''t mean physically. He is going to make the job difficult, so I am preparing myself for that.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I raised a paw and hugged her.


    ¡°I will sort it out. We will be fine,¡± she said.


    I sat on the floor, trying to keep my eyes and nose away from the meat. She looked down at me. ¡°You can use my credit card. I have some savings, too. While you find a new job.¡±


    She looked away from me as if I had suggested something ridiculous. ¡°You know I can''t do that. You will need that money more than anything else once you become humans again. What will you fall back on if you spend everything in your savings or investment.¡±


    ¡°If I can survive this, I will survive anything.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I will figure it out. And yeah, we will find a witch that can help.¡±


    She served me meat after that, and I didn''t know how hungry I was until I smelled the hot and freshly fried meat. I didn''t know I could eat meat that fasts. She watched me and laughed at the ridiculous speed at which I finished eating the meat. Then she served me more, and I consumed it the same way.


    We sat in the living room afterward. I watched the Television while she sat in the dining working on her laptop, perhaps preparing for the next day''s work. Somehow the thought that she would be with Eric for hours tomorrow was unpleasant, like the thought of seeing a cruel doctor because you have a toothache. She needed the job, but a better one, not with someone who counted as one choice out of many. To me, she was the only one that I wanted. It had been that way since I could remember how to count the numbers.


    I stood up from the couch and went behind, peeping to see her laptop screen. She wasn''t actually preparing for work. Her computer was showing a page on a job board. She was looking for a job, anyone at all. And that made me sad.


    Later, we both went to the bedroom and slept holding each other. But I couldn''t sleep no matter how hard I tried. Behind me, Angelina slept peacefully, hands wrapped around me. After waiting for hours and I couldn''t sleep, I got out of bed, went outside the house, and sat on the porch.


    Surely, the sleeplessness had little to do with my worries about Angelina. But it had much to do with my new fondness for the night. I had extra energy. I could hear a lot clearer, and since the night was silent, I could hear an extremely faint sound. Sitting on the pouch, I could hear loud howls some kilometers away. There was a huge urge to dash out in the dark and find that sound. It was as if some people -- a pack of wolves -- were calling me from miles and miles away. I still had a lot to learn about my new abilities. As far as the howling and snarling seemed, they could hear me, and I could hear them. Running out in the dark was tempting, but I waited, hoping the calls would stop. But it didn''t, and it was impossible to resist.

 Less Burdened

    Jennifer Griffin


    The grin on his face was there for a few minutes as I drove the car towards my house.


    I was curious and wanted to know why he was smiling, so I asked him, ¡°Why are you grinning like that?¡±


    He grinned even more. ¡°I have this image of you in my head. Sounds crazy. It''s like I know you somewhere, and I can''t remember,¡± he said. ¡°I thought it was just my imagination playing wild.¡±


    Yeah, you wouldn''t believe this was some gift I inherited, I almost said.


    ¡°Yeah, I know that sounds crazy. Sometimes, our prayers are answered in unique ways.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like dejavu,¡± he said. His face became brighter with a smile. I liked him this way, happier, like taking a kid to a candy store.


    ¡°Are you not worried about your girlfriend? What will she think of you?¡±


    He looked around, folded his lips, and sighed. ¡°I don''t know. All I know is that I want to be with you and everything else doesn''t matter.¡±


    I chuckled. If I ever came to the world again, I would become a powerful sorcerer, not just a witch.


    I kept driving and focused on the road. I would turn to him several times, and our eyes met with him smiling and staring at me. He was admiring my boobs most of the time, and I wanted to punish him for that ¡ª press these babies on his happy face.


    We started touching each other in the car. By then, we were close to my house. When we turned the junction that led to Felltower, the street that led to my house, I reached for his left hand and placed it on my boobs. Then I winked at him. I wanted him to spend all of tomorrow with me. By God, if I got admitted to medical school, I would like to celebrate it. He would be there with me.


    I moved his hands in circles. Then he started doing that himself, squeezing and pressing my boobs. I focused back on the road, then took his hand off the breast and put it between my thighs. It was such a day I wished I was wearing a skirt, not long pants that reached down to my ankles. It would have been easier to get his hands wet and inside of me.


    He moved his hands slowly, watching my face and leaning closer. This was the reason he was a good choice. This was why that girl wanted to fight me at the bar and slapped my hand when I shook his hand. He knew how to touch a woman. He understood how to handle this business. His nose was on my neck. I tried to concentrate on the road and keep the steering moving safely. My driving speed had stalled, and the car dragged along slowly, like a toddler pedaling a bicycle. But did it matter? His hands were rubbing me through the fabric. He gently tapped his fingers, like petting my organ to wake up¡­¡­ All my senses were responding to him, and I tried to catch my breath with my mouth.


    He would press his palm down hard. It was hot. It was too difficult to steer the car correctly. So when I turned to my house, I eventually pulled over at my parking lot and heaved a sigh. Then I kissed him. I held his face in my palm and kissed him even harder. Stepping to his side of the car, I straddled him like that. It had been days since I had someone around or had sex, and it felt like months ago.


    ¡°Should we go inside?¡± he asked.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I pulled the car door open and tried to step out of the car while maintaining my balance. I was acting like an idiot, lost my balance, and could have landed on the concrete, but thanks to him. His hands were on my side, holding me in place. I looked at him and giggled, and he smiled back.


    ¡°You okay?¡± he asked.


    I wasn''t, and I didn''t answer. I pulled him closer and led him into the house, past the living where it happened last time. We arrived in the bedroom. The bed was made, but a few clothes were in a corner. Next time, I would try not to come home with someone to the bedroom it was in this state. But did it matter? Darius'' hands were already on my waist, turning me to face him. So I turned. His hands moved to my bum, squeezing them in my pants. I helped him lose his shirt while we kissed, and he kept his hands around my waist. He had a tattoo on his arms, just a small bird image. A raven. What was the idea about it? The question could wait till tomorrow. His hands were inside my trousers for some seconds, searching for the right spot. Nothing could make you lose your ability to think clearly more than a hand under your panties. Nothing could make you close your eyes and breathe and breathe with pleasure. He had the spot and touched it slowly, rubbing it with two fingers. My eyes were open again, and his lip was against mine. We kissed again and again, turning our heads and moving our lips around. He pulled my coat off, and then my top and trouser followed.


    I pushed him onto the bed after that and pulled his trousers down. I was a different person than I was some hours ago or some days ago. I was like a bag of bones, tired, reading lots of books, and asking questions myself that I had no answers for.


    That had changed since I met that lady and her dog. I had fewer things to worry about now, and I hoped the nightmare would stop. I had fresh energy under my skin, my blood running faster in my veins. The fabric of my underwear was wet, moisture dripping down the side of my thighs. The wonder of Darius'' hand. His dick was in my hands. I held it in the boxer for a second and weighed it before pulling the ornaments off completely. Then his dick was standing and asking for attention.


    His phone rang. When I drew it out of his trousers pocket, it was his girlfriend. Her name was saved as ¡®love.¡¯ I glanced at him to see his expression. He wanted to see who had called him, but I wouldn''t let the proud girl ruin the moment. So I terminated the call, put the phone silent, and resumed what we had started.


    His dick in my hands only needed a few strokes to keep it throbbing. He watched me as he guided it inside me, taking it slow until he was completely in. He held my waist, his head up. Was he breathing or gaping? I could say, but it mattered to see him like that, It mattered to see that he wasn''t holding back the pleasure.


    It didn''t matter what I was or that I was a witch. His whole frame was inside of me, and I had wanted it that way for a long time. I wanted his hands all over my body, even as I pressed his palms down and down.


    ¡°You''re so hot. I keep imagining who you are,¡± he said.


    He had slowed down, stopped moving, and was looking at me, leaning on me, as if he was seeing me for the time being. As if he had been dreaming all along and reality had just dawned on him.


    ¡°I am your dreams, darling,¡± I said, touching his cheeks. ¡°I am everything you want in a woman,¡± I added and touched his face.


    He gasped and shook a little. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. He looked down at his dick and my opening and then closed his eyes while rubbing his finger on the wet clit. He slid in again and started thrusting harder and faster like he was trying to race someone. He wanted to achieve something. He was breathing hard, using most of his strength. The vein of his arms became visible. So I closed my eyes, trying to take all the immense pleasure into my body. I opened my eyes, crossed my legs behind him, and pressed his buttocks. He kept going. He was a bull, raged, energetic, and powerful. He went that way for a couple of minutes and then suddenly began to shake. I was at the peak of such pleasure, and I stiffened under him and held my breath. I gasped and pressed my back on the bed, raising my waist upward, suddenly as he pulled his manhood out simultaneously. His fluid poured on my thighs. Then he collapsed over me just as I convulsed under his weight.


    Darius fell asleep after that. I would want to sleep too, but then my mother called.


    ¡°Hello, Jenniffer,¡± she said.


    ¡°Hello, mum.¡±


    ¡°How are you,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. How is Georgia?¡±


    ¡°I need you to... I want you to listen to me this time. It¡¯s serious. I want you to be careful with the wolf. Do not start an affair with one,¡± she said.


    I stood there holding the phone, but then I laughed because I wasn¡¯t thinking about it.

 What breed?

    Angelina


    A lady was standing in the distance and wouldn¡¯t turn her head, no matter how many times I said hello. Her hair was red, and she had a slender body similar to that of models ¡ª nurtured, curvy, and sexy. I tried to call her again to beg her to look at me. She didn¡¯t turn her head or look at me. When her hair got blown by the wind, she looked like a goddess of some kind. Then her dress answered the gentle nudge of the wind, and it was a magnificent sight. I stopped calling her and just watched. Maybe she would turn her head and look at me if I stopped. I felt something on my legs, like I had stepped into something cold, so I looked down, and when I raised my head again, the lady was walking away. ¡°Wait!¡± I screamed louder than I had done earlier. The wind became so violent that I stepped back.


    I woke up panting on my bed. I had been dreaming all along, and I was sitting, wet, like someone who had walked in the rain. I set my feet on the floor and tried to calm down. The dream didn¡¯t make much sense, but it worried me, like an omen, some dark and fearful event. I would be concerned if I had someone with a body structure similar to that lady in real life. But I had no one like that. My mother had more flesh than that, and my grandmother was old.


    I rubbed my forehead and looked at the bed.


    Where was Collins?


    I turned around to check if he was in the room, but he wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Collins?¡± I called, looking around the room.


    He wasn¡¯t anywhere in the room, not under the bed or the corner of the wall near the nightstand. I got up and walked out of the living room, calling his name as I went along. I checked the kitchen, the toilet, the second bedroom, the living room, and then the bedroom again. He was in none of those places.


    Something weird was happening. I couldn¡¯t smell him either. He must have gone far away from the house, so far that my sense of scent could not get to him. I walked out of the house onto the terrace and called him. ¡°Collins.¡±


    Then I needed to be careful when calling out his name. It was quite dangerous to call him Collins when people could guess the name was the same as someone who had suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°Collins,¡± I whispered, hoping he could hear me. ¡°You need to come back home.¡± I said.


    I returned to the bedroom, turned to my cloak, and picked a coat. I would have gone out into the street and asked people if they had seen a giant white dog, like a wolf. I would have called my boss to say that I would miss the first resumption date of the year. Instead, I was putting the buttons in place when I looked out of my window, and my boyfriend was heading towards the house, breathing hard like he had been running around all night.


    I sighed and sat on the bed. There, I waited for him to come around. But, first, the sound of the entrance door, and some seconds later, he was in the bedroom, standing at my feet and looking into my eyes.


    ¡°You scared me,¡± I said.


    He didn¡¯t say what had happened or where he had gone, but he stepped closer, and I leaned lower so his head was on my shoulder. We stayed like that for a few seconds, just listening to each other breathing.


    I pulled out of the hug some minutes later and started talking.


    ¡°I have to go to work,¡± I told him.


    He wagged his tail in understanding and watched me as I went about getting prepared for work. Cooking, brushing, cooking, bathing, and arranging things in my bag. He left the bedroom when I sat behind the nightstand.


    When I came to the living room some minutes later, he was sitting there watching television. I smiled at him, knelt before him, and told him how my day would go. He bowed his head, and I spoke to him with his mind. He wasn¡¯t happy with the idea of me being with that same man I called boss.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°You should get another job¡­ He won¡¯t stop using this job as an opportunity to get to you,¡± he said.


    I shook my head. ¡°Listen. That¡¯s not my priority right now. I want to find a way to get you back to being human, and I will be looking for answers once I close for work. You stay tight. Don¡¯t look for trouble. I will be back.¡±


    He sat back down, and then he lay on his side.


    I got up. ¡°Okay, Collins. I promise I will find another job¡­.¡±


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand,¡± he said.


    ¡°Alright. Please turn off the lights when you¡¯re not using them. You will find fried meat in the kitchen if you¡¯re hungry,¡± I added.


    As I made my way out to my car that morning, two things were on my mind: raising money for travel or finding a witch that could help in this country, preferably in California. You really can¡¯t tell what is hiding in the corner of this country until you go searching.


    ***


    I walked into my office building and headed for my desk. Everyone that wanted to see the boss, Eric, would walk through this office. I had thought of how to have a normal day ¡ª the episode with Eric last night could make things difficult. The office setting and remembering how often I had to speak to him in a day reminded me of how tough and awkward it would be to look at him. He was sweet when he wanted me, but not when he couldn¡¯t get what he wanted.


    I used to share the same office with two guys, programmers. They used one side of the room, and I used the other for my desk. Only one of them had resumed this morning. His name was Mathew. The other one, I knew, was moving to a new job.


    ¡°Good morning, Mathew,¡± I said to the other guy. ¡°How was your holiday.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss. I had a great holiday,¡± he said. He barely raised his head and only acknowledged it was me with the corner of his eyes.


    I sat down, took a deep breath, and resumed my job. There was little I could do until the ¡®boss¡¯ arrived, so I waited for him. I surfed the internet, asking random questions about finding witches in California.


    When he arrived about thirty minutes later, he invited me to his office. He didn¡¯t look at me more than once. He went straight to business. ¡°This week is for preparation. Let¡¯s all get prepared for serious work from tomorrow,¡± he said.


    Then he gave me files and a list of tasks he had written on paper. I took it from him.


    ¡°I want you to prepare those. And if you turn that over, you will find things I need you to work on today and tomorrow.¡±


    I nodded and turned the paper over. It was filled with scribblings and file names. He had forwarded some files, and I needed to sort them out, edit or change the dates. I would need to make some calls and schedule his meetings, too. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll work on them,¡± I said, ready to leave.


    ¡°Do you really mean what you said last night?¡± he asked.


    I didn¡¯t expect him to bring it up again, so I repeated myself as clearly as possible. ¡°Yes, I mean everything I said last night. I will be glad if we don''t talk about it at work, please?"


    He didn¡¯t answer. He just stared at my face like something was wrong with me. I stared back at him, letting him know I meant every word I had said. He nodded and looked away. Then I walked out of his office.


    I was busy with work, taking calls, and presenting documents in a file for the rest of the day. I had a lot on my plate for a company that had just resumed from the New Year holiday. I didn¡¯t stop checking the message I had dropped on Reddit anonymously during work. Many people thought it was a joke. Some send me links to some landing pages, which I hurriedly check only to find price tags as cheap as thirty dollars for services that could ¡®make you more powerful¡¯ or ¡®interpret my dreams.¡¯


    Before closing hours, I turned around in my seat and looked at my co-worker. I had not seen him with any occultic stuff in the past, but I could imagine him as one. He looked like someone with a lot going on ¡ª long coats all the time, no friends in this city, and life as private as a cube of sugar in a black bottle. He could say the same thing about me, and he would be right. We both walked around like we had secret lives. I was not a complete human, after all. I had a secret to keep from anyone else.


    ¡°Mathew, do you know any witch in this city?¡± I asked.


    He raised his head and stared long and hard at me as if I had suddenly turned into a clown.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    My mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have asked such a question.


    ¡°I mean, do you know if there¡¯s a magician around here,¡± I said, laughing.


    He frowned and got back to his work. ¡°I have no idea,¡± he said.


    I turned back to my desk, kept working, and watched the time.


    When the time said 5 pm, I started parking my desk, ready to go home. I thought I had escaped my boss¡¯s demands and we would forget all the relationship things ever happened. I thought we would return to being acquaintances, bosses, and subordinates and have normal business relationships. But when I lifted my bag and wanted to leave, he came to stand in front of my desk.


    I stared at him, waiting for him to say something.


    ¡°Your dog. What breed is that?¡± he asked.

 Finding A Witch

    Angelina


    I stared at Eric¡¯s face. ¡°I¡­ you¡­ know, if you like dogs like that, I could get you one. It will cost a lot, though.¡±


    He shook his head. He hadn¡¯t actually said anything about getting a dog before now. He never liked them or hated them. He just wouldn¡¯t get one for himself.


    ¡°I was just curious. I saw it last night, and a lot of things have changed. I want to know the breed.¡±


    ¡°His name is Col. Call him that¡­.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± he said. He nodded, then gritted his teeth.


    He was watching me. I picked up my bag from the table and got up. ¡°Bye bye, Eric,¡± I said and walked out of the office. I didn¡¯t hear him move as I walked down the room, and when I got to the door and turned a little, he was still watching me.


    I headed out to the parking lot and drove home. Someone was waiting for me, and I had to hurry. I wanted to know how Collins had spent his first day alone. I wanted to know if he hadn¡¯t stepped outside and done something dangerous.


    My mother used to say the most difficult thing about being a wolf is that you are not you anymore when you transform. Your animal instincts take over.


    I arrived home some minutes later. When I parked, I sat in the car for a short second, trying to know if Collins was at home. I could smell him. I lifted my head and looked around the building. He was standing in the bedroom and looking out of the window at me.


    I smiled at him.


    Then I walked into the house. By the time I got to the door, Collins was waiting behind it. He looked up at me and came for a hug.


    ¡°Hey. How was your day?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Great,¡± he said.


    I got up and walked to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. He had eaten all of the bacon I had prepared and left the plate empty.


    I asked him to join me.


    ¡°I am okay,¡± he said with his mind.


    ¡°I see you have eaten,¡± I said.


    He nodded.


    After eating, I pulled out my phone and logged in to Reddit. I wanted to read the comments I had left some days ago and the recommendations people gave. Our lives could be in danger if anyone should find out werewolves lived among humans in Los Angeles.


    The app indicated I had a few messages, and I clicked the messages box. I scrolled through the messages I got to my post about finding a witch and started reading. I had used the identity of a woman, a very terrible mistake.


    KUrt\Crayfish233


    I know of a magician. Dude has been practicing magic for the past year. We could hangout a couple of hours in New York, and all go see him in the morning.


    Rihannasex


    I don¡¯t know why you want to see a magician, but I don¡¯t think you can find anyone in this country. India is the best place, though. I lived there for 4 years. You can find witches in Mayong Village.


    TheSeekerOfFaith


    I had the fortune of meeting a magician some years ago in a small town in Greece. It was a wholesome experience. I can¡¯t remember the name, but you and I can search for him. I will volunteer. We can ask around from the locals. This happened 18 years ago.


    I sighed and would have put the phone down completely, but the next message sounded interesting. The user had been on Reddit for five years.


    ClaraH15


    I live in California. I can help you with what you want, but you have to make a few promises. We will meet in a public place. You will wear a yellow shirt, and come alone (I mean no cop). Tell me when and where and I will give you a time.


    I read it again and clicked on the profile to see some of their past comments. They had spent most of their time in r/darkmagic and r/fantasy. One of the topics they shared in their comments was, ¡°how do you explain something as coincidence and not supernatural.¡± They wrote, ¡°there is a lot we can¡¯t explain in life. So many things we do not understand. Mystery of the dead, life after death, and witchcraft. It¡¯s easier to classify such supernatural things as coincidence. When people talk about coincidence, they might talk about forces they can¡¯t see or need help understanding.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The post had a hundred downvotes and ten upvotes.


    I nodded. Something was clear to me. If I wrote that I was a werewolf or told these people the story of my life, they would also downvote it. Like ClaraH15 said, when people talk about coincidence, they might speak of forces they don¡¯t understand.


    I sent her a message: Hi, how can we meet?


    I put the phone down and turned to Collins. He was standing next to the dining chair beside me, so I pulled the chair out for him to jump on.


    ¡°I am trying to find a witch. I think I should read this to you,¡± I said.


    I reread the message from ClaraH15 and watched Collins¡¯s reaction. He listened patiently until I finished. ¡°It¡¯s fake¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°How can you say that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust people on the internet that much. It could be some kid messing with you.¡±


    ¡°How about we try. We can leave if she¡¯s lying. And there is no need to fear. We are choosing the meeting place and it¡¯s public,¡± I said.


    He nodded and watched my face. I waited for ClaraH15 reply, but it didn¡¯t come. I picked up my phone, walked to the living room, and sat on the couch. I would check my phone every few seconds and watch television. Collins was sitting there and waiting for me to say something. He would watch the T.V. and turn to me when I turned to my phone again and again.


    Fifteen minutes went by before ClaraH15 responded. ¡°Choose a date, location and time. Wear yellow so I can spot you easily.¡±


    ¡°She responded,¡± I said.


    Collins got up quickly, his anticipation a little frightening. He stood beside me as I read and wrote my response.


    ¡°What about today?¡± I typed.


    ClaraH15: ¡°That¡¯s okay. A place and location.¡±


    I turned to Collins and waited for him to say something. ¡°You have a better idea of this city than me,¡± he said.


    I started typing. ¡°We will meet at Frolic Room,¡± I typed. ¡°I will be there in an hour.¡±


    I had to wait even longer before I got a response. At that time, I sat on the chair and tried not to celebrate yet, even though I could feel the corners of my cheeks melting with excitement. If everything went well, my boyfriend would have superpowers, and we wouldn¡¯t have to go to Japan.


    Collins sat down. Legs stretched in front of him. He wasn¡¯t saying things with his mind, just staring at me. His doubts were evident from the sitting position to the ¡°I have no idea if this is right¡± face he gave whenever our eyes met.


    ¡°Okay,¡± ClaraH15 responded. And then it dawned on us that we would be taking a thirty-minute drive to Frolic Room. It could be dangerous if ClaraH15 turned out to be someone different. The only good thing was that we chose the location, which was somewhere big and public.


    I waited for another fifteen minutes. I told her we were coming in an hour and it would be unwise to let her know we lived closer than she had thought. Afterward, I entered the bedroom and changed into more comfortable running shoes, jogger pants, and a long coat.


    Then Collins and I headed to the car.


    We went over our plan briefly.


    ¡°We would stay connected through the mind and scents,¡± I said. ¡°If things go as planned, I will get back to the car. If things get out of hand, you will pick my scent and find me.¡±


    He shook his head and stared.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s a big risk. But we can let you waste time when there is a big opportunity right here.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said.


    Then I started the car and drove out of the house.


    When I newly arrived in L.A., I used to stay at home most of the time. Then it got really boring, and I started going to places to have dinner alone. It was tiring. In each restaurant I went to,  an admirer or two would come over for a conversation. It was part of my getting-to-know-the-city phase. At that time, I was learning new to Eric, the job as his accountant/secretary, and the city.


    We arrived at Frolic Room. When I first visited the place a year ago, I said one day I would invite Collins to this place. The day had arrived, but not the way I wanted, not the best way it could have been. I looked back at Collins and nodded at him.


    ¡°You wait for me and please stick to the plan,¡± I said.


    Then I alighted from the car and took off my coat. She said I should wear a yellow vest and that I would do it - a yellow Nike shirt with ¡°Just do it¡± written on it. Sorry, that was all I had was a yellow vest.


    Inside, the place had many empty seats and a few people sitting and drinking. I took my seat near a man wearing a gray suit and glasses. I brought out my phone and sent a message to ClaraH15. I am at Frolic Room, I wrote.


    Then I waited. I could still smell Collins¡¯s scent, which meant everything was in order. It was time to act normal.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I called the bartender. ¡°Whiskey, please.¡±


    The male bartender nodded.


    I glanced at the shelf behind the bottles of wine and alcohol. They were of different color sizes, but black was the dominant color. He returned after a few seconds with a glass and a bottle. He served me the drink. I lifted the bottle and held my phone in one hand. That was when I opened the message and saw ClaraH15¡¯s message.


    ¡°Hahaha. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re being serious.¡± I stared around as if people everywhere could see my foolishness for trusting a random stranger on the internet.


    I gulped the whole whiskey and set the cup down.


    ¡°You are an asshole. And you know that,¡± I wrote. Then I locked my phone and slid it back into my pocket.


    I took a deep breath and tried to smell Collins. He wasn¡¯t there anymore. I got up and wanted to start running to the car, but the bartender called me back.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± he said.


    So, I put my hands in my pocket, brought out two dollar notes, and placed them on the table. Then, I started running again to the car. I should be worried for many reasons. For one, he was new to this city and in a werewolf form. And, two, I didn¡¯t know a lot about this part of this city. I didn¡¯t know where to look.


    The car was empty when I got outside.

 Toy Friend

    <div>


    Jenniffer Griffin POV


    I lay down after receiving the call from my mother, too tired --- unbothered --- to think about what my mother had said. So, I slept.


    I was the first to wake up in the morning. When I turned to my side, Darius was sleeping beside me. His bare back and buttocks were inviting; for a moment, I considered the chance of making him a friend with benefits. He shrugged and turned around. Maybe I should do it now.


    I sat up and straddled him, looking into his eyes. Then I placed a hand on his head and began to chant magical words - apeleftherothe¨ªte ap¨® to v¨¢ros sas.


    He opened his eyes and stared around. I waited for him to gain consciousness. Then, we could talk about an arrangement that wouldn¡¯t hurt us both. His girlfriend wouldn¡¯t have to know about us.


    He raised his head and stared into my eyes. Then he turned around and scanned the room, the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked.


    He grabbed me by the waist and shoved me to one side.


    ¡°I need you to tell me what I am doing here? How did I get here?¡±


    He got off the bed naked and started searching for his boxers and trousers. He found some of his clothes on the floor and left the room to find the rest in the living room. I could hear his voice. ¡°I am not crazy, right?¡± he asked.


    He came back to the bedroom, looking into my eyes. If he attempted to do anything silly, I would have no choice but to enchant him again.


    ¡°I saw you at the club¡­ and then¡­ I don¡¯t know. How come I am here. I don¡¯t know... I am....¡±


    ¡°See, you are acting funny. We hooked up. Is that hard to figure out?¡±


    He nodded and looked around the room as if he had missed something. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, smiling. He glanced at my breast and then down at my bare thighs. ¡°I remembered,¡± he said. He put his hands in his pocket, brought his phone, and turned it on¡­ ¡°See. I have to run,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, you can bounce now. You have got all you wanted. You know what, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    I got out of bed. I had my panties but nothing else. So when I got up, his eyes stared at my bare back. Then I turned around, so his eyes caught the side of my boobs.


    I walked to the wardrobe at the corner, not looking at him.


    ¡°We will talk later,¡± he said, looking at his phone. It had started ringing continuously from many text messages. He rushed out of the house. He was going to meet his girlfriend, and good luck to him on getting her back. I hated that he had to run to her like that despite the kind of fun we had last night. But did it matter? It was temporary, anyway.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I brushed my hair backward. I had nothing planned for the day, and I was expecting my school to send the result for my application today. It could mean I would return to Georgia or remain in this city.


    So I changed into new clothes and went to prepare something to eat. Just working in the kitchen, I pointed at the cooker, which lit up. One of the simple benefits of being like this, you could save yourself the stress of simple things like lighting up a stove.


    I walked around, feeling a bit happier than a week before. I had been tasked with finding a mysterious wolf and a girl. I found them one week later. The question was, why? Why would my grandmother give me such a task? I could find out, and that was what I would do. I was going to ask my grandmother what the chasing around was about. What was the point of all of it?


    After breakfast of rice and sauce, I walked into the secret room. I had gotten the things I needed for the perfect ritual purpose ¡ª oils, feathers, and incense imported from Greece.


    The fire started when I closed the bowl. I closed my eyes, raised my hand on the fire bowl, and I said a few magical words. Then I opened my eyes, picked up the bottle of oil from the table, and poured it into the flame. And it rose so high that it almost reached the ceiling. But this wasn¡¯t just a flame. Nothing would burn from it unless I wanted it to.


    Sitting down and crossing my legs, I began to speak. I wanted to talk to my grandmother.


    P¨¢no ap¨® to l¨®fo, p¨¢no ap¨® to l¨®fo,


    Lept¨®s th¨¢mnos, diexodik¨®s th¨¢mnos


    Meg¨¢li plimmyra, meg¨¢li foti¨¢!


    P¨¢no ap¨® to p¨¢rko, p¨¢no ap¨® chlom¨®


    Meg¨¢li plimmyra, meg¨¢li foti¨¢!


    P¨¢no ap¨® to l¨®fo, p¨¢no ap¨® to l¨®fo,


    Lept¨®s th¨¢mnos, diexodik¨®s th¨¢mnos


    Meg¨¢li plimmyra, meg¨¢li foti¨¢!


    I waited, held my breath for as long as possible, and kept my eyes on the burning flame. The fire slowed down, turning blue and growing again, but not as tall as it once was. My grandmother appeared in the flame, all happy. She was smiling at me. How I wished she didn¡¯t die so early. How I wished she was alive for a long time so she could mentor me into a powerful witch like herself. She raised her head and pointed her hands at me. Her body was like rays with flames glowing out of her dress.


    ¡°I am so proud of you, Cordelia,¡± she said.


    That was the name she used to call me, Cordelia. She once told me that she would have given me a better name if she were alive.


    ¡°Thank you, granny,¡± I said, trying my best not to jump and run towards the flame.


    ¡°I see things that trouble your mind. Ask your questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded. I must speak in time before she leaves. Summoning her always has a duration. It was seven minutes, just seven minutes on the dot.


    ¡°The wolf and a girl. Why? What do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°An opportunity, my dear. You need the wolf for a sacrifice. It will unlock your powers, far greater than you ever believed you can have in this life.¡±


    ¡°Sacrifice? Does that mean it has to die?¡±


    ¡°Sacrifices are made for purposes. Compare its life with the ability of becoming the most powerful being the world has ever seen. Weigh the options. Which will you choose?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°How will I make the sacrifice?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°You are one of the chosen. You have the potential. All you have to do is capture this wolf and the old witches will guide you when you have it in your care.¡±


    She turned around, ready to leave. ¡°I should be ready to leave.¡±


    ¡°My mother called. She said I shouldn¡¯t fall in love with it. Why would she warn me about that?¡±


    She turned to me and nodded. ¡°Witches and wolves have some history. We are not usually best of friends. Conflict of interest. You should take your mother¡¯s warning seriously.¡±


    ¡°What about the girl?¡±


    ¡°She is the only thing stopping you from getting to that wolf. She will be protecting it with all she has. You have to take her out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Should I kill her?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t. She is a born wolf. Your powers are not as good against her except you use it on something else.¡±


    I stared at her and waited for answers.


    ¡°I know you are confused,¡± she continued, ¡°but you will understand as you continue to get closer and closer to the two of them. May the gods be with you,¡± she said. Then the echo of her voice resonated, may the gods be with you, and she vanished from the flame.


    The fire grew again, and then it turned to a bright yellow.


    May the gods be with me.

 What happened to Collins?

    Angelina


    I started walking around and calling him in my mind. If he could hear me, he should please respond. I turned to the left and started walking down the road. There were many people, and this was part of L.A., where people often come. You could see men on the street holding cups, coming down from their cars, or holding hands with their lovers.


    It was a busy part of the city; there were so many people and so much smell that it was difficult to pick him out. I closed my eyes briefly. My special abilities were on high alert. I could see ten times further and could hear ten times better. I began to run as fast as I could, hoping I would catch him before he would do something stupid.


    I came to a junction, which was a lot quiet. The road looked like the part he would take. I could hear howling in the farthest distance, miles, and miles away. Then I slowed down. I could smell him.


    I walked for some minutes and came to an alley on my right side, but there was another one on the other side of the road. I could still smell him. He could be down a corner or the other one. So, I stopped running and turned around in circles, thinking of which direction I should follow. I stopped moving and turned to the alley on the left. How could he just leave the car when I had told him what would happen if we were caught? How could he go around in a city like this when he understood what could happen if he should get caught?


    As I marched down the alley, I lost his scent. So I stopped walking, turned around, and headed in the other direction. I ran as fast as I could and kept running until I came to a seven-story building. The smell was so strong. He was on one of the floors of the building. I walked to the entrance door and took the stairs, climbing as fast as possible, faster than humans could climb.


    Collins was on the last floor, trying to break into the building. He was kicking the door and trying to get a door.


    I stopped. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A child. He needs help.¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind? You left the car and came here.¡±


    ¡°I said the boy needs help.¡±


    ¡°No, we need to get back and stick to what¡¯s important to us.¡± I looked back at the door I had followed. No one had come out to ask why I was shouting so loudly with no other humans in sight.


    ¡°Listen, Angie. Just listen. There is a baby inside. He is dying.¡±


    I took a deep breath and walked to the door as he tried to open it again. I looked inside the keyhole. There were the cushions, rugs, center table, and things you would expect in a living room. There was no baby in sight or anywhere around.


    I tried to look around again to see what he was talking about and why he was this serious about getting inside. On the left side of the room, a lady was lying on her back, her hair sprawled all over as if she had been knocked unconscious. I took my eyes off it and stepped back from the door. I ran and hit the door with my shoulder. The door gave in on the third attempt.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± I said and ran inside.


    Truly, a baby was lying in the bathtub, probably drunk. I took her out of the water and placed a hand on her chest. She was still breathing, but he was losing it. I put her on the rug, placed my palms over one another and on her chest, and began to pump. I would pump twenty times and lean to her nose and breathe in. She cried out, an amount of water pumping out of her mouth.


    She was a toddler, probably three or four. I tried my best to pacify her and walked around. The mother was still lying on the floor and got up some minutes later, looking around the house.


    ¡°You tell me,¡± I said.


    ¡°You and your child were close to dying. While you passed out.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh,¡± she rubbed her head and looked around. Then she started crying at me.


    ¡°Hey, You are okay. Both of you are okay?¡± I said, walking closer to her and hugging her.


    ¡°Is there someone I can call to come around? You can¡¯t be alone,¡± I said.


    She took the child from me and kept crying. Then she nodded, ¡°my sister,¡± she said.


    I nodded, asked for her phone, and she pointed at it on the center table. After asking to unlock it, I called her sister and explained what had happened. Then I put the phone down and waited for her sister to arrive.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°You passed out on the floor,¡± I said. ¡°Has that ever happened before?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I was just tired.¡±


    ¡°You need to take care of yourself. You know that, right? You have a baby who needs it. She could have died today because you were not there for a minute.¡±


    The mother continued sobbing, and I just stood there watching. The baby had stopped crying, and now he was fascinated with his mother crying. ¡°I am sorry,¡± she said to her daughter, ¡°I am so sorry.¡±


    The said sister came around, a chubby lady with shades. I explained the situation again and waited for the family reunion to begin before excusing myself.


    ¡°I am sorry. I have to leave,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you for saving our lives,¡± the child¡¯s mother said.


    ¡°You take care of yourself,¡± I said, heading out the door.


    I took a deep breath when I got outside the door. Collins wasn¡¯t at the door, but he was still around, and I could smell him. I closed my eyes again, eyes morphing to a green hue, and senses ten times alert again. Then I began to climb the stairs down.


    Collins was waiting beside the building, and he came out of the building.


    ¡°I was here to help,¡± he said.


    I didn¡¯t listen to him. I kept jogging while he followed me behind. I was walking on two legs, and he was following on four, but we both were the same. His eyes would have the green hue as mine. My senses were heightened already due to anger and choice.


    ¡°I am sorry for putting you through that. I just can¡¯t help it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t stop walking. ¡°You don¡¯t care, Collins. You don¡¯t care if it¡¯s dangerous. You will do as you please.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I was only trying to help.¡±


    I stopped running. ¡°How did you know that child needs help? The distance from where we parked to this one was too far. How did you get here?¡±


    He stared into my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t read his mind. The street was quiet, but some cars honked, and soft music played in the distance. Once we got to the main road again, we would see people moving around, and it would be all noisier again. I wanted him to admit that he didn¡¯t just hear the child¡¯s cry. He was walking around and trying to put us in danger.


    He looked at the ground and up at me.


    ¡°I saw¡­ someone. I think he''s a werewolf¡­¡±


    I frowned a little bit. He saw a werewolf? I stared around the area, trying to ensure a pack had not surrounded us. I couldn¡¯t smell anything dangerous, but Collin¡¯s eyes were determined. He was telling the truth.


    There were reasons why seeing werewolves could be dangerous. This was California. My grandparents met here ¡ª as wolves. They were sent out of their packs. Their packs were using their ability to kill, steal and commit crimes. They were recruiting people against their will. Many died. Turning someone into a wolf through bite could go three ways. If you are lucky, you will become a wolf. The unlucky ones die instantly or go insane before they die.


    ¡°You saw a werewolf?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Someone run past me. He was close. I felt something strange when he did. I could smell him. I tried to follow him.¡± he said, looking at the direction we had followed.


    ¡°Did he see you?¡±


    ¡°I tried to catch up, but he ran away.¡±


    ¡°Did he see you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Collins, you are a lone wolf. You can¡¯t¡­ We can¡¯t join other wolves. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You just said he didn¡¯t see you. How did you know he wasn¡¯t going to kill you?¡±


    ¡°Is that how werewolves behave? They kill each other without questions?¡±


    I shook my head and looked down the road into the far distance. There were woods down the end of the alley. It would take a few minutes of walking to get there, but a wolf would get there faster. ¡°We will talk about this at home, alright. Werewolves don¡¯t kill people. But we have good werewolves and bad ones. Just like humans. You and I know not all humans are kind or nice to everyone. Let¡¯s go home. We will talk about it.¡±


    We started walking to the car again. We weren¡¯t running, just moving casually and gracefully. My head was filled with thoughts. I remembered when I first moved here, living alone, a lone wolf in a city like this, and I wanted to belong. I wanted to find a pack so bad that I would call my mother and talk. My mother was visiting every weekend so it would be less lonely. She told me never to join a pack and be caught up in the wrong one.


    But what about Collins? Would he ever give up the impulse to belong in a pack? His body and abilities would whenever he had that sense of belonging. He would be drawn towards that. I took a deep breath.


    ¡°I guess Clara15 didn¡¯t come up,¡± he said.


    We crossed using the pedestrian crossing. ¡°It was a prank,¡± I said. ¡°I should have listened to you.¡±I put my hands in my coat and bowed my head. It would be more difficult to find a witch than I thought.


    I was about to raise my head when someone bumped into me. The knock was so painful that I clutched onto my stomach and winced.


    ¡°I am so sorry. It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ I was.. carried away. I am so sorry.¡±


    Her hands were on my arm, trying to help me get back into a standing position. She helped me straighten my hair, too.


    I glanced at her face. She was a young lady, probably in her early twenties. She had an attractive face like those young models in high school romance. Her hair was red, naturally red, like the girl in my dream some days ago.


    ¡°I am so sorry,¡± she said again.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I wasn¡¯t looking either. So, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Is that your friend?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah, his name is Col,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, he is so huge and cute. So calm. He doesn¡¯t need a leash.¡±


    ¡°No, he is a good boy¡­. He doesn¡¯t need that.¡±


    She tried to touch her, but Collins took a step back and wouldn¡¯t let her. ¡°Yeah,¡± he is wary of strangers,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said to Collins. Then she looked at me. ¡°He is cute, though.Do you mind? My name is Jennifer¡­ Jenniffer Griffin.¡±


    ¡°Angelina Cole,¡± I said.


    ¡°You share the same surname as him,¡± she said.


    Well, I hadn¡¯t thought about that. ¡°Well, yes,¡± I said.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Angelina.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, too.¡±


    ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°And you, too.¡±


    I watched her walking away, the wind blowing her red hair and her gown so perfect on her body. I wished I had told her how beautiful she was.

 Searching For An Alpha

    Angelina


    The next night, Collins told me what I didn¡¯t expect to hear.


    We were sitting at the top of the building, watching the road and listening to Charlie Puth¡¯s song on my phone.


    The building had a slab roof and a stair that could get you there. It was a better view up there --- seeing the roof of people¡¯s houses and farther than you could possibly see when you were on the ground. People could hardly notice us, and if they did, they would see a dog and a lady enjoying the evening. But the tall trees in front of my house made it difficult for anyone to see us.


    Most people were returning from work, and the time was 6:30 pm. I had learned to come home as soon as work closed. There was no need to wait behind.


    ¡°Something strange happened last night,¡± Collins said.


    I stopped reading on my phone. I had been looking at the list and names of places I could visit to consult a witch. I had collected a few names of places in Scotland and India that seemed legible from reviews from strangers online.


    ¡°What happened? I know you didn¡¯t tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°When that guy walked past, I felt something strange,¡± he said.


    ¡°Strange? Like what?¡±


    ¡°My body was changing¡­¡±


    ¡°Changing¡­¡±


    ¡°I was becoming human again.¡±


    I turned to him fully. ¡°You haven¡¯t said something since yesterday.¡±


    He turned to face me and stared into my eyes. ¡°Do you remember how you reacted last night? You should have seen your face when I told you about him yesterday.¡±


    I had been scared of what could happen if he made it into a pack where the alpha was dominant and a criminal. They would steal, rob, and hurt people. And once you join a pack, the only way to break from such is to leave town or die.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking alright. I know you feel something. Like you¡¯re transforming into a human, but that¡¯s not completely true.¡±


    He stamped his foot on the roof. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me about it.¡±


    I sighed and locked my phone. ¡°You need to know an Alpha has some better abilities than all of us. As a wolf, an alpha can transform you into a werewolf temporarily. He could do that if he wanted to send you on an errand. Transform you into a werewolf, but no, you can¡¯t become human. He doesn¡¯t have the power to do that.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Well, like a master.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can call it that. But why would you want to become a follower to anyone when you can just be here? Just you and me.¡±


    ¡°I should have talked to him,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. A cruel Alpha will own you and use you for criminal activities. Most of them are crazy. Power-obsessed.¡±


    My grandmother had told me some of these stories, and some I heard from strangers about how packs of wolves had been hunted out of town in the past for criminal activities or for trying to attack humans.


    ¡°We can¡¯t¡­ They are too dangerous,¡± I said. Unlocking my phone, I continued searching the internet for answers.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What if the Alpha can help us find a witch?¡±


    I lifted my head up and looked at him. That was a great thing to say. The alpha could probably help us find a witch. No one would know this city better than an Alpha of the city and his or her pack. This would have made sense if they were good people.


    ¡°We need help to find what we are looking for?¡± he said.


    The silence grew. We could run into a lot of trouble by looking for an Alpha. Finding a witch could be the same. How sure were we that the witch we would find could not hurt us? Would every witch be a good person? I leaned back on my hands and looked at the sky.


    ¡°It could be¡­¡±


    ¡°Dangerous¡­ That¡¯s why you should allow me to take the risk this time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°I will go back to the Hollywood neighborhood. I think the Alpha probably hangs around there. I could feel it when I was walking around. I could feel it¡­¡±


    ¡°And what if things go wrong?¡±


    He moved his front feet on the slab and nodded. ¡°We would be lucky,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time I accept my fate after that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean it is a win-or-lose situation. We have to take a risk.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t lose you, you know that.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°But we need to take some risk or the majority of my life will be gone forever.¡±


    I stared into his eyes. The sadness in his eyeballs made me blink and blink. No one would want to lose half of their life in a form that limited their potential. I was being selfish for staying afraid. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s go for it,¡± I said. ¡°You think we can find him with his scent tonight,¡± I asked. ¡°If we go to that area again.¡±


    ¡°We should try¡­ I wanted to, but I lost him while I was following him.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Good thing you didn¡¯t do it alone. I might never have found you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I saved a life when I was coming back. I¡¯m glad I did.¡±


    ¡°Two lives. You saved two lives,¡± I said, putting my arms around him. ¡°We will go, once it¡¯s dark¡­¡± I said.


    We sat there and continued listening to songs. We didn¡¯t say a word to each other anymore. Each was occupied with their own worries. I feared we would have to join a pack and do their bidding. I feared we would have to bow to someone and obey what they said. But there was another possibility. An Alpha could be the answer to our problem, an indirect solution. But we would be careful and leave if we realized they were not kind and trustable werewolves.


    So, later in the night, Collins and I hit the road again. As usual, he was sitting in the back seat, and I was driving. No playing of songs or anything like that. I had a bottle of smokescreen, specially made from wolfsbane, in the car. I had two masks too. If we needed to run, we would just wear the mask and uncork the bottles. It would do much, but it would slow werewolves down and give us time to run for our lives.


    We drove for an hour before we drove past Hollywood neighbor. We stopped by the same alley where I had walked the other night to find Collins. Then we alighted from the car and began to walk down the road.


    The road was so quiet; only the sound of my shoes made noise within the ten- or twenty-meter radius. We headed down the alley and kept walking anyway. Down the road, in, say, fifteen minutes, we would come to a place full of woods.


    An old man was sitting on the floor on the pavement with a big gun on his side. He had a Panama cap and a cigarette in one hand.


    ¡°Young lady. It¡¯s getting dark and dangerous,¡± he said. ¡°You should walk faster and lock your door when you get home.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I said.


    We walked past him in his heavy smell of alcohol. Perhaps this neighborhood had been tormented by werewolves. Perhaps it was just a cautious warning from a drunkard, but there was only one way to determine whether we were telling the truth. I checked the time, and it was some minutes to 10.


    We kept walking and walking as fast as we could, but as noiseless as possible. We didn¡¯t want to call attention to ourselves. A lady walking around with a giant dog could be suspicious to anyone around here.


    Collins looked back at the old man. Although it was dark and we had walked far away from him, we could see him clearly. ¡°He¡¯s asleep,¡± Collins said.


    I looked back, eyes turning orange. ¡°Yeah, he is,¡± I said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run,¡± he said.


    I nodded at him. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, smiling.


    We began to growl and jog slowly. Then like the superhumans that we were, more hairs grew out of my skin, and my eyes turned, giving an orange hue to everything and a vision a hundred times better than humans. We started running, hands moving and legs hitting the hard ground as fast as we could go.


    We soon came to the woods. Then, we stopped under one of the trees. There, we hid and scanned the area for movements and scents. We were surely getting into something, but at the moment, we didn¡¯t know what we could find.

 Wolf Hunters

    Angelina


    I used to go into the woods in the past. My grandmother had a farm, and I used to go there with her to pick apples or mangoes. But the fun part was when I was still a child and was still being trained to use my abilities. My grandmother would take me into the woods, and together we would practice. She taught me how to differentiate scents. Rabbits smell differently than snakes. Skunks were the easiest to detect, and grasshoppers had the most horrible smell.


    So, as Collins and I began to walk around the woods, we tried our best to detect smells and speak our minds.


    ¡°If you smell something dangerous you don¡¯t understand, let me know.¡±


    ¡°I think I can tell the difference. I am good with animals, you know.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I am just saying you should keep your eyes down and tell me when there is something you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ How do you think we are going to find him?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are in the best position to answer that, not me. You brought us here.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Well, we would just keep looking, I guess.¡±


    We kept walking, trying to be as noiseless as possible, but the dry leaves cracked under our shoes as we walked on. We kept moving anyway. He was about 6 meters to my right. We needed the distance to cover more grounds and access more scents. If we were lucky, if the alpha wanted us to find him, he would give us clues only werewolves could understand. It could be howling or running among the trees. It could be a warmness on our skin as we get closer. Some scents blew past my nose, and I stopped for a second. It smelled like lamb blood and rotten animals.


    I remembered what my mother said about how werewolves were captured in the past. The ancient Americans used different types of techniques to capture werewolves and execute them. Silver guns were used for shooting, wolfsbane for making them weak, and bear traps. The most difficult to detect were bear traps. Humans usually set them down where wolves were likely to have fun. They would cover them in dry leaves with signs you could recognize as humans if you were not running or hopping around like werewolves.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    ¡°I need you to watch out for bear traps,¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is a bad idea? That we should go back.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If there are bear traps for werewolves, then we should come here regularly. We might find him.¡±


    ¡°Okay. What if we can¡¯t?¡±


    We saw a couple of flashlights in the distance. It spiked through the woods, came to us, and then went away, looking at the other parts of the woods. I stopped walking and hid behind a tree.


    ¡°Hide,¡± I said. ¡°I think some humans are coming.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± he said. When I looked at his side, he was standing behind a tree but still not as frightened or hiding behind a tree as I did. He was still looking out of the woods and monitoring the movement of those humans. I shut my eyes. We might have to run for our lives. This I had never done before. I could just step out and pretend I was human. I was a lady, after all, and if I pretended well enough that I was attacked or running from something, I could get sympathy. But I came here with a real wolf. Would they believe that I wasn¡¯t a wolf? What if they tested us? Grandmother¡¯s mother said humans used wolfsbane to run these tests. Most wolves and werewolves would change form when they smelled wolfsbane. I opened my eyes.


    ¡°If they caught us, you should run. I will hold them off. I will pretend I lost my way.¡±


    He was quiet and looked at me as if I was saying gibberish.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°They are humans. We can outrun them. We can see better. We don¡¯t have to be afraid of them. They wouldn¡¯t find us,¡± I said.


    I looked at the leaves up on the trees and smiled. I glanced at him and smiled again. Finally, he had come to terms with his inhuman abilities. I felt proud of him, so I laughed again.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Collins. You¡¯re accepting the truth.¡±


    He nodded and looked down at the leaves. ¡°Actually, I have accepted since we were at the top of that mountain. I experienced what it¡¯s like being a wolf that night.¡±


    ¡°Still proud of you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I just want to be like you. We can then live together like fated couples.¡±


    ¡°Sure, we can work on that.¡±


    The flashes of light again. They were coming closer, but they had stopped coming in our direction. They had turned right and headed into another part of the woods.


    ¡°They are kids,¡± Collins said. ¡°I can hear them.¡±


    I peeped from the tree and stared in their direction. I tried to listen to them, but I couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear anything, but I can see them,¡± I said. Two boys and a girl. They were walking, and the girl was leading them somewhere.


    ¡°They want to become werewolves. The girl is the boldest of the lot,¡± Collins said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what they are saying¡­.¡±


    I shook my head and took a deep breath. I had kids who shared the same enthusiasm when I was younger. They wanted superpowers and forgot about the burden attached to being one.


    ¡°Should we still continue searching? Knowing there are humans in these woods,¡± I asked. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think an Alpha would come out with those kids looking for him.¡±


    ¡°We could try. We have more chances of finding him than they are.¡±


    ¡°We are not sure he¡¯s even here.¡±


    ¡°We could try¡­.¡±


    I took a deep breath and lifted my body off the tree. Then we started walking but maintained our tracks so we wouldn¡¯t walk too fast and run into those kids.


    The woods became a lot quieter and darker as we continued walking. We could still see through, but the trees at the top formed bigger shades on top of our heads. We could hear the sounds of our feet on the dry leaves. My eyes were still yellowish, and I tried to notice every scent and sound that came past us. Raccoons were the best I had gotten, even though I couldn¡¯t see any of them around. When I still used to hunt them for practice along with my grandmother, my task would be to bring one raccoon to my grandmother. It was such a fun exercise, running, and playing. The pride in my grandmother¡¯s eyes when I returned after fulfilling her wish was the best of it all.


    We heard the rustling of leaves, the wind blew, and some leaves dropped from the tree tops. In that instant, Collins and I stopped walking. Right then, we could smell the scent of something stronger. Mightier. The scents of an Alpha. I had never known what it was like, but it was here. At first, it was strong, like I had sniffed some drugs. I shook my head and turned around in circles.


    ¡°Is he here?¡± Collins asked.


    I frowned and looked through the woods, straining my eyes. I couldn¡¯t see anything dangerous, just endless woods, bushes, and butterflies making their way to the top of trees following the smell of flowers.


    Something dropped down heavily. When I looked back, someone was standing behind Collins. I couldn¡¯t see his face. Collins tried to fight, but it was useless. The person took a step back and grabbed him by the throat. I couldn¡¯t watch and let him snuff life out of him like that, so I shut my eyes and turned to a more werewolf form with longer nails, taller ears, and a hairy body. Then I charged towards the alpha.


    He saw me coming and ducked in time when I tried to hit him with my nails. Then he got up and grabbed me by my throat and squeezed tight. He squeezed mine tighter as if he wanted to kill faster than he would kill Collins. His hands were strong, and I couldn¡¯t stop him with all my force. I continued fighting to get free, but I was losing my breath. My eyes began to have blue hues at the corners. My mind wandered to somewhere I had never been before, a cloudy, misty place with so much cold that I began to cry. In the last seconds between life and death, he flung me into one of the trees, and I crashed back to the ground, holding my lungs and trying to get as much air as possible.


    I watched him as he held Collins. He wasn¡¯t squeezing him as he did with me. He was holding him in place. Then he placed his hand at the back of his head and dug his nail into him.


    Collins howled loudly. Then he began to turn gradually to more human-like ¡ª a werewolf. He had a hairy body and could stand as all humans do. He could run and jump with just his two legs.


    I was in pain, but I tried to laugh.


    Collins knelt before him and bowed his head.


    ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± The alpha asked, looking into our eyes. While our eyes were yellowish, his was a ton darker in yellow.


    ¡°We were looking for you?¡± I said.


    ¡°You both should leave. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°We need your help¡­.¡± Collins spoke not with his mind but with the muffled voice of a wolf.


    We began to hear voices and someone corking a gun. The kids were coming in our direction, and they were actually more than we had thought. There were seven of them, and four of them had guns ¡ª and silver bullets.


    ¡°Run, now. I will distract them,¡± he said.


    He started running between the woods. When he got far away, he howled loudly, and the kids in the woods turned in that direction and started running after him.


    I lay down on my back and wished he had listened to us. Slowly, Collins returned to being a wolf. He stared at his own body for a few seconds, then looked in the direction the alpha had run. Turning around, he began to stroll back through the path had followed here without looking back.

 Crazier Stunt

    <div>


    Jennifer Griffin


    I sat on the floor of the secret room that night and started a fire in the brazier. It had been a busy day. I received the news that I was admitted to the college of medicine and went to the school today. I spent the entire day touring and walking around the place. It made me forget I had some important and magical assignment.


    I unfolded the white handkerchief and stared at the strand of hair. I had collected it from the lady with the wolf. It was one of those strange nights. I had visited this strange bar and then ran into her and her strange wolf, just like that. I was smart enough. I would need something that was really her body to use magic on her¡ªnails, blood, or hair.


    I had got her hair.


    I just need to know more about her. If she was human, I could have just held her hands, looked into her eyes, and gotten my answers.


    ardeat.


    The fire in the brazier grew taller.


    I began to chant.


    Ex navi incensa, quae nullo modo


    Sed submersio a flamma potuit erui


    My grandmother had said the spirit would lead me. I hoped I would find something meaningful in the vision I was about to see. What could her spirit tell me about her? How dangerous was it to stop her? What was her weakness?


    Ex navi incensa, quae nullo modo


    Sed submersio a flamma potuit erui


    Then I put the hair in the fire.


    ego exsurgens, lucem speculatus eram


    et ad Deum meum clamavi cor meum


    The flame slowed down a lot, then grew again but in a different color. Now it was blue. A lady emerged from the flame, but her back was turned to me.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.


    She turned around and looked at me. Her eyes were beautiful, and she had this calm disposition as if she would not take nonsense from anyone.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Angelina Adeline Cole.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your secret?¡±


    ¡°I guess you will have to find out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your weakness?¡±


    ¡°I can tell you, but you still won¡¯t figure it out. I am a werewolf, and I don¡¯t take shit from no one.¡±


    ¡°Where do you live?¡±


    ¡°I stay in Venice. 225. You have to figure things out with a map.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at me and then waited impatiently. I had done this before, a couple of times with some people I wanted to summon their spirits. But I liked this one. With her attitude and the way she spoke, she was a badass. I liked her.


    ¡°What do you like doing?¡± I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.


    ¡°Movies, most likely. Hunting, but it had been years since I hunted something.¡± I think I am the only wolf alive who has stopped going out at night as much as I wanted. Moving to California changes everything. ¡°


    ¡°Tell me more about yourself then,¡± I said.


    She continued to talk about herself and her childhood as a student. She told me how I loved every bit of it, the jokes, the awkward silence. She told me she used to go for walks now with her new dog.


    I didn¡¯t know she would hide that ¡°the dog¡± was not a dog, even with her spirit, so I tried again. ¡°You mean the werewolf. Your friend.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t talk about that.¡±


    I had her address, the things she liked to do, and where she spent not most of her time - work or on her computer. I could work with that. I would only need the werewolf¡¯s blood, and that would be all. I would become the greatest, most powerful witch in the country. How could I do that if I couldn¡¯t chant it or use my power on it without getting its blood?


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Thank you for this conversation,¡± I said.


    ¡°You are most welcome,¡± she said.


    ¡°You can go now.¡±


    bonum noctis


    Her image began to faint in the flame until she vanished completely. Then I walked to the bedroom. I would go out later to the address she gave me.


    ***


    I drove to her house that night and parked the car on the street, watching the building. If what she told me was right, she should walk around with her dog soon enough. I put an earplug in one ear and a burger wrap in my hand as I ate and watched movies on my phone, which was right in front of me. She told me her favorite movie was Lord of the Rings. I had seen that one and was trying to catch up on it in case it could be a conversation starter.


    But I sat there for some minutes. When I noticed no movement, I stepped out of the car and walked towards the building. She didn¡¯t show up. I did one more check to ensure no one was inside the house. Then I lay my hands on the door handle. perdere, I whispered. It gave in immediately, and I slid into the house as fast as I could. No wolves. No woman. At least, I saw none of them in the living room. I didn¡¯t hear any sounds, too, just the clock ticking. The picture on the wall said I was truly in the right place. I saw Angelina at various ages ¡ª when she was a toddler, a teenager, and an adult. I walked around the space, from the living room to the dining to the kitchen to the bedroom. I headed back to the living room and headed to a corner. There, I created a sign with my hands, the star sign, that would make things possible. I looked around the house and headed towards the exit door again. This was an opportunity to become part of Angelina¡¯s life. This was the best chance I had to get close to werewolves. I got out of the building, hurried out, locked the door back, and headed down the road where I parked. I got inside and waited.


    I rechecked the time, but it was already 10 pm. She said she used to sleep at this time, and I wanted to believe her. Maybe she wasn¡¯t coming tonight. It was a strange thing, as she had already told me, she had no friends or family in this city. She was from another town. No matter how hard I pressed her, she wouldn¡¯t tell me about it. I rubbed my fingers and looked at the door of her house again. How quiet the street had grown since I arrived here. When I arrived, a few cars drove by, but it had been some minutes without a car driving by.


    They arrived around 11 pm. The sound of her car broke the silence. I looked at her vehicle and nodded, and was proud of myself.


    They drove to the front of the house. The wolf came down first, and then Angelina killed the engine and came down a few moments later. The wolf was waiting at the door by then. It was so apparent that was no dog. It carried itself like humans, so calm, in control of its body. But again, humans are good at understanding signs that say something is beyond ordinary.


    Angelina alighted from the car and walked to the building. Something had happened, something terrible. I could tell from how she took a deep breath before walking to the door that she looked tired. The wolf just stared around like he had not eaten all day.


    I waited until she entered the house, walked, turned on the lights, and turned them back off. I started the engine, reciting my grandma¡¯s favorite poem, The Raven.


    Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary¡­


    I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and started reciting chants.


    Ex navi incensa, quae nullo modo


    Sed submersio a flamma potuit erui


    et ad Deum meum clamavi cor meum


    I kept my eyes shut still and waited. When I opened my eyes, I saw smoke rising from her window. The house¡¯s front door broke open, and Angelina and her dog ran outside the building.


    I sped the car toward the front of her house and parked.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, not looking at my face. ¡°We need to call for help,¡± she said. ¡°Do you have a phone,¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± I said.


    I brought out my phone and handed it to her. ¡°Here, make the call,¡± I said. ¡°We should do something before it gets out of hand.¡±


    ¡°I have a fire extinguisher. I tried to find it, but I couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s not on the wall¡­ where it used to be¡­.¡±


    Yeah, it wasn¡¯t.


    Some of her neighbors had started coming out of the house and trying to see what had gone wrong.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can do something,¡± I said. I put a hand into my pocket, brought a piece of clothing, and tied it around my nose. Then I rushed towards the building, and I spoke as I got closer. obedire conatu.


    The smoke began to die down. Then I rushed inside, straight into the living room, and headed straight to the kitchen. Getting to the corner I had left the mark, I put my hands on it and cast the spell. The mark disappeared. I took a deep breath again and headed out of the building.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said.


    But outside, I could hear the siren of the fire service. I stood by Angelina and waited for the officers to come around. By the time they got closer, the smoke was already dying out. I had killed the source of the smoke, so that was expected.


    The officers went into the building. Was it instinct or human consciously? I hugged Angelina once, and then we both held each other hands when the firefighters went inside. We waited for them.


    They came out with some good news. The captain or leader, a tall black gentleman, told us it was safe. They promised to hang around for some time so that she could get to bed.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Angelina said. Then she looked at my face and frowned. ¡°I know you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded. ¡°We met a few days ago¡­ You are Angelina. And he is..¡± I said, looking at her dog.¡¯


    ¡°Col¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, Col. I was driving by, and I saw the smoke, and I was like, I should help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so kind of you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am¡­ I am just hoping it doesn¡¯t happen again. But I sleep¡­ cause I¡¯m really, really tired.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You get some rest. I will check on you tomorrow,¡± I hugged her. Then I watched as she and her dog got into the building. Then I turned around, smiling with a bit of bouncing in my steps as I walked to my car. I wondered what my grandmother would say about the stunt I had just pulled off.

 Teen Wolf

    <div>


    Angelina


    I had just returned from work when I heard a knock on the door. It was the day after the fire incident. Collins and I had plans to return to search for the alpha again. We were talking about that when someone knocked and interrupted us. I got up from the couch and walked to the door, thinking it was my boss. I had been avoiding any conversations and ignoring his text that wasn¡¯t business or work-related. Had he come to visit me again? Uninvited?


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked, standing by the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Jenniffer Griffin,¡± a female voice said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said. I turned to Collins and nodded at him. ¡°That¡¯s our friend,¡± I said with my mind. He nodded.


    ¡°I am on my way,¡± I said to the person at the door.


    I opened the door to let her inside the house. How happy it was to see her again. Fate had been playing tricks on us, and twice we had met under unexpected circumstances.


    ¡°I am¡­ was here¡­ Yesterday,¡± she said. ¡°when the fire was...¡±


    ¡°Please, come inside,¡± I said. She didn¡¯t have to explain herself. I was scared to my bones last night, and it was because of good people like her that one had more faith in humanity. She had hugged and walked inside the house, trying to help. We held hands, too, without realizing it until later.


    She stepped into the house, and I locked the door behind me.


    ¡°Should I offer you coffee?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± she said. Then she took her seat on the couch when I pointed at it, looking at Collins one more time.


    I walked into the bedroom to make her coffee and made one for myself.


    ¡°Thank you for stopping by,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah, my pleasure,¡± she said. ¡°I just moved here to California this month, so I have few places to hang around. So I decided to check on you guys. I am glad you are okay.¡±


    ¡°We are glad you are here, Jenniffer.¡±


    We drank more coffee. At one point, I went back into the house and microwaved some pancakes so we could eat them. She told me about herself, and I shared my stories about getting a job in a small startup with two other employees and our boss. She moved here because of school and would be here for the next year studying medicine. She lived not too far from our place ¡ªjust a thirty-minute drive ¡ª- and I promised to visit her sometimes. She made me promise to come with Collins because she loved him. I nodded. She wouldn¡¯t understand that Collins wasn¡¯t a dog as she seemed. We would visit her one day, but we would be careful.


    She left some hours later. Collins and I walked to the porch to watch her drive out of the parking and hit the road again. There was something about her, a kind of warmth, that made you want to sit with her and feel relaxed. She was younger, too, but a lot more intelligent. She was studying to become a doctor, so her level of intelligence wasn¡¯t too shocking.


    Collins and I walked back inside to prepare to get on the road again. We came out again a few minutes later. I was wearing my coat, running shoes, and a muffler scarf. We would find the alpha again. One of our questions had been answered ¡ª Is there really an Alpha around here? But there was another question that needed answers. Could the alpha help us find a solution?


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    I drove to a part of Hollywood Neighborhood like we did last night. We came down and began to walk down the road, and we came to the same old man, who was sitting by the road, smoking a cigarette; the same gun was beside him at the same position we saw it yesterday. Once we moved past him, Collins and I began to run as wolves. My eyes turned, more energy, and I ran and kept up with him. We ran and arrived at the woods some minutes later.


    As expected, the area under the woods was dark and quiet. We had to make our way around by bringing on our animal abilities. We hid under one of the trees and tried to perceive the scent. We walked around slowly but in a specific direction. Last night, the alpha came to us suddenly, but when he left, he followed a certain path, so we headed in that direction, running as fast as we could.


    I was the first to perceive some scents of a wolf, not the strong scent of an Alpha, but it was still a wolf. Then we heard footsteps some miles away. The wolf had probably turned into a werewolf, running fast on all fours and in our direction. We waited, and I tightened my fist. We didn¡¯t know who was coming at us or if we should be ready to fight. The person was coming too fast as if they could tell we were there. I stayed behind the tree and stood feet apart, ready to fight. Closer and closer, the werewolf got closer. Feet touched the dry leaves and made rustling sounds. The energy and pace of the run were strong. My heart had begun to beat harder and harder, and so was Collins.


    I had never fought another werewolf in my life. Except you counted my grandmother and mother when they were training me, or we were having wild, animal fun. I looked back and then forward again. The wolf was closer now, just a mile and a half away. We could hear the movements louder and louder, their feet stomping. Maybe we should run. He wouldn¡¯t be running like that if it were the same alpha. He wouldn¡¯t make much noise when he knew he could be caught or hunted by wolf hunters. I tried to focus, to decide. Should we run away or hold our ground and fight if we had to? We were just here for help, not to fight. So, I took a deep breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s a young girl,¡± Collins said.


    I tried to look forward, eyes turning yellowish. I squinted harder, but although I could hear the sound of running on dry leaves, I couldn¡¯t see clearly. I had forgotten that Collins used to see farther than I could.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a young girl,¡± he said again.


    ¡°Maybe she is running from something,¡± I said.


    Then I looked forward to the direction of the running, and she was close now. I could see her smiling and coming at us. She came close and stopped some feet away from us. She was a young girl, a teenager, standing in her werewolf form. She stared at me, her canine visible. She looked at Collins, then at me. Then came a sudden realization. We were not the ones she had been looking for. ¡°Who are you people?¡± she asked.


    I raised a hand forward and nodded twice. Quickly, I understood a couple of things. We werewolves, after all, and had habits. She felt we had taken over her territory. She was expecting to meet some people, not us. She had been tracing us down with our scents. Now it was obvious she would fight.


    ¡°We are harmless,¡± Collins said with his mind.


    She looked at him and back at me. She could hear him, too.


    ¡°Yes, we are here to see the alpha. We want to ask for his help.¡± I said. ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°You do not belong here. You are not part of us,¡± she yelled. She raised her head into the trees and howled. I rushed towards her and covered her mouth with my palm, but she bit me and got free. Then she took some steps back and howled again.


    ¡°See, we are not here looking for trouble. We can explain what we came here for. You need to calm down. Or we can leave. We will never come back.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t leave. You are not part of our park, So you can¡¯t come here as a spy¡­.¡±


    ¡°You are getting it wrong. We are not spies. We were here yesterday. The Alpha. We met him.¡±


    ¡°He would have killed you.¡±


    I glanced at Collins. Yes, he wanted to kill Collins and me. He tried, but he changed his mind when the wolf hunters arrived. Maybe this girl was right. We may not be as lucky as we were last night. I eyed Collins and nodded. We needed to run.


    I took some steps back.


    The girl lifted her mouth and howled again.


    I started running. Collins followed, but we hardly took three steps when we ran into three people ¡ª werewolves standing in our way. When we looked around, there were more of them.


    We had been surrounded.

 Fact Check

    Jenniffer Griffin


    I left Angelina¡¯s place and drove to a bar in town. I had not been to the place before. The plan was to have a few drinks and go back home to sleep. Later, I would talk to my grandmother and explain the prank I had pulled off.


    I walked into this bar and scanned the faces of the men in the room, trying to find one handsome gentleman who could give me the pleasure I deserved this night. There were a couple of men, but they were not my type. The first man to my right was older than me and looked like someone who would not survive a long ride. Behind him was a group of men, but they had the attitude of boys who would come to chat or harass me, so I looked forward and kept walking. Then I sat down on the stool and stared at the bartender. She had her hair in a ponytail.


    She smiled at me. ¡°What can I offer you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Martini,¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she walked to the bar, returned with a glass filled with martini, and put it in front of me.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    She bowed, smiled again, and took one last look at my boobs before turning to the next customers, two guys who were here to celebrate something about winning a contract.


    I took a sip and brought out my phone. This was the kind of day I needed, Darius. But he hadn¡¯t come around since the day I had let him go. I flipped through the names on my Whatsapp and found his name. Then I sent him a message: Hi.


    Then I turned around and watched the inside of the hall. There was a couple in the hall at a corner. They were drinking tequila and grinning at each other¡¯s faces. They had wedding rings on their fingers, and the lady had this aura of a butterfly in a cocoon. Calm. Comfortable. Smitten. They looked like a couple who had been married for years. Even though the husband was handsome and I would like to have him. As a sane person, I wouldn¡¯t ruin what I saw. That would be selfish and hurtful to that woman, especially since they were both happy. Why would you ruin something good for something that wouldn¡¯t last?


    I lifted my glass of drink again and sipped. But if I could not get what I wanted, I would have no choice. He wouldn¡¯t know if I existed, and they would never remember me again.


    I kept watching and sipping my drink. He said something that made her laugh, and she held the side of his coat. My phone beeped at that point, and I looked at the screen.


    Darius had replied: ¡°Hey, are you at home?¡±


    Of course. That was how I liked it. It was exactly what I wanted. Spontaneous. Direct. Give me what I want.


    Me: Yes


    Darius: Okay. I will be there in five minutes.


    That was too fast. I would not get home in five minutes even if I drove fast. I lifted my glass of martini and drank what was left in it.


    Me: I am waiting for you, honey.


    I looked at the bartender. She was standing in one corner and seemed more interested in my cleavage and lips than what I was drinking.


    ¡°Please, give me another shot,¡± I said.


    She poured me a shot, and I put two dollar bills on the table. I picked up the glass, and she took the money. Then took the whole content in one attempt.


    I walked out of the bar and to my car. I was getting drunk, which was dangerous, but I wanted to get home on time before the full effect of the alcohol kicked in. I started the engine, and my hands were feeling shaky, eyes were a bit blurry. Then I drove out of the parking lot and hit the road, the car managing not to scratch the curbs towards the exit.


    In the middle of the road, when the steering seemed heavier, I realized I shouldn¡¯t have driven myself home. My head grew as if twice, and I slowed the car down so much that I felt I was being pushed along by some aging tortoise.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    When I got closer to my house, my phone began to ring. It was Darius.


    ¡°I am around the corner,¡± I said.


    ¡°I am standing on the porch, like a thief trying to break in,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then step the fuck off the porch, you idiot.¡± I ended the call, put the phone down, and started singing this old childhood song I learned in church as a baby. All things bright and beautiful....All creatures great and small...


    I arrived home some minutes later. Darius was standing beside his car in the parking area. I didn¡¯t park the car properly before killing the engine and coming out.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said.


    He walked towards me. Maybe he was coming for a hug, but he got more than that. I kissed him.


    ¡°You are drunk,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, giggling.


    He lifted me off the ground, and we headed into the house. I brought out the keys from my pocket and handed them to him. He put me down, one hand on my waist while he tried to open the door with the other hand.


    With the door open, he helped me into the house again.


    He already knew his way to the bedroom and went straight for it. Gently, he put me down on the bed, then took off his coat.


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy, you know,¡± he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know how I got to your house the other day. But it¡¯s cool. You are hot and I think it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    I got up from the bed and removed my shoes, coat, and shirt. When it got to the trousers, he helped me pull them off my body. I lay on the bed in panties and a bra.


    He watched me as I did all of that, then it was his turn. I watched him pull off his shirt, loosened his belt, and flung it to one side of the room. I tried to get up and crawled towards him, but he pushed me back, leaned on the bed, and unhooked the bra behind me. ¡°Because of you, my girlfriend left me,¡± he said.


    His hands came on my hands, then he moved them up my body and pressed them down. ¡°Say thank you. You already want to leave, don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± he said. ¡°You are hot. So I don¡¯t mind,¡± he said.


    He held both of my hands with one hand and pressed firmly. His right came off the boobs, and he squeezed and caressed them. I held my breath and tried not to fight off my grip. It was hard to resist wriggling and moaning under his touch.


    ¡°Do you know I was dreaming about you before we met?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a dream, you idiot. It was your brain trying to recollect what had happened.


    I closed my eyes, bit my lower lips, and shifted my legs. ¡°Your dreams finally come true,¡± I said, ¡°make the best use of it.¡±


    He smiled and leaned closer, slowly, his eyes staring at me as he leaned closer to my chest. Then he stopped with his lips an inch or less away from my nipple. I remained still but wanted him to take the nipple in his mouth. When he did, I lifted my head and tried to move my hands. His grip was still tight, reminding him he had control here.


    His left hand moved down to my thighs, reaching to my groin, then the under the mounds. He touched and rubbed downwards to the clit. I lifted my waist and moaned.


    ¡°You are so hot,¡± he said. His hands moved up and down on the fabric of the panties. It felt warmer, and my brain could process my thoughts properly. When he pushed the panties to the side and slid one of his fingers into the wetness, I pushed back and moaned louder. What did I want at this time except that his hands were holding me and the way his hands made me feel so much pleasure, causing my waist to wriggle? I tried to say something, to express my excitement, or tell him to do more with the flesh. My words were incoherent. They came out directly from how they were formed in my brain. ¡°Damn it, yes,¡± I said. He smiled, watching my face as I fought for words or kept still. One finger became two, and then I lost the battle of fighting. ¡°Hmmmm, hold!¡±


    He smiled and then stopped and began to rub the outer region.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop,¡± I whispered, but he smiled.


    ¡°Be careful what you ask for...¡± he said, laughing. ¡°Can you turn around for me?¡± he asked.


    This command, I could obey. I turned around, knelt, and rested on my elbows. He put his around my waist, pushed his shorts, and took them off. Then his fingers came under my thighs and touched the clit, rubbing it several times. I shut my eyes and tried to breathe. His dick touched my opening seconds after that, and I raised my bum, waiting. First, the head of the cock, then his hands on my back, right at the base of my back, met the bum. He slid slowly.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    He slid out and went in again. It all started slowly, and I kept mute, eyes closed, head pressed down. Despite how much I held my lips, soft moans escaped through my mouth. I did that a couple of times until he began to thrust in and out much faster but rhythmically. Then, the moan came out of me effortlessly, like a hungry toddler crying for food. I held the bedspread to steady myself.


    His moans came out in the same rhythm as he thrust in and out of me. I moaned to all of it, his moans, his grip, and his thrust. ¡°I am coming,¡± I called him after a few minutes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°I heard you, sexy,¡± he said. Then he leaned closer, rubbed my boobs, and continued until I pulled my legs together and convulsed. Then I lay on my bed and could feel his fluid all over my thighs.


    I patted his hair when he lay down on his back.


    ¡°I have never met a girl like you,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s so different. Everything.¡±


    I rubbed his hair and watched his face. He stared back at me. At first, I thought he was looking at the breast, but he was looking at my face, grinning. I understood the look. He reached for me, put his hand on the back of my head, and kissed my forehead. ¡°I am glad I met you,¡± he said.


    But, no, I wouldn¡¯t let him do that. This was a mutual benefit and nothing more. Nothing more would ever come from it. So I got up and walked to the bathroom.