Fang and Claw - 1. Chapter 1

Bill sat quietly in the corner watching the three men sitting at a table at the other end of the bar. He hated that he had to come across the country to deal with this, but when the council made its decision, that was final. He had barely crawled home from the last mission they had sent him out on, only to turn around and be sent here. However, even he had to admit the murders had to stop. The only problem was, he knew one of the two men before him was the possible killer, and the third was making him want to go over and blow his own cover.

“Want another?” The barmaid glanced at him, her eyebrow cocked as she wiped down his end of the bar.

“Just make it a soda. I have to drive later.” Bill turned on the charm as she watched. He smiled, winked, and slipped a few more dollars across for her tip. He’d been nursing the same beer for nearly an hour.

“Sure.” She nodded and shook her head, smiling as she made her way down to draw him a Coke.

Bill’s attention turned to the men as they left the corner table at the end and came to the bar.

“I’m telling you that storm front is going to wreak havoc here. We haven’t had rain in… what? Three months or so? The ground is dry as shit. Now they’re expecting that storm, and it’s dropping over three inches an hour. We’re going to flood. The ground is so dry, it’ll just wash away, not absorb all that moisture.” The tall brunet’s voice cut through everything else in the bar as he leaned on the counter.

“Hey, Maggie, tell Mark how wrong he is. If we get rain, it isn’t going to flood, right?” The heavier-set, older guy leaned across the bar, trying to snag the barmaid’s attention.

The barmaid looked up and shook her head as she walked the soda down to Bill. “I ain’t getting into another of your arguments, Sal. Settle it between yourselves.”

Bill nodded as Maggie slid the soda in front of him and took the change out of the bills he had before him. She wandered off toward the other end of the bar, where a large group of new patrons had just sat down.

Bill watched as the third member just seemed to stand silently between the two men. He looked down, letting his blond hair hide his face. Bill couldn’t help but feel the man was more of a teenager, now that he was standing closer. Bill could see how the guy seemed to shake where he was standing. Bill tried not to draw attention as he took a deep breath.

Both of the men turned to look at Bill, so he faked a sneeze.

“Bless you,” came the timid voice of the blond guy between them.

“Thanks,” Bill muttered as he took a drink of his soda.

The two men looked him over a moment and then turned back to each other.

“Anyway, the storm is due in later tonight. Not going to stay out tonight; wanna go home and batten down the hatches.”

“Yeah, don’t think tonight is going to bring me what I wanted, not with a storm coming.” Sal shook his head and downed his beer. “Damn thing is probably going to force us all back out there to do repair work.”

Mark shook his head. “We both better try to get some rest.” He turned and looked at the blond guy who was standing between them. “So Gary, your mother let you come home yet, or do you still need to stay at one of our places?”

The blond seemed to shift nervously and then blushed a deep shade of red. “Um… she won’t let me come home.” Gary’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Think it’s time, then, you finally move to a more comfortable sleeping spot.” Sal’s voice was low and deep.

“Just pick the one you want to make it memorable for you, Gary.” Mark smiled, showing his teeth, like an animal about to claim its prize.

Bill realized the men were whispering, but he didn’t miss a single word they said. He wasn’t sure what it was about Gary, but something was drawing him toward the young man and making it harder and harder to keep his cool. Bill heard the slight crack as he looked down and saw where there were now little fractures where he had squeezed his glass. If he had applied just a bit more pressure the glass would have exploded in his hand. He didn’t need to look up to know both Mark and Sal were watching him.

Bill leaned back in his chair, trying to act like nothing was wrong. He could see the look of surprise on Mark’s face, but Sal stared at him with an anger that almost blistered. When Sal noticed Bill looking at him, the look faded, and a small smile came to his lips.

“So, buddy. New here?” Sal asked as he eyed Bill across the bar.

“Yeah. Just passing through but had to wait for a repair job on my car. Only got done a short while ago, so it was too late to head out tonight. Anyway, I figured I’d head home tomorrow.” Bill smiled. He knew one of them might be on to him, but he had learned long ago how to hide truth in his lies so they didn’t stand out. He actually did have work done on his car, only it was just an oil change, and it was finished just before the bar opened.

Both men nodded at the same time, while Gary stared openly at him. The guy didn’t know how to hide his emotions, and it was clear he was scared and desperate.

“Well, if you are staying the night, you might…” Mark glanced at Gary before he spoke again, “might want to check in with some of the… local groups.”

Bill nodded. “I will.” He didn’t bother telling them that he had checked in with the Alpha in this area. He had been the one to say he strongly suspected one of these two had crossed the line, but their links with his pack were not very strong, and at most, he occasionally got a fuzzy sort of rage from one of them. It was this pack’s Alpha that had called the council and requested help. There had been six murders in less than four weeks, and one of the pack members was a cop. He knew immediately the murders were done by a were’, but it wasn’t one of the pack, so it had to be one of the visiting members or, God forbid, a loner. Either way, the Alpha wanted help and the problem solved before everyone was exposed.

“Yeah,” Sal added, with a smile that showed far too many teeth, “We wouldn’t want anyone getting into trouble.”

“Is there going to be trouble?” Gary tried to slip back away from Sal and Mark, his slight shakes becoming almost a violent shudder.

Bill watched as Gary grasped his arms across his chest in a move that showed how scared he was. From the position he took, his sleeve slipped up, exposing bruises all over his arms.

Bill could feel his wolf want to launch himself in front of Gary and protect him. The longer Bill sat there talking, the more he knew which man was a creep and which one was actually a killer. Neither was a good choice for Gary, but the young man would have to survive a bit longer on his own while Bill took care of the problem at hand.

“I’d love to stay and watch this pissing match, but I can’t afford to have that place ruined by rain. It would cost me my security deposit, and I don’t have that kind of money to waste. Gary, you coming or staying?” Mark crossed his arms and stared at Gary.

Gary stood there, physically trembling from head to toe. Bill could smell the fear coming from the man in waves.

“Suit yourself.” Mark adjusted himself and strolled out the door.

Bill could see the smile and glint in Sal’s eyes as he turned his face away.

“Well, wish you guys a good night. I need to find a place to crash before this thing hits. I want to be on the road early tomorrow.” Bill let the partial truth hide the lie behind it. He had hoped to be on the road tomorrow, but he would only be able to crash after he solved this problem for the pack and the council.

“Bye,” whispered Gary. The quaver in his voice did more to show his fear than anything else.

Bill smiled and patted Gary on the shoulder on the way out, while he purposely avoided making eye contact with Sal so there wouldn’t end up being a fight for dominance inside the bar.

“Good luck finding somewhere to sleep.” Sal’s voice clearly dismissed Bill.

Bill stepped out into the night. The wind was already beginning to make its presence known. Bill smiled, knowing it would make his scent that much more difficult to catch. He walked over to his car and carefully slipped off his watch and shirt. He slipped into his car, where he kicked off his shoes and socks. It wasn’t easy to slip his denim jeans off his thick legs and ass, but he got them off. He hated to lose clothing while on assignment. It wouldn’t be too bad to lose his underwear, but finding an outfit wasn’t always easy after the change. He sat back and let his mind slip a bit, allowing his wolf to keep track of the bar.

“Come on, boy, hurry up. I want to get you home. I might have some fun after all.” Sal’s voice echoed in the darkness as he slammed the door and marched across the parking lot toward the big truck parked at the edge of the building.

Gary shuffled along after Sal like a prisoner going to his execution. There was something in the way he moved, though, that captured Bill’s attention. His wolf was close to the surface.

Sal started the truck, and once Gary climbed in, pulled out.

Bill slowly followed the truck at a distance, his sense of sight far better due to his wolf nature. As he followed, the first drops of rain began to fall. “Damn. Don’t you dare go into full-storm mode ‘til after he stops.” Bill looked out at the night sky, only to see a bolt of lightning strike the ground ahead.

Sal’s truck moved quickly down the dark roadway and finally turned off onto a small dirt road. Ahead, there was only one house, so Bill pulled a bit down the roadway and watched. The truck drove straight to the house, and as it approached the driveway, an automatic light came on. Sal moved across the front, setting off another light.

“Come on, kid. We have time to play before the storm.” Sal’s voice carried to Bill’s sensitive ears.

Bill watched as Gary climbed out of the truck and began to walk toward Sal’s front door. A light rain had begun, but already the wind was beginning to pick up, and the trees along the roadside were swaying. Gary crossed over the threshold just as the rain began to fall heavier.

Bill opened the car door, stepped out into the night, and the cold rain quickly soaked his bare skin and turned his underwear transparent. He shook his head; his wolf was barely contained. Bill smiled and allowed the change to happen. For nearly all werewolves, this was a long and painful process, but Bill knew he was rare, as his body transformed between one heartbeat and the next. Claws replaced nails, fangs grew, hair sprouted; his face and body went through the process at a speed that was frightening if it was seen. His underwear split and fell away as his hips rearranged. Most people might mistake him for a huge wolf or some sort of small, misshapen horse in the dark. Bill raised his nose to the wind and immediately caught the faint scents in the air. Even from this distance, the scents of blood, fear, and anger were clear to him.

Bill slowly padded his way from the roadway across the yard. The closer he got, the more other scents began to assault him. A were’ often was able to keep its most important scents secret when it was human. Humans couldn’t smell fear, lust, or a dozen or so other things that pheromones created; these were major cues for a werewolf. A young were often allowed the pheromones free range the moment he changed, announcing how he felt and what he wanted immediately. However, it was only the really old ones that you watched, because with great age often came insanity. There was a special scent to crazy, and as a wolf, he could clearly smell it here.

Bill slowly made his way near the windows in the front of the house. All he could hear was a television turned up loud. It took a moment to realize that the room had a sound system in it which was masking any sounds made in the rest of the house. The wolf kept his nose up and his ears twitched as he slowly made his way around the side of the building. There were scents of blood and madness as he reached the back yard. They were stronger as he came near the back door.

“Gary, you’re going to be a special treat for me tonight.” Sal’s voice held equal tints of lust and craziness.

Bill’s wolf put his ears back, and his teeth were bared. The wolf wanted to rip through the flimsy door and the locks and get to Gary.

“I’m …” Gary’s voice sort of stopped as it became a whisper and then silent.

A wild cackle filled the air as the wolf looked in the window. Gary lay slumped across the table while Sal smiled sadistically at his side. The boy shuddered where he lay. There was blood in the air, and the wolf immediately noted the blood on Sal’s hand, which had begun to change to a paw with long deadly claws.

“I’ll mate with you, boy, just before I eat your heart and rip your throat out.” The voice had grown huskier as Sal’s neck began to transform and his face elongated.

The wolf backed up and leaped at the window of the back door. It shattered under the weight of a three hundred pound werewolf that came crashing through it, teeth snarling as he landed on the linoleum floor.

Sal turned to see the wolf and smiled. His face was nearly through the transformation, and his back had begun to change, as had his legs. His pants split, and the shirt began to fall to the floor in pieces. Sal edged backwards toward the living room, stepping out of his ruined shoes as he did.

Bill’s wolf stayed back. He knew the pain of the transformation would give Sal extra strength while he transformed, but once he was done, he would be fair game. For now, he just moved between Sal and Gary. He watched as Sal slowly transformed, his dark black hair and arms giving way to gray and silver. The jaws were slow to transform, but they were full of massive sharp fangs.

The smell of death and madness were stronger in the living room. Evidently, Sal had brought his victims home to play with them first and then disposed of them all over the town. Bill’s wolf growled as the hackles on his neck began to stand up.

Sal’s transformation was complete. He appeared as a giant-sized timber wolf, dark grey in color with deep amber eyes. The smell of madness was as oppressive as the summer heat. Sal’s wolf slowly circled the room, his eyes wide and his jaw showing his massive fangs.

Bill’s ears slid flat against his head. He could hear the click, click, click of both their claws as they walked across the linoleum flooring. He paused and waited to see what the other wolf would do.

Sal made a feint to the left and then jumped to the right, swinging his paw out to strike. Bill backed off, and Sal slid on the smooth flooring. It was for just a moment, but Bill moved in and bit down into bone and muscle of Sal’s back leg.

The shudder and growl Sal gave betrayed the pain he was feeling. He turned, jaws open, and attacked Bill.

Bill noted the look in Sal’s eyes as he turned toward him. He gave a savage shake of his head, hearing a crack, and let go quickly of Sal’s leg.

Bill didn’t move fast enough, as Sal’s front paw slashed down the side of his face ripping open the skin, leaving his dark fur covered in blood. Sal might be hurt, but he was far from down.

Pain shot through Bill’s body, but it focused the connection between Bill and his wolf. The two acted as one in their desire to protect Gary. Even from where they stood, they could smell his blood and hear his labored breathing. They had to end this, and that meant an end to Sal.

Sal moved carefully backwards, keeping all the weight off his left hind leg.

Bill showed his fangs as he realized he had managed to do some damage to the crazy wolf. He slowly trailed after Sal. As he began to go down the hallway, he could smell the blood and remains of another human being. It was clear that Sal hadn’t gotten rid of his last victim before he dragged Gary home tonight.

Thunder shook the house. A moment later, the house plunged into darkness. For a moment, Bill lost sight of Sal, and that is when all hell broke loose.

Bill went down the hall and suddenly, the floor began to slide out from under him. Bill’s wolf scrambled and leapt in the direction he just came from. He just got his claws into the flooring above where the floor had become a slide. He managed to slowly claw his way up and out of the danger zone. The smell coming up made it clear that Sal had made the hallway a way down to his dumping grounds. Apparently, in the basement, Sal finished his torture, and then disposed of the bodies. The smell from the basement was equal parts charnel house and undeniable fear, and it pushed Bill’s caution level up further.

Bill turned to hear the deep growl coming from the other end of the hall. His wolf could sense the madness growing. It seemed the longer this went on, the more upset Sal became, and the more dangerous this would become. He slowly moved toward the hallway again as lightning flashed and illuminated Sal in the bedroom at the end of the hall. Bill took a moment to notice the doorways and which were open. He expected Sal to again have the floor open and try to deposit him into whatever horrors lay below as well as to attempt other traps, but his job was to stop Sal at any cost.

Bill backed up and began down the hall only to leap into the first open doorway. It ended up being the bathroom, and he slammed up against the wall, as his claws fought for purchase. The impact reopened the wound on his cheek, and he could feel fresh blood well up and coat his cheek and fur. Shaking his head to clear it, he listened as the floor outside the room shifted again. The wolf smiled, and his ears lay back again. He peered across the way and could see a bedroom with a rug just slightly to the right of this room. He again prepared for a leap across the hallway. He sailed out across the way, and his claws caught the rug, saving him from slamming into the bed. Bill could hear the growls emanating from the room at the end of the hall. As he moved to the edge of the room, he could see the floor slowly returning into position. Clearly, Sal was intending to either catch him on the final jump or hoped to catch him on the floor. Once more he backed up and leapt toward the last room.

He was barely through the doorway and not yet on his paws when Sal grabbed his paw and spun him into the wall. The move disoriented him for a moment, but the monstrous wolf bit down on his shoulder, unable to get at his throat.

A yelp escaped from Bill as he attempted to ignore the pain. He caught his reflection in a mirror. He could clearly see Sal and the dresser that was just behind them. Bill forced himself onto his side, dragging Sal off kilter. Bill immediately stretched and pushed at him with his rear paws. Sal slid off, taking a piece of Bill’s shoulder and slammed into the dresser, which shattered and tore open the skin on Sal’s injury.

The smell of blood was thick in the air. Both werewolves were bleeding, but Sal was showing a bone through the skin. Bill took a moment to ignore the pain and blood, gathered his strength, and launched himself at Sal. His claws tore at the side of Sal’s body, tearing flesh and muscle until his claws were red.

Sal turned and bit and scratched as well. The two wolves fought with no thought to their own survival. All either seemed to care about was finishing the life of the other wolf.

In the end, it came down to Sal sliding in blood and turning to see why and momentarily left his neck exposed. Bill didn’t waste a moment and clamped down with his jaws into Sal’s throat and shook his head back and forth. The muscles and fur in Sal’s throat tore apart, and the blood sprayed from his arteries in a wide path, coating everything in blood and gore. Bill dropped the matted mess from his muzzle and turned back down the hallway, limping and bleeding profusely.

Gary had slipped off the table and onto the kitchen floor. Bill made his way over and laid his head on Gary’s chest. He could barely detect the soft beat of Gary’s heart. Bill knew Gary was dying. The blood on his chest was still dripping, but the floor was soaked in his blood as was his clothing. Bill slowly stood and began to lick the wound. Then he moved up to the shoulder between Gary’s neck and arm and bit down hard. When he did, he released as much saliva as he could into the wound he was creating.

Gary’s body arched and his eyes opened. “AAAAAAAAHHHH!” The scream he released was one of pure agony.

Bill curled up beside Gary and waited. Gary shook, and his body became even paler. Bill’s wolf whined and crawled closer.

Gary’s body grew colder, and Bill’s eyes closed as he howled into the storm that swirled around the house.

Between the blood loss and the pain, Bill couldn’t move and soon passed out beside Gary.

­_ * _ * _ *

The morning light poured through the shattered back door and hammered at Bill’s eyes. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, only to have the stiffness and pain roll through his body. Bill went to move and realized that sometime during the night, his wolf gave way and his body reverted once more to human. As he looked at the parts of himself that he could see, there were bright red scars where his body was healing the damage caused to him last night. It took a moment for him to realize that the arm he had been studying wasn’t his.

“Morning,” Came the soft voice behind him.

Bill flipped over and stopped as he realized that he lay wrapped in Gary’s warm embrace.

“You made it,” Bill whispered, as he looked at the healthy glow in Gary’s face.

Gary’s fingers felt his chest where there were four deep red marks across his pecs. Then his fingers traveled higher and rubbed the many marks on his shoulder.

“I seem to have a lot of scars.” Gary looked directly into Bill’s face.

For a moment, Bill’s wolf went to fight for dominance before it became clear that this was a look for permission and acquiescence.

“They will fade and vanish.” Bill’s hand slowly reached out and touched Gary’s cheek.

Gary nuzzled into the touch. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I couldn’t let you die. I wanted you.”

Gary smiled and leaned forward to kiss Bill’s lips. “I know you did. I watched you in the bar. You wanted me, but you didn’t claim me. You changed me, and now I claim you.”

Bill’s laugh was deep, and he shook his head. “You aren’t the dominant one. I do the claiming.”

Gary’s hand slowly slid down Bill’s muscular torso until it came to rest on his hip and suddenly pulled him closer. “Maybe not, but I know what I want and who I want.”

“You aren’t a beta wolf, that’s for sure.”

“I don’t know what wolves are called, but I grew up on farms out here, so I had to know about them. As for what you are and what I am now, well, I might not know, but I think we will have time to find out.”

“I have to call this area’s Alpha. Let him know he has to clean up the mess, but the problem is solved.”

Gary looked down and smiled. “We’re both naked. Don’t know how far we are going to get. I guess I shed my clothing sometime last night.”

“I’ll grab you some of Sal’s for now. I have clothing in my truck. Where is the rest of your stuff?”

For a moment, Gary just looked down and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Consider it part of my old life. We can get what I need wherever we go.”

Bill smiled and shook his head. “Pretty sure for a pup. Last night, you weren’t sure what you wanted.”

“Last night I was transformed. The scars of my past don’t matter, do they? I’ve always had to depend on others, but I don’t want that any more. Please, just take me into my future, instead.”

Bill leaned in and claimed his first kiss from his new mate. He pulled Gary close, running his fingers through the younger man’s hair as he licked Gary’s lips and found his way into his mouth. He could feel Gary melt against his chest as the boy began to respond in equal measure. This was going to be an interesting partnership.

“This is going to have to wait,” Bill said, reluctantly feeling Gary’s cock jabbing into his hip. “We need to dress and get out of here.” He left Gary sitting on the floor as he moved down the hallway in the sunlight. As he entered the bedroom, he noted the two buttons on the floor and realized that this was how Sal controlled the hallway. With them, all he had to do was step on them, even if he was in his wolf form. He nearly growled as he slipped past Sal’s body and grabbed Gary some clothing from the dresser.

Bill hurried back to the kitchen, to find Gary rinsing off some of the blood on him. Bill tossed him the clothes as he waved him toward the front door. “Careful. There is glass all over in here. We’ll leave by the front.”

They walked out to Bill’s car, where he quickly dressed and grabbed his cell phone.

“Hey, this is complete. Your problem was Sal, and that’s solved. Cleanup is all yours. You’ll probably need to torch the place.” Bill paused for a moment. “Basement was a kill zone.”

“Understood. Thank the council for me,” came the deep voice of the area Alpha.

“I’ll pass along your message.” Bill hung up the phone and saw Gary sitting in the passenger seat, biting his lower lip.

“Problem?”

Gary smiled. “Yes. I’m hungry, and I’m horny. Which one do you want to solve first?”

Bill smiled and started the car. “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

The car pulled out into the early morning, leaving the past behind them.