Werewolf Chronicles Chapter 9

Werewolf Chronicles

Chapter 9

         The night sky shone down on the compound’s park, the pale night sky reflecting weakly off its occupants.  The park was filled with Maxwell’s pack, four figures stood apart from the rest, looking uneasily at the pack.  Vivian was on her hands and knees, her snout working to cough up phlegm filled blood onto the ground.  Rachel was on the ground beside her, whining quietly and trying to pull a long arrow out of her shoulder with one claw.  James held a protective arm across Elisa’s body, growling angrily at the rest of the pack.  In Elisa’s outstretched arms was a massive combat shotgun, aimed over Vivian and at Maxwell’s chest.
         Maxwell eyed the pair, his stark black fur coated with mud and grime.  He smiled angrily at James, growling at them before turning around to scan the pack behind him.  “You’re a danger to this pack James.”
         Baring his teeth, he growled loudly at the Alpha Male.  “No more than you, asshole.”
- - - -
One Week Earlier

         “It won’t stop bleeding,” Elisa cried, holding the tattered remains of her shirt against the bullet wound in her side.  “James, it hurts!”
         “I know babe, just hold on,” James said as the truck bounced back onto the paved road.  He kept his paw against the accelerator, the large engine roaring in response.  Angry shouts and blaring horns assaulted them as he sped through an intersection and down the highway on ramp.
         “I’m really . . . cold . . .” she mumbled, her eyes fighting to stay open.
         “Hold on damn it!” The speedometer’s needle was edging slowly past ninety, the engine roaring in his ears but he refused to care.  “Need a phone, Elisa?”  She barely looked at him, her lips mumbling something, but he couldn’t hear her.  “Fuck.”  James reached over her, pulling the glove compartment open, dumping its contents across the floorboards but not finding a cell phone.  He flipped each sun visor down, finding nothing; in a last effort, he forced his claw between the seat cushions, searching desperately.
         With a growl of triumph, he pulled out an aging Nokia phone.  He tried to dial the phone with one thumb, but his massive wolf finger kept hitting multiple numbers at once.  James barely avoided colliding with a slow moving van, jerking the wheel hurriedly to the side.  The truck skidded against another car before uneasily straightening out on the highway.  He waited until the road was clear in front of him before carefully dialing the cell phone with one of his claws.
         The phone rang several times and he was worried no one was going to answer, until Rachel groggily answered the phone.  “What do you want?”
         “Rachel, it’s me, James,” he nearly shouted into the receiver.
         “Oh, did you find Lisa?”
         “Yeah, and Elisa’s been shot, she’s bleeding, bad.”
         Rachel was quiet for a moment.  “How far away are you?”
         “Fifteen minutes, less if I go faster.”  The speedometer’s needle was bouncing against the edge, reading over one-hundred-twenty miles per hour.
         There was shuffling over the headset and he lost her for a moment.  “How is she doing?”
         James looked over at his wife, her chest barely moving now and more blood dripping onto the floorboards.  “She’s unconscious.”
         “You need to hurry.”
         “No shit.”
- - - -
         The modified truck sped through the compound, skidding to a halt in front of the small veterinary clinic and medical center.  James didn’t wait for the vehicle to stop, kicking the driver’s door open and pulling Elisa into his arms.  He ran into the clinic as Rachel reached the front door with a gurney; several other human attendants were there, helping to move the woman into the clinic.
         “Stay here,” Rachel said, “I’ll take care of her.”
         James resisted the urge to follow them into the operating area, instead digging his claw through one of the cheap plastic waiting room chairs.  Growling angrily he launched the chair across the room, where it crashed against the far wall and stuck there.  “Damn it!”
         Vivian walked cautiously inside, in her human form, bur wary of any attack James might direct her way.  “Are you okay?”
         He turned towards her, claws ready to attack, but stopped when he recognized the woman.  Instead, he sighed loudly, dropping roughly onto one of the chairs; it collapsed under his weight and he grunted tiredly.  “Elisa was shot.”
         She sat down in an undamaged chair beside him.  “Is that your blood or hers?”
         “Little bit of both,” he mumbled, looking down at his body.
         Vivian gently grabbed his claw, slowly guiding him to his feet.  “Why don’t you let me take care of you?”
         James followed her numbly through the clinic, trying to avoid looking at the operating room where they had taken Elisa.  She guided him back into the clinic and to one of the small examination rooms, forcing him to sit down on the reinforced bed inside.  Disappearing through the door, she returned a few moments later with a tray of medical utensils and bandages.  He didn’t say anything as she laid the supplies out in front of them.
         “How many times were you shot?” Vivian asked, staring at the blood soaked fur.
         “Uh . . .” James had to think for a long time, trying to remember through his rage’s haze that filled his memories.  “The arm, leg, twice in the back and here in the side . . . Elisa shot me.”
         “Did you make her mad?” she joked at him, starting to wash the fur around his wounds with a tub of water.
         “No, she was shooting at a hunter and hit me.”  James barely flinched as Vivian pushed a set of tongs into one of his wounds and pulled out a deformed silver bullet.
         Vivian had to concentrate on her hands to keep them from shaking, trying to drop the bullet into the sink, but missing it by several feet.  Swearing, she used both hands on the tongs to remove the next few bullets.  James barely flinched at the intrusion to his body, growling lightly as she poked the utensils into his side.  She dropped the tool into the sink with the last bullet, shaking her hands rapidly to get the adrenaline out of her system.
         “Thanks,” James grunted, standing up.
         “You’re not going to let me bandage you up?”
         “No, they’ll heal.”
- - - -
         Katalyn, in her werewolf form, marched angrily up to the clinic, stopping when Vivian met her at the door.  “Where is he?”
         “Who?” Vivian snapped back, crossing her arms.
         “Don’t get smart with me pup!  Where is James?” she yelled.
         “Why?” she smirked at the werewolf.
         Vivian reached out, wrapping one claw around the other woman’s throat and slammed her back against the door way.  “Don’t play games with me bitch, where is he?”
         “With his wife,” Rachel answered, walking slowly through the clinic’s waiting room.  “Put her down.”
         “Don’t tell me what to do,” Katalyn growled, tightening her grip on Vivian’s throat, cutting off her airflow.
         Not breaking eye contact with the alpha female, Rachel spoke again.  “Put her down.”
         “Fine.”  Katalyn dropped the woman into a heap on the ground, stepping over her and into the clinic.
         “You probably shouldn’t bother him,” Rachel suggested.
         “Well, I’m going to.”  She continued into the clinic, first looking into the operating room and sniffing.  The sharp smell of spilled blood and injury filled her nostrils; she breathed it in deeply, trying to identify Elisa’s smell.  Once finding the scent, she followed it out of the operating room, down a long hall and to a room in one of the recovery wards.  Without knocking, she pushed the door open.  James was sitting in a slim chair beside an unconscious Elisa; he had washed all of the blood out of his fur and was looking intently down at his wife.  Her skin was a sickly pale color, most of its color had drained away; countless tubes ran beneath the sheet and into her body, a heart monitor beeping slowly in the corner.
         “Leave me alone,” James growled without looking up.
         Katalyn laughed coldly at him.  “She looks like death, maybe you should upgrade?”
         Without warning he struck out, backhanding the wolfess and knocking her back through the door and onto the floor.  She tried to stand up, but he was faster, charging through the door and planting a strong kick into her stomach.  The impact sent her sliding back into the operating room, crashing against the table and knocking it over.  Grabbing the table, Katalyn pulled herself slowly to her feet as James charged through the doors.  James burst through the doors, roaring loudly and punching Katalyn.  She had managed to bring one arm up to block his attack, but the assault still threw her back into the waiting room.
         Rachel and Vivian were both sitting in a pair of chairs; Rachel with one arm around the werefox’s shoulders.  They both jerked upward as the werewolf was thrown into the room, crashing into a row of chairs and knocking them open.  James stalked over to Katalyn before she could recover, grabbing her by the back of the neck and lifting her up.  With a violent growl, he tossed Katalyn through the clinic’s front window, shattering under the impact and spilling across the ground.
         She tumbled across the pavement, rolling to a stop against the hunter’s truck.  Spitting blood onto the ground, she pushed herself up slowly.  “Bastard!”
         “Insult my wife again, and I’ll break your neck!” he roared back, turning and walking back into the clinic.
- - - -
         Elisa groaned in pain, a headache was pounding its way through her head and seemed to be getting worse with each beat.  She tried to lift her arm up and rub her eyes, but found it was held in place by a tangle of tubes and wires.  Looking around, she scanned the small room.  It looked like a hospital room, with a couch set beneath the one window, a television mounted on the wall and a small bathroom off to the side.  James was snoring loudly on the couch, his tail, arms and legs twitching as if he were dreaming.
         She grabbed the chair’s remote, slowly raising it into a sitting position so she could see James better.  Elisa stared a long time at him, watching the sunlight flow through the window and play across his fur.  “He looks so peaceful like that,” she mumbled to herself, but as soon as the words left her mouth, memories started to flood through her.  James, his mouth covered in human blood; claws dripping with it, and littered with more gore; the way he tore through a person without hesitation.  Is it still James?  Is it still my husband?
         James stirred, waking slowly and sitting up.  “Hey, you’re awake!” he said, standing and walking over to her.
         He bent over to give her a kiss, but she held up a hand to stop him.  Whenever she looked at him, she saw blood and death.  “James, I . . . can’t.”
         “What!?” he grunted, straightening up.
         “Not now . . .”
         “Why not?”
         She turned away from the wolf, looking down at her lap.  “I just need some time.”
         “Fine,” James muttered, walking out of the room.
         Elisa watched him leave, wanting to call him back and comfort her husband, but afraid of the monster that she saw.
         James marched out of the clinic and into the snowy evening outside.  Thick, fluffy snowflakes were falling slowly down, clumping against anything they touched.  He brushed them off his snout as he walked, clenching his fists in anger and increasing his pace.  “What the hell did she mean?” he muttered, shaking his head back and forth.  Several werewolves were playing in the quickly accumulating snow, tossing snowballs back and forth.  James ignored their shouts, continuing across the compound and into the lodge.  He ignored the people in the lobby, keeping his head down and walking to his room.
         He pushed the door open by leaning against it, walking inside and to the bedroom.  “Hey Vivian, are you in here?  I need to talk.”
         “James?” Rachel asked, sitting up in the bed and covering herself with the sheet.
         Vivian rolled over, looking up at Rachel.  “Who is it?”
         “Oh, shit, I’m . . . sorry,” James muttered, closing the door and ducking outside.  He walked down the hallway, trying not to look as embarrassed as he felt.
         Katalyn was walking up the stairwell towards him.  “That form grows on you huh?” she asked, wagging her tail.
         “Fuck off,” James said, ignoring the bait and walking away from her.  He continued up to the next floor, stepping onto the large porch that was there.  The cold air bite at his fur, and burned down his snout, but he enjoyed the cold.  Brushing off one of the deck chairs, he dropped down into it and stared up at the sky.  After six months apart, he thought, she doesn’t want to see me?  What happened?
         “Are you okay?” Vivian asked, walking out onto the porch, wrapped in a pink bathrobe; her tail swished back and forth behind her, tossing snowflakes in high arcs.
         “I think Elisa’s pissed at me . . . I just don’t know why.”
         Vivian sat down beside him, resting one arm across his shoulders.  “What happened?”
         “Elisa woke up, and when I went to kiss her, she wouldn’t let me.  She just said that she needed some time.  Fuck, we’ve been apart for six damn months already!”
         “Maybe you just scared her?” she suggested.
         James turned his head to look at her.
         “You are kind of scary y’know?”
         “Didn’t think I was that bad . . .”
         “Try talking to her as a human, she did marry you that way.  It can be hard for some to adjust to that,” she said, poking at his arm.
         “I’ll give it a shot . . . maybe in the morning, when she’s had a little time,” James smiled at her.  “So, you and Rachel?  I didn’t even know you were . . .”
         Vivian smiled at him, looking down at her lap, embarrassed.  “Yeah, I didn’t know Rachel was either.”
         “That explains why she was willing to look after you.”
         “It just kind of happened after you left.  We had a few drinks, one thing lead to another . . .”
         “So, which one of you is the drunk slut?”
         She laughed at him.  “We both are, so it works out.”
- - - -
         Vivian, Rachel and James were in the clinic’s waiting room, all of them in their human forms.  Plywood had been placed over the shattered front window, and the cheap waiting room chair had been removed from its resting place in the wall.  James was nervously drinking from a large cup of coffee, continuously checking his wristwatch.  He had told himself that he would go into Elisa’s room at ten o’clock; it was five minutes till now.
         Vivian snatched a piece of lint off his shoulder, brushing more off his sleeves.  “Relax, you’ll be fine.  It’s been six months since you’ve seen each other.  She married you, so she obviously has some feelings for you.”
         “Thanks,” James said, hugging her then walking down the hallway and up to Elisa’s door.  He knocked lightly at it.
         “Yes?” came Elisa’s muffled voice from inside.
         “It’s me babe.”
         “Yeah?”
         “Can I come in?”
         “Sure.”
         James slowly pushed the door open, walking inside and settling into the chair beside Elisa’s bed.  “How are you feeling?”
         “Better.  The food isn’t too bad for being a hospital,” she said, gesturing at the empty tray next to her bed.
         “It’s not,” he smiled, “Rachel and Vivian have been making it for you.”
         “That’s nice, I’ll have to thank them.”
         James looked down at his hands, tightening them before speaking again.  “I wanted to talk about last night.”
         “Y-you, just scared me,” she mumbled.
         “I’d never hurt you, no matter how mad you make me,” James smiled at her.
         “I know.  Lisa must have gotten into my head more than I thought; I saw a lot of things in the last six months, killed people too.”
         “Were they trying to kill you?” he asked, reaching out and gently rubbing the back of her hand.
         “They were, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better.”
         “Yeah, I . . .”
         “Then when I saw you kill all those hunters, all that blood on you . . . I woke up, looking at you James, that’s all I could see.”
         “Sometimes I can’t help it, it’s like that werewolf inside me takes over and I can’t control myself.  Hell, Vivian woke me up once and I almost killed her; slammed her against the wall, cut her up too.  I was pretty rough.”
         “I hope you won’t do that to me . . .”
         He smirked at her.  “Only in bed babe.”
         Elisa returned the smile, gripping his hand tightly.  “I’d like to get out of here if I could.”
         “Are you feeling up to it?  You did have a bullet in your side?”
         She lifted the sheet up and pulled the bandages away, revealing the smooth, dark skin beneath it; there was only a light scar where the bullet had entered.  “I’m all better.”
         “Wow, that was fast.”
         “I guess it wasn’t as bad as it looked,” Elisa shrugged.  “James, I’d like to go home.”
         “Home?” he asked, smirking at her.
         “Well, at least somewhere besides here.”
- - - -
         Elisa walked slowly up the lodge’s steps, holding onto James’ outstretched arm for balance.  She was feeling too good to stay in the hospital, but she had become lightheaded and dizzy on the small walk to the lodge.  The lodge had been nearly deserted as they walked through it, the only other people that had been present was Rachel at the front desk.
         “Not very many people . . .” Elisa muttered.
         “No, I think I pissed some people off by bringing you back,” James replied, unlocking their room door and helping her inside.  “They probably hoped we would both die.”
         Elisa walked the rest of the way on her own, dropping tiredly onto the living room’s couch.  “This is a nice room.”
         “I know; me and Vivian were staying in the room across the hall.”
         “Oh?” she questioned, looking at him.
         “Yeah, we . . .”
         There was a rapid, light knock on the door, Vivian’s voice echoing through the thin wood.  “James?  It’s me Vivian.”
         He opened the door, Vivian walking inside with a small backpack over her shoulders.  “Hi,” she said to Elisa, sitting in the recliner beside the other woman and setting the backpack on the coffee table.  “I thought you could use some clothes.”
         Elisa quickly unzipped the bag.  “Thanks, it’s been a while since I’ve had any choice in clothes.  Lisa barely let me dress myself.”
         “I’m going to get a pizza, do either of you two want anything else?” James asked from the doorway.
         “Pepsi,” Elisa said.
         “Coke,” Vivian asked at the same time.
         “I’ll be back,” he said, closing the door behind him.
         “Thanks for the clothes,” Elisa said, setting out the articles and arranging them across the table.  “Not quite my style, but . . .”
         “James told me a lot about you when we were together.”
         “Did you and James sleep together?”
         Vivian laughed, leaning back in the recliner and propping her feet up on the table.  “Elisa, I’m gay.”
         “Oh,” she sighed, relaxing, “So that’s a no then?”
         Vivian nodded exaggeratedly. “I’ll tell you something though, he loves you very much.  Even when he thought you were dead, he wouldn’t even look at another woman; human or lycanthrope.”
         “He never was real good with women.”
- - - -
         Elisa and Vivian were talking loudly as James entered the lodge room, carrying several pizzas and a plastic bag full of sodas.  Rachel was in the kitchenette, mixing several drinks as he entered.
         “Having a party without me?” he asked, setting the food onto the counter.
         “Vivian and Lisa started talking,” Rachel said, handing the drinks over to Vivian.  “One thing led to another . . .”
         “Well, at least they’re getting along,” he muttered.
         Rachel bent over, digging a pair of amber bottles out of the refrigerator.  “Want a beer?”
         “Definitely,” James accepted the amber bottle, taking one of the pizzas with him as he walked into the living room.
         “You should have seen when we first met,” Elisa said to Vivian, “he was so cute and nervous.”
         “Wouldn’t be able to tell now.  Hi James,” Vivian said, waving her empty hand at James.
         “Hi,” he replied, sitting down at the far end of the couch.
         Sighing drunkenly, Elisa shuffled her body across the cushions towards James.  She wrapped one arm over his shoulder, and swung her legs over his lap.  “What did you think you were doing?”
         James kissed the top of her head.  “I thought you were mad at me.”
         “I was afraid,” she leaned against his chest, looking up into his eyes, “there’s a difference.”
         “Oh . . .”
         “Now lover, I think you are going to come with me into the bedroom,” Elisa slurred, grabbing at his belt and pulling him to his feet.
         “Guess I’m going in there.”
         Vivian and Rachel watched the couple disappear into the bedroom and lock the door behind them.  The werewolf bent over, grabbing her lover’s hand and pulling her out of the lodge’s room.  “Let’s give them some privacy.”
- - - -
         “It’s been too long,” Elisa sighed, rolling off of James and across the bed, pulling the blankets over her body.
         “It felt like forever,” James agreed, rolling out of the bed and pulling his jeans on.
         She pulled on a red, lacy set of pajamas, walking slowly over to James and planting a kiss on his lips.  “What happened to your hair?”
         “Project Redjack.  They captured me when I went back to our apartment, tried a new regression serum on me.”
         “Guess it didn’t work,” she kissed him again, stepping back.  “I want to see you change.”
         “Why, you’ve seen it before?”
         “I want to know it’s you James, you looked so different before, at Lisa’s camp.  I wasn’t really sure it was you.”
         “You sure?”
         “Just be slow, please.”
         “Okay.”  James stepped back into the center of the room, looking down at his feet and taking several deep breaths.  He could feel the beast inside him, it was always there, but now he pulled it forward, coaxed it to come out.  At first the wolf tried to burst forward, but James gritted his teeth, slowing it down.
         Elisa watched in amazement as his body changed.  It started at his feet, claws pushing their way out from his body as more muscles began to appear beneath his skin, stretching the jeans to their limit.  Fur began to force its way out of his body, following the change that ripped through his body.  He growled in pain as his jaw cracked loudly, a wolfish snout pushing out from his face and ending in a viscous, but quiet, roar.  She walked over to him as the red and silver fur began to appear across his body, running her hands through his coarse fur.
         “Does it hurt?” she asked, tracing the red outlines with her finger.
         “Only when it’s slow,” he smiled down at her, his razor sharp teeth showing around his lips.
         Elisa pushed up on her toes, planting a quick kiss on his snout.  “I love you.”
         James yelped in surprise, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her close.  “I love you too babe, but I’m a monster.  I already hurt Vivian, I don’t want to hurt you.”
         “Don’t worry, you won’t.”
- - - -
         The room’s door exploded inward, several of the pack’s guards storming inside with shotguns and flashlights.  Rachel and Vivian shot awake, rolling off the bed and reflexively changing into their animal forms as the guards continued inside and aiming their weapons down at them.  Maxwell, Katalyn and Jake followed them inside; their nails clacking ominously on the tile floors.  Jake’s wrists were handcuffed behind his back, and Katalyn was leading him along with one claw around his neck.
         “You kept information from us,” Maxwell said, looking down at Rachel.  “You lied to us and now we find you in bed with a female, and a werefox!”
         “Fuck off,” Vivian spat, standing up.
         The werewolf backhanded the woman, knocking her to the ground in a jumbled heap.  “You don’t have any rights in this place!”
         Rachel stood up, pushing one of the guards out of the way and stepping between Maxwell and Vivian.  “What is your problem?”
         “You kept information from us, protected an outsider over your pack!”
         “He’s better for this pack than you are!”
         “Go get him,” Maxwell said to the guards inside the room.
         Elisa was half awake, padding through the kitchen in her bathrobe, searching for something to drink.  The door exploded in a shower of splinters, breaking inward as werewolf guards rushed into the room.  The first three guards passed by her without looking, the fourth spinning around the corner and aiming the shotgun at her.  She threw the refrigerator door open as the guard fired; the pellets slammed harmlessly into the padded door.  Elisa grabbed a bottle of alcohol off the counter, swinging it down onto the guard’s head.  She pushed the shotgun away as it fired again, the burst nearly deafening her.  Swearing, she swung the weapon up into his face, knocking him onto the counter.
         The other three guards turned towards her, aiming their weapons at her as the bedroom door exploded towards them.  James ran out of the bedroom, barreling into the lead guard and throwing him into the wall.  The next guard shot into James’ side, blood spraying across the floor; he roared, grabbing the weapon and crushing it between his claws and slamming it into the werewolf’s jaw.  Stepping over the fallen guards, he walked up to the remaining man, batting the weapon away.
         Elisa pumped the shotgun, pushing the barrel against his side.  “Do you really want to do that?”
         Raising his hands, the werewolf guard backed slowly out of the room.
         “Down!” James exclaimed, grabbing Elisa and diving over the kitchen counter as bullets began pelting the kitchen area.  He pushed her towards the bedroom, “Crawl, move slow and grab some clothes, we’re going outside.”
         She started to argue, but decided against it as the television exploded in a shower of microchips and wires.  Hurrying, she grabbed a set of boots, thick pants and a sweater.  “What are we doing?”
         Without warning, he wrapped his arm around her waist and ran out onto the balcony.  He dug one of his claws into the side of the building, swinging the pair onto the roof and running at full speed across the icy surface.  James continued up to the front of the lodge, dropping onto his stomach and pulling them far enough up to see down to the lobby’s exit.
         “Is that Vivian and Rachel?” Elisa asked, looking down at the group that was exiting the lodge.
         “Looks like it.  What the hell has happened now?” James grumbled.
         “We need to help them James.”
         “We will.”
- - - -
         Maxwell swung out, his black furred hand connecting with Vivian’s snout in a meaty crunch.  Vivian fell onto the ground, her ears folded back and she growled up at the massive werewolf.  He drew back his foot, driving it into her side with another loud crack, sending her end over end across the ground.  Maxwell snarled happily, slamming his heel down onto her chest and eliciting another cry of pain.  They were in the compound’s small park, already starting to draw a crowd towards them, despite the late hour of the night.  Snow was falling in large flakes, mixing with the blood already on the ground and coming from Vivian’s wounds.
         “Get the fuck off of her!” Rachel yelled, charging at Maxwell.
         The arrow drove into her chest and she stopped mid-stride, falling to her knees and rolling onto her back with a strangled cry of pain.  Katalyn laughed cruelly, loading another silver tipped arrow into her crossbow, careful to avoid the painful silver.  “Look what I found in that truck?  This is fun.  Do it again and I’ll send another bolt through your chest.”
         “Bitch,” Rachel growled, staring at the other werewolf.
         The roar echoed across the park, followed a moment later by an explosive shotgun blast.  Maxwell turned towards the blast as James burst from the crowd, crashing into his side; the impact sent them tumbling end over end across the grass.  Growling, Maxwell stood up, and kicked James away; he rolled up to his feet, ready for the other werewolf to attack.  Instead, Maxwell turned his back on James, walking back towards Vivian and Rachel, looking down at them.
         Elisa walked through the crowd, leading with her shotgun in front of her.  “Get out of my way!” she yelled, charging the shotgun to clear her path into the middle of the pack.  She walked slowly up to her husband, keeping the shotgun aimed at Maxwell’s chest.
         James wrapped one arm over Elisa’s shoulder, growling at Maxwell.  “What is your fuckin’ problem?”
         “You are!” Maxwell roared back.  “These two, their relationship doesn’t help our pack at all!  It’s a complete waste.”
         Vivian pushed onto her hands and knees, coughing phlegm mixed blood onto the ground, with weak cries of pain.  “What business is it of yours?”
         “It’s all mine!  I’m in charge of this pack, and it’s my responsibility to make sure it stays strong!”
         “Fuck that!” James yelled.  “You can’t mess with these people’s lives like that, let them do what the fuck they want!”
         He smiled angrily at James, turning to face the rest of the pack.  “You’re a danger to this pack James.”
         Baring his teeth, he growled loudly at the Alpha Male.  “No more than you, asshole.”
         “Are we going to let him endanger our way of life?  Look at him?  He brought a hunter into this pack, even chooses her as his mate!”
         “Asshole,” Elisa muttered.  She started to fire the shotgun, but James pushed it towards the ground and walked towards Maxwell.
         “I didn’t choose to become what I am Maxwell,” James said, reaching down and helping Vivian weakly to her feet.  “Neither did Elisa, she just survived as best as she could.”
         “You don’t decide how this pack survives, I do.”
         “Yeah?  Well maybe you’re not the best option for them.”
         Maxwell smirked at James.  “I’m not accepting your challenge James.”
         He laughed loudly at the alpha male, walking around him and facing the rest of the pack.  “Only someone who’s weak would do that; afraid that everyone is stronger than you!  Why would you deny a challenger if you could beat them?”
         Murmurs of agreement echoed through the pack, the werewolves talking to one another.           
         “You’re weak Maxwell, you can’t defend yourself even against these women by yourself,” James taunted, talking more to the pack than to Maxwell.
         The alpha male growled at James, curling his claws into his palm.
         “So,” he turned his back on Maxwell, “are you up to it pup?”
         Roaring, Maxwell charged forward, his shoulder slamming into James and throwing them across the park.  James twisted around, kicking his knees into Maxwell’s chin and pushing him away.  He pushed himself up as Maxwell dove forward, driving his claws deep into James’ side and pulling him back to the ground.  James yelled in pain, blood pouring down his sides and soaking into the snow covered ground.  He drove his elbows back into Maxwell’s face, continuing to attack the other werewolf until he released his grip on him.
         “I’m going to kill you!” Maxwell threatened through a mouthful of blood.
         Their tumble had taken them out onto one of the streets, the pack following them deeper into the compound town.
         “Bring it,” James said, waving him on.
         Maxwell’s powerful legs pumped rapidly, driving him forward and into James’ gut and crashing them into the side of a truck.  The windows shattered under the impact, sliding the vehicle several feet back.  Keeping him pinned against the vehicle, Maxwell punched James in the gut; he kept attacking, listening to the grunts of pain from his opponent.  Finishing the attack, he ended it by grabbing James’ shoulders and driving his knee up into James’ chest with a satisfying crack of bone.  James swore, sliding down the truck and collapsing onto the ground.
         Maxwell turned towards the pack, smiling, “There, he’s . . .”
         Howling, James pushed up to his feet; he grabbed Maxwell’s waist and threw the alpha male over his head.  Maxwell crashed down on the truck’s cab, denting the thin metal and sliding onto the hood.  James dug his claws into the roof, launching his body up and landing with both is heels into Maxwell’s chest.  The breath exploded out of Maxwell’s chest in a white cloud; James pulled his foot back, kicking it into Maxwell’s snout with all his strength.  Blood exploded out of his teeth at the impact, rolling him off the hood and onto the hard pavement.  He pushed himself up on his hands and knees, spitting blood onto the ground with a loud splat.
         James swung off the truck, landing on the other side of Maxwell.  Grabbing the hood, he kicked up into Maxwell’s side; the attack slammed him against the truck’s bumper.  He bounced off the metal and into James’ next kick, over and over again.  Maxwell felt his ribs shatter under the impact, more blood filling his mouth and spilling onto the ground.  James lost count of how many times he kicked the other werewolf, only stopping once his legs were tired.  He bent over, grabbing Maxwell by the throat and pulling him up against the hood.
         He wrapped one arm around his throat, using his other hand to push back on his head.  “You dumb fuck, you’re going to die now.”
         Maxwell growled, trying to claw his way out of the grip, but his muscles were tired and already the lack of air was making him lightheaded.  Desperately gasping for air, he let his body sag to the ground; James followed him down, keeping his grip tight.
         “James, stop!” Elisa yelled, shouldering her way through the onlookers.
         “Why?” he growled through a mouthful of blood.
         “It’s not you James, you’re not a monster!” she pleaded with him.
         He looked at her, his eyes locking on her own.  “Yes I am.”
         Elisa shook her head slowly at him.  “No, you’re my husband and I love you.”
         “Me too,” he grunted, releasing his grip on Maxwell.  The werewolf fell onto the ground, gasping desperately for air.  James kicked the fallen werewolf one more time, “I win.”
- - - -
         “Whose truck was that?” James asked.  All four of them were sitting in the lodge’s lobby, drinking a strong pot of coffee and nursing their wounds.  Though in their human forms now, there were still bruises and cuts covering their bodies and a large cut across Rachel’s shoulder from the crossbow bolt.
         “Jacob’s,” Vivian answered, bringing another pot of coffee.  “He’s not too mad.  He’s had a vendetta against Maxwell ever since he forced his youngest daughter to mate.”
         “Good, cause we can’t really buy him a new truck,” James laughed.
         Rachel finished her coffee, gently setting it back down on the small table.  “James, everyone is looking to know what to do.”
         “Okay . . .”
         “You’re the Alpha Male now, whether you like it or not James.  Everyone is counting on you to lead them.”
         James shook his head, sipping his own coffee.  “That’s not me, I’m not really a leader.”
         “Oh come on James,” Elisa said, pushing him playfully.
         Rachel shook her head at the pair.  “You need to . . .”
         Jake burst into the lodge, running at the small group.  “H-hey, I found something.”
         “What?” James asked, holding up his hands to stop the young man.  “Are you okay?”
         “On the hunters’ . . . truck . . . I found . . . something,” he forced out through gulps of air.
         “Hell, well show us.”