There was always a commonplace for every fraction to meet and for us wolves it's Wayne's backyard. He had a nice piece of land, wide and open, with hardly any trees to block the moon, which is a good thing on nights like this.
I leaned against the wall of the house with my red cup full of whatever Tony put in it, I couldn't tell. The bonfire was bright, music was loud, bodies dancing and sweating, blood pounding through people's veins. Tony sat in a plastic chair across from me with a girl in his lap, they looked sloppy and untamed.
"He's here!". Everyone stopped and ran to the front of the house whispering. The front of Wayne's house was a dirt road and a gate. A white mustang pulled up and three people came out, Author, Morty, and Morgan.
Author stood on the hood of the car and started howling, which we all followed along, the energy was intoxicating, almost like we were on drugs but I have no doubt that some of us were. The driver honked their horn five times which encouraged us to get louder. Fuck…. This was amazing. This is amazing.
Author hopped off of the car and the driver started to pull away, I managed to get a glimpse of who it was. Marilyn. As everyone gathered around Author, I kept my eye on her as she pulled into the dirt road.
"Wow, what a noisy group" a voice next to me pulled me from my view. It was Morgan, Morty stood behind her, his gaze to the floor and fist clenched.
"A wolf rave is the best place to lose yourself in…" I kept my eye on Morty. "What's his problem?" I nod my head to Morty.
"He's upset that he wasn't promoted to alpha."
She wrapped her arms around mine. She had a nice tan color to her; her eyes were a blazing Amber which wasn't uncommon for a witch. We were opposite, I'm dark, short, lean and my eyes were black while she was tall, raven-colored hair, blood-red lipstick, body like an hourglass.
...why would she want to talk to me?
"And you? You had a chance to be a high priestess.". We walk inside leaving Morty.
"Marilyn Heights" she sighs. "- deserves what's coming to her, they both do. Author and Marilyn."
"Good things... right?". She looks at me and smiles. Her black and body-tight dress brought out the best of her. Made her look like a doll.
"Of course...dance with me?" She held her hand out and I looked down at it. What could go wrong? I grabbed her hand and she pulled me to the fire where it was an ocean of dancing and sweating bodies. I couldn't tell how long we'd been dancing, but my whole body felt good pressed to hers. And he grabbed my shoulder and I looked to see Tony. He was saying something but I couldn't hear. My blood was pounding. He grits his teeth and pulls me away, Morgan follows.
"We can't find Author" he finally says
"Maybe he went for a walk?" Morgan wrapped her arms around me.
"This is a party, especially for him, you dumb broad." He grits his teeth at her. "Stay outta wolf business witch."
"I'll go look, he's probably in the basement getting high again". I sighed, sliding my arm away from Morgan.
"Usually when people leave a party it's for a good reason. Come on, let's go dance." She pulled me again but I didn't move.
"We can dance when I get back." I started walking to the house again. The house was more packed with people making out. I quickly slide past the kitchen to the basement door.
As soon as I opened it, I was instantly sober... something was not right. I hear a soft chanting. I close the door behind me as I slowly creep down the steps.
...Something is not right.
Author was kneeling in the center of a circle of hooded people. I smelt something familiar...two things familiar besides Author. And one of them was hiding under the steps.
"Oh my God". A whisper came from behind me and I looked to see Morgan. "Lance, we have to go." She pulls at my shirt
"We can't leave him." I rush down the rest of the steps, the chanting stops, and the hooded figures look at me.
"Lance you fuckin' idiot, run!" Author was now laying in pain on the floor with blood-soaked claw marks on his lower torso.
"I-"
Then darkness.
I woke up gasping for air. My body is sweating and I'm in pain...this isn't right, how did I end up in bed? It was an unfamiliar bed. This was Wayne's bed.
"Dude...you good?". Tony's head pops up from the floor.
I opened my mouth to say something but it was dry. I hold my throat and point to my mouth in hopes he wasn't as dense as he looks and gets me a glass of water.
" I got you homie" he bent over picking up something from the floor and tossed it to me. A hot bottle of water. Some are better than nothing. I opened it and downed the whole thing.
"Where…" I paused to breathe and work through the pain in my throat. " Where is Author?"
"Not sure actually but the white car came back so the pack assumed he left. Morgan said you fell down the basement stairs so we put you to bed.". Tony jumped on the bed and kicked off his shoes. "The party ended late so I slept on the floor, no biggie."
"I fell?". No… no. no way I fell, after what I saw. Why would Morgan lie? Or...I don't know, maybe it all was some weird dream. I guess I'll just find out soon.
"A lot of the other kids woke up and headed home last night. Percey ran home and got us clothes." He leaned over the bed again and grabbed a bag. "Hurry and change so we can make it to school.". He walked out pulling the comb from his pocket and brushing his greased hair.
I was starving, thirsty, and confused. Why In the world would she lie? Was she scared? Did they force her?
About an hour and a half later we somehow made it to school about five minutes late thanks to Tony's glorious speeding in his family heirloom car because he had a hangover and I was too weak to deal with traffic. The three of us storm down the Werewolf hallway 'Wolf Avenue' at a speed that would Usain Bolt a frickin run for his money into Wolf's den with an unfamiliar set of greyish-gold eyes sitting on the throne.
"Lancelot, Galahad, Percival, Gawain- Thanks for finally joining the party when it was convenient for you," said Morty in the high chair with one arm laid on his knee
"It's Lance to you if you're going to use my real name, now can you please tell me where Author is," I said in the least disrespectful way I could.
"You tell me 'Lance' since the word on the street is that you were the last one seen with him last night at the party
"Last night was a total blur and I can barely remember how I woke up in someone else's bed much less where Author is, that's why I'm asking and I would be talking to him right now if you weren't here sitting in his chair pretending to be king," I said as this wannabe Alpha kept dodging my question which only made my suppressed anger steadily began to pour out like a fountain.
"You better watch your tone with me you trash or I'll fix that disrespect of yours myself," Morty said as he got off the chair and down to eye level with me in an attempt to make me feel small, which is and always be a colossal mistake to anyone who tries.
"If you're done playing 'macho man' you wanna stop making me waste more of my words on you than you deserve Lance or should I call you ', The Beast', or did you think we forgot what you were. So 'beast' tell us what you did with our beloved Alpha." Said Morty with a condescending tone accompanied by a sinister grin
"I don't know" I replied in a low voice without breaking eye contact and getting progressively angry that my claws stab into my palms While Tony could smell the blood and hear the bones in my fingers slowly shatter and heal simultaneously in my fists.
"Oh, really beasty? Don't you tell me something you do know like, for example, just what the hell you thought you were doing with Morgan last night? "Morty said as he kept going on with accusations and questions that we both wish we knew the answer to.
"I-"
"Alright Morty you made your point whateva it is but we don't know nothin 'bout Author and all those two did was dance, trust me I saw' em myself like everyone else did while you were attempting to drown your sorrows earlier that night".
"Thank you, Galahad, that's all I wanted to know. Good to see that someone knows who answers to who" said Morty as he side-eyed me making his way out of the room but stopped on his way out the door to make one last sly remark to get under my skin
"Sir Galahad, please make sure to see that your worthless little beast here learns to mind his manners or else he'll 'accidentally' get himself hurt"
"Little...BIT-" I yelled before Percy covering my mouth and grabbing my arm.
"Yes sir, I will," said Tony who hated being called by his real name.
Morty left the room with his newfound inexplicable posse behind him and two minutes later both Tony and Percy were forcing me into the locker room as I was going ballistic with rage.
"Get off of me!' I yelled as they dragged me to the back of the room.
"Lance, calm the hell down before you do something stupid," Tony said in an attempt to settle me.
'The hell I will! trash? BEAST? he treats anyone who's not in the top ten like dirt and you expect me to let that shit slide" I said to Tony as my rage infected the air in the room.
"Lancy, calm your nerves man he said that just to get under your skin," said Percy
"We all know they aren't true and you're not the beast anymore," said Tony as he put his hand on my shoulder
"Fuck off me, don't you bring this 'we' shit to me when you're over here kissing his ass and you two don't know a dam thing about what I am," I said as I threw Tony's hand off of me while I slowly start to shift
"Yo lance you need to calm down beastie," Percy said jokingly to try to make me smile
"What did you say to me" I shouted giving off a low growl and in a fit of rage I slammed Percy into the lockers and began to choke Percy with one hand and knock Tony away with the other.
"Y-your. Eyes." Percy managed to let out as he was lost air with the horror and frightening interest within himself as he saw my eyes turn from a blinding golden yellow to a wrathful blood red.
"Get off of him" Tony shouted as he grabbed me putting me into a headlock while I fussed around denting lockers with his body.
I struggled and as I began to lose air I snapped out of my rage. I tapped his arm to let up and he did as soon as he felt my mood was different and I looked completely human.