Nature of the Beast

by Girl, Breukelen

  Booker caught up with them outside, the club as Paris was looking from left to right and deciding on the quickest way to the nearest safe location he could find her. “What the hell happened to her?” Booker yelled at Paris, looking down at Bg as her eyes fluttered between open and closed.

  “I don’t know man. One minute she was throwing insults back at my bitchy friends in French, the next she sort of just collapsed into Addison who caught her before she could go down completely.”

  “Damn it!” Booker muttered as they turned left and started walking quickly. “Didn’t the doctor say this kind of thing could happen to her, like it’s too soon for her to do so much after what she’s been through?”

  Bg started to shake visibly through her arms. Her face flushed with heat and beading with sweat. It would only get worse, so much worse, if she tried to keep the werewolf within at bay. But there was only so long she could hold on. She knew it. He knew it. They all knew it, nothing short of death could stop a full shift. Silver or death and silver was like death greeting a werewolf anyway.

  “She wasn’t doing anything exhorting, she was standing around with a group of friends of mine, having a drink. Giving as good as they were throwing at her, in French no less. Did you know we spoke French in our pack?” He asked as they continued to walk briskly along.

  “Where the hell are you taking her? We should head to a hospital, look at her. She’s got the sweats and that shivers. She’s sick.”

  “There’s a place around here, we’ll be safe, we can take her there, crash. This guy will know what to do, he knows a lot of stuff.”

  “Who is he?” Booker asked suspiciously keeping in step with Paris.

  “He’s someone I trust.”

  “Is he a doctor?”

  “No. Just a…guy.” He looked about the street again and turned left again.

  “Dude my instructions were clear on this, if Bg gets sick and relapses I’m supposed to call it in to her family physician and the Breukelen alpha.” Booker stated keeping pace. “Or drive her back to Brooklyn for treatment.”

  “The Breukelen alpha is in hospital, on life support by my understanding.”

  “Not that alpha, The leading alpha’s in place, Aksel and Bodil. They need to know about this.”

  “There should be a small alleyway down here, look for a roller door.” Paris replied as Booker hesitated and ran ahead of them, down the street.“Hold on Beautiful, we’re almost there.” Paris voice said soothingly as Bg continued to sweat and shake in his arms. He looked down on her and back up ahead of him, as Booker pointed to the alley way and began banging on the roller door frantically.

  “Damon, it’s Paris.” He yelled out as they stood before the roller door waiting.

  “Shit! Reach into my jacket pocket and grab my phone. Punch in Damon and” A rattling noise and the door was quickly pushed up. “Come on, let’s get her in here.”

  Bg didn’t recognize the voice, but figured Paris was taking her somewhere safe. Her teeth chattered and she clung to him tightly and he smiled down at her, as extra hands guided him to lower her down onto a floor mattress. The sound of a heavy metallic door closing in the nearby distance. “She’s fighting pretty hard.” The unfamiliar voice said.

  Paris frowned heavily as he laid Bg down as softly as he could on the mattress. “It’s okay Beautiful, we’re here. You’re safe.”

  “Book…Paris.” She said trying to nod her head in response to him, but was shaking too violently to make the action happen.

  “We’re both here, baby-girl. It’s alright, we’re gonna help you.”

  “What’s happening to her? She doesn’t normally have to shift on the first night of the lunar week.” Paris said looking over at Damon.

  “No?”

  “Normally it’s only from the third night onwards.” Paris spoke to the unseen other person as he knelt beside Bg as she curled away from him onto her right side, shaking. Booker knelt beside her.

  “She looks like she’s not just fighting a shift, she’s sick as well.” Paris said looking at his friend. “She was hot to the touch, burning up in my arms.” He said at Damon.

  “I’d say you’re probably right.” His friend replied, sighing lightly. “I’ve seen something similar before. Only, not as extreme as her condition, appears to be.”

  “Yeah, well she’s gone through some pretty rough stuff in the last forty eight hours. She might be a bit more susceptible to illness.” Booker said standing up and looking at Damon. “What can you do for her?’ He asked approaching the new male.

  “Ohh, alpha vibes on this one.”

  Booker tilted his nose slightly and sniffed. “Lycan.” He growled and advanced on Paris. “You bought her to a lycan?”

  “Smell your own kind easily?” Damon fired at him. Booker’s head snapped at him and growled. “Alpha lycan to you, smart ass.”

  “Condition? What are you talking about?” Paris asked, the worry evident in his voice as he glanced at Bg, shivering and shaking. “Can’t we put a blanket on her?” he said ignoring both warring male lycans in his presence.

  “Like you, I’m kind of pack material.” Damon muttered before walking over to Bg’s figure on the ground.

  “It won’t make a difference. She’s going through withdrawal and an attack at the same time.”

  “What?” His voice was horse.

  Paris’s eyes went back to the shaking form of Bg curled over on herself. Like she was trying to make herself as tiny as possible. “What are you talking about, she was fine all evening, until we were at the club, then it all started.”

  Bg knew she was losing the Shape shifting battle, as she curled up on her side, drawing her knees into her chest and trying to remember to breathe in and out. Her body was aflame and felt like it was connected to everything in the night around her. Even if it was cramping up on her, and sending nerve ending bolts of pain throughout her back and feet.

  “Right, what time did you hit the club?”

  “Two hours ago.” Booker and Paris both answered. Fighting a shift was the worst thing you could possibly do to yourself. Paris was lucky as an alpha werewolf he possessed far greater control over the ability to shift, and partially shift to his wolf. As a beta wolf, Bg didn’t have the same options.

  “And you didn’t see her before then?”

  “Just for about an hour and half before hand, I picked her up from her residence and we,” he said waving his arm at Booker as well. “Went to dinner.”

  Her head slammed back suddenly, jerking her hard, as she’d been pulled back by an invisible hand. Her teeth began to extend, tearing a new frame through her gums. This was not the way she normally shifted. But then again, Bg hadn’t felt a shift this bad, in a long time. Eventually the stronger part of her would win out. Her werewolf would come to the front, and until she let it, it was going to slowly torture her, but shifting like it was cutting her open from the inside out.

  His friend nodded his head silently. “What was the first symptom?”

  “She said she felt hot, then she started sweating. I didn’t notice she had the shakes for a while.”

  Bg gasped desperately for air, like a fish out of water might. Her lungs were burning because they were being crushed, cutting off her air supply. Her body jerked spasmodically and she lost the strength to hold her knees into her chest. The wolf was winning and soon she would be lost to it.

  “So this is your new girlfriend huh?” Paris glared at his friend. Booker growled in a low menacing tone at him.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean. Choose your words carefully.”

  Damon looked over at Booker. “Down big boy.” Paris advanced on him too, his body language radiating tension and anger.

  “Hey, hey,” he said putting his hands up and moving away from Paris. “I respect my alpha. I just can’t believe you didn’t know this could happen to her.”

  “What? What is happening to her?” They both asked in unison. Her hands cramped and Bg with eyes wide ope
ned, could only look towards the ceiling of the room as she gasped. She had no strength or control to move her head, to look at her hands, to uncurl what felt like claws, but were still only human hands.

  “It doesn’t happen to all wolves, but there are some, that are more prone to this, or sensitive to this happening to them than others. Especially I would gander a guess, if she’s been through any sort of sickness or physical trauma recently, say prior to the Lunar cycle starting.”

  “What is happening to her!” Paris yelled angrily at him. “I need to know so I can stop it. So I can help her!”

  “Well, I’m no expert,”

  “Please,” Booker pleaded with him glancing back at Bg as she shook more violently.

  “But you said you’d seen this before, something about her going through a withdrawal and attack at the same time.”

  “I don’t mean to pry, but I presume your girl hasn’t been with many other wolves, in particular, those outside of her pack lines.” He looked at Paris questioningly.

  Paris ignored Booker and looked straight at Damon who was sweeping Bg’s hair back off her face. “Her whole life’s been with and around the Breukelen.”

  “Right, so prior to your girl going out with you, she would what, have a regular partner in the Breukelen?”

  “Yes, her boyfriend Conall.” Booker answered him.

  “And I’m guessing they were together for quite some time.” Damon said looking up at Booker.

  “Years.” Paris replied with the word sticking in his throat.

  “So when she moves on to you buddy, her wolf doesn’t know what is going on. All the familiarity of her previous pack boyfriend, has gone out the window. So her wolf is freaking out, getting scared. When normally her wolf would be sated. But these are new surroundings, new scents and behaviors that the inner wolf, is picking up and prone to picking up on Lunar weeks. Her regular routine is gone. For all intents and purposes, her wolf’s sense of pack is gone and when that happens…”

  “The wolf wants out, to protect her.” Booker finished for him.

  “Right, so that’s the attack part.” Damon replied looking from one male to another.

  “Jesus” Paris muttered running a hand over his face.

  “So she needs to shift now, or it’ll just continue?”

  “Possibly. Can’t say.” Damon replied, standing back up.

  “And what’s the with withdrawal thing you were speaking about.” Booker asked with concern.

  “It’s kind of the same deal, only her wolf was used to being around her boyfriend for so long and her pack for so long, that she’s not used to the scent and pheromones of other wolves. During lunar week I’d take a guess and say she’d be more sensitive to sensation than any other time, highly so, given…” he waved a hand at a still shaking and now groaning Bg on the mattress.

  “So she’s not used to me, to my wolf, because we haven’t…”His friend nodded his head.

  “Exactly. Of course, the other thing is, if you two do get busy during lunar week, it could have just as extreme a reaction on her again.”

  “What do you mean?” Paris asked him.

  “Think of it like, you’d have dosed her in your wolf. Like non lunar time, she’d be fine, her body and her wolf would adjust to you slowly, the scenting, the pheromones, but during lunar week, it’s like you’re pure concentrate on her, all at once.”

  “Jesus. What I do to help her?” Paris asked watching Bg shiver violently.

  “You can’t. She has to work through it.” Damon replied. “It could take hours. All night even.”

  “There has to be something I can do!” he yelled at his friend, moving towards Bg.

  “You touching her, is probably worsening the effect.” His friend replied calmly.

  “Do something for her!”

  Damon moved towards Bg again. “I’m not a Breukelen either, so the wolf is probably still going to try and force her to shift. She either needs to go with it and shift, and hope the wolf reacts okay when she’s out or you need to give her a sense of pack to calm her down. A strong sense of safety through pack scenting.”

  Paris looked at Damon like he’d just about heard the worst news possible on Bg’s diagnosis. He didn’t want to share her with her ex boyfriend. He wouldn’t do that again. He would never let Conall near her, not even close. He walked over to Booker, who had taken a cold compress from Damon and put it on Bg’s forehead.

  “She’s burning up a fever man. It’s like she’s on fire from the inside out. I don’t know if she’d be able to shift through this without being in an enormous amount of pain. Both her and the wolf.”

  “I know you hate me right now man, but think of her.” Booker replied, looking up at his friend.

  Paris looked down at him frowning in annoyed anger he didn’t have much choice in the matter, if Bg was to get better or possibly make it through the evening ahead. He nodded his head at Booker.

  “No sex.” He said before walking over to Damon.

  “I’ll do what’s necessary for her wellbeing.” Booker replied solemnly looking down at Bg.

  “Come on, let’s clear out.”

  “But you’re not just going to leave the big lug of a lycan in my place, what if he tries to take it over?” Damon whined as Booker slipped off his leather jacket again, and Paris guided Damon out of the sparse where house storage unit. “Lycan’s are like that you know, they take, take, take.”

  “So I’ve heard.” Paris muttered pulling the silver door back down with a backwards glance at Booker and Bg on the floor inside. Booker was already topless and stripping out of his jeans.

  “I just, you know what Damon – here,” Paris replied handing his keys over to the lycan male. “Go crash at my apartment tonight. I’m going to stay behind with Booker, make sure they’re alright, together.” Paris said dipping back under the roller door and pulling it down hard.

  Booker looked over at him as he tried to coax Bg out of her dress. “Don’t trust me to do the right thing by her, huh?” Booker replied, slipping off Bg’s shoes.

  “Quite frankly put, No. I think we both know why.” Paris replied squatting flat footed beside the mattress as Booker pulled down Bg’s fishnet stockings off her legs as she continued to shake.

  “I don’t think you’re in any position to make judgment calls on my behavior.” Booker replied pulling down Bg’s underwear and talking to her, telling her soothingly what he needed to do.

  “You slept with my girlfriend.” Paris stated hotly.

  “First of all, she’s not your girlfriend, yet. You haven’t even made it through one date yet. Secondly, we didn’t sleep together as you put it.” Booker replied lifting Bg’s head and untying the halter neck of her dress.

  “Oh you didn’t? So what was all the moaning and groaning we all heard all the way down to the lounge room then?”

  “I helped her shape shift by calling her wolf out.” Booker said through ground together teeth.

  “Is that what you call it these days in Brooklyn?” Paris bitched at him.

  Booker proceeded to gently move Bg’s arms that she held in tight to her chest so he could pull down her dress top. “You know what man, you’re really not helping her here by doing this!” He tugged her dress down over her hips.

  Booker looked back at Bg. “Hey baby-girl, it’s Booker, can you hear me?” He said softly as he removed her strapless bra last of all. “I’m just going to lie here with you. Safe and warm. Together. We’re just going to use each other’s body heat.”

  Paris stood up and turned around. “I’ll be upstairs in his bedroom.” He pointed to a nearby wooden stair case, Booker hadn’t noticed before. “Call out if you need to.”

  “Will do.” Booker replied spooning up behind Bg on the mattress and drawing her naked body into his.

  “That’s it baby girl, you’re good. Safe now, Booker’s here. I’m here with you.” He rested his head in against hers and her shoulder, placing his arms around hers, and holding her tightly to
him.

  9

  In the first hour on the mattress, of the floor of the lycan Damon’s residence, Booker tried to assure Bg, softly in a claiming tone of voice, that he was just going to hold her, keep her warm, let her know she was safe with him. That they were together in there and they were pack, she had nothing to fear.

  For the second hour on the mattress, with her spasmodic shaking not lessening any and her fevered temperature still burning against his own now sweating, skin, Booker tried a different tactic. He tried to assure her wolf, that everything was all right. They both the werewolf and Bg were safe because they were with a Breukelen who would never allow any harm to come to either of them.

  By the third hour, as the night wore on, Bg’s shakes were slowly lessening in becoming less violent and her teeth were no longer chattering continuously. Booker was speaking to her in a low voice, directly in her ear. He kept her body held tightly into his and vowed to not let her go, until she told him to release her himself.

  It was sometime close to midnight that Booker began to think he wasn’t having nearly enough effect on Bg that he probably should be. Surely his pheromones should be sending out signals to her wolf that let her know a Breukelen alpha was nearby. But then again, he was a lycan and werewolves naturally opposed lycans.

  It could be his presence to her already freaked out werewolf would be enough to make her keep fighting. To keep the confusion the werewolf must feel up. Booker unfurled himself from around Bg and groaned as he stretched his arms and legs again and felt the instant blood flow into his aching, tired muscles. His foot cramp eased off too.

  He stood up and stepped off the mattress looking down at Bg’s still naked and shivering form. “Paris!” he yelled at the top of his lungs as he hunted for his clothing. There was soft thudding above him as Paris ran down the nearby staircase, buttoning up his shirt as he appeared.

  “What? What is it?” he asked as Booker pointed at Bg on the mattress.

  “Her condition hasn’t changed. It’s been three hours and there really isn’t much difference in her condition at all.” Booker reported back to him pulling on his jeans.