Greywolf

by Mary A. DeCarlo

  Her mouth fell open in surprise and she snapped it shut in embarrassment. “Precocious, weren't you?” she observed dryly.

  Michael couldn't suppress a small grin. “She told me it was my birthday present. Seems she had the hots for me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She was really pretty and quite experienced. I didn't stand a chance against her seduction. Of course, at twelve I didn't really try too hard to resist."

  "I'll just bet,” she snapped as unreasonable jealousy consumed her. Part of her wished she had been the one to initiate him. Hell, the first time he got laid, she was still a sixteen year old virgin.

  Michael could hear the jealousy in her voice, see it in the rigid way she held her body. He had to admit it pleased him that she was possessive, even of his past. But he felt it was time to get beyond the trigger and dwell on his condition. “That first time was terrifying. I had no idea what was happening to me. I was so hot, I was burning up, like my blood was on fire. I remember ripping off my clothes in an attempt to cool off. I must have been making a lot of noise because my mother came to check on me and screamed for my father. Luckily he was still there and hadn't changed yet."

  "By then the tremors had started. When my father saw this he threw my mother out of the room and locked the door. After quickly opening the window, he followed me in transforming. Having him there to guide me through that first time was a godsend. The next day he sat me down and explained to me what had happened and what he thought I was. It wasn't till years later that I realized that I wasn't really like my father. I'm something unique in nature. A natural phenomenon. Even today, I'm not really sure what is possible.” He paused to let her assimilate all he'd just told her.

  It was so unbelievable. “You're not really quite human, are you?” She wasn't sure if she expected an answer to that question.

  Michael frowned at her question. Somehow he'd never thought of himself as anything other than human. Different, mutated probably, but still essentially human in every way. In the ways that counted, he was human ... in his heart and soul. “I'm as human as you are,” he growled. “Both my parents were as human as yours."

  Altheia realized she had let her fear of the unknown color her thinking and had spoken without thought. Of course he was human! Now she'd hurt him. Now that she thought about it, he was more than human. “I'm sorry. I didn't really mean to imply..."

  "Yes you did,” he interrupted. “But then, it's not something I haven't questioned myself at one time or another.” He took a deep breath and relaxed again. “Actually, I've given it a lot of thought. I figure my DNA is basically human but probably with an extra chromosome or two that makes me unique, a genetic mutation. Some sort of evolution or revolution.

  "It gives me a few extras that most people don't have, like the ability to shape shift, however only to a wolf, a heightened sense of smell and hearing, faster reflexes and resistance to illness and injury and quicker healing time."

  Altheia glanced at the gunshot wound on his arm. It was only a faint pucker now. In fact, it looked as if it would heal with virtually no scar. Amazing! It had been less than 24 hours. She was having trouble assimilating all that had happened.

  "Is there anything else you want to ask?” he wanted to know.

  "I'm afraid right now I'm having a little problem dealing with all this without more. I really don't know what to ask."

  He studied her for a few moments. She still sat next to him, but she no longer would look at him. She seemed a bit pale and he felt concern for her health. “Are you all right?” he inquired. After all, she was being asked to accept a lot. The blows to her emotional well-being must be wearing her down.

  Though she shook her head, he could see her begin to succumb to the physical and emotional abuse her body had been subjected to. He wanted to comfort her, but hesitated. Now that she'd had time to think, would she reject him? No matter, he must try.

  Cautiously he extended his hand. “Give me your hand,” he demanded softly. He was the Alpha Male. Would she submit to him? Would she willingly be his mate? Or would she reject him? He felt his heart stop beating as he awaited her response.

  Altheia looked at the hand in front of her, then looked into his eyes. God, he has such beautiful eyes, she thought. The love and concern showed clearly as he gazed back at her. She again lowered her eyes to his proffered hand. “Altheia?” She could hear the fear and uncertainty in his voice. Not truly thinking, she reached out and placed her hand in his.

  His breath escaped in a rush and he felt his heart thump in his chest as it again began to beat. Fingers that had started to go numb with fear of rejection, closed firmly around hers as if he would never let her go. Gently he tugged, drawing her into his arms and across his lap.

  "I love you. Don't ever doubt it. I'll protect you with my life and I'll never leave you,” he vowed.

  Burying his fingers in her hair, he drew her mouth to his and kissed her again and again. Passion quickly flared between them.

  With a growl, he pushed her back against the bed, moving over her, pressing his body to hers. His hands sought her breasts and his fingers caressed her nipples till they hardened in response. Leaving her mouth, his lips found her nipples and suckled, his tongue driving her passion higher. “Oh Michael,” she moaned as her hands forced him closer to her. Lifting his head, he gazed at her, his lust evident in his shuttered eyes.

  As his hand slid down her body and past her soft belly, his knee nudged her legs open. With a whimper she arched against his fingers as he stroked her, fanning the flames of desire. He wanted to pleasure her before he took his own.

  He began to stroke his fingers quicker over her heated and swollen flesh while he watched her face. Her eyes closed and she threw back her head as she moaned continuously. Her breathing grew more and more erratic and a flush spread across her cheeks and down across her heaving breasts. Michael's manhood stiffened in anticipation, throbbing against her thigh. That he wanted her was evident and he could barely restrain from burying himself deep within her hot, wet core.

  "Exquisite,” he whispered as she writhed beneath his fingers. “Yield to me,” he demanded. “It excites me to watch you."

  His words sent her flying over the edge and she climaxed ecstatically, his name on her lips. Quickly mounting her, he brought his throbbing shaft to her hot, wet entrance. The fading tremors of her release caused him to gasp as his lust spiraled out of control. Grabbing her hips, he pulled her up and closer, seating himself firmly between her thighs. With a groan, he thrust hard and deep, burying himself in her hot receptive sheath.

  Thrusting again and again, Michael groaned in exquisite agony as Altheia met him stroke for stroke. Her screams of joy echoed around them. “Again,” he breathed in her ear as he thrust deeper. With a deep throated moan she surrendered to him as her nails left bloody gouges down his back.

  He did not feel her ravage his back. All that registered was her silken sheath clinging demandingly to his rampant shaft. With a growl, he sent his seed racing deep within her.

  When their breathing returned to normal, Michael rolled to her side, leaving his arm and leg possessively across her warm sated body. Resting his head against her shoulder, he ran his tongue along her skin. Tasting her salt and honey flavor, he brought soft moans to her lips. “I love you,” he whispered against her throat.

  "I love you, too,” she answered as she snuggled closer. “...always."

  EIGHTEEN

  The man was pacing the floor, rage emanating from him like heat waves. Jack was sitting back on the bed, nursing a beer, complaining.

  "I'm telling you, when I get done with that dog, even its own mother won't recognize it. I'm going to skin it alive and leave its carcass to rot. Then I'll hang its mangy hide on my wall. Then that pretty bitch of yours and I are going to have a little fun,” he chuckled as he finished off the beer and got up to get another.

  The man stepped in front of Jack. “I've changed my mind. You're going to kidnap her.” Jack opened his mouth to protes
t, but the man interrupted, “And you're not to hurt her, you understand? I need her to get something for me.” Jack didn't look too pleased, but hell, the man was footing the bills. “Oh yeah, I want that mechanic of hers too,” he added.

  This time Jack had to butt in. “What the hell do you want him for?"

  "That's my business. You'll do as you're told.” He wished this whole thing was over with. He was getting tired of Jack and he was beginning to wear on his nerves. In fact, this whole business, this whole state, everything was getting to him.

  "Okay, so when and where do you want them? And how in the hell do you expect me to do it alone?” he whined. “That mechanic isn't going to come willingly."

  "Simple,” the man said. “You're going to shoot him with a tranquilizer gun."

  "Yeah, that'll do it all right,” Jack exclaimed. “When do you want them?"

  "Well, first I have to find someplace to keep them. And we need something to restrain the mechanic. Then I have a few calls to make. We'll need a few weeks, maybe less, to get it set up."

  Jack got another beer and went back to the bed. Yeah, he thought, he'd get another chance at that bitch. The man wouldn't be around the whole time, and he planned on enjoying her ripe little body when he got her alone. Maybe he'd do it right under the mechanic's nose. That would sure get the bastard riled and humiliate the bitch even more to have her boyfriend watch. Yeah, he could hardly wait.

  The man watched Jack thoughtfully. The werewolf had bitten him real bad, though it seemed to be healing all right. He wondered about the stories of people becoming werewolves after they'd been bitten by one and not killed. Was Jack infected now? He seemed all right now, but maybe it takes until the next full moon. Maybe it takes time for the infection to take over his body. He'd just have to keep a close eye on him next month. Maybe he'd even have to lock him up then, just to be on the safe side. Well, he had a month to worry about that. Now he had to figure out how to take care of Altheia and the mechanic.

  NINETEEN

  The sun was bright in the sky when Michael woke. Sunlight flooded the cabin with a golden glow as he opened his eyes. Altheia still slept, her body curled back against his. She was all warmth and soft silkiness against him and he felt his body begin to respond. Nuzzling the back of her neck, he began to run his tongue across her shoulder, nipping her with his teeth as he went. The taste of her skin was driving him mad with lust and he felt himself harden against the soft bottom pressed so enticingly to his groin. Feeling a sudden thrust back against his shaft brought a groan from his lips.

  Altheia began to whimper and wiggle up against him. Her arm reached behind her to rub her hand up and down the side of his hip. Turning her head, she gazed at him with passion-drenched eyes, her tongue slipping out to wet her lips, inviting him to taste her.

  Growling, Michael kissed her mouth, roughly thrusting his tongue between her lips. His hand slid down her flank and around to bury his fingers in the warm, wet area between her thighs. She was ready for him and he shifted, preparing to take her quickly as he could no longer control his need.

  The phone rang, insinuating its noise between their moans.

  "Damn,” he groaned. Reluctantly he pulled away and sat up to answer the phone. He didn't get many calls and the few he did get were usually important. “This had better be good,” he growled.

  "Michael ... John Howland. I'm over at Altheia Jones'; she's not here and her place looks like someone broke in. I figured you'd want to know.” John paused; he didn't know how to tell him why he had come to her house in the first place.

  Michael froze; he had hoped the police could be kept out of the incident on Saturday night. Now he had some explaining to do about why they had kept quiet for over 24 hours. Shit, he thought. “It's all right, John, she's right here with me."

  "God damn it. Don't move, I'll be right there.” Michael heard the phone slam in his ear.

  Frustrated, Michael dropped the phone into the cradle. His shaft throbbed in protest. He wanted her badly, but John would be here in minutes. Looking up, he saw her lying there in his bed, waiting for him. Damn. Going to her, he sat on the edge of the bed and took her in his arms. “I'm sorry, but the police are at your place and they'll be here any minute. They know about the break-in; we're going to have to have some answers when they get here."

  Quickly dressing, they decided on a brief version of what had happened. They had barely gotten themselves presentable when John's police car came roaring into the yard, skidding to a stop next to Michael's van. John looked none too pleased as he got out of the car and approached the door.

  "Hello John,” Michael greeted him calmly.

  "Don't give me any bullshit, Michael. What the hell happened over at Ms Jones'? Someone broke in the kitchen window, the bedroom's torn apart and there's blood all over the place. And you better have a good reason for not calling me."

  Michael had the presence to look surprised at John's statement. He turned to Altheia with a questioning look. “What's he talking about? You said nothing. What happened?"

  Altheia stepped forward, looking at the Chief timidly. “I'm sorry, Mr. Howland, but I'm afraid it's my fault. I didn't tell Michael what happened. I was afraid he would go back there and get hurt himself."

  Michael grabbed her arms, turning her toward him. “What happened? Who got hurt?"

  Altheia let herself remember and the tears began to fall. “It was the stalker,” she whimpered. “He was there. He tried to rape me.” The tears were streaming down her face now and she began to shake as she remembered.

  "Let her sit, Michael.” John gently led Altheia to the couch and set her on it. Michael sat next to her, taking her in his arms. He could see she was living it all over again. He wished he could spare her this. After a few minutes she calmed down. Wiping the tears from her face, she turned toward the Chief.

  "Are you all right?” the Chief asked. “Do you think you can go on now?"

  Altheia nodded as Michael squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I was in bed asleep when he woke me up. He attacked me and tried...” She hesitated and the tears slid silently down her cheeks. “I couldn't stop him. He told me I could scream all I wanted and no one would hear me. Suddenly he grabbed me up in front of him. There was a dog."

  "A dog?” John asked. “Yours?"

  "No. I don't know where it came from. The dog bit his arm and I got away. But he shot the dog and then left.” She shivered. “He said he'd be back."

  "What happened to the dog?” Jack wanted to know.

  "He was bleeding bad and when I went to get some towels, he got up and ran out. So then I thought of Michael and came over here."

  "How did you get here Ms Jones? Your car is still at your place."

  Altheia looked up at him, startled. “Why, I came through the woods,” she said slowly. “I was afraid to go out on the road."

  John looked at her speculatively. “You came through the forest at night?"

  "Well yeah, it's not really that far and the moon is almost full.” She glanced at Michael, afraid that she'd said the wrong thing. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand again.

  "Right.” John wasn't sure she was telling him everything. “Did you recognize the guy? Could you identify him?"

  She blanched at the thought of seeing him again. “I don't know. It was pretty dark and the lights were off."

  "Do you remember anything? How tall he was, how long was his hair, what color, nationality, voice, anything.” Damn, he needed something to go on. “Was he driving a car? Come on, you've got to give me something to work with."

  She seemed to shrink back from the intensity of his demands and Michael pulled her into his arms. “Damn it John, can't you give her a break? You can see this is upsetting her."

  "What do you expect?” John exploded. “This happened almost two days ago. The guy could be out of the country by now. Why didn't she call me sooner? In fact, she didn't call at all! I just stumbled onto it. Come to think of it, does the lady usually show up in the
middle of the night after a lonely walk through the woods? You didn't find that a little peculiar?"

  "What are you trying to say?” Michael growled as he started to rise.

  Altheia held him back, “It's all right Michael. Actually Mr. Howland, Michael and I are ... sort of ... you know ... having an affair."

  John shot a glance at Michael. He wasn't really surprised; he'd seen Michael's reaction to this woman. But he wondered if she knew how hard he was resisting any commitments to her. “I'm sorry, but I've got to know all the facts."

  "That's all right. We're adults.” Altheia was uneasy; the Chief was acting real suspicious. “All I can remember is that he was tall, maybe about six feet. Light hair, it was too dark to see clearly, but it seemed light. Solid build, but no fat. And I didn't hear a car. Maybe it was parked closer to the road."

  She paused as if thinking. “That's really all I remember. Actually it happened pretty quickly."

  "Damn,” John swore as he got up and started to pace. “Not much to go on.” He turned toward her and stopped pacing. “How come you didn't call me?"

  "Yeah, I'd like to know that, too,” Michael said quietly.

  She couldn't look at Michael as she answered. “By the time I reached here I was afraid the guy might come back. And I knew if Michael knew, he'd go running over to my place ... the guy had a gun,” she said a little hysterically. “I didn't want him to get hurt."

  John knew she was going to get hurt real bad when she found out that Michael had no plans for a lasting relationship. Shaking his head, he put the thought out of his mind. It wasn't his business. Besides, she had more immediate problems.

  Michael had been pretty quiet up till now, just like they had agreed. But something was nagging at him. “John, just how come you were at Altheia's anyway if you didn't get a call?"

  Altheia looked up in surprise. She hadn't thought of that. She turned toward John expectantly.