The three of us had shared a celebratory/reunion group hug and jumped up and down giddily like school children. Then Jess and I had just finished a long, intense, and passionate kiss, when Ashton, now back in his human form walked up to me. I flashed him a victorious smile, but he unfortunately did not share the same expression as me. He was pissed.
A sharp sting exploded on my cheek as Ashton slapped me hard in the face. He probably broke one of my vertebrae if I’m being honest.
“What the hell was that, huh, Danny? You’re a fucking hunter?”
“Listen Ashton, I’m sorry I lied to you.” I pushed Beck and Jessica behind me protectively.
“Sorry doesn’t even begin to cut it! Half of my pack is dead! This whole thing was a set-up!”
“It was, and again, I’m sorry.” I admitted. “But I needed you. I needed your help.”
“What you needed was a distraction so you could free your friends, and you used me and my pack to do it. All of this… everything, has been to the benefit of you Danny, and no one else.”
“Hey, that’s not true!” Jessica said, taking to my defense. Ashton’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and he growled sinisterly at my girlfriend. Jessica’s eyes grew a deep red as she hissed back, matching his energy. I’m going to marry that woman some day.
I pushed her back though. I honestly had nothing to say about the situation. Ashton was right, I used him to get to what I needed. I’m a pretty shitty excuse for an almost friend.
“I trusted you, but you broke it! Shattered it into a million tiny pieces! Since the very beginning I’ve been nothing but nice to you, Danny, trying my best to help you! And this is how you repay me? By endangering not only my pack’s life but my own? What you’ve done is… it’s utterly unforgivable.”
My heart sank into the bottom of my stomach. I was really starting to like the guy, and his current disdain towards me was breaking my heart. There was a definite potential bromance brewing between us.
“Ashton, we just finished fighting. I don’t want to fight you too.” I sigh. “Just let us be on our merry way and we never have to see each other again. Just let my friends and I leave. Nobody else has to die here today.”
“It’s too late for that, now. Four of my brothers are dead because of you. I can’t let you leave here. You‘ve caused too much damage.” Ashton glared at me as his eyes glowed an astonishing yellow as he began to turn back into a wolf. Suddenly growls filled the room as the remaining wolves had encircled us and were currently stalking their way closer to us. Ashton joined in when he finished, leading the pack as an Alpha does.
“Well, you asked for it then. I tried to give you an out.”
Beck grabbed one of my hands while Jess grabbed the other. “Danny, I think it’s about time we split and get out of dodge.”
“You guys go! This is between me and them.” I shouted once the pack of wolves pounced. I quickly pushed Beck and Jess out of the way as five wolves started piling on top of and attacking me.
It all happened so fast. I was pinned to the ground in seconds as sharp teeth started digging into my skin. Skin and muscle were torn off my arms and legs as a couple wolves started ripping out my intestines. I screamed out in pain as my body was being eaten and torn to shreds. I may have been immortal but surely I would die if I was reduced to nothing but bones and bloodied mist.
I heard Jessica and Beck’s worried screams as they tried to pry the wolves off of me, but nothing they seemed to do worked.
Ashton made his way to my neck, and before I knew it he had torn it out. All sound faded and my vision went black then.
I ended up back in that vast abyss from before, flashes of the hybrid me standing there with a devilish smile on his face. Without saying any words he gave me clear instructions. Suddenly the overwhelming urge to just let go overcame what was left of my body. As the feeling came to an intense crescendo, without hesitation, I gave in.
A warm sensation spread all over as I finally felt a sense of peace. I finally felt free. Free from all the stress and pressure I’d been put under since all of this began. I felt… alive.
I opened my eyes and found myself not in my normal body, but in one of a wolf. A large gray wolf to be exact, and almost twice the size of Ashton. This was the first time I was cognizant in my wolf form. I should’ve felt discombobulated, but it all felt natural. Like I had always lived in this wolf body.
I let out a freeing howl as I overpowered all the wolves on top of me, sending them flying every which way. Power was flowing through my veins as I felt revitalized and rejuvenated.
Taking advantage of the stunned wolves, Jess and Beck lunged for a wolf of their own to fight and help thin out the herd, leaving me with Ashton and two other wolves.
I growled and spurred the three of them on. One by one they snapped at me with their fangs and slashed at me. When I’d push one wolf off of me another would jump right back on me in place of the previous one. At one point I found myself on top of one of the wolves. He had sandy brown fur, and kinda looked like a German shepherd. I slashed at his eye and he howled in pain. I slashed again and ended up slicing his throat. My snout then went for his chest where I proceeded to rip the wolf’s heart out. I spat it out across the floor where it landed in front of Ashton.
Ashton roared out in anger as the other remaining wolf lunged at me again. I spun and dodged the mutt, before kicking him in the hind legs where he rolled across the floor with a yelp. Beck, who had just finished draining the blood of the wolf he was fighting, quickly ran to the vulnerable creature and started attacking it. Jess joined in a second later as the two had themselves a feast.
It was just Ashton and me left.
From across the large room of the abandoned warehouse, Ashton and I sprinted for one another. We both jumped at the same time and started nipping at one another’s throats as we stood on our hind legs. We slashed, kicked, and rolled all over the floor, fighting one another.
The whole thing felt like a contrast to how we first met. Sure, Ashton had ambushed me and bit me against my will, but his intention was to help save my life, but no here he was trying to end it. Look at how far it’s gone to get to this point.
Just like the first wolf, I found myself on top of Ashton, in contrast to how he had me pinned earlier. I took a second to look into his eyes as he struggled to try and gain the upper hand on me once more. He looked desperate, sad, and angry. We both knew it was just him left then, the rest of his pack was gone. Ashton was a lone wolf now.
Just like he had done to me, I brought my muzzle down to his throat. I inhaled deeply as the defeat wafted off of his body. I then unhinged my maw and began ripping his throat out. In less than a minute of me ferociously biting, I had reached bone. A minute after that Ashton’s wolf head had been completely chewed off of his body.
Panting heavily, I shook all the blood and gore that had matted to my fur during the battle. I slowly walked up to Beck and Jess who had just finished cleaning themselves off.
They both knelt on the ground and began to pet me and oogle over my wolf form like I was some puppy. I just layed down and curled myself up into a ball. They sat there for a minute as they comforted me.
Before I knew it, I had shifted back into my human form, which was much more tolerable than initially shifting into my work form. “Let’s get out of here.” Where the first words that left my mouth.
“Please!” Beck pleaded in agreement.
Jess handed me a set of clothes she had stripped off someone’s body and I happily put the clothing on as a cold draft wafted in from somewhere. I was really weak after everything so Beck and Jess ended up helping me. They also helped lift me up to my feet and they walked me out while I clung on to their shoulders. My whole body was sore and exhausted from being torn apart and put back together multiple times in one day.
Weakly I say,“I love you guys. Thank you so much.”
“Love you today, babe.” Jessica said as she leaned her head on my shoulder.
Beck poked my side,“Like you’d ever get rid of us!”
The three of us stopped to bring a hand over our eyes once we finally left the hell hole of the warehouse. The sun was not only huge, but in the beginning stages of setting as the horizon was filled with the most amazing reds and pinks. When we were done taking in the sight, I pointed to the direction of where I had parked the car.
“Do either of you knuckleheads know where my car went? Danny, please tell me you drove it here.” Jessica asked, thinking fondly of her car.
“Nope.” Beck replied.
“I don’t know where it is, yet another mystery to solve in this saga of event.”
“How’d you get here then, hun? Whose car are you driving?”
“Some Uber driver named Sophia. She was delicious.” I would’ve started licking my fingers if I could actually move them, they were hella stiff.
Jess squinted her eyes playfully, “Was she prettier than me?”
“Totally.” I joked. “That’s why I had to eat her.”
“Now that I think of it, I never did get to eat those Twizzlers.” Beck added in randomly.
I chuckled as we trudged along the dirt road.
“Ugh don’t remind me! I wasted all that money on those groceries that we never even got to use.” Jessica lamented. “Can’t even eat the shit anymore anyway.”
“Do you think we could stop somewhere and get more Twizzlers, Danny?” Beck asked, after a minute of silence went by.
“Yes Beck.” I laughed. “We can get you some more Twizzlers.”