A young woman walks through the clubbing crowd, completely alone, in white jeans and a white top, she sticks out like a sore thumb in a room full of goths. She approaches the bar, holding my eye specifically.

I'm serving drinks, on a Tuesday night, it is pretty quiet compared to weekends.

The new girl jumps onto a stool, swings around a few times, her bob of black hair flying out around her flamboyantly, before she settles with placing her palms on the bar, catching everyone's attention for acting... just a little odd.

"Hello! My name is Cleo!" she says to me directly, very overly friendly.

"Hi, Cleo. Can I get you a drink?" I ask her professionally, "Actually... can I see an ID first?"

"Oh, well I didn't come here to drink," she wiggles her finger at me, "Oh no, I came to find some Lycans, but there are none here – where are the Lycans?" she swivels on the chair again, excitedly searching, making a point, before swivelling back to me.

"Can I see your ID please, you can't be under 18 and be in here," I won't take shit off a teen trying to sneak into our den just to cause trouble. She was acting too young and dumb, to be truthful.

"I'm an adult! I'm 20 years old, but I don't have an ID, okay?" Cleo answers me.

"Then how did you get past the bouncers without showing an ID?" I question her further.

"Oh, they didn't see me, I snuck in," Cleo keeps answering me, seemingly too truthfully. Or, she was just being a brat.

"You know, Cleo, if you can't show me an ID so I can confirm your age, you need to exit the premises –"

"No," Cleo closes her fist, and thumps it on the bar, her sweet demeanour changing to stubborn defiance, "I'm not leaving. I came to Onyx Lycan Nightclub, looking for –"

"Me?" a giant shadow is dwarfing her now on her stool, her naïve behaviour was like a magnet for monsters, and wah-lah, now she had Onyx – albeit in mortal form – on her ass.

Cleo is blushing to high heaven with my husband, Oswald practically flush against her, his arms boxing her in as he leans onto the counter, with her butt now firmly stuck on the stool until we can work out together who she really is.

Cleo glances over her shoulder briefly and immediately looks back at me instead.

"Oh, I found one, I found one!" she whispers in excitement, beside herself. It was such strange use of language. Now I am suspicious of her for a different reason.

"She may be a spy, a new police recruit?" I tell Oswald, "Don't let her leave until we know."

"Hey. No, I-I'm n-not a spy," Cleo quicky goes pale now, "I'm here looking for some Lycans I can help. I'm looking for a job. I'm great with Lycans. Like really great. You could say, I'm a Lycan whisperer," she seems to be self-reflecting about some previous memory as she bites her bottom lip and looks up at the flashing laser lights in the ceiling.

I believe her enthusiasm a little more now, but I am still worried about her age. Onyx can read me well.

"Why don't you have an ID?" Onyx slowly morphs into his Lycan, his suit ripping apart, as he snarls the question right into her ear – testing her resolve to fear, probably hoping she just sprints out.

Cleo warms to be a bit pink in the face, her ears shiver, but she doesn't get scared.

She looks over her shoulder up at his wolf head, and his teeth, and she stares in awe.

Her wide eyes say it all – she's succumbed before to this kind of monster, she is completely entranced. Another fuck pup.

Carmen was going to love her.

"I don't have an ID because, I, well, I was a fairy until this morning but I was banished to be mortal," she gulps, breathing in deeply as she prepares to admit her full story, "I fell in love, you see, I broke the Fairy List rules – and now I'm free. But mortal. Magicless. And lonely –"

"She probably escaped a mental asylum," Onyx growls over her at me, "There's no such thing as fairies. You look after her, Silvia. You can decide her fate."

"No one will decide my FATE!" Cleo suddenly bursts with anger, screaming her defiance and trying to dig her blunt nails into his thick arms of fur, as if that was a retaliation, "I am free to make my own decisions and I am not a liar, I am a truth teller!"

"You need to calm down, Cleo," I try to speak calmly to her, but as Onyx gets closer, his rage growing, I can see his crimson eyes flashing with a serious hunger; to rip her fucking head off for her insolence, "ONYX, no," I lean over the bar and put my hands on his forearms, stroking him through his soft wiry fur, trying to calm him also, "Leave us, please?"

Onyx considers me, he always does whatever the fuck he wants – my words don't matter. But.

He tilts his head one way, and then the other, rolling his deliciously sinful ideas around in his head.

"We need a human mop, so the bitch is hired," Onyx tells me, as he forces himself to take a step back.

The club didn't see Lycan form usually until after 4am, or only when exclusive patrons remained to participate in whatever rituals they wanted to be a part of.

Cleo slouches her shoulders and almost looks teary eyed. What was the matter now? She was truly perplexing to me.

"Oh, I'm sorry I over reacted, to...to the Lycan, I am just worried that I will end up with no one and neither will I allow my Fate to ever be toyed with again," Cleo admits to me, a bunch of words strewn together I still don't fully comprehend, but I pretend to understand, "W-what is your name?"

"My name is Silvia," I answer, "...are you really a fairy...?"

Cleo nods, "I was. I'm also 20, I just look small, because fairies are short, and my mortal transition didn't favour height," she shrugs her shoulder, "Where do I sleep?"

"You have nowhere to sleep?" she keeps shocking me, and at this point I want to take care of her, "Well..." I fail to find the right words right away, "...um, we have room here, and rooms are in the den area, but, Cleo – the rooms aren't made for personal privacy. Anyone that agrees to be in the exclusion zones, waive their rights to everything. The Lycans own you when you cross that threshold. If you... stay."

"Well..." Cleo carefully considers her options, "...I agree... I know to stay out of their way... Lycans are very possessive about their territory, that I know."

"And you know... their desires?" I need to make sure she actually knows what she is getting into.

"They eat mortal flesh, and other things too – if they feel like animals," she adds.

"That is more rare in our pack, I've forbidden anymore human virgin sacrifices," I say it bluntly, wondering if that will shock her.

"You can forbid that?" Cleo asks, confused.

"I'm... I guess you can call me, their favoured mate?" I don't want to say Queen in this moment, it feels a little embarrassing to just say it to a stranger, "I have some influence if I close my legs, if you catch my drift. I'm not the only female they fuck, Cleo. If I was, my legs and spine would fucking break from their never ending depravity, you know? What I'm saying, is if you stay, you'll be at their mercy. And I wasn't talking about hunger for flesh. I was talking about their lust for flesh. Are you a virgin?"

"No," Cleo states proudly, "My favourite Lycan took my virginity."

That is a surprise.

"Is that Lycan here tonight?" I ask.

"No," Cleo shakes her head, looking forlorn, "...he is trapped... in a forbidden world... I am separated from him. I have accepted the possibility of never seeing him again, if I can't get to him, and he can't get to me."

"How did you meet, then? If he is trapped somewhere else?" this is very confusing.

"I told you. My Fate was stolen, then returned, then I was banished," Cleo uses her hands to paint a picture, and I still don't understand any better.

"...well we do need new cleaning staff..." I murmur now, "If you want to get familiar with the cleaning room, I'll take you on a tour there now."

"Yes please," Cleo nods, "You're so kind to me, Silvia. Thank you."

"I'm only being kind because..." I almost say it, but quickly shut my lips.

"Say it. Just tell me the truth," Cleo loses her smile, "If you don't like me, and you're just pretending to like me, don't lie to me. I can handle what you really think."

"It's not that, Cleo, I just don't expect you to last the night and willingly want to stay," I don't mean to make it sound like a challenge, but I guess it kind of does sound like that, "You're free to go at any time. Even if you cross the threshold. If you can't handle it. I'll secretly escort you out myself. Do you understand? I'll help you."

"With all due respect, I don't need your help in making a decision. Can you show me the cleaning supplies?" she changes the subject.

She's stubborn, I'll give her that.

****

"Who's this?" a second waitress comes slinking over before we can leave. It's a second blonde with a couple of spilled drinks over her white top, which she hasn't bothered to change, "You smell funny," the friend of Silvia screws up her nose, before whispering in Silvia's ear, "...she smells like Lycan balls..." I heard that!

"Really?" Silvia is shocked to hear it.

"Not your Lycans," her friend looks at me, narrowing her eyes, "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"Cleo, this is Carmen," Silvia introduces us, before I can speak, "So you were telling the truth, you've actually slept with Lycans?"

"She can't stay here, she's crossed territories, she'll start a turf war, and by turf? I mean pussy," Carmen tries to keep a straight face but smirks, then loses the smirk, then looks me up and down judgementally, "Cleo you need to leave," wow this girl was more mean, for certain.

"Onyx!" Silvia looks over the gathering crowd and waves her hand, asking him to come back. So that really was the Lycan who owned the place!

I try to defend myself before he comes to boot me out, "I swear I didn't come here to start trouble or a war, I came to find even a temporary place to stay, so I'm not sleeping in a gutter, I know no one in this realm, no one at all," I plead my case, "And I was just hired anyway!"

"I'm the manager, bitch, I can fire you, if my judgement stands correct," Carmen snipes back, "You'll wait until we discuss it. Fur ball, we need you!" Carmen calls to Onyx next.

When I look over my shoulder, I can't see him through the dancing shadows.

Instead, when I glance back to Silvia and Carmen, a burst of shadow has confused my vision – until my vision clears, and I see that Onyx just appeared behind the counter to bare his fangs over Carmen's blushing face, as she falls to her knees and keeps saying sorry.

"I was just kidding about you being a fur ball," Carmen is praying for forgiveness, "Sorry, sorry, sorry – Onyx."

"Do you ever stop?" Onyx snarls at Carmen even as she sneaks under his dick to start kissing his balls.

I stare a little gobsmacked at her doing that, then when I glance to Silvia she isn't even bothered, she's just cleaning glasses with a tea towel.

"What's the problem now?" Onyx asks Silvia.

"Cleo is telling the truth," Silvia tells him, "Cleo has been with another pack of Lycans. She didn't explain very clearly where they are, but even if they are far away – or stuck somewhere, out of her reach? She can't stay with us –"

"Why?" Onyx challenges Silvia, with a hellish gleam in his eye.

"She doesn't belong to you, that's why," Silvia whispers back, smirking, "That's a first, isn't it?"

"She's not a fuck pup – yet – she's just a mop," Onyx looks down at me, "And she's wet already looking at the fuck pup beneath me licking my balls. So she is a free whore."

"I'm saying it's risky, Onyx," Silvia still doesn't let up, "I'm serious. Think about this with your head, not your cock."

"Why aren't you with your pack now?" Onyx asks me, rapid fire, "Where are they? Who are they? Why did you choose to come here?"

"...my Lycan love is called Anubis," I tell him, "And I am Cleo, his slave, he claimed me so. But I cannot see him. He is Under."

"We have passage to the Under," Onyx tells me, more calmly now.

"You don't understand. Anubis is Under the Under, it's a restricted zone," I explain, proud, "No one will take his position in my heart. I love Lycans, they accept me. But I belong to Anubis and his brothers. I am here because I am lonely and require a bed until I understand my Fate further."

"No bed is free here," Onyx steals a shot being poured by Silvia for another customer, and instead he pushes it across the bar with his sharp claw, toward me, "This ones on me... wet pup..." he drawls it quite smooth, more welcoming. Hmm. We were making progress. Although what he just said at the end was a little much. Wet pup; how could he tell?

"Thank you," I squeeze my thighs together, hoping that masks the smell of my swollen pussy. I just really liked the smell of monstrous wolves in this club. I accept his offer and drink the shot, and it burns down my throat, waking me up a little.

"What you girls fail to understand about Lycans," Onyx grabs Carmen by the hair before she starts sucking on his dick, and he pulls her up to her feet, shoving her aside so she can keep working the bar, while Silvia stays close to listen intently, "Is that no Lycan submits to another Lycan," Onyx tells us this, then focuses on me, "...and you've already agreed to be my mop, which is a step closer to being a crawling bitch. You want to be owned, you'll waive all your rights right now, to me."

"My Fate is my own, my rights?" I consider my choice very carefully, "I cannot give you my rights. But I can give you my trust, and my help. I will clean. I will make lists. I will stay out of your way. I will be your best friend," I say that to Onyx and Silvia, "I promise. You have a friend in me, I just need a bed."

Onyx leans over the counter, intrigued and annoyed, baring his fangs as he sniffs my breath, as if testing my truth.

When he pulls back, he makes his decision.

"You're so fucking dumb and slow, but you can stay, it's not surprising for a slut pup to be so blind," Onyx turns to navigate around Silvia, and he lingers to smell her scent, relaxed as he stalks off.

"I guess that means you can stay – with the special condition, that you... I guess... get to keep your rights, that's another first," Silvia is impressed, "Welcome to Onyx Lycan Nightclub. Cleo. Let me show you the mop."

"Why does he call me the mop?" I blurt.

Silvia rolls her eyes as she tries to think, "...honestly? He's just rude. You'll get used to it."

"I can read him," I admit to her, "Do you know why he's rude?"

"I've never worked it out, to be honest," She says, "I just ignore it. Why do you think he's rude?"

"Because he's looking for trouble," I tell her, "He's looking for a fight."

"Wow, I couldn't have guessed," Silvia laughs sarcastically, offering me another shot.

I shake my head.

"No, thank you. Silvia," I reach out my hand instead, "Nice to meet you. I promise you. When I find a way to my pack. I will leave."

Silvia clasps my hand and shakes it.

"Goodluck," she says, raising a brow.

"Why do I need luck?"

"I can tell he likes you," Silvia shrugs, "Onyx is not letting you leave. He's just saying anything to keep you here."

"O-oh, really?" I blush at the thought of such attention.

"You're cute and act too innocent, that's why," Silvia tells me straight, "You'll attract monsters. Trust me. I can tell. By the way, Onyx is my mate. I don't mind sharing – like I said, so my legs don't fucking break. But he is mine. And you are the mop. Don't forget that. I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but –"

"I don't plan on fucking any Lycans," I tell her straight, "I belong to Anubis."

"I don't think you understand what happened when you walked in here, when you were looking for trouble," Silvia fires back, "You're going to end up in a cage by the end of the night."

"No way," I shake my head, "That's just insane – I said I'll clean for him."

"I'm not going to argue with you. You'll find out, since you want to stay. You do worry me, though, Cleo."

I can see Silvia is scared for me, but I wish she wouldn't worry.

I could handle my own Fate!

I do not ascend to the modern world, although at any time I easily can. I just don't. I like my eternal home.

My Temple.

My sparse and treasure filled desert.

And the exclusive Afterlife I guard down in the valley over the dunes.

And then there is my well.

It is my portal, my mirror, into other worlds and other times.

I am using it now to see where my slave has gone.

Cleo, my fairy, is bound to me after we fucked. Body and Fate. I had watched as see she was banished from her Fairy Court, in the reflection of their goblets of gold.

I can see her now through a shot of vodka in a glass sitting beneath her chin, so I'm looking up at her, inside a place that shows a glimpse of a moving beast. Another Lycan.

The moment I see the disgusting rival, a fire of the sun erupts in my soul.

I slash the water's reflection with my claws as I snarl my displeasure, before unleashing my true rage, "CLEO IS MINE!" I roar to the heavens, though no one can hear me, "Cleo," I say her name more quietly and affectionally, as I turn toward the empty bird cage I used to punish her in when she was talking too much to me. Her stupid bed time stories. Her sweet nothings she would force me to listen to for the half year she gave me company. Until I forced her to shut the fuck up. And even those times I locked her away, I adored the brat and she adored me.

But then the little trickster spelled herself into a mortal form big enough to fuck and punish.

Oh, that little virgin Fairy was mine to the end after I filled her to the brim with my seed.

The poor dumb brat didn't know how to return to me.

She was in danger.

And a rival Lycan was trying to piss all over her.

No.

Way.

Was I going to let this happen.

It was time for me to rise.

My pack and I. Anubis, Heaven, Hell, Blood, Bone, Fang, Séance and Soul.

The eight of us together.

We had another pack to kill.

And their bitches left behind in the carnage would be our feasting reward.