“I still remember the first week after getting bit,” Dale said and shuddered, the shadow of distant memories creeping into his eyes. “I mean the mood swings alone were hell, not even talking about the constant clawing of the wolf at your soul.”

The mood swings. Fuck yeah those were terrible. “Don’t even remind me, I could go from horny as hell to bloodthirsty in five seconds.”

Dale laughed at me, but there was sympathy in his eyes. “Anger and lust are sadly our biggest enemies,” he said. I raised an eyebrow at that. The anger I understood, but lust? Dale grinned. “Anything that gets you excited and your heart pumping adrenaline. It calls to your wolf who always wants only one thing… Blood.”

“Are you telling me that if I want to have sex it’s at the risk of eating my partner? And not in the good way,” I said. Not that my sex life was currently very busy…

“You’ll just have to work on control is all,” Dale said. “I had it easier since when I turned there were still some smaller packs scattered around. The first few months I could only get off with other wolves, who could survive a few scratches and bites,” he admitted.

“Great, this gets better and better,” I grumbled, cursing the universe. As a reconciliation gift, the universe brought me the ribs which smelled even better than they looked. They tasted so good I could almost forgive the universe for all its transgressions against me… Almost.

Dale got himself a fried chicken steak with cream gravy. We stayed quiet for a while to enjoy the food.

“Are there no more packs?” I asked eventually the question bugging me.

Dale sighed and stabbed a piece of carrot. “Not anymore. Humans have hunted most of us to extinction together with our wild brethren. In the time of swords and bows, it was quite easy to fight back but even with our excellent healing a bullet to the head is still deadly. There are no more packs that I know of.”

“Do you know any other werewolves?” I asked curiously. Dale shook his head. I left it at that. We ate and then we took a walk around the city. We talked some more about Dale’s transformation. I learned that a single scratch or bite wasn't enough. A person had to almost die to become a werewolf, which was kind of a relief since it meant that Simon and Henry were safe from this horror even though they bore marks.

Dale told me a bit about the pack that had turned him back in England. He was not born in the US. I laughed at him for pretending to be a cowboy and he smacked my shoulder arguing that since he owned horses and chickens he could be counted as a cowboy. I highly doubted that. It felt like time skipped on its own and the next time I looked at the sky it was gray with dusk, so we went back to the house to grab our things and go to our place in the forest. I actually looked forward to shifting with Dale again. It felt almost addictive since it blocked out all worry and anger and sadness. The wolf did not care about anything but the present. It was a numbness I craved more and more.

"Okay, so the Wolf World 101 is over and it's time for How to Kill Your Maker for the Advanced." Dale sat down lazily on the grass and motioned for me to sit across from him once we got to the clearing. "Lesson number one, control over your wolf. Your wolf sees Lazar as God, so he is more inclined to listen to him."

"I've opposed him a few times." I shrugged. Dale raised an eyebrow. "He wanted me to kill an innocent man, I didn't do it. I couldn’t. Then he wanted to attack one boy I saved, so I defended him."

"You attacked Lazar?" Dale's hazel eyes widened in disbelief again.

"Well more like I pushed him aside and growled at him a bit,” I confessed and played with the loose string on my pants.

"Seriously? Damn. Andrew, the majority of pups are so dependent on their Maker that they can’t go further than a hundred feet away. They would never even dare to oppose their Maker,” Dale explained, a distant look creeping back into his eyes.

"What about your Maker?" I asked, but I immediately regretted it. Dale’s eyes flashed with a predatory fire that provoked my own Beast. A sharp pain shot into my mouth and I felt my teeth turn into fangs.

"Gone,” he said simply. "Undress, we'll shift," he said and began to take off his clothes. I swallowed a growl that was on my tongue and began to undress without protest. The Beast inside seemed quite agitated. Growling and pacing in my head. What's your problem? I grumbled at him in my mind, not expecting an answer. Mine! Mine! He howled in my head so loud I got a headache. The hell? Something was wrong. I looked forward to shifting with Dale all day but now unfamiliar anger seemed to take over. The dark forest suddenly lit up as my eyes turned amber. The familiar pressure in my joints announced the Beast’s arrival. I grunted uncomfortably and squeezed my temples. Stop it! Stop it! I growled, this time both in my head and in reality. Mine! Hunt! A wave of excitement swept through my body, which clearly did not belong to me. The dull ache in my fingers told me that my nails turned into claws... No! Not yet! My muscles contracted and my head spun under the Beast’s pressure. I heard myself whine and a sharp pain sent me to my knees.

"Shh…" a familiar voice said, very close to me and warm hands removed mine from my face. "Let it happen. Do not fight it." I never had a problem with that, but the horrible sick excitement of the Beast terrified me. Thoughts of blood and death crossed my mind. I couldn’t let him out. Not now… I just needed a moment… Just a moment to sort it out in my head.

“Andrew? What's going on?” His voice sounded worried, but another stream of pain blurred my vision so I couldn’t see his face. I leaned forward to relieve the cramps in my stomach and bumped my forehead against something warm and hard. Hunt! Hunt! The Beast roared, drowning out Dale’s words.

"He wants blood, Dale," I whimpered wearily, feeling the thrill of the hunt and the excitement the city full of weak mortals promised. "Dale..." It was a plea full of pain and desperation. He was going to kill. Tonight he was going to kill. But why now? Why so suddenly?

Steady hands wrapped around me and even though I couldn’t understand the words I heard Dale whispering something right into my ear, so close that his warm breath tickled my skin. His words were soft-spoken and gentle but at the same time, there was a certain emphasis on them. He wanted me to do something, but I didn't understand him! I could not hear him through the cruel singing of the beast, which tore me to pieces from within. His body was hot under my forehead and I snuggled up to him, desperate for any comfort, for any help.

Oh so warm… And how nice it smelled… Masculine, wolf-like, and for some reason something sweet like… cinnamon. My hearing sharpened and I heard the regular beating of his heart. An artery was just a short distance from my ear, full of that sweet fluid. Just a single drop... just a little bit... My clawed hands seemed to move on their own as they wrapped around Dale. Warm... Warm flesh... My fangs brushed against the soft skin of his throat. He shook, his words louder and more urgent in my ear. But I didn't hear him. But the Beast did not understand him. Andrew! Mhm… How nice it smelled. Kill him… The man jerked, but the Beast held him close. Andrew, stop it! The beast licked the man's neck, enjoying the deliciously salty taste of sweat and fear. Kill him... The man gasped and his claws dug into the Beast’s arm. He just growled and finally buried his fangs in the soft flesh. A muffled scream filled the forest, but the intoxicating taste of the sweet blood on his tongue drowned out everything. He drank it down as if it was his last meal in this world. He sighed happily and gripped the body tighter. Mine! Mine! Mine! The fluid sent warmth through his whole body.

Andrew… Please… The desperate, pleading sobs pulled me back into reality. The awfully bitter taste of copper spilled over my tongue, and my stomach threatened to turn over. Oh, God… I let go of Dale’s neck and whimpered in terror as he fell into my arms, his body heavy and too pliable.