It was the night of the full moon.

Kit's back was still aching, but his healing had sped up as the moon grew, filling out from half-circle to round. He had never run together with a pack before.

Working at Marvin's was comforting. It was hectic and loud and left no room for thinking or worrying about anything else. The only hiccup so far had been the stern order Marvin had given him after finding him snogging a college girl in the hallway outside the bathrooms:

"Hands off the customers."

Kit doubted that pointing out that she had kissed him first would do him much good, so he decided to dial back the professional flirting a bit. He should be able to put his head down and just work, right? How hard could it be?

But tonight he had other problems. And two of them were getting out of a car in front of Morgan's house, waving at him.

"You alright there, Charlie?" Dan called up. Ronan stood beside him, with the same calm and commanding air he always seemed to exude.

"Ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be."

They drove along the gravel paths into the mountains, to a different area than the one Kit had hiked through. It was going to be his first time running with other werewolves, and found himself worrying at his bottom lip, nervous.

Stupid. After everything, you're worried about this?

But he was. Worried, more than anything, that he would like it. His breath was coming in short pants. Was it hot inside the car? He hadn't thought so before.

The full moon heightened all of their senses. Kit could smell Morgan and Justin more clearly than ever, the wool and woodfire and cinnamon of them, the sweat and books and alpha and beta. They smelled...better than before.

Before he could think about that too deeply, Kit got out of the car.

The others walked up to him, forming a half-circle around him. He could sense a tension in the air, excitement, anticipation. They already looked less human in the silver moonlight, so bright it cast sharp inky shadows on the ground around them.

Instead of feeling threatened, Kit felt their excitement spread to him. He cast out with his senses, feeling them sharper than any other night of the month, grinning and breathing in.

Their combined scents hit him like a thick blanket, enveloping him in an instant. He staggered.

"Gah!"

The others shifted, Ronan sweeping out a hand and stepping forward.

"What is this?!" Kit wheezed.

"...Omega pheromones, I think. Because of the full moon. Haven't you ever felt this before, Charlie?"

"No!!!"

"Have you ever been around werewolves on a full moon? Alphas?" Ronan asked, covering his nose with his hand.

"Ugh... no, never..."

"That might be why, then."

Kit doubled over, gasping for breath. He wrapped his arms around himself, fever crashing over him in waves. He was panting, mouth open, shivers running up his arms. In his 21 years he had never felt anything like this - wanting, yearning so hot it was almost painful.

"What...the hell...is this?" he gasped.

Ronan was sweating too, face taught, arms crossed over his chest.

"It's Heat - it must be. You're an omega. I didn't think it would be...quite this strong..."

If Kit hadn't spent years battling the desires of his treacherous body, right now he would be ripping his clothes off and throwing himself at them.

He was a sex addict. And he was no stranger to cravings. No stranger to abstinence that made him break out into a cold sweat, shaking, nauseous, head and body aching. No stranger to compulsions so strong he would do anything to end the pain and fill the empty, yearning, gaping void inside either by starting a fight, drinking himself senseless, or falling into someone's bed.

Any one of those would take the edge off - and might well lead to one or both of the other two.

But this was different. This was no cold sweat or empty yearning. He had never felt anything like it before.

He felt hot. Gasping for air, his whole body burning up. But it didn't feel bad. It felt amazing. Painful, but the kind of pain that only heightened the pleasure.

Kit wanted to tear his clothes off and lie down on the cool grass... Looking down, he found his hands busy trying to pull out of the sleeves of his hoodie. With effort he stilled them.

The heat came in waves. As another crashed over him , his knees buckled and he stifled a moan.

It scared him how little control he seemed to have over his body - but more than scared, he was angry. Angry that he was lying face down in front of these wolves.

No. You are my body and you will obey me, he thought to his limbs.

Growling, seeing double, he crawled back up onto his knees. Slowly, quivering, he got to his feet. His teeth sank into his bottom lip and his fingers had somehow changed shape, claws digging into his palms.

The others stared at him, frozen. He noticed their flared nostrils, tense muscles, and dilated pupils.

One moment they all stood frozen - the next, Darren lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. Growls tore through the air.

"No!" Dan was on him in an instant, tearing his brother away from Kit. Ronan grabbed Darren's shoulder as he wailed and fought them. His eyes and teeth had shifted and he growled, incapable of forming words.

Kit saw Morgan two steps away with his arms around Justin's waist, pulling him back while Justin strained towards the omega, oblivious to his boyfriend.

Dan had Darren in a headlock and Ronan let go, doubling over and growling, fighting his own transformation.

When he looked up at Kit, his eyes had shifted and canines were poking out from beneath his upper lip. His breathing was ragged.

Kt felt a thrill run through him. So this was an Alpha werewolf. This was... He stepped forward instinctively and Ronan flinched.

"Get him out of here, Dan. Get...him...away!"

With apparent effort he turned from them, grabbing Darren and throwing him to the ground as if the taller man weighed nothing, and punching him in the jaw.

As Darren howled and retaliated, kicking, Dan grabbed Kit under his armpits and hauled him up, lifting, already running towards his truck.

Kit could hear the sounds of fighting and then groans and howling as the other werewolves shifted behind them.

"Damn it," Dan breathed.

That's when Kit heard the padding and branches snapping. Paws running over dirt and leaves, hunting. Chasing them.

Dan slung Kit over his shoulder and sprinted faster.

Once they were in sight of the car he spun around and growled deep in his throat at a wolf that had almost caught up, nipping at them. The pack was vicious, all human reason fled.

They wanted. They hunted. They were wild wolves.

Still snarling, Dan tore open the door to his truck and tossed Kit inside. He aimed a kick at one of his packmates and jumped into the driver's seat, turning the key and starting the ignition. The engine roared to life and they took off with wheels spinning and gravel spraying behind them, outstripping the howling wolves.

It was all Kit could do not to moan out loud. All those alphas... Their scent coated his nose and mouth and throat, and he was rock hard in his jeans. Why had Dan taken him away? Would he fuck him? Kit wanted that, wanted Dan inside him.

"I want you inside me..." he whispered and saw the other man twitch.

Clearing his throat, Dan reached out to touch Kit's hair, then snatched the hand back.

"We're almost there. This isn't a part of our territory that we patrol much, because it's popular with tourists and students, but I think you'll like it. We missed the sunset, but the sunrise is beautiful - you'll see."

Kit couldn't see anything but woods blurring by outside the car window, and even though his vision had shifted into monochrome, he couldn't focus.

"Please Dan..." He was begging, and he hated himself for it. But the heat coursing through him was unbearable.

And if it were anyone else, I wouldn't beg.

But with Dan, kind, steadfast, warm Dan who was always looking out for him...he felt stupidly safe.

Stop it, Kit. Stupid, stupid. He's a cop. If he knew half the things you've done...

Finally they stopped and he reached blindly for the door, sliding out onto the ground. It was all he could do to fall apart silently, gasping and holding himself together. He couldn't walk, only curl into a ball.

He lay face-down, shivering and helpless, hips grinding against the ground in desperate search of release, one hand pressed to his mouth to keep the whimpers in.

Kit wished there was someone he could call for help. He wanted his mother... He wanted Charlie...

No-one is coming to save you. You're on your own, Kit.

Then strong, calloused hands flitted across his shoulders, down his arms. They felt cool against his flushed skin.

Dan gathered him up gently into his arms and carried him over to a tall fir, sitting them both down against it's trunk. He leaned Kit back against his chest, cradling him between his legs and encircling his shaking body in his arms.

Kit struggled to get out of his hoodie and the beta helped him, pulling it off of his upper arms. But when Kit wanted to squirm out of his trousers Dan's calm, firm hands stopped him, pulling his own eager hands away.

He whined, and dragged the other man's hands up and in under his T-shirt, urging him to touch his chest and belly.

The omega could feel Dan breathe in, his chest expanding against Kit's back. Finally he obeyed the younger man's silent command, his hands coming up to explore his front, tracing the waistband of his jeans, moving up over his taut stomach, skimming over peaked nipples.

Kit moaned. He couldn't help it, it felt so good. His whole body was on fire and Dan's hands were cool, their calloused, gentle touch leaving relief wherever they touched and somehow building the pleasure inside him at the same time.

"Dan..." he moaned, turing his head to nuzzle into Dan's collarbone. "Touch me."

Dan gulped. His hands moved down, hesitatingly at first, then fervently. He unbuttoned Kit's jeans with one hand while the other hand rubbed across his erection through the fabric, dipping to caress his balls.

Kit groaned. How could so little feel so good?

"Please," he panted.

Dan continued to stroke his thighs through his jeans but his other hand slipped inside them, teasing him over his underwear.

Kit's head jerked back and his cock twitched. He had never been this sensitive, every nerve raw and thrumming. Pleasure so intense it threatened to spill over into discomfort bloomed around every spot where his body was pressed against Dan's.

The way Dan touched him, teasing through the fabric, light but then with just the right amount of pressure. And with something like tenderness. He was not rough. It was so different.

Kit's body trembled and shivers ran up his spine. He moaned and arched his back, pressing into Dan's warm chest.

When Dan finally moved inside his trunks and Kit felt his rough palm against his own soft skin, just as the bigger man leaned forward to kiss his neck - licking and nuzzling a spot below his ear - Kit felt almost ready to explode. He could feel precome leaking down his slit, felt Dan's thumb rub that sensitive, slick spot.

"Fuck! Faster. Ah... Yes..." Dan's large warm hand stroking him...

He hissed and threw his head back, fisting his hands in the beta's thick brown hair, writhing in his grip as Dan's thumb grazed against his tip, smearing the wetness there.

Dan's stubble scraping the side of Kit's neck, and his soft mouth warm and moist against the sensitive skin beneath his ear...

His hand - big and calloused and wonderful - moving up and down Kit's foreskin, teasing lightly and tightening around his base. Rubbing over his tip, extracting agonised whimpers from his throat.

His whole body felt so sensitive, all the nerves on fire in the areas Dan was touching. Kit reached up and started rubbing his own nipples through his shirt, twisting and flicking them.

"Ah... Don't stop," he pleaded.

"Wasn't planning to," Dan answered, voice rough.

Kit lifted the hem of his T-shirt and stuffed it into his mouth to give himself better access and slipped his hand up underneath it, stroking across his nipples and groaning.

He pushed two slender fingers into his own mouth, licking them wantonly, pushing his tongue in between them and sucking until he was breathless and panting.

Dan made a helpless, half-strangled sound and yanked Kit's legs up and apart. One hand was still working his cock, the other was under his bent knee, folding Kit's body up against Dan's chest.

Hi hand rubbed downward, squeezing his balls and then, finally, flitting over his tight, puckered hole.

Kit gasped and moaned, pulling his fingers from his mouth with a wet sucking sound to grab his own legs and pull them up higher, giving Dan better access.

Dan let go of his leg and started pumping his cock again, his other hand rubbing Kit's crease in a teasing way that made him whine and try to push down. His teeth were nibbling at Kit's ear and coaxing little whimpers out of him.

The younger man tried to thrust up into Dan's hand but his scrunched-up position made it virtually impossible, his toes curling and clenching in his sneakers -

He came, squirting hot white liquid over Dan's hand and himself, hitting his chest and chin and dripping from his hair. Kit barely noticed - he lay dazed and boneless as some of the painful heat left his limbs and simmered into a warm afterglow.

Instead of pulling away, the other man caressed him through the aftershocks, still kissing his tender neck. Kit could feel Dan's erection pressing into his back. Impressive, he thought, mind hazy.

Electricity still buzzed in his veins, but it seemed to have abated and was no longer impossible to endure. The fire had turned into embers; the fever had broken.

He grinned, and twisted around to face Dan.