Jade Taylor....

“No they don’t and those that do, well let’s just say they have secrets of their own.”

“How long have you been a wolf?”

“Since forever, I was born this way.”

“Do you like it? I mean the sites all say it’s a curse.”

“I wouldn’t exactly recommend it as a recreational activity if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Then why did you bite me?” Amanda asked, suddenly angry that she could turn into a monster anytime soon.

Adam had been waiting for this question but it still caught him off guard. He himself did not know why he bit her, he just did. “There’s no excuse for my actions that night. I had been drinking earlier with a couple of bums and we went out for a drive. They said they just wanted to kick back and run loose for a while so I joined in but I swear I didn’t know what they were up to.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, sensing the regret in his voice.

Adam took a swig of his beer before he continued. “There are some cabins up there in the woods. They’re spread apart so there’s not much help if you get into a jam. All of us shifted when we got to the highway and headed off into there. I realized what this little trip was all about when we came upon the first cabin. I could hear the voices inside and I knew this was a hunting party. I didn’t wanna take part in any of it but Ulric is a bit headstrong and once he sets his heart on something, it’s quite difficult to stop him. They wanted to move on from there but I just couldn’t go through it again so I challenged Ulric. He ended up giving me the beating of my life but at least I managed to put them off any further ideas they had. They then dumped me on the side of the road and that’s when you found me.”

“But why did you bite me?” Amanda wailed. “If you claim to be so righteous, why did you nearly kill me?”

“It wasn’t my intention, I swear that. I was just so angry at myself for not being able to do anything to save that family. Generally, when we’re angry or upset, we tend to shift. I tried to warn you but you just wouldn’t listen.”

“Oh so now this is all my fault?” Amanda asked, incredulously. “I stop to help a person who I think needs help, he then turns into a werewolf, almost rips my shoulder right out, bites me and it’s my fault?”

“Keep your voice down,” Adam warned, looking around to check if anyone had heard her outburst.

“Or what, are you gonna kill me too?”

“Don’t be stupid, if I’d wanted to kill you I’d have done it and you’d be dead already.”

“Is that a threat? Because I warn you buddy I could expose you right here and I doubt there’s a damn thing you could do about it. I read all about you, you’re not as fearsome without your little wolf coat.”

“True,” he said, “but I wonder just how many would believe you. My guess is none but please go ahead and prove me wrong.” He leaned back casually in his seat, his eyes daring her to go ahead and make a fool of herself.

Amanda knew her bluff had been called even though it hadn’t been a very good one to begin with. She snorted and took a sip of her diet coke. “So what’s gonna happen to me?” She finally relented, humiliated but having no choice as he was the only one who could help her.

“You already know what’s gonna happen to you. It’s all you’ve been able to think about during the past few days.”

“You’ve been following me?” She asked.

“I had to make sure you were alright. I feel like I’m responsible for you, after all it is my fault you’re in this mess."

 

“Yes thank you for that by the way,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Inside though, she had begun freaking out. It all suddenly seemed too much too fast for her. “Is the shift painful?”

 

“Only the first time,” Adam replied. He knew she was scared and who wouldn’t, being a werewolf was no tan on the beach. “It gets a little easier the more frequently you shift until finally you feel nothing at all.”

 

“But you said you were born this way and yet you looked like you were in pain when you shifted that night. Surely, you would have gotten used to it by now.”

 

“I should and I have but sometimes, the question of whether you feel pain or not is entirely up to you. For example, I felt pain that night, because I tried to stop the shift from happening. I was trying to resist the werewolf in me from coming out but on the other hand, if you just let it wash over you with no resistance, you almost feel nothing at all.”

 

“Almost?”

 

“Well there may be a little tweak here and there but it’s mostly nothing.”

 

Amanda concentrated on her hands, seemingly in deep thought as to what Adam had just told her. “So will I start killing people and stuff?” she asked abruptly. “Because I really don’t think I can do that.”

 

“That is all the more reason to make sure you do not shift alone. You won’t be able to control yourself the first time, you will want to hunt and kill everything in your path. It will take time to come to terms with your inner demon and even then, a slight lapse in concentration and you could do the unthinkable.”

 

“But how do you do it? It seems you at least tried to stop Ulric and the others in the woods that night.”

 

“Like I said, I was born this way so I’ve had quite a lot of practice. I also had the pack to help me out plus my parents of course. You can learn to control it, but it’s not easy. There were plenty of times I lost control back when I was still “fresh” and it’s hard to live with that kind of remorse every day. I wouldn’t want that for you.”

 

Amanda wrapped her arms around her, suddenly feeling cold despite herself. The continuing revelations about what she was to become were harder to take coming from a direct source rather than some over enthusiastic site on the internet. This was real, and if she had been hoping it was all a dream she had been dead wrong.

 

***

 

The night air was warm but it still sent chills through Amanda’s body. Tonight was the night, and as if taunting her, the moon was larger than she had ever seen it before. She could just imagine it singing that Marvin Gay song “let’s get it on” complete with the stars as its backup singers. She was surprised that nothing had happened yet despite feeling like clawing out of her skin since they arrived here but Adam had told her that the moon would have to reach its apex before anything happened. She was in a cellar in Adam’s house. He had eventually told his parents about her and they had reluctantly agreed to help. She was taken aback by the heavy chains, iron gate and reinforced steel trap door the cellar had but then remembered that this was a household of werewolves. Probably locked themselves in here whenever things weren’t going as dandy as they should.

 

 

She was crouched in a corner of the cellar, her hands and feet bound by the heavy chains inside restricting her movement. Amanda felt caged and found she did not like it. The shift must have been getting closer because her breathing had become more rapid and she felt hot, really hot. She pulled at the chains, now getting agitated. Adam had said it would be painful but just how painful was painful? Perhaps she would black out and not even feel a thing. Suddenly, she heard a howl from upstairs and she came out of the shadows to look out the little window in the cellar. She came face to face with the moon (aka Marvin Gay), full and exactly at its zenith shining brightly at her