Danny paced back and forth in Tori's small living room. The ride back had been silent. Tori just sat in the passenger seat; blood speckled on her sports bra covered chest.
When she had tried to see if Tori was hurt, her girlfriend had just swatted her hands away and curled deeper into the seat. So Danny drove them back to Tori's in silence. Tori had mumbled something about getting clean and disappeared quickly to her shower.
Danny kept thinking back to the day's events. She was worried, and couldn't keep the conversation that she had with Jamison out of her head. Looking at the clock, she realized she had been pacing and worrying for forty minutes. Debating with herself for a moment, she walked into Tori's room and knocked on the bathroom door. She knocked but got no answer. Leaning her ear against the door, she heard the water running. Taking a deep breath she mumbled out, "fuck it." and opened the door.
Steam billowed out and she waved a hand. Peering at the blue shower curtain with tropical fish swimming around it, she made out a figure crouched near the back of the tub. Pulling the curtain back, she looked down at Tori's trembling body. For a moment, she felt sad for her girlfriend then she felt angry. She was angry that Tori seemed to be taking something that was self - defense, in her mind, and twisting to into a moment of self - loathing.
Quickly she kicked off shoes and socks, wiggled out of her jeans, and removed her shirt. She didn't fail to notice that Tori hadn't moved or acknowledged her at all. Pulling the curtain back farther so she could step in she yelped at the hot water as it hit her skin. Quickly she fumbled with the temperature control until it was something more bearable.
Tori didn't get up but she mumbled. "Go away."
Danny arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me what to do. Besides, you're the one who fucked me outside in the dirt. I think you need to make sure I'm clean." Grabbing the soap, she held it out to Tori.
Tori glared back, but when Danny didn't back down she slowly stood up and grabbed the soap out of Danny's hand.
Without a word, she turned around and presented her back to Tori. When Tori's hands tried to get frisky and move around to wash her breasts, she slapped them away. Tori, had her fun, but Danny would dictate the terms now.
She smiled as she heard Tori sigh and then got back to washing her shoulders and her arms. Finally, she turned around and stepped back under the spray letting the water wash the soap from her body. Reaching out a hand, she took the soap back.
"Your turn. Turn around," she said in a husky voice.
Tori stood for a moment watching the water roll down Danny's form, then with great effort turned around.
Danny placed the soap back in the dish and with firm pressure pressed Tori into the tile of the wall. Grabbing both of Tori's hands, she dragged them up until they were positioned over the slicked back brownish - red hair. Stepping forward until her own body caressed the one in front of her, she whispered into Tori's ear. "Don't move your hands."
Tori shivered partly from the words and partly from the feel of the cool tile pressing into her flesh.
Danny trailed fingers down Tori's neck, across shoulders, then down the shoulder blades, and on to the muscles of the back. She loved how, with Tori's hands above her head, it raised the rib cage, highlighting the muscles. Smiling, she watched the flesh break out into goose bumps as she lightened her touch on Tori's back. As Tori whined and wiggled she slapped the bare bottom, snickering as Tori jumped but kept her hands in place.
Stepping back up to Tori she let her hands continue to trail over the back and then further down, while she began to talk into Tori's ear.
"I don't know why you are feeling bad about what happened earlier. But I want you to stop it. He deserved what you dished out and more. He's a predator looking for a jail cell in my opinion so stop beating yourself up." She dug her blunt fingernails into the flesh of Tori's ass, emphasizing her point.
Tori groaned, forgetting just about all of her day with that move.
"I got to watch you run around half naked, I met some of your family, most of whom were really nice. I watched you relax and have fun. You really let loose out on that field; that was so hot, and we had the most amazing sex outdoors. All and all it was a great day." Her hands were now scrapping below the crevices of the butt cheeks on the upper thighs.
Tori unconsciously spread her legs a little wider.
Danny grinned at that but then moved her hands back up.
Tori groaned as Danny's fingers went the opposite direction from where she wanted them.
"Not yet, I'm not positive you've got all that brooding out of your system," she whispered back.
Tori pressed the pads of her fingers into the tile trying to keep them still. The coolness of the tile scraped against her flesh of her belly, thighs, and her stiff nipples. It was a heady counter to the heat of Danny's hands where they teased her.
She had originally fled to the shower to sort through the different emotions going through her head. That and to wash her and Calvin's blood off of her body. To her great shame, she had sunk her teeth into Calvin's flesh like a wild dog. The more she reflected on the day the worse she felt until her emotions had downward spiraled into despair.
Now, however, she couldn't even remember why she had felt like that. All she wanted was for Danny to slip her fingers inside her and give her relief.
She bucked her hips and moaned as Danny bit the meat of her shoulder where her neck and shoulder met. Teeth released the skin and then lips were kissing along her neck and back to the other side. As teeth bit sharply into the skin, two fingers entered her wetness.
For a moment Tori was taken by surprise then as she adjusted to them, she began to roll her hips and ride the fingers.
Danny released the skin and leaned up and spoke into the other ear. "No. You stay still and let me do all the work."
Tori whimpered and tried to stop moving. It was agonizing trying to keep her body still as Tori pumped her fingers into her. The top of her head prickled and she was dimly aware of sweat collecting between their bodies, where the skin touched. Unable to hold it back she came as Danny spoke a series of nonsensical words to her, all she could decipher was the soothing tone to the words.
As Danny removed her fingers, she proudly watched Tori's body slide down the tiled wall until her hands pressed against the lip of the tub. With a smirk, she stepped fully under the lukewarm spray and re - washed her body then stepped out of the shower. Drying off, she poked her head back in. "Wash up and then you can cook me some food I'm starving."
Tori turned her head sputtering as she caught a face full of water. Wiping her face, her green eyes looked back at Danny stunned. "What?"
Danny laughed. "You heard me. Now quit goofing around, I'm hungry."
Groaning, Tori stood up and shivered under the cooling spray of water.
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Gloria stared at her father as she entered the library. She hated this room; it was always dark and gloomy. It was positioned so the sun never really came through the windows, and it was made up of dark wood and dark furniture. It was, to her, everything that was wrong with knowledge: pretentious, elitist, and domineering. Of course her father loved this room.
"You wanted to see me?" she asked standing on the upper level looking down into the 'pit' as she liked to think of it. Where her father sat in a dark brown leather chair, hooked up to his oxygen tank.
He waved her to come down. With a sigh, she descended the steps.
"Yes. Calvin has told me something most disturbing."
She raised an eyebrow. "I bet he did."
He raised one of his own. "You know about Victoria's attack on him already."
"Is that what he said?"
"Yes," he said sharply. "He even showed me the teeth marks. Teeth marks! We are not animals, and I will not tolerate anybody who acts like one to be a part of this family."
"I suppose he left out the part of his near sexual assault on Victoria's girlfriend."
"He did mention he may have said some things that were out of line but nothing that warranted a savage attack like that."
"I was there father. I saw nothing out of line with the way Victoria responded. I would have reacted much the same way if I had been in her shoes."
A startled sucking gasp was her only response. "Perhaps I overestimated you in the roll as Alpha," he wheezed out.
Her dark eyes flashed in anger. "Well, if you want to take it back we can go outside and fight for it, like the animals that we are."
"Gloria!" He gasped again with a sickening noise.
"I'm beginning to wonder if most of my wonderful childhood memories of you weren't that wonderful. Merely glossed over with the innocence of childhood."
The Wolfe patriarch's lips moved but nothing came out.
"I will deal with the issue of Victoria's resuming lack of control when it comes to her change, but as for her behavior today I will do nothing. However, Calvin has been warned."
"Perhaps I should speak with Harrison . . . ."
Striding over she grabbed the clear oxygen tub and bent it stopping the flow of oxygen. "Enough! I am in charge of this family now and you'll just have to deal with it. Don't even think of trying to push Harrison into a confrontation with me. First of all, he is in agreement with me and will be stepping up to monitor Calvin. While Victoria may have a problem being a werewolf, Calvin has a problem just being a decent human being. Don't think I don't know how you've been stepping in and bailing Calvin's ass out since he was 16."
She watched her father's wide - eyes stare back at her in shock. She felt horrible for acting this way, but she knew it was necessary. He would never stop trying to rule the family vicariously through her. Hoping she had gotten through to him, she released the tubing; with a hiss, oxygen started flowing again.
Turning she went up the stairs leaving, ignoring his raspy plea of, "Gloria."
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Tori walked out of her room in a pair of old shorts and a t - shirt.
"Wow, you are really letting loose this weekend," Danny said, getting a look at the clothes.
"What?" Tori looked down at her.
"You're always so neatly put together. This is a nice change for you."
Tori's green eyes looked down her body hesitantly. "Its, well, they're just old clothes."
"Un hmmm," Danny hummed as she opened the fridge to see what food was there. "But the most dressed down I've ever seen you was some khaki's and a polo shirt."
"That is casual dress," she replied.
"No honey, what you're wearing is casual." Danny sighed closing the fridge. "All that sex has made me hungry; fix something, please." She batted her long brown eyelashes at Tori.
Tori blushed. "Sex in the shower; that was you. You have nobody but yourself to blame for that." She sighed and moved into the kitchen moving Danny gently but firmly out of her way. Opening the freezer, she pulled out some steaks and threw them into the sink to thaw.
"No. Sex in the shower was your fault because you were being all broody and feeling guilty when you had nothing to feel guilty for," Danny replied pulling out a chair to sit in.
Tori went still and then opened the fridge pulling out vegetables.
Danny didn't miss the sudden lack of animation by her girlfriend. She sighed. "Stop it. Don't make me fuck you on the kitchen table."
Tori laughed and Danny felt a sense of relief at the sound. It was the sparkle in the green eyes and the laugh that had drawn her to Tori. Tori had been flailing around in the water trying not to drown. Danny dove in and pulled her ashore and the first thing she heard out of Tori was a laugh. It was the kind of laugh that embraced life, and she couldn't help but study the dumb - ass whose life she had saved.
Getting up she walked over to where Tori was bent over pulling stuff out of the crisper. Her blue eyes studied the ass presented to her. Not able to help herself she grabbed a handful in both hands.
Giving a yelp in surprise Tori dropped the vegetables in her hand and hit her head on the top of the fridge. "Could you take a step back?" she grumbled, rubbing her head.
"I thought you might be getting broody again"
"No, I promise no more brooding. I think you worked it all out of my system." When Danny stepped back, she picked up the onion and asparagus that had fallen to the floor. She washed them in the sink and set them on a cutting board then, running hot water over the meat so it would thaw, she left it for a minute.
"I see you're in the mood for red meat," Danny observed. Tori rarely ate meat particularly red meat.
"Well you know, my cravings go up as we get closer to that time of the month."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense." It hadn't occurred to Danny that there was a cycle to Tori's eating habits. "When is the full moon?"
"Next week."
"Oh. Can I watch?"
Tori went still again. A cutting knife held above the onion. "I'm not sure that would be a good idea," she finally said.
"Why?"
Tori shrugged.
Danny was almost certain she could see Tori retreat into herself.
"Why?" she repeated again.
"I just don't."
"Come on Tori, I know you're way more articulate than that."
Tori sighed and put down the knife; turning her head, her green eyes stared into Danny's blue. "Ever since that incident on Valentine's Day my control has been getting worse. I'm afraid I might hurt you."
"Tori, there is no way in hell you would hurt me. You couldn't on Valentine's, so you sure won't next week."
"No."
"Tori, I . . . ."
Tori interrupted her. "No, okay. Just . . . no. I won't take that chance. Not with you." It was on the tip of her tongue to pronounce her love, but sadly she knew if she did that Danny would be gone. Without hesitation Danny would get up and storm out. Danny didn't do love.
"Fine, but we will talk about this more, until I get my way."
Tori rolled her eyes in response. "I'm not budging on this."
Danny grinned, a small evil smile. "Uh huh."
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Lighting a match, Danny held it up to the stick of incense. Looking up she caught the reflection of a girl just as she stuffed a small fertility statue into her bag. Not turning around she said. "I'd put that back unless you're trying to get pregnant, or you're going to pay the 53 dollars for it."
The girl stilled and Danny could tell she was going to bolt.
Turning back around to face the young girl she said. "If you make me run after you I will call the cops when I catch your ass, but if you save me the trouble I won't do anything."
The girl gulped taking in the tall scowling woman in front of her. "Ye - yeah, okay." She fished the small figurine out of her backpack and placed it on the counter. "No cops, right?"
Danny grinned. "Yeah no cops, but . . . ." She reached over and snagged the broom. Handing it to the girl, she continued. "For my pain and suffering, you get to sweep up the cigarette butts outside the shop."
The girl let the broom drop with a loud clatter as it hit the wooden floor. "Hey!"
"Or I can call the cops," Danny said in a bored tone.
"Fine." The girl picked up the broom and headed outside.
Danny snickered.
"Hush. You know, a few years ago you were that girl."
Danny turned grinning at the older woman who came out through a beaded curtain. She was average height, thin as a stick, with white hair that was braided down her back, and her skin was dark and wrinkled from time spent in the sun.
"Whatever. I was never that obvious when I partook in a five - finger discount."
The older woman laughed. "No, but she at least had the intelligence to wait until your back was turned. You on the other hand tried to magic a necklace from right underneath my nose."
Danny turned slightly red in embarrassment from the old memory before she started laughing. "And it wasn't even a real silver necklace."
"No it wasn't, just a bit of gothic costume jewelry." Her brown eyes peered out the dirty shop window at the young girl who was scowling while she swept. "Hmmm, perhaps I have found a new shop assistant."
"Hey Cora, hello. I'm right here."
Cora laughed again. "Yes I can see you, but Danny you really think you're going to be happy working as a cashier in a new age shop for the rest of your life?"
"Well . . . ." Danny started then ended up shutting her mouth.
"I did a reading for you this morning."
Danny rolled her eyes. She really didn't believe in mystic new age mumbo jumbo, she thought some of the stuff in the store was neat, but if she didn't feel a real affection for Cora or get a chuckle out of the freaks that came in to realign their charka's, or whatever, she probably would have quit years ago.
"And what did the cards tell you?" She closed her eyes and hummed. "Wait. Wait. I'm getting an image. Oooohhh, I'm liking this image; me and some hot woman."
Cora swatted Danny on the ass. "Stop that." She raised an eyebrow staring at Danny until she was certain she had the younger woman's attention. "No smartass, what the cards told me was this was a time of great change. Someone close to you will need your guidance. Also there is a dark figure that wishes you and yours harm of some sort. Death is present as well."
Danny swallowed nervously. "That's kind of a downer for a reading."
Cora nodded. "Yes, I know. The cards give a glimpse at what is to come but the future is never set in stone."
The bell rang as the door was opened and both women looked up as the scowling teenager came back in.
"Okay the front is swept can I go now?"
Cora smiled. "Hello there. I'm Cora owner of this establishment. Who might you be?"
The young girl looked down, her dark brown hair falling over her face, and she mumbled something.
"What was that?" Cora asked nicely.
The girl looked up, her light brown eyes somewhat panicked. "Um, my name's Summer."
"Summer." Cora said the name as if she was tasting it. "Yes a lovely name. Well Summer thank you for sweeping the front, so many young people have no respect for things around them."
The girl blushed lightly.
Danny smirked watching Cora weave her spell over the girl.
"You know if you would like to come by the shop a couple days a week, once school was out for the day, I'm sure I could find some odd jobs around here for you to do."
At the girl's dubious look Cora added, "You'd get paid of course."
"Um, I have to ask the 'Rents' but maybe."
Cora blinked and looked at Danny asking, "'Rents?"
"Parents," Danny clarified.
"Oh, yes, by all means ask your 'Rents."
"Cool." The girl handed back the broom and took off.
As soon as the girl left, Danny started laughing. "God Cora you are so slick, you should have been a car sales person."
Cora smiled, "Thank you." She looked out the front window. "I'll be in the back if you need me but this woman probably wants to speak to you in private."
"Huh?" Danny asked confused.
A second later the bell above the door rang and Gloria's form filled the doorway. Danny turned looking at Cora's retreating frame. "I hate it when you do that? You sure you're not related to Angel?" With a sigh she turned to Gloria and pasted a fake smile on her face. "Welcome to Cora's Nook. How may I help you?"
Gloria sniffed the air and almost started sneezing as the acidic sent of the incense burned her nose. Eye's watering she looked over a Danny. "Hello Danny."
Danny grinned. "No loitering. Only paying customers."
"Danny, I was wondering if we could have a chat?"
Danny's grin got more evil. "Um, you buy something and maybe my boss won't bust my ass for socializing on the job."
Gloria gritted her teeth. Why did Victoria have to date such an annoying woman? Her eyes darted around the shop looking for something small and cheap. Black carved wolf bookends caught her attention. Going over to the wolves, her hands traced the carved lines. There heads were thrown back catching them forever in the joyful act of releasing their song to the moon. Not caring about price she picked them up and set them down in front of Danny.
Danny whistled at the purchase. "Nice."
Gloria pulled the cash out of her wallet and set it down.
Danny wrapped the bookends up and placed them in a sack. "Okay, Gloria, what do you want?" She leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her hands over her chest.
Gloria chewed her lip for a moment. "It's Victoria."
Danny's eyes narrowed. "Go on."
"I'm worried about her . . . ." Gloria blew out a breath and then looked around.
"We're alone," Danny confirmed.
"Oh." She cleared her throat.
"Is this about Calvin and the football game, cause if it is I'm sick of talking to Tori about it. She's was broody for days about it."
"Oh, no. I'm not bothered by that. I would have done the same thing in Victoria's place."
"Then what? Spit it out."
Gloria huffed, "If you would just let me talk I would. I'm worried about her in regards to her change. I don't know if you are aware but she hasn't shown any improvement in gaining control over her wolf."
"We discussed it briefly." Danny partly got enjoyment out of jerking Gloria around, but she also was going to hold her cards close until she knew what Gloria wanted.
"Well, okay, that's good." Gloria paused trying to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to ask. "The full moon is tomorrow and Danny will be at the office for the change. I was wondering if you would agree to be there for her?"
"Nope."
"Nope? No? What do you mean no? Don't you care about Victoria at all?"
Danny's eyes grew frosty in anger. "I already asked and she won't let me be there."
Gloria sighed. "Danny, I think it would help her a lot if you were there. There are two things strongest for my kind; ties to the pack and the ties to one's mate. In Victoria's case, pack isn't working. And while that may give my father fits it doesn't bother me that much. However, if her control downward spirals much more she will get lost in the hunger of her wolf. If it becomes too bad I will have no recourse but to put Victoria down."
"What?" Danny grabbed Gloria by her white pressed shirt collar and pulled the slightly taller woman down to her level. "You are not killing my girlfriend!"
Gloria pried Danny's hands off her shirt. "Trust me, that is the last thing that I want. However, I believe if you are there during the change it will remind Victoria why she needs to stay in control of her wolf. Besides, during that whole Valentine's fiasco you had a certain pull with Victoria that I couldn't even do and I'm her Alpha."
Danny grinned. "And that just chaps your hide doesn't it?"
Gloria huffed. Yes, it did bother her, but she wasn't going to admit it to Danny.
The two women looked at each other, neither one willing to break the stare. Finally Danny couldn't take those black predator eyes. Tori could do that creepy stare too, not very often, only when it was close to the full moon. She stared at the counter. "So what do you want me to do?"
Gloria grinned. "Show up at the office tomorrow. I will let you in. I want you to do what you do best remind, Victoria why its important to have control."
Danny smirked, "You want me to seduce my girlfriend."
Gloria cleared her throat. "Well physical closeness is important, it keeps wolves grounded, and she will be chained up. From talking to your various ex's I understand that's a turn on for you." Gloria smirked back as Danny's face went red with embarrassment, and then purple with anger.
"You had me investigated!" she shouted.
"No. I checked you out. Victoria's my favorite niece, I was worried she was getting involved with someone who was not good for her," Gloria replied.
"And how close were you to killing me off?" Danny shot back.
Gloria grinned wolfishly. "Wouldn't you like to know?" And with that she took her purchase and left the store.
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Tori clock watched. She leaned back in her chair and let herself be hypnotized by the turning of the second hand on the clock. In the back of her head she was aware of the passage of time as she could feel the sun begin to set and the full moon begin to rise. She had already changed into an old pair of jogging shorts and an old t - shirt she had picked up at the thrift store. Not able to put it off anymore, she snapped her gaze from the clock and with a sigh got up and headed to her cage.
She used to have hope. She used to think each full moon that; tonight would be the night, the night where she could hold back the change, and remain in control. But she no longer felt that. Now she felt resigned to the fact that once a month she was a beast.
Tori leaned back against the wall holding her hands up to the chains. The chains were magical, enhanced to help hold her during the change. She had a hard time with the whole magic thing, partly because she had managed to break one of the chains on Valentines. She stared at the new set of chains as she placed a wrist in each manacle. Nothing happened. It should snap shut around each wrist. She lowered her arms and then placed them back inside, still nothing happened. Frightened, she shook the chains. Maybe they just needed a jump - start.
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Gloria waited impatiently outside the front doors to the Office. She was annoyed; Danny was cutting it very close. After a few more moments of looking at her watch she began to pace back and forth.
"Hey," Danny called out as she ran up the sidewalk. "Sorry," she huffed out. "The bus was running late."
Gloria stopped her pacing and stared at the young woman. Her nose picked up the tangy scent of Danny's sweat and her ears picked up the woman's accelerated heartbeat from running.
Danny looked up into Gloria's eyes and for a moment considered running. It was an unconscious response but for a moment she felt like a rabbit under the scrutiny of a very hungry wolf and she wanted to bolt.
For a second both Gloria and Danny went very still. Then Danny broke the moment as she took a deep breath and exhaled. "Stop it Gloria," she nearly barked out, before composing herself. She smirked. "Aren't you the Alpha? Shouldn't you have better control of your wolfy nature?"
Gloria gritted her teeth and then mumbled out, "Yes, well, you're cutting it close." Turning around she slowly counted to ten while she unlocked the door. She wasn't sure what it was about Danny that annoyed her so much; maybe it was because Danny had a very Alpha sort of personality.
Getting the door open she rushed over and keyed in the code to deactivate the alarm. She turned looking at Danny. "You know where Victoria's office is?"
Danny just nodded.
"Her holding room for the change is the door that looks like it should go to a closet."
Danny laughed. "So that's what that is. I thought it was the cleaning supply closet."
"Yes, well . . . ." Gloria looked around at a loss. "Do you want me to stay? Just in case I'm wrong."
Danny became uncharacteristically thoughtful as she thought about the situation at hand.
This made Gloria worry. Perhaps she was wrong? What if Victoria hurt Danny? She blew out a breath; that would make things far worse. She was just about to open her mouth when Danny spoke.
"No, go ahead and leave. Just set the alarm when you go."
"Danny . . . ." Gloria started, looking into Danny's blue eyes. What she saw was an iron will bent on a task.
"No Gloria, this is really between Tori and I. So I think it's best if we were alone," Danny spoke quietly.
"I can stay here and still leave you alone. I'll just go to my office and do . . . ."
Danny snorted, amused by Gloria's concern. She cut the older woman off, "Gloria, Tori will know you're here and I don't want her confused about whether to listen to me or her Alpha."
"Oh," Gloria hadn't thought of that. "Fine, I'll just set the alarm and I guess I'll see you two tomorrow."
Danny waved, "Don't forget the coffee and the donuts in the morning," she perkily said to Gloria's retreating back.
Gloria growled in annoyance and firmly shut the door.
Danny hoped everything would really be okay as she started up the steps to Tori's office.
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Tori could feel the bead of sweat trail slowly from her temple and down her cheek then finally fall slowly to the floor. The drop of salty water seemed to echo loudly as it hit the tile floor. This was bad, very bad; her senses were in hyper - drive. Fumbling, she reached up and tried to get the left manacle to close and lock. It wouldn't stay closed, it kept flopping open, mocking her. Not again. She couldn't let herself get loose again. Last time she was lucky she hadn't killed anybody, but this time, who knew what could happen. Panic began to rise in her chest causing her breathing to become labored. Trying to calm down, she took a deep breath in and then out. She had to calm down; she needed to stay in control.
'I am in control. I am not a monster. I am in control. I will not become furry. I am in control.' She chanted over and over in her head. She groaned, as each hair follicle on her body seemed to burn. Heat built up just under her skin, and as always, she felt as if fur was rubbing against her internal organs. Pain slid from the base of her skull down to the tip of her tailbone, causing her to arch her back. Teeth gritted tightly, the top of her head touched the padded wall behind her, and her chin jutted out as she breathed heavily in and out of her nose. The fingers of her hands tightly grasped the cool metal chains.
After a moment, the pain was swallowed up by her body, disappearing into a steady ache that radiated through her body. Slowly taut muscles relaxed and she slumped back against the wall, the wobbly muscles of her legs couldn't hold her and she hung by her grip on the metal chains. Gasping for breath, she tried to retreat back into her mantra of 'I am in control,' but the wolf didn't want to be controlled, she could feel it pacing around waiting, wanting out.
"Ahhhhhh . . . shit!" she cried out, as the pain came again. Thick hair pushed its way up slowly through her flesh. After a moment it stopped and she curled into a ball on the floor, whimpering.
God, who was she kidding? She had no control over this aspect of herself. She might as well give up. The wolf inside her lunged as it felt her resolve weakening; her back bowed, snapping her body out of the ball, and into a near perfect arch. Mouth open, she started to scream; feeling small canines lengthen and expand inside her mouth.
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Danny paused near Tori's desk. Slowly she looked over the room, giving a brief smile as she saw the small pewter fairy sitting on the desk. She really didn't see how it could possible remind Tori of her. The room was of course neat and organized, kind of a reflection of her girlfriend. A small stereo on a bookshelf played something she vaguely recognized, some Celtic band.
Hearing a muffled scream she rushed to the door, but stopped, her hand resting on the knob. Taking a deep breath she got herself under control. She couldn't rush in and be frazzled. If Tori was already wolfy, that kind of reaction would probably just set the wolf off more. Slowly she opened the door and looked in. Her breath caught as she took in the line of Tori's body. Muscles stood out in her legs and Danny could clearly see thick reddish hair on the exposed skin. It was different, not the normal hair you would find on a human leg. It had a texture that seemed out of place. Suddenly Tori seemed to deflate and she curled back into a ball.
Danny's mind began to process everything she was seeing, and then it came to a screeching halt. Tori wasn't chained up.
After a moment, Tori came back to herself. Immediately, her senses went off, alerting her that she wasn't alone. Automatically she opened bright green eyes and drew back her lips into a snarl to warn whomever it was off.
Danny felt fear, it twisted in her gut as Tori snarled, showing off much sharper teeth than she remembered her girlfriend having earlier today, but outwardly she showed a bored face.
"Not quite the welcome I was expecting," she deadpanned.
Tori sat up. "Danny?" she croaked out. "What are you doing here?"
"I told you I wanted to watch your change."
"No! Danny, I'm not screwing around here, this is bad. Get out!" How like Danny to try and have her way. To late she realized that her anger was spiraling out of control. The muscles in her chest felt like they were tearing apart, as heat built up in the bones and the ribs started to bend and expand.
"Je . . . Gah!" Tori roared out.
Not really thinking Danny walked the two short steps over to Tori's side and slapped her across the face. "Stop it!" she ordered firmly.
Blinking in surprise Tori leaned back into the wall behind her and stared at Danny.
Danny took a step back and watched carefully. Tori's face was different, it was trapped somewhere in the first parts of the change. There was a fine down - like hair all over Tori's face, the nose was larger, and a fang poked out from under the upper lip. The eyes seemed to flash between the calm green that she knew to be Tori to a wilder darker green she knew was the wolf, and she noticed that it was taking longer and longer for the calm eyes to come back.
Tori took a breath. "Danny, you need to go. It's not safe. There's something wrong with the chains, they should lock . . . magic . . . but they're not." She desperately wanted Danny to leave, before something bad happened. She inhaled again through her nose, catching the scent of Danny's perfume, and felt her insides give a lurch.
Danny saw the eyes flicker back to the wilder green, and automatically her mind began to calculate the length of the room and her chances to escape.
Before she could be horrified the thought of chasing Danny popped into her head, and her world shifted. She could smell Danny's sweat, and hear the sweet pounding of her heart. Growling, the wolf remembered the slap and lunged toward the woman, lips pulled back exposing large teeth.
Danny backed up quickly, the flesh of her back slamming into the knob of the door. Reaching behind herself, she fumbled with the knob, getting it to turn with her sweaty hands. Her blue eyes never left the horror of her girlfriend coming at her, scrambling over the floor tile. The oddly shaped nails on Tori's hands gouged into the floor leaving deep marks that Danny couldn't ignore. Finally the door opened out and she fell through it.
Tori lunged after the woman who was rapidly crabs walking away from her. Her paws caught the denim fabric at the ankle shredding it. A sharp, half formed claw caught the skin above the sock tearing the flesh lightly. Blood hit the air, sweet in its smell.
Danny winced and tried to still herself. Logic. She needed to use her brain because that was the one thing Tori wasn't using at this moment. Tori was stripped down to the primal flow of energies that urged her on, short - circuiting everything else. Danny would guess the two basic f's - feeding and fucking - and she had no desire to be fed upon or fucked at this moment.
Nostrils flared and the hybrid of wolf and human bent her head, a long pink tongue came out licking lightly at the wound that had been caused. The taste was beauty made concrete; it burst upon her tongue and teeth. Unexpectedly a leg wrapped around her shaggy head cutting off her air. In surprise, she tried to yelp, but there was not enough air in her passageway to make the noise.
Danny grabbed her ankle pulling tighter on her leg that was wrapped around Tori's throat cutting off more and more oxygen. She gave thanks that Tori had bugged her to take that self - defense class, she was even happier that she had given in. She held on tightly as the werewolf bucked and wheezed. With each sudden movement she just pulled tighter, hoping that if she did crush her lover's throat that what Tori told her about the healing powers of werewolves during the night of the full moon was true. Without warning the body thrashing on top of hers went limp. Startled she continued squeezing for a moment more before going still; she studied Tori's body waiting for it to be a trick. Satisfied that it wasn't, she slowly released her legs, Tori thumped down into her body. With a pained grunt Danny rolled her lover off of her.
She stood slowly wincing in pain as the adrenalin wore off, not taking her eyes off Tori she backed up slowly towards Tori's desk. She fumbled for the phone. It rang shrilly in her ear. "Come on Angel pick up," she whispered.
"Seems you have a problem." A voice stated coolly causing goose bumps to form over her flesh.
He stood in the door smugly calm and collected, something metallic and shiny dangling loosely to the floor in his right hand. His eyes flickered over to Tori's unconscious form. "Seems she has a problem too. Told everybody she was out of control. Attacking me without provocation, and look at this she nearly kills her own girlfriend."
"Calvin wha . . . ." She stopped herself. It was painfully obvious what he was doing here. He was fucking up their lives.
He took a slow measured step into the office, the heel of his shoe echoing loudly as it connected with the tile in Tori's office. "Hey, this is family business and I'm family. You, on the other hand are not, so I might ask you why you are here. But I'm not." He smiled at her slowly looking Danny up and down.
Danny shivered making his smile grow larger.
Calvin took another step; he paused for a moment looking down at Tori's limp body. "That's rather impressive you know. Taking one of us out. Not an easy feat." He licked his lips. "And if I didn't want you before, I certainly want you now, but that would ruin my plans."
Danny wanted to back up away from him, but didn't. She wasn't going to give ground to Calvin. "What plans?"
"The ones where Tori kills you, and then when she comes to the next day, sees the horrible act she's done, and kills herself. The final act; dear Aunt Gloria is brought to heel for her support of Tori, and is no longer leader of the pack."
With a casual ease she didn't feel, Danny leaned against Tori's desk still holding the phone receiver, she hoped that Angel was on the line hearing every word. "You really are a sort of dark ages male aren't you? Do you just have a problem with women? Or are you a spoiled brat?"
Calvin's face flushed red in anger.
"Shut up!" He swung the chains that dangled out of his right hand at Danny.
She easily avoided the swing but most of Tori's stuff was knocked from her desk including the phone, which broke apart.
Calvin let go of the chains; "Since Tori is out of it at the moment I suppose I will just have to do her job for her. Never have a woman do a man's job."
Danny stood in horror as Calvin's skin began to bubble and squirm as if something was moving around under it. He growled in pain as his jaw dislocated and began to lengthen.
She was stuck between him and the doorway. Things were just not going her way today.
Calvin scratched his face grinning sharp white teeth at Danny. "Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, what do I smell?"
"That was Jack and the Beanstalk and very poorly worded at that," Danny said with a sigh. She might die by Calvin's bad puns before fangs even got to her.
"Whatever," Calvin grunted out between misshapen lips taking a menacing step toward Danny.
"Um, Calvin not to rain on your murderous parade or anything but you forgot about something," Danny gleefully pointed out.
Tori blinked her eyes open and grimaced at the taste in her mouth. Jeez, her throat hurt. Maybe she was coming down with something. She moved her tongue, which seemed unusually large, around her mouth. When she got to the fangs she knew there was a problem. Suddenly environmental data began to flood her senses: yelling and a plethora of scent information. The air currents told her of fear, rage, lust, disgust, Danny, and another werewolf. As the scent of another werewolf hit Tori's nose and she shot up. Her skin rippled and split open even more following through with the change that had been started earlier. Her last thought before her wolf self took over was that Danny was hers.
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Two humanoid creatures clashed; both were big, bulky, and hairy. One had a dark pelt and piercing blue eyes. The other had a reddish pelt and green eyes. The dark one was bigger and with little effort tossed the red one into the bookshelf.
The CD player broke, crushed under Tori's weight. Shaking herself, she quickly got up, growling. Hatred burned inside her, fueling her strength, and with a grunt she pushed herself up off the floor. Swinging her shaggy head around her animal brain began to calculate. Muscles in her legs tensed and she stared at Calvin, growling. With a tremendous release, she leapt, but not at Calvin, she aimed beyond Calvin. A feint. She knew he would expect her charge. He swung wide, claws ripping into empty air. Instead she landed on her desk and then immediately propelled herself from the desk on to Calvin, taking Calvin by surprise. Claws sunk into flesh; growling, her jaw latched onto the loose flesh around Calvin's neck.
Calvin howled and thrashed, he had not seen that move. How could some out of control runt get the best of him?
"Mercy," he pleaded when he realized Tori had leverage that he could not break.
Danny cowered, trying to stay out of the way as the two beasts fought. For a moment she thought she heard someone speaking. After a moment of listening she realized that someone was asking for mercy. Slowly getting up, she surveyed what was going on. Tori seemed to have Calvin pinned and was savagely ripping into him.
"Tori stop." She hesitated getting any closer. "Please. Don't be like this. You're not like this. This isn't who you want to be."
The wolf paused, her ears cocking forward. The weak one had been begging but he was tricky and couldn't be trusted. Her other self had memories and emotions of him that spoke of this. The girl spoke and she paused listening. She had good memories and emotions of the girl. But the wolf didn't understand this begging, begging for an unworthy life. She snorted and went back to trying to claw his heart out.
"Tori stop!" Danny wasn't use to Tori ignoring her, wolf or not. After a moment of the wolf disregarding her she marched over and grabbed Tori by her ruff. "Stop."
In surprise Tori let go of Calvin.
"Not that this form doesn't have its uses, but I want my Tori back in her glorious Tori shaped body. You got me?" Danny had just about had enough being attacked by werewolves today.
Green eyes blinked and she tried to wiggle out of Danny's hold.
"No! You change back right now," Danny demanded.
Slowly fur rippled and began to recede, bones made flexible by her greater body temperature reshaped themselves. Tori's howl of pain changed into a human scream. Naked and shivering Tori panted. "Oh my. Oh . . . ." She gasped for breath. Her mind tried to grasp the whirling images shifting around inside it. Standing, she saw that she was in her office and that it was trashed. Details came to the forefront, the blood, the whimpering, and the heavy breathing. "Danny?" Her voice seemed unnaturally loud when she spoke.
"Right here," she whispered and placed a hand in Tori's back.
Tori flinched and turned around. Her green eyes widened as she looked upon Danny. "I hurt you. I'm sorry I'm so . . . ."
Danny smiled and placed a finger to Tori's lips silencing her. "Shh. I'm fine. We had a brief altercation, but I so kicked your werewolf butt."
Tori cocked her head to the side in confusion and Danny had to laugh at that. That was so the wolf showing through at the moment. "I'll tell you all about it later. We have another problem." She pointed to Calvin's whimpering form.
Tori's eyes grew huge. "What have I done?"
"Don't worry, Calvin deserved everything he got."
"Calvin? What is he doing here?"
"What he always does? Screws around with our life. Only thing I don't get is that he isn't healing. I thought you told me on the night of the full moon you're healing powers went through the roof."
"They do, unless another werewolf, and sometimes another monster, attacks us. My saliva has an agent that repels his healing factor, so now he heals like a normal human." Tori gulped looking at the blood. "Jesus we should call Gloria, that's a lot of blood."
Something shiny caught her attention. "You fucker!" She scooped the chains off the floor.
With a grimace of pain Calvin clawed his way up the desk and finally to his feet. "What? Didn't you like my little joke?" With each word he spoke blood and saliva flew from his lips.
"Joke!" Tori turned to Calvin her eyes flashing red. "You bastard. I could have hurt people. You replaced my chains with normal ones."
Calvin laughed. "Surprise."
Tori growled and started to shift bent on hurting Calvin only to be pulled up short by Danny.
"Stop it, Tori. As much as Calvin needs another ass whooping, that would be just giving him what he needs to prove you're out of control."
Anguished, Tori looked to Danny. "But I am out of control. I can't control my change."
"Bullshit. In case you haven't noticed you're human again."
In wonder, Tori looked at her hands and touched her index finger to her teeth finding them neither sharp nor pointy.
"Um, Tori as much as I like looking at your assets; do you have spare clothes here?"
"Yeah, in the filing cabinet."
"As touching as this is, I should get going," Calvin growled out. He lashed out with a forearm catching Tori in shoulder spinning her around.
"Fucker!" Tori spat out trying to get her balance. She turned back to the door ready to give chase.
"Let him go."
Tori looked at Danny stilling, "Why?"
"Well for one you're naked," she said throwing clothes at her girlfriend. "And two lets just let the night end. I've had way to much excitement without adding a dog chase."
Tori sniffed. "Wolf, not dog," she grumbled pulling on some old sweat pant bottoms.
"Keeping telling yourself that. You're all just a bunch of overgrown puppies."
Tori grinned at Danny's tough act, grateful her girlfriend was still in her life.
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Gloria paced on the street corner. She was the Alpha damn it! She didn't feel right leaving Danny alone in the offices with Tori so . . . so she should march back in there and do paperwork just in case. She was behind on some stuff, and she was the Alpha. She huffed and stared at the warm coffee she was holding. Her eyes stared at the white container like two liquid black pools. She had made it as far as the chain coffee store one block over before walking back.
Midnight colored eyes looked up at the full moon and she grinned softly. It was an odd duality the moon had over her life; it gave both freedom and slavery. By its silvery light she could shed the bonds of human flesh and slip into a realm of sensation that had no words to give it meaning in English or any human language. A freedom of her senses to experience the world and run on four legs: the wind had a texture that was unbelievable, the night tasted smoother than silk on her tongue, and the stars waltzed in an elliptical court that her eyes relished to see. The moon was her Mistress, calling her and like a lust filled lover each time the moon called her with its lush fullness she was unable to say no. Even now with her human flesh closeting in her wolfish face she longed to give in and shed clothing and skin. Run; she wanted to run, feel the wind, taste the night, and watch the stars dance their waltz.
She sighed in contentment, her human and wolf side both in perfect balance. Her contentment was shattered as a body crashed into her back. The violence of the motion caused her to crush the weak cardboard cup, drenching her clothes in hot coffee. She hissed loudly in pain and turned to yell at whoever was so stupid. Her clumsy assailant was already gone, silently, moving in an erratic path down the sidewalk.
Gloria huffed and wiped coffee off her face. As soon as she did that she smelled the scent of blood. Not just any blood. This blood was hot and spicy, were - blood. Black eyes flashed red and Gloria's nose twitched. Dropping her crushed cup she slinked into she shadows moving with a grace foreign to any human.
She sniffed again, blood of her blood. Her anger rose and she started to sprint, easily she caught the young were. Reaching out she grabbed his shoulder in a vice like grip and spun him around. "Calvin!" she hissed angrily.
Calvin coughed, blood bubbling up into the corners of his mouth. "Gloria what a surprise. What brings you out on such a lovely night?" He tried not to wince at her grip.
Gloria's eyes narrowed in anger. "Don't you Gloria me, you shit." She shook him, taking delight in his whimpers. "What are you doing here . . . ?" She trailed off as her mind leapt to make connections. "You . . . ."
Calvin broke in. "Look I was just having a little fun. Pulled a prank. No big deal." He shook his Aunt off of him. "Let go of me. If you hadn't noticed I'm hurt here."
Gloria's eyes narrowed. "I can smell Victoria and Danny both on you. If you've hurt them . . . ." She let the threat go unvoiced.
"Hurt them? You're out of control little runt tore me up. I'm fucking hurt here," he whined gripping his ripped up side.
She snorted in disgusted. "Get out of here. Run on home to Brent; whine and kiss his ass to make your mistakes all better again. Know that you will pay dearly if Danny and Victoria are hurt." She curled up her lip in a snarl exposing sharp teeth.
Calvin shivered. "Wait till I tell Brent. You'll pay. He'll put Harrison in charge. You should have never been made Alpha."
Gloria's snarl got bigger. "I took on wolves bigger and more fierce than you to get here. So you go on and do that, but know that nobody in this family is foolish enough to challenge me for Alpha not even Brent."
Calvin's eyes flew wider in surprise. Surely she was bluffing, but the hardness in her eyes made him step back. Then before he knew what he was doing he was fleeing far away from her, he couldn't seem to stop his feet.
Gloria snorted and turned to make her way back to the office. As she turned the corner she ran into a disheveled Angel.
Angel panted. "Phone call . . . Danny . . . trouble . . . psycho guy . . . wolves fighting . . . ."
"Yeah she seems to attract the unstable ones." Gloria said in response.
Angel swatted Gloria on the nose. "Bad puppy. Horrible use of sarcasm."
Gloria's eyes watered and she took a step back. "Don't do that."
"Don't be insensitive. Danny doesn't have your mutant healing factor and she was trapped in a room with two fighting werewolves."
Gloria's eyes got huge. "Sorry." She fumbled with her keys to the office.
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The pounding of footsteps reached their ears and the two of them looked at each other.
Tori sniffed. "I smell Angel's perfume and Gloria's scent."
A frazzled Angel and Gloria burst into the room. "You two okay?" Gloria yelled imagining the worst.
"Got . . . here . . . as . . . fast . . . ." Angel gasped out leaning against the doorframe. "Oh Goddess, I wasn't designed for physical activity." She looked around the room and then at Gloria. "See I told you everything would be fine."
Gloria rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I was the only one freaking out downstairs."
Angel sighed and looked at Gloria. "I was concerned not freaking out."
Danny cleared her throat getting Gloria and Angel's attention. "Where the hell were you all 20 - minutes ago when I needed help? Creepy ass Calvin was here, doing his Mr. Date - Rape impersonation. I was stuck with nobody to help me, cause I had already knocked Tori's furry ass out." She pointed at her girlfriend who was in the process of pulling a t - shirt down over her head.
Tori's disheveled reddish hair poked through the neck of the shirt, a second later her head poked through. "Hey, I helped. When I regained consciousness," she mumbled the last part to herself.
Gloria's eyebrows hitched into her hairline at that, but she wisely made no comment on Danny's ability to take out a werewolf. That knowledge did make her a bit uncomfortable. "So everybody is okay, right?" She asked looking from Victory to Danny.
Tori looked at Danny and Danny looked at Tori. Both broke out into grins. Danny gave a very un - Danny like squeal and lunged at Tori wrapping her arms around her non - furry werewolf girlfriend.
"That was so . . . ." Danny paused looking for the right word.
"Scary," Angel supplied.
"Insane," Gloria answered
Tori wisely stayed silent, she was just happy to be in control of her more wild side. Goodness, she just felt so alive. The air was positively electric; scents peppered the air. She could feel the heat radiating off of Danny's skin sinking into her flesh where they touched. Nostrils flaring she sniffed, leaning into Danny's neck taking in her smell.
Danny gave another giggle, and pushed Tori away from where she was sniffing her neck. "No, exhilarating."
"Oh, look at you," Angel gushed. She walked over and pulled Tori, away from Danny. "How does it feel to be human on a full moon night?" Angel looked Tori over. There was something different about the normally reserved Tori; she was filled with an intensity and vitality.
Gloria's mouth formed a surprise O, and then she pushed Angel out of the way. She looked Victoria over from head to toe. She leaned over and sniffed her niece and then pulled back with a grin. "How are you feeling?"
Tori grinned back at Gloria, "I feel good."
Gloria stared into her niece's eyes the green eyes were bright, she could see the wolf shining out of them, but there was no frantic chaotic energy. "You want to go for a run?"
Tori's eyes got wide. "Really?"
Gloria gave a rare grin, "yeah, lets go for a run." She started taking off her shirt, kicking off her shoes.
Danny looked puzzled until she realized her girlfriend and her girlfriend's alpha bitch aunt were getting naked. "Whoa, whoa. No getting naked and going for walkies."
Angel just looked at the two werewolves appreciatively. "Hey, I'm enjoying the free show."
Danny just smacked Angel.
Tori looked at Danny. She could feel the pull of the night and of her pack mate, she wanted to run, but not if Danny was going to be upset.
Danny sighed. "Fine, you finally get control and you want to go out on the town in some sort of wild pack bonding thing."
Tori pouted.
"Fine go. When you're done, I want you at my apartment," Danny relented. Tori laughed and picked up her girlfriend, easily twirling her around, and then set her down and gave her a sloppy kiss. From the front doors of the Wolfe Law Offices, a black wolf and red wolf bound out into the night
End . . .
