by Leji Albano
She glanced at him, curiously, before asking in a quavering voice. “What do you mean?”
He raised his eyebrows briefly, then seemed to realize that she would not know. “That is no ordinary wolf. He is probably at least thirty percent larger than a normal werewolf. The shape of his head and muzzle are wrong, though. Flatter, more powerful, designed for crushing bone. His body is stockier and more muscular than mine, for example.”
She still didn’t appear to understand, so he continued.
“Every wolf I have ever met, or heard of, is descended from modern analogs: Timberwolves, Eurasian wolves, gray wolves, etc. What you see before you is none of those. It would seem to be a more primitive species.” He shrugged. “Regardless, absent identification, he may be one of a kind, or perhaps there are now two.” Enzo looked pointedly at her.
She glanced at her arm where Alexander had infected her, and she was not sure what to think.
Enzo switched the feed again, this time showing the dining room. Tina watched as the wolf prowled, snarling down the stairs and over to the body lying on the floor. He pushed at it with his nose, then lifted his hind leg and peed all over him.
The Beta seated next to her was roaring out laughter, and she didn’t understand why.
Wiping tears from his eyes, Enzo paused the video again. “Well-played, Sir, well-played. I can see that you are confused; let me try to explain.” He spun his chair to face her.
“What do you know about wolf behavior? Normal wolves, not Weres.”
“Not much. I know they are hierarchical and that there are dominance fights as members try to move up in ranks. I think.”
“That’s part of it, but far from a complete picture. Now imagine those same behaviors backed up by a human intellect. What you end up with is mind games at a whole new level. Alexander just simultaneously showed his disdain for the capabilities of the Pack as a whole, as well as disrespect for those actually in charge. Look at their faces. Do you not think his arrow struck home?”
“Ok, I can see that. You have a strange expression in this video. Why?” she said.
He smirked. “Well, I was in the process of getting dressed down by the Alpha and his cronies. And since my place in the Pack was at a considerably lower rank than I now hold, I was more curious to see how this was going to play out than I was personally insulted.”
The video began to roll once more. The wolf stalked toward the table then jumped. Alexander transformed into the classic Hollywood depiction of a werewolf even before landing on the table.
The video paused again. “This is called our Battle form. It is a hybrid mix of our human and wolf selves: all the benefits and none of the negatives. I should mention that not everyone attains this ability. Again, his is different. Much larger for one, but also bulkier, far more powerful. You will see what I mean in a bit when he and I fight.”
Alexander stalked down the middle of the table, snarling and snapping at the diners until he reached the end where the former Alpha sat. He flexed and seemed to roar, but without sound it was hard to tell.
“I almost wet myself when he did that.” Enzo chuckled. “It was truly terrifying.”
As he shifted back to a naked human, it was apparent that Alexander asked a question…and didn’t like the answer. The demise of the former Alpha was quick and unpleasant.
“I’m afraid that having a decapitated head tossed at him was almost more than poor Mario could handle. He still won’t talk about it,” her Beta said. “You must understand that this was once again a calculated dominance action. Not one single thing that Alexander does from start to finish is random, all is clearly thought-out.
“Ah, yes…and now we come to where your erstwhile attacker decides to make his presence known. Unwise, perhaps, but it did show more courage than I thought the boy had in him. Still, a shotgun might have been a better choice of weapon.”
Tina watched as Alexander executed the boy. That was the only word that would fit what she saw. “Did he really have to toy with him? Why not just kill him quickly?” Distaste was evident in her voice.
Enzo looked thoughtful for a moment. “I suspect two reasons. The first was to impress upon the Pack that there were repercussions for their behavior. And secondly, I believe he wanted that boy to suffer for the part he played in hurting you.”
Tina looked uncomfortable as she digested what she had just been told. The worst part of it was that she was responding to the actions that she had just viewed, and the response was not what she expected. There was a side of her that was excited by the violence and how powerful Alexander was showing himself to be. These were foreign feelings for her, and she could only assume that what she was experiencing was related to the changes her body was now going through.
Not too long after that, she watched as Enzo challenged and was easily defeated by Alexander. He was right; she could see the differences between them in their hybrid forms.
“Why didn’t he shift? I mean, you had, so why didn’t he?”
Enzo smiled at her. “Did it look like he needed to shift to defeat me? I was man-handled from start to finish. That fight established his total dominance over the Pack, and the fact that he did so in human form just added credibility to the act.”
He shut down the video replay and turned to her. “I’m sure you have questions, so please, ask them.”
“I appreciate you showing me this, Enzo, but I’m not sure what I am supposed to think. His actions were brutal. If you are trying to make me feel better about all of this, I think you failed.”
He sighed. “You think that was brutal? Let me ask you something. What do you think would have happened if he had simply walked out after killing that boy?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted.
“Well, I am. There would have been a civil war within the Pack. Each faction pushing for their pick to take over the Alpha position. Blood would have flowed, and many would have died.” Enzo leaned forward earnestly. “Alexander knew this. Do you have any idea how difficult it must have been to put his vendetta on hold, even temporarily? That he did so, just to ensure the wellbeing of a Pack he had no ties to, says a great deal about the man. Most would have simply walked out the door and carried the fight to the Coven…all without a backward glance.”
Tina’s brow furrowed as she processed this information.
“He saved lives by doing so. I have not known your Alexander for very long, but I can tell you this, he thinks of others long before he considers his own needs. That is the sign of a true leader, and only one of the reasons that I, and many others, respect him. In doing so, he has added a considerable burden to his shoulders.” Enzo snorted loudly. “Yet even that is not enough, he takes underwing the very Coven of vampires whose member almost killed you. Granted, their membership is much-reduced thanks to him, but he includes them in what he is creating here in Naples. Who does such a thing?
“Come, Tina, let me show you to your room so you can get settled in.”
“Enzo?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“Can you make the room as far away from Alexander as possible?”
Having unpacked what few belongings were in her suitcase, Tina glanced around the room she had been assigned. There was a bed, a dresser, the beautiful oak wardrobe along the wall, and a window that looked out onto the courtyard where Alexander had given his speech earlier. A shared bathroom and showers were just down the hall.
She flopped down onto the bed and pulled the pillow to her chest. Her emotions were all over the place, and her mind was racing. It was apparent that Enzo had tried to make her understand…something. But if anything, watching Alexander kill those people only reinforced her feelings that he, and by extension she, were monsters. Ordinary people just didn’t do things like that.
Oh, she knew intellectually that humanity had the capability of great cruelty. One only had to watch the news to understand that. But how do you justify what she had just watched? The really fucked-up part of the whole t
hing was that the Pack seemed to not only accept such behavior, but to admire it. Even Caterina, whose Coven Alexander had decimated, seemed to respect what he had done…no, not just respect, but approve of it. How messed up was that?
Was she just being unreasonable? Could everyone else be wrong? That didn’t seem likely to her either. And yet, she just couldn’t reconcile the man who performed such acts with the man she had spent the last several months with.
Tina acknowledged that she was being a bit childish about the whole thing, but it wasn’t like she was given a choice. And truthfully, that was the root of her problem. Would she have elected to become what she now was, if she had been offered it? Maybe. But now she would never know, because that choice had been taken from her.
She continued to struggle with her thoughts until she fell asleep.
19
“…With conflict came the need for soldiers. The Anunna were not about to risk their own lives on such activities and so, once again, utilized their genetic and nano-technologies to create human-derived weapons for use against one another. Many of the creatures of human mythology were based on what came of this wartime R and D. Anunna scientists looked around for inspiration, and began mixing predator species, as well as large aggressive plant eaters, with the already-modified humans. Naga, r, Ogres, Giants, Weres, what would eventually become the half-human/half-animal pantheons of nations such as Egypt, and even Mer variants utilized in water environments were created through trial and error. Other scientists looked to create terror weapons such as what would become Vampires, Demons, and Angels. Many of these creations were not viable and had to be terminated, but a fraction remained functional enough that they became a part of humanity’s race-memory, and thus entered our mythology. The only limitations were the creativity of the scientist and the viability of the end-result.
Vast armies of these living weapons were created and pitted against one another. The Anunna mostly reserved the role of generals for themselves and cared little for the welfare of their armies. More could always be created as needed, and some were fertile and could breed, thus creating new generations for use in the wars that were being fought….”
An excerpt from the diary of Alexander Matthews
April 1905, Mesa Verde, Colorado
The drunken idiots who had been desecrating one of the ancient Puebloan sites near Mesa Verde had a massive bonfire going. A fire that was composed of roof-beams ripped from the structures themselves. They passed around bottles of whiskey as they inspected the day’s finds, shouting, laughing, and arguing as they did so. The whole thing disgusted Alexander, and he was determined to do something about it.
He was observing the looters from a rock outcropping less than two hundred yards from where the fire blazed. His own camp was half a mile distant, and he knew they had no idea he was there. Alexander had stumbled across them during his explorations of the area, explorations that had been negotiated with and approved by the local Ute people. The same could not be said about the morons he was currently watching.
There was no moonlight, so the darkness was nearly complete, and the idiots across the way had ruined any night vision they might have had, by building such a large fire. Alexander swiftly removed his clothing and shifted to his wolf form, and made his way silently closer to their camp. He stopped about one hundred yards out and howled, a deep, mournful sound that echoed off the canyon walls. Startled shouts of consternation could be heard, and the metallic sounds of weapons being readied came to his ears. The wolf grinned and padded closer to his destination.
Alexander changed back to his human form and began tossing rocks randomly around the area. He also began moaning and chanting low, nonsense words and sounds that were meant to unnerve the looters. It seemed to be working for the most part, as he could hear several of them arguing that they should leave immediately. Others were determined to stay.
He shook his head at their stupidity and turned wolf once again. More howls from different locations, along with more rocks tossed around, added to the general confusion of the looters. Alexander decided they were primed enough, and he shifted to his Battle form. Deliberately loud in his approach to their location, he also maintained a low rumbling growl and loud heavy breathing, all to add to the menacing effect he was going for.
All eyes and weapons were pointed in the direction he was coming from, and it was apparent that many of the men were terrified. Suddenly the canyon was blanketed in silence, broken only by loud whispers amongst the men, and the occasional pop from the burning wood. Frightened eyes peered into the darkness as heads swiveled on necks, frantically searching for what was stalking them.
The lupine demon that sprang into their midst from an unexpected direction, roaring and tossing men and equipment around, was the last straw. The smell of urine was strong on the air as grown men frantically ran in all directions, screaming like little girls, madly scrambling to escape their perceived fate. Alexander continued to roar and toss equipment until the last faint sounds of the fleeing looters had faded away. His mocking laughter echoed off the canyon walls, only heard by the wildlife that had gone to ground as the giant predator had made his way through their territory….
Francesca scowled as she paced the cubby-hole she had been assigned after that man had tossed her out of the quarters she had until recently inhabited. This situation was not to be born, and the interloper must be gotten rid of so that she could put things to rights once again.
Who did he think he was to change the traditions and ways of this Pack? A mere nobody from America. She snorted at the thought that such a pedestrian person would dare to steal the leadership. No, something would need to be done…and soon. Her eyes fell on the cell phone that sat on the vanity, and she made up her mind.
She quickly dialed a number and waited impatiently for someone to answer.
“Francesca,” a deep voice spoke into her ear. “Why are you calling me?”
“I have news, Lorenzo, and it is not good,” she replied.
“Oh?”
“The Alpha position in Naples has been usurped…by an American.”
A moment of silence greeted her words. “How is this possible?”
Francesca sucked in a deep breath, trying to decide how much to tell her brother. “Alessandro and his vampire friend attacked another woman, but this time they were caught.”
“I told you that you needed to put an end to those activities, sister. It was always a risk that they would be discovered, putting us all in harm's way,” he told her sharply.
“Yes. Well, it won’t be an issue any longer,” she growled back. “My son and my husband are both dead.”
“I…see,” Lorenzo said softly. “But that doesn’t explain how it happened or why you called me.”
“The woman who was attacked was under the protection of an American, a Were, and he took exception to this and tracked my son back here.” Francesca paused a moment. “He goes by the name of Alexander. This man executed my husband and son and assumed the Alpha position after issuing a challenge.”
“Did anyone take him up on this?” her brother asked with genuine curiosity.
“Only that fool, Enzo,” she ground out between clenched teeth.
“No one else?”
“He is quite fearsome, brother.”
“Bah, your Pack always was weak,” Lorenzo shot back. “All of which was the fault of its leadership…including you.”
“Yes, well, that is no longer an issue either. Alexander publicly shamed me by tossing me out of my quarters and declaring me Omega.”
A sharp intake of breath could be heard through the phone. “Did he indeed? And what do you plan to do about this, sister dear?”
“I have a plan waiting to be implemented, but this situation cannot stand, brother. If he is allowed to shape this Pack the way he wants to, it will cause nothing but trouble for the other Packs…including yours,” Francesca told him.
“We shall see. Keep me advised on whether your plan succeeds
.”
To say that Enzo was less than pleased would have been a gigantic understatement. Alexander grinned at the memory of his Beta’s extensive and creative profanity when his Alpha had refused to take any additional security to the meeting with Caterina’s Coven. His argument had been that if any of them were stupid enough to attack when he got there, Caterina would take care of it, and if she couldn’t, then Alexander was undoubtedly more than capable of doing so. Besides, there was a lot to be said for placing one’s head directly into the lion’s mouth without the slightest hesitation or fear. Showing weakness with either the Pack or Coven, at this juncture, was not a winning proposition.
No. Of far greater concern was what was going on with Tina. It was evident that she had not forgiven him for turning her into a Were, and even worse, she actually seemed frightened of him. Long-term, this was not a tenable solution, but for now, she needed to learn what it meant to be a wolf. Especially if he was going to release her and send her home. The last thing he wanted was to let a half-trained shifter loose within Spokane because, at some point, she would screw up, and he would be forced to deal with it…and he wasn’t entirely sure he could do it.
So that left him with keeping her here until he felt comfortable that she had a good grasp on her new reality, as well as all of the rules that applied. For now, he would just keep his distance and let her work things out on her own. It was going to be rough on her, but it couldn’t be helped. He shook his head ruefully as he parked his NSX in front of the Coven villa. Focus, Alexander, you need to be on your ‘A’ game for this.
The sentry at the front entrance eyed him warily as he approached, but the man opened the door for him anyway. The Alpha appreciated his professionalism and nodded at him as he passed. Caterina was waiting for him in the foyer, several unknown members of her Coven arrayed behind her. She stepped forward to meet him.
