The She-wolf's Love

Chapter 2

The tang of chlorine and dehumidified air pervaded the community center’s spacious, Astroturf lower level. Smoked plate-glass windows reflected the lap pool’s aquamarine glow. Cloaked in shadow, a complement of exercise machines sneered, “No pain, no gain.”

Beyond the glass exterior wall, the distant outline of the building that housed Ferdinand alongside other occupants was visible, nestled in a sparse gathering of trees that led up to the far side of the lake at the end of the street.

To a casual observer, it was a low-cost housing project. To Ferdinand, it was home. It had been home for him since he graduated from college, about two years ago. He had struggled academically because he struggled to balance his humanness with his werewolf self. He had terrible mood swings and somehow managed to keep a job. He was a pseudo-ladies’ man.

He hadn’t cohabited with anyone since college. His last affair was a terrible mess. It felt like a regimented life, one in which love and passion were freely shared. For him, after living alone for most of his adult life, could he adapt to sharing everything from toothpaste to tax returns? Adjust from self-centered independence to all you and me, babe, all the time? Remember to scoop ice cream from the carton into a bowl before eating it?

Conflicts large and small – and ludicrous to anyone to whom they didn’t apply – squawked like mental torture. He loved his previous girlfriend but he had not felt she was reciprocating the same until it became apparent that he was in a toxic relationship and he had called it quits. Even at that, she rejected the break up and practically stalked him everywhere. As a coping mechanism, he had developed an interest in Feng shui, a pseudoscientific traditional practice originating from China. His interest soon began to turn into an obsession, but he couldn’t sustain the energy beyond a few weeks and gave up the practice.

The desk chair tilted back smoothly on its oiled gears. Holding his coffee mug in both hands, he pressed the rim to his lips. No Feng shui master needed to know his apartment was in order. His apartment boasted minimal furnishings but they exuded pristine taste. The furnishings had come with the apartment and didn’t belong to any particular style or period. Wood and leather, antiques and country contemporary and hewn ceiling beams supporting a brass-fitted paddle fan blended into a cozy sanctuary.

Ferdinand lobbed the scraps of his sandwich into the garbage can. It just didn’t taste right. It actually tasted exactly like bologna, mustard and potato chips smashed between two slices of wheat bread. Human blood was the missing ingredient. Without it, he doesn’t consider himself to have eaten something healthy.

Judging by how the day began, he’d expected it to continue as though he was the target and the rest of the world was lined up in firing-squad formation. Ducking one volley after another wouldn’t have allowed time to worry about him having no woman in his life or brood about his recent hunger for human blood. He wasn’t strongly craving the taste of human blood yet but he knew that if he kept at it, his well-guarded secret would be exposed with time.

The doorbell chimed and he went to answer it. It was Mark, his best friend. They had been friends since fourth grade. Beyond being friends for a very long time, they were both werewolves and had managed to live among humans undetected.

“How are you doing man?” Mark asked as Ferdinand opened the door. Ferdinand had been avoiding Mark under the guise of needing to clear his head.

Mark had respected his decision and had stayed away from Ferdinand until he received a text from Ferdinand.

“I’m good, brother. What took you so long? You told me you were coming about four hours ago.”

“You know how it is around here. The traffic today was terrible. As it stands, I need a massage with a happy ending,” Mark said as he made his way into the apartment. The apartment smells like fresh roses and lavender.

“You’re in the wrong place then,” Ferdinand replied jokingly.

Mark lived on the opposite side of Michigan and getting to Ferdinand’s side was a huge task. While he enjoyed driving, he strongly detested driving down to Ferdinand’s because of the traffic. It made him yell and cuss at other drivers and road users and he didn’t feel good about it. He opted for an Uber instead. He could sleep in the cab while the driver worried about other drivers. Mark was a happy-go-lucky guy. He had a string of girlfriends who saw to his sensual satisfaction.

He had two love children from two different women. He didn’t battle for custody with the mothers, but he sent them money regularly and also paid his children visits. He knew they were werewolves but he left their mothers to figure out how to handle the situation. The werewolf community was growing and he would not be a stumbling block to its growth. It was a miracle that he had not bitten his baby mama while their affair lasted.

He once wondered what their blood tasted like, but their s*x appeals were stronger than his blood lust.

When he was in high school, he had often joked that he would love to be a single dad when he became older and his friends would laugh at him with scorn because at the time, single parenthood was not quite a thing and single parents were often looked down upon by the society. It was no surprise to anyone that he eventually became a single dad.

“Let’s call up one or two escorts to warm us up. Or, we could both go to a spa and...”

“I won’t be part of your shenanigans, Mark,” Ferdinand said, waving him off.

“Dude, c’mon, it’s been a while since you last felt a woman’s touch. Even if you don’t go all the way,” Mark pleaded.

“Get behind me, Satan!” Ferdinand cried in jest.

“If I get behind you, I’d push you to do what you say you don’t want me to do. Do you still want me to…?”

“You win, Mark. You win,” Ferdinand gathered up his stuff and they both left the apartment.

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Fireworks, fresh water, million-dollar sunsets, sparklers, and campfires are just a few of the things that make the 4th of July in northern Michigan so special. It’s a time for family, fun, and relaxation all while surrounded by gorgeous scenery. A variety of Fourth of July celebrations such as parades, craft shows, and fireworks displays take place across Michigan and if the holiday falls on a weekend or Sunday, the celebrations begin on July 1st.

The Village of Bay Harbor’s fireworks display, the first in the Petoskey area, kicks off Sunday July 3rd with their annual fireworks show. Additionally, Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne City and Traverse City offer a host of different family-oriented events throughout the long weekend.

This particular year, the Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce teamed up once again with a local brewery to offer adults, 21 years of age and over, the opportunity to enjoy a variety of Michigan-Brewed Craft Beers while overlooking Little Traverse Bay. For non-beer drinkers, a handful of select wines will be available from some of northern Michigan’s premier vineyards. Heading to northern Michigan for the first week of July had become a tradition for the Roberts’.

Emily stepped out into the cold street while clutching her backpack. Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth and another pulled her into a dark corner.

"Be quiet, else..." the voice of a male said. She raised her hands in surrender and strongly resisted the urge to scream.

"Turn around slowly," the voice ordered. She did as instructed and came face to face with her attacker. He had a gun in his hand.

"If you try anything funny, I'd blow your brains out!" He moved around her and touched her backpack which was still strapped to her back.

"What do you have in the bag, miss?" the man said.

"A few clothes and books," was her reply.

"You would open your bag and empty the contents on the floor. Okay?!"

"Yes... Sir..." she said in fright. She made to take off her bag and empty the contents when she pushed the bag at the man and took to her heels. No matter how fast she ran, the man seemed to be faster than her. She got tired of running because it was obviously futile and she fell to the ground, defeated.

“How dare you run from me?” he barked. She cowered in fright.

The sky broke into a colorful display of fireworks as midnight struck and the full moon came out. The man who held Emily began to transform right before her eyes. His well-sculpted face was distorted into a beast. He suddenly grew hair all over his body as his eyes changed to neon and his nails grew longer and grotesque. Emily tried to scream but no sounds came from her throat.

“Please” she managed to say softly as her voice greatly trembled. The beast opened its mouth wide and dug into her flesh.

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“When you made mention of a spa, it didn’t cross my mind we’d end up here,” Ferdinand said to Mark, loud music blaring in the background.

“Well, it would be a waste of our day if we didn’t end up here,” Mark replied. He had driven them to a strip club when they left the massage parlor. For Mark, women were just objects of pleasure. He didn’t value them and they always flocked around him because he knew the various ways to seduce a woman and bed her. He was very smooth.

“Embrace change for once,” Ferdinand remarked as he licked his lips. The sight before him was heavenly. While he had been to a strip club before, the ‘professionalism’ the strippers here exhibited impressed him a lot.

“Make him c*m,” Mark said to a stripper, pointing to Ferdinand, as she approached them. She began to sway her hips and touch Ferdinand seductively.

“Oh my…” Ferdinand exclaimed and was cut short as the stripper placed a finger on his lips.

“I want you to c*m in peace,” she whispered into his ears.

“Your wish is my command,” Ferdinand said in excitement. She slowly brought his face closer to the mound on her chest and when it was almost nestled between her cleavages, she stopped short and opened her left palm.

“It is ten dollars,” she said flatly. Ferdinand brought a ten-dollar bill and she snatched it from him immediately. Mark, by this time, had left for an unknown location. Mark being who he was, he had probably gone in search of a one-nightie or one-night stand, as it was commonly known.

The show continued as the stripper escalated the sensual tension in Ferdinand’s brain and each time, he paid an amount higher than the previous one. Ferdinand got tired of the unending teases and made to stand up but she pushed him back down.

“I’d suck you for a hundred,” she said.

“That’s f*****g expensive, b***h!” Ferdinand exploded.

“Okay, I see you’re not a newbie,” she remarked. “Gimme a fifty, let’s get this over and done with.”

“Twenty. No more, no less,” Ferdinand said, with a tone that suggested he wasn’t going to go about that amount even by a cent.

“Miser!” The stripper took his hand and led him away from the hall into a private area that had been designed for such ‘extras’.