Starcrash Lovers

Jon Stidolph

Manhattan, New York City. 

This was the home of one of the largest gatherings of the House of Prometheus. Septs were large gathering places for all the nearby packs to meet up and mingle, and the one here in Manhattan was Digital Dreams. Its front was a corporate image consulting firm, and while they had real clientele and did legitimate business, the building was far more than what it seemed. 

This is where Boom grew up, here in the seventy-story building. The facility she was constructed underneath the building, above on the main floors was open to the public, where the actual business front took place. The upper floors were for Sept members to intermingle along with labs for different scientific research. The last level was reserved for the Sept Alpha and meeting rooms for the other Sept Council members who had the proper clearance. It was the one place in the building that Boom has never been in and never in her life ever see. 

She walks in through the Sept's mirror-finished doors, having her security badge dangling off her neck on a hot pink lance. She didn't wear very many bright colors, Boom preferred black everything but every now and then she would accent herself with something colorful. 

She glances over at the security guard and flashes him her badge, even though he has worked here for over twenty years and knew her face as well as any, she still had to present her badge before moving to other areas of the building. It was protocol and Prometheans were extremely particular when it came to such things. Corporate wolves had no time for cutting corners, especially with mundane humans lurking about. 

As she walked to the elevator, she caught a glimpse of a man with the House of Fenris tattooed on his arm. Most wolf-touched and Garoul had their Houses marked somewhere visible on their bodies so others could identify them, whether it was a tattoo or some kind of jewelry, but since she just talked to Velma this morning about the new arrivals... 

He wasn't a tall man, just under six feet maybe, but very muscular and broad in the shoulders. His neck almost nonexistent from just the mass of his upper body. His arms were covered in tattoos and scars, his dark hair was cut in a short crew cut fashion, his beard neatly trimmed and well kept. He wasn't a bad looking man in the face, hard and stern but not ugly by any stretch of the imagination, but obviously older than Boom. He had to be in his late thirties or early forties, but the way his clothes clung to him she could tell he was still in pique physical condition. She sniffed the air, trying to determine if he was Garoul, but she couldn't smell anything off him, which meant he was probably wolf-touched. 

Her curiosity piqued and she walked over towards him, as he talked with other members of the Sept. As she approached she listened in on their conversation, which was mostly just idle chit-chat and small talk, nothing that really garnered much insight or thought. 

The man must have noticed Boom approaching as he turned and looked at her, his face crinkled with an imposing brow as if he was trying to burn a hole through her forehead. She lifts a brow as she wanders up, "Hey guys, am I interrupting?" She doesn't smile, there was no point in trying to be pleasant it would have all be faked and forced anyway. 

The others that gathered there with the new arrival, muttered slightly and glowered at Boom while the man seemed to lift both of his brows high as he looks over Boom, "No, not at all." The others gathered grunted and snorted, taking their leave now that the Cursed has soiled their conversation and air. The man seemed clueless as to why the others were leaving, blinking a few times before looking over at Boom with a puzzled look, "Was it something I said?" Genuinely having not a damn clue. 

That expression on his face actually got a chuckle from Boom, "No, they just don't like me." She assured him as she gave a helpless smile. 

He blinks at her again as he doesn't seem to understand, "Why?" 

She shrugs her shoulders, "I'm Cursed, so y'know..." It was shameful to hide it, it was considered a dishonorable act even if it meant being open to ridicule by others. 

He brings his hand up and scratches the back of his neck, "Uh, what's a Cursed?" 

Boom's mouth dropped open slightly, he didn't know? How did he not know? Everyone knows... Right? Surely. She shakes her head slightly as she blinks at him, "I was born deformed?" She squints an eye, maybe the House of Fenris had a different name for them and he wasn't able to put two and two together? At least that would be her assumption. 

The man looks her over as if trying to find something wrong, but he doesn't see it. She looks perfectly fine to him, nothing out of the ordinary or strange. Except maybe her eyes, but they weren't unflattering in his opinion. "What does being deformed have to do with being Cursed? Is it bad?" 

She slowly blinks at this wolf-touched, is he for f*****g real?  

He blinks back at her, staring at her with that same puzzled face. "Well?" 

"Umm, Garoul don't like those who are... different." She manages out, not sure how this man has no idea about any of this. This was basic s**t that everyone is taught from day one. "I was born with a genetic mutation and they see it as a bad omen." 

The man suddenly frowns, he didn't seem pleased with that answer. "Well, that's stupid." He spits out with no apology.

Where the hell did this man come from? Boom was pretty sure he was hatched as of today, that was her only explanation. She couldn't help but smile a bit though, she couldn't help herself. "I'm Clik Clik Boom, Boom for short." She then extended her hand out to him. 

"That's a weird name." He grunts and then takes her hand shaking it firmly, "Jon Stidolph of House Fenris." 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Stidolph." She could feel that in her human form she wasn't nearly as strong as Jon, he had a powerful grip and she was slightly concerned about angering him considering his House's reputation. 

"It's just Jon, Mister Stidolph is my wife." He chuckles at his own joke which was lost on the poor Garoul he was standing in front of and he notes her confusion. "It's an inside joke between me and the wife as she wears the pants in the relationship." 

Again, this causes Boom to look at Jon in confusion. House of Fenris has always been male dominate, female Garoul are usually treated along the same lines as the Cursed. Never being able to hold positions of Rank and authority, and kept under heel even by their wolf-touched male mates. They have one role in their society and that's to produce heirs, even though their females are stronger than most other Houses, they aren't equals to their male counterparts. 

"Okay then..." Boom lifts both her brows and puts her hands up in defeat, "I thought I knew it all but apparently I was mistaken." She chuckles, now that all the stereotypes have been squashed and left in ruins. Jon seemed pretty chill, with a sense of humor, and wasn't all heavily male-centric as she was led to believe. 

Jon furrows his brow, "Uh... did I say something wrong?" He was now concerned, he was clearly missing something. 

She smiles at him, "Nah, you're gucci." It wasn't often Boom smiled at someone, at least not something remotely genuine and jovial. He was big, dumb, and absolutely clueless and Boom found it adorable. "Tell me Jon, are you any good with guns?" It was like a lightbulb turned on and she was struck with a moment of pure genius. She liked him, what could she say? He had good vibes about him and he was the only one outside of her sister that was actually talking to her like a person. 

Jon laughs at that question, "Ma'am, I'm a Marine, I sure hope like hell I am good with guns." 

Boom's eyes light up, "I know you're new in town and all, but do you have a pack? Are you interested in being in a pack?" 

Jon tilts his head, looking this skinny Garoul over as he seems to contemplate it. "No, I don't have a pack. Are you offering?" 

"Mayhaps." She smiles, "If you can pass a test that is." The House of Fenris love challenges and they loved being tested on their battle prowess to prove they are the best. At least that's what she has been told, of course, everything she knows about the House of Fenris is currently being thrown out the window by Jon, so who knows? 

Jon brings up a hand and idly rubs his bottom lip as he thinks about it. "Alright, I'll bite. When and where?" He gets a little gleam in his eye, truth be told, Jon has been bored and has been wanting a little action. 

"Tonight? Around seven?" She lifts a brow, "We'll meet up at Central Park and go from there?" She tried to keep her excitement contained, making friends wasn't the easiest thing for Boom but Jon so far was smooth sailing. 

He looks from side to side as if he was making sure no one was around to hear him. "Sure." He then knits his brow in worry, "How will I find you?" 

Boom chuckles, "Do you have a phone?"  

Jon turns red sheepishly from his neck to his ears, "Uh, yeah." He pulls out his phone from his pocket as he clears his throat. 

She gives him her number, slowly as it takes him a bit to type in the numbers. He was a bit of a doofus, clearly not the brightest crayon in the box, but she liked him. He was sweet in his own way and nothing at all as she expected. She didn't see a blood-thirsty violent and temperamental asshole, but a good-humored and well-natured person, maybe a little rough around the edges but still nice. 

"I'll see you then, yeah?" She tries to play it cool, there was no sense of being an overly bubbly mess of tail wags just because she might actually have someone to socialize with. She was too scared of chasing him off, it was rare to meet someone from their world that wasn't bothered by what she was or didn't know what she was. 

"Yeah, I'll see you then." He holds out his fist to Boom and she obliged with a friendly fist bump before making her way to the elevator and he watches her leave. She's a weird little mutt.  He thought to himself as he canted his head, taking in the sway of her hips as he licks his bottom lip. Eh, too skinny for him. Cute, but definitely not his type. Speaking of his type, he lifts a brow and looks down at his phone, it was probably best if he asked his wife if he could go. Fenris knows, that woman would have him by the balls if he didn't. 

Later that night...

It was just about seven pm, Boom showed up a half-hour early. There had been reports of vampires stalking the area, this whole city was crawling with leeches. Vampires and Werewolves, the classic story of rival enemies told throughout modern media but even though Vampires and Werewolves were nothing like they were depicted in Hollywood, the rivalry was real. Vampires were undead and unnatural things that plagued mankind from the shadows. Constantly consuming and feasting on the blood of the living, nasty creatures. While most in the US were young and weak, posing little threat to the Garoul, the European vampires were ancient, powerful, and could down some of the even mightiest packs. The House of Luna has been battling leeches since man started building cities. 

Because of their undead perversion, Garoul hated them but there was politics in the way from Garoul just tearing them apart. While one wasn't difficult to kill, Vampires were able to reproduce faster than Garoul. They outnumbered the Garoul, even here in the city. Going into a full-out war with the leeches would have crippled their numbers drastically and the leeches would be victorious, overrunning the Garoul's safehouses, packhouses, and their Sept. The Elders made it a point to keep the piece with the leeches, and neither could attack if they stayed within their territory lines. A leech who ventures into Garoul's territory forfeited their existence and vice versa. 

Central Park was Garoul territory, and if a leech had found their way there... well he was about to be turned into kibble. 

Boom thought it was the perfect time to let off some steam and also gives Jon a chance to make himself look good. Finding packs was generally that easy for most Garoul and wolf-touched, there was always some vibe someone gave off upon meeting. Either they were going to click immediately or there was nothing. It was all about chemistry, and she was certain Jon would be a good packmate. 

Her phone chirped with a message from Jon, "I'm here." She smiled at the message and texted back, asking him to ping his location. The moment he did, she went towards the ping, her phone was slightly different than the average smartphone, inputting his location into a program on her phone she was able to coordinate his exact location from her phone. A little blue light showing up on her screen with a map of the entire park, the light blipped on her screen, slow at first but as she got closer to Jon's location the light's pulse quickened. "Jon?" She calls out as she looks around, her eyes could see everything even in pitch darkness. 

"Over here!" He calls out, standing under a street light on the sidewalk. He lifts a hand and waves to her, a large smile on his face. He was just as excited as Boom was, but unlike her, he didn't hide it. His wife let him out of the house, but not without precautions. He wasn't allowed to go unless he was fitted with armor and all his gear as she wanted to make sure her husband came back in one piece. His armor was form-fitting and hid under his clothing. Almost like black compression armor, but far more durable. His neck was littered with runestones carved from bone, each carrying a different symbol that Boom did not recognize. He wore a loose-fitting long-sleeved red flannel shirt, but Boom could tell he was packing heat under his clothing. 

She nods to him once she closes the gap between them and offers him a smile, "Glad you could make it. Are you ready, hoss?" 

He smirks at her and nods, "Lead the way." He motions with a hand for her to take the lead, following just a step behind her. "So tell me, do you always invite strange men on evening strolls in a dark park, or am I just lucky?" He grins cheekily at her. 

Boom chuckled a bit and shook her head, "All the strange men, all the time." That was hardly even remotely true, Boom was lucky if she could get someone to even acknowledge her by looking her in the eyes let alone anything else. Friendships were hard enough, s****l partners were nonexistent. 

"I knew it." Jon playfully narrowed his eyes at her while shaking his finger, "I am sorry, Boom. I going to have to let you down gently." He sighed wistfully. 

Boom snickered a bit as she shook her head, "Dear Lord, not in your wettest dreams." 

Jon chuckles at that, "Alright, so what are we after here?" 

Boom nods and then takes a more serious tone as they walk down the winding paths, the evening fog was already rolling in and blanketing the park. The dim lights fading in the distance as they went deeper in, the city noises lessening within the thickening of the trees. 

"There have been reports of a leech wandering the park at night. If it's true, then well, he's going to be permanently dead." She shrugs her shoulders. No skin off her nose, the only good leech was a dead leech. 

Jon frowns deeply at that thought, "Then our guns are going to be absolutely worthless." He knows enough about Vampires to know that a bullet is going to tickle. They bounce right off that dead flesh of theirs, the tough bastards. 

Boom lifts a finger, "Ah, not if we go for the head. You shoot anything in the head and it's not getting back up." She nods with her sagely wisdom, "That's the challenge, my friend. If we actually find anything, that is." 

Jon grunts as he eyes Boom, he didn't like that at all. "How are we going to draw it out?" 

She glanced over to him and lifted a brow, "Well I figured I would sniff it out, unless you have a better plan?" 

He sighs in relief and then shakes his head, "No ma'am, just making sure you didn't plan on cutting me open and using me as bait." 

Boom blinked at him, that thought hadn't even crossed her mind. What on sweet earth would make him even think that was an option?  Not that it was an entirely bad option but still not something Boom would be willing to do as wolf-touched don't have the ability to heal themselves as Garoul can. She cut him in the wrong spot and too deep, and she would have a dead wolf-touched on her hands. A sure way to make a first impression on the newcomers and possibly start a war. 

Jon sees the way she is staring at him, "It wouldn't be the first time!" He exclaims his explanation as he waves his arms a little, "I've never actually worked with a Garoul before so I don't know how you guys do things." 

That took her by surprise, not all Houses packed up with their wolf-touched. Some saw them as nothing more than weak humans, better for a breeding stock than warriors and there was some wolf-touched that just preferred to pack with other wolf-touched since Garoul were beasts of passion and rage, and sometimes in the heat of combat were far too unpredictable and could easily lose control, there have been issues in the past where a frenzied Garoul has ripped through his entire pack, killing friend and foe. Mercilessly devouring their packmates with their fangs and claws. However, the House of Fenris always had their wolf-touched and Garoul fighting side by side in packs, from the time they are old enough to hold a weapon in their hands until they die in battle, the House of Fenris was united and there was no separation between their wolf-touched and their Garoul. If a wolf-touched died by the hands of one of the Garoul, that Garoul was then ripped apart publically by the rest of the House. Losing control was a sign of weakness and they had no room for weakness. 

"Never?" She asked in her astonishment, "Like never ever?" 

"No, ma'am." He said with a shrug, "Hell I didn't even know about all this until a year ago." 

"Huh?" That didn't compute, how did he not know? Was he living under a rock? 

"I wasn't born in this life." He explains as he crinkled his nose a bit, "s**t, I didn't know I was wolf-touched until I met my wife." 

It wasn't unheard of that a Garoul or wolf-touched mated with a human, or even left their packs and Septs to wander alone for a while. Young horny males looking for action and finding someone to bust a nut in and ending up producing illegitimate offspring. Causing a whole mess of problems when a child no one knows about ends up having their first change in the middle of a classroom because little Timmy decided to pull little Susy Werewolf's hair. It happens but it wasn't a common occurrence, as most Houses tried to reign in their young and educate them about safe s*x.

"So... what's the story there?" She was now curious, she forgot all about paying attention to the hunt that was on hand and was more focused on Jon's story. 

He groans and rolls his eyes, "My father and mother were both wolf-touched, there was some drama with the Garoul parts of the family, and my parents said screw it and left their home. They settled down in Georgia with my aunt and uncle, popped me out, and never bothered to tell me anything about my heritage. It wasn't until I met Leyna that everything changed. There was something about her when I first met her, in all my life I never met anyone like her or had such a strong connection to. From the first moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I had to be with that woman." The way he spoke about his wife, there could be no doubt how much he loved her. He seemed so much younger than he actually was with the way his eyes became smitten with just the thought of her, his beautiful warrior goddess. "I knew nothing about Leyna's heritage, she told me some things but never the full truth, not until we were attacked by some young Vampires. That's when she divulged what she was and about her family." 

Boom nods as she listens, "So she's Garoul?" She lifts a brow, she had to assume so by the way he was talking about her. 

Jon chuckles and shakes his head, "No, she's wolf-touched too but don't let that fool you any she's just as passionate and dangerous as any Garoul." He gives a content sign, "Anyways, I decided to introduce her to my aunt and uncle, my folks passed away some years ago and so they were the only family I had left. The moment my uncle saw her, he knew what he was looking at." 

Boom stops him and waves a hand, "Wait, your last name is Stidolph, right? Isn't that the name of one of the noble families?" 

Jon nods, "Yes, but my family name is Fallon." He then narrows his eyes a bit, "I took on Leyna's name." He squints even harder, "We made a bet and she cheated." 

"So your wife, is the Stidolph and you took on her name after losing a bet?" Well, at least now it made sense why Jon didn't act like any of the stereotypes she had been prepared for. 

"She cheated!" Jon was adamant about it, "But yes, I took her name." He grumbles and crosses his arms over his chest as he frowns, "Anyways, there was some tension between my uncle and Leyna, she had no idea why he was treating her so rudely and when she finally confronted him about it he confessed to her about the whole incident with my folks. She then forced my uncle to tell me the truth and that's how I found out. I was pretty upset about it at the time, I was going to walk out on my aunt and uncle for lying to me all that time, but Leyna sat us all down and cleared the air." 

Boom smiled at that, "She sounds like she's pretty amazing." They at some point had stopped walking and Boom was caught up in Jon's story. "So what was the bet?"

Jon had a smile when Boom commented on how amazing his wife was, but it was soon replaced with a scowl when she asked what the bet was. "I challenged her to a fight, I said if I won she had to take my last name, if she won, I would take her last name." 

Boom looked Jon up and down, he wasn't a small man by any means. He was muscle on top of rippling muscle, bulky enough that he looked like he could crush watermelons with his biceps by flexing. What the hell did his wife look like? "And she beat you..." Boom had to clarify because she could not see how that was even remotely possible. 

"She cheated!" Jon shouts again, "She's a damn dirty cheater!" 

Boom snickered and lifted a brow, "And how did she cheat?" She placed a hand on her hip, wondering what his answer would be. 

He turned his head and even though it was dark outside, Boom could see him turn beet red. "I'd rather not talk about it." He clenched his jaw as he scowled. While Jon would make this whole show of how his wife cheated him, he knows what actually happened and he knew there was no cheating involved. She was just smarter and more clever than her brick of a husband, but that was one of the many things he loved about her. 

"Okay, okay..." Boom raised her hands in defeat, "Keep your secrets." She teased him and then swatted his shoulder with the back of her hand. "Let's go, we got ground to cover and I don't want to be out here until dawn." 

She starts moving again and he follows, both of them moving down the path on the hunt for their target. Hopefully, they'd find something to give them a good fight.