The Real Us (A world of werewolves series)

Chapter 2: Joining the pack

We headed straight to my mother’s first, so that I could drop my beloved white fluffy Tamara off.

I would really miss her, but I wouldn’t be back for a while apparently, and I could also be in a car with crazed murderers, so I had to make sure she would be looked after anyway. What the hell was I doing.

I had already told my mother that I would be with friends for a while, so she wouldn’t worry, and then we were driving out of Portsmouth.

On the journey I had asked how they knew my name, and they had replied that the Alpha always had ways of finding out what he needed to know and left it at that.

The rest of the journey Jane talked non-stop about shopping, clothes and after that, I couldn’t tell you because I had already zoned out watching the world passing by. It was the longest journey of my life, and I had to get some travel sickness tablets when we stopped for refreshments.

Michael was just as quiet as I was, both of us pretending to listen to Jane as she talked the whole way there.

We finally arrived at some kind of wood. I had no idea what city we were even in, I knew it was a city because I could hear cars and people shopping in the far distance, a sign that maybe my wolf instincts were kicking in, ha yeah right!

Michael parked halfway in the middle of the woods alongside a few other cars. One was a gorgeous black civic in pristine condition, (I don’t know anything about cars, but I knew and liked this one enough to know it was a civic at least) but also looked as though it hadn’t been used in a while. I admired it as we all climbed out.

By this time, I felt I had known Jane my whole life, she was a chatter box, but I found myself really warming to her.

"Right, we’re here now. We always park here because it’s impossible for a human to find, let alone getting a car there. It’s a hell of a lot easier to smell our way, otherwise we would get lost too even after five years of coming." She laughed.

After an hour of walking through bushes and different paths, ( there were so many I lost count and started to become dizzy) we finally reached it. It was the most amazing place I had ever seen.

The entrance was massive with two black iron gates as we walked through what looked to me like a mansion. It was like Narnia, one minute invisible, the next right in front of you.

Inside there were loads of people from skinny to big, old and young, who looked no different to anyone you would pass in the street or see working in a bank. To my absolute shock, I even saw wolves! There was a massive forest on the opposite side where I assumed they must like to go in wolf form.

I couldn’t help but get excited at that thought, even if I wasn’t quite ready to believe it yet, as Jane soon noticed, laughing as I tried staying well away from the wolves and grabbing her arm in fear when one came over to sniff me.

Looking around the place, I realised I was the only black person there and suddenly felt out of place like I didn’t really belong. As if reading my thoughts, Jane put her hand on my shoulder reassuringly and walked me into the building to meet the Alpha.

I recognized him straight away. He was at least six foot three, with pure muscle more like a warrior’s body than anything else, and had gorgeously tanned skin.

He had jet black tousled hair and piercing blue eyes, with perfect white teeth. He was one of the most handsome men I had ever set eyes upon, again reminding me of an angel, he didn’t look a day over twenty-five, yet I knew he must be.

With a lovely warm smile, he hurriedly came over and introduced himself as Blaze, leader of the pack.

He was a very gently spoken man and shook my hand lightly as though he were afraid to break me. I was sure he might be an angel rather than a werewolf.

Later that night, after being welcomed to most of the pack, Jane took me into the biggest living room I had ever seen in my life.

The room was painted in reds and creams, and there were ivory leather chairs and sofas at one end of the room taken up by some of the people here.

I still wasn’t used to calling them werewolves yet, even though someone had changed in front of me...that had been a bizarre sight.

Opposite the sofas was a massive cinema like plasma screen up on the wall where they were watching some cheesy teenage horror film together, and laughing at the terrible acting. I also noticed they seemed to like touching one another as if for comfort, they reminded me of a big puppy pile.

On the other side of the room were a few black marble tables and leather padded chairs next to a small bar.

Some men, (aka werewolves) were drinking alcohol there, chatting away merrily. In the middle of them was a blonde woman who Jane told me was called Marie.

It was obvious she didn’t like her much by the way she almost spat the name out with contempt. Marie was laughing along with the men, and was wearing a very low-cut white top that stopped just above her toned stomach, it was very pretty and glittery, and she was wearing a very short black skirt to go with it.

Her make-up was almost caked on, she was a very attractive woman, but the way she dressed made her look trashy and more like a prostitute. I felt guilty feeling that about someone I didn’t even know yet, but that’s the impression she gave out.

The men obviously loved it, though. One had his arm protectively round her shoulder, while another had his hand a little too close to being halfway up her skirt.

"Marie is the kind of woman you want to keep your man away from. If she finds out you have a partner, believe me, she will try her best to sleep with him just for the thrill of the chase and achieving something. She’s tried it on with Michael a few times, but gave up after realising she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him."

Jane was looking at Marie as she spoke with an urge what looked to me like she really wanted to smack her one.

"Oh, I didn’t realise you and Michael were together?" I couldn’t recall them holding hands or kissing or even saying much to one another.

I learnt from Jane that they had been together for three years now and that he had proposed to her five months ago. I have to admit, I was slightly envious.

After a little while of being introduced to some of the wolves, Jane showed me to the room I would be sleeping in.

The walls were a lovely plum colour and the light shade and lamps either side of the bed were a deep pink colour, it also had a few pictures of wolves up on the wall and the bed covers were deep pink too.

It was a gorgeous bedroom, warm and cosy looking, and I actually looked forward to staying in there. There was even a small room with a toilet and shower that was decorated in white and gold colours.

"It’s lovely in here, but how long am I supposed to be staying for?" I asked as I took in my surroundings.

"Well normally just for this summer, but because you’re a new wolf, and we’ve been having some problems with another pack, I think the Alpha will probably want you to stay until he says otherwise."

Jane looked at me as though I might run screaming at the thought of being held prisoner, instead I just said, "Fine with me. I love this room, I could quite happily live in here."

besides, it wasn’t like I had anything to go back for really. Being a cleaner wasn’t exactly the high life.

"Good because we spent the week decorating it in the hope you would come back with us, and it wasn’t cheap missy." With that, she left before I could reply.

That night I slept fitfully. I was sweating and terrified without knowing why, I couldn’t even call for help.

It was as though I had forgotten how to use words and all I could do was feel the panic, fear, confusion and a desperate need to escape.

I remember scrambling out of the bed and onto the floor, crawling desperately towards the door. I couldn’t even remember how to open it. All I could do was scratch at it frantically, making my nails break and bleed in the process.

The door slowly opened followed by the Alpha coming in.

Kneeling beside me, he gently called my name and told me to relax, that it was just my first change starting and that after this one the others would be fine.

I did calm a little at his voice, but not by much. I tried to cry, but it came out a whine, and then I saw my escape, the door was still open, so I jumped up and ran out.

I could hear Blaze running after me, which just made me run faster, faster than I thought it possible for a human to run, and then suddenly Blaze was right behind me, grabbing my shoulders and sending us both crashing to the floor.

I growled and tried to bite him, but it was impossible with him sitting on my back, pinning my arms behind me while shouting at someone else to go get Jason.

I was still struggling frantically until I felt what I can only describe as a powerful vibration of energy.

Looking up towards it, I saw the most beautiful man I ever thought to walk this earth. He looked like a dark angel with his short mix of dark and light blonde, messy, tousled looking hair.

He had lightly tanned skin with a beautiful wolf tattoo along his arm. He was wearing a black t-shirt, black boxers and no socks. He must have been about six foot four, and obviously, he had just been woken up.

He was just like some of the other wolves I’d started noticing, pure muscle, but he also had an incredible powerful energy that just oozed dominance and amazing gold almond shaped wolf eyes.

He came over towards me, putting a hand on my shoulder and told me to relax. Instantly, I calmed down enough for the Alpha to release me, and nudged myself closer to who I assumed must be Jason.

I felt the wolf inside me recognise him as the true Alpha and felt confused. Sensing this, he sat down beside me. "Hi Josie. I’m Jason, the Alphas second in command. I know your wolf sees me as Alpha as I’m more dominant than Blaze, but Blaze is my uncle and I know he will make a much better Alpha than me. I don’t want to have all the hard paper work that’s involved with being an alpha, and I tend to have a temper on me, so not always safe." he answered in a deep husky voice that, had I been my usual self, would have had me drooling over it.

I couldn’t reply, it was like I had forgotten how to speak. Even as his words entered my mind, they seemed to form into images rather than actual words as I comprehended them, it was confusing as hell and scary.

I started shivering with fear and found myself slowly starting to move away from him, he growled a deep animal growl, (that didn’t seem right in that human throat) making me jump with shock.

Silently, I sat back down beside him and was suddenly hugged tight with my face buried in his chest. Instantly I smelt wolf and safety, it was such a beautiful smell and I felt like I was home, straight away I started to relax and feel safe, which is what he must have intended.

Getting me to lay down on the floor, he asked me to breathe deeply and calmly, telling me I was in my wolf’s mind and I needed to complete the change physically now.

I did as he asked and imagined running in wolf form, feeling the grass under my paws and the warm fur over my body as vividly as I could muster.

During my meditating, (which was not as easy as you’d think) a tingling sensation suddenly came over my body. It felt weird and my nails and gums felt sore as the teeth and claws formed, but I tried my best to stay still with his instructions.

There was no agonising ripping of the flesh or breaking bones as I had thought would happen, (thanks to Hollywood movies) but more of a light-headed feeling, a rippling, and aching sensation across my body and a shimmering almost spiritual feeling inside.

Jason moved back from me as I opened my eyes and I felt my mind clear a little, giving half of myself back again.

I tried getting up and tumbled back down. When I looked down, I yelped with panic when I saw black paws instead of hands. Jane suddenly came over, removing the clothes hanging on my new body and held a mirror in front of me, so I could look at myself.

I didn’t even realise she had been there, and as I looked at myself as a beautiful black wolf with thick coarse, shiny fur, I suddenly started spinning around in circles and wagging my tail like an excited puppy before tripping over my paws and falling down again.

I heard blaze laugh to the others, "I think she likes her new form."

Jason looked on with his arms folded, watching me with cold almost contempt-filled eyes that had me blushing and wishing he would just look away.

I decided he was scary, but Blaze tugged me from my thoughts, coming over to bend down beside me, "Josie, you need to get used to your new form. You will probably find yourself falling over at times and feel strange as your human mind tries to get used to this new body and more primal instinctive thoughts."

I was so happy I just licked his nose in response and suddenly blushed at what I had done, well, if a wolf could blush that is.

He just laughed, ruffling my fur and telling Jason to stay with me so that he could teach me to get used to moving around, not letting the wolf’s mind take over too much, and so that I didn’t run into any trouble.

Jason looked at Blaze with a look of absolute horror. He opened his mouth to say something, but one warning glare from Blaze, he wisely kept it shut and tried unsuccessfully not to sneer at me as he passed. Damn hostile man. This should be fun.