“So, Tala, can I get your number?”

“Number? Like phone number?” John nods. “I don’t have a personal one. The entire pack only has one line. They’re supposedly too easy to track. So the alpha house has a phone for emergencies, but only the people that live there know the number.”

“But…” John worried his lip. “How will I get ahold of you without a phone?”

“Well, you could give me your number. I can try to call when the line isn’t busy?” They were half holding hands, half supporting each other over fallen logs or gnarled roots as they hiked.

“I’d like that. Do you, uh, want me to write it down for you?” His nerdy awkwardness was peeking through, reminding him just how out of his league Tala would normally be. Stepping across another overgrown root, he groaned, an odd sensation in his stomach making him hyper aware of the ground shifting beneath him. The smell of the woods seemed to smack him in the face, and the sounds of nature were amplified like they were played through loudspeakers.

“John?” Both women stopped, eyeing him in concern.

“What the hell was that?” His hand went to his stomach, slightly hunched as he shook off the sensitivity afflicting his senses.

Kiana bit her lip, still looking him over. “We just left the barrier. I didn’t think about how that might feel to someone new to it.”

“Nah, it’s good. Just caught me off guard.” The lanky nerd straightened himself and breathed deep, his mind trying to sort the scents he’d never noticed before: decaying leaves, running water, wild berries, but there was one that stood out. Tala’s scent right next to him was overpowering, soon clouding out the rest, and he looked her over with a fresh wave of want. His rational mind was telling him he needed to go home, but every fiber of his being wanted to stay with her and continue fucking her until neither of them could move and her stomach was swollen from the sheer volume of cum he’d pump into her.

Unable to resist it, he pulled the teenage lycan to himself, gripped her hair, and covered her mouth with his. Their lips molded together, meeting and parting only to meet again with **** passion. Tala pressed her body to John’s eagerly, and something within him seemed to hum in satisfaction.

The fact that they weren’t alone was utterly overwhelmed by their lust and burning need until Kiana quietly coughed. The young couple jumped apart, Tala dazed and John blushing.

“Sorry, I, uh. I don’t like the idea of not seeing her as often as I would if I stayed,” he admitted honestly, making the women smile.

“I don’t like the idea either. You’ll come to visit? To see me at least?” Tala begged with more than her eyes, her body seeming to call out to John.

“Of course. As soon as I can, I promise.” He kissed her lips again, this time forcibly restraining himself from going any further as to not delay their hike any longer.

All too soon, they reached the edge of the woods. The trees gave way to more grass and a paved walking path that was delicately wrapped around a small playground between the group and the road ahead. Next to the street was a bench nestled under a plexiglass shelter, a map of the roads on one side and a trash bin on the other.

“Welp, this is my stop... “ He let his statement hang, the two desires waging war within him as he kissed Tala gently and almost innocently before stepping back.

Kiana stopped him and pulled him close. Though he was surprised at first, he didn’t fight against it, giving the kind woman a hug. “Think over the offer to join us, there’s not really a time limit and you’re always welcome. Just be careful, wolfsbane is toxic, even to our kind, so watch how often you take it.“ Her hug tightened and her voice lowered. “If you change your mind, I can easily sway Dakota to sponsor and train you,” she whispered, but he was sure Tala could still hear.

“I’ll think about it. Thank you,” John replied. She kissed the hair on the top of his head, and he felt comforted as if she were his own mother.

Tala pulled him away from her mother and kissed him again, nipping his lower lip with a soft growl. “You’d better come by soon. I want more of you.”

He groaned, her breath causing his lips to tingle, and his tongue darted out to taste her mouth again. A quick lick was all he allowed himself, having to physically fight the urge to just pin her against a tree and take her again. Something about the little minx set his libido on fire and he loved it. His werewolf lover was like a wet dream come true. She giggled, stepping back away to wink at him, and he smirked. ’And she knows exactly what she’s doing.’

John reached into his torn backpack, fishing out a pen and ripping a corner out of his notebook to scrawl his address and cell number for her in his barely legible text. “I’m always available for you. Any time you’re free or if you can even stop by, I’d love to hear from you.” He gave her the little slip, and she clutched it to her chest, her eyes glossy as she looked him over.

His fingers itched to grip her hips and pull her to him once again, but the sound of the next bus coming up the street bolstered his will. It was time to leave. He **** an awkward smile. “I’ll come by tomorrow. I think I’ll be spending a lot more time in these woods.”

Tala squealed in excitement at his announcement and threw herself at him, nearly bowling him over as she knocked the wind out of his lungs with the **** of her hug. They all laughed and hugged again with the promise of tomorrow in the air before John collected his things and ran to catch the bus. The driver looked at him funny with his ill-fitting clothes and wet hair, but John paid him no mind. Instead he found a seat where he could watch the girls make their way back into the forest as the monstrosity of steel pulled away to go back towards the city.

Once he lost view of them between the trees, the young man leaned back into his seat, eyes closed in an attempt to clear his mind. ’How the hell am I going to explain this to Mom?’ He sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands, the few other passengers paying him no mind. ’My uniform ruined, wearing clothes that aren’t mine…’ Reminded of his uniform, he pulled it out his bag to get a better look at it. His pants were in tatters below the knees and caked in mud, the remains of his previously white shirt were soaked in a mixture of blood, sweat, the ichor from the monster he tackled, and forest floor. ’Completely ruined, what a waste…’ Surprisingly, his blazer was fine. ’That’s right, I took you off during my hike in. Thank God.’ He could feel a bubble of hysterical laughter threatening to escape when he was startled by a pop-up.

That’s “Goddess” to you, Mutt

“Oh!” he started. “Uh, Goddess. Sorry.”

In his surprise, John spoke aloud, this time gaining a few curious looks from people sitting nearby. He ducked his head in embarrassment, grumbling to himself about needing to be more careful when he got another window.

Good boy.
+1 Pat. Maybe.

That one elicited a groan as he closed it. ’Great… Well, at least my jacket’s okay. I have spares of the rest and they’re easier to replace.’ The gamer started formulating a plan, ordering new pants and a shirt on his phone while the bus made its route, glad that he’d made some money from his quests and achievements. When he finally got to the stop a couple blocks from his home, John dumped his ruined articles in the bin next to the bench. With each step towards the house, he grew more weary; his head was throbbing and his muscles ached by the time he was opening the door. The house was quiet. The sunset streamed in through the windows, casting an orange hue across the walls.

Ditching his shoes and school supplies by the door, he called, “Mom?” out to the house, but silence was the only answer he got. ’Mm, must not be home yet.’

After today’s excitement, the teenager reveled in the silence as he made his way to the kitchen, finding a note and a $20 bill stuck to the fridge by a magnet.

Hey honey! Picked up an extra shift, order yourself a pizza for dinner. ILY, Mom

Her cute attempts at ‘internet lingo’, as she called it, made John chuckle, and a few quick taps on the Dice Pizza app on his phone sent dinner on its way. His stomach growled its disapproval at the wait, and while he sat at the table, John decided to doodle in his sketch pad. It was a simple thing, but it helped him feel normal again for a few minutes. After sketching a random assortment of things sitting around the room, a thought dawned on him. ’I bet I could use that boar I fought for the biology assignment.’

A simple enough task, he flipped to a new page and started a rough sketch, not wanting to waste the higher-grade paper that June had given him for the assignment. The form slowly came together, and when he had an outline to work from, he focused on his memory of the lethal little pig: what it looked like and how it moved. His pencil practically moved of its own accord, tracing the lines of the animal’s form to slowly add details to over time.

Deeply engrossed in his project, John was jolted out of his seat when the doorbell rang. He laughed at himself, grabbed the money left by his mom, and went to get his pizza. The light on the porch flickered when he opened the door to see his usual delivery girl. He could never remember her name, but he was always attracted to her confidence and brightly colored hair. This week, it seemed she’d chosen purple. He cast a quick Observe on her, and she seemed to stiffen, looking him over before giving an unsure smile.

“Evening, John. $12,50.”

His brow furrowed as he reread the window. ’Actually human? What else would I-’ He cut off his own thought, fear raising the hair on the back of his neck. ’Is she a…No, she couldn’t be...’ He couldn’t get his mind to connect his sexy punk pizza girl with the horror stories from earlier in the day. ’Nah, I’m sure I’m imagining things.’ He settled his mind, looking her over again. He took in her long, shapely legs clad in ripped up denim shorts, bare flat stomach under her cut-off top with the Dice Pizza die stretched across her d-cup breasts.

“Yo, John?” Stephanie leaned in, her brown eyes watching his face. Their flat color was boring to him in comparison to Tala’s vibrancy, and he barely fought back the growl rising from his chest. He quickly covered the slight rumble by clearing his throat and forcing a smile.

“Sorry, Steph. Started a new game I’ve been, uh, really getting into.” His uncomfortable smile turned sheepish when she giggled.

“You and your games,” she paused when he handed her the cash, exchanging the food for the bill. She opened her mouth to continue their weekly banter, but he cut her off.

“Keep the change.” His clipped tone made her blink.

“Thanks man, good luck with that game.” John shut the door in her face, in a bit of a hurry to end the interaction. He saw her surprised face through the peephole but didn’t care if he was rude or not. “Enjoy your night!” was called through the door after him as he slipped the deadbolt into place and walked away, his stomach now almost too sour for his favorite food.

Storming into the kitchen, he set the box onto the table next to his sketch. He grabbed a glass for his soda and looked around the quiet room, again reminded of the disconnect of the day’s events from his normal life. ’Actually, playing a game might help clear my head.’ Balancing his food, cup and 2 liter in his arms, the gamer made his way up to his room where he spread his supplies on his desk.

The teen hit the power switch on his rig and went back down to drop off the last empty pizza box and get a few paper towels to keep grease off his keyboard. Throwing his supplies into his inventory, he left his backpack and sketch book at the table, making his way back up to his room. John’s nerves needed a break from the long day and some mundane guild tasks and rep grind in Globe of Fightcraft was exactly what the doctor ordered.