Phrases marked with (t) will have a translation at the end of that section.

The Pack

The two young men were silent on the way to the hotel. All that needed to be said had been. The beast was near the surface in both of them, and communication was a non verbal thing for the beast. It was more scent and sense.

They paused at the desk long enough to ascertain that Baron von Glower was, indeed, in his room, then passed on to the elevator. The staff in the lobby exchanged curious glances, then shrugs. The European aristocrat had...curious visitors. The long hair on one of the men, the leather jacket on the other, and the strained expressions on both, brought up some speculation. But then, this was the new millennium...

Blair didn't have to show Gabriel which room von Glower was in. The moment the doors opened on the hallway, Gabriel was moving. He almost loped down the corridor, head high, swiveling alertly for some sign of his alpha. And he stopped before the correct door, staring at it, chest heaving. He didn't have to knock. As Blair came up behind him, the door opened, and Frederick was there.

For a long moment the two men stared at each other, emerald eyes meeting sapphire. Then Frederick held out his arms, and Gabriel moved into them.

Gabriel tucked his head on Frederick's shoulder, and the other man held him tight, rocking him and murmuring in German. "Meine Lebensdauer, meine Liebe, meine Seele. Meine andere Hete, die mich vollsteig bildet. Ich wuie daiSie zu mir kommen wein."(t)

Blair watched the two men. There was such tenderness and joy in von Glower. It seemed to radiate from him. There was no doubt that he genuinely loved the rather confused young man he was embracing. Blair felt a pang. It must be wonderful to be loved like that.

Then he remembered another pair of blue eyes, and the passion and warmth blazing from them, directed at him, Blair Sandburg. And he knew that he did have that sort of love, but it wasn't here. It wasn't with these men. There was a bond, yes. A strong bond, one of spirit and blood. But it wasn't love. Not for him. Love was with Jim. But what was he going to do? He needed this so badly. There was something inside that he knew would rip and tear at him, and anyone around him, if he tried to deny it.

He almost backed away quietly and left them there. Almost. But then von Glower looked up at him, and held out his hand. Gabriel tilted his head to look at Blair also. There was such acceptance and understanding in those eyes, blue and green, that he found himself moving forward into what became a three-way embrace. He laid his head on von Glower's other shoulder. This was, he knew, a false sense of peace and belonging, but it would do for now.

After a moment, Frederick pulled away gently, drawing them in, and shut the door. "Our affairs are not for the public eye, mein kinder."

Von Glower turned back to Gabriel, stroking his face, tracing the strong line of his mouth. "I would have come back for you, my angel. You know that."

Gabriel nodded. "I had t' come. I couldn't stand waitin' there. I was... I was afraid of what I might do... to Grace. To Gerde..."

"Yes, I understand." He laid his hand on Gabriel's chest. "The beast is here, growing stronger every minute, yes?" Gabriel's head dropped, the red gold hair obscuring his tortured expression. Again von Glower embraced him. "I know, my love, I know. The first time is very frightening. I am glad you came. I have so wanted to be with you for this."

"Frederick," Gabriel whispered. "You don't know... When I started from Rittersburg... I... I think..."

"You were coming to kill me." Gabriel's head jerked back, and he gazed horror struck at the man who held him. But there was no reproach in von Glower's eyes. A certain sadness, but no recriminations. "It is natural, Gabriel. I never meant you any harm, but I have killed your old life. You can't go back to what you were. But you must realize that is the same whether I live or die. You can never again be what you were before. Even if the beast is chained and muzzled, deep in your soul, never to roam free again, it will be there, and you will know it. When the moon is full, it will shake the bars of its cage, and howl."

That was a terrifying thought. To lose the curse, but only partially. Instead of dealing with the wildness a few days each month, and being done with it, to have to fight it every hour of your life, with no one who truly understood to help. That existence would be lonely beyond belief.

"But that will not happen, my two loves. I am here for you. I so wanted to be with you both for this first change. I will do all that I can to comfort you and keep you safe. We will need to leave here soon, and I'm afraid I'm not really sure where we will go. I want to take you somewhere away from men. I will keep you from killing your own kind, if I can. I... did not have much choice in the matter." There was an inexpressible sadness in Frederick's voice.

"I don't trust to locked doors. They have failed me before, and three determined lycanthropes..." He shook his head. "Even a prison would be at risk."

"I know a place," Blair spoke up, eager and proud to be able to help his little family. "Jim and I camp a lot. Usually we use a tent, but there's a little cabin we've visited, when there's too much snow on the ground. I think it should be available now. It's miles from anyone and anything."

"That would be perfect, cub." Blair basked in his alpha's warm approval.

"I'll call Larry and see if it's available." Blair dialed the phone. While he spoke, von Glower led Gabriel over to the bed, and they sat together. Gabriel moved to curl up on the bed, his head in von Glower's lap, and the older werewolf gently stroked his hair as he watched the youngest beta make the call.

"Larry? Hey, how ya doin'? I'm fine. Yeah, Jim's fine, too. He says hi. Look, we got a little unexpected time off, and were wondering if the cabin is available. Right now. Yeah, tomorrow. For, oh," he looked at Frederick. The baron held up three fingers. "Three, four nights. Sure. That would be fantastic. No, we won't need anything. Key in the same place? Uh huh. You know what Jim told you about that. Well, I won't tell him. I'll just say that you sent me a duplicate, and I forgot to tell him. Okay. Thanks, Larry. You're a lifesaver."

Blair hung up, and turned to the couple on the bed. "It's set. The drive takes a little over three hours."

"Then we have time." Von Glower held out his hand to Blair in wordless invitation.

Blair hesitated. But Gabriel turned his head, and smiled at him, then turned back to begin nuzzling at Frederick's crotch. Blair could feel himself beginning to stiffen in his pants. He walked over slowly, and sat on von Glower's other side.

Frederick pushed his hair back from his face tenderly, and began to drop light kisses along his cheek, down his jaw. When he reached Blair's throat, Blair heard the quiet rasp of a zipper. A moment later, von Glower moaned against his skin as Gabriel took the baron's rigid cock into his mouth.

Slowly Blair and Frederick undressed each other, as much as they could without Gabriel losing his oral contact with his alpha, because he refused to do that. When Frederick had tried to tug Gabe's head back, he'd been met with a low growl. He laughed in astonishment, looking at Blair. "He gave me his teeth, the greedy thing!"

Von Glower leaned over Gabriel, and whispered in his ear, "Leibchen, you must let me go." Another growl, and a snuffle, as Gabriel very deliberately swallowed the entire length of von Glower's shaft. "Mein Gott!" Frederick gasped. "You don't understand, my heart. I want to give you and my cub a gift for the first time we are together. Gabriel, I want both of you to fuck me."

Blair almost fell backward, and Gabriel released his prize with a slurp to stare up at Frederick, unbelievingly. Frederick nodded, smiling at their expressions. "Is it so hard to believe, dear ones? It is only right to want to give yourself to the ones you love." He caressed Gabriel's face, then Blair's. "And I trust you both."

Blair and Gabriel exchanged startled looks. Blair knew, better than Gabriel, how unusual this was. In the wild, the lead wolf of a pack did not submit to being mounted by an inferior. It just didn't happen. This could only be von Glower's human side. He cared for them both to over ride the brute instinct that drove him to dominate. He would give himself to them, without forcing them to fight for the privilege. It was, as he said, a gift.

Gabriel sat up, "Frederick, you sure?"

"Yes, Gabriel. Please, do not be so dumbfounded. I have lived a long time. There are few pleasures I haven't sampled. I know what I'm asking for. I relish the thought."

He kissed Gabriel. "First you, my angel. Then sweet Blair. It isn't that I don't love you, cub, but he is your elder."

"I'll live." The two older men couldn't restrain a chuckle.

"Now." Frederick stood up long enough to remove the rest of his clothing, then climbed on the bed. He lay down, bending his knees and grabbing his legs, spreading them. "The lubricant is in the night stand."

Blair looked at Gabriel eagerly. "Can I open him up for you?"

Gabriel tousled his hair. "Go on, kiddo." Gabriel stripped while Blair located the little tube, and coated his fingers. Blair knelt naked on the bed, and ran his greased hand down the spread crease of von Glower's ass, eliciting a sigh. "Get him nice and wet, Blair." Gabriel bent over and began kissing Frederick's chest. "He's gonna need to be ready if we're both gonna do him."

"So considerate," Frederick murmured wryly, then gasped as Blair slid the first finger up inside him. "It... has been awhile." he admitted.

"Should I stop?" Blair asked, concerned.

"No, pet, no. Just give me a moment at each stage, yes?"

Blair patiently worked the single digit in and out of his older lover, gradually loosening the taut, muscular ring. He was hard pressed to decide which to watch: his own finger pumping slowly in von Glower's ass, or Gabriel as he tongued and nibbled their lover's nipples, bringing them to aching hardness.

When he felt he was ready, Blair pulled out, added a bit more lube, and pushed two fingers into the hot, narrow channel. Frederick groaned, his hips lifting slightly. "Ah, I had forgotten how good it was. More, Blair, more."

Blair had intended to go more slowly, but if this was what Frederick wanted... He scissored his fingers briefly, then pushed a third finger in beside the first two. He twisted, probing, feeling for the magic spot. When he found it, von Glower's back arched, and he whimpered. "Yes! Oh, yes."

He clutched Gabriel's shoulder. "Please, Gabriel. Now."

Blair pulled his hand free and got out of the way quickly. He crawled higher up on the bed as the schattzenjaeger move into position between Frederick's spread legs. Blair pushed Frederick's hands away, and grabbed his knees, holding his legs up and open to give Gabriel access to Frederick's core, and allow Frederick to relax a bit and enjoy the experience.

Gabriel worked his knees up under von Glower's buttocks, positioning himself. Then he paused for a moment. He pressed his fingers up under Frederick's balls, finding the sensitive spot, and rubbing, letting his thumb move down to dig shallowly into the hungry hole beneath it.

Von Glower's head tossed on the pillow, "Gabriel!"

Gabe grinned at him, sinking the thumb in a scant inch. Now it was Frederick who growled, and tried to push back on him. "Gabriel, don't tease."

Gabriel relented. He replaced his thumb with the blunt, broad head of his cock, and pushed, slowly sliding into the wet heat till he was fully buried, his balls nestling in the crack of his lover's ass.

The baron let out a long, heartfelt sigh. "Perfect." he whispered. "I'm whole again. Fuck me, my angel. Fuck me hard."

Gabriel started to move on him, move in him. Sex with Blair, and with the blind boy on the plane, had been good, but this... This was how it was meant to be. Him, and Frederick. How could he have ever doubted it? Why did he fight it for so long? So much time wasted.

Gabriel thrust steadily, reveling in the sweet friction, relishing every tiny movement and moan that his lover made. *All because of me* Gabe thought. *I'm the one doin' this to him. I'm the one who's makin' this fine, strong man sweat and tremble and cry out.* Aloud he panted, "Gonna make you scream, Frederick."

"Yes, angel. Do it."

Gabriel's thrusts speeded up, and became stronger. Frederick was not fragile, he could take a lot. They both knew this. Soon Gabriel was throwing himself into the deed, slamming into his lover's body with all the power he could muster, feet digging and pushing at the sheets for leverage.

Finally he rammed into Frederick deeper than ever before, feeling that he must have reached the man's very center, and came with a fountaining gush that shook every fiber of his being. Frederick did, indeed, scream. He called Gabriel's name, clutching the heaving man to his body as Gabriel's seed emptied into him in pulse after liquid pulse.

But he hadn't come yet. Trapped between his body and Gabriel's his prick was swollen rock hard, drooling copious amounts of pre-seminal fluid. Gabe panted, "Aw, shit, Frederick. Man, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, my precious."

"But... you didn't get off, and I'm through for a little..."

Frederick gave Gabriel a hot smile. "Gabriel, it's Blair's turn."

Gabriel laughed breathlessly, pulling out of von Glower. "Yeah, I almost forgot." He slapped Blair on the shoulder. "It's up to you, boy. He needs it bad."

Blair let go of von Glower's legs. His voice was hoarse, excited. "I want you from behind."

"Like I had you, pup? Yes, only fitting." Frederick rolled onto his belly, then got up on his hands and knees, bracing his legs wide. "I'm ready for you, my lover."

Blair stared. Von Glower's buttocks glowed from the slapping of flesh against flesh when Gabriel fucked him. Frederick reached back and used one hand to pull aside a buttock, exposing his most secret self to Blair's hungry gaze. The ass hole, so tiny and puckered when they had begun, was slightly open now, rosy from it's stretching and battering. As Blair watched, a dribble of pearly come oozed out to trickle down the inside of a strong male thigh.

With a cry, Blair threw himself on von Glower. He rammed home so hard that he almost knocked the bigger man flat, and earned a sharp yelp of mingled pain and ecstacy.

It was different than it had been with Jim. Now he had no sense of taking advantage of someone's helplessness. His partner was not only willing, but eager. Jim had responded, but reluctantly. Frederick sought Blair's pleasure, and his own, vigorously. He thrust back to meet each of Blair's lunges, squeezing with his internal muscles.

Gabriel reached under his jerking body, and gripped von Glower's rigid, swaying cock, masturbating him in time to Blair's fucking. Frederick was gasping, head down, overwhelmed by the sensations coming from two different sources, unable to decide which was more pleasurable. In the end, it didn't matter if it was Gabriel's hand on his cock, or Blair's cock in his ass that finally sent him over the edge. He came, spraying the rumpled sheets with hot, thick ropes of come. His howl was worthy of the beast itself.

Blair didn't last much longer. It would have taken a man of iron to resist the internal flex that stroked his turgid staff when Frederick shuddered and squeezed around him, and Blair Sandburg was only flesh and blood.

He came, shouting a name as his orgasm rocked him, and his seed spilled into Frederick's ass to mingle with Gabriel's. And even as the tremors shook him, he was sobbing in sudden hurt and shame. "I'm sorry! Oh, I'm sorry!"

Shaking a little, Frederick pulled free of the young man's impaling cock, which was beginning to soften. He turned, and pulled Blair into his arms, patting him comfortingly, as Gabriel watched, expression inscrutable.

"It's all right, cub. Shh. It's alright. I'm not hurt." He sighed, and kissed the top of Blair's head. "We have such a mess we must straighten out later. But I understand, pet." He rocked the Guide as his sobs gradually lessened.

"You don't mind?" Blair whispered.

"No, child, I don't mind. You love him." Again he hugged Blair, comforting. "It's only natural that you call for Jim."

Translation:

Meine Lebensdauer, meine Liebe, meine Seele. Meine andere Hite, die mich vollsteig bildet. Ich wuie daeSie zu mir kommen wein.
My life, my love, my soul. My other half that makes me whole. I knew that you would come to me.

meine kinder: my children

Consolation

Grace's POV

We went to the apartment that Ellison and Sandburg shared. I was hoping against hope that Gabriel would be there, talking to the other man who'd contracted von Glower's curse. No such luck, dammit. I should have known better. Things just don't go smoothly.

Ellison was troubled the second we got in his building. He froze for a second out in the hallway, his head going up. It was like an animal when the wind brings it the scent of something dangerous. I swear, I could almost see his ears pricking. "Something's wrong." He wasn't really speaking to me. I just happened to be there.

He moved quickly then, opening the door and almost running into the apartment, only to skid to a halt in the middle of the room. I watched as he turned in a slow circle. Somehow I knew he was seeing things I wasn't. Smelling them, too, from the way his nostrils were flaring.

"Jesus," he whispered. "Oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Blair, what happened? What did you do? What did he do?"

"What is it?"

"There... something happened here. It..." He grimaced, almost as if he were in physical pain. "It's thick in here."

"What? Ellison, what do you know? And how do you know it? The place looks fine to me."

"That's because you're not a Sentinel."

"God, will you talk English, please? How can my not being a guard have anything to do with..."

"Not 'guard'. Sentinel. There's a difference. I don't have the time or patience to explain it, or try to make you believe it, so you'll just have to trust me and take me at my word. I'm different, Grace. My senses are heightened, and if I want to, I can make them very heightened. I can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel things ordinary men can't, and I use it in my police work. And right now the sensory input in this room is... is almost enough to make me zone."

I had no idea what a zone was, but I could tell from Ellison's strained expression and tone of voice that it wasn't anything I wanted to have happen. "Are you alright?"

He swayed slightly. "I need Blair." His eyes were starting to unfocus, the pupils dilating. His voice was becoming more distant.

"Jim!" I moved instinctively to touch him, laying a hand on his arm. "Listen to me! You can't let this get to you, you have to fight it, whatever it is. Do you hear me? Fight it! If you don't, then both Gabriel and Blair don't stand a chance." I shook his arm slightly. "Do it for Blair!"

I could see the man pulling himself together, drawing back both mentally and physically from some edge I could only imagine. He took a deep breath, his eyes clearing, and looked at me. "You know, I think we might need to try to find you a sentinel I think you may be guide material."

"Thanks, I think."

"Yeah, it's a compliment." He shook his head, as if to clear away the last of a mental fog. "Sorry, but it's pretty intense."

Again I looked around, puzzled. "What is it that you're aware of that I'm not?"

"Well, the most obvious one is the smell." I cocked my head. "No, you can't smell it, but it's only barely below your sense level, believe me."

"Is... is it like... blood? A dead body?" My tone was almost fearful.

Jim shook his head. "No, but it's the scent of aggression. There was a fight for dominance in this room; a serious one, not just a macho pissing contest. The testosterone and adrenaline levels are almost off the scale. And..." He slid an ice blue glance at me. "The pheromones."

I frowned. "Pheromones? But those are..."

"In the dictionary, it's a naturally secreted chemical that influences the behavior of a member of the same species. In common usage, it means a hormonal scent that both indicates and causes sexual arousal."

"Oh."

"Sex and power are close, Grace: in the human world, and even more so in the animal. And the animal smell is almost overwhelming here, too. It's mixed with Blair and Gabriel's scent so closely that it's hard to distinguish them. That would jibe with what you told me."

I stared around. "All right, I'll just take the scenting as a given. But what do you see? I mean, nothing's knocked over, or torn up."

Silently he went to the wall and minutely straightened a picture that was infinitesimally ajar. He used his toe to smooth out a slight wrinkle in the rug, then tapped the fabric. I bent and looked closer. There was a whitish damp patch, no bigger than a rice grain. Finally he tweezed something up off the floor between thumb and forefinger, and offered it to me. It was a single long, red-gold hair. Damn. With the rug pattern, I would have needed a microscope to pick that out of the fibers.

"Okay, so he was here, and... something happened. Where are they now?"

Jim rubbed his face. "That I do not know. I'm good, but I'm not psychic."

"Well, couldn't you, like, track them or something?"

He gave me a pained look, and I felt foolish. He said patiently, "How much luck does a bloodhound have if his quarry gets in a taxi and takes off?" His expression was suddenly intent. "But..."

He plucked a crumpled scrap of paper out from under the sofa, and looked at it, then handed it to me. I felt my pulse speed up. The words scrawled on the paper were in a hand that was hatefully familiar to me: von Glower's. It seemed to be the name of a hotel, and a room and phone number.

He had his keys out, and we were moving toward the door when the phone rang. He froze, then went to it quickly. As he picked it up, he said hopefully, "Blair?" His face fell. "Oh, hi, Larry. Haven't left for where yet?" He was suddenly even more tense. "Yeah, you're right. It IS nice to get a little unexpected time off. Yeah, I'll be sure to be careful. Don't worry. Did Blair mention when he expected us to arrive? Yeah, you're right, it IS a late start. Thanks again. Yeah, bye."

He hung up, and swung around to face me. That was a hunting face if ever I saw one. "What?"

"That was a guy I've rented a cabin from occasionally. He wanted to warn me that Blair and I need to be careful about building a fire when we get up there, because he thinks the chimney needs a good cleaning. He was glad he caught us before we started up."

"Is this cabin away from civilization?"

"Miles. It's isolated, off a dirt road. There aren't even any other seasonal cabins near it."

"He's taking them out into the woods for their first change. I hadn't expected that. I thought he'd glory in the chance to be loose among unprotected people." This revelation bothers me a little. I don't like to think of von Glower as doing anything that might be even remotely considered mindful of others.

Jim shakes his head. "It's a damn good thing I didn't find that paper right away. We'd have been on our way to the hotel by now, missed the phone call, and we'd never have known where they really went." He started toward the door. "Come on."

"Wait."

He halted. "Why? Come on, we need to get after them."

"How long will it take us to get there?"

"Not long. A few hours."

"We don't know how long they've been gone. They could have just left, could have already arrived. We know where they're going, though. Once they get there, they won't be leaving, not until after the full moon passes, anyway. We don't have anything to worry about till moonrise tomorrow."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that we're both tired, and stressed, and that it might not be the best way to come up against three werewolves, especially when two of them are going to be brand new and probably scared out of their wits. Fear makes aggression. You know that. I think we should wait, and head out to the cabin tomorrow."

He hesitates, clearly torn. He sees logic in my argument, but the instinct to go after his friend is strong. These two must me... close. At last his broad shoulders slump dispiritedly. "I guess you're right. The drive will be tiring enough without going into it on top of a full day."

"I'll come by tomorrow early.

" "You don't have to leave." He gestures toward a small room on the ground floor. "You can have Blair's old room. I have fresh sheets."

I hesitate. I don't like hotels. There's something rather soulless about them, and I don't want to deal with soulless things after what I've been through lately. "All right."

He goes to the bathroom and comes back with sheets. "There's food in the kitchen, and beer. Help yourself. I'd offer to cook, but..." He trails off.

"No problem. I understand." He goes into the room, and I hear the faint rustling of cloth as he shakes out the sheets and begins to dress the bed. I go and look in the refrigerator, but nothing really looks appealing, so I just take a beer. I drink it, leaning on the counter, thinking about Gabe. I don't wonder whether or not I've lost him, I know I have. I just wonder on how many different levels I've lost him.

Ellison has been in the room longer than it should take to slap a couple of sheets on the bed. I put aside the bottle, and go to look in.

The bed is made, and he's sitting on the edge of the mattress. A pillow case is pooled on the floor at his feet, and he's holding a stripped pillow, his face buried in it. When I come to the doorway, he looks up quickly, his face wet with tears, and I realize that this must have been Blair's pillow. He's been sitting there, drinking in the scent.

I ought to leave. Some moments are too private to intrude on. But I don't, because I remember how I felt in von Glower's house when I put my face in Gabe's leather jacket and smelled the scent that could belong to no other being on the face of this earth. I don't leave. Instead, I go in and sit beside him.

He's too upset to be embarrassed. He sighs shakily, laying the pillow on the bed and smoothing it. "Blair." The single word seems to explain everything. I nod.

He looks at me beseechingly. "It's not just now, you know? I... I feel like he's been slipping away from me for a long time, ever since that night in the forest. Slipping away before I could really take hold of him and tell him and show him how I feel."

"Yes, I know. Like Gabriel. But you had a chance to show him, didn't you Jim? I haven't with Gabriel. I don't think I ever will, now."

We look at each other, in silent communion. We are two people who are desperately afraid of losing someone they love, without being sure that the loved ones are even aware of that love.

It isn't the best reason in the world for what happens, but it's enough. It's an excuse, anyway, and I'll take what I can get. I'm feeling pretty cut adrift right now, and Jim Ellison strikes me as excellent anchor material.

I reach over, and wipe a tear off Jim's lean cheek. He closes his eyes briefly, and sort of leans into the touch. He's hurting as much as I am, maybe more. I think... this is going to happen.

I'm surprised at myself. Oh, I'm not a virgin, despite my parents' fond illusions. But I'm not a slut, either, and I've known Jim Ellison only a few hours. That doesn't seem to matter, though. We're both lonely, and hurting, and we need something, or someone. And if the other someone understands... So much the better.

I made the first move, I continue to lead the way. I don't kiss him on the lips. Somehow, that would be wrong. That's something for lovers.

I do kiss him on the neck, pressing my lips to the strong pulse that throbs just beneath the skin. I feel his hands come up and gently cradle the back of my head. Such big hands. I'm not a big woman, but suddenly I'm feeling particularly tiny.

I kiss my way around his throat to the other side, and his hands slide down my back caressingly. The last time a man touched me in an intimate manner was in Rittersburg, when Gabriel, in the thrall of the beast, almost raped me. This is different: gentle, and slow.

I stand up for a moment, and start to unbutton my blouse. He watches me with shadowed eyes. I remove the garment, dropping it, and begin to unfasten my skirt, and he says hesitantly, "Grace? I haven't been with a woman... for some time. Not since before Blair and I... discovered what we really felt."

"It's all right. It's been a while for me, too." I take off my bra, then my panties. I didn't bother with hose, and the socks and shoes follow quickly.

"I love Blair. I... don't want to hurt him. But... but I feel..."

I sit beside him again, putting my fingers against his mouth. "I understand. Sometimes you just need someone, Jim. And if you can't have the one you really want, then someone else who cares a little will have to do."

He lets me pull the T-shirt over his head. He's different from my Gabriel. The muscles are sleeker, the flat nipples darker, but he's a beautiful man, all the same. He's just not my Gabe. I push him back gently on the bed, and begin to make love to him, running my tongue over the firm plane of his chest, teasing his nipples to stiffened attention.

He responds very quickly, and I wonder if it's his Sentinel sense of touch, or just his need. I trail my mouth down his torso while my hands work his belt, and open his jeans. By the time I reach his groin, I've eased out his half-erect prick.

I think about fellatio, but I've never done it before, and I'm not quite ready to start now. I do blow hot gusts of breath over the staff as I work it carefully between my palms, bringing him to a full hard on. When he's erect and dripping with pre-semenal fluid, I skin his jeans and boxers down, discarding them along with his shoes.

He turns on his side, reaching into the drawer of the night stand, and comes up with a condom and a tube of lubricant. He looks at the tube for a moment, then quietly replaces it. He quickly tears open the foil pack, and sheaths himself in latex, then lies back down.

I have the feeling that he isn't usually this passive a lover, but then, this situation is out of the ordinary. As I move above him, he closes his eyes, covering them with his arm. It isn't me he's going to be fucking, and I can deal with that. I'm not really going to be making love to him, either.

I position myself as I kneel over him, holding his cock with one hand and fitting the broad head against my vagina. He hasn't really touched me, but I'm wet already. We really didn't need the lubricant. Slowly, I start to sink down.

He's a big man, and I'm built on the dainty side, but I don't stop until I've taken all of him. When I stop, our pubic hair is meshed, and we're both panting raggedly. I'm so full I feel like I'm going to burst, but that's good. I've felt empty for a long time.

I start to rise and fall on his impaling shaft, just an inch or two at first. He moans quietly, and I can't help but answer him. After a minute or two, I have to speed up. I increase the length of my slide: ascending farther each time, then gliding back down to take his full length. I set up a steady rhythm.

Soon, though, he begins pushing up to meet me. He pumps steadinly, thrusting deeply with each lift of his hips, and he speeds up, too.

He may have most of his face covered by his arm, but I can see the flush that spreads down his neck, out to his chest, even. His teeth are clenched.

Finally, eyes still squeezed shut, he moves his hands down and grabs my hips, holding me, and begins to fuck almost savagely, throwing himself up into me with every stroke. His grip slides, and one of his thumbs slides into the crease of my sex, finding my clitoris just above where his dick is buried in my flesh.

I come, howling, and he makes a few more ragged thrusts before spilling his seed into the sterile confines of the condom. As he comes, he turns his face, burying it in the pillow, and I can see his lips silently forming the name of the man he loves.

I pull off him, and we sleep beside each other in the narrow bed, touching, but not holding. I wish that I had called for Gabriel when my climax hit me, and I lie awake for some time wondering why I didn't.

Roadtrip

The three men stood inside the front door of the chain restaurant, waiting to be seated. Gabriel was grumbling. "Look Frederick, if you thought we had to have breakfast, we coulda just had room service."

Blair chimed in, "Or donuts. We could have eaten them in the car while we drove."

Gabriel nodded. "I'd kill for a beignet right about now."

Frederick pointed at the breakfast buffet. "I believe they have french toast strips."

Gabriel shook his head sadly at his misconception, "Not the same thing, man."

Frederick was patient. "I will explain to you again why we are doing this. First, we needed to get out of the hotel as quickly as possible. Blair's Jim had not yet come looking for us, but it was only a matter of time." As he said this, Blair tucked his head, eyes shadowed, and Frederick rubbed his back comfortingly. The pup was really hurting over his partner. Frederick feared that it was a true mating instead of a casual coupling. This might be difficult.

"Second, you two must eat."

"Well, I'm a tad peckish, but it's nothin' frantic," Gabriel muttered.

Frederick captured Gabriel's eyes, making sure that he was paying attention before he spoke again, slowly and deliberately. "You must eat. Today I will stuff you as you have never been stuffed before. This is important, Gabriel."

The hostess came up, smiling brightly. "Three?"

"Yes, please. Non-smoking, if possible."

"Sure. Follow me."

The little group wound its way back through the restaurant. It was early but, since this particular chain featured an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet prominently in its national advertising, it was busy. The tables were packed, but a bus boy was just wiping down a booth near the buffet, and the hostess led them here.

Frederick waved away the menus, saying, "We will have the buffet. Boys, tell her what you want to drink."

Blair opted for tea, Gabriel for coffee, and Frederick had a glass of tomato juice. The waitress jotted down their order, then left, saying brightly, "Just help yourself to the food. Please use a clean plate for each return trip. We don't mind the dirty dishes!"

When she was gone, Frederick continued. "Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and whatever snacks you can force down in-between. You will not disobey me on this, cubs," he said sternly.

"But why? I like food as well as the next person," Blair smiled faintly, "Better, if you listen to Ellison. And I am a little hungry. But why should we cram?" He patted an admirably flat stomach. "I don't want to pork up."

Frederick smiled. "Believe me, pup, there is no chance of that. You two don't understand... You can't imagine what is going to happen to you tonight. The transformation, especially the first one, is... rigorous. Your bodies will need the extra fuel. You're going to burn off a lot of calories just... becoming what you really are."

The waitress brought the drinks, and the men fell silent. She glanced around at them. My, this was a handsome group, even if the two long haired ones looked a little worn out. "You folks can help yourself, anytime."

"Yes, miss." Frederick smiled at her charmingly. "We just have a few things to settle before we begin."

"Oh. Okay. If you need anything, my name is Mandy."

There was enough of their old selves left in Sandburg and Knight for them to both give the girl smiles that warmed her to her bones. She walked away with a distinct tingle, and an extra swing in her hips. Frederick shook his head. He had two charmers on his hands.

"And another reason why I want your bellies full when the moon rises: if you are not completely satiated with food, the need to hunt will be intense. And Blair, you have told us that the cabin is far from civilization, but nothing is certain."

Blair sat up straighter, his expression anxious. "You mean we might...?"

"As you grow older, Blair, you will retain more of your waking self each time you transform. But this first time, the beast will hold full control. I have not killed man for a long, long time. Many years. Garr never got beyond that first stage. I should have realized..." He stopped, sighing at the thought of his mad, dead lover. "I hope that you two will never go through that. The first time, I wasn't given a choice, really. I don't want that for you two. So..." He slapped the tabletop lightly. "You feast today. For your own sake, and for my peace of mind."

Frederick's directive wasn't all that hard to carry out, once they got up to the breakfast bar. Something about the scent of bacon was a trigger to the stomach. Before Blair had picked up his first warmed plate, his stomach was loudly demanding to be fed. A little girl ahead of him in line, no more than five, and holding onto her father's belt, turned to stare at his tummy, wide-eyed. Then she looked up into Blair's grinning face and exclaimed, "You sound like you have a big ol' doggy in there!"

Blair bent close and whispered confidentially, "Nah, it's a wolf." The little girl giggled and hid her face against her father's hip.

Gabriel poked him good naturedly, "Quit flirtin' with the girls an' chow down, Sandburg."

"Oh, yeah, like you weren't with that waitress."

Gabriel was scooping up a bowl of grits. He gave his packmate a serene smile, "Ah can't help it if ahm irresistible."

Frederick smiled, watching his two little one's tease each other. If all went well, their first night in beast form would be nothing more than one long, free romp in the woods. This was what he wanted for them: to experience the liberty and ecstacy without the darker aspects. To them, he wanted it to be a gift, rather than a curse.

There are certain people who can make the management of an all-you-can-eat establishment almost regret their policy. This was one of those groups. The servers kept busy trotting out portions of bacon, sausage, pancakes, eggs, biscuits, gravy, and french toast.

The little waitress cleared empty plates away from their table several times to make room for fresh. The counter help watched in growing amazement. Usually they didn't see that type of consumption from anyone less than the occasional lumberjack who passed through. And none of the men were the least bit fat. What on earth did they do with all of it?

Then, when he was paying the bill, the dark haired man with the accent purchased a large bag of fresh donuts from the bakery section, telling the gaping cashier, "For the road."

The day manager shook her head as she watched them go out to the car. "I know we make up the extra they cost us on the people who only eat a few bites, but damn! And hardly a spare ounce on any of 'em. They must be those high metabolism types. I'd hate 'em on general principle if they weren't all so damn fine."

Grace and Jim's breakfast was much less ample, but neither really wanted to take the time for anything else. Breakfast sandwiches from Wonderburger and coffee were all either wanted, and that was mainly because they both knew that it would be better not to face a trio of werewolves if they were fainting from hunger.

Grace munched her breakfast, wondering how they got the eggs in those perfect little hockey puck shapes. Of course, they tasted better than hockey pucks. A little. She admired the way Jim juggled cup and sandwich while he drove. He didn't have to do it for long. He'd gotten two sandwiches, and managed them in about four bites each.

"How far behind them do you think we are?" She nibbled.

"I don't know. I wish I knew if they'd left last night or this morning."

"Well, we really don't want to run into them on the road. Whatever happens, the less citizens around, the better."

"Yeah, you're right about that."

Jim was wearing his jacket. He'd gotten dressed while Grace was using the shower. "Did you bring your gun?"

He looked at her sharply. "Yes, of course I did. I'm a police officer, and this is a potentially dangerous situation."

"Good."

"Grace, I don't know what you're expecting. I'm not just going to shoot the man."

"No, that would be too much to hope for."

"Grace!"

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "I've hated the man for quite a while now, Jim. It isn't easy for me to think of him as a human being, with rights."

"Look, this is going to be complicated enough without worrying about you going all radical on me. Do you promise not to rush into anything once we find them? I want a chance to talk to Blair before I take any real steps." She was silent. "Grace, goddamn it. I'll put your ass out by the side of the road right now!"

"All right."

Grace's POV

He doesn't understand. He's still dealing with this like we're up against a normal man.

I'm a little worried about him talking to Blair, or von Glower. Hell, or Gabriel, for that matter. They're all three damn persuasive when they want to be. And, I could be wrong here, but I think I'm not, I sense a little bit of the animal, deep inside Ellison. It isn't quite like it is with Gabriel. There's something more feline than lupine about Ellison, but still. Will the animal bloods call to each other? Can I risk that?

I'm debating just how aggressive I should be in taking action.

I pull my purse closer, feeling the comforting weight of the schattenjaeger dagger inside. If Ellison isn't going to be the macho, rash, murderously protective lover I had hoped, I may have to try to use it. I'm not stupid, and I'm not a coward, but the idea of having to get close enough to use it on von Glower chills me.

And there's the very real chance that I could come off the worse in the confrontation. Unlike fairy tales, good does not always win out over evil in this world. He could kill me, rip out my throat. And even if he didn't...

What if I were bitten, but lived? Oh, God, what a fate that would be. Because I wouldn't be accepted into the pack, not after trying to kill their alpha. I'd be driven away, if not killed outright.

The thought is terrifying. A werewolf, doomed to immortality and loneliness, without anyone like myself, down through what might be centuries.

Then I realize that this is exactly what Frederick von Glower has faced. I find myself looking at the world, for a moment, through his eyes.

And understanding...

I quickly shake my head. No, I can't allow that. I can't risk even an iota of sympathy or empathy. He has to be The Monster. That is the only way I can do what has to be done. Because if I begin to see him in human terms...

Again I push it from my mind. I slip my hand into my purse and touch the dagger, hoping to draw strength from the cool silver. My fingers trace over the blood red stone in it's hilt, and I repeat, over and over to myself, "Remember Gabriel, remember Gabriel, remember Gabriel..."

Sanctum

Von Glower's POV

Blair wasn't exaggerating when he said that the cabin was remote. Traffic became sparse, even on the highway, for the last hour of the drive. We passed through a small town that wasn't much more than a gas station, a post office, and a feed store, and when we exited, we turned almost immediately onto a dirt road.

We traveled for at least another half hour, perhaps more. The entire way, there were not other turn offs, no buildings in evidence. I could smell the fresh scent of open water, and knew we were near a pond or a lake. Mingled with the aroma of the pines and other green, growing things, it was almost intoxicating. Sometimes, when I have been in the city for awhile, I almost forget how alive the forest is. The road narrowed. Eventually it was only a deep rut between close growing greenery. Branches almost interlaced over our heads, so that the sunlight reached us only in patches. Twigs and long grasses brushed the sides of our car as we drove slowly, careful of the shocks.

Finally we made a sharp turn and emerged into a bit of relatively open space. The trees thinned out on either side. There was a bare patch of gravel laced dirt about the size of a small room in front of a tiny, neat cabin.

We parked and got out. With the engine cut off, the only man made sounds were the crunch of our footsteps on the gravel. Other than that, peace broken only by the soughing of the wind among the leaves, the occasional rustle in the brush of a small animal (oh, how my cubs pricked their ears at this!), and the distant song of bird.

I turned slowly, surveying the area. Gabriel and Blair watched me, awaiting my reaction. For a while, they would look to me for everything, but they would grow a bit more independent as time passed. All children grow up, eventually. At last I looked at them and smiled, nodding to Blair. "This will do nicely, I think." They relaxed into smiles. "Now, unload the car, children. I will take a quick look around."

I wanted to keep them occupied as much as possible. Brooding on what was to come tonight would have done no good. I went into the woods as they began to remove boxes of groceries from the trunk. There was quite a bit. We planned to be here for several days, and I was going to stuff them at every opportunity.

I walked into the woods until I could no longer see the cabin, or hear their voices, then I walked farther. I paused and turned slowly in a full circle, examining the sky, and the ground. There were no jet trails across the blue bowl of sky. There were no cans, cigarette butts, or scraps of paper on the ground to indicate the intrusion of man. I began to believe that this place might suit.

I walked a little bit, thinking. I had chosen Gabriel. If Garr had not bitten him, I would have eventually seduced him. But Blair... I sighed. Even with the spirit of the wolf moving so strongly within him, I was no longer sure that he belonged in the pack. He had been bonded to Jim Ellison before he took on the curse; perhaps not physically, but in the heart. He would never be wholly mine, as I knew Gabriel would, eventually. I tried to think of a way I could release him to his human lover. It didn't help that I knew less about my own condition than I had let on.

I, too, had learned most of my information from books and folk tale. If my father had lived, he might have been able to pass on to me some first hand wisdom. But he had been a made lycanthrope also, rather than a born one, like myself. He may have been even more ignorant than I.

They had finished when I returned to the cabin. "So, what can we do now?"

"Take a nap?" Gabriel yawned.

"No. You two need exercise. I want you tired out by tonight, remember?"

"We could have a swim," Blair volunteered. "The lake is just a few minutes walk."

Gabriel shook his head. "I don't know about you, kiddo, but I didn't bring any trunks."

Blair smiled. "So?"

Gabriel's eyebrows went up. "Ah."

"Race ya." Blair was off in a flash, long curls streaming behind him.

"Hey!" Gabriel was right behind, but he didn't have a chance. His legs might have been longer, but the younger man was a streak, moving through the trees. "No fair, head start! And I don't know where I'm goin'. No fair!" His only answer was laughter. Frederick followed at a more leisurely pace, smiling at his cubs' antics.

By the time he reached the lake, both of the other men had stripped, and were in the water. In fact, Blair was in the process of getting a thorough ducking from Gabriel. But Gabriel made the mistake of turning his back on Blair once he released him, and got a wetting himself. Frederick sat on the bank and watched them frolic for some time.

When the light began to darken into the deep gold of afternoon, he summoned them from their play. It was quite awe inspiring, watching the two of them stroll naked back through the woods to the cabin. This must have been what man looked like before he started the long climb into 'civilization', Frederick thought. Who was to say if it was, indeed, advancement?

At the cabin they dressed, but only casually. Both wore shorts. Blair put on one of his ubiqitous flannel shirts, but left it open. Gabriel was fascinated by the tiny gold hoop in his nipple, and Blair spent some time teasingly dodging his questing fingers.

There was still enough humanity left in them for them to want at least a token cooking of the steaks Frederick had brought for their lunch. Still, The meat was seared only long enough to take the chill off it. The boys devoured it while it was still dripping.

No cutlery was used. Oh, they had started out fairly civilized, with plates and knives and forks. But the steak knives were a little dull, and Gabriel was the first to lose patience. He dropped his flatware with a clatter, lifted his steak from the plate where it swam in red-brown juices, and ripped a chunk off with his teeth.

Blair watched his obviously satisfied chewing, then looked questioningly at Frederick. His sire nodded, and Blair followed Gabriel's example. Frederick, more in control with his long experience, finished his meal in a manner approved by Emily Post.

But he enjoyed watching his children eat. Such enthusiasm. By the time they were through, both Blair and Gabriel were smeared with blood up to their wrists, their chins and mouths greasy.

Blair licked his fingers clean, while Gabriel mopped up the last of his steak's juices with a piece of bread. When he popped it into his mouth, Blair reached over, snagged his hand, and began to clean it with his tongue. Gabriel sat back, eyes half closed, watching the younger man lap away the stains. He was being groomed, a tribute to his superior rank in the pack.

"Have you had enough, cubs?" He was answered by replete groans. Each of the men had put away more than two pounds of meat.

Gabriel patted his belly. "Fell like I'm 'bout to burst." "I haven't been this full since I won the rib eating contest at the precinct barbecue," Blair moaned. "It took me three days to recover from that."

"Believe me, you'll burn it all off tonight. That, plus supper." There were protesting sounds. "I know you don't think you can eat more, but you'll have to force down a little more just before sundown. No arguments."

"Yes, Daddy." Gabriel drawled. He slumped in his chair. "I could really use a nap."

"Gabriel, I will have Blair pinch you if you fall asleep."

He smirked. "Havin' someone else do your dirty work for ya, huh?"

"The privilege of the senior. Come outside, cubs. Perhaps the fresh air will keep you awake."

They went and sat on the porch, and Frederick began to tell them more of what they could expect that night."

"Will we remember being human?" Blair asked. He looked worried. "I mean, at all? I don't like the thought of totally losing my mind."

"You don't, cub. You become the beast, but you are not mad. Not you..." he corrected sadly. "If you were mad when the change took place, then you would remain so. The curse... It heightens everything, and if there is a weakness in the mind, I am afraid that it is gradually magnified. That is how it was with poor Garr. The tendency toward violence was already there, but I..." He sighed. "I could excuse myself by saying that I did not know, but that would be a lie. There was always a dangerous edge about him. That was part of his attraction."

He stared off thoughtfully into the shadows that deepened beneath the trees. "We do not have to be killers of men, my cubs. I realized this early on. If we are cautious, as we are being now, it need not happen. With Garr... I allowed myself to..."

He rubbed his eyes. "I told myself that they were deserving of death, the ones I hunted with him. They were criminals: murderers and rapists that we had met in the sewers of the city. There was a thrill to it, cubs, I will not deny it. When the beast held sway. But when I came to myself, when I was as much of a man as I ever can be..." Frederick's eyes were distant, sorrowful.

"And of course, I learned later that Garr did not limit himself to the animals in human form. He began to hunt the innocent. He even, God help me... He even took a child." Frederick looked at Gabriel. "The little girl. The one who's murder brought you to me, my angel. Though I do not know how I could live without you, I would give my life to make it so that never had happened."

Gabriel put his hand on the old werewolf's arm. "Your responsibility has to stop somewhere, Frederick. You can't take the care of the world on your shoulders, none of us can. Oh, we try. Look at me. The Schattenjaeger."

"And me," murmured Blair. "And Jim. Sentinel and Guide, protecting the tribe. But it isn't anything we can turn away from." He looked at Frederick, eyes pleading. "It isn't anything I can turn away from."

Frederick caressed his hair. "I know, pup, I know. I will be very sad to lose you, but you do belong with your Jim. Eventually. But you must remain with me till you learn how to live with your new state. I did not intend for this to happen to you, but it has, and it must be dealt with. We must somehow make your lover see this. If he loves you as much as I am sure he does, we will find a way."

Confrontation and Acceptance

"Step on it, Ellison."

"Christ, Grace, I'm already over the limit. If we get a ticket, that will really screw things. There's no way I can explain why I should have special dispensation to run twenty miles over the speed limit."

"Yeah, well, moon rise is at 8:57 tonight, I checked. So haul butt or we'll catch them post-transformation, and we do not want that."

"We have time. It's only seven-thirty, and we'll be there in less than an hour."

"That's not enough time. I don't know about you, but I want a bigger safety margin between me and three werewolves."

"Grace, we can't even be sure that it's actually going to happen." The pretty oriental woman just stared at him. Jim sighed. "Right. I'm fooling myself." His foot eased down on the accelerator, and the speedometer needle crept up.

The miles flew by. After awhile Jim said quietly, "Miss Nakimura?"

Grace didn't miss the formal title. "Yes, Detective Ellison?"

"We need to be clear about something. No matter what happens, I'm still a cop. If you attack any of those men without what I judge to be a clear and present danger, I'll stop you." He paused. "I will shoot you, if that's what it takes."

*In a way, that's flattering. It means he takes me as a serious threat.* "I understand." Her breath speeded minutely. *It doesn't make a damn bit of difference, but I understand.* Jim glanced at her and, for a moment, Grace almost believed he could read her mind.

It was dusk when he turned off onto the road that would take them to the cabin. Beside him in the cab, Grace was almost vibrating with tension. *I'd tell her to stay with the truck, but I doubt she'd listen any better than Sandburg ever did.*

It was twilight when they pulled into the clearing before the cabin. Blair's battered Volvo was parked beneath the trees, and there was a light in the cabin window. The light was obscured for a moment by a shadow, which then moved off. Jim cut the engine. They'd heard them drive up, of course. There was no way they could have missed it in the quiet of the forest. He only wished he'd had time to park about a mile down the road and walk in.

He looked at Grace. "Would it do any good to tell you to stay here?"

"Not a whole hell of a lot, no."

"Thought so. Stay behind me."

They got out of the truck, and walked slowly toward the cabin. When he was still a few yards away, the door opened.

Blair's POV

"It's Jim." *Of course it's Jim. Who else would it be?* "He's got some little bitty Japanese woman with him."

"Fuck! Gracie!" Gabriel snarled, starting for the door.

Frederick put a restraining hand on his arm. "No, Gabriel. Curb your anger, do not let the beast out before its time. These people are here because they care about you and the cub. We must not harm them, if it is at all possible."

I know that, and I'm sure Gabriel does, too. But for the last couple of hours it's been getting harder and harder to hold on to coherent thought. As moon rise approaches, I wonder at how calm Frederick can remain. It has to be affecting him, too, but he remains unruffled. I suppose the centuries of experience have an effect.

"Let me talk to him. Maybe I can explain it well enough to get him to go back to the city. If I tell him... tell him that this doesn't have to change what we have." I look at Frederick with a pleading question in my eyes.

He nods. "Try, cub. They must leave quickly. The moon will be up soon. Everyone reacts differently, and I want to be able to concentrate on helping both of you through your transitions. And you are so excited now, I fear they would not be safe. I fear that you would not simply escape into the forest." I went to the door and opened it, confronting my lover and the woman.

"Jim, wait!" I hold up my hand, and he halts. The woman moves in close behind him. She is trying to peer past me, and almost twitching with her eagerness to move past him and get to the cabin. "You shouldn't have come here."

"I had to, Chief. You know that."

His voice is raw, and my next words almost catch in my throat. "I know. But there's nothing you can do here except endanger yourself and her. You need to leave, Jim. Now."

"I can't."

"Look, I've talked to him. This, this separation, doesn't have to be forever. I can come back to you. I will come back to you. But it has to be after I get this figured out. After I learn what I can from Frederick about controlling the beast as much as I can. If you'll go back to the city, I'll come to you when the full moon is past, and we can talk. All of us."

Grace steps around Jim. Her beautiful face is hard. "What about Gabriel?"

I fidget. What can I tell her? Gabriel is never going back to his old life, not entirely. She scares me, but I don't want to hurt her. "I don't know. I can't speak for him."

"You don't have too, kid."

Gabriel's POV

I push past Sandburg, to glare at Grace. "This is no place for you, Gracie. Go back to the city. Go back to Rittersberg, go back to N' Orleans. I don't care. You can have the shop, take it with my blessing. Just leave me alone. I have a new life now."

"No, Gabriel. This is no kind of life. Not enthralled to that... thing."

"Shut up, woman!" My voice is raspy, a snarl. Sandburg is looking at me apprehensively. I notice that he's begun to scratch restlessly at his arm. "This is what I want, Grace. I'm happy. I'm happy as long as you quit interferring!

There is a sudden crawling sensation over my entire body. "Fuck! Frederick, somthin' is wrong!"

Frederick hurries out, pulling me around to look into my eyes. "Gross Gott," he whispers. "Oh, my poor cub! It's started."

Grace is frowning in denial. "The moon doesn't rise till 8:57! We have almost a half hour."

Frederick laughs bitterly. "Woman, do you think the beast cares for your time tables and astronomic calibrations? It comes when it will come."

He grabs Blair's chin, looking into his eyes, also. "Oh, yes," he whispers. "You see?"

I look. The smoky blue of Sandburg's eyes is fading into yellow. As I watch, he rips off his shirt, whimpering. He always had a healthy crop of body hair. Now it has spread. As I watch, it thickens, flowing up over his shoulders, down his arms.

He looks at Ellison, and his voice is as thick as mine when he speaks, and it is tinged with desperation. "Jim! Go!"

"Chief?" The voice is pained, bewildered.

"Ellison!" Grace's tone is like a whip crack. "Shoot the bastard! Shoot him, before it's too late!"

My yell of anger rises into a howl as the pain hits me, and my bones begin to bend into impossible shapes.

Jim's POV

I draw my gun when Gabriel screams at Grace. I haven't heard anything in my life more menacing than that sound. It's a mingling of human and animal rage.

Von Glower grabs at his lover as he tries to lunge down off the porch, tries to reach the woman who's asking for Frederick's death. Gabriel twists in his arms. Oh, God, the way he twists. Things are bending like God never intended for them to bend. And Blair...

Blair has dropped down into a crouch, and he's ripping at his pants, jerking them off, falling on his side. Naked, he curls into a ball, shaking and whimpering. Frederick is trying to speak to him soothingly, but he's also trying to keep his hold on Gabriel.

"Grace!" I yell. "Get out of here! Can't you see you're driving him crazy?" She hesitates, then runs. But not back to the truck, damn her! She runs off into the woods. What in God's name is she thinking of?

But her absence calms Gabriel a little. He subsides into soft growls, sinking into a pained whine. His knees buckle *No, they're bending the wrong way, like a wolf's, oh God.* and he sinks to the ground also, Frederick still holding him.

Frederick looks at me and hisses, "Ellison! If you care at all for Blair, take that bitch and go! She's the only real danger here. If you leave me to my cubs, I can see them through this. But go! They'll begin to howl soon, and I won't be able to hold back my own transformation."

Blair is shaking his head wildly, his hair flying. He is scratching at the porch, and I hear the splinters tearing up. "I can't leave him like this."

"You must!"

Blair looks up at me. Oh, God, his face! The brow is lowering, the jaw beginning to jut, and the hair almost obscures it. But somehow... he's still Blair. And he's still beautiful to me.

Von Glower's POV

"For the love of God, Ellison! Put away the gun. If he think's you're threatening me, he'll kill you!" I have to make him understand.

He's staring at his partner, stunned. Blair is more than halfway through the transformation by now, more animal than man. He's going to be as beautiful as I thought. His hair is fading to a lovely, silvery grey. I can see that my Gabriel is going to be brown-red, darker than his hair as a man.

He doesn't put away the gun, but it is lowered, pointing harmlessly at the ground, and I feel a bit of relief. Maybe I can get us all through this without any bloodshed.

"Fuck," he whispers quietly. "I... I didn't really think..."

"It's true, Ellison. All of it." Blair twitches and quivers, a bushy tail unfurling. He's almost there now. Gabriel is almost there, also. The heavy scent of my betas is almost enough, with the moon, to trigger my own change, despite my fight against it. When they howl, I will be helpless to resist. I must speak quickly. "You see how it is. Can you accept this, Ellison? Can you accept him? Can you love him, knowing that is what he carries inside him at all times?"

The silver wolf crouches on the porch, staring at the detective with glowing yellow eyes. His dark lips wrinkle back from ivory fangs, and a long pink tongue laps at his chops. *Oh, God, please. The man has a gun. Let my beta be safe. Let Ellison understand.*

The gun does not rise again. Ellison slowly and hesitantly extends a hand. His voice is soft. "Blair?" The sound the wolf makes begins as a growl, but melts into a wistful, questioning whine. "Baby, come here." The wolf-Blair looks at me, and I nod. He slinks down the few steps, and crouches again, staring at his partner.

Jim reholsters his gun, and squats. Again he holds out his hand. "Please, Blair." The wolf inches toward him, scarcely lifting its body from the ground. When it reaches Ellison, it rolls on its back, offering its throat and belly.

"Sweetheart," Jim croons. He strokes the furred belly, scratching at the domed chest between large, waving paws. "It's all right, Blair. This doesn't change how I feel. You'll be better now. We'll work this out, somehow."

The young wolf squirms in joy, craning its neck to lick at Ellison's hand. Ellison continues to caress it, whispering.

I smile down at Gabriel, in my arms. The green gaze he returns is much the same, but now it looks out from a lupine face. "They are happy together, pet. You must be happy for Blair. Do not grieve for losing him. He will still be with us for a little time." Large, pointed ears flicker, then Gabriel turns to look into the forest, ears lying back flat against his head.

"No, liebling. Forget her. She is not worthy of your distress."

I hear a whimper that carries a familiar, longing note. Ellison is scratching low on Blair's belly, and the wolf is becoming frantic. I don't think the Cascade detective knows what he is doing. Perhaps he doesn't realize how strong the physical desires run in The Beast, and how little they are restrained.

His fingers pass over the furry sheath that houses The Beast's cock, and suddenly the tiny pink tip slides out, glistening. Ellison freezes, staring down at it. Blair whines, and Jim looks into his yellow eyes. Tentatively, he strokes the loose, furry skin, feeling the roll of the firming cylinder inside. Another whine, and another inch of slick, deep pink flesh slides out. "Christ, Chief, I don't know..."

The wolf rolls to his feet suddenly, and shoves its large, rough head into Ellison's crotch. It begins lapping steadily at the denim covered mound of Ellison's cock. Surprised, stunned, Ellison drops onto his ass, legs spreading. Whether he did it consciously or not, Blair has freer access, and begins biting at the denim, oh, so gently. Any other man in that situation would be pissing his pants by now, sure that the wolf was preparing to rip off his private parts. I can see, though, that Ellison is getting hard.

"Ellison?" I call. He looks up quickly, face flaming. He had forgotten us. "Go on. It will help calm him. He needs you, and you need him."

"But I can't..."

"What the moon sees, it never tells. Besides," I hug Gabriel, who curls a long, wet tongue around my ear. "Am I one to judge?"

"But... I..." The wolf cannot manage buttons, but it has somehow taken the zipper tab between its teeth, and it tugging on it. "Stop it, Chief. You'll tear them, and I don't have any more." The wolf sits back, ducking its head. "It's all right. Just let me..." He undoes his belt, opening his pants fully, scooting them down to his knees, along with his underwear.

The wolf moves forward immediately, and Jim yelps as his cold, wet nose bumps the heated skin of his half-aroused cock. There is a grumble of apology as Blair begins to lick the offended flesh.

Blair's POV

*sweet salt good good good* I nuzzle into the heat and scent. My alpha is behind me, holding my packmate, but somehow this is my alpha, too. My alpha, mine only.

My alpha is strong, and beautiful. I want my alpha to claim me, to show his ownership, his dominion. He seems reluctant, but I will convince him.

I concentrate on the source of the musk. His cock is naked, no sheath, like mine. But mine is not sheathed now. It quivers against my belly, long and hard with need. I lick his sex, over and over. He moans as my tongue wraps around his shaft. I see moonlight glint on the liquid that oozes from its tip, and I lick at that eagerly, gathering the heady taste and hearing his breathing become harsh.

I move down and turn my attention to his testicles. These are furred also, only a bit more thinly than mine. They are heavy, luscious. When I scrape them gently with my teeth, he twitches, moaning, but does not try to push me away. He trusts me.

Farther down, the smell is different, but no less intriguing. I push, and he rolls back on his spine, lifting his legs a little so that I can nose down. I find the crease of his buttocks, and begin exploring again.

He is panting hoarsely. "Oh, Christ, Blair. What are you doing?" But he reaches down and spreads the muscular cheeks, opening the shallow valley. I do not hesitate. I run my tongue along the offered crack again and again, leaving him wet with my saliva. Then I find the puckered opening that is so rich in scent to my sensitive nose. I concentrate there, licking steadily.

*in inside want in* I press harder, more determinedly, and wiggle my tongue past the muscular little ring, just a bit. The effect is strong. His hips buck, his erect prick slapping at his belly, leaving streaks of precome. I do it again, working almost the entire length of my tongue up into him, and he throws his head back, making a keening sound.

"Please, Chief."

I want to mount him, but I don't quite dare. He hasn't taken the submissive pose. Instead I pull back out and again turn my ministrations on his leaking cock. At the same time, I straddle his bare leg, gripping it with my forepaw, and begin to hump against him.

With one hand, he reaches down to grip his own balls, rolling them firmly in his fingers. With the other, he reaches under me, and finds my stiff, naked prick. I hump against his palm hard, stabbing my tapered cock into his gentle grip as I lap and lap and lap.

He cries out, his seed bursting from him in hot, white gouts that I devour with joy. Then my own climax hits me. My semen, thinner and hotter than his, jets from me, and I throw back my head, howling in triumphant completion. Gabriel echos my howl, and there is a guttural cry from Von Glower.

As the swelling of my now replete cock begins to subside, I turn to see that my sire's own transformation has begun. He cannot resist the call of his own kind.

Fate and Decisions

Grace's POV

What the hell is it about werewolves, anyway? Is it only a guy thing? Because I don't feel attracted to von Glower at all. Of course, I've known what he is since the first time I saw him, and he's been trying to get my Gabriel all that time, so I suppose I'm prejudice.

But Gabriel has gone to him so completely, and now Ellison and that Blair character. I know, I know they were together before this happened, but honestly. If you see your lover sprout fur, fangs, and a tail, shouldn't it put a cramp in your sex life? I mean, he made a cute wolf, but he's a wolf, for God's sake! And Ellison let him...

Well, there's not discreet way to put it, he basically got a blow job from the beast. I couldn't believe my eyes. Guys are usually so careful about having sharp objects around their equipment. God, just let one of them get pinched in a zipper and listen to the screams and whines. And Ellison had fangs right there.

Yes, I know. I shouldn't have watched. It's not like they were expecting privacy, is it? They were right out there in front of the cabin, in front of Gabe and von Glower. But I didn't want to get too far from the cabin. I had to be close enough to keep tabs on what was going on while staying out of Gabriel's range of sight.

His reaction hurt, and it scared me. He hasn't been reacting like that to anyone except me, and I can't help but take it personally. I shouldn't blame him. I want the man he loves dead, even though I know that won't get him back. Even though I never really had him.

I know by now that, as to the mission to bring Gabriel back to some semblence of our old life together, I'm doomed to failure. Even if I succeed in killing von Glower and releasing Gabriel from his curse, he'll never forgive me.

But I'm not going to stop, I've come too far on this. My hatred runs too deep. I've stopped telling myself that I'm doing this for Gabriel. I lost that illusion when he screamed at me on the porch, and von Glower held him back from attacking me. My enemy, protecting me. I want to kill him more than ever.

It wasn't easy, seeing Gabriel transform. I'd seen glimpses of the beast in his eyes, especially back in Rittersburg when he attacked me. There was such heat and savagery in his gaze then, but it's different now. Yes, he's the beast, but his eyes hold... tenderness. That is because he is looking at the great black wolf that, a few moments ago, was von Glower.

Ellison has pulled his pants back up, and that big ass wolf that is his partner when it's in human form has crawled across his thighs like it's some kind of lap dog. He's scratching it's neck, whispering to it, and it has it's yellow-green eyes squeezed half shut in contentment. On the steps, Gabriel is licking von Glower's muzzle. They all look so... domestic. Pretty fucking ironic, considering that three of them are wolves.

Then Gabriel whines, and moves in front of the big alpha wolf. He crouches low, lifting his tail and shifting his back legs, then looks back and whines again. My gorge rises as I realize that he's inviting von Glower to mount him.

The black wolf watches him, head cocked. Then it gets up and walks to him, long snout nudging at the base of Gabriel's fine, plumey tail. He starts to lick slowly, long pink tongue curling over the fur and small, bare pucker of his packmate's anus. Can wolves moan? That's the sort of sound Gabriel makes.

There is a faint glint under his belly, and I realize it is the moonlight glistening on the tip of his penis. Von Glower is growling, and his narrow hips move in little jerks as he sniffs and licks. Suddenly he rises up on his hind legs, straddling Gabriel's back, hugging him with his forepaws. He moves forward, hips hunching.

"No!" I didn't intend to scream, but I find myself doing a lot of things I never intended to do, now that I've left New Orleans. In any case, my shout accomplishes what I wanted. The black wolf drops back down before he can penetrate the brown one, and they both turn glowing eyes to where I am hidden in the trees.

I step out where they can see me. "Frederick! Leave him alone, you bastard! If you want him, come fight for him!"

"Grace!" Jim is trying to get up, but Blair is trying to get up, also, and they've somehow managed to tangle themselves. "Grace, leave or get in the truck. He'll kill you!"

He didn't say they will kill you, and I know he isn't talking about von Glower. Because the thing this was... is... Gabriel is stalking down the steps on stiff legs, snarling. The great black wolf follows, and moves between him and me. Gabriel moves to go around him, and Frederick shifts, always keeping his body between his beta and where I stand. But Gabriel keeps trying, feinting right and left, and gradually Frederick is backed up toward where I stand.

Ellison gets to his feet finally, and starts toward us. "Grace, get in the truck!"

"Fuck you! He's got you charmed, just like everyone else. He's a monster, Ellison, and he has to die."

Gabriel howls, and leaps, springing completely over von Glower. I feel as if someone has hit me with a sledgehammer as his paws thump into my chest, and I'm thrown backward onto the ground. Once again, Gabriel is on top of me, but this time it isn't lust that I see in those green, green eyes--it's death.

I can feel his hot breath, strong with the meat he's eaten today, and I feel hot saliva drip on my throat. Black lips wrinkle back from ivory fangs, as he pulls his head back a little, preparing to lunge forward and rip.

I'm going to die.

Then suddenly the weight is off my chest, and I can breathe again. There is a horrible snarling and growling, and the sound of bodies tumbling in the grass. I sit up to see Gabriel and von Glower locked together, rolling in the grass. The alpha is disciplining his rebellious beta, administering bruising bites to legs and flanks, but drawing no blood. The son of a bitch is defending me! My purse has fallen beside me, and I crawl to it, reaching inside. When I pull out the Schattenjaeger dagger, I hear Ellison yell something, but I'm too intent to understand. I lunge toward the struggling animals and sink the blade deep into von Glower's back, almost to the hilt.

Beasts cannot speak, but they can scream, and all three of the wolves scream. It is more horrible than anything I have ever heard, because human sound mingles with the animal. Von Glower staggers away from Gabriel, who leaps up, forgetting me, and comes after him, whining anxiously.

Ellison is running over, and his voice is horrified as he says, "Oh, fuck! What have you done, Grace?"

"I've killed the monster," I gasp, as the black wolf's legs give way, and he falls. A great shudder runs through the big body as the brown wolf noses it, licking at the dagger jutting from its back.

But then both Gabriel and Blair are screaming again, and they're transforming. Fur retracts, as do fangs. Bones creak and bend, becoming plastic. I don't care how damn good CGI ever gets, they'll never be able to reproduce that sort of transformation. Von Glower goes through the transformation, too, but silently, and still.

"You see? He's dead. They're coming back. It's over."

"Like hell it is." Ellison falls on his knees beside the still body of the ancient werewolf, and examines the wound. "There isn't much blood." He pulls it out slowly, carefully, watching to see that there isn't a sudden heamorage. He checks von Glower, fingers pressing his carotid. "Dammit! No pulse, no breathing. The stab must have shocked them into stopping."

I watch in astonishment as he folds his hands together, places them on the man's bare chest, and pushes sharply several times. Then he bends, fits his mouth over von Glower's, and blows breath into his lungs. He repeats it, again, and agian. The asshole is giving him CPR!

"No! You can't, stop it!" I dive at him, raking at his face. I'm grabbed from behind and slammed back against a tree. A very naked and very angry Blair Sandburg has me by the shoulders.

"Stop it! You've killed him once, but that doesn't necessarily mean a damn thing, lady. I'm living proof of that. You just stay away and let Jim try. He's good at this calling back the dead business."

I see Gabriel stand up, a man once again. The look on his face tears at my heart. I have never seen such grief, and suddenly I realize what I have done to him. I have killed a part of him, and the one person in his life he has truly loved. All the fight goes out of me.

When he looks at me, the rage is gone, and there is only sorrow, but I know that won't last long. As soon as the first overwhelming crush eases, he will want to kill me more than ever, and I am almost tempted to let him.

But it seems that my death is to be delayed indefinitely. Ellison calls to him. "Knight! Knight, come help me."

"I don't know how," he says helplessly.

"I'll do the compressions, you just breathe into his mouth. Anyone can do that. Just make a tight seal and breath in gently, just enough to make his chest rise. Hurry, we can't pause."

Gabriel drops to his knees beside his fallen lover, and bends over him. I can see tears fall on the still, white face as Gabe fits his mouth over von Glower's and breathes the first puff of oxygen into the empty lungs.

Sandburg has gone to the truck and gotten Ellison's cell phone, and I hear him talking to someone, giving them directions, telling them that there's been a stabbing, that CPR is being performed, that they need to haul ass...

Blair comes and relieves Gabriel, telling him, "Talk to him, man. Call him back. Sometimes..." He looks at his lover, who is still pumping steadily, forcing von Glower's heart to push blood through his body. "sometimes it works."

As the two police detectives work, Gabriel takes one limp hand and pulls it to his face. "Frederick? Frederick, baby, don't leave me like this. Please. Oh, man, you gotta come back. I can't stand it without you, man. There's nothing without you."

I go to him, touching his shoulder timidly. I want to apologize for hurting him. Oh, not for killing von Glower, I'm glad he's dead. But I never wanted Gabriel to suffer.

His head jerks toward me, and he looks at me with cold eyes, then turns back to Frederick. "There's nothing without you, lover. Nothing and no one. Don't leave me."

And that's my answer. Von Glower isn't the only one who's dead here. As far as Gabriel is concerned, I am, too.

I can hear the thin wail of sirens approaching. How long have they been working on him? They might as well give up...

There is a gasp, and Sandburg whoops. Another gasp. "That's it, man, that's it! Suck it down, Frederick, you can do it. Help is almost here."

Ellison has paused in his compressions, and is holding his ear to the other man's barely moving chest. He doesn't smile, but some of the tension eases out of his face. "He's got a pulse, a strong one. I think we may have done it. Blair, get your pants, and Gabriel's. This shit is going to be hard enough to cover up without you two being bare-assed when the ambulance arrives.

Sandburg shoves past me, and I'm so numb that I don't react. Not dead? How can he not be dead? "I killed him."

I don't realize I've spoken out loud till Ellison responds. "Hell Grace, that might have worked back when he was born, but in this day and age? You should know better. He's going to be sick for awhile, but maybe not all that long. I understand they have hellacious healing powers."

"But the curse is broken." I point toward the sky. The moon rides high, full and silvery.

Ellison looks to where Gabriel has sat, drawing von Glower's head into his lap. "I guess so. Technically, he died, so the curse was lifted. If it hadn't been, I think they'd still be in beast form. So you lifted the curse, but you almost committed murder."

"He's a monster."

Ellison's voice is cold. "Who's the monster? He was protecting you, and you literally stabbed him in the back."

"My angel?" The voice is hoarse, whispering. Frederick has opened his eyes. They are pained, and bewildered, but clear. "Gabriel... I..."

"Hush, baby." Gabriel leans down and presses a kiss to his forehead. "Be easy. The ambulance is almost here. You're gonna be all right."

"I thought it would be peaceful, after all these years. But all I could think of was that I had left you so alone." He tried to reach up, but he was too feeble, and his hand fell back. Gabriel took it gently, and held it to his own cheek. "I came back for you, my angel."

"I know."

"I couldn't leave you. I'll never leave you. But you..." His fingers flexed on Gabriel's cheek, and he smiled faintly. "Nothing but a bit of five o'clock shadow, my love. The taint is gone."

"Yes."

"Ah, well. God willing, we will have a few years together."

"More than that, Frederick." Gabriel held his wrist to Frederick's mouth.

"Gabriel, what are you doing?" I shrieked. I grabbed at him, but strong arms took hold of me, and Ellison dragged me back. "Stop, let me go! Don't you see what he's doing?"

"I do. And you're going to stay the fuck out of this, Grace."

Von Glower gazed up at Gabriel. "Angel?" His voice was faint, questioning.

"Do it, Frederick." Gabe said quietly. "I want you to. I need you to."

"But my love..."

"Damn it, Frederick, do it!"

Von Glower studied Gabriel closely. Then he smiled slowly, and there was a look of infinite love and tenderness on his face as he sank his teeth into Gabriel's wrist, drawing blood and a gasp that almost sounded like a man experiencing the ultimate in physical pleasure.