Page 5 of Bewitched By the Werewolf
“Hunter’s already met with him too and is also keeping a close eye on him. I’ll talk with him tomorrow and get an update.”
“Anything else we need to keep an eye on?” Logan asks.
His question brings back that sensation I had inDottie’s. After hearing about the elf, I had assumed that uneasiness I’d felt was about him. But now? Now I don’t think it was just the elf. There’s still something prickling at the back of my neck and base of my spine, a sixth sense that’s telling me there’s something more to come.
“Not yet, but the next couple weeks will bring an influx of shifters into town.”
This isn’t Logan’s first time handling a blood moon or non-human celebration. He knows what to expect and how to handle it. I can rely on him to do his job and do it well. I don’t have to hold his hand and babysit him, which allows me to focus on my own work.
Logan returns back behind his desk, and I head for my own settled within a glass box office in the back. Snowberry is generally a quiet town, and I rarely have much use for my office, it’s more of a formality than anything. It came with the position, and I use it when necessary. Stepping behind my desk I set my now empty travel mug on it then drop into the rolling desk chair. It squeaks in protest under my weight but doesn’t buckle.
Edith’s polka-dot clad smiling face appears on the opposite side of my desk holding a stack of files. I internally groan because I know what’s coming.
“Since you’re here and with nothing to do, I thought you could take a look at these minor issues and complaints and perhaps take care of a few?”
Edith is always on my case to handle the minor calls and issues that arise while I’m out. Residents calling in complaints about noisy neighbors, property line issues, pets crapping on lawns, teens teepeeing houses and so on. Most of which work themselves out by the time I get to them. So why bother wasting my time?
Edith cocks her hip and smiles down at me like a child about to throw a tantrum. She taps her green pointed nails against the manilla folders and waits me out. I know from experience ignoring her and expecting her to leave doesn’t work. She’ll just stand there and sigh and tap her nails until it drives me nuts and I give in.
Holding out my hand for the files I accept the stack, not having the patience to deal with her stubbornness today. She sets the stack in my hand with a flourish and expression of triumph on her smug face.
“Don’t look so smug. I just don’t have the patience to argue with you today.”
“But it’s my favorite part of the day,” she pouts mockingly. It probably is. I’m sure she derives some sick pleasure from agitating me.
I grunt at her, which she thankfully takes as her cue to return to her own work at her own desk, far, far away from mine. Since I still have hours before I can shift and run tonight and there’s nothing I can do currently about Roman, reading through these minor reports will have to fill my afternoon. At least it’ll get Edith off my back for a couple days. I do however text Hunterregarding Roman, informing him that I paid him a visit as well. I know he’s already spoken with the elf and made himself crystal clear, but I want him to know I have also.
Hours later I’m finally pulling into my driveway after having a quick dinner in town, the sun setting behind the trees circling the two-story log style home I share with Hunter. As alpha and beta it suits us to live in the same house. We’re both single males and being in close proximity in case of emergencies makes things easier. Hunter doesn’t seem to be home yet, the gravel driveway empty of other vehicles. I park and make my way to the house. There’s no need for me to go inside, I just need to leave my clothes on the porch.
Our house is surrounded by the forest we own. Five hundred acres hidden within the middle of a national forest, plus another square mile that holds the majority of the town. Which allows us privacy away from prying eyes. Enabling me to strip down naked right out in the open on my front porch. Nudity isn’t taboo in the non-human world, many prefer to be naked especially in their true form. But once again we can never know when a human might wander into our midst even with all our safety measures in place.
I carefully remove my utility belt holding my gun, cuffs, badge and small bag of fairy dust and hang it on a hook just inside the front door. We may be removed from town but that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave my gun and badge lying around out in the open unattended. Back on the porch my shirt and pants are removed and flung over the wooden railing followed immediately by my boxer briefs and socks, my boots kicked to the side. Standing naked and bare the cool breeze blows over my skin and I can smell the forest in it. Fresh and green with a hint of dirt and leaves. It soothes the beast inside me but not enough to suppress my need to shift.
Dark grey fur begins to cover my body as my bones break and shift and reform. I go straight from my human form into my true form, bypassing my wolf form completely. Stretching nearly eight feet tall, my body grows not only in height but in bulk and muscle. My chest expanding and filling, my arms elongating, fingers stretching tipped with dark claws. My knees buckle backwards, and my feet shift into paws. In less than ten seconds I’ve gone from man to beast and with the first deep inhale through my snout, something inside me clicks into place. A peace I only feel in this form settles within me.
Finally. I waited too long between shifts, but I can’t risk shifting too often. My beast can be aggressive and territorial, which, when patrolling is a good thing. But around others, females emitting sex pheromones and males vying for their attention, my beast can’t be trusted. I want to trust him because he is me, we are the same. When a shifter becomes their true beast within our thinking shifts with us. Becoming more basic and primal. All complex thought and human worries disappear. Leaving only our base selves. Still us, but simpler. Mine just happens to be more possessive and aggressive than most.
As such I haven’t shifted around another soul in decades. It’s worked thus far and I have no reason to change that. When the blood moon hits, I’ll shift as far away from the others as possible. Most will congregate around our house, gathering for a meal and socialization before and after their runs. It’ll be easy to avoid this area, there’s plenty of acreage to make sure I’m alone.
I take off into the woods surrounding me and dig my claws into the dirt, propelling myself faster. I head north to begin my patrol, checking our property boarders and making sure the sprites that live within the forest are safe. With Roman and who knows how many other elves sneaking around, we can’t be too careful when it comes to the small but powerful creatures. Most are friendly and smaller than a dog, rarely leaving the comfortand concealment of nature. But they are the most magical creatures in our world, nearly immortal and made of pure magic.
Once I reach the northern boarders I circle southwest. The trees blur by as I run down on all fours, using my arms and claws to push me forward. The soft dirt and grass make my run easy as I dodge branches and tangles of underbrush. I don’t stop running until nearly thirty minutes later. Panting heavily, my tongue lulls out of my mouth to cool me down.
I’ve made it to the southwestern region of our land just before town. Here is where our small one-bedroom cabin lies, a place we use for visiting guests or a place to be alone for a while. It’s not used very frequently and since we have no one coming into town for the blood moon it should be empty. When I reach the edge of the forest, however, it doesn’t appear to be empty.
Shifting down into my wolf form I skim the tree line, circling the small plot of land around the cabin. There’s a light on inside and a car in the driveway I’ve never seen before. And as sheriff I know all of the vehicles of the locals, this one is new. At least new to town. It actually looks older, five years at least. Well used and indescript. Lifting my snout in the air I sniff and try to catch the scent of whoever might be inside. Hunter wasn’t at home so it could be him. It’s not his car but maybe an unexpected visitor showed up and he’s lending them the cabin.
I catch a whiff of something that smells like my blood, a possible relative, Ginger maybe. And something sweeter like mint. The smell isn’t familiar. Stepping out of the shadow of the trees I creep closer to the small log cabin, trying to get a better look or smell. I’m halfway to the cabin when a figure passes by the window. I can’t see who it is because the curtains are drawn but there’s definitely someone inside.
If it isn’t Hunter I can’t trust my beast or my wolf around others. Instead of venturing closer I begin to retreat back to the woods away from the cabin. I’ll just ask Hunter about it later.
Back within the safety of the woods I sprint a few hundred feet into the forest before shifting back to my beast form and continuing back north towards home.
Chapter 3: Tess
How the fuck am I supposed to get to the coordinates if there isn’t a road leading to it? I’ve been circling this damn forest for hours and can’t seem to find a road or path or even a clearing to somehow make my way into the middle of the forest where the coordinates lead. I’m starting to think this is a wild goose chase that some bored basement dweller thought would be funny.
I make the turnoff to a single lane highway hoping I’ll find something there. There are no other vehicles on the road, and I only pass one structure that looks like a long-ago abandoned gas station or auto shop. Going slow I make sure to check every blind corner and opening in the trees. I’m so focused on trying to find something others would consider insignificant I almost completely miss the paved road. There are no signs, no markings, the solid white line on the shoulder doesn’t even break for the road.
