Pack Gems by Kuro Kusai, WhiteWolf Aura (year 2 reading books .txt) 📕

"A Werewolf's transformation itself would kill a normal human within thirty seconds.

The heart stops and shrinks by two-thirds, whilst the Werewolf also experiences liver and kidney failure as all other organs must shrink as well.

The Werewolf's bones then break and begin to reshape and reform. The Werewolf, although experiencing intense pain, will then stop screaming for a while, as their throat and vocal cords tear and reform.

The pituitary glands will then attempt to ease the pain by flooding the body with endorphines, however it will have shut down by this time too.

Once the internal changes have taken place, the external changes begin.

Fangs grow in, and the fingernails and toenails grow out to form claws, whilst the face and skull reform to form a snout. The spine enlarges and the vertebrae push out on the skin, whilst fur begins to sprout from all over the body. The skin under this fur also seems to become much darker as well. The eyes change from their normal colour to a yellow, more animalistic form. "

-Being Human

~Taylor's Pov~

Taylor's claws clicked against the hardwood frantically. No friction! Her nail clicks were soon drowned out by the cries of the public. Yup. She was a dead wolf. But she could smell Kaden around the corner--safety. In contrast, she could also smell the male werewolf bounding towards her in human form-- death.

Shitshitshit-shit!

As it turned out, people weren't as good of cover as she'd have hoped. Being so low to the ground, it blocked her view. True, she wasn't as short as regular wolves or dogs, she was still only up to mid-drift on a human.

She wouldn't have shifted if she had thought she might've had any hope of getting away on two feet. Ordering at a local restaurant, complete with charming tables, Taylor had waited for their orders of four 8 ounce steaks, medium rare.

Kaden, her best friend and fellow packmate, was in the restroom; a one stall bathroom room. Kaden had barely left the table when he arrived.

He was a tall man-- most Weres were,-- with amber eyes and sand-orange hair. As soon as his eyes landed on Taylor he had made a bee-line for her table, completely ignoring the hostess who sat customers.

The enclosed room had made his scent as strong and completely ignorable as a ragingly pink skunk. His eyes, which were growing lighter by the minute due to his wolf rage, fixed on her with such animosity it took her a second to react.

Taylor unceremoniously had dropped her fork from her trembling hand and proceeded to dive underneath the table to 'grab it'. There she--well her wolf, made a split second decision to Change. It had been painful in the cramped position she was in and with her panicked stated but she had bigger problems.

Just as the toupee table cloth was lifted up from one edge, she took a leap. The male fell back, surprised at her new form, giving Taylor time to run. She gave a sharp bark to alert Kaden. The woman's restroom door swung open with a deafening clap... But no one seemed to notice. They were all starting wide-eyed at the humongous sand colored German Sheppard that looked like it had gotten into a vat of miracle growth.

"Sadie!!" Kaden chided, wadding through the people scurrying away from Taylor. Kaden made her way over and grabbed the scruff of Taylor's neck, "How on Earth did you get here??" She faked bewilderment well.

Kaden gave a millisecond once over to the man still on the ground before throwing money on the opposite end of the table- away from wolf man.

She then proceeded to haul her 'dog' outside and around the corner, away from prying eyes. It was there in the saftey of the shadows that Kaden released her, looking over her own shoulder at the same time.

They didn't have much time. Taylor gave an impatient yip. Translation: Let's get the hell outta here.

Sure, they probably could have handled the wolf. But he was part of a pack. A pack they had no idea how larger or strong. And they had no idea how close or fast this pack could be there if the tattle cried for backup.

Kaden gave a brisk nod in agreement following Taylor's thoughts.

They ran. Taylor & Kaden didn't stop until they reached the outskirts of town. It was still in the hostile pack's territory, but further out from their den-- they hoped.

Taylor shifted back. Now naked but fully human she panted for breath, "What the hell?"

Kaden thrust the very clothes Taylor had shifted out of, at her.

"How-?" Taylor blindly reached for the clothes while looking increduously at her friend.

"When I put the money on the table. Everyone was watching that...or you and I swiped up the clothes with my foot." Kaden explained, a tiny hint of a Spanish accent peeking through that most wouldn't have noticed.

"Niiice," Taylor grinned gratefully, pulling the shirt over her head. By the time Taylor had pants on, Kaden was deep in thought.

"Why'd you change?"

"Same reason you ran." Taylor pulled on the collar of her shirt, it had been slightly stretched out during her Change.

"Alpha." They replied in unison.

"What the hell was an Alpha doing in that old place?!" Kaden grumbled.

"Getting steaks? Like us?" Taylor offered, smoothing the material down before giving up on it completely.

Kaden gasped, "That bastard! I bet he got our steaks! I thought it was weird, him not running after us."

Taylor sighed thinking about smells coming from the kitchen. They were almost ready too...

"Well, now what?" Kaden asked warily while absently rubbing her stomach.

They had this discussion much too often, but this time it was different. Why hadn't that Alpha come after them? Was he just a second, a Beta? Or a really dominant wolf they had mistaken for an Alpha? That said a lot about the pack's Alpha then, because the power radiating--not to mention anger, off of him was sizzling.

"It's risky to stay..." Kaden admitted.

Taylor gave her a droll look, "But you want to, don't you?"

She gave her a sheepish grin, "Welll..."

Taylor shook her head, hiding a smile, "This one's different. We've met the head honcho, which means he'll tell the Marrok."

"Not necessarily," She argued back.

A piercing howl tore through their argument. It was decided. They were leaving. Now.

Kaden made it through the Change first. Taylor looked at the pile of clothes that had been on her moments ago.

"I'll stay in human form," she told Kaden's wolf which was barely visible in the dark. If it hadn't been for her charcoal coat fading to white on her underbelly, she would have been nearly invisible in the dark. Kaden gave a low disapproving wine.

"I need to carry your clothes. Plus, shifting twice in a day wears you out. I need energy."

Kaden reluctantly turned her back on Taylor and loped through the forest headed due north. The further they got away from that call, the better. Taylor scooped up the clothes and followed suit. It was harder to keep up in human form, but she figured they had time. She figured wrong.

-Pack POV-

"Cal!" Mason shouted into his mobile as he exited the diner.

Cal gave a rude reply back.

He chose to ignore that comment and proceeded to give orders, "Gather Emma and Jesse, I need you three to herd some sheep."

Calvin's tone changed, "Where? Who?"

There. That was the second he appointed.

"Heading east off of Brunswick. Two rogue Werewolves," Mason hesitated "Female."

The other line went silent for a moment, "And you said TWO?"

~Taylor's Pov~

Taylor's heart was pounding, the bastards were getting closer. There were at least two. Their pursuers weren't trying to hide the fact that they were after them, maybe they were that confident they'd catch them without the element of surprise. That only served to fuel Taylor's speed. It wasn't until Kaden stopped abruptly that she felt any sense of dread.

Damn.

There, in all its wooden glory, stood a cabin. And on the porch of that cabin stood Wolf.

Kaden whipped around to double back in what Taylor knew was a futile effort; the hounds were at their heels. She couldn't hear them now, which meant they'd stopped. Most likely circling them.

The Alpha stood. The air instantly thickened with his power, surrounding them.

A growl stuck in Taylor's throat. Kaden's hackles raised.

"We mean you no harm. We were just passing through."

"Without an escort?" The man had a deep voice that vibrated through her.

"I have one," Taylor gestured to Kaden.

Kaden took a step forward, baring her fangs. The man's eyes never left Taylor's so she clenched her jaw and stared determinedly back.

"We'll leave," she made a small step to the right, still looking into his eyes. A growl different than Kaden's sounded.

They were still pinned in.

"Why, may I ask, are you two girls traveling alone?" He took a step closer to them.

Girls?

Taylor mauled that question over with a twisted smirk, "Because we had a craving for steak in the middle of the night, sleep-walking all the way here, woke up and thought- 'Oh, what the hell? We're here, might as well eat.'"

The man had the courtesy to look amused. He took another step, asking another question, "What are your names?"

"Sadie and Lassie."

Kaden gave an offensive wine-bark.

"Lassie-Benji."

He lost his smile and stalked another few feet closer.

Taylor curled her nails into her palm, "Well, that's enough questions. I'm bushed. Good night all!"

"You can't go. First invading my territory then exposing yourselves to the humans at my local diner!" He tilted his head down in a threateningly manner, or so he tried to be.

"You were coming at me," Taylor countered.

"You're an outsider."

"And you're an asshole."

An inhuman growl tore out of his mouth.

Oops.

Kaden gave her an exasperated look before circling around to guard her back. Apparently they were closing in.

"You don't smell like a pack," he stated.

Taylor raised her chin proudly as Kaden gave a supporting bark.

His eyes widened incredulously. "You aren't in a pack." It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact.

"I have to call Bran." The wolf said--and then he made the mistake. Mr. Wolf turned his back on Taylor to get his cell phone off the porch railing.

They must've timed it exactly because Taylor could feel Kaden push off the ground behind her going for throats.

Taylor never liked attacking from behind. But she couldn't let him call the head alpha