Full Moon Feral (5 page)

“In a way. We transform at the full moon after our twenty-third birthday.” Brendan wrapped his arms around his legs and rocked a little. “As you know, the shifts can be painful.”

Ripley shook his head. “I don’t remember shifting. I don’t really remember much of anything since...” Ripley could not believe he was saying this. “I turned feral.”

The room fell silent, and Brendan stared at him with a look so lost that Ripley felt himself inching forward.

“My skin feels like it has ants crawling all over it.” Brendan began scratching at his arms, and Ripley grabbed the hand and pulled it away. He softly stroked with his nails, up and down Brendan’s arm. The smaller man moaned and closed his eyes.

“So, tell me a story. How did wolf shifters come to be?” Ripley continued to stroke.

“Do you know the god Odin?”

“Sure, Norse god. Killed by Fenrir. What are you saying, we were created by Odin?” Ripley tilted his head back and laughed. Man, did he ever fall down the rabbit hole. First chance he got, he was so out of here, and he was taking Brendan with him.
Huh?

Brendan ripped his arm away, shocking the hell out of Ripley to see so much anger in Brendan’s eyes. “I’m being serious.”

Okay, Ripley had two choices here. Listen and learn or piss off the one man who seemed to give a damn about him in this place. “Okay. I’m listening.”

Brendan breathed through his nose harshly one more time before continuing to speak to him. “Odin had two pets, Geri and Freki. They sat at his table and were fed by him. They were warriors and fighters that were always by Odin’s side. Many know that Odin was a shapeshifter, but what they don’t know was that Geri and Freki were also shapeshifters, a gift given to them by Odin himself.”

Ripley hadn’t a clue where this was going, but Brendan had him captivated.

“Anyway, this is the part that most don’t know. When Odin was slain by Fenrir, he took one of the pets; Fenrir twisted Freki and turned him into darkness itself. Geri, grieving the loss of both Odin and Freki, became ravenous at fighting to get Freki back, but when he found him, it was already too late. Freki was lost to the darkness, and he had children, lots of children. They are our enemy known as the hellhounds.”

Eyes widening, Ripley thought this sounded more like a damn nightmare than where he had imagined. “Look—”

“I know you don’t believe me, but please, let me continue.”

Ripley nodded and grabbed Brendan’s hand, stroking the palm.

“Geri took it poorly but knew that balance had to be made. Odin passed immense knowledge to his pets, and with that, Geri created his own pack who shifted into the wolf form to protect others against the hellhounds. We are the descendants of Geri’s creations.” Brendan blew out a breath before he glanced up at Ripley, brown eyes encased by dark lashes.

Did he expect me to laugh at him again?
No chance, Ripley was too damn speechless to talk, let alone laugh.
Is this all for real?

“But we only shift during a full moon? Wouldn’t we be more…wolf?” Ripley felt a headache coming on.

“Time and mating as humans has made us less god and more man. I wonder if in enough time, we’ll have those who can’t shift at all.”

Brendan glanced outside the bars, and Ripley could tell how much Brendan believed in what he said. He just wished he could jump right in and believe, but he had always been a skeptic, and this was so out in left field. It was definitely going to take more than this one conversation.

“So we fight against the hellhounds.”

“Yes, they are the enemy and not one to play with. They are a lot stronger than us and have been known to take out entire packs.”

Nice. Wait. Is that…
Ripley wasn’t even going to finish that thought.

Ripley shook his head. “I’ve never heard of anything like this. Surely, I would have stumbled across a hellhound or one of…us?”

“You wouldn’t hear about us. We have the wisdom to infiltrate and blend in. Only the top in governments know about us. And the only reason they know about us is because we needed compounds made for shifters turning, and they need us at times to go on op missions that no one has a chance of surviving except for us. Hellhounds live in the underworld with Freki, but at times, they surface and just…destroy.”

“Do they harm humans?”

“Not usually. Freki seems to have a hatred for us. He sees humans as beneath him and only craves to harm his brother's pack. The why of that, I have no clue. So hellhounds tend to only come after us. If a human does get in their way, they don’t live to tell about them. You see, hellhounds thirst for us.” Brendan’s voice sounded haunted, as if he had seen these demons in action.

Fuck, just what he needed, to jump into a strange new world only to find out that you were going to be hunted for the rest of your life. Ripley’s body ached, but his mind was officially signing off. He didn’t want to hear anymore. He had already heard too much. All he wanted to do was go back to his life, where everything was simple and easy. Where he didn’t have to think about getting thrown into the middle of a war he didn’t ask to be a part of.

“I think…” Hell, he couldn’t even finish. Lying down, he tried to process everything once more. No matter how much he mulled it over, he was still in this crazy-ass world, and he knew it was going to be a long-term stay. You just didn’t say no thank you and have someone show you to the door.

Brendan slid down and lay next to him.

He couldn’t help but stretch his arm out and pull the smaller man to his chest. Brendan sighed before he settled in for a nap that they both sorely needed. Maybe when he woke up, he could actually let everything that had been revealed to him sink in. For now, he was too numb. Closing his eyes, he prayed that the darkness would take him and, blessedly, it did.

It took a week before everyone trusted Brendan and Ripley not to rip the compound apart, and they were let out of the cell. Everyone stared at them as if they were about to go on a rampage, but damn, all Brendan wanted was to finish his pancakes in peace.

His friends sat around him, and Ripley sat next to him. Ripley stood out in the cafeteria with his enormous height and muscles corded in agitation. Ripley wasn’t holding it together as well as Brendan. Somewhere during the week, Brendan seemed to have gained better control, and the anger was now just a slow simmer.

Oren sat down, tray clattering onto the table. “I swear the full moon is tonight instead of in two weeks. Everyone is grouchy as hell around here. I asked for syrup for my pancakes, and I thought Miles was going to reach across and slap me. Omega’s gotta calm down.”

“Everyone is on edge, Oren. Don’t let it get to you.” Knox was rubbing his arms, cracking his neck…knuckles.

“Well, I know a way I can take your edge off, dear Knox,” Oren batted his eyelashes at Knox.

Brendan knew it was only friendly flirting. The two had become friends, and as far as he knew, they had no intentions of ever crossing that line.

Knox laughed, and it seemed his tension drained out of his body.

Dalton rubbed back his pale blond hair, focusing on Brendan. “Can’t wait to have you back in classes.”

Dalton was the epitome of the perfect student, genius in his problem-solving skills and strategy. He was light years ahead of everyone, including the Omegas that had already shifted.

Brendan, on the other hand, loathed classes. He continually struggled and always felt like he was one of the worst of the Omegas. Everyone just seemed to get it while he was lost. Too many times, he watched his fellow Omegas do a week’s worth of problems while he just barely finished one. No, he wasn’t happy to be going to class.

Ripley glanced over at him, giving him a questioning look, but Brendan just shook his head. He didn’t want to share why he hated classes with his friends. That was for him to keep close to his chest.

“So, what classes do you have, Ripley? Are you with me and Knox this afternoon?” Sloan asked before biting into a piece of bacon.

Ripley looked across the cafeteria, lip curling before focusing back on Sloan. “Not sure. I have Malach with me all day. Guess he’ll tell me where to go.”

Knox stole a piece of sausage off of Oren’s plate. “Probably will end up in meditation with us. All Alphas are required to take it. We like to give it shit, but it does help…a little.”

Brendan began eating his breakfast, but he kept glancing over, watching as Ripley's tension seemed to get worse by the second. Hell, he looked like he was about to come out of his seat and tear up the cafeteria.

Reaching over, he grabbed Ripley’s hand. “You in control?”

“Fucker’s staring at me,” Ripley growled as he bent his spoon in half, cereal dribbling back into the bowl.

Oren sighed before he stood up. “I’ll go get another spoon and tell Duke to stop being an asshole or he might not live to have lasagna tonight.”

“Do you need to go in lockdown?” Sloan asked from across the table.

“No, just don’t like feeling challenged. I was a hothead before I was feral, now…” Ripley shot up and started pounding his way across the cafeteria.

Brendan scrambled out of his seat, but Knox and Sloan were faster, restraining him.

Ripley screamed across the room, “You challenging me?”

Duke and Cassius laughed in their seats.

That's when Brendan had enough. Something inside him snapped, and a haze came over him. Uncontrollable rage filled him, Brendan broke free of Knox and Sloan, and he went after the two. Leaping over the table and using his shifter strength as he charged.

Brendan had about a second to register shock on both their faces before he took them both down, chairs and all. Sounds of metal crashing filled the room as Brendan let his fists fly. The sickening crunch of Cass’s nose had him smiling in vindication. Strength coursed through his veins, and a roar, like nothing he had voiced before, came out of him, deafening in the crowded cafeteria.

Brendan didn’t even have time to really lay into them before he was pulled off by the guard, Rayce, with the help of Sloan. A low-menacing growl slipped past his lips as Cass and Duke moaned on the floor below. One side of his lip curled to show teeth that, if given the chance, would rip those two apart.

“Calm down, Bren,” Rayce tightened his hold on his arm.

Dalton stepped closer to stand in front him, bracing his face with cool hands. “Time to calm down, Bren. The threat is over.”

Something in Dalton’s voice seemed to lift the veil of rage. “Oh shit,” Brendan whispered before his body started shaking with the aftershocks of a fight he never would have dared enter. He was small and avoided confrontation at all cost. Now, he just kicked two Alphas’ asses.

“You’re okay now,” Dalton soothed as he reached for his arm, helping him out of the cafeteria.

Brendan searched for Ripley, concerned, and saw that he had Malach and Lukas holding him, but they were following.

Dalton released Brendan, and he ran over to Ripley who was still restrained. “You okay?” Brendan asked.

“You’re asking me? I didn’t even get to throw a punch. Are you okay?” Ripley was released and grabbed his hands, searching Brendan’s knuckles. The skin was broken, bloody and bruises were starting to appear.

“I can’t believe that I just lost it like that.” Brendan’s voice quivered as he stared at Malach.
Will he put me in lockdown now? What the hell was happening to me?

Ripley pursed his lips. “This is my fault. If you hadn’t…” Ripley glanced back down at his bloody knuckles.

“Am I going into lockdown?” Brendan asked Malach.

“No, I was watching Duke and saw what he was doing. If he wants to start shit, he better prepare to have his ass handed to him. Go on to class, one of the other guards is dealing with those two. I’ll need to report it, though. No way around that.” Malach scrubbed a hand over his short hair.

Brendan turned at the entrance to his Omega class but felt a tug at the collar of his shirt.

“I don’t think so. I think you’ll be better off across the hall.” Malach pushed him in the other direction.

“The Alphas’ class?” Brendan's brows rose.
What the hell?

“Yes. I think you could use a little meditation to calm you down, not getting pissed off or irritated in your strategy class. I know that class frustrates you to no end.” Malach clapped an Alpha walking into the class on the shoulder.

And it did. That class pissed him off when he stood there studying something for a damn hour and never fully got it while his fellow Omegas took two minutes to figure it out before moving onto the next.

Brendan nodded before following Ripley into the class.

Ripley stood poised for a fight as everyone in the room turned their attention on him, then Elder Thorfinn stepped into the room.

The tension seemed to dissipate with the presence of the Elder. Elder Thorfinn was a massive Alpha who had aged well, his muscles sleek. He didn’t look a day over thirty-five. However, he took Elder status after moving to the compound and began to mentor other Alphas.

He was one of the best, one who had seen a lot of battles with the hellhounds. A thick scar ran from his ear all the way to where it disappeared into the tight black shirt he wore. Elder Thorfinn was also the Alpha that other Alphas submitted to, which made him a great fit for new shifters who struggled so much.

“Brendan, so glad you could join us.” Elder Thorfinn waved his hand at the mats on the floor, showing no surprise at all that Brendan was joining the class today.

Elders, also, never missed a thing in this place. It was like they had a sixth sense.

After sitting down, Brendan took off his shoes and placed them next to the mat.

Ripley sat next to him and did the same.

Man, he was thankful that he'd worn shorts and a t-shirt today. He had almost gone with jeans, but his skin still felt too tight to him, and he'd ended up throwing them in the corner.

Elder Thorfinn closed the door and sat in front of everyone. Soft sounds of water trickling and calm music kept the room soothing.

Everyone seemed to know what to do, sitting and resting in a meditation pose, eyes closed, breathing evenly.