ROMANCE: PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Coveted by the Werewolves (Paranormal MMF Bisexual Menage Romance) (New Adult Shifter Romance Short Stories) (392 page)

“My son, it is time.” A woman dressed in red tapped on his shoulders.

“Yes mother.” His heart was pounding as his mother slowly ushered him back into the suite that had been his family’s home for years now. In fact the whole entire building was owned by his family.

The Dominguez’ had come to the United States just after the Civil War. Since then, they have taken strong roots in the upper echelons of the New York society. They owned massive corporations and international companies that have made their surname synonymous to success. This building and many others that decorated the New York skyline were a testament to that.

They entered the living room which was now converted into the ritual space. It looked like the set of some medieval movie, like some weird throne room. Red cloth with golden embroideries had been draped everywhere. At the very center was a little platform. This wasn’t the first time he saw something like this. In fact, this was his third.

The first time was when he was really young – when his great grandfather had passed away and his grandfather was initiated in much the same place as the new alpha. Sadly, he died prematurely by some unknown cause – or was it unknown because they didn’t want to find out what really killed his grandfather, he often pondered. Shortly after that, his father had to go through the same ordeal – the same red draping and the same little platform. He remembered it like it was yesterday. That was why he was so scared.

The memories of the ritual had traumatized his entire childhood, but then again, he never did think he would have to go through it like his father. He was only the second child. Second children don’t become Alphas. At best they’d become Betas, but never Alphas. Unless, of course, if the first born died without leaving an heir.

Guillermo, his older brother had been with his father when the accident happened. Their flight from Quito, Ecuador had crashed into the Caribbean. Their bodies weren’t found, but officials assured them that no one could have survived that crash.

“Anton?” His mother snapped him out of his trance.

“Yes mother.” He answered robotically as he looked to his mother for comfort. She was a beautiful woman, even for her age. Her long blond hair tied into a tight bun, her smooth pale skin that hinted grief and fear shone bright under the incandescent lighting. He stared into her eyes, the only bit of his mother he ever inherited. Those green jade eyes, which were once filled with strength and beauty were now just empty voids that showed misery and sadness.

“It’s time.” She said lowering her head, ushering Anton to the platform.

There were about fifty men in that room. Some were as young as ten years old, much like he was when he witnessed the same ritual back then. There were also older men as well. His uncles, cousins and other male relatives stood there with sullen expressions anticipating what was to unfold.

This was the oldest of all their rituals. This was when an ordinary wolf, became an Alpha.

He stepped forward up onto the platform and took rubber band from his pocket. He proceeded to tie back his jet black hair as the onlookers started to light their candles.

He was young and strong, and he had the body to prove it. He then slowly unravelled his robe revealing his complete nudity underneath. His bulging biceps that tense at his every movement, his abs that riveted across his stomach and his massive dangling cock were a testament to his Dominguez lineage. His dark brooding face that was softened by the same jade eyes his mother had, had now taken a more relax expression.

He was most comfortable when he was naked. Why wouldn’t he be? His chiselled chest was now pounding, not with anxiety, but with excitement.

He felt the energy of the moon course through him as if acknowledging his birth right as being part of the State’s most powerful wolf clan. Slowly, the hair follicles on his back started to ache as the transformation slowly began. It started with his fangs that slowly grew larger and sharper as his eyes grew deeper. His arms started to pulse as his blood rushed to every part of his body as if pumping him with more muscle and strength. Then, excruciating pain forced him to slump forward on all fours atop that platform. His nails became claws and his ears grew larger. He screamed an almost defeated scream as his wolf took over and he stood there in his wolven glory, heaving.

His black fur and the silver streak that ran across his eyes were magnificent. He reached a towering height of five feet tall even when he was on all four of his solid paws.

Then the cymbals started banging and the drums started beating. Men, one by one, then started throwing purple flowers – wolf’s bane - at him. Even the slightest touch of the petals of that tiny flower caused such an intense pain to course through his body. This was the test he had to endure. Only after every single male of his clan had battered him with wolf’s bane will he be born again as an Alpha. He remembered how his father had howled while they, including him, had tortured him with the werewolf’s only weakness.

After an hour, every wolf in that room had thrown their wolf’s bane at Anton as the shaken werewolf was now mustering all his strength to just stand up. He was bleeding from all the burns and cuts from the ritual as he slowly turned back into his human form.

As he stood there, barely alive, he howled – yes, he was now an Alpha.

*****

After a few minutes, his wounds had started to heal and the pain that ravaged his body had now pacified and was replaced by an overwhelming sense of power.

“The gift of the harvest moon, my Alpha.” An old man with the same black hair and brooding expression permanently painted on his face said.

“Uncle.” Anton, startled, rose to hug the man who he thought couldn’t have come for some reasons. “I thought you couldn’t make it.” He remarked.

“I didn’t. When I got here, you they had just finished.” He said as he made his way to the platform that was still stained with his nephew’s blood.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Now that you are here, we must celebrate. Run with us Uncle.” He said with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Castor Dominguez was his father’s only brother. He had always been fond of him. After a decade of not seeing each other, he felt that his first run as an Alpha would be best with his closest living male relative beside him as his Beta.

“I’ll be honoured.” He replied with a certain excitement in his voice.

The Lunar Run was a special time for every wolf. Male, female, young or old, every single member of the pack had to join. Anton’s christening as an Alpha was indeed quite special for it was no ordinary moon that had graced it but the sacred Harvest Moon, which meant that this was doubly special.

He had joined the Run ever since he began to change. That was when he was about four years old. And he has never missed it since.

Back in the old days, they would have run through the densest darkest forests as they howled in worship of the moon. But that time has passed; they were now in New York and forests here are scarce. The advent of urbanization has forced the wolves to adapt and make compromise with their traditions and the changing landscape.

They still ran at the dead of the night when the fogs descended upon the lands just like in the old days, but the difference now is that they would not be ploughing through a thicket of overgrowth in some cursed black forest, but through a whole new kind of jungle - the urban one.

Being seen had never been an issue, their speed coupled by their ability to manipulate the fog as they sped through made it possible for them to go unnoticed, not even by the most advance cameras. Every now and then, a pup would slow down and get photographed by some traffic camera, but they’ve always shrugged them off as some stray dog.

They assembled in the basement parking lot of their skyscraper and one by one they had removed all their clothing. Werewolves were naturally fit and muscular. Even the older ones had solid bodies with taut muscles in the right places.

They all started shifting. Every wolf was black or at least had some black fur. This was their pack’s feature. They were the Los Lobos Negro – the Black Wolves. They began to howl; low and almost inaudible at first, but as each wolf had taken form, the howl has become louder – fiercer.

Anton was last to transform. And after he did, he let out his howl that echoed through the lot. The other wolves quieted down as Anton circled them. He beckoned for a black wolf with white paws to come forward.

“Uncle.” Anton said telepathically. “Let us run.” He continued. With that, Castor let out a howl to which every wolf responded in unison. Anton followed every wolf in their instinctual howls and then began to make his way out the parking lot and into the city streets, slowly gaining momentum as they passed block by block deeper into the city.

The energy of the pack was intense. It inebriated every single wolf with a sort of vigour. They were not moving as separate pawns but as one whole creature of the night cutting through the very much alive yet curiously dreary New York.

As they rushed through the streets, a fog seemed to materialize at their very path. Yes, Anton thought, indeed the moon was pleased with their run for it had sent its protection upon them.

It all went surprisingly well, no casualties so far, no strays, no detours, all was according to the will of the moon and it felt so good. The blessing of the Harvest Moon electrified every muscle in Anton’s body. But then as they made a turn, he smelled something.

It was a distinct smell. It smelled of death and misery gushing out from a fountain. He looked to his uncle, but it seemed that he was the only one who could actually sense it. He fought every instinct to go to the source, but he did not prevail. As if he was possessed by some other worldly being, he was compelled by his instincts to stop. Wolves were not supposed to stop during runs. Especially not when the runs were in a city where they could be seen when they slowed down a bit.

“Nephew! What in the world are you doing?” Castor telepathically screamed into Anton’s mind.

He said nothing. He just inched away from the pack as he entered a narrow alley. What he saw was frightening. A young woman laid there dying. He shifted to his human form releasing a bright light engulfing him as he became his six foot tall self. He scooped up the lifeless woman as his family stared at him bewildered, angry, and most of all confused. This was not how his first run was supposed to unfold.

*****

She re-awakened to the sound of machines beeping and water dripping. She was all too familiar with this scene, but never did she imagine that she would be the one in the bed.

Mount Sinai Hospital, she thought. She had worked here for a few weeks. She had to relieve one of the nurses there, who was on maternity leave. She looked around trying to remember what happened, how she got there.

She strained to get up, but to her surprise, there wasn’t any pain at all. She tried for her side only to find a neatly bandaged wound the size of a credit card.
This couldn’t be happening
. She was dying, she knew that. She shouldn’t be okay right now.

As confusion started to boil over, a familiar figure stepped into the room; his dark blue eyes showing a sincere expression of concern.

“Hailey?” You’re awake, thank God!” He rushed to her side clearly relieved that the woman who had laid there lifeless in the hospital bed for two days had finally woken up.

“Caleb?” She asked.

“The people here didn’t know who to call, they said you didn’t have any information or identification on you.” He said as he propped himself on the chair beside her.

“Thank God for Nurse Elisa. You remember Elisa right – short girl, Filipina? The one from Paediatrics?” He said.

“Yeah, she was the only friend I made since I’ve worked here.” Hailey replied.

“Well, she was the one who ID’d you. She knew you didn’t have any emergency contacts, so she called us over at Roosevelt.” He explained.

“How did I get here Caleb?”

“Well, I was about to ask you that same question. According to the doctors, you were found at the doorstep of the ER with very minor injuries. They said it was so peculiar because you had suffered from severe shock, your body responded like it was in critical condition, but honestly, you weren’t. All the doctor’s found were bite marks.”

Hailey tensed as she heard the word, bite.

“So, do you own a dog or something?”

“No, I don’t have a dog,” She replied. The grunt? It couldn’t have been an animal bite. She would know if it were. It was something far more scary, far more insidious.

She didn’t want to talk about what had happened anymore. All she wanted was to go home and tuck herself in her bed. She didn’t want to think of muggings, bites, or that she almost mysteriously died from nothing, a mere flesh wound

“Alright. I figured you’d still be in shock. So I won’t ask any more questions.” Caleb promised her.

Hailey stared into those deep blue eyes and saw a man with fear – she knew it was fear. But she shrugged it off. “Caleb, I need to get the hell out of this place.”

“I know. The doctor already signed your release. You’re basically as healthy as you have always been, minus that bite mark.” Caleb explained, to which Hailey sent him a warning look.

“Right. No more talk about what happened.” He retorted. “I’ll just bring the car upfront so we can go.”