Empire of the howling moon

Chapter 6

The next morning arrived with a message from Rowan: *Stay home today. Rest. Tonight changes everything.*

Stewart called in sick to the warehouse—his last connection to his old life. His supervisor barely cared. They'd already processed his resignation paperwork, received the notification that Stewart Lennox had secured better employment. Another body replaced, another desperate man sliding into his spot on the factory floor.

Claire was energized after the dinner, talking about the people she'd met. "That Julia seemed nice. And Marlene is intense but I like her. They're like a real family, you know? The way they interact."

"Yeah," Stewart muttered, staring at his coffee. A family of predators.

"Rowan asked if I'd be interested in helping with their charity foundation. Event planning, fundraising." Claire was practically glowing. "Can you believe it? Me, working with a charity. Actual meaningful work instead of just surviving."

Stewart felt his control slipping. The wolf was too close to the surface today, aggravated by the approaching moon. "That's great."

"You don't sound excited."

"I'm just tired."

"You're always tired lately. Ever since you started this job, you've been different." Claire set down her own cup, studying him with that same intensity from yesterday. "Stewart, what exactly does Rowan have you doing?"

The question hung between them, dangerous and unavoidable. Stewart opened his mouth but his phone buzzed. Rowan.

*Tell her you have training today. Tell her you'll be home late. Tell her not to worry.*

"I have training," Stewart said mechanically. "All day. I'll be home late."

Claire's expression shifted, doubt creeping in. "Training for what?"

"Security protocols. Company procedures." The lies were getting harder to sell. "It's boring stuff."

"Then why can't you talk about it?"

"Confidentiality agreements. Corporate espionage concerns." Stewart stood, needing distance. "I need to shower."

He left Claire sitting at the table, her coffee growing cold, suspicion building in her eyes. In the bathroom, Stewart stared at his reflection. He looked different now. Stronger. Sharper. His eyes occasionally flashed gold when the light hit them right. How long before Claire noticed? How long before Danny asked why Daddy's teeth looked funny?

The shower was scalding but he barely felt it. His skin was tougher now, more resilient. He scraped his nails against his arm and watched the scratches heal in seconds. Superhuman. Supernatural. Inhuman.

At noon, the SUV arrived. Gabriel at the wheel again, but this time Thomas was in the passenger seat, practically vibrating with excitement.

"First full moon, fresh meat! Are you ready to run?" Thomas was younger than Stewart had initially thought, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four. His enthusiasm was unnerving. "It's gonna blow your mind. Best feeling in the world."

"He doesn't want the sales pitch," Gabriel said, pulling into traffic. "Kid's terrified. Look at him."

Stewart was terrified. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. The wolf inside him was clawing at his consciousness, eager to break free. It wanted out. wanted to hunt. wanted to feed.

"Where are we going?"

"Preserve upstate. Two hours. Private land, Rowan's property. Forty thousand acres of wilderness where we can do what we need to do without witnesses." Gabriel merged onto the highway. "You'll change at sunset. It's gonna hurt like hell. Then you'll hunt. Then, if you're lucky, you'll learn to control it."

"And if I'm not lucky?"

"Then you kill something you shouldn't and live with it forever." Gabriel's voice was flat, matter-of-fact. "I killed a hiker for the first time. Young woman, college student. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tore her apart before I even knew what I was doing."

Stewart's stomach lurched. "Jesus Christ."

"No Jesus out there. Just the wolf. Just the hunt." Gabriel glanced in the rearview mirror. "You think you're different? Special? You're not. You're an animal wearing a man's face. The sooner you accept that, the easier this gets."

Thomas turned around in his seat, grinning. "Don't listen to him. He's just bitter. The wolf is freedom, man. Pure freedom. All the crap that weighs you down, all the fear and doubt and weakness—it burns away. You'll see."

They drove north, civilization thinning until trees dominated the landscape. The preserve's entrance was unmarked, just a dirt road leading into dense forest. A guard station was manned by two pack members who waved them through without question.

The compound deep in the preserve looked like a hunting lodge, all dark wood and stone. But the reinforced doors and barred windows told a different story. This was a cage as much as a retreat.

Rowan was waiting on the porch, flanked by Marlene. "Stewart. How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm about to explode."

"Good. That means the wolf is strong. Come inside. We have a few hours before sunset."

The lodge's interior was surprisingly comfortable. A massive fireplace dominated the main room. Leather furniture. Mounted animal heads watching with glass eyes. A dozen pack members were already there, some in various states of undress, preparing for the change.

Rowan led Stewart to a side room. "Strip. The transformation will destroy your clothes if you're wearing them."

Stewart hesitated. Rowan's eyes flashed gold, a clear command. Stewart undressed, feeling exposed and vulnerable. Rowan circled him like a buyer inspecting livestock.

"You've built muscle already. The wolf is integrating well. That's good." Rowan stopped in front of him. "Tonight, you'll lose yourself. Completely. The wolf will take over and you'll become pure instinct. Pure hunger. It's important you understand that you won't remember everything. Won't be fully in control. But I'll be with you. We'll all be with you. And we'll make sure you don't do anything that can't be undone."

"What if I hurt someone?"

"There's no one out here to hurt except deer, rabbits, maybe a bear if you're unlucky." Rowan smiled. "And trust me, you'll want to hurt something. The bloodlust is overwhelming. Better you satisfy it on animals than fight it and lose control later in a populated area."

"This is insane."

"This is reality now." Rowan gripped Stewart's shoulder, hard enough to hurt. "You can rage against it or accept it. But the moon is rising either way. And when it does, you'll change whether you want to or not."

A woman Stewart didn't recognize entered, carrying a leather bag. She was older, maybe sixty, with silver hair and kind eyes that contrasted sharply with the predatory aura all pack members carried.

"This is Elena. She'll help you through the transition. She's our eldest, having been through this six hundred times." Rowan stepped back. "I'll leave you in her capable hands."

Elena set down her bag, studying Stewart with the same intensity as Rowan but without the threat. "First change is the hardest. I won't lie to you. It feels like your bones are breaking, your skin is tearing, your mind is fracturing. Because essentially, that's what's happening."

"Comforting."

"I don't deal in comfort. I deal in truth." Elena pulled out a leather strap. "You'll want to bite down on this when the pain gets bad. It helps. Not much, but some."

"How long does it last?"

"The first time? Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen. Feels like hours." She sat across from him, her expression softening slightly. "I was born in 1624. I didn't have a choice then either. But I survived. You will too."

"That's four hundred years."

"Four hundred and one, actually." Elena's smile was sad. "You'll learn that time moves differently for us. Years blur together. People you love die while you stay young. It's its own kind of curse."

"But you stayed with the pack."

"Where else would I go? Humans fear us. Hunters kill us. The pack is the only family we have." She leaned forward. "That's what you need to understand, Stewart. Like it or not, these people are your family now. Your wife, your children, your old friends—they're part of your past. We're your future."

Stewart's jaw clenched. "No. I'm doing this for them. To protect them."

"Keep telling yourself that. Maybe it'll even be true." Elena stood, checking her watch. "The sun sets in thirty minutes. You should say goodbye to your human thoughts. Won't have them much longer."

She left him alone in the room. Naked, terrified, trapped. Stewart thought about Claire, about Danny's laugh, about Emma's tiny fingers wrapped around his thumb. He thought about Victor Strand's business card, hidden in his wallet back home. He thought about running.

But there was nowhere to run to.

Outside, the pack was gathering. Stewart could hear them through the walls, their excitement building as sunset approached. Howls started, one after another, a savage chorus welcoming the night.

And inside Stewart's chest, the wolf answered.

His bones began to crack.