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~LIGHT~
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The first time Malcom saw Serene, he was sitting at a park on a bench after a very long jog. Werewolves produce a constant flow adrenaline. This added boost made for easy shifts but it needs to be burned off just as quickly as it is produced. If not, it would build up in their system and over time, it would make it difficult for shifts to be controlled. It wasn’t just the fear of shifting at a bad time that made this a bad thing. The wolves who went too long without a burn off, would lose hold of themselves entirely. Mentally they lost the capacity to communicate with others, their primitive side would take over and eventually, man would come beast entirely. Not only did people get hurt when this happened, but too often the lost ones meant the birth of wars.
She’d been jogging along the path on the other side of the park. He couldn’t see her but he caught the light scent that crossed over on the wind and that was enough. It was instant, the attraction, sight unseen. It did more to him than just give a firm nudge to his loins, he felt things stir inside of him that had been dormant for decades, things he hadn’t considered in too long. Suddenly every last one of those damned primal sensors lit up. The shock of the awakened sensation was close to that of having a lightning bolt caged in his stomach, chest and mind. He could feel his blood rushing and producing more of the hormone he’d just burned off. Instead of panicking, he jumped up from the bench and ran for her. What better way to avoid the pending catastrophe? Burn off some steam, avoid an unwanted shift and find the source of the attraction.
He couldn’t help himself. It was not the decision of a conscious mind to go after this woman who clearly was off limits to the wolf. The scent of her was laced with her human blood. Logic told him to stop his pursuit and yet he still ran towards her. Malcom’s movement, his race to his faceless temptation, was an act of pure animal instinct. He was claiming her with each stride, marking her as his own and he didn’t break his pace until he got to her.
Once he laid eyes on her, he knew he was in for hell. She stood there in light blue spandex shorts and a shirt that was too big for her small frame. Her hair was pulled back into a bun that had been jostled by her run and was coming undone. Malcom took a deep breath to cool himself before his final approach as he watched her tighten the wrap around the bun. She was fit, a runner’s build but she had managed to keep her curves. Her skin was the shade of cocoa and under the rays of the sun the color was pulled closer to the surface.
“Hi, I’m Malcom.” He smiled and introduced himself as if they had already struck up a conversation. The woman wouldn’t be able to turn from him and he knew it. Call it cockiness but Malcom knew the reflection that stared back at him each morning was one that pleased the women around him. His dark skin and large frame made him an object of desire for his pack, but it worked wonders on the human female as well. He had a bright smile that was wrapped in a clean goatee and his head was shaven. It was easier to maintain; his wolf was a hairy one and that translated into his human hair growth. If he didn’t shave his head, he would have locks past his ass and that wasn’t something he found attractive on a man.
“Hi Malcom, I’m Serene.” She laughed nervously and the sound of her soft trill caused a happy tightness in his chest. Malcom knew the woman would be the end of him and he still refused to let her go. Once he felt the warmth of her flesh and inhaled the full-bodied scent of her life, he had no other choice.
His days were no longer as exciting as that day. They were nowhere near as full of beauty, or hope. He spent most of his time hiding in the woods. Being banished wasn’t as sweet as it may sound. Hell, you would think he’d get kicked out, take Serene and live happily ever after off the grid. If only life was that simple. With a wolf pack, you don’t just get handed a ticket out of town and go on your merry way. No, it's no simple farewell, but they do give you a head start, and a warning. If ever found it could mean the end of your life. It also meant that you could never have a normal existence. Never have peace, love, or a family. All the things Malcom tried to secure for him and Serene.
Malcom was disconnected from his pack, from his family. Away from all the people who mattered most to him in his life and the people that he had put his own life on the line to protect countless times. If they found him, those same men that once called him brother, would not hesitate to cut him down. That was the Alpha’s command. Alpha’s word is law.
Malcom had been found before by the wolves out to hunt him down, but he wasn’t awarded his position as second in command for his good looks. This wolf was not one to be turned away by any female, but looks don’t count for shit when fighting against those sadistic ass vampires. It was two months after he had been forced to make his exit from his home in Texas. He’d found a little bed and breakfast just outside of Missouri. He would never be able to forgive himself for the mistake of not immediately going into deep cover. He knew that they would eventually come after him. Unfortunately, his grief-stricken mind hadn’t processed his situation completely. After everything he had been through, the only thing he could think of was sleep and comfort. The cozy little cottage made it possible to forget just a bit of the horror he was forced to live through at the hands of Vincent. For short moments, he could forget the torture that Vincent had inflicted on his beta in the hopes of breaking his spirit and his love for the human woman. That cozy little inn gave Malcom the illusion of possibility. There he was broken, but he was also comfortable. He was lost, but not completely alone.
The place was too small for much to be done; it was where couples went for a lovers’ retreat. There were nights he would lay awake and listen to them, giggles of pleasure, headboards banging, the whole nine. People didn’t care that the walls were thin when they had a bit of wine in their system. Some nights he would lay there listening, and reminiscing, he would close his eyes and imagine that it was he and Serene making those sweet calls of pleasure. Eventually it would get him too revved up and most times, he would choose a quick run over his own hand to relieve the building tension.
His extended stay was welcomed by the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Dowly. They were a little old couple who were many years past their prime but they loved that place and they put that love into every minute detail. From the fine woodworking of the doorframe that lead to the inner foyer to the delicious meals they served their guests, the two could make any lost soul feel at home. Malcom was more than grateful to them for having taken him in. To thank them for their generosity, he took on most of the heavy work. He would chop up firewood and bring it in to spare Mr. Dowly the pain in his back. He also did handy work, fixed the laundry list of things that needed repair, and even hunted for them. They didn’t know what he was, so he had to make honest kills with a rifle. Wolf kills tended to get messy and it would have been too difficult to explain bringing back a shredded carcass. Good thing he had had plenty of practice with firearms. The guns that he used before had fired garlic filled shells meant to take down bloodsuckers, but it was the same concept. He made no complaints about anything in his life. The couple took him in, and let him stay for a discounted price due to the hard labor he provided. They even gave him free meals. Everything was well; at least that was what his denial lead him to believe.
Winter was nearing and firewood was being burned through quickly, Malcom had to go deeper into the woods that surrounded the inn to find quality wood for burning. He’d been on his way back from his task when things took a turn for the worse. The barrel he hauled behind him was weighed down with the product of a long day's work. He took his time as he pulled it back to the cottage. He was at peace his adrenaline had burned off and left a soft hum across his body. His mind was swimming in thoughts of his lost love, fond memories of her smile and laughter. He was about 20 yards off when he caught the scent of wolf, the odor led directly to the cottage. He ran, because he knew what it meant, he had barely taken off when he heard the cries of innocent people as they were slaughtered by a monster.
Devin, a beefed-up newbie burst his way into the house. He had taken out everyone there, which Malcom assumed wasn’t a command from the alpha, just the young wolf’s inability to remain in control, and to keep his rage targeted. Malcom came into the house just in time to see Devin rip out the throat of the Mr. Dowly. He turned to the older wolf and growled. There was no chance to attempt to reason with the blood thirsty wolf. He charged at Malcom and what happened next was pure reflexive action. After years in battle, the body knows how to move without being told. Without shifting, without really much effort at all, Malcom forced his foot into the wolf’s chest, grabbed his open jaw and pulled. The bottom half of his face fell to the ground next to his body. Devin twitched for a moment and his hands clawed at the floor before he died.
Malcom was long gone before the body could shift back to its human form. He said a prayer for the people who had lost their lives because of his mistake and made a promise that it would never happen again. The smell of the inn as it burned to the ground was a lasting reminder that he would never be safe and anyone who found themselves around him would be targeted as well.
That vow to stay hidden had become his life. He kept away from humans, because eventually his once family would come for him, and if Vincent was already getting careless. That much was easy to see just by rookies he was sending after the veteran. Carelessness costs lives. The thing about Vincent, was that he’d always been that way, careless and reckless with the lives of those around him. Gut reactions without thought or reason brought the leader to countless shitty situations that could have been avoided with deeper consideration of the consequences of his actions. Malcom always kept him from going off the deep end. He reined in the alpha’s outrage, and did his best to put off the complete destruction of what good was left inside of his old friend. The position of Alpha is a strong one to hold, and a heavy one as well. For some, it builds them up and sets them apart from the rest. Others crumble beneath the weight of it. It wasn’t hard to figure out which one Vincent was.
The cabin Malcom now lived in wasn’t all that bad. It was off the beaten path, far from civilization, he fixed it up with his own two hands when he came across the dilapidated structure about three years after being on the run. He claimed it as his own, and rebuilt it. It was by no means the best place he’d ever been. It had no five star amenities but he liked it, it was his home. At least it was for the time being.
