Lone Wolf

I woke up feeling strange. My muscles were tight, almost aching, and my joints were stiff. Every part of my body felt out of place, like my insides had been rearranged without my permission. The sheet had been pushed out of the way and I looked across the bed to see Oliver sitting up as far from me as possible. He was watching me, relaxed but wary.

"You all right," I asked, "You get any sleep?"

Oliver nodded. "Woke up about half an hour ago. You... shifted in your sleep. Shifted back a little before you woke up."

"Damn it, fuck. Sorry. I guess that's why I feel out of sorts."

Oliver shrugged. "It happens. I'm guessing you haven't shifted properly in a while."

"I try to avoid it."

"Why?"

I hesitated but decided sharing was the least I owed Oliver. "I'm adopted. Family's human. They know, of course. They watched me shift as a kid before I had control. My parents always told me it was a big secret and treating it like it was something... wrong. My sister was better. She thought it was the best thing in the world. Still, I thought I was alone for a long time so I always had to hide it. It just got easier to not shift at all unless I had to. I've been meaning to get out and do it more, check out some little spots outside of town, but old habits. It might be easier if I wasn't such a loner and had someone to run with."

Oliver smiled. "That an invitation?"

I laughed. "Yeah. I'll make sure there are no uninvited guests and we'll go camping. I bet the bush is different to what you're used to in England." We both cocked our heads at the sounds of Chaz stirring downstairs. "He'll be hungry. I better go sort him out before he starts eating the furniture."

I got up and searched a draw, pulling out fresh underwear and slipping them on then fixed my hair..

"And what am I supposed to do?" Oliver asked.

I looked over to him, seeing him stretched out on my bed completely naked. I could not help but admire his milky skin, his messy hair, his taut muscles, his delicious cock and the full, heavy balls. Then there was his eyes, impossible dark and blue. I breathed in his scent, wishing I did not have to wash my sheets so my bed would smell of him. I wanted to leap across the room and devour him.

I grinned. "You could just stay there and be gorgeous. That is definitely a sight I wouldn't mind coming back to."

"Then can you fetch my bag from down stairs? I'm feeling inspired to draw something."

I chuckled as I left the room and went down stairs. I saw Chaz standing in the kitchen staring at the kettle as though he could turn it on by sheer force of will. He had one hand scratching his chest while the other was scratching his junk through his shorts.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, shooing him out of the kitchen.

"I need coffee," he grumbled.

"You know the rules. Not a toe in my kitchen. I can't trust you with anything more than beer runs." I filled the kettle then set it to start boiling. I went to the living room, grabbing Oliver's bag and pointing at the lounge. "Sit. Wait."

I raced back upstairs to see that Oliver had not moved and my breath caught as I saw him sitting there like he belonged and I realised I really liked seeing him in my bed.

"What are you grinning at?"

"Just admiring the view," I held up his bag. "Can I have a look?"

Oliver nodded. I pulled out his sketchbook and tossed the bag to Oliver. I flipped through Oliver's art and while I might not appreciate it fully, I knew enough to tell he was good. His subjects were varied. There were landscapes, interesting buildings, and a few portraits. I was surprised to find the last sketch was of me, as I had been the first time I had been naked in front of Oliver, just standing in all my glory, my erection prominent and lust clear on my face.

"A good likeness," I said, showing Oliver the drawing.

Oliver blushed. "I told you I found inspiration. I hope you don't mind. I normally ask before I draw people but..."

"It's fine. I'm flattered." I handed the book over. "Do you want tea or coffee?"

"Maybe in a bit."

"Okay. Come down when you get hungry and I'll make you breakfast." I went back down to see Chaz sitting on the lounge with his head in his hands. "How's your hangover?" I asked.

"It's fine," he replied, "I didn't drink that much."

I bustled around the kitchen, making Chaz a cup of coffee and making myself a cup of tea. I handed him his coffee and took a seat. "Did you know we were in the shower when you went for a piss this morning?"

"Kinda," Chaz said, sipping on his coffee, "I wasn't really awake. I didn't interrupt, did I?"

"We were just showering. Do you want food?'

"In a sec." Chaz looked up at me and his eyes focussed on my shoulder. He looked so surprised I thought his eyes might fall out. "Did he do that?"

I tried to see what he was looking at and realised he was staring at the bite mark Oliver had left. I shrugged. "Oli and I got a little rough. It's fine. I got him back for it."

Chaz jumped up, almost spilling his coffee in his haste to put it down. "Mase, he's a werewolf!" He whispered intensely. I opened my mouth to object, to tell him to be serious but he cut me off. "I know they're real. I work with a few. These two guy got in a fight on site. I was the only other one there and I saw them... change. They know I saw them but we never talked about but I saw it."

"Chaz..."

"No, okay. I've watched them and it's obvious when you know what to look for. Your boyfriend has that swagger in his walk and he breathes like one of them. Then I heard him growling last night. I thought I was dreaming at first but I could hear him mauling you. If he bit you that means you're going to turn into one of them." I clearly was not reacting the way he expected. "Did you know? Did you want him to change you? What were you thinking?"

I gave up and rolled my eyes at my old friend. "First, he can hear you. Second, he's not turning me into anything. That's not how it works. The biting it just a werewolf sex thing. It's an impulse during climax that's hard to resist, believe me. Third, he's just a man who gets furry from time to time. He's not a monster, he's not going to go on a rampage and slaughter the townsfolk and he's not going to hurt me. Well, he might hurt me a little but apparently I'm into that sort of thing."

"So you're an expert? How long have you even known this guy?"

"Please, I've known him, like, two weeks. I'm more of an expert than you though."

"Two weeks? All you have is what he's told you. You really think he's gunna tell you anything bad about himself."

"Oli has been nothing but completely honest with me. I know exactly who he is. And I have a lifetime of experience with werewolves, not a few out of context observations, inaccurate media portrayals and late night internet searches."

"He's dangerous!"

"Am I dangerous? You've known me for almost twenty years. It wasn't just Oli you heard last night. I was growling just as much as he was. Am I dangerous?"

Chaz was silent and I waited as realisation slowly set in. "Why are you saying-? Are you-?" He put his hands on his head like they were ears.

I nodded in an exaggerated manner. "Woof, woof. Can you sit down and drink your coffee? You're making me nervous."

"You're nervous? You just told me you're a fucking werewolf. How am I supposed to react?"

"Maybe like you're not scared of me."

Chaz calmed himself down. "Sorry, it's just...Too early for this shit." He took a deep breath and sat down. "How long have you been-"

"Always. I told you, werewolves aren't made, we're born."

"So you're parents? Your sister?"

"Human. You know they adopted me before they had Emily. And don't ask why I never told you. This is a big secret. The only people that know are my family because it would impossible to hide and other werewolves because we can smell each other. We're not going to rat out our own kind. You get that it's a secret, right?"

Chaz nodded. "I get it. I'm not going to make it about trust either. You're trusting me now. And I have so many questions. How many of you are there? How does it all work? Can I see you change? Is Oliver still listening?"

I cocked my head and listened, hearing the faint scratch of pencil on paper. "Of course I am," I heard Oliver say, with a smile in his voice.

I chuckled. "Yes, he's listening. And drawing. I don't know how many of us there are. There are a half dozen packs around Australia. One for each state and we're pretty spread out. Canberra is neutral ground. They do it differently in other countries from what I understand. I don't have anything to do with pack though. Oli's the only werewolf I have any interest in."

"You don't want to hang out with your own kind?"

"The pack is all about dominance. You have to be the strongest and the smartest. They are constantly fighting and scheming. You're either on top doing the fucking or you're a weak bitch being fucked. I was raised by humans. I still have werewolf instincts but I'm not interested in trying to prove that I'm better than anyone else. Being the biggest and the baddest every second of every day has got be exhausting. Humans can be just as bad sometimes but... I moved out here to get away from them all. I don't know what it's like in the UK but Oli seems to feel the same as me."

"What about when you change?"

I sighed. It was going to be a long day. "You said you saw it for yourself. Sometimes we look human and sometimes we look like wolves. It doesn't hurt and I don't know how it works. It could be some kind of science or magic for all I know. I'm a little different in wolf form. I'm still me, I'm just me filtered through a wolf brain and wolf biology. I eat raw meat and my instincts are heightened but I'm mostly in control. I haven't shifted in a long while though so if I did it now it would be a like setting a rave off in my head, with loud annoying music and strobe lights. It wouldn't be safe. Let Oli take me out and get me used to being a wolf again. Don't ask Oli to show you either. I want to be your proper introduction to werewolves and you're not seeing his wolf form before me."

"How come I could pick Oliver and not you?"

"I didn't have any werewolves around growing up so I learnt to hide it better."

"Are there others? Other types of were-things?"

I tried not to be insulted. "Maybe. I've heard stories but they're probably just stories. There are stories about how he came about too but I haven't paid too much attention to them."

"Okay fine but what about-"

"Chaz, I'm not going to disappear. You don't have to ask everything at once. Oli probably knows more than I do anyway. I didn't meet another werewolf until I was seventeen and avoid them, remember? Let just have a nice day. I'll cook breakfast, we'll go to the beach then we'll come home and you can get drunk again."

Chaz nodded a little glumly. "Fine."

I went to the kitchen to start on breakfast as Oliver came down the stairs. "Is it safe?" he asked.

I looked over to him. He was wearing the pants he had worn the night before. I had not noticed before how tight they were. His arse looked amazing and I could see the bulge of his cock swinging freely under the fabric. The way his muscles flex as he moved was so sexy and the bruise on his neck brought back memories of our night. I ignored the urge to jump him.

"I don't know," I said, "We might maul each other. It's tempting because you look delicious but I think I'll have to settle for bacon instead."

"Food first, sex later," Chaz said as he stood up, "I'm just going for a smoke. I don't think either of you are that quick."

I cooked us all a proper and thoroughly unhealthy breakfast.

"Chaz is a good guy," Oliver said, making himself a cup of tea while I cooked.

"He's all right," I replied. He was the best but I would never admit it.

"Haven't met many straight guys who'd be so... comfortable. At least not human ones."

"He might have a bit of wolf in him somewhere. As far as I can tell, it doesn't affect him so he just doesn't care."

I dished out breakfast and the three of us sat at the dining table. We ate in silence but Chaz was staring at Oliver and me the entire time, even poking his chin with his fork so as not to take his eyes off us. I could see his brain working, questions behind his eyes just waiting to leap off his tongue.

"Just ask," I said, knowing it was killing him.

"Silver?" he said like he'd been holding his breath.

"Nonsense," I replied, "Just a shiny metal."

"Full moon?"

"Big shiny ball in the sky. Does as much for us as it does for you."

"The biting thing. Does that mean you guys are like, mated for life or something?"

Oliver and I both laughed a little and I answered. "It just a sex thing. Life mates are pretty rare. Proper wolves bite so they don't fall off. For us it just feel good. I've wanted to bite everyone I slept with but humans aren't usually into it, especially if it draws blood. It's an instinct when we cum. Can't really explain it better than that."

"And two guys? You know I'm not judging but does being werewolves make things different? I mean, if you have more animal instincts, doesn't part of you just want ot put a baby in someone?"

I shrugged. "I don't think it made much difference for me." I looked to Oliver for his opinion. He had been around werewolves more than me.

"I think we're a little more flexible than humans. Some still sit at the ends of the spectrum but I think we're more comfortable being somewhere in the middle. Humans find comfort in labels, drawing lines and picking sides. We're more organic. Plus, smell is more important. We can smell orientation in a general sort of way and smell emotions and arousal. And if someone just smells good then the genitals don't usually matter."

"I'm not that good with my nose, to be honest," I admitted, "I didn't really have anyone to teach me so I'm still learning what different feelings smell like. Some things are easy but others are more subtle."

"Huh," Chaz said, apparently satisfied for the moment, "You did say we were going to beach, right?"

When we were finished, Oliver helped me clean up and Chaz went to the bathroom for his morning ablutions. In short order, we were getting ready to head out. Chaz grabbed towels from my linen closet and put them in my car while I found a pair of footy shorts for Oliver and pulled on boardshorts. I watched lustily as he changed into them. They hugged his arse and thick, hairy thighs.

"Sorry I don't have spare boardies," I said, not really sorry at all, "Chaz will be going as he is so you won't be alone. It's pretty normal anyway." I was indifferent to Chaz's body but Oliver looked hot.

Oliver took a moment to translate the word 'boardies'. "They'll do," he said and I knew he could see the lust in my face, not that I was trying to hide it.

I grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from the bathroom and put together a backpack with essentials. I threw in our wallets, keys and phones, a couple of bottles of water, an old football and Chaz's cigarettes. Oliver grabbed his bag with his notebook and pencils then we piled into my car and we were off. I did not take us to the beach closest to my house but the one in the next suburb north. It was really only popular with the people within walking distance but it was a short walk to some shops and tourists would favour the beaches closer to the centre of town.I parked in the small lot, we grabbed our things and walked to the beach.

The beach was almost empty, which was odd for a saturday when the weather was really starting to warm up. There were a couple of surfers out by the rocks just paddling around on their boards, an old couple lounging in the sun, and a middle aged woman walking her dog. The hot sun had warmed the sand so it was uncomfortable but not really painful, and the water rolled in and sparked invitingly. We picked a spot at random, laid out our towels then Chaz wandered off a bit to have a smoke. He knew I did not like the smell and now he knew about me being a werewolf could appreciate my sensitive nose.

I sat down on my towel beside Oliver and helped him apply sunscreen as I had promised, rubbing the white liquid into his back then he helped me. When Chaz returned, we snickered into our hands as he tried to cover himself, flailing as he tried to teach his back. Eventually I took pity on him and helped him out.

The three of us marched into the water, ignoring the cold water that lapped at our bodies, although we all paused a moment as the chill hit out groins then we pushed on. The waves were negligible so he waded out until we were up to our armpits in salty water.

We floated lazily in the water, chatting about nothing in particular, splashing at each other and joking around. Chaz and I dived under the larger waves without thinking but Oliver was a little hesitant. I could see he was a decent swimmer but I thought he might not be as used to the ocean as a pool or some other body of water that did not move.

We were out a good couple of hours when Chaz mentioned he was getting cold. Oliver and I were more resistant but I was sufficiently refreshed and Oliver seemed happy to head back to shore. When we got to ankle level water, I asked Oliver to run up and fetch the football I had packed. He jogged up the beach to our belongings, pulled out the ball and tossed it to me. Chaz whistled his amazement as it sailed through the air and I caught it easily. Oliver stayed with our things, pulling out his sketchbook.

Chaz and I played with the ball. It was not a real game by any stretch of the word. We stayed in the shallow water, sometimes far apart passing the ball to one another and sometimes running in close to tackle each other to the ground with a great deal of swearing and splashing. Now Chaz knew the truth, I could let a little of the wolf out, using just enough strength and speed to have the advantage but not enough to risk hurting my friend or drawing attention.

Chaz must of realised but rather than get frustrated at my cheating, he just grinned and tried harder. At one point I had the ball and Chaz went in for a high tackle. I easy dodged him but I saw him grinning and I knew he had planned for it. As he crashed to the ground he grabbed at my legs and with a swift motion pulled down my shorts. He rolled back onto his feet but I could not run after him without tripping and I had to drop the ball to pull my pants back up. Chaz just spread his hands in mock apology.

I tossed him the ball but rather than redress myself, I crouched low then launched myself at Chaz. He was catching the ball and caught off balance as I wrapped my arms around his chest and pushed him down with the force of my tackle. I pushed his head under the water for a second then rolled off to pull up my shorts.

"Cheeky bastard," Chaz spluttered out, wiping water from his eyes with one hand. He had not dropped the ball. I could hear Oliver up the beach laughing.

"You asked for it," I said, giving his head a playful push, "You know I have the advantage when my junk's out."

"You didn't have to wipe your junk all over me though," Chaz said, chuckling and pushing himself to his feat.

"Serves you right. Think of all the people you've traumatised now." I made a sweeping gesture at the beach but only Oliver seemed to be paying us any attention.

"Think of all the times I've been traumatised by your naked arse. It's only fair to share the burden."

"Still, it's better than having to see your flabby arse and tiny prick."

We continued to insult each other as we made our way up to Oliver, pushing and shoving each other, big goofy grins on our faces and laughing as our descriptions got more ridiculous. Oliver was clearly listening because he was laughing when we reached him despite being focused on his sketching.