Changed

Theo jumped up and looked wildly around the small plane, a scream had jolted him awake. He quickly rushed over to Karen's side where she thrashed in her seat.

"Hey, hey," He whispered softly, his hands framing her face as he knelt beside her. She woke with a start, eyes wide. She let out a shuddering breath and leaned into his arms.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily, backing up just a little to look him in the eyes.

Theo scoffed slightly and brought her close again "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Lass," he let his hand travel in comforting circles on her back. "Was it the same nightmare?"

Karen only nodded. Ever since the troll, she had been having nightmares. It was usually the same thing too, some big, horrible creature, sometimes the troll, sometimes something else would come, grab her and take away her control by abusing her mark. It made her feel vulnerable, weak, and it also made her feel bad because every time Theo got close to her mark, she'd flinch.

"We'll figure it out, Love," he whispered softly as he unbuckled her belt, lifted her up, and then sat them both down in the same seat. " we'll figure it out,"

*****

"KAREN!!" Becca screamed as she ran and hugged her friend as she got out of the car. "I MISSED YOU!!"

Karen laughed and hugged her friend back. "I missed you too!! We have so much to talk about!" she said as she held up the bag that held the four books they retrieved from the ruins.

"Yeah we do! And not about the books." Becca said beaming, giving a knowing, yet confused look between the two travelers. " But first, you need a shower."

Karen just laughed harder, grabbing her pack out of the jeep. Becca linked arms with her and practically dragged her to the duplex. Still laughing, Karen turned and gave a small wave to Theo who just stood by the jeep shaking his head with a smile.

As they walked in, Becca took the giant pack, tossing it aside. She then whirled on Karen, grabbing her shoulders and shook her in excitement.

"So?!" she asked, "What the hell happened between you and Screw Up? I thought for sure you were going to come home and be furious with me."

Karen laughed as she was shaken "I'm not going to lie," she said her laughter dying down a bit "When I first found out, I was pretty pissed. But, I'm not such a horrible friend to be mad at you when your mom is sick!" She gave her friend a concerned look. "How is she by the way?"

Becca let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes, "She'll be fine. She's just really old and forgets that she shouldn't eat grapes, or chocolate. Unfortunately, one of her favorite snacks is chocolate covered raisins."

"Well, I'm glad she's okay. I was worried it was something really bad and you wouldn't be coming back until much later."

Becca shrugged, she smile fading "I am going to be going and living with her for a while, She's going through the wolf version of menopause and it's going to make her kind of crazy for a while. But" she said brightly "I'll be around for a few more months and will come back to visit. Then I'll be back for good when she's all clear. I don't really want to talk about though, I want to know what happened in the jungle!"

Karen stepped back, bending down to take off her boots, trying to hide the blush that was creeping over her face and said nothing.

"Kaareeen" Becca whined "Tell meee"

"Ugh! Becca!" she responded with a laugh, looking up at her best friend.

"Pleeeaasse?"

Karen rolled her eyes and started up the stairs with Becca on her heals. She went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, stripping out of her dirty worn traveling gear.

"What do you want to know," she asked as she stepped into the shower, leaving Becca leaning against the sink

"Everything," she gushed. "I can smell him all over you!"

Karen groaned again, part from embarrassment and part from the feeling of the warm running water.

"I was furious with him for the first part of the journey. Then one night he came back from getting firewood and saw me trying to clean my arm."

"I had noticed it was healed," Becca said knowingly

Karen just grunted and continued "Yeah, he apologized and I blew up at him. He explained why his wolf did what he did. I agreed to let him heal my arm, it was a bitch to keep clean,"

"I bet,"

"Anyways, after that, he stayed in wolf form and asked forgiveness, I guess. He laid down and whimpered a lot. He was just so," she paused and sighed "cute and pathetic that I forgave his wolf half."

"But not the human half?" Becca said chuckling.

"Nope!" She stuck her head out from the curtain "Not that he wasn't also cute and pathetic, he just didn't have a good excuse."

Becca laughed again and urged her to go on.

"Still, I wasn't quite as mad as I was before. I actually started to talk to him as we walked, empty stupid stuff, but it was still something. Then we hit a road, and it was like a switch was flipped. I don't remember a whole lot after that, but we ended up in the ruins of the library and the small village that was there. Being in those ruins," she paused, glad the shower was running to hide the waiver in her voice "I was like I knew everything like I had lived there myself. I knew who lived in what house, which roads lead where. It was weird and unsettling. I was scared. Yet, when I looked at Theo, I wasn't so scared anymore. His presence filled me with strength. You can't be mad at someone,

and

lean on them to help you get through a difficult situation." She shrugged and trailed off, scrubbing her arms to get the ingrained dirt off.

Becca paused for a few seconds and shifted a couple times. "So what happened then? Obviously you found the books."

"Yeah," Karen said quietly, a waiver starting in her voice, "We also found, what was it? A rock troll? I think that's what Theo called it."

Becca hissed through her teeth.

"Yeah," Karen said with a something that could have either been a chuckle or a sob. "I was climbing down a wall when it threw a big ass net at Theo and trapped him. He also knew what a Spyrim was. Needless to say, he got a hold of me and things got really weird, really fast."

"Oh my god," Becca said from behind her hand which was covering her face, she moved and stuck her head around the shower curtain. "Did... did it..." she trailed off not knowing how to ask.

"Yeeeaaahh," Karen said, shrugging and shaking her head, tears brimming. "It knew how to use my mark against," she took a shuddering breath, " There wasn't anything I could do. It completely stripped away my will, my choice. Needlessly to say, I was fucked up which made Theo go berserk," she climbed out of the shower, wrapping up in the towel Becca offered her.

"So what happened?" Becca whispered as her friend dried off.

Karen turned a bright shade of red "Well," she said trying to keep her voice even " Once I was basically mindless, it tried its damnedest to get inside, but it was just too big. All it managed was the tip, but it was enough and Theo shifted to his hybrid form and killed it,"

Becca nodded, not sure what else to say, so she switched gears slightly. "So did his Hybrid form scare you?"

Karen let out a small smile. " at first, I was too mindless with need to really care, I just wanted a cock in me, "

Becca scowled, and gently grabbed her friend's shoulders, "Theo had sex with you after what happened with the troll?"

Karen smiled a little bit bigger, " I don't think he could help it, I was begging for him, by name, he tried his absolute hardest to resist, to be gentle, but I wasn't having it. When he finally did break and he took me, it was slow and my head cleared. I was able to see him in that form without lust, and I still knew it was him, and I still wanted him. God, the way he filled me was, absolutely sinful,"

Becca grunted, but it was clear the Karen was okay with what had happened after the troll was killed. Then Karen's words sunk in, "Wait, you and Theo had sex while he was in hybrid form?"

"Mmhmm"

Becca just started at her, mouth open, "So... wait... how..." she sputtered.

"Well, when a mommy loves a daddy," Karen said sarcastically "She gets impaled on a massive human/wolf hybrid's cock, and then gets stuck there." Becca stared at her, eyes even wider "For hours." Karen ground out.

Becca just stared at her friend in shock, the realization of what happened sinking in. "Oh my god!" she whispered, her mouth turning up in a grin " OH, my god!" She looked at Karen in disbelief "OH MY GOD!" she screamed "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

Karen simply nodded, her own face breaking out in a smile.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!?!" Becca continued to scream, her hands on the top of her head.

Karen gave her a look "Yes. I am well aware of what it means," her blush darkened "We had hours to talk about it while I was stuck."

Becca let out another scream and violently hugged her friend. Karen laughed, letting the excitement wash through her, taking away the dark feelings left by the troll. They hugged for a bit, before Karen untangled herself and finished drying off. They continued to talk as she went into the bedroom and got on a pair of fresh jammies. As they went down the stairs, a throat was cleared, stopping their conversation.

Karen's smile turned mushy, which made Becca laugh as she launched herself at the figure leaning on the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm so excited!" she squealed as she hugged Theo, who was also freshly showered.

He chuckled, and set her down, his eyes locking onto the tiny woman on the stairs "Yeah, me too."

Karen blushed again, and she resigned herself to the fact that her face was going to be perpetually red for the next couple days. "What are you doing here?" she asked and she finished the descent.

"I heard the screaming." He grabbed Becca and gave her a nuggie "I was just checking to see if everything is alright."

Becca growled and struggled, finally breaking free. She gave a big sigh and turned to Karen who was concentrating a little too hard on making tea. "So..." she said hesitantly "Does this mean you're moving out?"

"What?!" Karen shrieked, accidentally dropping a mug which shattered. She let out a string of curses as she tried to clean up the mess in a fluster. She started to answer, but all that came out was a stutter that caused both wolves to chuckle.

"Not yet," Theo's deep voice came to her rescue as he moved to help her clean up the mess. "That will have to wait till after the ceremony," he gazed down at her, eyes twinkling.

"THE CEREMONY!" Becca screamed again and jumped around like a puppy "CAN I HELP PLAN?!?!" This lead to more chuckles and Karen just nodded, which lead to more bouncing.

"I'm going to go." Theo said quietly in her ear "My door is open if you want to come over and..." he kissed her cheek "Spend the night, maybe." his crooked grin made her knees weak. She simply blushed and nodded. Unable to take her eyes off the incredible back that walked out of the kitchen and then the door.

Becca stopped bouncing and leaned her chin on her hands on the breakfast counter. "I'm so glad you guys made up. It's every wolves dream to find their mate. I'm so happy for you!"

Karen just laughed and blushed harder. "Thank you. But can we talk about something else now? I'm pretty sure my face is going to break."

Becca laughed and nodded, switching the conversation to what to eat for dinner and what movie they were going to watch. Hours later, Karen found herself sitting on the bed, staring at the books that she had brought home. She wanted to read them so bad, but at the same time she was also afraid of what they may reveal. She chewed on her lip a little, then scooped them up and crept outside. She had barely raised her hand to knock when the door in front of her opened.

"The door's open, Sweetness," his deep voice rolled over her "You never need to knock."

She blushed again "How did you know?"

He shrugged and stepped aside letting her in "I had a feeling you might come over,"

She gave him a look, which earned her a crooked grin and a kiss on the forehead "I was getting some water and I heard your front door open and close. I also knew that you wouldn't just walk in, so I got the door."

"Ah," she said shuffling the books in arms as well as her feet. Theo just looked at her expectantly, a soft smile touching his lips. "I... uh.. I couldn't sleep" she blushed some more it was weird going from wild and crazy emotions that she couldn't understand to soft, deep emotions that were perfectly clear.

"I wanted to go through the books, but..." she trailed off as Theo chuckled, taking the books from her.

"It's okay, love," He gave her a one-armed hug "We'll go through them together."

She smiled up at him, her relief written all over her expressive face. Together they walked into the living room, where Theo laid the books onto the coffee table. He quickly moved to the fireplace, expertly coaxing a fire to start in no time. Then he turned to her, his heart thudding in his chest as the shadows played across her face.

"What?" She asked softly, sitting on the edge of his plush leather couch.

"Nothing," he smiled at her "You're just so beautiful."

She gave him a soft smile and blushed again.

"Wait here," he said quietly, disappearing into the kitchen. Karen stared at the books that were laid out on the table. Inside their leather bound exteriors, was the whole history of the Spyrim race, was her whole history, and even words from a mother she never knew. Her eyes locked onto the smallest, darkest book. The chestnut leather so dark with age, it was almost black. The longer she looked at the tiny book, the harder her heart pounded against her ribs, the higher her anxiety rose.

"Hey now," a gentle voice broke through her rising panic. She looked up as he crouched in front of her, his hands on her knees. His warm honey brown eyes filled with love and strength.

"Everything is going to be alright, sweetest," he said with a soft smile, one hand coming up to cup her cheek. Karen let out a shaky breath and nodded, a tiny smile appearing on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her smile growing when he handed her a huge mug of hot chocolate.

"Don't be," He sighed contentedly as he sunk into the plush leather beside her. "I can't even begin to imagine what must be going through you mind right now little one." He pulled the coffee table close to them, allowing easy access to the books. He looked at her with a sparkle in his eye. "Which one do you want to start with?"

Karen took a deep breath and reached out, grabbing the first book of the Spyrim history. "We may as well start at the very beginning," she said softly, letting the large brown tome open in her lap.

Her breath caught at how beautifully the book was written, how the pictures on the page seemed to jump out at her. She was also shocked at how well it had stood up to the test of time. She knew these books must be hundreds of years old, if not thousands. She carefully flipped to the first page in the book, a large, intricately drawn 'I' taking up most of the page.

"Ready?" she asked looking up at Theo and the excitement in his eyes. He simply nodded, not wanting his words to ruin the moment for her. She took a steadying breath, and then another, and another. His soft chuckle startled her, as he gently took the book from her lap to his. She gave him a small smile, half annoyed and half grateful that he could read her so easily.

"In the beginning," he began quietly...

*

There was nothing. Then, one by one, the gods gained consciousness after being encased in slumber for eons. For millennia, they were content to be among themselves and the dark, lifeless worlds that surrounded them. But gods are fickle beings, and soon they grew weary of each other. The first, and most powerful god, Omnia, gave her children free reign on one of the barren worlds around them. It has an element for each of her children. Her eldest born, Aquan, immediately went to the waters, while his first brother Terran went to the barren land. His second brother, Ignan, buried himself inside the world, hiding from his other siblings. The youngest and the only sister Aeris took to the sky, flitting about on the winds. Each child was content with shaping their domain, Aquan making deep and shallow seas, Terran making mountains, forests, and even deserts, Aeris made clouds and wind, while Ignan sat deep inside the center of the world, giving his fire to keep the world turning and alive.

Again they were content, and again they grew bored. One day, Aquan grabbed a handful of the finest sand in the sea. He gently blew a stream of water through his hands, and each grain of sand turned into a creature of the sea. Terran, entertained by what his brother did, grabbed a handful of mud and compressed it in his hand, drying it into a harden clay ball. He then shattered the ball into tiny pieces that became the creatures of the earth. Aeris delighted at all the creatures and went to her brothers. She borrowed a bit of sand and a bit of mud from each of them. She then flew up into her world of clouds and mixed the sand and mud with a handful of cloud. She gently blew into her own handful, creating creatures that could survive in all three domains. The three siblings laughter at the new found entertainment alerted Ignan, who peaked out from his shelter. Wanting to join his siblings, to be included in their fun, he grabbed a handful of molten rock, cooling it instantly. He then took the black shiny piece of glass and crushed it to dust in his hands. As each particle of dust his the hot floor of his home, it turned into a different kind of insect. He made his creatures more abundant that his siblings, but also smaller, for his intent was to provide his siblings creatures with food.

He let the earth fissure where his siblings were gathered, letting his creations into the world. He followed them out, excited at seeing his siblings faces. The look of horror that was plastered on, cut him deeply. Only Aeris the peacekeeper tried to hide it. She smiled tightly at him as he explained that his creatures were there for the benefit of theirs, that he just wanted to help. To his dismay, however, his brothers berated him for making such gross things. Battling down his hurt, he retreated to his underground home. Again Millennia past, and as was expected the three siblings grew bored with the life they had created.

Aeris was the first to make a new creature, in a likeness of herself. She laughed joyously as fairies came to life, flitting about through the world. Terran and Aquan were so entertained that they also created creatures to match hers. Out of the sea came the nymphs, and with Aquan being generous, they were allowed to choose what element they would take. Terran created trolls, allowing them to take whatever form of earth they wanted. Ignan watched in hatred. All of his pain from the last rejection turning to anger. He also created a new creature, but one that wouldn't frolic in the day, but would thrive at night. His small, little white creatures would live off of the creatures of his brothers. 'Vampires' he called them, and they soon wrecked havoc onto the world above. The brothers grew furious, planning to exact revenge, but Aeris stopped them. She instead made Ignan a gift. She made him special fairies to flutter about at night, just for him. His temper was soothed slightly, but he still did not take his creatures away. Terran, tired of trying to play nice with his youngest brother created a new creature, to counteract the vampires. He gave birth to massive wolves who would hunt the small, white nightmarish creatures.

Seeing this as an act of war, Ignan changed his creatures, giving them impossible strength, speed, sight, smell, and hearing. He also morphed them from the small, white creatures to creatures in his image. Following his lead, Terran granted his wolves a form in his likeness as well, giving them enhanced senses and strength. For centuries the wolves and vampires fought.