I wasn’t entirely sure when I’d lost my loincloth, but I was drunk enough that any embarrassment I had vanished in a sea of propositions and catcalls. Though I never thought I was ugly, I was so self-conscious that I also never found myself particularly attractive either. Being raised in an overbearingly religious household made it hard to think of myself as being worthy of affection, and the effects of that kind of upbringing don’t just disappear overnight.

Before I met Simon, I was a pretender. I worked at a gay bar but never really felt like I was a part of the culture. Surrounding myself with things and people that shouldn’t have made me uncomfortable only isolated me further. None of it helped me accept who I was, but my gradual evolution into lycanthropy was starting to change what I was at a fundamental level. While human Arthur could hide in the shadows, avoiding confrontation, half-turn Arthur couldn’t hide from anyone. My scent put every emotion and desire on full display, and tonight was the perfect night to let go of these pointless inhibitions. 

“Let’s go fuck in the hay maze,” I said, pulling on the golden cord tied around Simon’s neck, leading him through the haunted maze. “Always kind of wanted to be railed by a minotaur.” 

“Yer bein’ unusually nasty,” Simon said with a grunt, tightening the horns on his head that had come loose. “Wish it was a full moon every night.”

We approached the stacked hay bales, but were beaten to the action by a few other party-goers who had the same idea. A human man, a werewolf, and a woman. The only one who noticed us in the dark entryway was the werewolf, and when he silently beckoned us over, Simon looked back over to me in anticipation. It may have been a night of debauchery, but I wasn’t that loose. With a shake of my head and smile, I waved my silent sign of declination and pulled a reluctant Simon out of that part of the maze.

As we stepped out of the shrubs, I stopped and gazed at the moon. If I had to describe the sensation, it was like being recharged.

“I sure am glad there are no trick-or-treaters in Norwich, because this is some Caligula-level shit.”

“Wasn’t expecting the town to turn into one big orgy.”

“That’s weird. You almost sound disappointed.”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s hot, but there’s somethin’ missing. Halloween ain’t the same without kids dressing up and lookin’ fer handouts. Makes me all nostalgic.” 

“You remember trick-or-treating as a child?”

“Naw, I’m talkin’ about when I was living in the city, looking for hand-outs.” He turned and grinned. “Every Halloween, I’d always run out of candy too soon.”

“You ate it all, didn’t you?”

He wrapped an arm around my waist and laughed in response. 

“Willa said that the kids here get a whole area of the town sectioned off with bumper cars, laser tag, ice cream, taco stands—”

“God damn it! We’re on the wrong side of town,” Simon shouted. “I want some tacos and ice cream.”

“I can make you some tacos when we get home if you want.”

“Uh,” Simon stumbled through his words. 

“How hard could it be?”

“Five, Art,” Simon said, holding up his hand. 

“Excuse me?” 

“That’s how many times you’ve said that and nearly burned the house down.”

“Maybe you could teach me how to cook. That might be fun.”

He gave me a squeeze and flashed an extra toothy grin. “You really wanna learn?”

“We can make it a night, like movie night. It’s just another thing we could do together.”

Simon tensed a bit, and I looked up at his face expecting to see a smile. Instead, he looked like he was on the verge of tears. 

“Fine, I won’t make you eat what I cook.”

He chuckled, but didn’t respond.

“You’ve been acting kind of weird today. Are you upset with me?”

“Of course not. It’s just, uh—” He stopped walking and looked away. “No one’s ever wanted to spend time with me like this. You know, doin’ regular stuff. It’s always been sex, drugs, or drinkin’, or all three. Never really just sat on an old, ugly couch and watched old movies with someone who enjoyed it.”

“I knew it!” I shouted, trying to lighten the mood. “You think that couch is ugly, too!”

“Oh, it’s hideous, but I love it.”

“Fair,” I said, continuing to walk alongside him. “You never did any of that with your many girlfriends?”

He gave me a squinted stare. “Eh, you always knew I was lyin’ anyway. You think any woman would live with a dumpster diving monster that sucks dick fer smack?”

“Why are you always so secretive about your life? It’s not like lying about having girlfriends made you more appealing.”

“Habit,” Simon said, his eyes still averted. “I haven’t exactly been a Casanova all these years, so I like to put on an act.” He turned and gave me a deep sniff. “You smell good. Is that a new cologne?”

“It is, actually. I thought you’d hate it, to be honest.”

“Well, I do like yer regular smell. You know, that skunky, weed smell.”

“I do not smell like that!” I snapped. “Since you got into my head, I’ve been asking just about everyone I meet if I smell okay, and not one person said I smelled skunky.”

Simon raised a brow. “They’re lyin’. You smell like the dankest weed. It’s incredible. I just wanna bury my nose in yer crotch.”

“Every human I’ve talked to said I smell like cologne, but…” I remembered something a few weeks ago when I went with Austin to the barbeque place. “Every werewolf has a wildly different take. One said I smelled like gasoline, another said I smelled like Londonport roast beef, and two thought I smelled like one of those rubber kong dog toys.”

“Ya know, that kinda makes sense, actually.”

“I don’t smell like any of that!”

“You smell like all of it, cause that’s what half-turns smell like to us. Every half-turn I’ve been around smells like you, so maybe you just give off a scent that reminds us of things we love smellin’.”

I looked down at my naked body. “Everything about me is so weird now.”

We walked further along the road in silence, but Simon was antsy. He’d pulled his arm back and started fidgeting with his chest mane. 

“There’s something else bothering you, isn’t there?”

“Eh. Just thinkin’ about the day I met you. I was about to do something that I was gonna regret.”

His tone went somber, and immediately turned to him, studying his face. He looked at me for only a second before staring straight ahead. 

“That day, I spent my last thousand dollars on Fentanyl, Xanax, Adderall, and weed, and I was gonna take that bus outta town, find a nice tree to sit under, and get higher than I have before. Nothin’ killed me yet, so I was ready fer anything. My pockets were full, and I was about to end two years of sobriety.

“Never believed in fate, but the moment I saw you I felt somethin’ weird. I knew you was gonna be a half-turn soon, cause you had that smell. So, I sold that synthetic shit back to the dealer at a discount and kept the weed. That was the baggie I gave you that night. I didn’t have a job, but I started doing odd things fer people to make money so I could stay with you.” He turned and locked eyes with me for much longer this time. “I keep thinkin’ I’m gonna screw something up again, like I did with Derrek—like it’s all temporary.”

“You’ve been trying so hard. You’re not going to screw it up, and even if you did, I’d help you through it.” We continued along the narrow road until we were just outside of town next to one of the corn fields that had just been harvested. I took his giant hands in mine. “You’re one of the most talented and interesting guys I’ve ever met. You can cook me a three Michelin star meal and serenade me as I eat it. How did someone like you end up on the streets?”

“It started out with me tryin’ to get back those missing years. I thought there had to be some drug that would help me remember, but all that happened was I became a junky. That story I told about me havin’ sex with all them guys and blackmailin’ them fer money to move to the city was a tall tale too. The truth is, I don’t remember how I got to the city. It’s like decades of my life just disappeared fer some reason.”

“You should open up more to be about this stuff, you know?” I pointed to the kuu earrings dangling from my lobes. “You know I can’t leave you, and you could have slipped right back into the drugs, using me and treating me like shit, but instead, you treat me like a best friend—when you’re not peeing on me.”

We both broke into hushed laughter. 

“Can I tell you somethin’ without you gettin’ upset?”

I arched my brow. “That depends…”

“Seein’ you with Derrek this morning made me jealous, and I’ve been thinkin’ about stuff.” Simon rubbed his head. “I hate thinkin’ about stuff.”

“Jealous? Seriously? Dude you were talking about how hot it would be to see those ferals run a train on me.”

“I actually thought it would have been, but when they tried, I got really mad and really protective.” He shook his head. “Art, I’m not used to feelin’ like this. Don’t know what to make of it.” He smiled softly and pulled me close. “Nearly killed Derrek with that remedy, but seein’ him get a bit of payback after fuckin’ you was worth him tearin’ up my ass after breakfast.”

“Dude, we didn’t go all the way.”

“Wait, you didn’t?” Simon’s eyes went wide. “It’s Derrek. No one can resist Derrek.”

“Have we met? He and I had a little fun jerking each other off when we got high off that shit. That’s the extent of it. He’s a good friend, but he’s not you.”

His eyes watered again. 

“Why you gotta say shit like that?”

“Because for some stupid reason, I really like you.” A pile of fallen cornstalks caught my eye. “Wanna go fuck on that?”

“Hell yeah. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find an ear or two.”

“That’s gross, Simon.”

“What? Wasn’t gonna do sex stuff or nothin’. I was gonna eat ‘em.”

---

Derrek a month ago

The bag over my head blocked out the sights and smells of wherever I was. It seemed like five minutes ago I was lying on the beach listening to the gulls screeching overhead only to end up in a cold, quiet place. It was hard to lift my head or even move my arms and legs, otherwise I would have tried to break free—and break someone’s ribs.

A raspy throat cleared in front of me, and a familiar voice spoke. “Derrek Shields. It’s been a while.” 

“I thought I made myself clear last time.”

“We’re not offering you a position this time, but this is something you may take interest in.”

“Doubtful, but go on.”

“Werewolves and half-turns have been disappearing from our records. This latest disappearance concerns someone you may know.”

“I know a lot of people.” I turned my head toward the sound of someone else entering the room. “Take this thing off my head.”

“Sorry, Derrek. This location is secret for a reason. Our meeting would have been different if you had taken the position offered to you.” The sound of paper unfolding came from the side before whoever had come into the room walked back out. “The latest anomaly was Arthur Black. Know him?”

The air grew even more frigid as I wondered how I should answer. If I lied and they knew, this could spell more trouble for Art. 

“What do you want with him?”

“Several months ago he applied for housing, and the Bureau of Non-Human Housing was required to forward all of his information to the Administration of Werewolves and Other Oddities.” 

I snorted, and the elder groaned.

“Yes, I’m well aware of the acronym, as was the human who assigned it to us.”

“So what does this have to do with me?”

“His information was never forwarded to the right place, but this time we were ready to investigate. We found out that four people who applied for housing somehow ended up in Norwich, but oddly, we’ve been unable to find any records or evidence of tampering, because those records have completely vanished. We’ve also not had any luck contacting the mayor personally. Sending our people to investigate could be dangerous for the town, but if someone like you were to simply visit a friend, no one would be quite as suspicious.”

“Why do you want to investigate at all? Werewolves need housing, and Norwich obviously wants werewolves.”

“That’s the issue. We think there may be a witch controlling the town, discreetly feeding werewolves to the coven on the outskirts. Your friend may not be a full werewolf yet, but he can be easily groomed to one day be a willing thrall.”

“A witch? Just one?” I remembered my own run-in with a coven near White Dunes before they were driven out by new housing and commercial developments. It was a fun, benign thing for an edgy twenty-something to dabble in, but I had no idea how dangerous it was until later in life. “How trustworthy is your intel?” I asked, the drugs in my system wearing off a little more so I could scratch my nose through the fabric over my face. 

“Not as trustworthy as we’d like, and that’s why we need you. You’re one of the few on the outside with elder magic, so you’d have more defenses against witchcraft and any rogue elders that may be controlled by the coven.”

“An enthralled elder? Are you serious right now?” If this information was right, I needed to get Art and the others out of that town. Just one elder had the power to control hundreds.

“Now you understand that this would be catastrophic, especially since human lives are also at stake. There’s no telling what’s going on in that town, but if any of this gets out, it will not only set us back decades, it could actually start a civil war. Tensions have been rising between werewolves and humans over the last five years, and something like this would set off a chain reaction that puts our kind at risk.”

“Alright. What kind of information do you want me to get?”

---

Derrek, Present

I watched from the shadows as the witch pressed against the mayor, her arms wrapped in flowing red lace as she held his hands to her plump, pale breasts. Everything about her body language screamed sorceress, but everything else about her seemed human. She showed real emotion—even laughter, which should have been impossible. 

The music shifted to something with a tango beat, and the two came alive on the dance floor. Her lithe body twirled and contorted to the seductive music, all while leaving a trail of lace and mist. Mosavi was just as graceful, but more masculine and rigid, as he handled her, leading her around the black-lit floor. He was so refined, but grabbed her with bestial passion, both of them matching every movement as though they had rehearsed this dance for years. Occasionally, all of our eyes would meet as I studied their movements. 

They knew what I was, but I had no elder mark. The mayor did, though. I’d catch a glimpse of it when the hood of his cloak would fall, exposing the mark on the back of his neck. He was definitely the one to worry about, and the elders had every right to fear this. If Willa controlled such a powerful werewolf…

The music stopped, and the crowd cheered. She sent the mayor away, and our eyes connected again as she flitted across the room to my table.

“Where are the others?” she asked, sliding into the seat across from me. 

“If I know Simon, he’s probably either getting high or fucking Art, and Adam is…” I looked around the room, but didn’t see them either. I’d been so focused on the mission that I hadn’t been keeping track of the others. “Well, I’m sure he’s doing something fun.”

“You don’t seem to be having fun, though. Is Norwich a little too festive?” 

“Not at all. Does the entire town shut down for halloween?”

“On the contrary. The town comes alive. Have you ever dreamed of living in a place where werewolves and humans not only coexist but thrive together?” She lifted her hand in the air, pointing to the mix of hundreds of people in the giant hall. Werewolves, humans, and half-turns laughed and danced, some of them sitting at tables while playing games. “This is the real Norwich, but we’re aware of the rumors.”

“So what are you?” I asked, knowing I was treading on dangerous ground, but I also had something around my neck, hidden in my costume in case things went south. 

“I’m the Nor-witch.” She let out a laugh, but that quickly turned into a frown. “That joke is getting tiring.” 

Mosavi quickly made his way to the table, sliding a drink in front of the witch before sitting in the seat next to her. He said nothing, casting his furious glare at me. 

“So what are you really doing here—Derrek was it?” she asked. “If you were just visiting friends, you’d be with them, not watching our every move from the corner.”

“I’m not entirely sure anymore.”

Mosavi slammed his fist against the table. 

“I want you out of my town.”

“Dear,” Willa said, tracing her fingers over his. “This is your night to relax.” She looked back at me. “And yours, too. These celebrations aren’t just for fun.” She looked around and lowered her voice. “Halloween is a dangerous night. We are besieged from all sides every day, but on this particular day, the wards have to go up.” Her eyes flashed blood red. “And yes, I am siphoning magic from every werewolf gathered here, even you.” She pointed to the disco ball on the ceiling. “Without that, and enough werewolves to feed it, the coven would ravage this town.”

“The coven? I was told you’re feeding the werewolves to the coven.”

“Where would you hear such an insulting—” Mosavi paused and took in a deep breath through his teeth. “Willa is the reason Norwich exists, and why werewolves have a real refuge. Not just a refuge. A modern life with all the amenities of civilization instead of being forced to live as animals in the woods or on the streets begging for food. Our kind has fallen, and the organization has done nothing but watch.”

“It seems their intel wasn’t quite accurate,” I said, unclinching my fists as my body relaxed. “You’re not enthralled, and she’s not feeding her coven.”

“I don’t have a coven. I haven’t had one in over a century,” she said, holding Mosavi’s hand and smiling. When she looked at him, it was as though nothing else in the world mattered. Witches didn’t feel love, and if this was an act, it was pretty damn convincing. “We saved each other, and we’ve been saving werewolves since we took control of this place two years ago. The witches here are vengeful, and they will stop at nothing to drain me of my magic and enslave my Darius. We are going to win this fight, though. As more werewolves arrive, my wards grow stronger, and the town can expand. Humans and werewolves, they’re all welcome. It is Darius’ dream, and I will do all I can to make it come true.”

Mosavi smiled warmly as they pressed their foreheads together, Willa kissing him on the cheek. 

“The elders aren’t going to believe a word of it. They think this could cause some kind of civil war.”

“Do not tell them I am here. Darius is not my real name, but they will know what I look like,” he said, his eyes turning silvery blue. They flashed back to normal and the mayor shuddered. “Shit, I forgot about your immunity.”

“I’m not going to do anything to compromise the town or my friends, so your secret’s safe.” I looked up at the disco ball, now glowing a pastel. “So that thing is sapping magic from the werewolves?”

“It’s completely safe,” Willa said. “The werewolves will be weakened for a day or two before they’re back to normal. The civic center is quite literally the center of town, so the barrier extends all the way to the woods on all sides. We’ve got more werewolves now, so it’s a lot stronger than last year.”

“Everyone knows to stay out of the woods, right?” I asked. 

“It’s one of the laws,” Mosavi replied. “Every law we have is designed to keep the citizens in and safe. Arthur and Simon gave me some trouble and broke these laws.”

“Simon I can understand, but Arthur?”

“You know about him,” he said, enthusiastically. “I’m trying to teach him how to lead. Eventually, I’m going to have to leave this town, and it will probably be sooner rather than later if the organization is sending people like you to sniff around. It would be wise to have powerful allies taking control of the towns Willa and I establish as werewolf sanctuaries. Norwich was an experiment, and it’s been a success.”

“You’re thinking Arthur could be mayor?”

“That’s up to him. He has the capability, yes, but he lacks confidence..”

“It didn’t stop you,” Willa said. “I see a lot of who you were in him, but you both are different people. Your methods aren’t the only way, Darius.”

“Art has a weird way with everyone,” I said. “He makes friends easily, but he is a little bit of an—”

“Old soul,’” Willa interrupted with a chuckle. “His analretentiveness and overly judgmental nature can be a good trait in a leader. But he also needs to embrace the gross, horny monster he was born to be.”

The room went quiet, and my fur stood up as every werewolf’s eyes glowed bright. This feeling…

I was glad I didn’t miss this event. Jumping to my feet, I made my way to the door and everyone followed outside. Each of us stared silently at the full moon, waiting for the inevitable howl of a newly turned werewolf. 

It was Adam’s final night as a half-turn. 

---

Art

Simon was mid-thrust when he froze and looked up at the moon. 

“Why are you stopping? I was almost there,” I said, catching my breath. He didn’t respond, seeming almost entranced by something. “Simon?”

“Someone turned,” he said, sliding the rest of the way out of me before rolling onto his back. “It’s gotta be Adam.”

“Finally!” I shouted, climbing on top of the spent werewolf. “Hopefully he’ll be less moody now.” Reaching behind, I wrapped my fingers around his slippery, flaccid cock. “You’re already done?”

“That feeling kinda kills the mood a little. We should go find him. Austin’s probably with him.”

“So how do you know all this?”

Simon shrugged. “Dunno. Every werewolf knows when it happens, though.” One lonely howl from the north started a cascade of howls that erupted from town in the south. Simon’s ears fell. “Aw, no…”

“What’s the matter with you?”

He covered his ears and shook his head. “Nope, not gonna do it…”

“You’re scaring me a little right now.” 

More werewolves joined in the chorus, and Simon whined, holding his head tighter. 

“Jesus fuck,” he muttered, gently sliding me off of him. He sat up and pointed his nose to the sky before belting out the most hilarious howl I’d ever heard. It kind of warbled, like he was trying to clear his throat. “I hate this,” he shouted before howling again. “Can’t stop. It’s like throwin’ up.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever heard you do that,” I said, trying not to laugh, but I was failing with every high-pitched yip and yowl. Even though he was a monster, I’d always forget sometimes that werewolves did stuff like this.  

“Don’t get used to it,” he let out one final howl that was a lot cleaner than his first few. “Don’t look at me. I’m a freak.” He said, jokingly, covering his face. 

“Well, I learned something new tonight. Werewolves can feel when half-turns change, and they howl uncontrollably.”

“Would you believe some werewolves do it cause they like it?” Simon scoffed and stumbled to his feet. “It’s cringe.”

“It’s kinda hot—when you don’t sound asthmatic.” 

“I ain’t done that in years. A little dust on the vocal cords.” He reached down and grabbed my arm. “I bet Adam and Austin are havin’ the roughest sex of their lives right now. I remember my first night under the moon. You won’t ever feel something like that again, and yer body just wants to release everything it’s got.” 

“You think I’ll be bigger than you when I turn?” I asked, walking alongside Simon who started breaking into a light jog the closer to the woods we got.

“Dunno. It’s all random.”

“I can’t wait to see what Adam looks like.” 

Simon stopped and tried to pick up more scents, but the look on his face turned from intrigue to terror in an instant. 

“I don’t like that look.”

Simon lifted his leg and reached down to pull off one of the anklets he wore. It was threaded through one of the colorful stones the ferals gave us weeks ago.

“Those idiots went into the woods.”

“Are you sure?”

“That’s their scent, and it’s fresh.”

Eerie cackles called from the trees, the same songs I’d hear from the woods behind our property. I turned to Simon who kept his stare alert and his hackles raised. 

“We should go get Willa,” I said, pulling Simon toward the direction of town. 

“We can’t leave ‘em.” He took more shaky steps to the forest’s edge before locking up, like he was standing on a cliff several thousand feet in the air.

“You’re faster than me. Go get help.”

“You’re gonna go in there, aren’t ya?”

“I’m not a werewolf,” I said, grabbing the stone out of his hand. “Added insurance though, just in case.”

“Don’t go.” He held onto my right arm, his grip so tight it was starting to hurt.

“Simon, calm down.” The world around me faded to silver as the glow of my eyes reflected in his. Elder magic wasn’t as effective on Simon for some reason, but it would last long enough for him to do this one task. “Run to town and get Willa. She’ll know what to do.”

His irises looked like two morning glories, blue around a yellow center. He was able to fight it for almost a full minute before both eyes turned a solid sky blue. Simon nodded and bolted toward town, faster than I’d ever seen him run. 

Arthur…

A young woman’s voice whispered in my ears, but it didn’t come from any one direction. I held my breath and stepped into the trees, my bare feet over gnarled roots and crunching against dead leaves. I was still mostly naked, save for the leather belt and hilted fake sword swinging from my hip, the golden rope dangling from the other. It was so dark that even my slightly better vision couldn’t penetrate. 

“Okay, this was a stupid idea,” I whispered to myself before turning toward the light of town, but there was nothing but trees. I had only just entered the woods, but now I was in the middle of the forest, the clearing up ahead illuminated by the moon. The world around me transformed into a labyrinth of green, and now there was no way to find my way back. If only I had been the real Theseus.

Lunam matris potestate…

The whispers echoed as I pushed my way through the trees, the panic overwhelming. It was like running through a basement as a child, trying to get to the light before the monsters would get me—only there was no light, and the monsters were everywhere.

“Austin? Adam?” I called out, but the only answer I received was more incoherent chanting, a little louder than before. The sing-song feminine voice transitioned to a demonic timbre. 

Odiosa diaboli amplexus…

“Where are you guys?” I shouted, but it was hard to hear my own voice over the flood of now hissing, haggard screams stabbing at my mind. 

Lupus venit ut impleatur!

I stumbled backward when flames burst from the ground all around me, culminating to the center before giving form to a crooked wooden cross jammed into the ground. Austin’s body was sprawled along its planks, tied with thick rope by the wrists and ankles, his weepy blue eyes following me as I stumbled closer. 

Another werewolf stood in front of him, holding the dogtags Austin once had around his neck in the air like a newly-earned trophy. The werewolf was short and slender, his fur lighter black like fresh coffee grounds with familiar dreads on the tips of his mane that had grown out considerably. The Anubian-looking creature turned to face me, his eyes blood red as he grinned. 

“Vasa nostra esurientes,” he said, but not in Adam’s voice, in a multitude of otherworldly tones. “We hunger.”

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