Chapter 5
Bad Idea

The first light of day was pissing me off.

I could feel the morning lights warmth on my eyelids harassing me into unwelcomed consciousness.

Growling I rolled over and buried my face deep into my down stuffed pillows and tried one more time to let sleep slip back in. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be an option. My brothers insistent snoring was doing a fine job in aiding the meddling sun in pulling me away from my sleep.

I gave a grunt as I lifted my head and set my unconscious brother Alexander in a spiteful glare. He was completely out. His tangled bronzed hair burned bright orange in the morning sun, making him look like his head was on fire.  

Yawning I stretched, hearing the satisfying pops ripple down my back before I rolled, (quite literally) out of bed and landed in a crouch on the floor. I stood and gave a vertical stretch this time before walking towards the door which lead to the room my brother and I both shared.

My bed was on the far side of the room under the window, his was by the door.
I stopped long enough to grab a rather wrinkled, white button up shirt and threw it on. I fiddled with the first button for all but a second before I snarled silently, leaving it open in the front. I didn't bother with changing the ripped grey jeans I already had on. Today was going to be a grunge day.

As I neared the doorway I reached out and scrapped my fingers down my brothers exposed leg, a wicked smirk spreading on my face.  I grabbed a fist full of leg hair and gave a sharp yank, hearing a nice long rip.

A piercing yowl crashed the morning silence and my brothers bed sheets exploded into the air. "Damnit Gabriel I'ma kill you!"

Howling with laughter I bolted out of the room as Alex's swearing followed me in hot pursuit along with the occasional death threat. A few seconds later a rogue pillow whizzed past my head.

I grinned as I fixed up my shirt's collar as I sauntered into the brightly lit kitchen that was engulfed in the morning light.

Three of the girls were already up it seemed, Lucy, Elizabeth, and Marie. They were sitting around the table munching on breakfast cereal.

Bleh.

If I remembered correctly, Lucy was the oldest of the three girls at the table, appearing twenty in human years, while Elizabeth was nineteen, and Marie, seventeen.

Marie was tiny, even for human size. The males of our race are… uncommonly large compared to male humans, the females however, remained the same as human females.

Marie however stood barely above five feet and she was built like a stick. Okay that was mean; lets just say she's built like… a pixie? Yeah, that'll do. She was built like a pixie; she even had a pixie hair cut, short and choppy. I didn't particularly like short hair on a girl, but on her it was actually pretty cute. Her hair was pitch black and she had bright green eyes and very fair skin. She looked more like a Cold Blood then a Hot Blooded Ria.

Elizabeth on the other hand, though she was also tiny, was at least taller then Marie. She was also pixie like in figure but had the developed curves of a woman in her. She had ridiculously long and wavy, sandy white hair and big almond shaped, almond colored eyes and darker skin.

And then there was Lucy. She was the most attractive female in the pack by my standards with her long straight blond hair that fell right down to that plump rear of hers. Oh she was delicious! She had big chocolate brown eyes and dark browned skin. She was curved and yet lean and very leggy. But figured, as fate would have it my brother started imprinting on her first, so I just backed off and left her to him.

Didn't stop me from devouring that figure of hers with my eyes though. And as for those clothes that obscured my view of her… my imagination took care of that well enough, even if I did try not to let my mind wander to less… appropriate things…

"My, my, my, what big teeth you have Mr. Wolf." Lucy said as she eyed my cocky grin.

My grin elongated as I stood behind her chair, draped an arm over her luscious shoulders and leaned in to bury my face into her delightfully thick platinum blond hair.

"Mmm, all the better to eat you with my dear." I whispered into her ear smoothly.

I could feel her temperature rise and I smell excitement drift from her skin. Inwardly I shuddered with approval.

"C'mon get a room you two," Elizabeth joked as her infectious smile lit up her face. I looked up and gave her a smirk before I stood and slid my arm back from Lucy's shoulders, purposely letting it linger on her neck and ran my fingers through her hair.
I loved it when Lucy smelt like that, when she smelt of desire.

"You could join us if you wanted," I said to Elizabeth. "Make is a threesome." I winked teasingly at her with a coy smile.

From the corner of my eye I caught little Marie blush.

"Gabriel have you no shame?" Elizabeth said as she scowled up at me with humor still in her eyes.

I pretended to think in honest intent as I scratched my chin. "Mmm, no." I said imperturbably as I walked over to the fridge, swung the door open and took a peek inside.

I heard the girls behind me giggle, even little Marie. She was starting to loosen up around me. I knew full well she was terrified of me.

Jeez she was the most timid little creature I'd ever met in my life.

The giggling behind me however quickly died off as I heard the silent footsteps of another entering the room. Her scent was unmistakable.

I straightened slightly, the almost empty milk carton in my hand.

A pair of darkly tanned hands wrapped around my middle and ran up my chest. I could feel her breath on the back of my neck, the heat from her body pressing into mine.

"Hello Vivian." I said casually as I took a swig from the milk carton and emptied it.

"Gabriel." She said back in a silky voice.

I closed the fridge door and turned in her arms. She was the tallest female in the pack, easily standing at five 'eight feet tall. She looked up at me through her dark glittering eyes, her short black hair lightly brushing over her smooth bare shoulders.

I looked down at her, and then leaned deliberately towards her, wrapping one arm over her shoulder. She breathed in sharply as she tilted her head back and parted her lips in expectancy. I could smell the desire in her breath.

Within a scant inch of our lips touching; so close I could feel her heat against me, I smiled at her politely and dropped the milk carton into the garbage that stood right behind her. I gave her a cool wink before I stood back up to my full height and took pleasure in towering over her.

Vivian feared me too... the difference was... she liked it.

"Sorry, I seem to have finished the milk off." Chuckling I flipped the fridge door closed from behind me before I slipped from her arms and headed towards the door. "I'll get some more."

I could feel Vivian seethe behind my back as she tried to regain her composure. She was starting to get a lot bolder in her courting towards me.

I didn't much care for Vivian. She was very attractive and all… But I just didn't want her.

"Get what?" I heard Alex's groggy voice drift down from the hallway.

I glanced over my shoulder to see him stager into the kitchen scratching the back of his bronzed head. His amber eyes still full of sleep.

I saw Lucy's cheeks warm with the slightest hint of pink in them.

"Milk." I grunted while buttoning up my shirt before I left and closed the door behind me.

Outside I stuffed my feet into my boots as Joseph just pulled up on his motorbike. I finished tying up my boots as he walked towards the house, his boots crunching against the gravel and dirt path. I glanced back to the bike to see that the keys were still in it.
Aside from Chase, the twins Joseph and Richard were the biggest males in our pack. They were about an inch shorter then my brother and I, but they were a lot bigger. The twins were built like a couple of tanks; ripped to the core. They were identical though their personalities were polar opposites.

Richard was reserved, quiet and gentle. Almost shy really, and his hair was longer then Josephs hair which was at the moment cropped very short in a very faint foe-hawk with a dark blond streak down the center. Both were dark skinned like most of the pack. Richards eyes however were steel grey, his brothers, pale blue.

"Mornin Gab." He said in a deep voice.

"Joseph," I said as I passed him, "I wouldn't go in there if I were you, Viv's in a mood." I said with a sly grin.

Joseph turned and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "What'd you do to her this time Gabriel?" He asked with less humor then I expected.

"Nothin." I said bluntly.

"Uh'huh." He grunted before the slightest traces of a smile ran across his face. "She can be a real bitch can't she?" He added, his swaggering grin creasing across his face.
"I got her all riled up just for you. Have fun," I snickered as I kept walking.

From behind me I heard Joe growl out a quiet laugh as he stepped into the house.
Of all the members of the pack Vivian and Joseph got along the least.

She was stern, serious and stuck up, and Joe was rambunctious, wild and hotheaded. Whenever they were in the same room sparks flew and tempers flared.

I eyed Josephs bike as I walked past it, and stopped.

"Don't even think about it Gab!" I heard Joseph call from inside the house.
I ignored him.

I swung my leg over the bike and straddled it before twisting the keys and revving the engine. I kicked the bike into gear and turned the bike and let the engine scream as I road away from the house in a swirling cloud of dirt and dust.

I heard Joe howl curses behind me as he ran out.

Smirking I put in a little more speed and drove off.

I wasn't really planning on getting any milk; there were still three other cartons in the fridge.

Hell, I just wanted an excuse to get away. Pack life just wasn't for me…

Sporadically I made different turns on different roads till I found myself speeding along a slick highway. The scent of wet earth and cement was heavy in the air and laced with exhaust fumes from the other vehicles.

The wind whipped through my clothes and hair, whistling in my ears as the engines roaring hum sang along side the wind. It was a magnificent feeling. The warmth from the rising sun settled on my back as if pushing me forward.

In the distance I could see the faint outline of the moon hanging low in the misty morning. She was swollen and round. I felt a surge of anticipation run through me.
In two nights time she would be full.

How I lived for those nights.

In my mind I formulated a thought and tantalized and played with the idea of going off on a lone hunt somewhere far away from here.

Thinking of the kill and the long desired taste sent chills shimmering down my spine and I could feel my canines lengthen into fangs behind my lips. Just the thought of the kill excited me so much that I didn't even bother with countering my thoughts to rationalize myself out of turning this wicked idea of mine into action.

After all, it had been over a year since I last killed…

A rumble echoed in my chest and I heard myself chuckling darkly into the wind.

Bloody Moon, I sounded like a lunatic.

It was about a week before school was back in session. There were still plenty of people to choose from.

But I had to be careful with whom I chose; it had to be someone with not many connections. Someone who is new and wasn't a local.

Someone who wouldn't be missed that much…

A wicked grin played across my face as dark thoughts swirled inside my head like a black tornado.

It had been some time that I was on the road; the daybreak light changed from soft pink and vibrant reds to late morning blues and now was a mixture of grey and gold from an emaciated covering of clouds that scattered themselves across the sky. There were thinner patches of clouds where they burned gold as the sun tried to break it's way through.  

I didn't really care if it managed to penetrate the clouds above or not.

Light showers began to come in waves of sunshine and rain, turning the road into a black ribbon of highway that hissed as cars flew past.

This was turning out to be perfect whether for hunting.

There was a break in the veiling rain and I turned the bike and pulled up in a rickety old gas station. I scoped out the area. It was located in a big fat nothing of a town. I filled the bike with gas then walked inside to pay.

There was an annoying jingle above my head and I looked up to see a bell hanging by the door so that it would ring every time someone entered or left.

I glared up at it, having to resist the urge to reach up and swipe it down. The things humans had to do to let them know when they were coming and leaving was ridiculous. It's like they have never though of using their ears before.

A flabby balding human looked up at me and smiled.

I nodded back as I walked over to him and pulled my wallet out from my back pocket.
"Interesting whether we're having today isn't it?" He said to me in a cheery voice that sounded like it was traced with the comings of a cold. I looked at him intently and studied his body. He had a limp in his left leg that acted up during wet whether like today, and I could hear in his chest a rasping sound that were his lungs struggling to take in air and his heart was screaming. I took a deep breath and could smell death lingering in him.

This man was going to die of a blood clot in a week's time.

"It's just perfect." I said civilly to him.

"That'll be fifteen eighty five." He said, the smile still on his round shiny face.

I handed him the money before I closed my wallet and returned it to my back pocket.

"Have a nice day!" He said merrily as I left.

I didn't turn back or say anything but just waved my hand in the air as I stepped out of the gas station, the stupid bell chiming again as I left.

"Not a very talkative chap," I heard him say to himself when the door closed.

Glancing around the gas station I took another look around. There was a shack of a camping outpost here also that held little interest to me. "Johns Camping and Fishing Outpost huh?" I muttered. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to check it out. From the looks of it I could quick possibly be the only person who will have stepped into the shack in maybe the last fifty years."

As I walked towards the camping outlet I heard the rumble of a heavy trucks engine behind me. I glanced over my shoulder as I stepped up to the door.

An older white truck with slightly peeling paint pulled into the gas station. A tall human male stepped out and started filling the truck as two smaller females crawled out after.
My gaze sharpened.

I vaguely recognized the older male and females scent from back home in Shedden.

From what I could gather they were the only two of their family.

Then my eyes fell on the short girl.

She was dark skinned, with wild curly hair.

She wasn't from around here…

"All right, get out, stretch your legs, hit the toilets, grab a snack, do whatever it is you need to do, we'll meet back here in five minutes." The male informed.

"I'm going to the bathroom." The older female said.

The younger female pulled out a black furry thing from the back of the truck. I assume it's a dog.

My mind kept running over the possibilities with her…

I turned and walked into the shack.

Inside it was dusty, dank, and it reeked. I could feel my nose curl from the smell as I walked around the shop.

'So, there are people in this hole after all…' I thought to myself as I saw a few wanderers sifting through the isles.

Everything was old and out dated. It seemed that being in the middle of nowhere beggars didn't have the luxury to be choosers.

I heard a low snoring near the back of the shop and I looked over the shelves to see a skinny old man with a thick scruffy mustache that covered his mouth fast asleep on a stool. He slouched against the back wall by a dust stained window. No doubt that would have to be John, as the sign outside had said. He was as impressive as his shop.

It seemed like the wonder of the world was gone from this shop.

I picked up a pocketknife that was for sale and saw that the blade was dull. Next I fingered a flashlight that the bulb was burnt out on.

I grunted as I tossed it back into the box I'd retrieved it from and turned to leave.
'How is this place still standing? I thought to myself as I opened the door to the shop.
A cool wall of misty rain met me as I made to leave but instead of doing so something soft and warm smacked into my side.

I glanced down to see it was the girl.

She'd lost her footing after running into me and started to fall back. Before thinking I reached out and wrapped my arm around her waist pulling her back up against me.

That, was a very bad idea…

She thudded against my side. She was so soft and warm…

I heard her gasp as she blinked and then looked up at me through sharp amber green eyes... Her wild, curly dark hair was long and blew across her soft looking face. I couldn't look away…

The colors of her iris weren't human. They were dark green about the edges and turned to brilliant gold about the pupil.  Her skin was darker then was normal to the natives of this region. She was short like Marie, but not pixie like in any way. She was firm, full and vivacious.

She smelled delicious.

I saw her cheeks flush and grow warm with the glowing blood inside her.

I felt another ripple shimmer down my spine and I could feel my abdomen tighten, wanting to shift and change.

I felt my claws lengthen at the tops of my fingers and I knew I had to get away from her.

The only downside to having the full moon so close was the blood lust was so very hard to resist…

Shifting out of the way I gently pushed the girl into the shop and then turned without another glance, holding my breath as I walked out into the grey fog outside and towards the bike.

I got on, kicked it into gear, and left.

She was the one.

She was the one I wanted,

I wanted to taste her blood…