The change ( his mate)

Chapter 7: suspicions

Grayson

I’m not sure how it happened, one minute I was building a friendship with Lara and the next we were dating. Never in my life did I think I’d be dating a human, I knew it was a possibility if I couldn’t find myself a werewolf mate and I’d accepted I could live with that if I had to, but I’d never really thought it would actually happen.

There was just something about her, she was quiet and playful and kind, and behind that, a survivor, of what I still didn’t know, but I recognised the look from seeing it in my own reflection. I was happy, I wasn’t even in a rush to get back home anymore…and then I’d kissed her.

It felt amazing kissing her, I didn’t know if I was any good as I’d never kissed anyone before, but she didn’t complain, I could have kissed her all day and night, problem was I knew Leo would be p.issed when he found out.

Werewolves didn’t have relationships with humans for obvious reasons. Sure they f.ucked them, they dated, some like Charlie pushed the boundaries a little, choosing to have a relationship, but the rules were you couldn’t date them for more than a year, even a year was really pushing it and I knew whatever me and Laura had, I was not giving her up.

Four weeks had passed and heading into the fifth there had still been no sign of the mutt, I’d scared him into hiding. I could only hope he returned and didn’t choose to find somewhere else to hunt for a mate, or I’d have to leave and try tracking him down, and I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want to miss spending time with Lara.

Another two whole months passed by when another body turned up. I hadn’t seen or smelt any sign of the mutt, but he’d clearly been here because a body had been found two days ago just across the road near the bus stop Lara used.

It had been a young student, eighteen and blonde, a bite on her hand that resembled a wolf’s bite. Good news, the police were still on the idea it was a dog, a hybrid of some sort as there weren’t any wolves running around in England. The bad news, they were under the idea that it must be rabid, which would explain all the attacks and the badly infected bite wounds.

The police were growing more concerned and tonight, walking to my apartment with Lara, we watched as police with their sniffer dogs searched the area, heading into the woods. Good job I’d taken Leo’s advice and found somewhere safer outside of the town to change.

“That’s scary,” Lara said as we walked by.

I squeezed her hand reassuringly and said, “I’m not letting you get the bus back anymore, I’ll drive you home from now on.”

She looked up at me wide eyed and with this innocent vulnerability. “I’m so lucky I’ve got you or I’d be screwed getting home.”

I lifted our laced hands up and kissed the back of hers. “I’ll look after you.”

“Against a crazed dog, maybe with an even more crazed owner?” She laughed.

I smiled and gave a small shrug, I couldn’t tell her I was a werewolf who could lift a small car with ease, that I’d killed before, more than once.

Leo had to learn how to dispose of bodies when I kept killing mutts that caused problems to the pack or risked exposing us. He had hated it, when I was younger he had tried punishing me, grounding me, refusing to let me run with the pack as a punishment, in the end he gave up knowing I would never change, that he couldn’t domesticate the wolf only tame it.

I lived as a true wolf for my first few years of life and my way of thinking had never changed, I’d always have the mind of a wolf more than a human. I knew enough that we didn’t kill humans or eat them, not that I would, even my wolf self knew there was no need, you only killed for food or survival and there was plenty of food running around in the woods for me.

Werewolves didn’t go around killing, apparently that was just me, Leo didn’t like it, but he soon realised it did have its perks. Other wolves were terrified of me and stayed away from our territory, even mutts didn’t dare trespass through, if they did, they contacted Leo to let him know and to make sure it was safe to do so. Pfft, over dramatic if you ask me.

Luckily Leo’s uncle, Joey was in the police force, high up, he taught Leo how to dispose of a body and how to leave no trace or evidence, being werewolves meant we had both heightened sense of smell and eyesight, we didn’t leave the sight until we could no longer smell anything that could be used as evidence, meaning sniffer dogs wouldn’t either.

Good eyesight also helped, along with our nose we could pinpoint any possible evidence even so much as a single hair.

I was driving Lara home lost in thought knowing I’d need to call Leo when I got back and tell him if he didn’t already know. When I parked up, Lara leaned over to kiss me goodbye like we usually did, but I was so distracted I didn’t notice. She pulled back quietly and asked, “what’s wrong?”

“Huh?” I looked up at her watching me. I needed to act less suspicious, and pulling myself from my thoughts I leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “Nothing, darling, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, letting me know I was doing a s.hit job of acting normal and then she mumbled a goodbye and climbed out slamming the car a little harder than she normally did. Ok, I’d p.issed her off, upset her, I’d make it up to her when I could, I knew she was starting to grow more suspicious about me and my life, she didn’t pry too much, one of the reasons I’d fallen for her in the first place, but she did hint at wanting to know more about my life.

I’d never had any sort of relationship with humans before, except for one or two school friends and not the kind where we’d hang out after school. I didn’t have a story in place to give her, I didn’t think I’d ever need one, and knowing my hate for humans, neither had Leo.

I told her Leo was my brother on the off chance she might ever meet him, being werewolves meant we aged a lot slower than humans, I was twenty-four and looked it for now, but in twenty years time I’d still look like I was in my twenties.

We weren’t immortal like vampires, but I’d say we were half immortal, we lived much longer than humans. Silver bullets weren’t needed though, any bullet would kill us just fine.

We were tougher than humans, more likely to survive getting hit by a car for example, but we weren’t invincible, we healed fast, not instantaneously, usually within twenty four hours, if it was really bad then forty-eight hours.

I was barely through the door when Leo called me. “I was about to call you,” I said, kicking off my shoes and walking to the kitchen to get a drink.

“Another body, Grayson, what’s going on, why haven’t you found him yet?”

“I’ve been trying, I almost caught him once like I told you, but I’ve not seen nor smelt him since.”

“Clearly he’s been there or there wouldn’t be another body. Are you tracking him or are you distracted by something else?”

F.uck. He didn’t know about Lara, but like her, he was also growing suspicious of me. Normally I’d have found the mutt within a month and dealt with him, been on my way back home.

“Nope, I’m trying to track him, maybe I’ll skip class tomorrow and focus on the mutt.”

“You can’t skip class. You need to keep up the pretence, but clearly somethings got you distracted, or perhaps a someone?”

I snorted, “like who? I don’t see any female werewolves around here.”

“But plenty of females of the other variety.”

“When have I ever showed interest in a human?”

“There’s a first time for everything and I know you’ve started longing for a mate.”

“F.uck off, no I haven’t.”

He sighed down the line at my cursing and said, “yes you have, your temper is worse than ever, you’re more restless like your waiting for something, longing for something, it’s natural to feel that way, more so for someone like you.”

“Yeah, yeah, my wolfish ways and wanting a lifetime mate. I’m fine, I’m not in any rush to find someone.”

“So you keep trying to convince me.”

“I’m not—”

“Whatever you’re upto just be careful, and don’t let it distract you from this problem, it’s only a problem right now, but anymore bodies it’s going to turn into something bigger, much bigger.”

“I know, I’ll check the area out tomorrow more thoroughly, go during the day when the cops have left, if they leave. If I can’t get close to where the body is found I’ll walk around the college, see if maybe he’s found a new hiding spot. Don’t worry, I’ll fix this.”

“Good, keep me updated.” I heard noise in the background and another voice.

Leo said, “Kai says hello.” More muffling sounds, the phone making whooshing sounds and then the line cleared. “Yo Grayson! What’s up?”

I rose an eyebrow. “Kai, I’m good, what are you doing there?”

“We’re going for a run, Reese and Charlie are on their way and Dane said he’ll join us, sucks you can’t be here.”

Dane was Leo’s nephew. I felt a pang of loneliness, I missed the pack, I missed running with them and I missed that sense of belonging. I kicked my shoe across the floor, annoyed I couldn’t be there.

He probably heard it down the line and didn’t want to make me feel bad so he changed the subject. “F.ucked any hotties yet?”

“No and not going to.”

“You’re so boring, don’t your balls hurt with all that stored up c.um?”

“Jesus Kai, I’m not discussing that s.hit with you.”

“You must give yourself a handjob at least?”

I hung up.

I sat back against the dining chair and sighed. Kai was Ralph’s son, another pack member, he preferred to run alone, so he usually didn’t join us, sometimes he’d use our woods though, as it was safer than anywhere else for a wolf to run, it was also right on our property where we all lived.

Kai was a submissive wolf who acted more like a horny pup than a werewolf. He was the only reason I even knew what s.ex was and what it entailed, when puberty hit he made me watch p.orn with him, while he looked at the naked blondes onscreen lustfully, I looked at them and the things they were doing in confusion.

I didn’t understand why they wanted to put a man’s d.ick in their mouth, to me it was for p.issing and f.ucking and nothing else. When we were older, Kai tried explaining how it felt good and that it was for pleasure, to me, our d.icks were for mating with a female only, but Kai was insistent I’d change my mind if I tried it.

I made myself a plate of cold cooked meats and two steaks and was lost in thought while eating. Leo was right, I needed to focus on this mutt before things got out of hand.