Devil Dawg Donnelly's: Revelations

“I love the Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past.”
Cpl. Jeff Sornig, USMC.

* * * * *

"Who's yo' daddy?" JD cooed softly, smiling into the tiny face of his infant son.

Having just put him down in his crib after feeding and changing him, he stood there pondering Jakson as he reflected over the events of the last week or so.

It had only been a few hours after his husband Jake Bauers had departed that Friday afternoon on his trek back to the Devil Dawg Compound, so he could participate and support his Alpha Jason Griffen during his own Heritage ceremony the following night.

Jake had been reluctant to leave JD and their son Jakson so soon after settling in, there at Jake's father's home, but JD had insisted he needed to be there since he was his Alphas's Gamma Enforcer and his sole pack mate thus far.

His dad Hank had agreed and had enlisted JD's help in encouraging Jake to do so, knowing full well Jake wanted to, he was just afraid to leave JD and the baby alone for any length of time.

That concern had been made mute with the unexpected arrival of Princess/Timmy the day before.

Apparently, his father Max had suspected Jake would be recalcitrant, having just been newlywed and sired to a newborn, and had convinced Princess to make the journey so that JD being left alone wouldn't be quite the deterrent during Jake's brief absence.

It had already been determined that it would be too unsettling for the baby to be dragging him back and forth over such a long distance so soon after getting settled in, and though JD had been moved by Jake's devotion to his little family, JD could also see how troubling the idea of not being at his Alpha's Heritage ceremony was to him.

He had of course tried to hide it from him, insisting that Jason would be the first to understand, and while JD was certain that was probably true, it didn't negate the fact that Jake wanted and needed to attend, and nothing could have been more self-evident once JD aligned himself with Hank, especially after Princess arrived.

"Geez, who knew a troll-like Andrea could gestate such a delightful fetus like Jakson to term." Princess mused as he rejoined him at the dining room table where he sat nursing a cold glass of sweet tea while munching from a communal bowl of boiled peanuts.

"I'm fairly sure it's the only good thing to ever come out of her." JD chuckled, as he snatched up one of the nuts, adeptly splitting the shell with one hand before depositing the still firm but soften contents into his mouth, savoring the texture and the rich saline taste.

"Have you ever noticed how addicting these damn things are?" Princess queried whimsically, as he mimicked JD's actions, adding: "It sort of reminds me of the taste of cum."

JD coughed, having almost choked in mid-swallow, snatching up Princess's sweet tea and taking a swig to wash down the nutty/saline flavor from his mouth.

'Ya know..." JD stated wistfully: "You've really changed a lot over the last month... it's a good look on you, but what do you think your parents are gonna say when you go back?"

"Hmm?" Princess pondered for a few seconds, eyes rolling to the ceiling thoughtfully: "I hadn't actually considered that, but I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when I do."

He winked at JD playfully: "I wonder who will faint first?"

JD frowned slightly: "You not worried they will send you away or something.. .to one of those conversion camps?"

Princess laughed as he leaned against the table, his head propped up as he rested his chin on his folded hands, the iris's of his eyes flashing a brilliant blue: "Knowing what I know now, I'd really like to see them try!"

JD marveled at his friend's newfound confidence, smiling wickedly back at him: "Not that you need it, but you do know you have a lot of people that are just a phone call away don'tchya?

Princess winked impishly back at him: "Same goes for you too stud."

"Me!?" JD queried: "I got all the help I need with Jake being around all the time now."

Princess held his gaze, staring intently back at him, but not saying a word, making JD feel far more self-conscious by the minute, before finally blurting: "Wuh, do I have a booger hanging out of my nose or sum'thin'?"

Princess continued to stare at him for a moment before settling back in his chair, directly opposite from him: "All the help you need huh?" He murmured speculatively as he reached for another nut, shelled it, and plopped its contents into his mouth, giving JD a serious case of side-eye before asking nonchalantly: "How's your sex life studly?"

JD flinched, as he shifted his gaze, trying to look anywhere else, except at the unwavering glare boring right into his forehead from across the table.

"It's fine." He managed to stammer, his voice sounding as unconvincing to him as he was sure it did to Princess, making him think better of it before offering: "It's a work in progress..."He mumbled, shooting Princess a halfhearted, furtive side-eye glance.

"Sounds like bullshit to me." Princess said mockingly: "Quit being a pussy and tell me what's really got your panties in a bunch?"

JD just shook his head back and forth slowly, wondering to himself: "Is this really the same scared guy I knew just a month ago?"

"It's nuthin' really...it's just, he's umm..." JD couldn't say aloud what he meant to say, just letting it hang in the air before Princess finished for him: "He's hung like a Shetland pony and you're to much of a tight ass, macho dickhead to give up the booty to him?"

JD's first thought was to glower back at him, but instead, he just let his shoulders slump, nodding his head dejectedly: "He ain't no pony he's a full-grown horse, how could anyone take that?"

Princess just rolled his eyes, snickering: "They can and do and so can you with a little practice and the will to do so."

'Dude..." JD quarreled: "I can't even fit half the head of it in my mouth, that alone is as big as my fist."

"Lucky bitch" Princess sneered sardonically, before asking: "Listen, do you want my help or do you just wanna sit there and feel sorry for yourself?"

"Are you being serious, after everything the guy has done for me and Jakson, the very least I'd like to be able to do is give him a halfway decent blowjob."

Princess laughed boisterously, rising from the table to stare bemusedly down at him, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes: "Jimmy Donnelly, by the time I'm done showing you what to do, you'll be doing way more than that to satisfy your man."

Despite his skepticism, JD couldn't help but still smile at Princess/Timmy's ceaseless optimism, no matter how crazy he sounded sometimes. Whatever changes his friend had undergone, it had definitely brought out the best in him, not least of which was this newfound sense of humor.

Princes grabbed his car keys and headed toward the front door: "I'll be back soon, just need to pick up a few things in Jacksonville. If you're a good boy I'll bring us back something for lunch too, while I'm at it."

JD stood there at the dining room window and watched as he pulled out and headed down the road and though he still had a smile on his lips, he couldn't help but wonder, what kind of mischief Princess/Timmy was planning.

* * * * *

The mid-day sun shone brightly overhead and twinkled reflectively off the soft gentle ripples of the pond Baxter Whitmore had his bare feet resting in while sitting on the small wooden dock located in a somewhat private, tree and shrub ensconced cul-de-sac on the back edge of Max Donnelly's family estate.

Over the last week and a half, since Max and Carl had brought him here, this seldom used spot had become his own private sanctuary, one where he had spent many hours thoughtfully deliberating the many unsettling things that had been revealed to him toward the end of his stay at Hank Bauers home in North Carolina.

For the umpteenth time he stared at the screen of his phone, reading and rereading the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition:
lycanthropy
Noun
ly·can·thro·py | \ lī-ˈkan(t)-thrə-pē
Definition of lycanthropy
1 : a delusion that one has become a wolf
2 : the assumption of the form and characteristics of a wolf held to be possible by witchcraft or magic

Except it wasn't a delusion or an assumption. It was real, v-e-r-y real. They had proved it to him. Max, Hank, Carl, and even Jake. He had seen it with his own two eyes.

Sure, he had doubted at first, had thought for sure Max Donnelly, the man who had been like a father to him since the death of his own back when he was just eight years old, had completely dove off the deep end of sanity or was, for some unknown reason, playing some kind of stupid prank or joke on him, just to get him to stay at Hank's until his birthday.

He had only his own stubbornness to blame for what followed and in the end, it was Carl that had convinced Max that the only thing that was going to deter him from going home and washing his hands of the entire Donnelly family, was the unbridled, unfiltered truth. Not even Max's last-ditch effort to appeal to him about his own father's wishes; despite the sanctity of those memories he held so close to heart, it still hadn't been enough to invoke his capitulation.

Yes he had been scared. Thinking back, perhaps terrified would be a better word to describe how he had felt, when a frustrated Max Donnelly, who loomed larger than life across the table from him, his arms folded stoically across his massive chest, finally relented and allowed Carl to "enlighten" him about who they really were. As hard as that was to take seriously, it had been doubly so when Max explained that he, himself was one of them, just like his father before him.

Baxter had of course just tried to laugh it off, thinking they were just trying to pull one over on him, just to get him to comply, and like some naive nitwit he had thumbed his nose at what he was certain was some ridiculous, childish prank.

But when the iris's of Max's eyes suddenly flashed a brilliant blue and an unearthly growl, snarled from between his clenched teeth, teeth that seemed to grow bigger and more canine-like as he sat there, across from him, suddenly frozen to his seat, both gobsmacked and dumbfounded and to petrified by fear to even move, had he finally accepted it.

As frightening as that was, it was only made worse as each of them, one by one followed suit. Everyone except JD of course, who had just stared back at him, shrugged his shoulders and said: "Don't look at me dude, I'm younger than you. I got at least a couple of years before I get to add that to my list of things to worry about."

A sudden rustling to his right pulled Baxter out of his contemplation's, only to watch as Max Donnelly's hulking form approached him.

Indicating for him to stay put, Max soon plopped down beside him and they sat there in silence for a few moments, allowing Baxter to put away the specters of his past as he refocused his attention on the here and now.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your meditations..." Max began softly, his deep voice like a familiar, calming balm that washed over him, subduing the troubling thoughts within his head: "Just wanted to let you know Carl and I will be leaving for the compound within the hour or there bout's."

Baxter really wasn't in the mood to rehash his objections for not being able to attend, Max had made it quite clear that at this current time, this was the way things were done, that even if he disagreed with it or not, he was bound by duty to honor the general consensus of those alpha's within his district, arguing that discipline and order can only be maintained when everyone agrees to abide by the rule of law provided by the council.

While Max did note that as the rightful successor to the Southern Districts Lead Alpha role, that it garnered him a certain level of flexibility, that it was also equally important he wasn't seen as showing favoritism, and since everyone within a hundred miles or more knew that he was Baxter's surrogate Sire, he couldn't be seen as disregarding the rules in favor for one of his own.

Baxter did get it, he didn't like it, but Max wasn't asking him to. No, what was troubling Baxter at the moment was the same thing that had been most prescient on his mind for as long as he could remember: "Sir..." he began hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper: "How long have you known?"

Max turned his head and locked eyes with him: "About you being gay?" he queried, before adding: "I suspected as much the first time I laid eyes on you, or more precisely..." He tapped his nose and winked at him, a small smile cracking the edges of his cheeks.

Max's large hand moved to the back of Baxter's neck and did what he so often did, began gently stroking his neck and shoulders, right below his hairline: "Now when you hit puberty, well...let's just say that cat wasn't just let out of the bag, it exploded from it." his smile broadened jovially as he squeezed Baxter's neck slightly tighter: "Actually kiddo, if sexual pheromones were blood, there would have been blood and guts plastered everywhere you've gone since about thirteen."

"Eww gross" Baxter chuckled for a moment at the absurdity of his analogy, but thankful he felt no recriminations or judgment coming from his words, allaying most of the fears and trepidation he had held locked away inside his head for longer than he cared to remember: "Is that why you don't want me anywhere near Billy since he claimed his Heritage?"

Baxter had half expected his question to surprise Max, maybe catch him off guard even, but Max didn't even bat an eye nor did it alter the broad smile on his face, even in the slightest: "Of course, it is kiddo, when the two of you stand before each other again it will be on more equal footing."

Encouraged by Max's words Baxter was about to ask the one question he both yearned and dreaded to ask the most, but Max cut him off before he could ask: "No Baxter, I'm not going to answer your next question, where would the fun be in that?" Max chortled surreptitiously.

Baxter frowned slightly, feeling a little crestfallen and even more frustrated causing Max to respond: "I will tell you one thing..." He paused for a moment as his expression softened: "There hasn't been a single day since the two of you have been apart that he hasn't mentioned your name multiple times, make of that what you will." he added, slapping Baxter lightly on the shoulder before standing up, staring down at him: "I'm done stroking that massive ego of yours, get your ass in gear kiddo, we have guests you need to meet."

Looking up at him quizzically as Max practically hauled him to his feet: "Don't tell me you hired a babysitter?" Baxter said sternly, eyeing Max dubiously.

"Not exactly..." Max sneered as he guided Baxter up the path toward the manor house: "It's Hank and a couple of security guards I hired for your protection while I'm otherwise occupied"

Baxter was about to object, when Max interjected brusquely: "I don't wanna hear no shit kiddo, I should be back a little after midnight, but in the meantime, you can entertain a few lady friends of mine."

As they wound their way up toward the house, Carl and Hank emerged from the twin French doors that exited the drawing-room of the manor onto the veranda on the south side accompanied by three women, one of which he immediately recognized as his mother.

After being reunited with his mom, Carl introduced the other two women: "Baxter this is Miriam Hollis, I believe you know her son Gavin from school?

Baxter shook her hand noting the resemblance instantly: "I know her already uncle Carl, she works with my mom over at the college."

"Good..."Carl smiled back at him: "Then maybe you also know our other guest...?"

Carl didn't get the chance to introduce her, the woman thrust her hand into his and clasped it tightly: "Hi, I'm Professor Elizabeth Dunne, perhaps you know my son Jason, also from your high school I believe?"

"Jason Dunne?" Baxter queried, knowing all to well who he was and wondering why she would be here if her son was back at the compound waiting for his Heritage ceremony to begin that very night.

"Elizabeth frowned slightly, letting his hand go in the process: "He goes by Jason Griffen now," she muttered, almost dejectedly, casting her eyes down in the process and stepping to the side.

As Hank spoke with Max, Baxter leaned toward Carl, whispering in his ear: "Isn't Jason's mom going to attend his ceremony?"

Carl just shot him a pensive glance, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him to the side, out of earshot: "Women are not allowed to participate in the Ceremony Baxter, it's not safe for normal humans."

Baxter thought about it for a moment, approximating and visualizing as best he could, in his mind's eye, the ceremony as Max and Carl had described it to him, resulting in him having a "duh" moment when he did. Still, he thought to himself, he kind of wished there was a way for his mom to attend his, but just as quickly dismissed that notion, realizing that maybe it was for the best if she didn't see what he might turn into. The last thing in this world he ever wanted was for his mom to ever be frightened of him, or think he was some kind of monster. He was already having a hard enough time coming to terms with the fact she knew all along what she had married into and what any child of hers would face when they turned eighteen.

He knew that thought should trouble him, but instead, it rather warmed his heart that his mom had loved his dad so much she was willing to embrace what and who he truly was, hoping that someday he could be with someone like that and instantly picturing Billy in his head yet again. "If only" he sighed to himself, just as Max excused himself and Carl, bidding them all a good evening as they departed, leaving Baxter to his thoughts and alone with a gregarious and flirtatious Hank Bauers, his mom, and two women he barely knew. Yup, exactly the way he wanted to spend his Saturday night.

* * * * *

"Jason, you're gonna wear a hole in the floorboards if you don't stop pacing." Merrick Griffen cautioned teasingly, amused by his nephew's nervousness.

Spinning on his heels toward his youngest uncle, Jason just shrugged his shoulders before raking his fingers through his longer than usual chocolate brown hair: "Easier said than done!" he retorted, adding defensively: "At least you knew fairly well what to expect during your ceremony, god only knows what kind of freak I could potentially become."

Merrick chuckled slightly: "Actually, I didn't have a clue what was going to happen, that's not the way things are done."

Of course, he was right, it was just hard for Jason to fathom how something so momentous could just be sprung on someone without prior warning.

Jason had done his best the last few weeks to put this moment as far back in his mind as he possibly could, but now that he was only less than an hour away from his rite of passage, it was all but consuming him, as visions of all kinds of horrific outcomes danced vividly in his head. What made it all the more troubling, was the closer the hour approached, the more he felt the caged beast in the pit of his belly digging and scratching to be noticed.

For days he had been plagued by visions, forcing him to relive that first night during Billy Donnelly's ceremony, when he had changed and gone on a rage-fueled killing spree of the invaders that besieged the compound.

His grandfather, Max, his uncles, and even Danal had tried to reassure him that he had helped turn the tide that night against their assailants, but from Jason's perspective and from what little he could remember of that night afterward, it had felt more like he had just been wildly out of control, leaving him to wonder, that if their enemy hadn't given him a focus for all that rage, what might he have done otherwise; worrying ceaselessly if he might have turned on his family and friends or worse yet, hurt the one he loved the most, JD.

That thought alone had chilled him to his marrow and was the chief reason he had truly backed off. JD being upset and accusing him of abandoning him that evening had been the impetus he had needed to solidify his resolve. He knew JD world turn to Jake and as much as it had pained him to watch it happen, it had been doubly so watching him marry someone else. But, deep down, he knew it had to be done. If anything happened to JD because of him, he would never be able to live with himself and at least, he reasoned to himself, he was with someone that loved him as much as he did, the added bonus being, Jake was someone else he was growing fond of at the time, and even more so, now that he was his gamma.

It hadn't escaped his notice, that JD son's name was an amalgam of his and Jake's first names, a fact that had touched him deeply but fortified his decision to distance himself, at least for a time, from seeing his partial namesake. His biggest fear, was that if he saw or held the child, he wouldn't be able to control, let alone mask his true feelings.

Despite all that, he had been really happy to see Jake had finally made it and had enjoyed sparing with him earlier to help work off some of his excess, anxious energy, at least until he had to excuse himself to take his rightful place at the ceremonial grounds, where he would stand beside Jason as his gamma and his first packmate.

Max would stand there too, along with his beta Carl, but it would be his new best friend and confidant Billy and his grandfather Marshal in addition to his two uncles, Merrick and Bryce that would escort him there and bind him to the newly reconstructed pylons before his grandfather Marshal slipped the silver medallion, forged from the armor of a long-dead Remus, twin brother to the Progenitor himself, Romulus, over his head and rest it upon his bare chest.

The sudden but expected knock on the cabin door, brought Jason out of his reverie, startling him into the present: "It's time my boy." he heard his grandfather say as he rose from the couch and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder, giving it a firm but affectionate squeeze: "Are you ready?" He asked, the broad grin on his face denoting the pride behind his aged eyes.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be." Jason retorted, his words nearly a sigh as he resigned himself to his fate.

With a nod of his head to his uncles Merrick and Bryce, they stripped him of the robe he had been wearing after his grandfather had bathed him in the lake earlier, and as he stood there naked the others stripped down to join him as was their custom during such ceremonies. Understandable, considering that if all went as expected during his rite of passage, everyone present would shift into their bestial form in deference and welcome the release of his beast and the addition of another much-needed alpha to the Heritage.

Billy slipped in front of him, opening the cabin door to only to be greeted by a smiling Barin Young and a fastidious Atticus Walker.

"Salve Fratres" Atticus greeted them, in his deep bassy Kentucky accent.

Salevete" they all responded in kind, in the solemnity of the occasion and in deference to their ancient lineage, dating back some three thousand years to their beginnings and the start of the biggest empire to have ever ruled on Earth and to the man who forged it.

With no other pomp and circumstance, Atticus and Barin turned in unison and lead their procession from the cabin, down the winding path to the start of the amphitheater, where the hundred-plus shifters in attendance chanted: "In Bestia Dimittere." repeatedly while thumping their bare chest with their right fist to the metered beat and syllabic cadence.

"Now I get it..." Billy leaned in and whispered in Jason's ear.

"What's that?" Jason queried.

"In Bestia Dimittere" Billy said, adding quickly: "It means -release the beast- in Latin."

Jason chuckled nervously: "Of course it does, from what I can tell there's nothing subtle when it comes to the Heritage."

"True dat!" Billy quipped, nudging Jason forward, steering him around the fire pit and toward the steps of the dais.

Just like at Billy's ceremony, the chanting stopped once their entourage reached the apex of the stone steps and Jason took his place between the twin pylons.

From this point, Jason knew what was expected of him, knew who would stand where and who would say what. He had been through this a couple of weeks ago when Arliss Gundarson stood where he was now as his own father slipped the ancient cursed medallion around his son's neck and it had worked its magic transforming an unsuspecting Arliss into a golden-haired giant of a beast that had taken several of them to help restrain, despite the heavy stainless steel chains that replaced the old iron ones that Billy had shattered during his initial transformation. Jason just hoped that his ceremony wouldn't affect him as severely as it appeared to have affected Arliss.

The once quiet and somewhat naive and innocent, unassuming farm boy, had become more stern and withdrawn, even from Gavin, much to Gavin's chagrin.

He would still talk from time to time to his once best friend, but something had fundamentally changed within Arliss, something that now drove him to push himself harder than those he trained with, even pushing Princess/Timmy to his limits in his relentless pursuit to be the best, and while his efforts were paying off physically, his single-minded focus had alienated him from an ever-increasingly forlorn and moody Gavin Hollis, who despite his often frustrating and futile attempts to engage his friend in their once established camaraderie, never gave up, though they could all see it was weighing on him and his temperament toward everyone, except Arliss, who didn't seem to notice or care.

Jason tried to purge himself of such thoughts as his Grandfather moved to stand in front of him, his leather-bound, gloved hands wielding the ancient amulet above his head: "Are you ready to claim your Heritage my son?" Marshal asked, his voice full of emotion and pride as his gleaming eyes stared intently into his own: "Yes Sir, I am." Jason responded, as resolute as possible, sticking his chest out, despite his trepidation, facing his fears and self doubts head-on and without hesitation.

At first, he wondered if it was going to do anything at all since he felt little more than the cold metal against his warm, bare skin, but Billy had warned him that would quickly change, and bit by bit it did.

It started as a tingle at first, something like a small electrical pulse against his skin, but soon it began to penetrate into the muscle fibers of his pectorals, where it spread like tendrils throughout his chest, changing from slightly uncomfortable to moderately painful in short order.

All the while, Jason stood there. stoically anticipating his fate, staring into his Grandfather's glowing blue eyes as his uncles, Max and Carl chanted "In Bestia Dimittere" over and over again.

Jason could feel the warmth of his gamma, Jake Bauers, standing directly behind him, his large hands squeezing firmly on his shoulders as he whispered calmly in his ear: "I've got you Alpha, just let go and let it happen."

Jake's encouraging words and his Grandfather consoling presence grounded him, steeled his determination as the pulsating heat increased, and became a smoldering fire that felt like it was melting his flesh.

Jason gritted his teeth and clutched the stainless steel chains in his hands, as every muscle in his body grew taut and began to draw against the fibers of his sinews, transforming the burning heat into a searing agony as he felt the ever-expanding spread of the flaming tendrils excoriate his nervous system, creeping inexorably toward his brain until it filled every synapse with scorching white heat.

This wasn't like his previous transformation. That had happened nearly in an instant and as painful as that change had been and as bereft of humanity that anguish had left him, this was a magnitude of order higher, well beyond his previous experience. But underlying it all, there was the persistent clawing in his belly, a presence of thought raging against his gut for dominance, fighting furiously to break through some invisible barrier that separated it from the man he thought himself to be. It was black, dark, and bestial and hurled its vehemence at what was left of his conscious control, and it was winning.

Soon, cracks began to form in his resistance, that just as quickly spread into fissures, allowing inky black fibers to grapple with the white-hot heat raging within him. It burned like the cold of a thousand blackened suns, subsuming the smoldering flames, coiling around and devouring the previous pathways searing throughout his body until it had completely overpowered and consumed them.

The chanting stopped as Jason let out a cacophonous, primordial howl as the limbs of his body began to expand and change, stretching and twisting; bones breaking and reconstituting as his skin blackened and sprigs of dark fur sprouted and covered his entire body.

They all watched as his snout extend and his jowls protruded, infused with rows of flesh rending teeth and fangs as his toes and fingers extended and twisted into razor-tipped talons.

Jason shifted, but not into the partial creature that still looked caught between man and beast. No, this transformation was more like the stuff of the legends they had all read about in the Codex.

They all experienced some form of growth during their own transformations, but Jason's body went well beyond that, his new form approximated the towering, lumbering shape of the wolf-like beast that drove the legions of Rome to repeated victories and instilled fear throughout the barbarian nations they conquered.

At six feet, eight inches, Jake Bauers was among the largest of their kind at the compound that night, but, standing directly behind Jason, staring up in awe at his Alpha's new form, he was comparable to a midget. Jason had to stand at least seven foot four inches now, the muscles of his body bloated into obscene proportions, all covered and matted in thick black fur from head to toe.

But the most startling aspect of his lycanthropic transmogrification was his pitch-black eyes, which were nothing more than two black coals, so deep and dark, that they seemed to consume the light. There were no reflective twinkles, no glints of glassy sparkle. Just two depthless voids reaching endlessly into a fathomless dark chasm.

As the cursed medallion worked its magic, more and more of Jason's consciousness blurred with that of the ferocious animal that had been locked away and contained behind his mother's science and a strong sense of social interaction that had psychologically repressed the duality of his nature.

Man and beast collided and the intersectionality of that moment, the beast within him was reveling in its newfound freedom. It felt the beckoning call of the forest, the need to run and hunt, to feel the wind rushing through its fur as the scent of nocturnal prey filled his nostrils, and the need to explore, claim and protect the preeminence of his domain, suffused him.

The creature that once was known as Jason howled at the waxing moon above as he shrugged off the chains and shackles of his restraints, ripped the burning medallion from his chest and darted down the steps of the dais, and ran toward the protective cover of the treeline in the distance, adjacent to the ceremonial grounds.

Without pause or hesitation, Jake Bauers followed suit, shifting as he darted after him in hot pursuit.

As those around him also sought to give chase, Billy Donnelly held up his hand to caution them: "Leave him to Jake and I..." Billy rumbled, his voice growing deeper and throaty as he began to shift, adding: "We'll watch over him until he calms down."

Marshal Griffen was about to object when Billy's eyes flashed a brilliant white: "I SAID.... leave him..." Billy's eyes blazed for a second, the burning glare of his will infused within his smoldering stare.

Marshal winced as if in pain and averted his gaze as an overwhelming urge to bare his neck permeated throughout him.

More sedately this time, the fire fading from his eyes, Billy's hand gripped Marshal's shoulder firmly: "I promise, I'll keep him safe and bring him back to you."

Billy didn't debate it, nor did he wait for Marshal's or anyone else's response or approval, he just turned and sped away, moving faster than anyone Marshal had ever seen before.

Now surrounded by the forest, the dark hulking figure that had once been Jason Griffen, now ran at a galloping trot, shredding and parting the underbrush as he pummeled through, taking in all the sights and sounds of the densely foliaged terrain.

His dark eyes pierced the night, and with his expanding, bestial sense, the three-quarter moon shining overhead, lit the landscape like the blazing mid-day sun.

No scent, carried by the cool evening breeze, escaped his notice as he sniffed the air incessantly, gauging the level of threat of each new woodland creature he encountered, but it was his heightened sense of hearing that caught the falling steps of the two that swiftly approached him.

Stepping into a small clearing, the beast within him growled in warning as he whirled to face his pursuant's; bracing himself as the potential threat of imminent danger raised his hackles.

The beast crouched in readiness, every muscle and sinew poised to launch him in an all-out assault to defend his territory from any would-be interloper, conveying that message by way of a low rolling snarl, through clinched fangs as first one, then the other figure stepped into the muted, preternatural light coming from above.

The larger of the two grunted in sounds he didn't quite understand. There was an air of caution about him as he slowly inched toward him, with his hand outstretched, palm up in an open gesture he instinctively knew to denote as to be non-threatening, and there was a familiarity to his scent as well.

The beast growled for his submission and grew confused and angry when the expected response failed to happen. He did what any alpha would do, he bared his teeth and snapped at him, demanding his compliance.

Poised to enforce his dominance, the beast heard the other creature, lurking at the clearing's edge, grunt to the other one facing him.

Slowly, the familiar one lowered himself to his knees and bared his throat to him.

The beast stared at them for a moment, looking from one to the other, before he snorted his approval as he cautiously approached the kneeling one and thrust his cold snout against the nape of his neck, and sniffed deeply.

Instantly the familiar scent became apparent to him. This one was his, this one was pack and the beast brushed his snout against him, and gave his muzzle a single lick of approval before rising up to his full height and turning to face the other figure, who still stood his ground, staring back at him.

Unlike his packmate though, this one did not avert its gaze, did not bare his throat to him, and the beast grew annoyed by his lack of respect and moved toward him guardedly, his head hung low, threateningly, just as intent as before to demand his submission.

As he circled around him, sniffing the air, never once taking his eyes off of him, he watched in fascination as the lone figure remained motionless and unyielding as he grew closer, his body tense and ready to pounce as he once again growled for his submission.

None came.

Incensed, the beast howled its rage and lunged at him, his razor-sharp claws fully extended his jowls snapping fiercely, intending to defend its territory, in bloody, glorious battle, no matter the cost...

* * * * *

At first, Jake didn't know what had happened. One second he was watching in horror as Jason's massive lycanthropic form had lunged through the air at Billy Donnelly and the next, he was on the ground, his forehead buried in the damp leaves mumbling incoherently and whimpering like a scolded pup.

There had been a brilliant white flash one instant and the next... this.

As he tried to clear his head while also trying to summon the strength to push himself upward, he suddenly realized he had shifted back into human form, though not remembering doing so and as the thrumming beat of his blood rushed through his veins and vessels unabated and the incessant pounding in his eardrums lessened he became more aware of his surroundings.

He was still in the clearing, in the same location as before and as the spots faded from his vision and the fog lifted from his consciousness, he spotted two blurry figures, one standing with an eerie glow around them and the other on its knees, head bowed, much like his own, though still caught in some in-between state of man and beast.

Jake shook his head and rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand while massaging at the taut, aching muscles on the back of his neck.

Slowly, as his eyesight cleared, he could now make out that it was Billy standing, surrounded by a large, white cloudy nimbus that Jake could only best describe as a glowing mist.

At his feet knelt the still distorted, though no longer hulking form of Jason, head bowed as Billy's right hand pressed against the center of his chest.

Struggling to regain his composure, Jake knelt there watching intently as the eerie glow around Billy began to coalesce and spread down his arm like a roiling white puff of dry ice vapor to spread out against Jason's chest until it almost entirely encompassed him.

It began subtly, made more difficult to observe by the cocooning mist, but Jake could see the slow transformational effect it was having.

At first, and most notable of all, the twin black orbs that had become Jason's eyes, cleared like the dark at the coming of dawn until the blazing rings if his azure irises shown as clear and bright as the mid-day sky and though his body remained covered in thick black fur, his total mass shifted in size and stature until he was roughly back to his normal size. But it didn't stop there.

Jake had half expected, at this point, for the more bestial shape of Jason's body to shift as well, to the more expected norm they all experienced during such transformations.

What Jason had changed into as a result of his Heritage ceremony, had more closely resembled that of those more closely tied to those he had read about, nearly two thousand years ago.

What they all knew from their studies of the Codex was that from the time of the Progenitor, when those of the Heritage shifted, like the Progenitor, they completely shifted into large wolves. But, as the centuries passed and after decades of mating with ordinary human females, their DNA became more and more diluted, and their ability to shift slowly altered into what it is today.

What Jason had changed into hadn't been seen in almost fifteen hundred years, but what Jake was witnessing now, was going even further back than that. Jason was shifting into a large black wolf, just like those in the early days of the Heritage and just like the Progenitor himself.

Jake had heard many stories in the last couple of weeks from his dad about Bannor Griffen, but in none of them had his dad ever mention him having the ability to shift fully into a wolf and Jake began to wonder if this was some sort of residual effect of his mother's genetic manipulations or was it something Billy was doing to him now?

Jake had become so focused on Jason's transformation it was doubly shocking to see that Billy himself was transforming as well.

In an almost completely opposite way, as Jason shrunk to a more normal wolf size, Billy's form grew broader and taller. His limbs and torso twisting and contorting seamlessly into a more canine apparition.

The hand that once pressed against Jason's chest turned into a massive paw, replete with large cycle-shaped half-moon claws with blunt, padded toes.

Billy's shoulders narrowed as his chest protruded and a large bushy tail sprouted from the apex of his buttocks.

By the time Billy's newly formed paw pulled away from Jason's panting, fur-covered chest, Billy had completely metamorphosed into a massive white wolf, whose eyes shone with a radiant argent.

Sitting there, staring serenely down at the wolf form of Jason, Billy towered over them both; Jake estimating his seated form to be at least somewhere between seven and a half to eight feet tall, all of which was completely covered in snow-white fur. But the most amazing thing of all was those blazing white eyes.

There were no stories that he knew of in the Codex that spoke of anything like this. Even those of the Progenitor had described him as a massive black wolf with black smoldering eyes, much like the ones Jason had previous to this latest incarnation.

The Codex was somewhat vague about the Progenitor's early years, only that it took him quite some time to regain his human form, and what descriptions there were prior to that happening, recounted a period of dark bloody animalistic brutality, ending only when Romulus was able to subdue his inner beast and learn control over his form once again.

To this day, this is why all those undergoing their Heritage ceremony had to be chained and accompanied by their sire, who usually could use his blood ties and natural, paternal authority, to soothe the initial release of the savage beast that lived within them all.

Having the calming effect of an alpha on hand helped as well. No Heritage ceremony was conducted without one present. But it had been a long time since they faced anything like what happened tonight. No one could have expected or predicted what was happening to Jason Griffen, let alone Billy Donnelly.

It was then it dawned on him, by way of something Barin Young had said when recounting the events leading up to Billy discovering the Gundarson's long-held secret about their son and his subsequent arrival to the compound.

Barin had described what had transpired in detail that day and it was in that description he now recalled what Barin had said about standing there beside Billy, while he had a heated conversation with the Gundarson's then the next moment finding himself and the Gundarson's kneeling on the floor cowering and whimpering and feeling like an unyielding force was compelling him and the Gundarson's to submit.

Barin had said, there had been no verbal order, something that usually predicated such a command, just waves of compulsion that emanated from Billy which had been so strong he couldn't even remember how he had ended up on the floor with his forehead against the wooden floorboards of the Gundarson home, whimpering like a chided pup encountering his pack alpha for the first time, multiplied by ten.

Like now, as it had been then, that compulsion was preceded by the flashing of Billy's eyes. It was more than that though and Jake could still discern it lingering in the air around him, a massive pheromonal discharge that compelled his submission and that of his Alpha.

Jake's head reeled at the mere contemplation of that thought. An alpha, especially one as powerful as Jason had become and from a lineage that could be traced back nearly three thousand years, was now brought to his knees in seconds in an act of submission to Billy Donnelly, not only that, but from Jake's perspective, Billy had forced Jason's transformation from a hulking savage brute into his current and still submissive wolf form.

Gone was any hint of aggression from Jason's wolf. Jake only sensed a calm compliance radiating off him and he realized, that his own current, peaceful state of mind was in part due to a direct result of his pack bond to his Alpha, but also the compulsion to submit that came purely from Billy. Jake knew both consciously and instinctively, no matter his Alpha's will or his own, he was completely helpless against it and without even realizing it, found that both he had Jason were now offering their exposed throats up to him, and as their wills completely surrendered to the White Wolf, Jake could have sworn he heard a serene tranquil voice whisper in the back of his mind: "Welcome to my Pack brothers."