This is the first chapter of a new, stand alone story, but also works as chapter 25 of my first Fanfic – Bull's Helmet. You don't need to have read Bull's Helmet to follow the story line here, but if you haven't, you might like to read chapter 24 just to give you some context.
I've been influenced/corrupted by Teen Wolf. None of those characters appear here as there are plenty of GRRM's. This is obviously very AU, but if you're not looking for canon and just want some hot fun, read on…
Uncle Renly was lounging elegantly on a green, leather chesterfield couch in 'The Stag Club', a Private Members Club just off Bond Street in London and apparently owned by Baratheon Holdings.
'Elegant' was a good way to describe Renly. For such a tall man, he was surprisingly graceful and immaculately dressed. While Renly had been talking, Gendry had studied his uncle carefully, trying to work out why a man he'd only met two days before was now offering him so much.
The glossy black hair was swept straight back from his forehead, reaching down to rest on broad shoulders. His eyebrows were immaculately shaped. Gendry had never known a man to pay so much attention to grooming before, but Renly certainly did and carried it off well. The bright blue eyes under those perfect eyebrows were Gendry's own: evidence of their shared genetic heritage. Similar axe blade cheek bones and strong jaw, Renly's without a hint of shadow. Pale Baratheon skin disappeared into a shirt of the finest black silk, the first three buttons undone to reveal smooth chest and collarbone as he moved. Arya had known the same of the designer who made his suit - Botang something. It meant nothing to Gendry, but Arya had been very impressed. The jacket was hanging open as Renly's arm was draped over the back of the leather couch, revealing a flat stomach, unusual in businessmen Renly's age. The guy obviously had time to work out as well as run the Baratheon Empire. His long legs were crossed, with one foot dangling lazily in the air. The socks looked like silk too and the shoes… well, Gendry had never seen any quite as shiny before. Everything about him screamed money, self assurance and power.
Renly had turned up at Tobho Mott's garage that morning, accompanied by his 'friend' Loras, in a huge, black Bently Mulsanne. Gendry had happened to be in the general office with Tobho when the Bently had pulled into the forecourt. You didn't see a car like that everyday and Tobho loved a rich customer. He literally threw the order book they'd been going through at Gendry as he rushed outside to do a bit of arse licking.
Loras had been driving and got out first, surveying the garage forecourt with his usual cold, disdainful gaze. Only after Loras was satisfied, did he lean back into the car to speak to Renly. As Loras held the door, the acting head of Baratheon Holdings removed himself gracefully from the luxury car. It was obvious Loras was acting as security and bodyguard; making sure that it was safe for Renly to proceed with his visit. Why he needed protection like that was something Gendry wanted to find out.
Tobho the salesman was almost grovelling as he greeted his rich new visitors. Renly smiled with well practiced indulgence, but he was obviously here for Gendry as Tobho turned and started back into the office at him. The wily old salesman was obviously disappointed that his wealthy visitors were only here to see one of his mechanics. Tobho waved, beckoning Gendry out of the office. As Gendry walked towards them, Loras, slouched against one side of the Bentley didn't even acknowledge his presence, but Renly looked delighted to see him, holding out his arms and unexpectedly pulling Gendry into a bear hug. Renly smelt fresh and expensive and Gendry was suddenly extremely embarrassed by his oily, sweaty overalls and his uncle's gushing demonstration of affection. Even Loras rolled his eyes.
"Mr Mott, Gendry is a ….dear friend of one of my relatives and I only recently discovered he was working in one of our garages. Could I possibly 'borrow' him for the rest of the day?"
Tobho Mott was never going to refuse a request from his bosses' boss.
"Of course Sir!" he barked. As Gendry and Tobho walked back through the office, so Gendry could change out of his overalls, the old salesman patted him on the back
"First the Starks and now the bloody Baratheon's! Whatever you're doing, you've landed on your feet now, eh Bull? Soon you'll be thinking you're too good for the likes of us!"
"Never!" Gendry said ferociously. "I'm no highborn snob! I'm a Waters and I'll never forget where I come from!"
"Ok, ok, I didn't mean to offend you Gendry. Just don't blow whatever you've got going here. Believe me, life's a lot easier with rich friends than without!"
-o-
Loras drove the Bently while Renly sat in the back with his nephew. The interior of the car was beyond luxurious and also huge. Both men had room to stretch their legs fully and the contrast between his own jeans and motorbike boots and Renly's designer suit and handmade shoes was not lost on Gendry. He felt exceedingly uncomfortable, particularly as Renly appeared to feel the need to tell him all about the Baratheon Empire and hadn't stopped talking about stock holdings, share options and big business for the best part of an hour. The only information that Gendry had found remotely interesting, or even understandable, was that the current multinational Baratheon Empire had its roots in the Storm Lands region of Westeros where, over the generations, wealth created by fishing and farming had given way to industry and in particular the national garage chain. It had been Robert (his father- Gendry had to keep reminding himself) who had elevated the family fortunes from securely wealthy to their current staggering abundance. Robert was apparently a ruthless businessman who had maximised every opportunity and crushed his competitors mercilessly: hostile takeovers of rival companies being his trademark.
Gendry wasn't sure why Renly was telling him all this. If his uncle thought it would impress him, then it wasn't working. Did Renly doubt that he would provide the stem cell donation that his dying father needed? Gendry had already decided that, even although he hated what his father had done to his mother, he wouldn't deny a dying man the chance of a cure. He would donate all the bloody DNA they wanted. Dr Cressen had said there was no guarantee the stem cell transplant would work anyway and Gendry genuinely didn't care one way or the other. His father's life meant no more to him than that of any random stranger who found themselves in the same position. Did Renly seriously think that droning on about money was going to influence his decision? Eventually, Gendry had heard enough and interrupted the speech
"Look Renly, I get that the Baratheon family is stinking rich, but cut to the chase. What do you want?"
"Ahh, you are as blunt as your father!" Renly declared. Gendry didn't like being compared to his fucking father and resolved to try harder to be polite.
"Ok. The business lesson was very interesting and I'm happy for you all, but I've already decided to donate the DNA Dr Cressen wants. Robert has been no father to me and I've no interest in starting some fucking father/son bonding shit now, but I'll not deny help to anyone that needs it."
"I'm relieved to hear it and your concern for your father is touching! However, I have a proposal for you Gendry Waters." Renly grimaced when he used Gendry's preferred surname. They'd already had a disagreement about that during their first meeting.
"Ok, spit it out Uncle Baratheon."
"Not yet Gendry. You're going to need a drink for this, and privacy, so we're going to my Private Members Club and I'll put my proposition to you there." Gendry groaned. Nothing seemed to be bloody simple anymore. Whatever Renly wanted, it needed a bloody 'proposal'. Gendry had already decided one thing - that drink was going to need to be a double.
-o-
So Gendry found himself sitting on an identical green chesterfield couch facing his elegant uncle in a private room of a private gentleman's club. Gendry was beginning to wonder if bringing him to The Stag Club was all part of Renly's plan. Maybe he wanted to intimidate him into agreeing to this proposal. Gendry certainly felt intimidated. He'd never been to a private member's club before and he felt the weight of generations of old money and the decades of city deals reached under this roof pressing down on him. He was already on his second double whisky while Renly droned on again about 'family' income. The burning liquid was having the combined effect of calming his nerves, while fuelling his anger and resentment. He imagined his father, Lord Bloody Baratheon lounging around in here while his mother struggled, working double shifts in the pub, to try and make ends meet.
"Cut the crap Renly and just give me your 'proposal' me now!" Gendry finally snapped.
"Ahh, it is quite remarkable how like your father you are. You would make an interesting study in environment versus genetics. I must mention it to Dr Cressen." Gendry looked blankly at him.
"Nature versus nurture? Oh well, I don't suppose your father would be interested either. You are obviously very much a man of action – as he is."
"Good for him. Now, spit it out!" Gendry growled.
"I am so keen to have you join our pack Gendry as we need fresh blood. Your father is dying, his three children, we now know, are not HIS children, I have no heirs and my other brother, Stannis, has one, sickly, female child. The Baratheon Empire needs you."
"I don't know anything about business! And even if I did, I keep telling you I'm not interested! Why don't you just have a batch of kids yourself and leave me out of it?"
"That's just not going to happen Gendry. Surely you realise the nature of my relationship with Loras? We are partners, lovers. He has no intention of raising some test tube brats a la Elton John. No, you are the great hope of the Baratheon pack. Why do you think I went to such lengths to find you?"
"For the stem cell donation of course!" Gendry was becoming increasingly annoyed at Renly's failure to get to the point.
"Ahh… that was a useful cover story. Dr Cressen still intends to try that as a last gasp attempt to save your father, but he's not dying of cancer Gendry. He was hunted down and shot by our enemies, using some new, slow acting poison that we have been unable to isolate or treat effectively." Instantly the body guards at the hospital and Loras's constant vigilance made sense.
"Who would hunt him down? What's he done to deserve that?"
"I'll answer your second question first. He is a Werewolf and some people need no other reason." Gendry's jaw dropped open. Hearing Renly say 'Werewolf' aloud, as if he believed it, was gob smacking. His uncle must be delusional, or mad. Shit! Gendry suddenly hoped madness didn't run in the family.
"The answer to your first question is – most probably the Lannisters, although there may also be another agency involved, possibly working with them." Gendry decided to humour his uncle, go along with the fairy story until he could work out how to extract himself from The Stag Club and the whole sorry mess.
"Come on Renly, my father married a Lannister didn't he?"
"Have you never heard the saying, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? Robert needed Lannister money and their co-operation for one of his early business deals. Cersi came as part of the package. Her father, Tywin Lannister is a scheming old git and saw an opportunity to get his daughter married off to a brilliant young entrepreneur and make a profit at the same time. The Lannisters didn't know your father's secret then, but he knew all about them. He has carefully kept the fact that he is a Werewolf hidden for twenty five years. We all have." Renly explained calmly, as if all this Werewolf shit was fact.
"But you said his wife would be humiliated when the truth comes out about her kids and the incest, but that's not the same as trying to kill him? Anyway, I thought you said nobody knows about that incest stuff yet. Do they?"
"Well I, and a few others, have suspected for a while but now we have proof, courtesy of Dr Cressen and his DNA samples. I still hope to persuade the good Doctor NOT to involve the police, but certainly the Lannisters suspect and suspicion may have been enough for Cersi to make her move to eliminate Robert before he changed his will. Fortunately for us both, their attempt on his life was not successful and we still have TIME. But time is running out, hence my current proposal."
"Which is?"
"Join our wolf pack. Become one of us. Take your rightful place at my side and embrace your Baratheon blood."
"Become one of you? How?" Gendry was horribly fascinated to hear what mad uncle Renly was going to suggest next.
"A bite from the Alpha. Under the full moon."
Of course it would have to be the full moon wouldn't it?! Gendry was beginning to enjoy this. Renly was being so bloody dramatic; he was beginning to think he was in some movie set up. There was the car, the opulent surroundings and Renly could easily have passed for some Hollywood actor. Maybe there were hidden cameras in the room and that explained why Renly had been so keen to get him there?
"Why don't you borrow a few books from my little library here? That might help explain some things to you." Renly suggested, very seriously.
Renly's 'little library' was a floor to ceiling collection of, mostly very old, books. It stretched the full length of one wall and about five meters to the ceiling, with one of those polished old wooden ladders on rollers Gendry had seen in movies. He wandered over and pulled a book out at random. Restitution of Decayed Intelligence, 1628 by Richard Verstegan. If this wasn't an original copy then it was still hundreds of years old. The thick, wavy yellow pages might even have been handwritten. The book fell open at a page with a line drawing of a hideous wolf with a limp woman in its jaws. Gendry shut the book hastily and put it back. Next he reached for the most modern book he could see, 'The last werewolf' by Glen Duncan. The book's title was printed over a full, yellow moon. He was getting the idea.
"Please take a few. I think you'll find them to be very interesting and I want you to make your decision based on a full disclosure of information." Renly was watching carefully for his reaction, his manicured fingers pressed together at his chin.
"Ok, so where's the Alpha dog then?" Gendry smirked as his eyes roved around the room, looking for any sign of those hidden cameras.
"Don't ever use the word dog to me again!" Suddenly Renly's jovial façade was torn away, revealing bristling, foaming rage.
Stunned at the sudden ferocious change, Gendry gasped "I'm not afraid of you."
"Well, you should be!" Renly growled as he leant forward, eyes turning from the pale Baratheon blue to vivid orange, lips curled back in an animal snarl to reveal huge, yellow canine teeth. Despite himself Gendry jumped, spilling whisky, the glass shattering on the table. By the time Gendry stood up, his uncle had draped his arm back across the couch and was sipping his whisky as if nothing had happened.
Gendry couldn't believe what he had just seen. What had he just seen? He eased himself back down on the couch, ignoring the spilt whisky pooling on the green leather.
"What just happened there Renly?"
"I was just explaining why you should take my proposal seriously dear boy." His uncle smiled, as calm and relaxed as if nothing had happened.
"And what if I don't?"
Renly sighed, suddenly looking very weary.
"Ultimately it has to be your choice, but I have to warn you Gendry, Pandora's Box was opened as soon as I found you. I have enemies. Now WE have enemies and they may know more about you than I would wish them to."
"Fuck this! You knew you were putting me in danger and still you did it! And what about Arya? She's in danger too isn't she? Some fucking family the Baratheons turned out to be!" Gendry got up to leave, but before he had a chance to move to the door, Renly slammed him against the nearest wall, one hand around his throat, iron fingers squeezing with increasing pressure. The burning orange eyes were back, the irises black slits and massive, ripping canine teeth were bared as Renly spat at him
"Think you're a tough guy Waters? What are you 230lbs? You work out? Well I could throw you across this room like a rag doll before I rip out your throat out with my teeth. Think you can protect yourself and that pretty little girlfriend of yours on your own? Do you? I'll offer this only once. If you choose to walk away, then you'd better run and not look back."
Snarling with disgust he shoved Gendry away effortlessly and sank back onto the couch. Renly's immaculate hair was now dishevelled and, shoulders sagging, head bent, he started running both hands through it, cursing Gendry repeatedly under his breath.
Gendry could only stand and stare. His uncle really was a Werewolf and seeing him sitting there now was like looking at himself in a mirror. He knew his own reaction to stress was to run his hands through his hair – Arya had commented on it often enough. He could try and deny it to himself all he wanted, but Baratheon blood flowed in his veins and his father's blood wanted this with a desperation he couldn't deny.
"If I joined the pack Renly, would I have what you have…that strength?"
Wearily Renly looked up.
"Yes. You'll need to learn to control it, but it's always there, to be accessed whenever you need it."
"What else?" Gendry asked, trying to keep his growing eagerness from his voice.
"You'll change when the full moon rises. There's no controlling that, but we have ways of dealing with it – one of the benefits of unlimited financial resources. We have safe houses, protection, teams to clear up after any…accidents. And the benefits Gendry! You cannot begin to imagine. I can smell your fear; it's like a stink pouring off you and I feel your excitement. At rest your heart beats 58 times per minute. Now it's elevated to 162, yet you're not moving. I know you're scared. You can't hope to fight me and win, so you want to run, but you also want this too. I know it. Can you imagine how useful this is in the boardroom? Your father is the master of closing the deal. He knows exactly how far he can push his opponent. Human emotions to us are as easy to read as signposts."
Gendry though immediately about Arya. Would he be able to tell what she was feeling, what she was wanting?
As if reading his mind Renly growled deeply.
"And the sex Gendry! Animalistic sex under the full moon. If you only knew what that was like then you'd take the bite for that alone."
A disconcerting image of Renly and Loras fucking like animals on the discovery channel flashed into his mind. He tried to push it away as quickly as possible in order to focus on what really mattered.
"What about Arya? Could I hurt her?"
"I'm not going to lie to you. During the full moon, you will be more wolf than man and will desire her with an urgency and a strength you cannot currently comprehend. So yes, you could hurt her physically, but what about the other kind of hurt Gendry? Could she still love an animal?"
"Could I bite her?" Gendry's mind was racing. He was ready to accept this for himself, but could he do it if it meant loosing Arya?
"Only an Alpha can turn a human. And not everyone can be turned. Dr Cressen tested tens of thousands of samples and I only found you and perhaps one other in Stannis's territory. He suspects the boy may also be a child of Robert's. I haven't had a full report from Stannis yet, otherwise I would have told you before."
Gendry doubted that Renly would have told him unless he had agreed to join the pack. He wished he could tell if Renly was lying. But a brother? The thought of a half brother out there somewhere thrilled him more than meeting his father ever did.
"Could Dr Cressen test Arya?"
"Of course. Dr Cressen is being paid very handsomely for his services. He will do what he's told - in most circumstances anyway." Renly added ruefully, still smarting from the Doctor's insistence that the incest must be reported to the police.
"Then would the Alpha turn her?"
"If she can be turned then your father would do it for you Gendry. Bring Arya to him on the full moon and he will gift the bite to you both."
"Ok. I'm in. How long have I got to until the full moon?"
"Five days."
Five days to persuade Lady Arya Stark to become a werewolf.
Gendry had been thinking about his future with Arya since he had met her again in the Doctor's surgery and a hope had been building in him since Robb's pre wedding dinner.
"Renly, is there a jewellers shop around here?"
"There's Cartier on Old Bond Street."
"Is that a good one? I want to go to a good one."
"Oh, it's the best. Why?"
Gendry felt his face turn scarlet. "I want to get Arya something."
"Well, you'll need this then. I arranged this in the hope that you would accept my proposal." Renly pulled a rectangle of silver metal from his wallet and handed it to Gendry. It looked like a credit card, but it was heavy, made of real, silver coloured metal.
"What's this?" Gendry turned it over in his hand to read the legend 'Amex Platinum'. Underneath was his name, or at least the new name Renly was obviously going to insist upon as part of their deal…Gendry Baratheon
"It's your company credit card. There's no limit, but I'd prefer you check with me before indulging any urges to buy yourself a private jet." Renly smiled. His relief that Gendry had agreed to join The Pack, written all over his face.
"Seriously? I thought…I though I'd just get paid…like normal." As soon as he said it he realised that 'normal' didn't apply anymore. How could he think anything was ever going to be normal again after he'd struck a deal with Uncle Renly the friendly, family werewolf?
"Come on then, dear boy, let's go shopping!"
If Renly was elegant, Cartier was opulent. Gendry had never seen anything like it. Although he wasn't accustomed to going into jeweller's shops, he doubted there was anything in Westeros quite like this. Renly seemed to be on familiar terms with the suited assistants, who treated him with the same reverence Tobho Mott had, or perhaps everyone treated Renly that way? Gendry doubted he would even have been allowed into the shop if he hadn't been accompanied by Renly and, of course, the ubiquitous Loras. Both those men certainly seemed right at home, browsing the cabinets and displays, making easy small talk with the obsequious sales staff, while Gendry trailed along behind them, worrying his motorbike boots were leaving oily marks on the thick, cream carpet.
"Loras, it's overdue time I treated you, why don't you choose a watch while we're here?" For once, something resembling a smile crept over Loras's poker face as he peered greedily into the cabinet.
"And Gendry, what did you have in mind as a gift for the beautiful Lady Arya?" Renly asked as they stood over a display of watches that had little cards beside them proclaiming the name of each of the watches in French, but no prices. They had looked in half a dozen glass display cabinets and Gendry hadn't seen a price tag in any of them.
"I was thinking of a ring…like an engagement ring." Gendry muttered, hoping Loras wasn't listening.
"Congratulations! I had no idea you two were so serious, but we love a good wedding don't we Loras? When are you love birds planning on getting married?" Renly clapped his nephew on the back.
"Err; we haven't talked about the date yet." Gendry never anticipated having to answer any questions and certainly didn't want to be having this conversation with his Uncle in a posh jewellers shop with Loras listening in.
A few hours ago, before he'd agreed to join The Pack, before Renly told him he only had five days until the full moon, asking Arya to marry him had been something that had only fleetingly crossed his mind. He had allowed himself to daydream about it, but only as a vague hope for the future. Now it seemed to Gendry to be the only way he'd manage to get Arya to agree to the Werewolf thing. If she loved him enough to marry him, then surely she'd agree to be bitten with him. Wouldn't she?
Renly seemed delighted by his nephew's news.
"I am sure Arya has exquisite taste. What style of ring does she favour? I always thought three diamonds, symbolising past, present and future was ideal myself."
"Err, we haven't discussed that either. I was thinking I could…umm…surprise her with it." Loras was doing that 'rolling his eyes' thing again that was beginning to annoy Gendry so much. Smug bastard.
"You've not even asked her yet, have you boy?" Loras sneered.
"Well, at least I'm going to pay for it myself and not rely on my Sugar Daddy to buy me it, like you!" And Gendry added an extra "Arsehole" under his breath.
Instead of rising to the insult, Loras simply replied 'Go fuck yourself Waters' before stalking off to stand at the entrance, while Renly sighed with despair at the two of them.
"I googled it and I'm supposed to spend two months salary, but I don't see any prices on this stuff." Gendry whispered to his uncle, while they moved back over to the cabinet with the engagement rings.
"Well…" Renly paused, as if grasping for the right words "You don't have to worry about the price now. Use your company card and just get her something you think she'll like. A Lady like Arya should have a stunning ring."
"Well, I suppose if I got something a bit more expensive I could pay you back."
"No need, no need. It's your birthright. Think of all the years you missed out Gendry. We owe you, and I want to make sure the Baratheons pay that debt. Please choose whatever you like."
"Umm. Ok then. I like those single diamonds. Like that one there." Gendry pointed to a square cut stone set in platinum. It wasn't the largest ring in the display, but was far from the smallest. To Gendry it seemed the brightest and sparkliest and exactly what he imagined Arya would like. Renly beckoned the manager over; he had been hovering at a discreet distance. The ring was removed from the cabinet and to Gendry's delight flashed impressively under the shop's lights. The manager declared it an excellent choice, due to the almost flawless quality of the stone. He urged Gendry to bring his fiancé back as soon as possible, in order that the ring be sized to ensure it fitted Arya's finger perfectly, and to allow the manager to meet the lucky lady. The deal was done, the ring nestled in a dark, red, leather box and still no price had been discussed. Gendry nervously drew the metal credit card from his wallet.
"You're sure this is ok?" he whispered to Renly
"Of course, go ahead. The pin number is the day and month we first met." Renly smiled indulgently. The manager's eyes betrayed his surprise when Gendry handed over the polished rectangle of metal and it was swiftly inserted into the card reader. It was only when the machine was handed back to Gendry that he saw the price. £76,250. He nearly choked.
"I'm not paying that! Forget it! I'll go somewhere else!"
Mortified, Renly grabbed his elbow and spun him around, away from the shocked manager and hissed
"Do you think Lady Arya Stark's going to thank you for a £3,000 ring? That's twice your monthly salary isn't it? Just pay for the fucking ring and let's get out of here before we get thrown out." Shaking, Gendry keyed in the numbers while Renly tried to sooth the, now very suspicious, manager. To Gendry's amazement, the transaction was immediately authorized and the card handed back to him, followed by the beautifully packaged red box. The manager managed a tight smile as Renly propelled his nephew towards the door.
"It's going to take you a while to pay that back to your Sugar Daddy Waters." Loras scoffed. Gendry was still too shocked to think of a smart answer. Still, he had the ring and he had five days to persuade Arya to agree to marry him. Marry him and become a Werewolf.
