It's the Beast That Chooses
Part III
Isaac
Karl was sitting out on the front porch reading when he saw Stiles and his dad drive past and he waved to them. He looked at his watch and realized it was almost one in the afternoon and there was still no sign of Isaac.
He went inside and up to Isaac's room and found him lying on his stomach on the sofa staring at the TV and he could tell that Isaac really wasn't watching what was on so he stood behind the sofa and leaned on the back of it.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Nothing" Isaac said, still staring at the TV. Karl rolled his eyes and looked at Isaac just lying there.
"OUCH, hey what did you do that for" Isaac said as he jumped up rubbing his butt where Karl just smacked him.
"In case I didn't mention it before, one very important rule is never lie to me, no matter what" Karl said as he came around and sat down on the sofa.
"Not only can I also hear the change in your heartbeat when you lie, but you are just really bad at it now sit down and tell me what's wrong" Karl said and Isaac turned off the TV and sat down.
He looked at Karl and was really hesitant to talk to him about this, but then again who else was he going to talk to so he took a deep breath and started going over the details of what Allison told everybody about her father and Peter.
"Ok so what does any of that have to do with you hiding out up here sulking?" Karl asked.
"It's just going to be weird for me now, it was last night after Peter and Chris showed up, I'm the only one without somebody" Isaac said.
Karl looked at him for a moment and thought before he said anything
"Well if you were a normal teenager Isaac this would be the part where I would say something along the lines of don't be in a rush you're only sixteen and you'll find somebody, blah, blah, blah. But the fact is you are not a normal teenager you are a werewolf and you can ask somebody from school that you're interested in out on a date but it won't mean anything because eventually the wolf in you will pick your mate. There is nothing you can do to speed it up Isaac, it will happen when it happens. It may happen tomorrow, or next week or five years from now who knows, but it will happen. However young man, it is not ever going to happen if you continue to hide away here in the house, you need to be outside spending time with people, and not just the people you already know. It could happen with a perfect stranger you see on the street, or at the mall but as long as you are hiding out in here then nothing will happen. Now come on, get dressed and I'll make lunch then I want you out of here for the day. It's a beautiful Sunday so go out and do something."
Later Isaac came down, showered and dressed and after they ate lunch Karl handed him the keys to the SUV and before he left Isaac grabbed and hugged Karl tightly.
"Thank you dad" he said and Karl just smiled and hugged him back.
Karl's pep talk with Isaac on Sunday didn't last as he noticed by week's end that Isaac was once again feeling down. He could tell Isaac was faking it when he tried to be cheerful and talk about school, lacrosse practice or his friends. He thought of talking to him again but there was nothing more he could say, it's the beast that chooses and Isaac was just going to have to wait for it to happen, there was nothing he or Isaac could do to change that or rush it along. The weekend came and went and Isaac spent it in the house but he used the storms as a reason to be home.
On Wednesday morning Isaac walked into his history class and found all the desks pushed together into groups of two and he was told to stand with the other students and wait until everybody was in the classroom. They were eventually partnered for a history project on the Revolutionary War. Isaac was partnered with Danny whom normally he wouldn't mind since they were on the team together but Danny always seemed so distant and Isaac didn't think Danny liked him very much, but then it happened.
"Do you have an extra pen, mine just died" Danny said.
"Sure" Isaac said as he reached into his back pack and pulled out a pen and when he went to hand it to Danny their hands touched and Isaac felt something, something inside of him seemed to wake up and he turned and looked at Danny.
"Thanks" Danny said as he tried to take the pen but Isaac seemed to have a tight grip on it.
"If it means that much to you I promise to give it back after class" Danny said and Isaac looked at him like he didn't know what he was talking about and then realized he was still holding the pen.
"Oh sorry" Isaac said and quickly went back to taking notes, feeling the heat rise up in him.
The rest of the day Isaac found himself staring at Danny and when they weren't in class together he found himself thinking of Danny and wondering, was this it, had his beast chosen his mate?
When Isaac got home from school he couldn't wait to tell Karl but was disappointed to find Karl wasn't home when he go there, all he found was a note stating he was working. Isaac sat down at the kitchen table and started doing his homework when he heard Karl's car pull up.
"You think what happened?"
"I think I found my mate" Isaac said smiling.
"Hey that's great, you see I told you it would happen in time so who is the lucky person that will suffer a lifetime of love and devotion from you?"
Isaac hesitated to answer that question because he never thought it would be another guy and he wasn't sure how Karl would react to the news.
"Oh God please don't tell me it's a teacher. I'm happy for you and all but you are still a minor and society frowns on students and teachers getting together" Karl said when Isaac said nothing.
"No it's not a teacher, it's another student."
"Oh that's a relief because part of me was afraid it might have been your coach and no offence, but that man is a bit of idiot" Karl said and Isaac laughed.
"No it's not the coach but you're close, it is somebody that is on the lacrosse team" Isaac said and then waited because that was the hint he could give that it was another guy and he watched Karl's face very closely for a reaction.
"Well come on don't keep me hanging here kid, who is it?"
"You're not bothered that it's another guy?"
"Did you just seriously ask me that?"
"Well I never thought that it would be a guy and I wasn't sure how you would feel about that?"
"Isaac I'm going to pretend that this part of this conversation never happened now who is the lucky young man in question?"
"It's Danny; he is the goalie on the team."
Karl thought for a minute running through everybody on the team that he had met or saw, "I remember the goalie, he has dark hair doesn't he? I don't think you introduced me to him though but from what I remember he is a good looking kid."
"No because we're not really friends, in fact I don't think he likes me very much. He's never said anything bad about me or to me, but he doesn't really talk to me much so I never got the impression that he liked me very much."
"Well that's about to change now isn't it, so what happened? If you and Danny are not really that close how did this come about?"
Isaac went into the explanation of what happened in their history class and what he felt when he went to hand Danny the pen.
"Ok, now when I came in you said you thought it happened, are you not sure?"
"Well part of me isn't because I'm not sure what is supposed to happen, or what I'm supposed to feel."
"I see" Karl said and then he took out his cell phone and made a call. Isaac went to ask him who he was calling but Karl just put his hand up.
"Hello Derek, its Karl James how are you?"
"Oh hello Karl, I'm fine" Derek said.
"Listen I know its short notice but I was wondering if you and Peter had plans for dinner?"
"No, not really" Derek said.
"Well I would like you both to come over and have dinner with Isaac and me tonight."
"Ok sure we can do that, what time?"
"How about six, will that work for both of you?"
"Six is fine; Karl is there something else going on?" Derek asked
"Actually yes there is and Isaac and I would like to talk to the two of you but don't worry it's nothing bad. There is a chance that Isaac's wolf has found his mate and he just wants to get some clarification on a few things and we both figured you and Peter would be best to help him out and with you being his alpha I'm sure you and Peter will keep this quiet from the rest of the pack."
"Of course we will that goes without saying Karl. We'll see you at six and let Isaac know we're happy for him" Derek said and they ended the call.
Karl looked at Isaac who was standing there looking at him like he just had all his clothes ripped off in front of the entire town.
"Don't look like that Isaac, if you need to know if your wolf has chosen then they are best to confirm it for you. I'm not trying to embarrass you in front of them, if anything I'm trying to prevent you from embarrassing yourself because what if you are wrong and go pursuing Danny?"
"I guess you're right" Isaac said and he sat down to finish his homework while Karl planned out dinner and started cooking.
After dinner they continued to sit around the table and talk over coffee, "so Peter how did you know Chris was the one for you?" Karl came out and asked.
"Well at the time I was living in a college town and I was out walking around one night when I decided to crash a frat party that was taking place. By the time I got there everybody was so drunk, nobody paid attention to me or they just thought I was a graduate student. Anyway I ended up sitting on a sofa in the house just watching everybody when Chris and some girl he was talking with sat down next to me. They didn't pay any attention to me and I was about to get up but something about Chris's voice kept me there. I don't know what it was but I found myself wanting to just listen to him talk just to hear the sound of his voice. Eventually somebody else ended up sitting down which forced Chris and his girl to move over and he ended up practically sitting on my lap we were so close and it was then that he seemed to realize I was even there but when he was forced up against me that is when I knew it. I remember feeling this sensation like electricity charge through my body and I had this urge to grab him and drag him out of there to take him somewhere so I could protect him. I fought the urge and then we ended up talking and things went from there."
Karl then turned and looked at Derek who knew it as his turn to explain how it was for him with Stiles.
"With me it was the moment I laid eyes on Stiles. I didn't know, at the time, about the wolf choosing our mates I just remember feeling something inside me click. The best way I can describe it so you can get a visual is when a dog is laying on the floor sleeping and then it hears something and its head pops up and its ears perk up and it looks in the direction of the noise. I immediately felt something for Stiles at that moment but I didn't know what it was and I tried to ignore it and when I couldn't I started to push Stiles around and intimidate him but then Peter told me about the beast choosing and it all made sense to me but I had to get out of here I had to be alone and away from everybody, especially Stiles to think about this because I never thought of myself as gay or even bisexual."
"And I pointed out to Derek, and you might as well know this as well Isaac, that people like us don't live with labels like that. The beast, or the wolf, knows what it wants so even if you consider yourself heterosexual, if the wolf chooses another male there is nothing you can do about it and it is the same if you consider yourself to be gay and the wolf chooses a female" Peter explained.
"So what happened with you?" Derek asked looking at Isaac who was quiet all this time.
"Well I kind felt a little of what you both described, there was this charge that passed through me when our hands touched but I also felt something perk up inside of me."
"So who is the future member of our pack, and I don't mean in the sense of changing them as we consider Chris, Allison, Lydia and Stiles pack members as well" Peter asked.
"His name is Danny, we go to school together and he plays on the lacrosse team as well."
"I know him, he seems like a nice guy" Derek added.
"So what should I do, how should I pursue this?"
"Don't rush anything just let it happen naturally. Do you and Danny hang out often?" Peter asked.
"No actually we don't, in fact we never really talked much before but now we are partners for a history project so we will be spending more time together for that."
"Well don't act any differently then you have because you'll freak him out" Peter said.
"You and he have this project to work on so invite him over here to work on it up in your room. You have the laptop and the desktop computers so you can both do research at the same time and it will give you a chance to get to know him and for him to get to know you outside of school and the lacrosse field" Karl added.
Isaac took what Karl, Peter and Derek said and on Thursday he acted normally, saying hello to Danny if he passed him in the hall and Danny did the same, otherwise he didn't push anything and then on Friday morning Danny found him at his locker.
"Hey Isaac, I was wondering have you started anything on this history project yet?"
"No, sorry I was busy with Chemistry what about you?"
"No I haven't either I've been busy studying for algebra" Danny said.
"I know its Friday and I'm sure you probably have plans tonight, but if you don't or if you're free over the weekend you can come to my house, I have a laptop and a desktop computer so we can both do research at the same time and get this rolling."
"I do have a date tonight" it took every bit of strength Isaac had to keep the wolf from growling loudly when he heard that, "but would tomorrow afternoon work, I could swing by your place at around one o'clock?"
"I'm home all weekend so I'll see you then" Isaac said and he was never more grateful for the bell to ring so he could get away from Danny before he lost control.
They were about an hour into doing research when Isaac turned to see Danny on the sofa, the laptop on his lap but he wasn't doing anything he was staring at the screen.
"Danny is everything ok?"
"Huh, on yeah sorry I started day dreaming" Danny said and started typing on the laptop.
"Look if you've got something on your mind and aren't into this don't feel obligated. I mean if there is something that you need to take care of we can reschedule" Isaac said.
Danny let out a sigh, put the laptop on the coffee table and covered his face with his hands.
"I'm sorry, it's just that something happened last night and I didn't get much sleep."
"Oh I take it your date went well then" Isaac said with a chuckle to lighten the mood.
"Actually no it was pretty bad" Danny said and when he moved his hands Isaac saw he was on the verge of tears, so he got up and went to sit next to Danny.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to make fun of you or anything."
"No I know it's just that…I probably shouldn't talk about it I mean we don't really know each other all that well" Danny said.
"My son people pay hundreds of dollars to talk to strangers about their problems, if you can get somebody to listen for free you shouldn't turn it down" Karl said as he entered the room with a tray with sandwiches and drinks and then he left without another word.
"Your dad is so cool" Danny said laughing after Karl left.
"Yea he's not bad; I think I'll keep him."
"I heard that" Karl said and both Danny and Isaac laughed.
"You know he's a pretty good listener and not very judgmental if you want to talk to him about what's bothering you" Isaac said.
Danny looked at the door way and then back at Isaac, "would you mind?" he asked.
"No not at all and I will stay here so as not to interfere."
"Thanks Isaac" Danny said as he got up and ran downstairs where he found Karl cleaning up the kitchen.
"Excuse me Mr. James can I talk to you about something?"
"Of course, but only if you call me Karl" Karl said with a smile and motioned for Danny to sit on one of the barstools.
"So what's on your mind?"
"Well I'm having trouble concentrating on doing research on this project and that isn't fair to Isaac but he suggested I could talk to you about a problem I have."
"You can talk to me about anything, what's the problem?"
"Well I don't know if you know this, but I'm gay. I'm out to my parents and the guys on the team know and last summer I went to this timeshare my parents have and I met this guy, his name is Kevin and he goes to St. Dennis, the catholic high school in the next town. Well we spent a lot of time together the rest of the summer and kept in touch and we've gotten together when we could but I haven't seen or heard from him in a while and he finally contacted me and we met up last night and he broke up with me."
Karl stood there for a moment thinking and drumming his fingers on the counter top and then he turned and got some glasses and filled them both with ice water.
"I am desperately trying to think of what to say to you that will not sound like a typical parental response that you could get at home but nothing is coming to me so I'm just going to say this. Whatever you thought you had, wasn't real, granted what you felt for this boy was real to you but it seems to me to be nothing more than a friendship and if you and he fooled around then friends with benefits. What I can tell you though, and this is a fact, you will look back on this and probably think to yourself 'what was I thinking'. Who knows twenty years from now he could be fat and bald and suffering from a deplorable case of poor hygiene."
Danny almost spit water at Karl from laughing.
"Look Danny you're only sixteen and it's great that at sixteen you can be gay and out and proud and not suffer from being bullied by the kids at school or even your parents because I have seen that happen and I'm sure you have at least heard about it happening. But trust me; the right guy is out there, the one that will love you for you, that will want to be with you and only you. You may not meet him until you're in college or out in the working world or he could be somebody that you already know that is closer to home and you just haven't realized it yet."
"Thanks Karl but to be honest I think I'm the only gay guy at our school."
"No you're just the only one that is out, there could be quite a few more that may be afraid to come out right now because of their situations at home, or maybe somebody likes you but is afraid to approach you because they may think that they are not good enough for you or that you don't like them."
"I've lived here all my life Karl, trust me there is nobody like that around here."
Karl smiled at Danny, and though he didn't want to push it, he couldn't resist the opportunity so he leaned across the counter and put one finger under Danny's chin and tilted his head back so he was looking up.
When he let go Danny looked at him trying to figure out why he wanted him to look at the ceiling and then it dawned on him, he meant upstairs and his eyes got wide.
"You mean….." Danny was about to say but Karl put his hand over Danny's mouth and just shook his head yes.
"Like the saying goes, sometimes what we are looking for is right in front of us and we are too blind to see it."
"Thank you Karl" Danny said and went back upstairs.
"I take it that went well" Isaac said as Danny came back to the room looking much happier.
"Yea it did, you're lucky Isaac he is really easy to talk to and he's funny" Danny said looking at Isaac differently now, especially now that he knew Isaac liked him.
"Yes, it's that dry British humor he has so shall we get back to research?"
Danny shook his head yes and sat on the sofa with the laptop while Isaac continued working on the desktop.
Karl came up to get the tray, "dinner in about five minutes boys" he said and they both looked at that clock.
"WOW is it really that late already?"
"Yes, now is the loss of time a good thing because you've both been doing a massive amount of research or because you've been fooling around and haven't gotten much of anything done?"
Isaac just looked at Karl but he knew he was joking.
"We haven't been fooling around."
"No but it's funny that we've both been staring at computer screens and never noticed the time" Danny said.
"We'll be down in a minute dad" Isaac said as Karl left the room.
"Can I ask you something?" Isaac said as he stood up to stretch.
"I've always gotten the impression you didn't like me very much and was wondering if I did something?"
Danny stood up and stretched as well and looked at Isaac.
"You didn't do anything and it's not that I don't like you it's just that I don't really know you and you've always made me nervous."
"I make you nervous?" Isaac asked completely stunned.
"Yes you do and I can't explain why but even though we didn't talk much while doing research today I do like you…a lot" Danny said and when Isaac didn't react Danny found himself grabbing Isaac and kissing him.
It was a quick kiss on the lips and before Isaac knew it Danny disappeared into the bathroom to wash up before dinner. Isaac stood there a moment a bit in shock and happy, and then it started, his pulse started to quicken; he could feel himself getting hot. He didn't need a mirror to know he changed; he gave in to the wolf. Slowly he walked out of the sitting room towards the bathroom and he stopped just outside the door. His mate was in there, separated from him and he needed to be with him to claim him, to mark him, to make him his mate. A low rumbling growl escaped his mouth and in one swift movement he shoved on the door, breaking it from its hinges.
"JESUS CHRIST!" Danny screamed and then he looked and saw Isaac and he wanted to scream or yell but he was in shock he couldn't form any sounds and he just slowly backed away from the sink as Isaac slowly advanced towards him. Danny was now up against the wall and looked for something to grab as a weapon but there was nothing and then Isaac flew backwards, like some incredible forced sucked him out of the bathroom. The next thing Danny saw was the back of Karl standing in the doorway. Isaac looked down and saw his hands were gray in color and he had long black claws; he was distracted by a growl and saw Isaac growling and showing his teeth which now included fangs. He was about to charge at Karl when he heard a sound come from Karl and it sounded like a cross between a snake hissing and a cat and suddenly Isaac let out a whimpering type sound and backed away and was now hunched down on the floor cowering.
"Are you ok" Karl asked when he turned around and Danny noticed his hands were back to normal; he still couldn't talk so he just shook his head yes.
"Oh God I'm sorry" they heard Isaac say and in the blink of an eye Karl was on the floor with Isaac, holding him, comforting him. Danny made a run for it, he ran back to the sitting room and grabbed his stuff and ran down the steps and out of the house.
"DANNY WAIT, I'M SORRY" Isaac shouted but all he and Karl heard was the front door slam shut and Isaac started to cry.
"What have I done?" was all he said as Karl held him tight and he cried.