Chapter 1
Driving home one night Peter yawned and covered his mouth. "What a day…I can't wait to drop into…" Peter stopped speaking to himself as he slammed on the breaks just clipping a large dog with the edge of his car. Stopping with a loud sigh Peter put his car in park and got out to see if the dog was injured or dead. Walking around the front of the car the seasoned FBI agent found the dog on the street whimpering. "Damn it…" Peter said calmly as he slowly moved over and crouched down. "Hey… hey…stay down…" he said keeping his voice calm as he stroked the dog's head. After a couple moments Peter noticed the dog getting restless and rolled so it was sitting up. "I guess I didn't clip you too badly but El will kill me if she hears I just left you here," Peter mumbled as he grabbed the scruff of the dog's neck lightly and led him to the car and put him in the back seat. Getting back into the car Peter found the dog's muzzle right in his face, rolling his eyes he headed home and pulled up in front of his townhouse.
"Well here we are, come on you can sleep out back for the night," Peter remarked to the dog as he brought it inside. "El… now I know what this looks like but it's not I swear, I actually clipped him with my car and I brought him home to make sure he's alright," Peter said as Elizabeth opened her mouth to comment on the large dog in her living room sniffing around. "He's huge and tracking mud into our home. Since he's staying take him upstairs quick and wash him up," she said shooing Peter and their four legged guest up to the bathroom. Getting the beast into the bathroom was the least of Peter problems. After wrestling him into the tub avoiding the mouth that snapped at him he managed to give the dog a bath and then dried him off afterwards Peter sighed and tossed the towel aside. "No tags… maybe you're chipped. You're too well fed to be a stray," Peter commented as he opened the bathroom door and followed the dog downstairs where Elizabeth was waiting as she held onto Satchmo's collar so the two dogs could sniff without worry. Sniffing each other the two dogs yipped and started to play. "Peter that dog is huge and if I'm not mistaken, he kind of looks like a wolf; sort of but he's so dark brown and those are the cutest blue eyes ever…are you going to put up lost dog signs?" Elizabeth asked. "Yeah tomorrow morning but I'm going to bed now," Peter said as he walked towards the stairs trying to ignore two barking dogs. Stopping and walking over to the dog Peter grabbed Satchmo's collar and dragged him behind him so he could get some sleep. Elizabeth smiled and looked at their furry guest and stroked his head before head upstairs with Peter. "It was really sweet of you to bring that dog home Peter hopefully we can find his owner; I bet they miss him greatly," Elizabeth said softly as she got ready for bed and turned her light off.
Waking up early the next morning Elizabeth walked downstairs and screamed when she spotted a naked young man asleep on her couch. "Whoa…" the young man yelled grabbing the closest pillow and covering himself as he stood up. Peter rushed downstairs with his gun and pointed it at the intruder.
"Put your hands up right now…" Peter demanded keeping his gun steady. The young man smirked and looked at Peter. "Alright then… you asked for it," he quipped dropping the pillow and putting his hands up. "If you like what you see then maybe we can work out a deal," the man said with a cocky smirk. Peter lowered his gun and tossed the blanket off the back of the chair at the man. "Cover yourself up already, and start talking. How did you get into my house?" Peter asked. "You let me in last night; don't you remember you hit me with your car which really hurts. You know I'm surprised I'm not all bruised up," the stranger said as he wrapped himself up in the blanket. Elizabeth smirked at the fact the younger man was ruffling her husband's feathers so easily. The FBI agent raised his gun again.
"I hit a dog last night, not you; so either start talking or I'm arresting you for breaking into my home," Peter said keeping his eyes on the man just as the doorbell rang. Walking past Peter to answer the door Elizabeth came face to face with a man and young woman. "Neal you ran away again…I'm very disappointed in you," the woman said while handing Neal a robe. After putting the robe on Neal he looked at the woman. "I didn't run away, I was just exploring…" he defended with a cocky smirk. The man reached forward and grabbed Neal by the arm. "We're going home now Neal… and we're going to talk about this when we get there," he said tightening his grip and pulling Neal out the door toward the waiting car.
Peter followed to the door as he watched the three strangers get into the car before it took off toward the city. "That was strange; Peter you don't think that young man is in danger, do you?" Elizabeth asked looking at her husband in worry. "No he seems fine, he wasn't struggling to get away or begging for help, besides he's not our trouble anymore so let's just go have breakfast and forget about him," Peter said closing the front door and heading for the kitchen. Looking back at the door in worry for a moment before following her husband into the kitchen; "Peter, what if he really needs our help and we just let him get taken away?" she asked a little annoyed at her husband.
"El he didn't seem that distressed, he was trying to pawn himself out as a sex object if you remember. He's fine, now forget about him," Peter said putting his foot down on the subject. Rolling her eyes Elizabeth gave up trying to get through to her stubborn husband and started to make breakfast even though her mind was on the young man still.
Arriving at the apartment building back in the city Neal sighed as he got out and followed the other two inside making sure to keep up with them. Walking into the apartment Neal tried to slip away back to his room." Neal…you're not getting away that easy… as the alpha male of this pack you better start listening to me right now," the other man said turning on his heel and facing Neal who was refusing to look at him. "Neal… look at me when I'm scolding you, you ungrateful pup," he hissed grabbing Neal by the hair and forcing him to look up. Looking up Neal whimpered at the sudden pain on his head. "Sorry… I'm sorry Vincent…" Neal yelped in pain as he was pulled down the hall and shoved to the floor in the master bedroom. "I brought you into this pack because I thought I could trust you but you're being more trouble than your worth," Vincent growled as he stood over Neal.
Keeping low and his head down in submission Neal knew that the anger would pass and he just had to wait it out like all the other times. Closing his eyes Neal waited until he finally heard the retreating footsteps of his pack leader before sitting up slowly. Staying on the floor like a statue Neal knew that any unauthorized movement meant a beating. When Vincent returned to the bedroom he was more than annoyed to find that Neal hadn't moved meaning that he couldn't use the crop against him for misbehaving more than he already had. "Hands and knees," he spat waiting for Neal. Quickly shedding the robe Neal got into position and waited for the strikes that Vincent was quick to give all over his body. When it was over Neal held himself up using all his strength as Vincent inspected his work. "Good boy now get out of my sight until tonight," he barked as Neal crawled out of the room learning at last what was expected of him. Getting to his room Neal got up and closed the door and made a beeline for his bed and buried himself under the covers while waiting for the pain to go away.
Whimpering lightly Neal waited for all his pain to pass before slipping out of bed and dressing for the day. Leaving his room Neal crept to the kitchen and made himself breakfast as he tried to stay out of sight. Sitting at the table Neal looked around as he nibbled on the food. "Neal, don't worry he's gone out," Neal looked up and smirked a bit. "Thank you Kate…" Neal said as he scarfed down more food. "Slow down or you're going to choke again," she said laughing a bit as Neal started to cough for a moment. Kate smiled and rubbed Neal's back until he stopped.
"Now why did you run off like that last night Neal? Vincent didn't show it but he was worried about you. There are humans out there who hunt our kind for fun and if you act reckless you could get killed," Kate said as she played with Neal's hair while he ate. After finishing his food Neal cleaned up his dishes and put them away before going to the couch and curling up with his book that he was reading. Walking over Kate sat down beside Neal and petted him as he read. Knowing not to say anything even if it bothered him Neal continued to read silently. "Neal, why did you run away last night?" Kate repeated softly twisting a bit of Neal's hair around her finger. "I told you two I didn't run away; I was exploring, and to be honest I got lost and by the way that guy hit me with his car," Neal said with a pout. Kate immediately let Neal's hair go and pulled him into a hug. "Oh my poor baby… well don't worry when Vincent finds out he'll take care of everything," Kate said keeping Neal in a good hold.
As the day dragged on Neal worked hard to keep from getting bored as he waited for Vincent to return home. By dinner time Vincent walked into the apartment and spotted Neal on the couch and smirked. "Well it looks like someone is being a good boy today; maybe you can come out again tonight if you promise to behave and not leave my side at all," he said brushing some hair off Neal's face. "Yes sir, I promise to behave," Neal said putting his head down on Vincent's lap when he sat down on the couch. "Dinner's ready, we should hurry since the moon will rise in about an hour," Kate said as she finished setting the table. Neal got up from the couch and helped Kate with dinner and took his seat at the table making sure to keep his head down while Vincent sat down and got the first cuts of meat and servings of everything. Waiting patiently Neal served himself after Kate took her share. Nibbling at the food on his plate Neal knew making eye contact unless he was spoken to, was against Vincent's rules.
"Neal, Kate informed me that you were hit by a car last night… you were lucky; but being a werewolf will help you heal quickly but that doesn't mean you can't be gravely injured. You could have been hurt worse than you were last night, so I'm telling you now that if you wander out of my sight again tonight you'll regret it in the morning," Vincent said grabbing his wine glass off the table and nearly gulping the wine down. Neal nodded as he looked back down at his plate and pushed his food around not feeling as hungry as he was before. When the trio finished eating they made their way to Central Park to the more secluded part just south of the turtle pond. Walking around the heavily wooded area waiting for the stragglers to leave as the last of the sun beams disappeared. Looking up at the still light sky Neal leaned against a tree and sighed as he kept his ears open for anyone while the other two removed their clothes and hid them in the bushes. When they were done Neal undid the buttons on his clothing as he stripped in front of the other two.
Standing naked among the trees Neal waited for the transformation to happen. Feeling a chill run through his body Neal shivered at the cool air, tapping his foot impatiently Neal felt the telltale feeling in the pit of his stomach. Pitching forward Neal caught himself on the ground as he started to change into his wolf form. Walking in a circle the young wolf started to trot away when he felt a sharp pain in his tail. Yelping at the pain Neal looked behind him and saw his tail in Vincent's mouth. Growling Neal tried to pull his tail free only to feel the teeth sink in deeper. Whimpering Neal stopped pulling and gave an internal sigh as his tail was finally let go. Following behind Vincent and Kate, Neal let his tail hang between his legs as he stepped over the large rocks.
Peter sighed as he walked around Belvedere Castle nursing his beer as he walked up to Elizabeth. "How much longer do we have to stay at this party, I know your making connections for new clients but there is only so much of these people I can take," Peter said keeping his voice down. "Two more hours, if you're really that bored go for a walk I'll call you when I'm ready to go," Elizabeth said as she shooed Peter away. Heading outside Peter walked down the path away from the castle. Keeping his senses sharp Peter walked over to the pond and sat down and looked at the stars as they started to appear in the sky. "What a boring party…I could be home watching a game right now," Peter mumbled to himself as he prayed for someone to call with a case he needed to be a part of. Lost in his own thoughts Peter was pulled out of his thoughts by a loud howl. Sitting up Peter looked around and shrugged it off as a dog that was being walked in the park.
Following behind the two other werewolves Neal felt his attention span crashing. Sniffing the air he slipped away from Vincent and Kate before running at full speed. Hearing the wind rushing past him Neal enjoyed the feeling of being free even if it was going to be a short time. Knowing that Vincent wouldn't let him get far Neal ran as hard and as fast as he could not paying attention as he skidded on the dirt path before coming to a dead stop mere inches from Vincent, who with his teeth bared growled at the younger werewolf. He sent waves of anger he moved forward. Neal slowly lowered himself to the ground once again showing submission to the alpha male. Not being prepared for any punishment Neal yelped at the sudden pain of teeth in his neck. Feeling very loose and unable to move Neal felt himself being dragged like an oversized pup being carried by its mother to their den his chocolate brown fur stained with blood making it collect dirt and debris as Vincent pulled him off the path.
Standing back Kate watched Vincent drag Neal off to punish him. Flattening her ears back to keep from hearing the yelps of pain Kate walked off and left the two males alone. Coming out of the trees Kate sniffed the air and followed the familiar scent until she found what she was looking for. She trotted up to Peter sitting on the bench and grabbed his jacket in her mouth to pull him toward the wooded area. Arriving at the scene Peter heard the growling and yelping and grabbed a large stick as he moved closer and smacked the stick against a tree to get Vincent's attention. Looking up Vincent snarled at Peter before stalking towards him leaving Neal bleeding and whimpering on the ground. Using the branch like a bat Peter swung it and hit Adler on the head keeping the wolf at bay for a few seconds before he started to attack again only to be tackled to the ground by a brown mass. It took Peter a moment to realize that Neal was the one doing the attacking.
Snarling at the insubordination Vincent got on his back legs as he fought the already injured werewolf. Yelping as he was overpowered Neal hit the ground hard and gave an inner wince at the paw pressing on his neck. Jumping into action Peter used the branch and struck the attacking wolf until it took off, Kate hot on his tail. "Jeez… you look like you took quite a beating…" Peter said as he dropped the branch before going over to check on Neal and moved his head into his lap.
Taking comfort that someone was actually caring for him Neal rested as he slowly began to heal, when he felt well enough Neal pushed himself to his feet and stumbled a bit as he tried to walk before returning to Peter's side and licking his face repeatedly. Laughing at the attention Peter stroked Neal's head and pushed him away so he could stand up. "Come on, since it looks like you don't have a home anymore I might as well take you home with me," Peter remarked heading for the path that lead to the castle. Following slowly behind Peter Neal limped from his injuries as they continued to heal. Reaching the castle Peter stopped and turned to the wolf behind him. "Uh… sit… and stay here," he said heading inside to find his wife and tell her what happened.
Ignoring the order Neal got up and followed behind Peter with his nails clicking on the stone floor as he walked down the hall until he came across the buffet table to grab the standing roast off the cutting board before slinking away to hide under the closest table to enjoy his meal. Ripping the meat from the bone Neal gave an inner smile that he was able to have such a huge serving all for himself; after finishing his late night time snack Neal decided to gnaw on the bone until he got bored. Grabbing the bone he slipped out from under the table to find Peter standing with his wife who looked down at him. Putting his tail and ears down in shame he dropped the bone and hung his head. Elizabeth cracked a smile at the young werewolf and crouched down and started to clean his face off with a napkin. "You're just a troublemaker aren't you?" she remarked putting her hand carefully on Neal's neck as she let him grab his bone before sneaking him and Peter out another door to head for the car. "Peter said you've been in a fight, so when we get home we'll fix you up and you can have the guest bed that way we don't have a repeat performance of what happened this morning." Elizabeth said still smiling as they got into the car together and headed home.
Arriving home Elizabeth took Neal into the guest room with the first aid kit and patched him up making him resemble a mummy more than a werewolf. Peter walked into the guest room with extra blankets and smirked at the way Neal looked sitting on the bed. "When you turn back to normal I expect to find out everything that's going on," he said keeping an eye on the wolf.
