Heck yeah! My wireless was shit today, but I still managed to upload 5 minutes before midnight, take that, CL! :P
Prompt: A werewolf and the descendant of a long line of werewolf hunters.
In Another Life
By AngelKruger
2 years ago...
"Is this seat taken?"
You look up and see the deepest brown eyes you had ever seen, you blink stupidly for a second before replying, "Uhm… no, go ahead" you move your backpack to lie on the ground.
"Thank you. I'm Rachel Berry, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance" she offers a small hand and you falter again, coz seriously, what 16 year old introduces herself that way anymore? You take her hand nonetheless.
"The name's Santana Lopez"
She smiles a blindingly wide smile and looks towards the front of the classroom. A second later, but you smile too.
1 and a half years ago...
As soon as you turn around the corner, you're greeted with the sight of her drenched in frozen corn syrup, your stomach drops and your fists clench once you zero in on the two jocks high-fiving each other, weaving empty slushy cups in the air like trophies. Something snaps inside you and you take a threatening step forward with a low growl bubbling up your throat.
"Don't" the single command stops you and you grit your teeth but obey nonetheless, you don't have an option. "Go help the midg…" you glare coldly at the blonde and she understands. Rolling her eyes, she recedes, "…Berry. Britt and I will take care of those idiots"
You take a deep breath to calm the beast inside you and stride to the restroom, once inside you see her leaning against the sink, a wad of wet paper towels in her hand and your gazes connect in the mirror. You stalk to the stalls and make sure you're alone, once satisfied that no one else is inside with you, you lock the door and walk towards her with purpose.
"Here," you set the chair specifically left inside every restroom for these situations (McKinley sure is a messed up place, uh?) in front of the sink and signal for her to sit down, "you need to wash your hair right away or you'll never get rid of the fucking stickiness"
"Thank you, Santana"
You only nod and start working on her hair.
1 Year ago...
"I told you already more than enough times, Santana, I do not wish to attend to this…" she waves her hands around, "…party or whatever. I'm perfectly content with staying home and doing homework"
"And I already tolds you a shitload of times, You. Are. Going." You keep looking through her closet, trying to find something suitable for one of the famous Puckerman bashes.
"But I'm sure it'll be full of cheerleaders and jocks waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on me" she whines and falls down on her bed, the towel covering her freshly showered body barely staying in place.
"Puck invited you and it's his house, so those dumbfucks won't mess with you. Besides," you pull a pair of perfectly tailored short shorts, a white t-shirt with black designs and a tailored vest and throw them on top of her, "Britts, Q and I wills be there, so even if some asshole tries something, we won't let them"
"Ugh… fiiiine, but if they shower me in beer, I'm holding you responsible, Santana Lopez!"
"Yeah, yeah, stop being a diva and go change, I needs to get my drink on and Q will pick us up in 20 minutes"
She sticks her tongue out at you before going into the bathroom and you roll your eyes with a smile and flop down on her bed with a long sigh.
9 months ago...
"What the hell, Berry? You pull me out of my house at fucking…" you check your watch, "3 in the morning to come to the damn park?"
"Yes I did, very observant of you, San"
"Ugh… you better have a good explanation for this or I'll go all apeshit on your behind"
"Oh, shush. Where here" she takes two blankets out of her backpack and lays one on the grass, she plops down on it and pulls you down with her, pushing you to lay back by her side and covering both of you with another blanket.
The minutes keep ticking away and neither of you has said anything, your curiosity gets the best of you and you sigh, "So… what the hell are we doing?"
"Just a little longer…"
You brow furrows in confusion and you look at her to question her further, "Can you b…"
"There! Look, San, look!" you're startled and immediately follow her gaze towards the night sky.
You're left speechless for a moment, she brought you here at three in the morning to see a meteorite shower. You've never seen one before. A small hand encases yours.
"Make a wish, San"
You look at her and interlace your fingers with her, close your eyes for a moment and wish for the strength to be honest with her, to protect her. You wish for a chance with her and plead to the skies that she will understand and stay by your side. You open your eyes, let out a shaky breath and look at her.
"What did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you, silly, or it won't come true" she answers with the sweetest of smiles and you can't hold back anymore. You cup her cheek and envelop her lips with yours. It's chaste and sweet, warm and simply perfect.
6 Months ago...
You're not sure how you both got here, how you ended with Rachel being pressed up against a tree, but you're sure as hell not complaining. It's not your first time together, but never before had you risked being intimate outdoors, the fear of getting caught had been too great, but right now it's just part of the thrill the feeds the fire inside both of you.
Her legs are around your waist as you hold her weight with your legs, her hands tangle in your hair as one of yours is nestled between your sweating bodies and the other one is clawing at the bark of the tree behind her. Your breaths mix in harsh pants between her whispered words and your breathy growls. You bite your lip hard enough to draw blood and your mate licks it sensually, you moan.
It's hard and fast, rough and intense. In a word, this tryst under the full moon is primal, just like the creature lurking under your skin, fighting to get out. You bite hard into her shoulder and she falls over the edge, your sharp canines piercing her skin.
Too caught up in the moment, you fail to notice her eyes looking up to the moon flashing yellow, her mouth open in a silent scream.
Meet me at the park 2nite at 12. Love ~S
You stare at the text and check the time, 11:55, she should be here soon. You take deep breaths to calm your racing heart. You hear rustling in the bushes a few yards away and two sets of eyes connect with yours, you nod once in thanks and the eyes disappear. Tonight you'll reveal your biggest secret to her; you've been dating for 9 months and pray that being completely honest with her won't cost you the best thing that has happened to you.
As soon as you see her, you run to her and envelop her in a frantic embrace, your trembling lips finding hers in a desperate kiss.
"Well, hello to you too, love" she giggles against your lips and you choke back a sob. You're scared and she notices something wrong, "What's wrong, San?"
"Not here" you take her hand and lead her further into the forest just beyond the park, every step you take full of dread, you love her and you know she loves you too, but this won't be easy.
"San, you're worrying me, please tell me what's going on" she doesn't sound scared, just worried.
You finally stop and stand in front of her, holding her smaller hands in yours, "I-I'm not sure how to say it, so I thought I c-could just show you" you swallow heavily and squeeze her hands before looking at her with tears in your eyes, "Whatever happens after tonight, just know that I love you more than anything in the world. Always"
You let go of her hands and walk a few steps away, with one last look at her you close your eyes and prepare yourself to let the beast take over. Just before your body breaks down, loud noises break the silence around you and your eyes snap open to look at the newcomers.
"I knew it. I knew I had smelled the stench of your kind all over this town" he was a rather tell man, dark skin and a cruel smirk on his handsome face.
"Daddy?" Rachel asked, confusion marring her beautiful face.
"My little girl, you did such a good job in finding this monster, I'm so proud of you" his voice was full of fake sweetness, "Ugh, her stench is all over you" he scrunches up his nose and takes a step away from her.
It took you a moment to understand what was going on; at least a dozen other men surrounded you, armed with rifles and ready to shoot. Rachel's dad looked at you with disgust and it all clicked, a distant memory passed down from your father came to the forefront of your thoughts and your blood ran cold. Hunters. Werewolf hunters. And Rachel was the daughter of the leader.
Tears sprung to your eyes and anger boiled in your blood.
Darkness. Cold. Emptiness.
Those were the first things that greet you as soon as you manage to break through the haze of unconsciousness, still a little disoriented, you try to rub your head to try and ease the dull throb in your right temple, but a sharp pain shooting up your arm makes you yelp in pain, you look down to find some kind of device around your wrists and ankles, keeping you in place against the cold wall.
It takes a while for your sight to stop being blurred along the edges, and once it does, you looked closely to the bounds around your extremities. Metal shackles, at least half an inch thick. On the inside of the metal circle there's sharp spikes an inch or so long, for a moment your disoriented mind wanders and comes to the conclusion that they look oddly like miniature bear traps.
The rest of you catches up and heaviness settles inside you, crushing your heart. Rachel. Rachel is the daughter of the man that dedicates his life to eradicate you kind, Rachel is the next in line to take place as the leader, going around the world hunting werewolves, killing those like you. Before a single tear can escape, you try to replace the pain with anger, anything to keep you from breaking down.
You don't try to fight your restrains; you know that in this form you won't be able to break them. You also know you can't shift, as the spikes would for sure pierce your limbs and incapacitate you in a matter of seconds.
So you hang your head and wait.
Darkness. Warmth. Chaos.
Those are the things that greet you when you wake up for the second time. This time you're more aware of your surroundings and it doesn't take more than a heartbeat to become aware of the fact that you're not alone. A low growl bubbles up your throat when you feel hands around your ankles, at the menacing sound the hands stop and you can hear labored breaths.
"I-I'm not going to hurt you"
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" your voice is deeper, your blood is boiling, "I'm the monster here, after all"
"Don't say that" small hands resume their work on the shackles holding you. After the ones around your ankles are dealt with, she moves to your wrists and you marvel at her ability not to flinch or show fear.
"Do you know what you're doing, Rachel?" The last shackle falls to the floor and you rub your raw wrists, the tissue already healing. She ignores your question.
"You're not a monster"
"Your people seem to disagree with that"
"They are not my people, I am my own person with my own thoughts and able to make my own decisions"
She stands up and you follow suit, she throws the key onto the ground and you tense, unsure of what to do next.
"C'mon, we don't have much time, the fire won't distract them for much longer" she turns towards the open door and you grab her wrist.
"Why are you doing this? Aren't you supposed to kill me? Isn't that what you family does, kill my kind?" You're confused; you need to believe that she's different.
She looks you in the eye and smiles, "You're not a monster" she steps closer to you and takes your lips in a sweet kiss.
The fight outside is fierce, flames have consumed most of the small structures, bodies lie unmoving on the ground, some of them so mangled that there's no way of recognizing them.
"This way!" she grabs your hand and drags you to the epicenter of the disaster, in the middle of it all, two figures stand proud on hind legs, fur matted with blood, sharp teeth in display as they growl with claws drawn and ready to attack.
The shorter of the two sniffs the air and sea blue eyes lock with yours, a whine is heard and the beast runs towards you, nuzzling your hair softly, "Hey Britt" you smile and pat her soft, almost white fur.
A snort is heard to your right and you look to your alpha. She stands taller than any of you, sharp hazel eyes look between you and Rachel, who is still holding your hand. She steps closer to her and sniffs the air around the two of you, she stops for a second and looks back at you, you can read shock in her gaze but you don't know why, she steps back and looks down at you. You do what is expected of any lower wolf. You close your eyes and bow your head before the leader of your pack.
Surprisingly, she snorts again and you can feel her stepping closer to you, you exhale when the unexpected happens, her muzzle is nuzzling your hair and a rough tongue licks your cheek. Welcome back.
You shift into your wolf form to be able to communicate and fight with your pack; in this form you're as tall as Brittany but your fur shines a midnight black. A gasp reminds you of your other companion and you risk a look at Rachel. You expected fear, disgust or something along those lines, but you for sure where not expecting a gaze full of wonder, respect and… love.
Her hand rises to gently stroke the fur of your neck and you lean into the touch, whining softly, "Oh my God... Santana, you're so beautiful"
Your heart swells in your chest and you embrace her with strong arms, careful of not harming her with your claws and nuzzle her hair.
"Get away from my daughter, you disgusting animal!" Leroy stand a few feet away from you, gun raised and blood oozing from his forehead.
"Daddy, stop!" Rachel yells and stands in front of you protectively. Behind you, your pack growls.
"Get away from that monster, Rachel, I'm going to get rid of them once and for all!"
"No daddy, I am not going to let you harm them" she opens her arms wide and doesn't falter "Please… they're my friends and I… I love Santana"
"No…no, no, no you can't love such an abomination! No daughter of mine will choose those… those… freaks over her own blood!" his eyes have lost all trace of humanity, a crazed man is all that's left before you all.
"Then I guess I am not your daughter, as I can't have a murderer as a father" calm and collected, voice full of sorrow at recognizing the situation for what it is.
A cruel laugh, void of feeling rings through the darkness of the night, "Very well then, I won't have regrets for killing someone as twisted as those animals you seem to love so much"
None of you have time to react, time seems to slow down as he pulls the trigger and you watch helplessly as Rachel clutches her wound, as if trying to stop the blood seeping from between her fingers. You catch her just before she hits the ground and you hold her tight against your chest as you howl in sorrow. The other two wolves growl menacingly and lunge for the leader of the hunters, he shoots again and again, but he's not able to stop the two beast charging at him at full speed, in a matter of seconds almost nothing is left of the real monster, the one that got so lost in his madness that he took his own daughter's life.
Your howls transform into screams, your human arms cling to the limp body of your mate, tears blur your vision and your throat feels raw, you can barely breathe but you refuse to stop calling her name. Your pack mates stand behind you and howl along your screams in a heartbreaking symphony.
A while later you're rocking back and forth, singing her favorite song into her ear, the screams stopped but them tears didn't. You hear screams to your right and you eyes lock into the figures running towards you in the darkness. You kiss her forehead and lay her in the ground, one shuddering breath and you're exploding midair into your inner beast, black fur shinning while your body moves in a deadly dance, between you and your pack mates, the rest of the hunters didn't stand a chance. Bathed in blood, you stand tall and follow with your own howl after you alpha does, signaling a bittersweet victory.
A gunshot rings through the night and you freeze, you follow your nose and look to your left, just in time to see human feet disappear into the darkness and the screams soon die out into desperate gurgles. Your pack stand still, growling lowly at the might be threat and wait.
Soon, heavy foot steps are heard and your eyes widen in shock. To your right, Quinn takes a menacing step forward, now openly growling at the newcomer, but you tug at her fur and look closely at the wolf in front of you. Its fur a deep chocolate brown, body smaller than you but no less frightening, the scent is very familiar in an unexplainable way, but the eyes give it away.
'Rachel…'
The wolf whines and rest in all fours on the ground, tail between its legs and ears pulled down in a sign of submission most likely directed at Quinn, who seems to finally understand, so she stops growling and flops unceremoniously to the ground along with Brittany; whose tail is wagging like crazy, and just watches you. You see the dry blood matting Rachel's fur and you run all the way to her, falling to the ground too and nuzzling her neck, you inhale and recognize the warmth that her scent always bring to you, now laced with an earthy undertone.
You release something between a chuckle and a sob and it sounds as a feeble bark. You cry because you were scared, because you can breathe again, because Rachel almost didn't make it. You laugh because you're elated, because against all odds, Rachel made it.
You howl, like you've never done it before, because you're finally home.
So... review? :3 Much love and stuff to y'all ;)