Scooby- Doo: Monsters are not real, monsters are not real, monsters are not, huh?
Shaggy: Scooby Doo, whats wrong with you?
Scooby- Doo: [inside the couch] Monsters at the window!
Shaggy: I dont see any old monsters outside.
Brunch: Ah but soon there will be a new monster inside, the moon is
moving quickly into position. Come Crunch, we must turn Shaggy into
a werewolf.
Scooby- Doo: Oh no!

-Scooby-Doo

Tonight was the night. The night of the full moon, Aiden's first shift and Caroline's first pack meeting.

Tyler was both equal parts nervous and excited. Nervous because he didn't know how Caroline would react about the whole thing and excited because his mate was going to a pack meeting with him and was going to see him shift for the first time.

He would have her close as the tremors of the transformation rocked his body. She would be soft and sweet and caring by his side as she talked him through the pain…

He couldn't wait.

The logical part of him told him to not be so eager but the larger, more dominant side of him (his wolf side) was telling that part to shut up because he was eager, goddamn it and he had a right to be so.

The ride to Wolf's Mountain was long and borderline treacherous as the path towards the clearing where the meetings were held were so hidden inside the woods that it took a great amount of werewolf senses, place markers and a good old fashioned compass to get them there.

The teen wolf pack was already riding with them and Tyler had given them strict orders not to do or say anything stupid to discourage Caroline from going tonight. Nothing was ruining this for him, nothing.

Caroline sat at the front and so near to him, he could smell her scent and stare at the smooth column of her neck and that space where neck met shoulder, that particular place he would bite her to mark her. The area was creamy perfection just like the rest of her but soon…

He should stop thinking about marking and anything at all to do with mating. It brought out some unnecessary side effects that would make the trip to Wolf's Mountain even more uncomfortable.

The rest of the pack was seated at the back, squashed together and sharing stories and jokes with one another. That was the beauty of a pack, the unity, the family that the pack was. Everyone was part of a whole and that whole was made of everyone.

If there was one great thing about being a werewolf, it was being part of the pack.

That and lovely, lovely mates who smelled like heaven.

He was such a sap.

He just found his mate and the badass reputation he had was down the drain. If his thoughts could be heard by the pack, they'd never take orders from such a sappy wimp. Tyler Lockwood was not cool anymore - the tragedy of it all.

Finally arriving at Wolf's Mountain, he quickly maneuvered the truck into the clearing and parked it. Several cars owned by the other wolves were already there including their alpha – Remus Lucian.

Dear old Uncle Remus who thought Tyler to be one of the bizarre choices for future alpha ever. Miscreants weren't meant to be leader, he said.

Tyler agreed but he was a Lockwood. And Lockwoods were alphas, miscreant or not.

They quickly exited the truck with Aiden looking more nervous than usual and Caroline appearing to be in the same emotional state he was – nervous but excited. He made a quick scan through her head and silently laughed at the thoughts that greeted him.

"Did I dress appropriately? Why did I wear these boots? They're totally not hiking appropriate! Stupid move, Caroline, stupid! Now they're going to all think you don't have any common sense just because you can't pick the right footwear! Well, they didn't tell me that they were going to a mountain….This is all Tyler's fault!"

"I gladly accept the blame for your shoes."

Caroline froze mid-step and stared at him wide-eyed. "Did you just…?"

"Telepathic link," Tyler explained. "All true mates have it."

She mumbled something under her breath with the words 'creepy' or was it 'cheesy'?

"Please keep out of my head."

"Of course." He obliged her.

For now.

They finally arrived at the clearing where there were various tents that the mates used while the wolves spent the night running and hunting. There was a large bonfire in the middle of it all where everyone old and young was gathered, enjoying the warmth of the fire. Mates cuddled together and little kids ran around making playful growling noises at each other like the pups they were. The den mothers and elders sat far away from the bonfire, nearer to the trees.

This was the pack.

He eagerly turned to Caroline to see her reaction and she seemed intrigued about how everyone acted. She was probably a bunch of naked people running around in the dirt and barking at each other.

Heh. That came later.

Remus got up the giant rock/podium to start the meeting. Everyone instantly kneeled down and showing their necks to show servitude except for Caroline which Tyler quickly remedied by pulling her down beside him.

"What the hell?" Caroline hissed at him in annoyance and he rolled his eyes at her before nodding towards where Remus was standing.

"My fellow wolves, my pack…" He began. "It is a special night for our kind for our young shall finally become wolf. Tonight, they shall run and hunt with us. Tonight, we welcome them with open arms!"

As Remus spoke, Tyler stared up at the sky, watching the moon rise to its apex and then past it. The transformation would be starting at about–

He let out a strangled groan as the first of the tremors started.

-now.

"Tonight let us rejoice. For tonight is another beginning!"

More and more of the wolves started falling to their knees. It was starting.

"Tyler?" Caroline asked worriedly, immediately by his side as he too fell to his knees, the cool dirt soft underneath his palms. "What's the matter?"

"Transformation…" He gasped out. "It's starting."

She looked horrified but didn't make a move to run. "What can I do to help?"

"Just…be there."

"Okay." She agreed, her arm wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him towards her. For a moment, all he can focus on is her scent and softness, the pain not so bad as he focused on her.

"It's going to be okay…it's going to be okay." She chanted right above his ear and he focused past the pain, past the tremors, on her. "Ssshh…I'm here, I'm here."

How did he ever go through a single shift without her there? All the pain wasn't so bad when he had somebody, had her there.

"I'm here, Tyler, I'm here."

That was the last thing he heard before he broke out of his skin.

It's all agony, screaming, and flesh tearing flesh after that. Vaguely, he was aware of Caroline's cries, her screams of horror and the other mates restraining her as he goes beyond himself and became the animal he is within.

Everything became brighter, louder, clearer when his hands became paws, when his skin became fur and his eyes became gold. He saw other wolves, other mates, saw the new tired grey wolf that was Aiden and most of all, he saw Caroline – lovely, beautiful Caroline with tears in her eyes as she turned tail and ran.

He followed.

I'm going through a very emotional time. I just found out I'm bipolar, I've tried to commit suicide thrice these past few weeks and I'm trying to make a decision whether I should return to school or just be home-schooled. So bottomline, when I don't update, please don't give me bull.