Moon Shadows

…...

Warnings: werewolf compliant violence, mild M/M

…...

Michael swept into his Grandpa's house, waving at his mom as he took the stairs to his room two at a time. A few minutes later, he was tromping back down the stairs, worn backpack over his shoulder, waving again and calling out as he opened the door.

"Bye, Mom! I'm staying at a friend's for a few days… see ya!"

"Wait, Michael, who? Where? Michael?!"

His mother called after him, getting up and going to the door, seeing the taillight of his bike already far down the gravel drive.

"That boy! I've barely seen him at all in the last month! We're going to have a serious discussion when he gets back home." She paused, turning towards Sam, who shrunk down behind his comic.

"Do you know who his 'friend' is? Where they live?"

"No, Ma! All I know is he met a girl, and they hang with some guys on bikes! I don't know anything about them!"

"A girl, hmm?" She sighed. "Alright mister. Time for you to head upstairs."

"It's only eleven! It's summer!" She shook her head.

"Aww, Mom!" Sammy whined.

He stood and headed up the stairs, grumbling all the way as Nanook followed. "Thanks a lot, Mike."

Lucy sat down on the couch, sighing heavily and running her hands through her short hair, like she could massage the annoyance and worry of raising two boys out of her mind physically.

"Something wrong, Luc?"

"Oh, Dad. Michael's run off with his friends again. I don't even know who he's with, or where they live!" She leaned back, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Tell me I wasn't this bad when I was his age?"

Her grizzled father laughed deeply. "Much worse, if I recall."

"Dad!"

"Hey, at least Michael hasn't disappeared for a year and come home with a spouse and a baby on the way. Yet."

"Thanks, Dad. That really makes me feel better." Lucy rolled her eyes, smile tweaking the edge of her lips.

"Anything to help my little girl." He winked at her, chuckling as he went to kitchen to get a root beer.

…...

After the concert ended, Mike and the gang hung out a while on the beach, setting up a fire and sharing liquor and weed. Michael was trying to enjoy his buzz, but something kept itching at him. It felt like his shirt was too tight, even though it hung a bit loose on him. The irritation hung in his inebriated consciousness, making him twitch and frown even though he was enjoying himself, having a good time with David and the rest.

His unrest was not unnoticed. David shared a look with Star and Dwayne, watching their newest member as his changing blood fired up, responding to the waxing moon, now only a day from full.

Paul noticed too, sitting down next to the restless boy, mischievous grin in place. He reached over, scratching Mike's back lightly, grin widening as Mike groaned and rolled into the soothing touch.

"You OK there, Mikey? Ya look like you have ants in your pants."

Michael flashed him an irritated look, before sighing and shifting a bit to move a different part of his back under those delightful nails.

"I dunno. I just feel weird. Anyway, thanks man, that feels really good."

Paul exchanged a glance with a smirking David.

"No problemo, Mikey." Paul slid his hand lower, to caress just under the back of Mike's jeans. He leaned close to whisper in his ear. "There're other ways to soothe an itch." David coughed, and Paul sighed, warm breath ghosting over prickling flesh. "If you want."

Look of confusion turning flustered, Michael blushed, eyes darting to meet Paul's, then dropping away. He ran a hand through his curly hair, sighing raggedly.

"I…I don't know."

"It's OK, Mikey. Plenty of time for that. And so many other ways to have fun…" Paul licked at Michael's neck, then moved in to kiss and nip, biting gently on the shell of an ear as his hand continued to rub Mikey's low back.

Michael groaned, griping on to Paul as the blonde continued to assault his neck and shoulder, turning when a tongue licked across his lips to meet it with his own. Soon the two were kissing roughly, hands roaming and pulling each other close.

David and Star glanced at each other, exchanging smirks as they enjoyed the show. A group of beach kids was passing by, and stopped to hurl insults at the pair.

Michael pulled back, face flushing and eyes downcast. The rest of the pack turned to face the intruders, eyes flashing and teeth showing in barely restrained snarls.

David stood, menace oozing from hard eyes and firm stance.

"Best keep moving, kiddies. If we wanted your opinions, we'd beat them out of you."

One of the boys, in a loud-colored tank and board shorts, moved forward, face twisted in angry inebriation. "Who the hell do you think you are? We're not gonna listen to a bunch of pansy f*gs! Get your punk asses out of here before we kick you out!"

The group behind him cheered, and another boy joined in. "You can leave the girl; she looks like plenty of fun." More cheering and catcalls followed.

All the pack was on their feet now, even Michael. David moved forward and his men flanked him, Michael coming to stand by his side, almost shaking with anger.

David smiled at the group of kids, and the one in front paled a little, his eyes going wide.

"If you think you can take us, you're welcome to try."

David's grin got bigger, white teeth glinting in the night, somehow looking a little sharper than they really should be. His men had the same smiles, all except for Michael, who looked ready to explode any minute.

Thrown off by the pack's confidence and…something unsettling, the self-appointed leader of the surfer gang backed up a little. His second gave him a questioning look, a little too drunk to have his friend's sense of self-preservation.

"Hey man, we can take 'em, what gives?"

The lead guy wrapped an arm around the idiot's shoulders, his hand effectively clamping over the other's mouth. When his friend started to struggle, he glared him into silence before turning back to David.

"Eh, she's an ugly chick anyway. You're lucky we got better stuff lined up. Just wait till next time!"

"Oh, we'll be waiting, alright." David's fiercely amused gaze followed all of them as the surfers moved back and away down the beach. Michael turned on David as soon as the group was out of sight.

"How could you let them go?!"

"Take it easy, Michael. We'll take care of things in due time."

Michael was still wound up, breathing hard. He poked hard at David's chest; his face twisted in anger.

"They insulted Star! They deserved to pay!"

David went still and quiet, his face calm. Everyone else backed up, giving the two space.

"You have one last chance, Michael. Stand down. That's an order."

"Or what, David? You gonna taunt me like those assholes did? Maybe you're a weak ass pansy if you can't even stand up for your girl."

Michael had barely a moment to register the flash in David's eyes before he was clotheslined and thrown to the sand. He bounced up, arms open to grapple, only to be grabbed and tossed bodily across the fire, landing on his back with the air knocked out of him.

Heaving, he struggled to get up, suddenly once more face down in the sand, a heavy body landing on top of him, arm snaking around his neck. He fought hard, trying to throw David off, but the other man had the advantage, wrapping around him and pinning him to the ground.

Almost screaming in rage, Michael bucked and writhed, trying everything his addled mind could think of to get free. David rode him like cowboy on a bronc, letting Michael tire himself before bringing his face close.

When Michael paused for breath, David bit at the back of his neck, jaws gripping hard on skin, pulling it tight. Michael froze, then started shaking, muscles tensing and releasing as he wrestled with himself, anger driving him to fight back but unable to push past his body's insistence on relaxing against the hold David had on him.

Several tense moments passed as he struggled, teeth grinding in frustration. He gave out with a sudden ragged cry, body going completely slack, head dropping and turning so he lay with his cheek on the sand, panting hard. David held him for another minute, releasing him and getting up in one smooth movement.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" the velvet voice held soft amusement.

"Fuck you."

Michael huffed out, slowly getting to his knees. An open hand appeared in his vision, and he glanced up to see David smiling down.

"Perhaps. If you ask nicely."

He frowned, but took the hand anyway, pulling himself up and brushing the sand off his face and clothes. Rubbing at the back of his neck, he winced.

"What the hell was that?"

"That was a reminder of who's in charge, Michael. You follow my lead. Not that hard to understand."

"What is it with you and biting?"

David grinned, throwing a friendly arm around Michael's shoulders. "Guess I'm just a primal kind of guy. It settled you down though, didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess…?"

"Still feeling restless?"

Michael blinked, considering. "I guess I don't." Snorting, he shook his head. "There's gotta be an easier way to relax than letting you toss me around."

David slid his hand down, pinching Michael's ass hard and laughing deeply when he jumped.

"You seemed pretty happy the last time we tossed you around."

"Asshole. That's not what I meant."

"It could be, Michael. Anytime you want." David winked as he pulled out a cigarette, lighting up as he walked back towards the boardwalk and their bikes.

Star appeared next to Michael, smiling brightly. She looped her arm in his and pulled him along as they trailed David.

"That was really sweet of you. Standing up for me."

Michael smiled back at her. His hand rubbed unconsciously at his neck, and he grimaced at the lingering soreness.

"Didn't exactly work out."

She giggled, shaking her head.

"You have to listen to David, that's all. It's not like he orders us around all the time, just, when he does, you gotta do what he says. Elsewise he's a real pain in the… neck."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"It's not much to ask, not when he takes care of us, makes sure we're safe and have everything we could need. Is it?"

Michael sighed, squeezing her hand where it rested on his arm.

"No, I guess it isn't."

Marko ran past them laughing like a maniac, followed shortly by a bellowing Paul. Side-eyeing each other, the more sedate couple burst into laughter, and Mike threw an arm over Star's shoulder to give her a quick squeeze.

Dwayne caught up to them, eyes sparkling with humor over his brother's antics. The three walked along in companionable silence till they reached the boardwalk where the three blondes waited with varying degrees of patience, already astride their bikes.

The pack took off, headed back to their cave retreat, Star sitting behind Michael, warm hands sneaking under his shirt to wrap tight around his middle. Arriving at the bluff, he realized Marko and Paul weren't with them. Star laughed brightly as he looked around.

"Food run. Well, food and booze."

She moved to the top of the stairs, pausing to look over her shoulder at him, the cool ocean breeze setting her hair to dance around her. She smiled, eyes dark and gleaming in the night, and disappeared down the steps, only the faint sound of her laughter left floating in the wind.

The sound sparked a different hunger in Michael, and he rushed to follow, taking the steps two at a time as he raced after her.

…...

Lucy ran her fingers through her short-cropped hair for the hundredth time, searching the mirror for any flaws, anything out of place. Looking hard at her reflection, she sighed deeply, wiping at a smudge of blush that had been blended into oblivion an hour ago.

Sam half-watched her nervous behavior with wandering interest, more drawn by the comic in his hand. The two dweebs at the comic shop were sure zombies infested Santa Carla, and had given him a free comic they assured was a 'handbook' for staying alive and prevailing over the walking dead.

Sam had rolled his eyes so hard he could have sworn he saw his brain, but the guys were so serious, and it wasn't like there was much else to do in this town at night without his big brother around to play chaperone. So free horror comics it was, despite the discomfort he felt at the lurid, explicit pictures of them eating humans alive, turning their victims into new zombies bent on infecting an entire town.

The doorbell rang, making Sam jump as Nanook barked in response and rushed to the door.

"Nanook, settle down!"

The malamute whined at Lucy, quieting but not leaving it's station by the door. She took a deep breath and opened it, trying to smile while keeping an eye on the dog.

"Max, good evening! Please don't mind the dog, Nanook's just a little protective, but he won't hurt you."

"Good evening, Lucy. I'm not worried, he looks like a fine protector for your family. Can I come in?"

"OH, of course, please! I was just going to grab a sweater, and then we can go. Have you met Sam?"

She walked to the couch to pick up the sweater she'd left draped on the back, giving Sam a meaningful glare at the same time. He finally noticed, cringed and then looked over at the older man standing just inside the doorway. Nanook had laid down at the man's feet, rolling to show his belly.

"Uh, Hi! I guess…Nanook, get away, go lay down!"

"Max, this is Sam, my youngest son. I'm afraid you'll have to wait to meet Michael, he's off on a sleepover with friends."

"Nice to meet you, Sam." Max smiled, reaching down to pat Nanook on the head. "Go on, off you go."

Nanook rolled back up, walking over to the couch Sam was on to jump up and lay down with him. Sam gave the dog a weird look, then gave Max a weird look. Then he realized his mom was giving him an exasperated look, and, smiling uncomfortably at her and Max, turned back to his weird and uncomfortable comic.

Lucy sighed, turning towards Max with a forcibly cheerful smile. "OK then, let's go, shall we?"

Max chuckled, holding out an arm for her to hook a hand around. He opened the front door with a gallant flourish.

"As the lady commands."

As they drove off, Grandpa came out of his room of overstuffed horrors, causing Sam to jump as he closed the sliding doors with a bang.

"They gone?"

"Yeah, Grandpa. It's all clear."

"Good. Never could stand guests."

Sam laughed, watching Grandpa shuffle to the kitchen.

…...

Walking down the street with her tall and handsome suitor, Lucy had to admit she was having more fun than she'd had in a very long time. It was rather sad to consider how long she'd gone without someone that actually cared about her needs and wishes, someone that thought she had something interesting to say.

"Have you tried the local community college? I'm sure they have beginner art courses that would get you started."

"Oh, Max, I couldn't! I'd be the oldest student there!"

"Well, so what? I'm sure the kids would benefit from your perspective."

She smiled up him, already championing her half-brained idea to start painting as a hobby, fill her time now that her children didn't need constant looking after.

"Well…I suppose I could try…"

"That's the spirit! What's the worst that could happen?"

"That I'd be terrible, and everyone would laugh at me for being too old to try something new?"

"They wouldn't dare! At least not where the professor could hear them. And so what if they did? I assure you Van Gogh was laughed at too, and look how loved his work is today."

"Max, really, I'm no Van Gogh!"

"Well…. not yet, lovely lady, you still have both your ears."

"Max!" She giggled. Mercy, she was giggling like a school girl. She shook her head at her own behavior, unsure of just how she'd turned in to some besotted child when she had kids old enough to be almost out of school. She was so caught up she didn't notice the figures stepping out of the alley to surround them, though Max certainly did.

"You there, what do you want?"

"Hand over your cash, old man, and we might just let you and the lady live." The moonlight glinted off the barrel of a gun held in steady hands.

Lucy clung to Max's arm; her eyes wide as dinner plates. "…Max? ..."

"It's alright Lucy. You'll be fine. No matter what happens, just stay behind me. I think you boys need to keep moving, we're not the ones you want to bother."

"What are you doing, Max?! Just give them the money!" Lucy started to rummage through her purse, looking for the meager amount she had on her, fear making her fingers tremble.

Max gently pulled her hands out of her purse, moving her bodily behind him.

"Stay behind me, Lucy. I wish this could have gone differently, but please remember, I will not hurt you, no matter what else I might do or what you might see."

"What are you talking about?! Max?! I don't understand?!"

"Yeah old man, quit talking and hand over your wallet!" there was a solid click of the gun cocking.

Max sighed, pulling off his jacket and glasses, handing them to a very confused Lucy cowering behind him.

"Now, boys, are you sure you want to do this? I think you'll find there are easier targets out on the streets tonight. This is your last warning."

Dark laughter came from all around them, coupled with the sound of switchblades opening, making Lucy clutch at Max's jacket, shaking with fear.

"Stay down, Lucy, and remember, no matter what happens, I will never hurt you."

"MAX?"

The boy raised the gun to aim it at Max's chest. "Who's last warning is it now, loser?"

Max looked right at the boy, suddenly smiling wickedly with a mouthful of sharp and inhuman teeth.

"Yours, most certainly."

With a low growl Lucy could feel more than hear, he lunged towards the boy as she ducked down.

Lucy's heart dropped as gunshot broke the night, followed by a strangled cry and the sound of a body hitting the ground. There was more yelling and awful, wet, crunching noises. Just as quickly as the ruckus had started, the night turned quiet again.

She peeked over the jacket she'd hidden her face in, only to see a large black and grey wolf standing over the body of one of the boys that accosted them, licking blood off it's face.

None of their attackers were standing, and blood was everywhere. Max was nowhere to be seen, though his pants were on the ground near her.

The wolf eyed her a moment before tilting its head back to howl long and low. The haunting sound seemed to carry on the wind, reverberating through the darkened streets.

Lucy took a step back as the wolf walked her way, and it whined, lowering its head and creeping up to lay at her feet, tail wagging slowly, reminding her terribly of Nanook when he was guilty of mischief. She froze when it looked up at her, and the golden eyes that pinned her shifted to the warm, soft brown she'd seen gazing at her over dinner just a short time before.

Gasping, she dropped the bundle in her arms as the beast in front of her shuddered, the long snout flattening, limbs lengthening, thick fur giving way to smooth skin and that damnably charming face.

"…Max? …"

Her timid squeak was met with a gentle smile as Max crouched low in front of her.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy. I really wanted to give us more time together before I showed you this part of me. Please don't be afraid, I will never hurt you."

He reached up slowly, only to wince and pull back quickly, hissing as a wound in his shoulder stretched painfully.

"You're hurt!"

Lucy dropped down to her knees, shaky hand reaching towards the trail of blood making its way down his bare chest. She looked up at Max, worry and fear warring in her eyes. He took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips to brush a kiss over it, and her breath hitched as he did.

"It's alright, Lucy, it's just a scratch. I promise I mean you no harm. I'm afraid I couldn't say the same for those ruffians though, and I simply couldn't stand by and chance you getting injured."

"Max…what…what are you? Who are you?"

He chuckled lightly, soft smile lighting up his face and a kindly sparkle in his eyes that Lucy would have called charming barely an hour ago. Suddenly, he didn't seem so frightening.

"My dear, that's a story that's best discussed somewhere much more comfortable, hopefully with drinks. And preferably with all my clothes on, if that's alright with you. Now, if you wouldn't mind handing me my pants?"

Lucy actually looked at Max, her eyes traveling down only to widen as her cheeks colored, her eyes darting away.

"Oh...Max…" …and, she was giggling again.