Loup-Garou looks like any other normal, human pub. A bar lined with high stools and seating areas that accommodate for both people who are dining and people who are meeting their friends for a drink after a long day. There are a few small groups of people already present; laughing and joking with each other, but otherwise it's quite quiet.
"So, this is where you work?" Hannah asks.
"Yep, I have done for almost three years now. The money is good and a lot of my friends come here, so I enjoy it," Samantha replies, taking a seat on one of the plush sofas.
"So, it's like you're social life as well?"
"I guess you could say that."
"Um, what does Loup-Garou actually mean?"
"It's the French word for werewolf."
"That's a coincidence! You work in a pub called 'Werewolf' and you are a…," Hannah claps her hands over her mouth before she finishes her sentence.
"Um, what's wrong?" Samantha questions.
"I nearly said that you were a werewolf out loud," Hannah whispers.
"You're such a dick. It's not a coincidence, this is genuinely a werewolf pub; everyone here, both employees and customers, are werewolves," Samantha explains.
"Are you serious? I think my brain might explode from the amount of information from the last few days trying to squeeze itself in; vampire nightclubs and werewolf pubs in the outskirts of London, who would have known?" Hannah whines.
"It's not exactly the biggest brain in the world, sweetheart," Samantha reassures her, "I'm going to grab a drink, I would offer you one but they don't sell Tru Blood here."
"That's ok," Hannah sighs, wishing she could have a strawberry and lime Kopperberg.
Samantha walks up to the bar and is approached by a tall, slim man with short, brown hair and a goatee that circles his mouth and chin.
"Oh, look who it is," he smiles.
"Evening, Ian," Samantha smiles back.
"I hope you plan on making up for the hours you owe me," he says, "Even as a member of the same pack, as your boss I'm not supposed to allow my employees to have nights off without at least two weeks prior notice."
"It was important and you know it, but yes, I'll make it up to you. I'll work a weekend shift or something," she replies.
"Alright, what can I get you?"
"I'll just have a small vodka and coke, please."
"What about your new friend?"
"Um, we don't supply what she drinks."
Ian pauses with a glass in his hand and peers behind Samantha.
"You brought a vampire into my pub."
"It's ok; she's not a proper vampire. Well, she is, but she doesn't have a Maker. She hasn't been taught anything. Gaspard and I have taken her under our wing with the intention of making her werewolf friendly."
"Do I need to call the loony bin?" Ian asks.
"No, I think Gaspard has already made a reservation for himself," Samantha laughs, "Look, you've got nothing to worry about. Besides, her belt doesn't exactly go through all the loops in terms of brain power."
"I have no place questioning my Alpha or his second in command but, as a friend, I will continue to question your sanity until I see any proof of this actually working," Ian says.
"You're not the first to think we're both crazy this week," she replies.
"Just… make sure you keep a low profile, ok? You know what will happen if certain people find out about this," Ian warns, "Here's your vodka; one eighty."
"Take it off my paycheque," she says, "And don't worry, I wasn't planning on yelling about it."
Samantha returns to the sofa and sits opposite Hannah.
"Thanks for that," Hannah says.
"Thanks, for what?" Samantha asks.
"I'm not even wearing a belt! Am I really that bad?"
"Maybe not, but your manners are. You shouldn't be listening in. I was talking about you, not to you."
Before Hannah can reply, she notices that Samantha's attention has been drawn away. Turning around, she sees a group of people walk into the pub. There are seven of them; three women and four men. They are all dressed in tailored suits and expensive-looking dresses. As they pass where the two of them are sitting, the man walking at the head of the group turns to look at Samantha and sneers at her. Hannah hears a low growl emitting from Samantha's throat, looking as if daggers could fly out of her eyes at any moment. She doesn't speak until they are at a comfortable distance.
"That was a bit hostile. Who're they?" Hannah asks.
"They are the London pack," Samantha replies, one side of her lip curling in contempt. "That guy is their Alpha. They think they're superior to the other packs in every way because they've successfully kept their wolf identities a secret in a city with barely any places to run without the danger of being seen or caught."
"Surely that's something to be proud of."
"Yes, it is, but there's a difference between being proud and being an asshole. He uses his authority to belittle anyone with a lower status than himself. He is a disgrace to the title of Alpha."
"Are you an Alpha?"
"No, I'm a Beta wolf; second in command. But, if our Alpha isn't able to here, I take over and stand in for him. So, right now, I suppose I am Alpha. That is only until Gaspard is back in the area though."
"Isn't he your boyfriend?"
"Yes."
"That must be weird; a boyfriend who you have to obey orders from."
"After nearly four years I've learnt how to balance being both his equal and his inferior. When it comes to matters involving the pack, I have to follow him; his orders are given out to maintain our safety. He doesn't abuse his authority though. Outside of his Alpha role, when it's just he and I or the pack getting together as friends, he will be our equal. That's how it should be."
"That's awfully complicated so I'm just going to pretend I understand how your relationship works and change the subject. Will I die if I drink Kopperberg?"
"Sweetheart, you're already dead but, I think there's probably a reason why vamps only drink blood."
Hannah doesn't answer. She keeps forgetting that she is no longer a living organism. Her heart no longer beats and the rise and fall of her chest as air fills her lungs isn't truly needed but done out of habit. She's a walking corpse.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hannah spots someone moving towards the two of them from behind the sofa that Samantha is sitting on. It's the same man whom she had growled at. His brown hair is swept across is forehead to just above his eyebrows and his pale, blue eyes are fixed on Samantha. He wastes no time making his presence known as he casually sits himself on the arm of the sofa.
"Hey, Samantha, how's it going?" he smiles.
"What do you want, Nicholas?" Samantha replies bluntly.
"Oh, nothing much," he says, his voice suddenly changing to a less friendly tone, "I was just wondering why the fuck you've brought a fanger into our den."
Nicholas' gaze moves to Hannah, nothing but disgust plastered all over his face, making no effort to hold back his contempt for her.
"Well, you can wonder as much as you like but the fact of the matter is that it's none of your business," Samantha states.
"I think you'll find it is. I have the right to an explanation of why you feel that it's acceptable to bring this vile creature into my territory," he snarls.
"I think you're forgetting where your boundaries lie because, the last time I checked, regardless of being in the outskirts of London, this is neutral ground," she snaps, "So back off and return to your little posse."
Nicholas stands and looks down upon Samantha, "It seems that when Gaspard is away, his bitch will play."
"Shut your trap; before I shut it for you," Samantha growls.
"Now, now, that's really no way to talk to an Alpha, is it?" he laughs, "He may be strong but Gaspard's leadership skills are a joke. He should really think more thoroughly when choosing himself a Beta wolf."
"SHUT UP!" she bellows, jumping to her feet.
The pub goes quiet as heads turn to face the both of them. Samantha's eyes are glowing gold as she bares her teeth at the man in front of her.
"Oi, knock it off!" Ian shouts at them over the bar, "I'm not putting up with that! One or both of you, get out!"
"Don't worry, we're going," Samantha replies, "Come on, Hannah."
Samantha's eyes slowly return to their normal, dark brown as she grabs her bag off of the sofa and makes her way to the front door, bashing past Nicholas as she passes him. She breathes in deeply as they step outside, trying to let go of her frustration before it manifested into anger. Once satisfied that she's calmer, she continues walking with Hannah sticking close behind her.
"I'm sorry about that," she says, "I hoped for the evening to go a lot smoother and certainly last long enough for us to actually talk."
"That's ok," Hannah smiles, "I don't mind sitting in the house and talking; but can we stop off somewhere and get some Tru Blood. I'm so hungry I could eat… well, I can't eat but… I could drink a sumo wrestler."
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice shouts after the two of them.
Hannah and Samantha turn to face the direction of the voice; it's Nicholas. He looks infuriated as he comes at them; gold eyes shining like beacons, nostrils flared and fists clenched. Samantha stands her ground but Hannah takes a few steps back, dreading how this is going to end.
"We're leaving," Samantha answers.
"Oh, no you're not! I'm not done with you yet," he growls, grabbing a hold of Samantha's arm in a vice-like grip.
"Get your fucking hands off me!" she yells.
"I might think twice before picking a fight with Gaspard but there's nothing you can do to me as a stand-in. You can't hide behind your boyfriend this time and none of your pack are here to defend you; they're probably just as repulsed at the sight of you showing mercy to a piece of shit fanger as I am, let alone allowing it to stand among us as if an equal. Then again, even if they were here it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference; you're all pathetic."
"Walk away, Nicholas, before I make you regret it."
"Oh my, is that a threat? And what's the Chihuahua going to do to me; bite my ankles? You call yourself a wolf but you're a disgrace!"
"Don't talk to me about being a disgrace! You need to take a good look in the mirror before you start throwing insults. Gaspard is twice the Alpha you could ever hope to be!"
"You know what? Gaspard can go fuck himself. He should be put down like the dog he is."
In less than a second it becomes clear that Nicholas has gone a step too far as he is suddenly shoved with such great force he is flung across the passageway. Hannah gasps, shocked and horrified; Samantha had launched a man at least twice her weight, with what seems like no effort at all, a good seven metres from where he previously stood. Her eyes are aglow, pure rage clearly building up inside of her as animal-like sounds rumble in the back of her throat.
"How dare you!" she spits.
Nicholas rises off of the ground, not looking even the least bit phased by her actions. He smirks and laughs under his breath.
"The last time you assaulted me like that, your packmaster was very quick to step in and pull you away. What is it? Do you have problems with controlling yourself? Do you have a habit of getting yourself into fights you'll never win?"
Before she can answer, Samantha inhales sharply and freezes on the spot, almost as if she is terror-stricken. Hannah watches as her irises slowly turn black, leaving only a ring of gold around the pupils, and she starts hyperventilating.
"Sam, are you ok?" she asks.
Samantha doesn't respond but stares straight ahead, looking on the verge of a mental breakdown. Her attention is fully-focused on Nicholas; a menacing glare projecting nothing but hatred, her nose wrinkles as she bares her teeth, snarls and growls mixing in as her breathing slows and becomes heavy.
"Sam, please," Hannah begs, placing her hand on Samantha's forearm, "He isn't worth it."
Without warning, Samantha swings her other arm around, slamming the palm of her hand into Hannah's chest which sends her crashing into a wall behind a pile of rubbish bags.
"Temper, temper," Nicholas warns, waggling a finger at her.
His condescending smile quickly fades when he hears the cracking of bones as Samantha strains and whimpers in obvious pain. He watches her limbs begin to lengthen, the veins in her arms visibly pulsating as her clothes start to rip and tear. A thick layer of fur surfaces and covers her body; long claws burst through the front of her shoes and a bushy tail is revealed as the material that used to be her shorts drops to the floor.
"What the fuck," Nicholas breathes.
The creature that now stands before him resembles the beast described in almost every werewolf legend in existence and is neither human nor wolf, but a combination; body akin to that of an out of proportion human, holding herself up on two legs, but with all the defining features of a wolf. A snarl reveals fearfully large, sharp teeth that glisten with saliva.
Without warning, she lunges at Nicholas, arms outstretched with the intent of running him through with her razor-sharp claws. He dives out of the way and rolls across the concrete.
At this moment, the other members of the London pack come onto the scene, laughing and joking, but almost instantly, they are silenced by the sight of their Alpha cowering before a monstrosity. Too stunned and afraid to move, all they do is watch as Nicholas is set upon again by a frenzy of slashing claws; each endeavour getting closer to hitting its mark. The only person who takes any action is one of the pub waitresses, Jade, who is sneaking out for a cigarette. Her smoke break is cut short by what she sees. Turning on her heels, she goes sprinting back indoors to warn Ian. Seconds later, the bar owner rushes outside and stops dead in his tracks.
"Oh, shit," he gasps.
Meanwhile, Hannah digs her way out of the pile of rubbish bags, finally gaining her footing and pulling herself up. She looks at the scene of horror before her.
"Oh my God!" she cries, running towards Samantha
"You can't go over there," Ian shouts, grasping Hannah's arm.
"Someone has to stop her!" she yells.
"Charging over there isn't going to help anything; she's dangerous," he tells her, "She won't recognise any of us and you'll only end up getting yourself hurt, or worse."
"We can't just stand here! We have to do something!"
"Look, I know what she is; I've never seen before but the last time I'm aware of this happening, it didn't last very long. We just need to wait for her to calm down or wear herself out and hope that idiot can keep outrunning her."
"This is my fault."
"You certainly didn't help but Nicholas has always jumped at the chance to start on Sam; he clearly decided to take it to a whole new level this time."
Nicholas is becoming slower and more sluggish with his movements. Fatigue is taking over his body; but Samantha keeps on coming. Her jaws narrowly miss him as she hurls herself in his direction again. There is only one option for him; run. Using the last of his strength, he shifts into his wolf form, wasting no time with removing his clothes, and makes a dash for safety. He's too slow. As he leaps to get past, she clamps her jaws around his hind leg whilst he's in mid-air and swings around, catapulting him into a wall.
By the time he hits the floor, Nicholas is back in his human form, ripped clothes hanging off of him and blood pouring from his head and leg. He has no time to move before he feels the stabbing pain of sharp teeth sinking into the skin of his upper arm. The sound of his blood-curdling scream is sickening.
"You said she was going to turn back," Hannah whispers, "Why hasn't she turned back? You can't just let her eat someone! It'll kill them both! He'll die of blood loss and she'll die of mad wolf disease!"
Just as Nicholas feels he has no hope left, the sound of sprinting footfalls echo down the street and a loud voice shouts out.
"STOP!"
