Grif got better with each passing week. Both Grif siblings were back to their usual selves with every day their mom's death became further away in time from the present.
The only thing that Simmons noticed that was odd and that he had quite some trouble with was that Grif and Kai had both become more withdrawn and silent with every day that passed too.
He was pretty worried about that actually, always wondering to himself why they were acting so strange and why they were starting to keep things from him.
Whenever either of them would come back from work or school, they would turn immediately after doing everything that was required of them at the Sanctuary. They remained in their wolven form then for the rest of the night or during the whole weekend.
It actually took Simmons quite some persuading on his own end to bribe Grif into turning into his human form in order to be with him. It was beyond strange and Simmons didn't know what to do in response to this troubling new behavior.
He had just come back from checking up with the telekinetic, Vic, who was actually driving him up the fucking wall. Luckily, he wasn't the only one.
Carolina seemed to think quite the same thing when she first met the annoying as fuck telekinetic…
Now he wandered down to the lower floors to visit Doc for his yearly vaccination. Simmons hoped that O'Malley would shut up for once and let Doc talk.
Doc was a two-face. On the back of his head he had a second face that had its own character and will.
Fortunately, this being wasn't able to control Doc's actual body but he was rather annoying and sometimes troubling to interact with in this particular case nonetheless.
On especially bad days, Doc could only smile apologetically while O'Malley would cuss, curse, and blab about how he would take over the world and become its only leader and other shit.
His plans were even more insane than Sarge's.
It was probably for the best that only Doc was able to control the body they owned and was a pacifist.
Though since O'Malley was so unhinged, none of his plans would work in a thousand years besides.
A two-face, to put it simply, was a genetic mutation that occurred during pregnancy. The only point necessary for a two-face to be born save the genetic mutation itself was that the child must have a form of dissociative identity disorder already during the pregnancy.
The two-faced psyche would then cause a second face to appear at the back of the fetus' head, giving the second person living in the body its own mouth.
Luckily, Doc managed to get O'Malley distracted long enough so that Simmons was able to give him the vaccination and leave without any major issues. Thankfully.
Walking up to Kimball's room, he shortly knocked and walked in.
She was already waiting for him as she had asked for the redhead's help earlier. Another branch of the
Sanctuary had a request concerning a wolven as they had one that had been acting weirdly during the last few days.
Simmons was a well-known expert about wolvens in the Sanctuary network and even outside the Network amongst the Abnormals.
Since he was part of the pack and decided to specialize on wolvens, he had learned a lot of things about wolvens: their dynamics, their unique diseases, and the various ways of treating whatever problem they might be experiencing at a given moment.
Also due to being a member of the pack, he knew how to react to actions made by wolvens when approaching them. He was able by now to put wolvens at ease because other wolvens noticed his pack-stench and knew he was part of a pack, and therefore familiar with pack structures and how to behave around wolvens.
Like when you had to treat an Alpha, you had to be very respectful and wait until the Alpha was giving you his permission.
When you were treating a Beta, you had to treat them equally.
Omegas should be dominated. They only knew one language: dominance. Dominate them and they will follow your lead and your instructions without any beefing or bellyaching.
Upon entering the room, Kimball waved him over to sit beside her. When he sat down on the chair beside the Sanctuary's leader, he could see that she already was in a conference call with the leader of the Mexican branch where the only wolven living at that branch of the Sanctuay was currently behaving strange.
"Hello, Doyle." Simmons greeted, Kimball and the Leader of the Sub-Branch obviously already having talked about everything beforehand.
Doyle was a Mouser.
As the name implied that meant he was a blend of human and mouse. He was able to turn into a mouse just as wolvens turned into wolves and werecats into cats. Mousers were typically rather cowardly in their mannerisms, so it was pretty surprising that this kind of guy had become the leader of one of the Sanctuary branches.
"Doyle, would you mind telling our expert on wolvens what is happening exactly?" Kimball asked in her well-mannered tone.
Simmons' cheeks flushed a little at this praise and at the well-worded title he was addressed with.
"Of course, Ms. Kimball. Mr. Simmons." Doyle greeted the redhead who recently joined the conversation with a slight nod of his head before an awkward silence filled the air.
"So you have a wolven acting strangely?" Simmons finally asked, helping to give the man a starting point once it became apparent that Doyle hadn't been sure of what to say just then.
"Yes, indeed. He is acting quite strangely." Doyle began, though he hesitated a bit instead of elaborating any further.
"Would you mind telling me how the wolven got to the Sanctuary? What gender is this particular? wolven? What is their rank?" Simmons questioned, patiently listening to Doyle's eventual answers once he got his thoughts in order.
"He is an Alpha called Kevin. He was the leader of the local pack here for some years, until one of the younger wolvens who had just come to Mexico took over leadership of the pack in a fierce battle." Doyle was reading from a notebook he had brought with him to the conference call, "He came to us pretty badly off. We were able to save him, even if it was push and go for some time afterwards actually."
Simmons took out his pad, making his own notes on what Doyle was telling him as the other man continued, "He healed fairly well and has stayed with us for the last two years in the security of the
Sanctuary. He even helped with our daily tasks and helped us in finding out about some of the storage areas of the Charon Company."
Simmons nodded, writing down more information.
"What changed then, so suddenly?" Simmons led Doyle into explaining what was now happening with the wolven.
Doyle's voice became thoughtful when he started thinking back on what had happened, "It started around a month ago and has gotten progressively worse since then."
Simmons perked up a bit at that. This definitely sounded familiar.
He asked Doyle to continue with a motion of his hand, "He became withdrawn and almost a bit aggressive. He is staying in his wolven form at every possible moment and he is locking himself up. And by locking himself up, I mean it. Quite literally." Doyle heaved another sigh, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Since two weeks ago, he has started locking his door at night. I once walked by and heard strange noises coming from his room. They were akin to growling, grunting and shifting. He often looks faraway as if his mind is somewhere else entirely, which is not how he normally is. I often have the distinct impression that something is forcing him to act in this out of characteristic manner." Doyle explained, shrugging helplessly with his shoulders.
"We checked him over for any parasites that could control him or for any sort of changes in his cranial structure. We even let a telepath check him over and try talking to him mentally, but he won't tell us what is going on. As he has no mate, we cannot tell how he would be acting if he did have one." Doyle concluded his explanations with a shake of his head.
"Not really any differently." Simmons stated with a deep sigh, causing both Doyle and Kimball to startle.
"You know what the problem is, Simmons?" Kimball asked, looking questioningly at the redhead.
He nodded, "Yeah, Grif and Kai are acting the same way. I chalked it up to their mother's passing away as to why they were acting so strangely. But getting information from other places that all wolvens on this continent are actually acting weird, I suppose there must be something else going on." Simmons explained, shortly summing up the odd behavior of the Grif siblings.
"Could it be some kind of tidal moon effect? I mean… the effects of the sun and moon in one together? The same moon causing springtides?" Kimball asked, looking expectantly at the redhead just as Doyle did.
"No, tidal moons aren't that bad for wolvens. They're a bit tougher than normal full moons, but…" Simmons trailed off, snatching his tablet up to look something up on it.
"Fucking shit. We're fucked." Simmons muttered just then, rubbing his hands over his face when he found the reason that explained Grif's, as well as every other wolven's, strange behavior looking up at him from the tablet's surface.
"What is it, Mr. Simmons?" Doyle asked, obviously picking up on his changed behavior along with Kimball.
Simmons looked up from his hands before saying two words, "Blood moon."
Kimball sucked in air through her teeth, while Doyle looked rather puzzled at the brief response, "Blood
moon? You mean the lunar eclipse where the moon turns red?"
Simmons nodded, "Yeah. It also has pretty bad effects on wolvens. I would suggest that you lock the wolven up in the quarantine quarters at least if not in the high security compartment tomorrow from
moonrise until moon dawn."
Doyle's eyes became wider and wider as Simmons continued, looking over to Kimball, "Although they're my pack, I will suggest the same to them right after we have finished our discussion here just to make them feel safe and so that we can remain safe ourselves."
Kimball nodded, informing Carolina to start preparing holding cells for the wolvens. They shouldn't feel as though they were being locked away so it was imperative that they feel comfortable in them, which meant that Carolina would have something to do during the hours left until the eclipse would start.
"What is it about the blood moon that affects wolvens so much?" Doyle asked, obviously having ordered the same to his assistant, who hurried off in the background.
Simmons sighed, "I will send you and the other branches affected by this," he looked over to Kimball and received a nod in response, "The document on the blood moon and its effects on the wolvens later. For now, I'll give you the short version. To put it simply: the redder the moon, the stronger the instincts of the wolven take over. Their logical human mind doesn't have much say during this event, as the instincts are too dominant during this night. Only wolven who are in the 'light,'" Simmons marked the word with apostrophes with his fingers in want of a better word, "Of the blood moon are affected."
He tapped on the right armrest before continuing, "The blood moon is the only night when wolvens actually are able to bite and turn someone. Which is why they are so dangerous during it." He told them, "They are led by their instincts during this night. And the only thing their instincts are telling them is to bite and turn as many people as possible, most of all their mate if they have one and he or she isn't a wolven themselves. The call already starts about a month before the blood moon, which is why they start withdrawing so that they do not hurt someone."
Simmons rubbed his chin before adding, "The blood moon is the reason why horror stories of bloodthirsty wolvens started making their way around. They are not themselves during this time. If you have no bite resistant inhabitants, I suggest not getting too close to them during the whole night. Give him food and water, and leave him until the next morning."
Simmons suppressed a grimace when he thought about Grif being locked away, "They will get better as soon as the eclipse starts to dissolve. As soon as the Earth is out of the sunlight's way completely, they will get pretty clear in their head again. But I suggest you leave them in the quarantine quarters until the moon sets and the sun has risen completely."
Doyle nodded, taking notes and giving them to his assistant when he showed up again.
They shortly talked some words in Spanish before the assistant, a cousin of Lopez's, left again.
"So you are suggesting that we lock him away without any help during the night? That sounds cruel." Doyle remarked, "You are pretty harsh to take so drastic measures! This whole situation could end in the wolvens going crazy sequestered like that! Or in their death!"
"Dexter Grif is the Alpha of the pack here in the Sanctuary in Atlanta and my mate." Simmons bit out between gritted teeth. He felt anger rising in his chest at Doyle's words, "I don't like locking the wolvens away like that anymore than you do, even more-so when one of them is my mate. But it's the only possible way to keep everyone else safe and to keep the wolvens from doing something they might regret later!"
Kimball laid a hand on Simmons' shoulder to calm him down. He breathed in and out deeply to calm himself.
"It is the best solution for everyone we have. Be happy that your wolven doesn't have a mate." Simmons growled out, looking at Doyle with anger in his eyes.
Doyle flinched at the look Simmons gave him.
"Why? Is that a bad thing?" Doyle asked, and Simmons seriously started to wonder if Doyle was just incredibly naïve or plain dumb.
"Because, as I already explained, the first thing wolvens with a mate want to do is to turn their mate if they aren't a wolven. So, in my case, Grif most likely will try to chew through the door to get to me and bite me. Or he would try to beckon me into joining him in the cell." Simmons explained with a slightly unnerved undertone to his voice.
Thinking on it, he didn't know if he was strong enough to get through the night with Grif beckoning him.
And besides, was it really so bad should he get turned?
A wolven specialist being a wolven themselves surely would help.
Simmons shook his head, determined.
There was no time for such idiotic thoughts. He wouldn't let himself getting turned.
"So a wolven separated from his mate who isn't a wolven is the most dangerous thing you could have in your Sanctuary during a blood moon." He explained, his voice a lot softer this time.
"I see. I am sorry to hear that." Doyle muttered apologetically, looking down at his hands in an awkward fashion.
Simmons sighed again, knowing the other man was sincere, "It's okay, we will deal with it." He assured him, "In your case, I would suggest you try to get him to help you with the plan. If he doesn't want to do so, sedate him and then lock him away. But having the wolven help you in this case helps as he wouldn't be trying as much to start a ruckus during the blood moon. Sure, he will be nervous still, but not nearly as bad as if you did have to do everything to him against his own will."
"I understand." Doyle nodded once more, "I thank you very much for your help, Mr. Simmons."
"You're welcome. Please inform me about how it goes with your wolven resident during this time. I am happy for any new information I can get on the matter." Simmons told him.
Doyle smiled, "I will. Please, stay safe."
Simmons nodded shortly to Doyle and Kimball before leaving the office.
He had something to do.
Walking down to the quarantine quarters as their high security quarters were all occupied, he met up with Carolina who was currently in the process of setting up the second room.
He was rather impressed by how thoroughly and caringly she was with setting up the holding cells for the wolvens all the same.
"Is that okay for the wolvens?" Carolina asked with an even split between curious and teasing in her voice.
"For the wolvens, yes." Simmons replied dryly.
"But?" the redhead prompted the young male further when she caught the hidden note in his voice.
"I'll need some kind of earplugs for the night." Simmons informed her with a wry smile.
"Earplugs?" Carolina asked, cocking an eyebrow at his remark.
Simmons' smile became a tad more awkward, "Grif will be trying to coerce me into joining him in the cell to be with him in order to turn me."
Carolina shortly looked at her fellow redhead with wide eyes before schooling her expression back into a teasing smile.
"So you don't want to hear how your mate is trying to get you into his bed in the sweetest ways he is able to muster? Or are you afraid of becoming a wolven?" she asked.
Simmons turned beet red, coughing awkwardly at Carolina's remark, "You know what? Forget about the earplugs. I will lock myself up in my room and stay there the whole night tomorrow. I can't hear him up there anyway." He muttered, walking away from the quarantine holding cells that Carolina was arranging the last details of.
Again, the question of if he wanted to become a wolven or if he wanted to keep away.
The closer the blood moon got, the more Simmons became unsure about his decision to stay in his room.
But he had to! He wouldn't let himself get turned!
Wandering through the hall back to his room, he pondered over the upcoming events. He didn't know how to even begin to approach the subject to Grif and Kai.
Should he grab the bull by the horns? Or try approaching the subject carefully so as to not scare them away?
Maybe Kai or Grif would need some kind of explanation as to why they had to go to the holding cells?
Simmons shook his head with a low laugh. He was such an idiot.
Grif wouldn't give a fuck about how he approached the subject and Kai would understand what he meant as she was way smarter than anyone would give her credit for.
She would understand what he wanted to say and why it was necessary for her to stay in the holding cell during the event.
Grif, on the other hand, could feel betrayed as Simmons was his mate and was the one who brought up this particular subject. On the other hand, he could get pissed if someone else should tell him about the situation instead as that person wouldn't be pack like Simmons was.
So maybe it wouldn't turn out that badly?
Simmons felt slightly hopeful, but stayed on his toes.
Wolvens often could react quiet violently and angrily if they felt like you wanted to take their freedom away. Freedom for roaming like they wanted to do if their Alpha allowed it.
However, Simmons was pack. That was a point in his favor.
He was no wolven. Negative point.
He was not the Alpha of the pack. Another negative point.
But he was the mate of the Alpha of the pack. Another point in his favor.
Simmons sighed heavily when he walked up the stairs to the ground floor leading to his room. He only knew one thing concerning this whole discussion.
This was going to fucking suck major balls.