Chapter Five- Romulus

Alexis watched Atticus head into the woods on the final full moon with intense jealousy and longing. She hadn't given up on being bitten and thus planned it carefully. She figured a bite on the last full moon would be perfect as she'd be able to take full form the next night and remember it. Atti will be angry that I managed to get him to bite me, but by then it will be too late. The sky darkened and she left the dorm, slipping into the forest armed with a flashlight to see. She found her brother's bag and wondered where to start looking for him. I can't get a bite from his mentor as he's only wild one night, usually the first night. Atti, in his wild state, is my only option. Let's see…since Atti's an animal right now, he will need food and water. So, I'll head for the lake to wait for him.

She walked through the woods, straining her ears to listen for growling or twigs snapping. She reached the lake without incident and was halfway to the water when she froze. There, by the lake's edge was a dark gray werewolf. It was muscular, body and limbs. She knew it was a werewolf as it stood on two legs and it had clawed hands instead of paws. The werewolf had been crouched by the water but now it stood and turned around, revealing glowing red eyes. Alexis gripped her flashlight tighter; she would use it as a way to beat the werewolf back once she had been bitten.

She stared at him, admiring his powerful form when he took a big leap and landed in front of her. He took her arms and held them out and to the side before his muzzle lanced down and bit her shoulder. Alexis screamed even as the teeth removed themselves from her skin. She hadn't realized she was free until she realized she was on her knees, one hand on the ground and the other on her shoulder, the flashlight on the ground in front of her. She blinked upon realizing this. He let me go, let me live. Does this mean that werewolves don't eat humans? If so, that's a lucky break and tomorrow night, I'll be a wifewolf. She smiled not aware that it was a cold smile; completely different from her normal one.

Alexis kept her distance from Atticus, knowing he had a sensitive nose and wasn't ready for him to smell wolf on her. She wanted to experience her first night before telling him what happened. I'll be sure to tell him that he didn't bite me since he has no memory of what he does when wild. Maybe I should seek out the one who bit me; perhaps he'll mentor me like Remus did for Atticus.

Atticus was confused. His sister hadn't come near him all day. This wasn't really an unusual thing; after all they did stay in different dorms, but he had felt that they were connecting quite well for siblings. Today, though, Alexis stayed away from him as if she was now afraid of him. She sat with her girl friends and on the opposite side of the room from him and always took a long path to classes to avoid passing too close to him. I don't get it, he thought. Why the sudden change in attitude toward me? Is it jealousy, maybe resentment? Perhaps I should have bitten her. I was convinced I made the right choice, now I don't know. Maybe I could ask Remus what he thinks.

"No, you were right not to bite her," Remus said as he stood nude behind a bush. Atticus was also behind a bush, naked, the forest lit by the ruby red sunset.

"I thought as much, but she's been avoiding me all day. That's unlike her."

"Well, jealousy and resentment can make one act unusual. I know that from experience with Romulus."

Atticus nodded thoughtfully. Remus and I have a couple of things in common. We're both the oldest of two and our siblings are jealous of our curses. The difference is that Romulus is an evil werewolf while Lexi is human. The sun vanished and both werewolves howled as they took their full forms.

Alexis stood in another part of the forest. She was behind a bush naked as she watched the sky, anxious and excited. She knew she was going to be spending time learning to use her senses and getting accustomed to her other new abilities, but that was fine with her. Once I have, Atti and I can have fun on non-full moon nights and we can talk about our enhanced traits. I'll also have the physical signs of a wolf.

The sky went dark and Alexi gasped as a pulse went through her. She blinked before tilting her head back and howling. Her body burned as fur the color of her hair coated her body, her breasts vanishing. Her ears became wolf ears that sat atop her head while her muzzle pushed out and her eyes turned green and intense. A yelp escaped as she fell onto her hands and knees as her spine curved. She saw her nails lengthen into sharp claws that extended past her newly formed paws. Her heels moved up as her feet became paws. A tail sprouted behind her as she grew in size and her muscles enlarged. She howled again and then growled as dark evil thoughts pervaded her mind. She felt infinitely smarter than the humans, stronger than her brother, and more efficient in being a vicious, merciless wifewolf.

She heard a sound behind her and spun around, ready to attack. She crouched low, ears flat, and a low growl in her throat. She was ready to kill anyone who appeared. When a dark gray wolf with deep green-black eyes appeared, however, her pose slackened and she stood. "It's you," she said in a voice slightly lower than normal as the evil within her began to affect her more.

"Yes," the wolf said in a dark, gravelly voice. "My name is Romulus and I take you for my student and companion. Perhaps, in time, a mate."

"I'm…Alexis. Wait a minute! A mate!? I'm no one's mate! Who do you think you are?"

"You're spirited. I like that. In any event, I'm your mentor, Alexis. I sought you out to guide and teach you in being a wifewolf. I expect you to heed everything I tell you. First, you will call me Master, particularly when teaching. Understood?"

"Yes…Master."

"Good." Romulus circled Alexis, admiring her sleek, powerful form. "Oh, yes. You are a lovely wolf. I am so glad I bit you."

"You were aware? I thought that wasn't possible on the full moon."

"It's possible as the dangerous aspect pertains to biting humans. It's necessary to know who needs a guidance."

"Makes sense."

"Of course. Now, I will begin with explaining the senses and instructing you in their use. Let us begin."

"Yes, Master."

Romulus smiled as best he could as Alexis practiced her senses. When he saw her last night, his urge to bite surfaced and he hadn't hesitated in cursing her. When he awoke the following morning, he began making plans. His idiot brother, Remus, was trying to turn him good and though he was evil and loved it, he couldn't seem to bring himself to kill him. I've killed for food so why can't I kill my brother? I've had no problem wounding him so that I can escape. I followed him here to kill him and yet I can't. His eyes flicked over to Alexis. Now that I have bitten someone, perhaps the two of us can work together to kill him. But first, she needs her evil to grow. If I can persuade her to have disdain for humanity, she may stay with me and she could end up a mate. She and I could rule this island and have a litter of werewolves.

Alexis closed her eyes and tilted her head up, nose flaring. A flood of scents came to her and almost made her sneeze. She breathed in normally and focused on the smells she got: Pine trees, the grass beneath her paws, animals that were prey to wolves, and a smell like rotting meat. She focused on that last one and located the source: Romulus.

"Master, you have a scent like rotting meat," she said.

"I do," he answered proudly. "Actually my scent is also wolf and death. You have a unique scent as well: Wolf and daisies."

"Yes. My brother told me I smell of daisies."

"You have brother?"

Alexis nodded, eyes still closed. "Yeah, an older one. He was bitten a month ago."

Romulus resisted the urge to growl angrily. His brother had bitten someone! He had bitten Alexis and found that Remus had turned her brother last month. Killing him will not be easy and he will focus on biting me with his student as backup. Hmm, if I turn Alexis to evil, I can order her to keep her brother at bay. Once Remus is dead, I'll have her kill her brother. His tail swished; it would be easy to turn her evil as his bite was already affecting her and she didn't know that her personality was changing.