I want to thank everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed this story so far! I didn't think that I would get this kind of response from everyone.
Right now I am in my exams month, but afterwards I hope to type some more chapters, as I am currently posting as I go.
I managed to write two chapters this month, but I am not going to keep you waiting, so this is an extremely long chapter for you instead. (Wrote most of this after being up for over 24 hours, so please excuse any spelling errors).
Now, let's get on with the story!
Please R&R!
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
Chapter 4 – Transforming moonlight
Amethysts and Crimson locked in the breathtaking moment, as the two stared into each other's eyes. Their blood raced through their veins, driven to move faster and harder, by the fear that had concurred both of them.
One feared being rejected for the millionth time in their seemingly pathetic existence, while the other feared that his decision would bring the downfall of his kind.
Time itself seemed to be evading them, as everything around them seemed to be put to a standstill. No matter what Yami did, it would have dire consequences.
The vampire king took a shallow breath and began to raise his right hand towards the wolf, never taking his eyes off of him, weary of what its reaction would be, to what he was about to do.
His fingers touched the downy, soft fur of the werehound for the second time that night. He held the young wolf by the back of its neck, as the pure terror played out within those violet eyes.
He knew it! He should have never asked the vampire to be his alpha! He was going to reject him! Worse! He was in his land surrounded by people who were going to hurt him, just like the blond wolf had said! It was going to end just like with the werewolves! All he had wanted was a safe place to hide and when he had begged for them not to harm him, they had attacked…with a vengeance. Anyone he had ever trusted had turned on him.
It was going to happen again! Any second now the vampire was going to use the hand on his neck to fling him away from him, rejecting his request to be his alpha…
Worse and worse images of passed pain played out in his mind, spiraling into even worse scenarios of horror, his heart racing out of control; apparently trying to flee his chest and the terror that had taken a hold of him.
His breathing escalated to hysterical pants, anticipating the pain that was to come yet again that night, when he felt it…
Yami's forehead was softly resting on his own, while he was still holding his neck in a soft, but dominating grip. The young wolf looked up at him as best he could, without breaking the contact.
The vampire had his crimson orbs hidden behind elegantly lashed curtains, while he calmly breathed in the cool night air that was streaming in from the fragrant garden.
If the werehound would have been able to cry in his wolf form, he would have been crying a waterfall of grateful tears. Relief and exhaustion played out on his face as he came to fully realize what the man in front of him had done. He had done what no other had. He'd accepted him…he finally had an alpha.
He finally, had a place he could call home…
Yami slowly opened his eyes, only to be met with deep silvery pools of amethyst. Letting out a breath he slowly lifted his head off of the young wolfs. He had accepted the offer of being a werehounds alpha, but then again, he didn't exactly have a choice either.
If he rejected him he could turn on his people and create a blood bath the likes of which even the current war wasn't capable of. It was true that at some point he would go insane and go on a rampage, no matter what Yami did, but this way he could keep an eye on him and maybe stop him before it came to that point. He would rather have a danger he could predict, than have it stalking the night, just waiting to end them all…
The wolf brought him out of his reverie as it pushed against his leg, which it was still using as support, to gain more altitude and nuzzled the underside of his chin, nearly forcing him to topple backwards.
The young wolf broke into a licking and nuzzling frenzy, while the other wolf in the room was too stunned to do more than stutter incoherently.
"Ok…ok! Calm down…I like you too" Yami said, while he was trying to get the overly enthusiastic wolf off of him, only succeeding after his face had already been thoroughly licked. He may be the young ones alpha now, but that didn't mean he needed a doggy bath…
Jumping around like a playful puppy, the small wolf was wagging its tail like there was no tomorrow, completely ignoring the werewolf in the room. It brought a seldom smile to the kings lips, as he watched such an innocent act.
Due to the war seeing children playing freely outside had become a very rare sight. The only children you saw about now were either living on the street or were orphans who had lost their parents. Knowing that he had caused the young one to be this happy, especially after what he had been through, only served to make Yamis heart seemingly swell with pride.
It was one of the few instances where he had managed to create something, make another feel wanted, cherished even. Something he thought he had unlearned after the death of his father, for since then, he had seemingly caused nothing but bloodshed and death…
"What the hell Yams! How could ya'!? He could be a spy for all ya' know!" Joey yelled.
Almost as if he had been hit, the white werehound froze in his tracks at the sound of the others voice. His fear of the blond instantly returned, with a vengeance.
"Joey, quit yelling. Do you want the entire castle to know he's here?!" Yami hissed at his friend. He normally got along with the blond wolf, but on some nights he just wanted to strangle the man.
"I gave you a chance a long time ago. I could have simply killed you when we met, or after you told me what you knew. I gave you the benefit of the doubt that not all of your kind are evil and now I'm giving him that same chance."
The words came out harsher than he meant them to be, but they were better than telling Joey the truth, about why he had really spared him all that time ago. If he ever found out, it would kill the relationship they had. He would never trust Yami again…
The king turned away from the stricken look on his friends face and turned to the whimpering silver wolf behind him. He had reverted back into the small ball of fur he had been just minutes ago, with only the very tip of his nose peeking out of the plush fur.
Yami began to stroke the soft fur again, trying to keep the young one as calm as possible. It was more than clear to him that he feared werewolves and with having one in the room his emotions were bound to be a mess. If his emotions got to far, he could go wild, something yami couldn't allow.
"This is different! I came to ya with info on the enemy. In the open even!" Joey countered, trying to conceal that the reminder of that night hurt him.
"I know that Joey, but he had multiple chances to kill me and he didn't use them. If he wanted me dead, you would be talking to my corpse right now" Yami said, with a certainty that made a shiver run down the werewolfs spine.
"Ya' can't be serious! He's just a pup! He's probably too afraid of you to even try anything"
"Joey…" Yami sighed, "He's not just a werewolf".
He knew that he might as well tell his friend now. The second Joey knew he would yell so loud that the whole castle would know, but the chance of keeping it quiet never existed.
A werewolf in a castle full of vampires was bound to be noticed. Even if he could hide the fact that he consumed blood, he couldn't come up with a reason for another werewolf to be in the castle.
He had already gone against his council and every vampire in the palace when he refused to send Joey back to the werewolf territory. He couldn't do it again, at least not without having to give something to the council in return.
"What ya mean he ain't a werewolf? I can smell it on him! What else is he supposed ta be?"
"Joey…he's a werehound"
The words didn't even have time to hang in the pregnant air that seemed to weigh down on Yamis shoulders, as he uttered those damning words, before everything seemed to happen all at once.
The color in Joeys face drained as if death itself was sucking the life out of him. He stood their almost frozen, while Yami slowly turned from him, his hand slowly sliding out of the soft fur surrounding the neck of the silvery wolf.
Nothing happened, until the scent of fresh blood filled the room.
Yamis blood…
Without a moments hesitation Joey sprang forward, shifting mid jump, back into his wolf form, his fangs bared. In the split second it took Joey to try and jump in front of Yami however, the vampire had spun around and placed his own arm in the path of those deadly jaws.
Joey barely managed to break his landing enough to not injure the arm of his closest friend, which was currently at the mercy of his own sharp, werewolf fangs.
His paws barely touched the ground, when he felt Yami press his arm into his mouth, forcing him to back away, or bite down on the offending appendage.
This kind of tactic was usually reserved for the battlefield, when an opponent had already managed to bight your arm.
In the heat of battle, it was the only hope you had to keep your enemy from ripping of whatever unlucky thing they had managed to get in between their jaws, by throwing them off balance.
Even though Joey knew this was part of his training and that Yami had only reacted on instinct, it still hurt him to have his friend use the move against him. He owed Yami his life; heck, he even owed him almost every moment of happiness he had ever experienced in his life! He would rather surrender himself to his old pack and let them rip him apart, than harm him!
He was just trying to protect him from that monster that was currently curled up on his lap! He had drawn his blood for heavens sake! The thing was probably draining him dry at this very moment!
Honey-brown eyes stared confused and slightly hysterical at the crimson eyed male before him. While the other didn't move, only keeping the pressure he had on the others jaws in place. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was enough to keep him still, since he knew that the dusty blond wolf wouldn't act against him if he didn't have to.
"Joey, I know what you're thinking, but he didn't hurt me. Ok?...He didn't hurt me"
The tall, slightly shaggy wolf only gave him a doubtful growl, while he trained his eyes on the shivering pile of fur that was behind the pale vampire.
"He didn't hurt me. My hand just caught on something in his fur"
That only got him a slightly louder growl, which sounded anything but convinced?
"Look, just back off and I'll try and find what it was"
Reluctantly Joey backed off just enough so that Yamis arm was no longer in between his jaws.
The king sighed for the seemingly millionth time that night, as he saw his friend back down. They briefly made eye contact, before Yami turned toward the once again terrified little wolf, well aware that the blond wolf was tracking his every move, ready to strike at the young one if he so much as moved.
"It's ok, he's not going to hurt you" Yami assured, before laying his hand on the silvery pale wolf, not wanting it to attack him out of fright.
He placed his hand around the base of its slender neck, searching for whatever had cut him. At first it seemed as if nothing was there, but the cold feel of metal soon touched his fingers. Yami instantly tried to grab the thin piece of metal and take it out of the little ones fur, only to cause a pained yelp from the small youth in front of him.
"I'm sorry, but I have to get this out of your fur"
The king moved the silvery strands out of the way, thinking that the offending object was ensnared by the young ones coat, only to feel sick to his stomach when he saw what those luxurious strands were really hiding.
There was a thin piece of metal wire sticking slightly out of the tender, reddened skin of the little werehounds neck. He could see the dark discoloration of the wire, as it sank into the young ones neck, trying seemingly to grotesquely mimic a vain, with its darkened hues.
Forcing himself to look closer at, what he could only call an atrocity, he saw that there were two pieces of wire sticking out of the irritated skin and they were intertwined, in a morbid mockery of a necklace.
In that moment he knew what it was and felt the horror he thought he would only ever feel on the field of battle creep up on his soul again.
It was a leash, made out of wire. The cruelty of it was almost mind-numbing. Yami understood wanting to get rid of a werehound, to protect others, but torturing it?!
After seeing Yami freeze and turn a sickly green, Joey crept closer to the smaller wolf, trying to see what had made his friend react in such a way. He knew the second he saw it.
A wire leash. The sting and pain of it was all too familiar to Joey.
As a young pup his father had once forced him to change into a wolf and place a wire around his front paw, to punish him. He knew that moving would cause him severe wounds, but the other pack members had taken the opportunity to torment him while he was unable to fight them.
The wire had quickly ended up cutting into his skin, making his blood drip to the hard cave floor, while he was helplessly tormented by those he should have been able to trust.
He couldn't change back without losing his hand to the wire and he couldn't remove it either. His father had left him there for days, allowing the wire to become imbedded in his skin, while his body desperately tried to heal the wound.
In the end, when his father had finally deemed him punished enough, the wire had become so imbedded in his skin that it had to be surgically removed.
His father, being the man he was, didn't want to pay for something like that, so he took a knife, cut his wrist open and mercilessly yanked the wire out….
The scars from that day were still visible under the bandage he always kept around his left wrist. It was one of the lesser cruel things his father had done, but it still left a permanent mark on his soul.
The phantom pain still coursing through his veins like the vice like grip of a silken noose, whenever he thought back to those days.
Whoever had done this to the werehound was cruel and downright disgusting. For the wire to be this deep, it would have had to have been there for weeks, if not months.
The memory of his own pain, made him feel sympathy for the little wolf, knowing the agony he would have to live through to get it out…
He knew he didn't want to be there when it happened. His own stomach was churning at the mere thought when Yamis voice thankfully forced him to focus on something else.
"Little one, look at me"
The slightest twitch of the mass of fur was his only response.
"Please. I need you to look at me"
Ever so slowly the young wolf uncurled himself, while keeping an eye on Joey, while not daring to make eye contact with him. His tail was tucked firmly between his legs as he carefully sidled closer to the vampire king, seeking protection from the man he saw as a threat.
Yami carefully slid his hand under the smaller wolfs jaw a forced him to look at him. The silver ears on its head were slightly bent backwards, as if unsure if he should be afraid of what his new alpha would do next, or trust him.
"I hate to say this, but I'm going to have to remove the wire around your neck"
At the mention of the leash the young werehound bent closer to the ground. He knew that even attempting such a thing would bring excruciating pain.
"I don't want to hurt you, but if I don't remove it, you won't be able to turn into your human form and it can potentially kill you if we leave it like that"
Amethyst eyes stared up uncertainly at the vampire who was trying to help him. He was his new Alpha, he knew that an Alpha should be trusted and obeyed, but the fear of even more torment lingered in his system.
Letting someone, even his Alpha, so close to his neck, with a sharp object, wasn't something he wanted to do.
Yami could see the conflict in the youngers eyes. He knew the pain he would have to cause him. He didn't want to, but he wasn't about to let him live with the agony of having that wire in his neck.
Joey seemed to already know that Yami would force the matter, if need be, turned away from them. He wanted to run from the room, as not to relive what he had been forced to live through, but he couldn't risk leaving his best and only friend with an injured werehound. Who knew what it would do to him.
Giving of a slight whimper the younger wolf finally came to a decision.
He slowly moved closer to the young king and nudged the side of his chin in acceptance, before baring his neck to him in submission, waiting for the inevitable pain.
"I will try to make this as painless as possible. I may have to close your wound by licking it, but I promise I won't bight you…is that ok?"
He only got another whimper in response, which he chose to take as a yes.
Flexing his razor sharp claws, Yami prepared to cut the young ones neck. He knew he had to be as precise and quick as possible if he didn't want the young one the suffer more than he already would.
The vampire wrapped one arm over the werehounds shoulders, breathing in the soft, warm scent, before his talon like claws drew blood.
Quicker that any surgeon could ever wish to be, Yami had made a cut exactly along the darkened line along the wolfs seemingly delicate skin. Snapping the already weak wire he pulled it out of its hiding place with one swift motion, while he tried to stem the blood flow with his free hand.
The silvery remains of the torture device clanged to the floor, as Yami bent down, closer to the smaller male, to stop the profusely bleeding incision from bleeding further, but the sound of metal hitting the hard wood floor went completely unnoticed by him, as the sweet taste of the young wolfs blood hit him.
The taste of was incomparable, it was like sugar water, infused with the warm taste of white peaches, decadently running along his tongue in an erotically, sinful way…
He was so caught by the mesmerizing taste, that he forgot everything around him. He was only brought back from his euphoric high by the feel of a hand suddenly touching his shoulder.
Yami instantly turned to the perceived threat, hissing as he raised his claws to strike at his foe. His first claw had almost drawn blood, when he realized who he was attacking. Joey…
"Joey! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to…"
"It's ok Yami, I should know better than to disturb a feeding vampire, but you were gonna bight him"
A guilty look crossed the vampires' eyes, realizing he almost did exactly what he had promised not to do. It was true that the little ones blood tasted like pure heaven and the warmth of a mothers embrace had somehow been combined into one, but did he really have so little control? Was his need for blood getting to him again?
"Yami, stop blamin' yaself. Ya just haven't been drinkin' enough"
The king was about to contradict him, when he felt a soft warmth touch his side. He looked down only to see the silver wolf rubbing his head on his side, while his tail was softly swaying back and forth. He couldn't resist the urge to scratch him behind the ears as he did that.
He was glad that he hadn't caused the young wolf to much pain, even if the effect of his blood on him was still worrying him.
"Do you think you could manage to take your humanoid form now?"
The younger wolf looked up at him quizzically before slowly taking a few backward paces away from the vampire.
At first nothing seemed to happen and both Joey and Yami were worried that something else was wrong, until the sound of shifting skin and bone hit their sensitive ears.
The moonlight colored fur seemed to disappear, while some of it stayed behind and began to rapidly change colors, while the four legged creature stood up on its hind legs. Paws turned into feet and hands, while muscles grew and extended into legs and arms.
Even if they had both seen this sight many times, it was still something to behold, as the small wolf turned into a full human being.
After what had seemed like endless suspense, the transformation was complete….
Standing there in the pale moonlight was a young male. His pale skin almost reminiscent of the delicate shades know to belong to the vampire race, yet inhabited by a seemingly warm glow.
Underneath that tantalizing skin, were seemingly hidden muscles that seemed to flirtatiously show themselves and yet, not be defined enough to be seen clearly.
He was clearly underweight, but that couldn't dim the serene being that was enthralled by the glistening blanket of moonlight, streaming through the ornate windows behind him.
His face held a gentleness to it that seemed impossible, after everything he had been through, but it was only enhanced by the enchanting silvery, amethyst eyes that were currently locked with crimson hues, stealing Yamis breath away.
He didn't know why, but gazing upon this innocent being made the king feel inferior, as if his very soul was to tainted to even gaze upon it, let alone be near it.
The only thing coursing through his mind was an urge, an irresistible urge. He had to know the name of this beautiful creature.
Raising his clawed hand to carefully cup the porcelain pale cheek of the younger male, he gazed impossibly deeper into those violet depths.
"Tell me little one, what is your name"
In a voice, barely louder than the beating of a fairies wings, a bell like voice gave him his long desired answer.
"Yugi…"
That was it for this chapter.
(11 pages…these chapters just keep getting longer and longer!)
The next one is already half done thankfully.
This time we will get a look at what is going on in the werewolf part of town…
I can also already tell you there will likely not be chapter in November, since I am participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time. I will try to pre-write the chapter so I can still post one in November, but I am not making any promises.
Please R and R!
See you next time!
-LGK