"What did you bring me today, witch?" The old woman croaked as Millicent approached with the day's kill. As the first fall of snow approached food had been becoming more scarce but today she had several rabbits and even a raccoon to show for her efforts. The camp's head cook was a matronly werewolf who looked to be about at least hundred year's old and if she had a name, Millicent had yet to hear it. Everyone had simply referred to her as "Nan". She was weathered and her face scarred. The old woman's eyes appeared partially shifted to her wolf form with their deep orange hue. Millicent thought she resembled what the wolf might have looked like when it was dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother.
Nearly every moment of the day Nan could be found on her perch, a small stump positioned in the middle of the outdoor kitchen. It had several large fire pits and various stations where younger members of the pack followed Nan's commands.
"A bit more than yesterday, Nan." Millicent said as she laid the animals on the nearby table.
"Bring some deer back next time," the old woman said sternly.
"I'll do my best," Millicent said, putting on a sweet smile. She retrieved a bundled handkerchief from inside her satchel and handed it to the aging werewolf. "I found a dragonberry bush today and thought you could use these."
The woman gave her an approving nod. Which was apparently the highest compliment one might get from Nan.
She's warming up to me, Millicent thought to herself.
It was late afternoon and Millicent noticed that most around her were resting, either tucked away in their homes or under a tree. Even the resident children that normally Millicent saw boisterously sparring with each other were curled up in hammocks. The pack members were conserving their energy for the night ahead.
The full moon.
Each hour meant another moment closer to the winter's early sunset and as she looked around Millicent tried to imagine what the evening would have in store for her. Fenrir had yet to return from his voyage to the satellite pack's camp and Millicent tried not acknowledge the anxiety rising in her mind as she waited for the pack leader.
He had given his word that she would be safe but she wondered what would happen if he was not present to enforce that promise? For the most part the members of the pack did not seem to bothered by her presence. But all the same, Millicent felt uneasy without Fenrir around. Mostly because Lucy had stayed behind and she didn't think the female werewolf would hesitate in coming after her once the night was upon them.
By now the nearby rivers and lakes had frozen over and the grass beneath her boots crunched with each step she took. Millicent still depended on either Morag or Tobey to lead her on patrols when they crossed over dense brush and unfamiliar forest terrain but otherwise Millicent had grown comfortable with the small winding trails around the camp's exterior perimeter.
Millicent tried to think about other matters but her mind continued to wander back to the full moon and approaching transformation of the pack members. She cursed herself for not paying closer attention to the werewolf chapter in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. As she walked down the trail her mind wandered.
"Did you hear the news?" Blaise had asked with a conspiratorial tone. The two were eating their Saturday breakfast at the Slytherin table, a weekly tradition they had maintained since their very first weekend at Hogwarts. Perhaps the only two students to be awake at such an early hour, they were the only ones in the Great Hall.
"Did Crabbe accidentally get his wand stuck in his ear again?" Millicent replied drily as she sipped her tea.
"I swear, you are no fun sometimes Millie. No, it's about Professor Lupin. Students are saying he's a werewolf," Blaise said and waited for the appropriate level of surprise from Millicent.
Unfortunately, she did not deliver.
"Werewolf? Really? And Filch is a vampire I'm sure," Millicent retorted, wiping crumbs off her black and green robes. She was incredulous of the claim long after Blaise's gossip became common knowledge among the students.
Prior to living with the werewolf pack, Professor Lupin had been the only werewolf Millicent had interacted with. As she trudged through the forest she thought about the former instructor. He was nothing like the werewolves she knew now; he had been sickly, a perpetual fatigue that seemed to lurk behind his benevolent demeanor. She wondered why he hadn't joined his own kind. They had little in ways of luxury but it seemed that still amounted to more than what any assimilated werewolves could have in the wizarding world.
He had been surprisingly kind to her and the other Slytherin students though and for that she gave him a pass. Whereas other professors seemed to only begrudgingly give her housemates credit for their successes, Lupin had at the very least praised all of his students with equal enthusiasm. Even Millicent who probably fell asleep in his class more often than not.
"What's it like? To transform?" Millicent had asked Tobey the other day.
"Painful and amazing at the same time," Tobey replied. "You get used to it though. It hurts less if you don't fight against the transformation."
"Will you still be you when you're the wolf?" Millicent asked.
"For the most part," Tobey said.
Millicent was brimming with questions and often only received half-answers from her friends. She was sure they were being intentionally vague but tried not to take it personal. Sometimes though, they did tell her something of interest.
"And what about that one potion," Millicent tried to ask, the gears in her mind grinding as she tried to remember a lesson from years ago. "Wolfsbane I think it was?"
"Completely a wizard's invention," Morag said with an expression of disdain. "No member of the pack would ever use it. Honestly, it does more harm than good because it creates a false assumption that a werewolf needs it to function in their true form. We aren't sick or disabled. We don't need to be medicated."
"So you don't need it then?"
"No!" Morag replied, growing slightly heated. "Because we don't fight the wolf or try to sedate it. There is no power struggle between the human and wolf for us, they work together. Fenrir has taught us not to fear the beast that the wizarding society wants us to hate in ourselves."
Millicent's mind continued to drift back to the conversation, comparing the narrow scope she had once possessed of werewolves to what she now was discovering about their world. She wandered aimlessly through the forest, consumed in her thoughts.
"I hope it's been fun pretending to be one of us," came a voice from behind Millicent. She turned quickly to see Lucy jump down from a tree branch with prenatural grace. "Because I am going to enjoy killing you tonight."
"Piss off," Millicent spat, her eyes narrowing at the blonde woman.
"How about this, I will be a good sport and give you a running start. I bet you could get some distance if you leave now."
"I am not afraid of you, Lucy. Go find someone else to bother," Millicent shot back as she walked past the werewolf and headed towards camp. She refused to look behind but the entire time Millicent could feel the werewolf's gaze boring holes into her.
"It will be alright," Morag tried to reassure her but she was distracted. Millicent saw all of the werewolves around her were behaving slightly strange, anxious even. Tobey had said it was something about the moon's magic mixing with their own, calling them.
The sun was setting fast, disappearing beyond the horizon and ushering in the night.
"How do you figure that?" Millicent asked, her heart beginning to race as the darkness descended upon them. "Fenrir isn't back and—"
There wasn't time for her to explain Lucy's threat before a loud piercing howl shattered the night air. All around her the members of the pack were falling to their knees, bones cracking and contorting into their new form.
Shit, Millicent cursed and immediately retrieved her wand. She clutched it with a white-knuckle grip, feeling a very real fear rising in her chest. Morag and Tobey were mere feet from her but they were no longer recognizable. The fight or flight instinct in her ignited and every fiber of her body told her to run.
When the transformation was complete Millicent was standing surrounded by massive wolves in all directions. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before; certainly nothing like the images she recalled from her textbooks. The size of large bears, the werewolves stood like ethereal creatures. Devastatingly beautiful and lethal at the same time.
She guessed which ones were Tobey and Morag by their proximity but also the deep red tone of one's fur and the messy brown of the other. They turned to her and Millicent remained perfectly still as they regarded her with intent. Thankfully, she still sensed the presence of their human selves behind their yellow wolf eyes. At the very least they weren't growling at her.
But Millicent knew she couldn't relax.
Because no sooner had they transformed did Millicent see a sandy blonde-furred wolf camber towards her slowly, deliberately. She didn't need to guess who it could be. Lucy had wasted no time in seeking her out. The blonde wolf snarled and Millicent could see the rest of the pack move in closer, trailing behind Lucy silently.
Morag and Tobey maneuvered in front of Millicent, effectively putting themselves between her and Lucy. She remembered their promise to Fenrir and suddenly the witch was no longer afraid just for herself but her two friends as well. But before she could think much further about the plight of putting them in harm's way another wolf marched in front of her. Small, frail and incredibly ancient the graying wolf returned Lucy's snarl with a ferocious one of her own.
Nan.
Lucy snapped at the three other werewolves, her lips pulled back to bare sharp teeth. Morag and Tobey were shaking, ears flat against their heads. Millicent witnessed their fear and sensed their struggle; according to pack hierarchy, Millicent could only guess that for two omegas standing up Lucy was no easy task. Nan on the other hand was more collected, the hackles of her graying fur were raised and she responded to Lucy with a low growl. Clearly the old werewolf was not intimidated.
Millicent wanted to smile had the situation not been dire. I owe this old lady a whole lot more than a deer, she thought to herself.
Suddenly Lucy bolted forward and was met by the three other werewolves. She sank her teeth into Morag's shoulder, nearly missing her throat and the red-furred wolf let out a howl of pain.
Lucy darted past Nan but was stopped by Tobey.
He lurched towards her paws, she evaded. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and rattled him like a rag doll before letting go. The witch clutched her wand, wondering if she had it in her to use an Unforgivable Curse. Millicent knew there was no time to ponder the morality of using one.
It's now or never, she convinced herself.
Wand raised, the words danced on her lips as Lucy's wolf form barreled down upon her. The werewolf dodged a hex, closing the gap between them quickly.
Say it and mean it, the witch commanded herself.
But her time was up.
The last remaining distance between them was gone as the wolf sprang upon Millicent.
It was all over in an instant.
"AVA-" Millicent's scream caught in her throat as a blur of movement rushed past her, knocking her over. Suddenly a much larger wolf had Lucy pinned to the ground, it's jaw locked onto her throat.
Every creature watched, suddenly cowering. She watched as every wolf, including the wounded Morag and Tobey submissively tucked their tail and crawled to their stomachs.
It took Millicent a moment for her adrenaline to subside enough to realize who it was. She barely noticed that her wand-dominant hand was bleeding from her grip, and that she had been holding her breath. Lucy, still pinned under the weight of Fenrir's hold, began to whine in both acquiescence and fear.
Fenrir released her but the female werewolf didn't immediately move. It was only when the Alpha werewolf let a loud booming bark that she began to slowly move away, her eyes never meeting Fenrir's. The other wolves did the same and the silence as they crept away into the darkness of the night was altogether eerie. Save but the glow of their eyes, they seemed to disappear instantly into the darkness of the forest.
And suddenly Millicent was alone with the exception of Fenrir. She was still in disbelief and felt herself shaking against her will. Fenrir turned and regarded her; if she had any doubt to who it was within the wolf's body, his sharp eyes were unmistakable.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Millicent eventually said haggardly although she was not sure if he would even be able to understand her in his wolf form. The wolf stepped forward until he was only an arms length from where she sat.
Once the terror of nearly being torn apart by Lucy had faded, Millicent felt overwhelmed with awe of the creature in front of her so much so that she nearly gasped. The white fur of the Alpha seemed almost pearlescent under the moonlight. It reflected the light and had a glow that made him look like the moon itself had been incarnated into fur. She hesitated before reaching out and touching his shoulder, the soft bristle of his fur under her fingertips confirming that this creature was indeed real.
"You are," she said in breathless amazement, "incredible."
As distant howling echoed from within the forest all around them, Fenrir carefully nudged her back to his yurt.
"Please…stay," Millicent said and was embarrassed by the pleading tone in her voice. He paused at the doorframe and she once again wondered if he understood her words. Millicent had made her best effort to appear as though the evening's run-in with Lucy had made no impression on her but in truth it had. There was a nagging alarm in the back of her head that still feared Lucy would return during the night to finish matters.
After a moment, the wolf entered the yurt. He took up much of the room's space despite the charm that made it larger then it looked from the outside. Moving past Millicent, he curled up on the bed pallet. Millicent slowly moved towards him and when he didn't move she laid against his side. His fur smelled of the forest earth and the steady drum of his heart was strangely soothing for Millicent. Even though sleep evaded her, she couldn't help but close her eyes and fall into the comfort of the werewolf's presence.
At some point she must have fallen asleep because Millicent awoke hours later and found herself underneath the protective arm of Fenrir. The rugged man had returned to his human form by now and save but a layer of blanket he was very naked. Millicent wasn't sure how she could extract herself without waking him and caught herself instead staring at the slumbering werewolf.
Merlin, he is handsome, she admitted silently to herself. Up close now she could see that there wasn't just one scar on his face but many fainter ones that seemed hardly noticeable under the darkness of his tanned complexion and the stubble of his facial hair.
His long blond eyelashes fluttered in his sleep but otherwise Fenrir looked peaceful; it was hard to synthesize this image of him with the massive wolf from the night before or furthermore the terrible man that the wizarding world claimed him to be.
"Good morning love," Fenrir murmured, eyes still closed. Millicent flushed instantly when she realized she had been caught staring at him. Her heart was now racing but she still didn't move. For one thing, Fenrir still had his arm draped over her. Opening his eyes slowly he added sleepily, "this is nice."
And it was. But Millicent wasn't able to verbalize her agreement because she was still recovering from her embarrassment.
"Fenrir…" Millicent began but she felt like anything that came out of her mouth next would be nothing short of a stammering mess. His close proximity and that intense gaze of his coupled with Fenrir's obvious lack of attire left Millicent feeling foolishly without words.
But apparently words were not necessary as Fenrir leaned forward and kissed her softly. It was like a jolt of lightening shot through her and Millicent couldn't help but return the kiss, craving the exhilaration of his lips on her own. His powerful arm brought her close and Millicent raced her fingers across his chest with a hunger to feel the warmth of his skin against her own. When they finally broke away it felt too soon and Millicent was dazed by the voice inside her head that demanded more.
If she had been at a loss of words a moment ago, Millicent was convinced she was certainly now rendered speechless for all eternity. Fenrir said nothing either and despite his previous perpetual flirting he seemed slightly surprised himself. Whatever Millicent had felt clearly the werewolf had felt it too.
The silence was broken by a commotion of noise outside. In a quick movement, Fenrir reached for nearby clothes before investigating; Millicent followed behind him.
The full moon had ushered in the first snowfall of the season, blanketing the entire camp and changing the landscape into a completely new world. The camp's resident children were gleefully playing in the snow while the adults looked on with their own wonderment.
Fenrir smiled and Millicent did too but as she recalled the events from the night before she realized she needed to check on her friends.
"I need to find Morag and Tobey," Millicent said, Fenrir looked down at her and while it seemed as though he wanted to say something further he had decided against it. Instead the werewolf nodded and with that she disappeared in search for them.
It wasn't long before she located them both, thankful to see they appeared fine. Morag was sitting on a stool by the kitchen area while Nan applied a thick paste to the redheaded woman's bare arm. Despite the snow on the ground, Morag was dressed in a light-weight sleeveless linen blouse with her hair pulled back in a high bun. There were fresh scars on her neck in addition to the wound on her arm. Millicent winced at the sight and felt a twinge of guilt that she had a part in Morag's injuries.
"I don't know how I will ever repay you three," Millicent said as she came up to them.
"It's fine, just a bit of scratch," Morag said, deflecting the witch's gratitude with an air of nonchalance. "Nan's healing salve will have it fixed up by lunchtime."
"We're just glad you survived your first moon," Tobey said. "Not going to lie but we've grown a little fond of you, witch."
"The feeling is mutual," Millicent said and laughed despite the gravity of last night's events. She was relieved to have made it through it. Although she predicted it would not be the last time she would be dealing with Lucy, the witch was resolved to be ready next time.
"You are distracted again, Fenrir." Gabriel said, his dark eyes scanning the parchment in front of him. He didn't look up at Fenrir; he didn't need to for him to know the other werewolf wasn't paying any attention.
It wasn't a question posed for an answer but a simple statement of truth. They were sitting at a table under an outdoor canopy with several maps in front of them. However it was all too apparent that the Alpha werewolf was buried in his thoughts.
Fenrir blinked, his mind drifting back to the present task.
"She's not the first witch you've bedded," Gabriel said with a bored sigh as he rolled up a scroll and tucked it away in a leather binding, succumbing to the knowledge that little to any work would be done that morning. "I don't understand the hold she has on you."
"Neither do I," chimed in another voice. Both men turned to see Lucy approach them wearing an abashed smirk. Her long blonde hair was plaited neatly, falling against her collarbone where bruises from last night's incident still remained.
Fenrir glanced at Gabriel who nodded in understanding as he walked off and left the Alpha with Lucy. The blonde werewolf leaned casually against the table, tilting her head innocently to the side. `
"You had no business going after Millicent last night," he said with narrowed eyes. Despite his feelings on the matter, Fenrir kept his voice neutral.
"I didn't realize our plans for the witch had changed," Lucy shrugged as she absently dusted the hem of her cloak. Her calm smug demeanor bothered the Alpha werewolf. She batted her eyelashes, "it was an obvious mistake."
"You didn't have my permission," Fenrir said with quiet venom. Lucy's coy smile faded and was replaced by a shadow in her expression that she quickly buried. Lucy sensed the dynamics between the two of them had changed. And she knew it had everything to do with the witch who's scent now mingled with his.
"It was instinct, Fenrir; besides she doesn't belong here," Lucy leaned in close to the Alpha werewolf, reaching out to touch his arm as she attempted a new tactic to reach him. She lowered her voice to a softer tone, "she isn't one of us. You know this. A werewolf pack is no place for a witch."
"Stay away from her Lucy," Fenrir warned as he pulled his arm back. "That's an order."
There was a long pause before Lucy hopped off the table, seeming resigned. "As you wish," she said before slinking away. Fenrir watched her walk away, unsure of what intentions still lurked in the female werewolf's mind. He remained unconvinced that it would be the last time they had this conversation.
It would be so much easier if she was one of us, Fenrir thought to himself, rubbing his temples in mild exasperation. Last night he had come so close to losing Millicent; there was no doubt in his mind that had he arrived even a fraction of a moment later Lucy would have killed Millicent.
She's a threat to her, the wolf within him with the growing feelings he had for the witch, this thought troubled him.
The easiest solution seemed to be to make Millicent a werewolf. Give her the bite and let her truly become a member of the pack. And yet Fenrir felt it wasn't so black and white. For one thing he knew the wizarding world still pulled her. But more importantly he knew it needed to be her choice.
Fenrir's eyes softened as he thought of the past. He was not going to make the same mistake again.