AN: I hope you enjoy this one! :D

Roy had become extremely impatient after his brief meeting with the woman. He was desperate for answers regarding what was going on with him. After that night his memories with the two wolves became much clearer. He still didn't remember much, but there was as strong urge within him to change into a wolf again. The thought threw a stab of excitement through him. To be able to be as free and as powerful as a wolf? Who wouldn't want that?

There were only two problems.

He had been told not to and even if he did, he wouldn't know where to start. The blonde haired woman had been adamant about that. "If he valued his life" he wouldn't do it. Sighing in frustration, he paced in his private living area.

She had told him to essentially lay low, which he had. But Roy's restlessness was growing with every day. He seemed to have an endless amount of energy nowadays. He could run further and for a longer amount of time. At the gym he could lift heavier weights and didn't tire as easily. Over the course of the two weeks his muscles had become more defined. Not that he was complaining.

He had also noticed his senses had sharpened. He could hear conversations throughout the house, even when he was on the opposite side. His eye sight had improved greatly also. Looking out of the windows in his rooms he could clearly pick out the pile of stones which rested on top of one of the mountains to the north. Before he would have needed binoculars to even see it.

But nothing sapped this endless supply of energy which now rested within him. He couldn't sleep. It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on even the simplest of tasks. He couldn't pour himself a cup of coffee without getting distracted. Oddly enough though, the burn wasn't as intense as it had been before when he had spilt coffee down him.

His mind was racing trying to figure out something, anything, which would explain what was happening to him. To be quite honest, despite the thrill which ran through him at the thought of becoming a wolf, he was terrified.

Would he change again? Was it voluntary? The thought of him having no control while he was in the house terrified him. He didn't want to hurt anyone. The woman would have told him if he was going to change, wouldn't she?

For the first time in a long time, Roy admitted to himself that he needed help.

This wasn't a situation he could smoothly bullshit his way out of, like he usually did.

Throwing on his jacket he left his living room through the French doors. He had waited around for too long. He wanted answers.

His Aunt's house was huge. So much so, that Roy had his own set of rooms. There was a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, bedroom, even a small dining area. It was once an old hotel, which was renovated into a house. There were only the two of them living there, but his Aunt always had people around. She was a successful business woman in property and needed people to manage it all. Her pride and joy was the hotel just a few hundred metres down the road. She worked there most of the time, ensuring everything ran smoothly.

Roy would be lying if he said it didn't feel empty most of the time. He loved his Aunt, and was eternally grateful to her for offering him a place to stay after his parents passed away, but the house was too large for simply the two of them. He made sure he had friends around in an effort to fill the empty house, but, as of late, those numbers were dwindling due to his recent behaviour.

There was a light snowfall outside and he air smelled crisp and fresh. Roy could smell the chill in the air, which left him perplexed. He couldn't explain how the weather had a smell. Another question to add to the list. The raven haired man barely flinched as he walked through the snow wearing only a jacket, a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt.

The brunette – she had been called Bec? Roy assumed her name was Rebecca – had mentioned they were staying out at the old barn. Humiliation and anger spiked within him as he thought back to their first meeting. Forcing it down, he scolded himself. Again.

You deserved it Roy. You were an asshole to them. You need to stop acting so spoiled and demanding people for answers.

The walk there didn't take long. Anticipation welled within him at the thought of finally finding out what was going on. There was also fear. Fear regarding what those answers might mean about his future.

It was late afternoon but the sun had already begun to set. The lights were on in the small cabin, casting a warm glow from the windows. The first time he had seen this property he had fallen in love with it. It was small and cosy, something Roy longed for. That was what Roy liked about his private rooms. Yes, he had his own kitchen and living room, but it wasn't large. Not like the rest of the house. Nights where he was feeling particularly lonely and upset regarding his parent's deaths, he could almost pretend he was in his own house.

Roy rapped his knuckles against the door quickly. He could hear movement on the other side of the door, but there was no conversation. He listened carefully, surprised he could hear a low crackle from a burning fire. Warmth seeped through the door from inside, which Roy welcomed. He didn't feel cold though. That's when he realised he was still wearing his shorts.

The door opened slowly, almost cautiously, and Roy came face to face with Rebecca. The brunette looked very surprised to see him standing in the doorway.

"Hi," he greeted, flashing her a smile. Instead of offering him a greeting in return, Rebecca narrowed her eyes and looked into the forest behind him.

"Are you alone?" Rebecca asked.

Roy blinked, the smile dropping from his face. "Yes. Why?"

Rebecca grasped his arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind him quicker than necessary.

"Were you expecting someone else?"

"No." Rebecca offered him no further explanation and left him standing in the hallway. Roy frowned in annoyance.

"Didn't Riza tell you to wait until we contacted you again?" Rebecca asked. Roy could hear the exasperation in her voice.

Riza. So that was her name. It sparked some familiarity within him, but he couldn't place it. Brushing it off, he walked through to the small living area.

"She did, but it has been two weeks."

Rebecca paused in her actions. She was currently sitting on the couch, organising paper which was spread across the coffee table in front of her. "Has it really been two weeks?" The surprise was clear in her voice.

"Yes it has."

"Sorry. We didn't mean to leave it that long. We have been… preoccupied."

"So you forgot about me?" Roy found his voice was hard. There was an anger in it. He could feel it building within him. Not again.

"There are bigger things going on in the world than you." Rebecca snapped back.

"You two know what is going on with me and have left me to deal with it myself," Roy retaliated. "I want to know what is happening."

"Look," Rebecca snapped, finally turning to face him. "I said we were sorry. We didn't mean to leave you for so long. However, something has come up which we needed to deal with to not only keep you safe, but keep ourselves safe as well."

"But –" Roy opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped short by the sight of a massive golden wolf walking towards the house. The bay window in front of them had a great view of the forest. Riza stood out like a sore thumb as she approached the house. She didn't take her eyes off Roy until she was out of sight of the window.

"Hey!" Rebecca called a greeting as she returned to sorting through her papers.

"Hey," Riza replied. "Didn't I tell you to wait?" She looked unimpressed.

"We've already gone over this," Rebecca offered.

"Well, you're here now," the blonde replied with a heavy sigh. "Was he followed?"

Rebecca shook her head.

"You two are very cloak and dagger," Roy remarked. "What's going on?"

"We are for a good reason. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with just yet."

His anger spiked. "You told me if I valued my life and those around me I would lay low," he growled. "If they are at risk I need to know. I'm not stupid, this had something to do with me."

Riza's eye snapped to his. "I said yet. Calm down."

Roy froze at her words. He felt his anger dissipate slowly. Truly, for the first time in the last few months, he felt totally calm. There was no underlying anger, no irritation… What is going on?

"Please, take a seat." Riza's voice was softer now as she motioned towards the seat to her left. Rebecca was on her right on the couch. The paper had finally been tidied away so she sat back and the pair looked at him expectantly. Roy did as Riza asked and joined them.

"Now, I can assume you know what you are? You have a faint memory of changing into a wolf?"

Roy nodded.

"You're a werewolf, Roy," Riza announced. She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. She truly could not guess which path this conversation would take.

A range of emotions flickered across his face. First, there was surprise. Then disbelief. "No. No way…"

Riza gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, but you are. You can change into a wolf at will."

Roy's face suddenly hardened. He stood in a flash, almost knocking his chair backwards. "Is this some kind of joke," he spat, glaring at the two women.

However, Roy immediately regretted his outburst as they both rose from their seated positions slowly. They both wore the same expression, both glaring at him. Roy's anger disappeared in a second as he realised his mistake. Yep, they are gonna kick my ass.

"Do you honestly think we would joke about something like this?" Riza asked, her voice low. It held an almost growl-like quality. It was menacing.

Roy almost cowered under their gaze, but remained standing tall. Barely. It was jarring to see the two calm women turn their mirth against him.

"Uhhh… No," Roy replied truthfully. "No I don't. Sorry." His apology was genuine, and Roy tried to convey that to the two of them. They relaxed and returned to sit once Roy had.

"I remember… A few things," Roy continued. "Two wolves running through the forest beside me… And I wasn't quite human."

"You were a wolf."

"But… But…" For once in his life Roy was speechless. He had assumed many things over the last two weeks, but hearing it finally confirmed shook him to his core. That simply couldn't be possible… Could it?

"I know it's a lot to take in," Rebecca offered. "But we are here to help in any way we can."

"You two are… Werewolves too?" Roy stuttered over the word, still not quite believing they existed. Not only that, he was one of them. The pair nodded in sync. "How is this even possible?" The two women shared a pained look.

"Werewolves exist. So do vampires and witches. They have been around for thousands of years."

"Then humans came along and they went into hiding," Rebecca added. "That's why they are believed to be nothing more than a myth."

"Is that why you told me to lay low?"

Riza shook her head. "No. There are a group of humans who found out about us and want us dead."

"They are called Hunters and they are in the forest right now," Rebecca added.

Roy paled. "Why do they want us dead?"

"Because humans are no longer at the top of the food chain and a few thousand people aren't too happy about that."

"But surely we are stronger than them?" Roy asked, thinking back to how much his physique had changed over the past two weeks. He studied the other two woman, noticing how strong they looked as well. There muscles were well defined, like his had become. And they were huge. They looked like they could kick his ass if they wanted to.

"In a fair fight, yes. But they are not ones to fight fair. They carry an incense with them. They crush up the flower wolfs bane, burn it and bathe their clothes in it. It is extremely harmful to us."

"Wolfs bane… I've heard of that before. Isn't that harmful to humans as well?" He remembered being told as a child to stay away from the flower.

"If skin touches it, yes. The Hunters that almost ran into us the other night were burning it."

"Was that the cause for the reaction you had?"

"Yes. It burns the throat, eyes, and nose. If ingested it can kill almost instantly. Receiving an arrow or a knife tipped with it can also kill, depending where it lands. Once the poison enters the blood its game over."

"Luckily for us, when they are hunting, we can smell that vile crap from over a mile away. They haven't ever been really successful, mostly because we can always smell them coming." Rebecca shook her head in amusement. "They haven't quite figured that out yet."

Well, that's one upside, Roy thought. He would have to make sure to be careful from now on.

"How come it didn't affect me as badly as it did you?" Roy asked Riza. He hadn't noticed any foul smells when he had met Riza in the forest that night.

"Your senses need time to develop. I can take up to a month," Riza explained. "Your wolf form will be smaller than ours as well until about a month after your first change. After that time, you will have full use of all your senses.

"This is… Crazy." Roy laughed in disbelief.

"I know it's a lot to take in, and I understand that you think we sound insane, but it's real. This is your life now and you need to be careful."

"The Hunters are in the forest," Riza reminded him. "Yes, they are not the brightest, but to someone who isn't careful, or unaware, they could easily incapacitate and kill you. Do not underestimate them."

Roy nodded, heeding their warning. He wasn't stupid. From the way Riza had reacted in the forest Roy had now pieced together that he could be easily killed by these guys.

Before Roy could go any further his phone rang loudly in his pocket. The noise pierced his ears, causing him to grimace in pain. Sighing, he retrieved the phone and silenced it quickly but answering it.

"Hey Hughes. What's up?"

"Hey man. Where are you?" Hughes' tone was urgent, but Roy pretended not to notice.

Riza and Rebecca could easily hear the other end of the conversation. The shook their heads urgently to indicate Roy not to tell his friend where he was.

"I'm just out or a walk," he lied. He hated lying to his friend, but the two women seemed adamant he not give away his location. From their conversation Roy had already decided to keep his secret from his friend. It would hopefully keep him safer if he didn't know.

"Why?" Maes asked sharply. Probably too sharply, Riza noticed.

Roy shrugged as if Maes could see him. "I needed to clear my head. What's wrong with going for a walk?"

"It's not safe outside right now. Where are you?"

The two woman shared a look. Surely Hughes didn't know about the Hunters. Surely he didn't know about them.

Roy caught their silent exchange. "Why isn't it safe, Hughes?" His voice was cautious. Did he know?

There was a pause before the other man answered. Too long a pause. "There have been bear sightings in the woods recently."

"Oh, is that all?" Roy asked, relieved. He was concerned to hear about bear sightings but… He met Riza's gaze. Oh… Those sightings had been Riza and Rebecca.

"You should come home before it gets dark," Hughes warned.

"Well bears hibernate in the winter, so I'll be fine. But I'll be home soon, don't worry."

"Okay. Be careful Roy."

Roy frowned at his friend's behaviour. It was very strange. Not that Hughes caring about him was odd. The man was one of his oldest friends and the two were like brothers. What was strange was his strong insistence for him to come home. Something was up with him. At this point Roy had enough to process and deal with. He didn't need anything else to add to the pile.

"I will. See you in a few."

"Is something wrong?" Riza asked concerned. After ending the call Roy stared at his phone in confusion.

"I don't know… Hughes is acting strangely."

"In what way?"

"He was so insistent about me coming home. You don't think…"

Rebecca shook her head. "He has visited us before and has no idea. I was the one who fed him the line about bear sightings. I figured it would cover our tracks easier. He isn't a Hunter either. Riza and I would have been able to smell it."

That eased Roy's fears slightly, but not enough.

"I better get back or he will have kittens if I stay out too long."

"Good idea. Remember," Riza stressed. "Don't tell anyone. We will help you control your ability to transform. Don't do it without us there."

Roy nodded. "To be honest, I don't think I'd be able to do it if I tried."

"It's easy," Rebecca reassured him. "Once you get the hang of it you will be fine."

"So the change is voluntary?"

Riza nodded. "Yes. You won't change again until you will it. Of course, if you don't want to, we understand. If you want to keep the life you live now, you can." Her tone changed to a serious one. "Once you accept this life fully it will change. It might end up being safer to stay away from the ones you love. You can guarantee that if you are found out by the Hunters they will show no mercy to those who associate with you."

Roy's excitement and anticipation dissipated in an instant at hearing those words. Leave his family and friends?

"Take some time to think about it," Rebecca told him, noticing the change in his demeanour. "It is a big step. Just let us know when you are ready."

"Okay, I will. Thank you," Roy added after a moments pause. These two had helped him despite the fact he had been rude to them the first time they had met.

"Don't mention it."

I'm sorry, as well. About the way I spoke to you when we first met. It was extremely rude."

"Thank you. And yes, it was," Rebecca added.

Roy cringed slightly at her words, but it was the truth. This was a consequence for his actions. He would need to accept it.

"When you finally make your decision, you know where to find us," Riza told him.

Roy nodded and bid them farewell before exiting the house into darkness. He noticed the change in temperature, but the cold didn't bite his skin at all. In fact, he felt no discomfort.

He had a lot to think about and his mind was preoccupied as he walked home. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the burning in his nose until too late. Snapping back to reality he was still in the middle of the forest. It felt like his face was on fire. His sinuses burned intensely, causing him to hasp and double over in pain. He fell to his knees as the assault on his body continued. With a moment of horror he realised this was wolfs bane.

Shit!

He lifted his head and tried to scan the forest for anyone nearby, but his vision was blurry and his head was swimming. Blinking in an effort to clear his vision was a mistake. They began to burn as intensely as everything else.

Gasping in pain, he fell onto his side, unable to even hold himself up. His limbs became heavy and it was a struggle to move his head.

He heard footsteps rushing towards him.

This is it. I had just been warned about this. Jesus Christ, Roy. You suck.

He feebly lifted his hands to his head in an attempt to protect it, but he knew he stood no chance. Just like the werewolves had said, someone who was inexperienced and unaware could easily be killed by the Hunters. And he had fallen right into their trap.

Roy's vision was non-existent at this point. The pain was too much. It was overwhelming him completely. The only thought that ran through is head was at least he would die a quick death. This wasn't pleasant in the least, but it would be quick. He could feel himself slipping away. He desperately wanted to hold on, but the pain was too great. He slipped away as a pair of hands grabbed him roughly.