Chapter 3

Keith had woken up after falling asleep over the long car ride, he was at a country villa it was almost a town in itself the building was massive four floors above ground that seem to span the size of four city blocks, “this is one of the safe houses,” Danielle spoke about it like it was just a casual little motel room.
“Okay, who owns it?” Keith couldn’t keep the awe out of his voice.
“You’re with her right now” she said with a grin, her pride erupting to the surface, it was clear to Keith that her previous attitude about the building was just an act.
Keith fell silent lost for words, following Danielle towards the front entrance, as if in a trance. The door man greeted the girl in a warm manner, “Ah duchess, how nice of you to return. Have you had enough of the city?” he spoke in a manner which suggested his brain function only permitted small talk.
“Duchess?” Keith mumbled under his breath.
“Is my room prepared? And send someone around to destroy that piece of trash I arrived in.” she spoke with absolute authority, that air head girl Keith first met was just a play put on by this woman.
“At once madam” The door man said with a pronounced bow, it was really as though Keith walked through a time portal to the 17th century, the entrance hall was sparse with a twin pair of marble stair cases climbing in a slightly curved manner, the hand rails were white wooden pegs adorned with gold hand rails, the stair way’s extended to the balcony which began the second floor these repeated themselves until reaching the fourth floor, where the ceiling was finally met, the ceiling was decorated with a Michael Angelo Sistine Chapel replica and hanging from the end of god’s finger was a chandelier that had about fourteen layers of prismatic crystals and gold.
Keith had begun following Danielle up the rich red carpet draped over the clean marble steps, leading to the 4th floor.
Danielle put a key into a large oak door which was also painted white, her slender hand reached for the golden door knob and turned it slowly, pushing the door open she was relieved to see everything as she left it, it has been after all twenty two years since she last slept in this room.
The drapes over the window dulled the light a slight bit reducing the harsh almost direct afternoon sun into nothing more then a warm orange glow, the bed was larger then any bed Keith had ever seen it was also taller, the sheets were above Keith’s hip height and he wasn’t a short man.
He looked around and saw no light bulbs, or anything electronic.
“Do you have electricity?” Keith asked nervously Danielle ignored him as she handed out directions, telling him when and where dinner is served, where the bathroom is, certain rules, how to find the t v where they kept the vehicles and motor bikes where the boat shed is where to find the gym spa and pool, and anything else Keith could possibly desire, and to not be afraid to mingle with the crowed. You will also be sleeping in here with me.” She spoke bluntly like she was mentioning any ordinary and obvious thing to the man.
“What?” Keith could hardly believe what he heard; “if it will make you happy” he said his grin fighting desperately to surface.
“It’s not like that, it’s only so I can keep an eye on you.” She spoke slightly irritated.
“Can’t you just have a guard posted at my door and a camera above my bed?” Keith didn’t know why he was saying this they seemed like obvious logic but sleeping in the bed with Danielle seemed far more pleasant.
“Where’s the fun in that” she said with a cheeky wink. Sleeping that night wasn’t as peaceful as he expected the house was sound proofed more then a recording studio, but even so Keith’s hearing has been going crazy he could hear a pin drop a mile away, and it doesn’t help matters that a building with three hundred or so werewolves does get a bit noisy during the night, and to further Keith’s annoyance the Duchess as he has come to know her by, refuses to do anything other then sleep soundly with four feet of space between them.

Keith awoke to Danielle sliding out of the bed her soft feet lightly touching on the ground, turning her head she noticed Keith looking at her, “sorry did I wake you?” she asked in a strangely caring tone… “Never mind actually, it’s your fault for being such a light sleeper” she said cheekily with a bit of a laugh.
“So where do we go from here?” Keith was looking for answers to questions he didn’t think he would ever have, but was waiting for them to answer themselves the idea of asking about werewolves seemed too crazy, too surreal, to ridiculous.
“Well… you Mr. are going to go to the shower because you stink” she said playfully pretending to wave a bad stench away from her nose.
“Maybe, if you would come join me?” Keith spoke trying his best to appear sexy and seductive.
“Keep dreaming Keith, because it won’t happen in this life time.” She said between grins and giggles.

The hot water streamed down Keith’s back he has been tense for far too long.
So much has happened in the last few days too much for him to understand in one go.
Looking at his hands he noticed they seemed tougher then usual like the skin was thicker it may have been the lighting but his skin seemed darker also, then his nail’s they were pointed and black, thick like claws growing so fast Keith could see them extending
Oh god, it’s really happening Keith thought fearfully to himself as he prayed he was wrong praying that it was only a dream.
Keith’s bones crunched and groaned as they extended and morphed growing thicker for the additional weight of the body, reinforcing itself for high physical demand that the powerful new muscles the body was growing could exert.
Keith could hear the bones in his skull grind and reshape as his jaw extended out and was amazed that he could not feel it, he felt hot, but that could be because he was standing inside a hot shower, but he also could not feel the water.
Keith looked into the mirror to see a creature from a nightmare staring back at him, its sharp golden eyes locked directly on Keith, he could see every detail every short strand of fur that sprouted from what must have been his cheeks and he even had whiskers.
Keith was staring into the mirror at the face of a wolf that looked large enough to bite a horses head off in one go, opening his mouth he could see his new teeth, they looked well proportioned for his size like wolves teeth except for an additional pair of canines which sat over his normal pair they were three times as large and appeared more like daggers then canines.
Keith’s huge black meaty hands reached towards the door that suddenly seemed half its size, Danielle?
The soft morning light that filtered through the curtain seemed harsh and painful to Keith’s light sensitive eyes it like their was a spot light pointing directly in his face, shielding his eyes with one hand as his other clumsy hand tried franticly to find the blinds.
Frustrated Keith slammed the bathroom door forgetting for a moment he was a lot stronger then a human the door was thrust from its hinges and ended up resting half way through the wall parallel to the bathroom entrance.
Keith tried to call out but his voice wouldn’t operate he could think of the words to say but it was like his tongue couldn’t wrap around the words and his lips were no help either.
Calling her name came out more as an unintelligible noise ‘Roarrelll’ Keith tried to call Danielle’s name again concentrating all his effort on forming the word but to no avail.
Upon hearing the noise of the door’s accident Danielle made a hasty entry back to her bedroom, “Ah Keith, yes I thought this might happen sometime soon. Dim the lights please” she spoke into the phone on her dresser and she could see the hall outside her room darkened, “C’mon Keith your going to be late for breakfast” she said casually as she left the room.
Keith couldn’t understand how strange things had become this girl never made any sense at any level to him, she did not seem to notice the bathroom door at all even though Keith was certain she would have seen it, and she’s invited him to breakfast despite his current state like it was nothing.
Keith followed the sent of food and Danielle to a glorious banquet hall that dwarfed the entrance hall in terms of grandeur. “Keith!” a voice called from inside the feeding commotion of hundreds of hungry beings.
Following the sound of the voice Keith found Danielle looking out the window at people lounging about like they didn’t have a care in the world.
“Their human Keith, they come here on their own free will some think we’re gods and worship us as such, and some perhaps just as deluded and foolish think we will make them one of us, mostly to further their own selfish and evil goals.
They don’t realize they are simply a food source, they are stupid people they are no-body’s go Keith grab your Breakfast otherwise you will have to wait until noon.” She spoke all this very bland and ended it with a wink.
This raised so many questions Keith wanted answered immediately but was unable to form the words in his current form, he walked out the entrance immediately all the eyes fell on him, they weren’t afraid of the massive werewolf lumbering towards them, these wretched creatures really had no idea what their fate actually was.
Keith grabbed a woman who appeared in her mid twenties, she grinned as he looked back towards her companions.
The woman said nothing but Keith could almost feel her thoughts enter his mind. Finally it’s my turn to join them. Keith was certain this voice in his mind was actually the woman’s thoughts, but unsure of what the woman meant by ‘join them.’
Was I mind reading? Just more questions to badger Danielle with when he’s returned back to normal again.

Keith wrapped his large hand around the woman’s waist, picking her up with one arm she fell limp, her eyes were closed, and her breathing was deep, Keith turned to see what other’s were doing most were in their human forms eating steaks and burgers and even what seemed to be bacon and eggs on toast, still carrying the woman around like she was an oversized toy, he walked into other rooms.
Keith saw a werewolf who size matched Keith’s, his arms were as thick as a gorillas but he wore old ragged bandages on them that reached the elbows where they became unraveled and too torn to hold together.
His fur was black and shaggy perhaps it was a sign of age when Keith looked over himself his fur was short with streaks of silver, through the dominant grey, he also noticed on the other werewolf a vertical scar running along its head beginning just behind the right ear and following forwards along to its eyebrow then continuing an down the cheek bone.
The weathered shaggy looking werewolf acknowledged Keith and with an annoyed grunt turned away towards its breakfast, a man sat on a chair his face was blank, and Keith watched as the werewolf grabbed the mans body with his left hand as his right tore the man’s off with about as much consideration as peeling a piece of fruit, the man screamed his distant and blank expression was one of human horror as he turned pale, blood pooling on the ground, the shaggy werewolf drew the man’s limb up to its mouth and began chewing the meet from its bones and when it was finished, plucked more of the man’s limbs, the man kept crying and begging for help as he was pulled apart, his face contorted in agony that was inhuman, until he fell unconscious from either shock or blood loss.
Reminded of the human Keith was carting around in his right hand he looked down at the woman, who’s skin had gone pale and hair was wild, her eyes were wide which her mouth followed suite, a look of pure horror upon her face, she noticed Keith’s sharp golden eyes staring at her and she began to thrash fully aware of her fate, tears streamed down her cheeks, “please let me go, I won’t tell anyone what I’ve seen please let me go” she begged and cried, Keith could only stare at the woman as her tears dried and she could only whimper in defeat, then her horror and will to live fueled anger, and she vainly attempted to attack Keith swinging her fists and hitting his sides and kicking valiantly but couldn’t maneuver her legs to hit him. Keith turned his attention from the thrashing terrified woman, to the scar face werewolf, who stared back at Keith just an exchange of looks, without words but a conversation took place. The other werewolf asked Keith why he wouldn’t kill the woman, and Keith had asked the other werewolf why he chose to eat that man alive. And both questions went unanswered it would be a topic brought up in later conversation.

Keith ducked as he walked through the door frame, every door had been widened and the height adjusted to fit the size of the bulky creatures, yet they were still a few inches too short for Keith’s massive form, Keith had grown into an unusually large and muscular werewolf compared to other’s on the premises which earned him a strange kind of respect in awe and suspicion from the other werewolves, or lycans as they are sometimes call themselves in a strained effort to be more dignified.
Keith saw Danielle in the dining hall talking to some important looking figures who dressed and moved like they could have been heads of state and politicians, aside from the fact they were so young, when Keith thought about it almost everyone he saw seemed to be in their early twenty’s.
Danielle was wearing a black cocktail dress with a slit on the right leg that almost reached her hip, it had a deep V neck that exposed much of her cleavage, she had taken off her jewelry except for the pair of green diamond ear rings that looked like they could have cost nine million, each, and wore some dark rich red lipstick that looked more like blood then anything else, perhaps it was, Danielle didn’t look like a girl anymore she looked like a powerful and respectable woman.
Danielle’s eyes looked up from her companions she seemed irritated by Keith’s presence and more so with the creature he carried in his right arm.
The other men followed her gaze towards Keith, stopping their conversation but otherwise looking completely unbothered.
Storming up to Keith with her right arm out her fingers hooked ready to grab or punch her rage barely held in check by her desire to appear presentable.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed at Keith her voice dripping with venom.
“I couldn’t bring myself to… eat” Keith said embarrassingly forgetting he couldn’t actually form the words in his current situation, distracted by Danielle’s transformation into a woman, who was considering tearing Keith’s head off.
Danielle sighed, “Im sorry Keith you couldn’t have known, go wait for me in the kitchen I’ll be there when my meeting is finished.” And with those words still lingering in the air she had returned to her guests with a pathetically apologetic look on her face.

Keith still in his wolf form walked back to the kitchen, the woman had ceased her thrashing and whimper’s only to look distressed, depressed and hopeless, Keith sat the young woman down on the bench.
She looked up into Keith’s eyes, her eyes were red and blood shot from tears.
I thought I would become one, but does he plan to eat me like that beast ate George? The woman’s lips didn’t move but Keith heard her thoughts clearly as if the woman spoke them.
Keith wanted to convey his sympathy for his food, he had no desire to actually ‘eat’ this woman, and was unable to tell her this, to her he wasn’t human he was a blood thirsty beast, and inside Keith still felt as though he was human, everything had changed so quickly so fast, it caused his head to spin.
Keith reached his hand up behind the terrified woman who seemed to cower at the movement as she expected an horrific and painful end, Keith offered her a reassuring pat on the back instead except he patted to hard sending the woman sprawled to the ground winded and gasping for air, Keith let out an apologetic grunt as if to say sorry.
Keith was looking around the kitchen he noticed a piece of raw meat waiting to be cooked lunging towards it he began chewing on it merely, much to the chef’s dismay.
Keith hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he began eating this meat the blood tasted metallic and bitter but something inside him craved it, looking around the kitchen for more he saw the door to the freezer bounding in long strides towards the door, forgetting the human woman who was slowly crawling towards the exit on her hands and knees.
The chef attempted to halt Keith but was dispatched quickly by the hungry lycan; Keith immediately began chewing on the hanging carcass’s ignoring that they resembled human bodies driven by an overwhelming need to eat.
Danielle barged into the room, her angry glare had not subsided from last they met or at least was renewed by Keith’s uncivilized behavior.
“This meat is for guests Keith.” Her tone snapped Keith back to reality and he felt ashamed of his behavior.
Keith was marched out of the freezer back towards the kitchen followed by a very cross Danielle and grateful chef, it was at that point Keith noticed the woman had left the spot that he put her and franticly began scanning the room, Danielle noticed the behavior “Well Keith you better go find her then.” She said with smirk.
It wasn’t long before he found the woman, she was in the human quarters telling some people about what she saw, most were too naive to believe what she was talking about however some seemed to trust her, and became frightened themselves.
Keith walked slowly up to the woman, she heard his heavy footsteps and shrieked in horror as she ran to the back of the room, Keith ignored this behavior and kept his slow trudge, when he reached the woman he let out a deep sigh and gently picked her up, she had begun to cry again and called to her friends for help but they could only stare, no one dared stand up to a werewolf for fear of repercussions.

Keith was in the entrance hall with the woman held firmly by his right arm, he waited patiently for Danielle to find him, he knew if he stayed in one place long enough she will come to him, it was an apparent law of the universe.
Keith spotted Danielle just as he planned and in long strides easily caught up with her, the woman in his arm’s had resided to her fate as some kind of baggage to be carried around by this lycan, “What is it you want Keith, and why do you always carry that thing with you?” Keith was thinking hard on what he wanted to say and just as though Danielle could hear his thoughts she spoke “give it time, you should return to normal and as for that human, its only food” she again used her condescending tone to Keith, which made him feel like a child in front of this woman, who belittled him at every chance.
“C’mon then Keith, I’ve prepared your own room, theirs no hidden surveillance I trust you to spot all the camera’s on your own.” She said with a sly wink.
Keith entered a room that appeared just like Danielle’s it was almost an exact replica except the bathroom door was still attached.
Keith placed the agitated woman on the end of his bed as he moved to the window, to inspect the view.
“Oh… I understand why you carry that thing with you, I don’t know why I expected you to be above that sort of thing, or at least chosen one of your own species, but it’s not unheard of, I’ll leave you two love birds alone then” Danielle spoke sarcastically as she turned to exit the room, Keith wanted to tell her it wasn’t like that but only came out as garbled growls and what could almost be described as barks.
Embarrassed Keith began scanning the room for the camera’s that Danielle spoke off and all he saw was a webcam on his computer which he quickly threw in the trash.
Returning to the window Keith saw a tennis court where what could have been the two world’s best players going head to head, they were flying over that court at incredible speed and the ball was nothing but a green blur.
Bored of the window Keith turned and sat on the bed which creaked remembering he must have weighed about as much as a small car returned to standing, as he flicked through t v channels.
The woman that Keith had chosen for breakfast seemed to have gotten over her perpetual fear of being eaten and developed a larger curiosity towards Keith. “My name’s Kirsten” she seemed like was in better spirits and Keith ignored the woman. “I came here while back packing, it’s been about a two weeks I think, at first it was crazy ‘real werewolves’ me and Rachel used to joke, when we found out it was real we came here to see them, they told us if we stayed that we will live forever as one of them, we were skeptical at first but everything was so much nicer then at home we agreed, I’ve been waiting to become one since, and when I saw George get ripped apart I-I…” Rachel stammered as tears welled up in her eyes “will that be me?” she managed to cough the words out as she fought back her emotions.
Keith looked at her for a brief moment his golden wolf eyes were apologetic Keith was going to nod instead found himself shaking his head; the woman gave a loud audible sigh of relief.

Keith had left the woman in his room, the door was locked and hoped that would be enough incentive to keep her there.
“Ah... Keith had enough of your pet?” Danielle was disgusted but after a moment of standing with Keith she realized the truth. “Sorry Keith I got the wrong idea, it’s not the first time that’s happened before you know. No I mean the business with the woman”
Why don’t you make her one of us? Keith formed the sentence clearly in his mind “well that’s because she’s not a lycan, it’s not known by the humans, but you are born a lycan and it’s only after you’re bitten by another of your kind do you become one.”
Why do we eat humans? Danielle took a moment to answer this question “We don’t have to eat them I suppose… but if stop eating human’s all together we will be unable to take their shape again, you will be trapped in your werewolf form like Logan, you met him earlier tearing that human apart, he was held prisoner by human’s used in their experiments. Through Logan they discovered our weakness and what happens if they starve us.”
Danielle paused as she recalled a memory before continuing “As a result he is trapped in his wolf form, and holds a seething hatred for all humans. He chooses to only eat live humans he likes to hear them scream first so he would often torture his food.”
What happened to the people holding him? Danielle looked at her feet then moved to sit on a sofa, “His holding cell was slightly damaged, and the door had not properly sealed, Logan had noticed this slight indication to a weakness, and threw himself against the door with all his might, after a few tries it broke open, tore every one in the lab to pieces inflicting as much pain as was possible to a human without killing them, then leaving them to rot in the darkness as he sealed the exists.” Danielle had finished her sentence with a finality that suggested she didn’t want to speak anymore.