Masonic Werewolves, James Livingood [top 100 books of all time checklist .txt] 📗

grabbed the side of his arm, reassuringly. "We don't have time for a lot of questions; this group needs a run. However, I can answer one or two for you if you want."

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

Jacob blurted the first one that came to his mind, “How did I shift? I wasn’t bitten or anything.”

Brandon nodded. “That’s usually the first question that’s asked. The relief is not spread in that way. We can transform whenever we want, but the relief is only spread during the full moon. It’s a type of sweat through our paws that causes it. It also requires a certain temperature of water to live in, so often it’s only spread during the summer. All in all, a person needs to drink from a summer mud puddle that was caused by our paw print within 4 hours of one of us making the track.”

Jacob looked around and saw people stretching their legs and jumping up. He replied, “I didn’t drink from a mud puddle.”

Brandon answered back, “When you were beaten up, and your dog was taken, was it outside? After a rainstorm?”

Jacob grew silent and choked down a lump. He never knew that he had become infected. The water that splashed in his mouth must have been tainted.

Brandon walked a few steps away and asked Jacob a question, “Do you know why we call this ‘the relief’?”

Jacob shook his head, not sure what the answer would be.

Brandon's eyes turned yellow, along with all the other guys. They stared at Jacob intensely. One by one they shifted, broke and formed into giant wolves. Even with bones contorting, fur pushing out, and teeth growing, they did not take their eyes off Jacob. Right before Brandon completed his transformation, he yelled out a word to Jacob. It was a command, it was a warning, it was an expression of what they were all thinking. Brandon yelled, "RUN!"

Jacob's eyes widened. Were they about to attack him?! Fear crept in his heart and he bolted into the woods. He was naked and trying to do his best to jump over logs and avoid branches. He could hear the massive paws of the werewolves behind him. He jumped to the left, and a wolf jumped out at him, side checking him into the ground. Jacob scrambled up and began to run the other way, his two legs trying to get him out of danger as fast as possible. He needed to make it to his car, and then he could speed away. He didn't know what he had done to make this pack turn against him.

He felt so slow, so weak, so sluggish in every movement. He needed more power. He needed to focus and be faster, smarter, a step ahead. He willed himself to move as fast as possible. He saw a dark shape jump at him and instinctively ducked down. A wolf sailed over him but made contact with its back paws. The wolf leaped off Jacob pushing him back to the ground.

Jacob was tired of being pushed to the ground. Everyone was more powerful than him. They all kept pushing him down, making him suffer. The frustration boiled over, and he felt himself stretching out, bones popping out of place. He felt his mouth expand, his gums giving an oddly pleasant hint of vibration. His nose expanded and the world burst into a map of smells. He felt the breath swell into his lungs and then push out past new sharp teeth, making his whiskers drip with condensation. He was tired of being the one everyone pushed around. It was time he did some of the pushing. His scream of anger turned to a howl, and he finished his transition into his giant wolf form.

He turned and began to run after the dark shapes that were pursuing him. They were fast, but he felt the need to be faster. He caught up with one form and jumped, pinning him to the ground and raking his claws. The wolf whined and stretched out. Jacob knew that was a sign of submission. He could cause more harm but felt the need to test his muscles to their limit. He chased down another wolf, barking wildly to announce his presence. He wasn't going to sneak up like some coward. He wanted this wolf to know his power and to feel it. He side checked the wolf right at the moment it slammed into a tree. The wolf toppled over and into thick brush.

A rabbit darted from the brush. The way it zigged caused his mind to focus even further. It was like every breath out was slow and deliberate. He could feel the movement of the rabbit, like he was predicting the future. Other wolves saw his quarry and began their chase of it. Jacob would reach it first. His legs could move so quickly; the rabbit had no chance. He wondered what it would taste like and decided he would try to grab it with his human hands.

He twisted the rabbit towards two other wolves, knowing it would cause the rabbit to double back. As the rabbit came back his way, he reached out his paws in what would be a killing blow. The rabbit closed its eyes, afraid to see what would happen next. As Jacob's paws flew towards the rabbit, he willed them to change back into human hands. The rest of his form turned, but his momentum did not. Jacob grabbed the rabbit while in his human form and began to tumble in a roll. He held tight to the rabbit, pressing it against his chest.

Wolves surrounded him and began to howl together. Jacob breathed in and out, feeling winded and accomplished. He smiled and yelled. He had never felt so focused and powerful before. He thought back on Brandon’s question and knew why they called this transforming ‘the relief’.

The men transformed back and walked