Oceanside

Chapter 3

Silas

"I know you will be unavailable to watch the border for the next two days so Henry will take your place for now," Alpha Daniel informed me. "When you return I would like you to start training the new recruits."

I gave a curt nod. "Have them start on warmups now."

"I will." He leaned back in his office chair. "Do you have a location in mind yet?"

"Somewhere North." Was all I said.

I knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to send his men out their while I was shifting but he also didn't need to know where I was. He was technically my Alpha but only in the basic sense. Werewolves naturally obeyed him, Lycans did not.

Lycans were within the same family as werewolves but still different. Lycans were stronger than werewolves, more advanced in our senses. Usually when a werewolf turns their scenes are stronger than their human side. Lycans carried the enhanced features all the time. Silver and wolfsbane had no effect on Lycans while they were deadly to werewolves. However we weren't in control of when we shifted, the full moon was. And while their wolves were separate but present most of the time, ours were not. We were the same person making my reactions more primal.

I lived within the pack because my parents decided to join. Some of them were like my family now and I didn't see a reason to leave. It didn't make the relationship with any leader easy. My species was naturally dominant so it was hard sometimes to cave to his orders.

He nodded. "Alright."

I took that as my que to leave. I still have to go prepare a spot so that I wasn't doing it last minute.

I headed straight to my truck that was parked in front of the pack house. My supplies for tonight were already stacked in the bed. Hopping in I started up the vehicle and drove towards the location I had picked out.

It was a small seaside town that was filled with less than two hundred people. The town laid ten miles outside the packs territory and backed up to several hundred acres of forest. The area beyond that was still human territory. Wolves and vampires would be free to roam around meaning so was I. Running into another pack or clan while I was shifted was a bad idea.

I drove on the main road through the town taking it in for the first and last time. It was no more than a few blocks that faced the ocean. There were a few businesses and homes that were built on stilts over the shore but most were on elevated pavement to prevent flooding. They all had a costal look to them. Each building was painted a light pastel or white, large windows pushed open wide for the breeze.

A handful of people still were walking the streets in the setting sun. Some had shopping bags while others carried beach totes. I spotted multiple workers folding umbrellas and stacking chairs. They were closing for the night. That was good.

Within a few minutes the tiny town was in my review mirror and the road ahead became darker due to the tree coverage. I took several turns down roads, each road shrinking in width. Soon the pavement blended into gravel.

When I thought I was far enough into the now dense woods I pulled off to the side. I placed my phone and wallet into the small compartment in front of the passenger seat. Getting out of my truck I went to the tailgate, lowering it to grab my bag and pile of chains. The chains were an inch thick which usually was enough to hold me during the transformation. After it would be easier to control myself. Besides anything living within proximity during my shift won't stay around long enough to be in danger.

I threw the bag over my shoulder then pushed the door up until it clicked.

The area I picked on a map was several miles inside a forest. The large trees around me soared high into the sky, most being covered with vines and moss. Due to the warm weather the ground was layered with tall grass, new trees, and wildflowers. The further I walked the darker it became. The canopy from the trees eliminating most of the evening sun, not that there was much left.