Omega Blues (Gay Romance)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Bite

Matt

The moon was full above me, and my pack were all around me.

We were in our clearing, our own little patch of the Jagged Rock Forest. Everybody was there—my band, Rebel, Leaf, Bren—my pack. I could look around the clearing and imagine how it would look in a few years when we'd built our cluster of pack homes here.

Will was in front of me, looking up at the moon, breathing slowly. Bren stood beside him, looking more like Will's older brother than his uncle. The hot older brother, obviously. All muscular, huge and hairy. Super, super hairy, because he was in his werewolf form—hair like a fuzzy rug wrapped around most of his body.

Just looking at his face made me feel calm and happy. Which was good, because otherwise I was excited and nervous. Good nervous, though, bubbling over with feelings. Like watching the tense bit in a movie, canting forward on the edge of my seat and biting my knuckles, but even better because I was the hero of this movie.

And this was the big dramatic part at then end of the movie, when the hero came out victorious before the happy ending. All my friends coming together to be with me during the biggest moment of my life.

I looked around the clearing that would be my home, at these friends who had become my family. I knew I was about to take a big step, make a giant commitment. But I wasn't scared. This was what I'd been living for. From the first practice with my band, I'd kinda known I'd be with them for the rest of my life.

Will asked, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I'm sure. Really, really sure."

I glanced at Bren, and he nodded. He looked more freaked out than I felt. So I grinned reassuringly and asked, "Are you sure?"

He nodded again, shakily. I took his hand, but then I felt the soft fur of his werewolf arm warmers, and I couldn't help petting his forearm. At least that made him smile.

"This is going to be awesome," I said. "End of the journey. I'm ready for the happy ending!"

Chop snorted. "Ew. We didn't need to hear that."

"I just meant the end of the movie! The werewolf movie I'm starring in. I'm ready to be a werewolf!" I'd been ready for months, even though Will and Bren had been jerks and not noticed. Still, everything had worked out okay.

Will glanced back up at the moon. I don't know what he was looking for. Maybe checking it was properly full. He didn't have to look at the moon, though, he could have just looked at Bren: Still in werewolf form when everyone else was human, showing that he was feeling the moon.

Soon enough that would be me. I could hardly wait.

"Okay," Will said. "Okay."

He stuck his hands in the pocket of his leather jacket, and cricked his neck. Connor wrapped his arm around my waist, but he wasn't looking at me. I thought he was probably communicating with Will, sending him support or telling him he was awesome or whatever.

"You'd think this gets easier every time," Will joked. "Lucky number four. I should be pro by now. But it's actually harder. This is such a big deal."

"Bren's been scaring you," I said. "He's a big meanie. Look at me. I'm ready! This is going to be fantastic. And you're fantastic."

Will grinned. Chop and Liv moved in closer, so I was surrounded by my band. We'd stood together like this so many times, in the practice room or yard back at high school, out in the snowy courtyard at college, backstage when we performed. It was so familiar. I felt echoes of every time we'd stood around together over the years.

Bren hovered outside of our close circle, lingering beside Leaf and Rebel. The three of them were part of our pack, but not our band. I suddenly realized Bren was right—that being part of Will's pack wasn't the same as being in our band, our close-knit pack.

Rebel had been hurt by her pack and she was still wary, especially toward a pack with a strong alpha leader like Will. She was part of our pack, but loyal to Chop rather than wanting to be tight with Will.

Leaf had lost her whole family, her pack. She was happy enough to hang out with us for safety's sake but I knew she missed her territory. I didn't speak wolf, but none of the others had mentioned Leaf wanting to be more active in our pack, though she was obviously attached to Liv. It made sense for her to be on the outside of our circle.

Then there was Bren. Watching me but not coming close. Pack was so important to him, and he'd been so stressed until Will said he was officially pack. But it looked like he wouldn't come nearer without Will's permission.

Pack hierarchy was law to him—or maybe something more important than law, because law could be broken but pack structure was set in stone. Bren didn't dare come closer, because he wasn't truly one of us.

"Bren," I said. "Come here."

He didn't hesitate. He walked over and joined the circle, standing straight so his huge hairy werewolf form towering a head above the rest of us.

I grinned at him, wanting him to know how much it meant to me, wanting him to be okay with getting right up in the middle of our band, wanting him to know that he was as important to me as any of the band. And maybe he got it, maybe he didn't. But he smiled at me all the same. And that was great. That calm smile like a hand on my shoulder or arms around my waist.

I was about to take the biggest step in my life, and Bren would be there with me. Taking his own big step—the bite that would tie him to me forever. And hopefully it would make him a better part of our pack.

"Okay," I said. "I'm ready ready ready."

Will moved close, behind and slightly beside me, wrapping his arm around my waist. Connor took up the same position on my other side, his arm tucked into my lower back, the other hand resting on my shoulder. Holding me in place. Or, no—steadying me, supporting me.

Will pulled the collar of my shirt aside. This was really happening.

I thought I was totally ready. But my body acted on its own, freezing up, getting all tense so my shoulders drew up and my fingernails bit into my palms.

And then Connor was there, squeezing his arm in between me and Will, hugging me. Chop took one of my hands in hers, and Liv took the other.

Liv said, "We're all here."

Connor said, "We love you, Matt."

Chop said, "Let's make you the most badass werewolf of all time."

They were my pack. They were there beside me. Everything would turn out great.

"Okay." I swallowed. "Ready."

I felt Will's breath on my neck a moment before I felt his teeth. He bit down, midway between my shoulder and my neck. A short dull pain as he pushed with his jaws, then the long sharp pain of his teeth breaking through.

A moment later Bren bit my neck, on the other side and low down. His teeth were sharp from the moment he bit, a sudden white flash of sensation.

For a moment I thought, hey, this isn't too bad!

And then the real pain started. So bad that I couldn't keep my mouth from tearing open in a scream, and I couldn't keep my body from jerking forward.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.