Purgatory of the Werewolf - The Wolf of Dorian Gray (Book 2)

Chapter 6 - The Full Moon

Dorian was fast asleep as a bone-white moon rose, bright and full in the night sky. He awoke screaming as the transformation began with his ribs and the bones in his back splitting. His body began healing immediately, but it was remaking itself—wrong. Fire raked through his body as his chest and back swelled. Dorian looked down in horror as the skin on his hands blackened and stretched. The bones in his forearms and hands split and repeatedly healed as his muscles swelled and his arms elongated. Sharp claws sprouted and punctured the middle of his fingernails as they grew.

He doubled over in agony and rolled to the floor as the bones in his legs shattered and doubled in length and size to support the expanding muscles. His breaths came in ragged bursts as his mind fought against the torment. Blood pooled in his eyes and clouded his vision. The red fluid trickled from his ears and fell from his mouth as the skin tore and his jaw cracked and reformed. He could feel the nerves in his teeth explode as jagged canines pushed through the center of each tooth at once.

Dorian struggled to stand and failed, instead he fell to all fours and arched his back as he rode the convulsions racking his mutilated body. His heart erupted and healed as his lungs collapsed then exploded and reformed. Every hair follicle in his body sprouted a thick black shoot at the same time.

The worst pain, however, came from the battle being waged in his head. His very being was destroyed as it was torn away in chunks and replaced with vile and animalistic thoughts. He tried to fight back against the overwhelming thirst for blood, but he did not know how. The mind of the wolf and the need to hunt washed over his very thoughts like the unstoppable flow of a raging river, swelled to an uncontrollable force by the unending rains of rage and brutality.

The screaming stopped as an elongated red eye focused on the unfamiliar surroundings. The massive body of the wolf shivered with power as the transformation was complete. The creature was a long way from the forest, but it had hunted in the cities of men before. A single thought dominated the mind of the wolf above all others—kill.

Back at her home, Lady Helena was reviewing the plans that had been set in motion for Dorian to leave the city. Lady Helena was working on securing passage on a ship and Lord Crawley was in the process of obtaining travel papers under an assumed name. The next day Dorian moved into a small cottage on the outskirts of town. Lady Helena provided the key and said her associates would not mind him using it for awhile. He promised to stay out of sight until he was sent for.

That evening, Lady Helena was enjoying a glass of Vin Mariani wine as she looked over prospective ship manifests. The important part would be to transport Dorian on a ship where few questions were asked and where it was unlikely that his notable face would be recognized by any of the passengers. She drained the last of her glass and looked out admiringly at the pale full moon. A flicker of motion brought her gaze to the painting on the table. Her glass shattered on the floor as it slipped from her hand and she gasped in disbelief at what her eyes saw.

The figure on the canvas that had been Dorian was now replaced with a snarling and vicious demon-wolf. It was much larger and covered in dark hair. Sharp claws and long fangs warned of death. The most terrible part was the red eyes that were filled with equal parts malice and intelligence. Surely it was the wine or some remnants of her sickness that brought such horrible visions. She felt faint from exhaustion. She would go to bed immediately and inspect the painting tomorrow.

Dorian's dreams that night were filled with terrifying memories of the beast that hunted him and the horrendous acts it committed. They were dark and ruthless dreams of vile pleasures and unquenchable bloodlust.

A bright light insisted he wake up. He groaned and rolled over to his side, throwing his arm over the woman lying next to him. Woman? Dorian sat up immediately. He had taken no one to bed with him last night. The bed felt wrong. Dorian blinked rapidly to clear the sleep and blurred splotches from his eyes. He was outside. In the forest—again.

"No. No, no, no."

He was naked and covered in blood once more. This was the second time he had awoken in this state. Instead of being deep in the protective center of the forest, he was in the small cottage owned by Lady Helena. This time there was a corpse of a naked woman next to him. He hadn't wanted to look. Dorian silently got out of the bed and began cleaning himself frantically. How can this be? He must leave London tonight.

Lady Helena had been kind enough to provide him with a fresh pair of clothes. Dorian changed into them and left at once for town. Eventually he made his way to the side gate of Lady Helena's home. A reluctant Lucious ushered him into the kitchen where Lady Helena was having her breakfast.

"Good morning Lady Helena."

"Dorian, are you alright? You look quite pale."

"I must leave immediately. I can wait no longer."

Lady Helena put down the wheat bread with strawberry jam she was enjoying and looked at Dorian calmly. "You must understand, if you leave so soon it will not be under ideal circumstances."

"Whatever it takes. But I must be as far away from this place as possible."

"Very well. Is China far enough?"

"China? Yes, fine."

"I had hoped to find some other plan, but on short notice, this was the best I could do. Lord Crawley and you will leave with the Royal Navy on Her Majesty's Ship, Victory. Your vessel will rendezvous with the French Navy and sail for China."

"Why must we rendezvous with the French Navy?"

"I suppose you have been out of touch with world events. There is another dispute over trade routes. A second Opium War is brewing and the fleet has been ordered to attack if the Qing Dynasty does not surrender."

"That sounds dangerous."

"You and the other seamen should be perfectly safe once you reach China—assuming there are no storms along the voyage. Most of the fighting will be done by the army and the French. My military contacts assure me it will be a short campaign."

"The other seamen?"

"You've been enlisted. Congratulations Seaman Lynch. I have purchased a commission for Lord Crawley. He will be your superior officer."

"My superior—this is outrageous!"

Lady Helena beckoned him to come closer and took his hand in hers. "I am sorry Mr. Gray. Please understand that I did not intend for you to suffer these humiliations. Anything higher ranking would raise suspicions and bring unwanted scrutiny to the validity of your documents. This way, Lord Crawley can look after you and we can get you as far away from London as soon as possible. At least until we have some answers."

Dorian nodded his head once in agreement. Lady Helena was the only friend he had left in this world and she was doing her best to see him to safety. The least he could do was accept the help being offered.

Lady Helena embraced him warmly. "I will stay here and see if I can uncover the truth of what is happening to you. Maybe there is some way to undo what has been done. Now get some sleep. The captain of the Victory has ordered all hands aboard by dawn. The ship will sail with the morning tide. Goodbye, Mr. Gray."