Lonely Monsters

twenty-nine

His plan had been simple. Get Meela out of the Academy's eye. He had read the reports, she should have chosen someone and made a harem. Even if that wasn't her human nature, that's what Duskelette Females did. Jared had met his fair share of monsters who had succumbed to their Matriarchal Roles easily after their change.

This was supposed to be an easy choice; she was a prime candidate. A sound choice for a mate, and yet she had failed. Jared held his head in his hands, a sob tearing into his gut. She wasn't supposed to look like that, emanciated and deformed!

With claws and eyes of the wrong color! She looked like a month away from transforming fully into a Dusquenoire. Her body was eating itself and he couldn't tell how much weight she had lost. Jared rubbed at his eyes, angry that he had done that. Turned such a woman, who smelled of Gardenia and had skin of chocolate silk into a mere former shadow of her self who exuded the feel of death.

It was supposed to go according to plan, since he had spent time healing from the tire iron to the sternum (tearing a bit of heart muscle, no big deal), others were to keep tabs on her. Make sure she hadn't killed her family (she lived with her mother and her siblings), turned a human zone into a ghoul infestation, or begin an urban harem that clashed with the local packs.

She didn't act natural. It was like Meela was something entirely different and every expectation of the transition wasn't met. Jared had to laugh at that.

Choosing a Mate was so easy. It was rare for creatures as old as their kind to fail so miserably.

Jared sat in the office at the Academy of Higher Learning in Remine. In front of him was a desk covered with hundreds of documents, and all the tabs he had been keeping of Miss Amana. The Academy owned the data as well, so they knew her hang outs, her friends, who she would turn to in her time of need, and any and all haunts she had frequented the last two seasons.

Jared grit his teeth, running his fingers through his hair. He gripped handfuls, threatening to tear his own hair out in frustration. Anguish. Pain.

He had turned Meela into a horrible monster. He had turned his mate into a scared, hurt, shambling mess of a being. So why, in the name of the Great Goddess couldn't he fucking hear anything from her.

No thoughts. No emotions. No spiritual energy or magic. Nothing.

Jared wept.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Winona had been in the car with the boys when the radio static had told their driver that "--the rogue subject has escaped. Proper procedural--" by a woman's voice. She and the boys were rushed to the Gerald Pack's main house and to be kept under basically lock down.

The Madam Alpha, whom Meela spoke fondly of from the few times they had coffee, came up and introduced herself formally to Winona and her sons.

"Hello, Miss Winona, how nice to see you again," the woman smiled. She didn't look much older than Meela or Winona herself, but she was already Madam Alpha.

Winona kept Danny by her side, and Vincent somewhat behind her. "Why are we hear." she narrowed her eyes at the Betas that were a few feet away from their Madam. "We've kept to your rules."

"You have, yes," she smiled, pearly whites a stark contrast to her mocha brown skin. "Meela has shown you a great amount of hospitality, so we will do the same. As she was our guest, it's only right, yes?"

Winona growled when one of the Betas took a step closer. He merely lifted his arm to show off the canvas bag he held. It was the groceries they had gotten with Meela earlier that day.

"C'mon. We'll make cookies, and then have tea."

"Madam Alpha I--"

"Ada." she interrupted. Winona blinked, staring at the other wolf. "...I'm not your Alpha. I wouldn't ask you to address me as such."