Chapter 11: Girls Love the Fur

It was getting late at night, and a tall elderly gentleman was walking down the trail with his cane. Sasha had laid stood beside the monstrous wolf and grew nervous thinking this man was going to freak out. She held her breath and obstructed him as best as she could.

Lilian and Kolbe glanced over at the man, and they went over to him where they talked to him lowly. “So, what are we going to do now?” Lilian asked.

The man eyed the teen couple and pulled out his pipe. “We wait…” he said as he started stuffing tobacco into the chamber.

“Wait for what exactly?” Kolbe asked.

The man put the stem of his pipe to his lips and pulled out a match box. “His rationality has taken a back seat. Only his primal nature is functioning right now” he said before he struck the match illuminating his thick eyebrows and mutton chops as he lit his pipe. He waved it out extinguishing it as he took a puff of smoke. “All we can do is ensure he stays put until he comes to his senses”

“How long is that going to take?” Kolbe asked.

“Last time it took him a little under 7 hours” Lilian chimed in.

“7 hours!? I don’t have time for that!” Kolbe shouted.

“Well, maybe you should have listened to me!”

“I don’t believe it will take as long as the first. The first time transforming into Lycaon form is always hardest. The girl will help in that” Jean said as smoke rolled out of his mouth.

Sasha gasped. “M-m-me? Are you talking about me? How am I helping?”

The man took a big puff and looked at her curiously. “Tell me, what made you say when you saw him in this state? Why did you not run?”

“Toby told me it would be stupid to run. Wolves like to chase things” Sasha replied.

“Hon hon hon” The man chuckled at this.

She gave it some more thought. “I just know that…his wolf claimed me to be his mate. I’ve already been with him when his wolf side comes out. I know he remembers me, and the time we spent together” she said although she laughed nervously. “I might be just stupid”

“Hmm, I don’t think you’re stupid. You already knew how deep a connection you have with him. Having said that, a wolf is most comfortable in the company of their mate. He would have sought you out had you not been here”

“Oh…that’s comforting” Sasha muttered before she thought about how her father would react to this beast showing up in their backyard.

Bernie, Yvonne, and Zoe arrived, and when Zoe caught sight of Toby now with Sasha riding on top of his back, she immediately stopped in her tracks shouting, “Seriously!? What the hell!? I can’t believe you been holding back on me!”

“Pfh, you already know he could do this” Bernie snorted. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “I swear…you’ll reach this form soon enough”

“I’ve now seen it! I thought you were exaggerating things! Now I can’t unsee it!” Zoe shouted.

The old man turned to look towards her and rolled his eyes. “Must everything be a competition with you? This is something serious” he scolded her.

A group of joggers were running down the pathway with headlamps and red flashers on their backs. Zoe ran over to Toby and simulated holding onto reins while Sasha stiffened up awkwardly. The joggers slowed down staring at them, and Zoe turned away imitating a nicker.

Confused, the joggers resumed their speed down the trail saying, “Wow, what a strange looking horse”

“I know right? Looked like a giant dog”

Toby got offended and started growling at the comment about him being a dog. Zoe and Sasha both let out a huge sigh of relief, before she yelled at him. “Get off damn the trail, you idiot!” Toby looked around in confusion and whimpered. “I don’t care that you had to get out. Have you seen what you look like!?”

Toby started to revert back into a more human like form, which Bernie let out a heavy frustrated sigh. “We have got to fix this problem of his…” he muttered. He gave Kolbe a very irritated look striking fear into the smaller young man. “I hope you’ve gotten what you’re after. Was it worth it?”

“Well, uh…I had no idea that…this was a problem. I thought it was something to celebrate!”

“You will not share this with anyone, understood? Not until we’ve gotten him to control this” Bernie demanded.

“So how am I to explain why Toby’s PEAS rating shot from 7 to a 9.5? That’s unheard of” Kolbe spoke up.

“You will use our explanation with his fight with Ian as proof. Toby is notorious for sandbagging in his duels?” Jean said.

“No, pup with a 7, or a 9 rating for that matter, could hold their own against Ian. If it would be up to me, Toby would be a 10+” Bernie said much to Zoe’s chagrin.

“10+!? Are you high? Don’t you think Ian has gotten much weaker?” she protested.

“He may be weaker, but that’s why we have him at 9.5. Getting a 10 from me or Jean a pup must have a Lycaon form. I am not going to have everyone know this and challenge him to a fight just to see it” Bernie clarified with her.

“What’s a PEAS rating?” Sasha asked.

“It stands for Pup Evaluation and Aptitude Score. It’s a rating system from 1 to 10 that measures the abilities of a pup. It can be used to place them what rank they are best suited for. A 2 or a 3 ranting is pretty average and they get a delta ranking. Gamma wolves have 5s, Betas have 8s, and Alphas usually have near a 10. Zoe’s score is a 9.8.

This whole thing started when Bernie and Jean questioned Toby’s score being too low. A 7 ranking should not be able to keep up with someone at Zoe’s level, so they had Terry fight him instead of Zoe to reevaluate him. Terry knew what buttons to push, and…” Lilian explained before she ran her fingers through her hair. “…Whenever he has his flashbacks he transformed, but that was when he first turned all the way. I’ve been hoping it wouldn’t happen again”

After Toby had got his clothes on, Sasha noticed that she had been staring at her wolfman’s body, and she turned on the light to her cell phone to “help him” see. She got a good look at his anthro form, and she was already satisfied before he yelled at her to turn the light out. Through the lens of him being her boyfriend, he looked amazing. No regrets.

They made their way back to the car and Jean decided to join them, and Kolbe was forced to ride with Bernie and Zoe. As they drove through the hills, Toby sat up knowing that the road they were on was poorly lit. Sasha reached out to touch his furry arm feeling him up. He gulped as she reached up to turn his face towards her, and she smiled at him warmly. “Are you feeling better?” she asked.

He stared at her with his yellow soul piercing eyes as she reached up to touch his cold wet blackened morphed nose. “I’m fine. There wasn’t anything wrong before” he said.

“Your nose feels like my dog’s nose” she muttered before she ran her fingers over his jawline and back to his ears. “You’re much more wolf than before…” she said while she tried to scoot up closer to him. “Are you going to show this to me more often? I think you look very…sexy” she asked. He gave a deer staring into the headlights kind of look as his heart began to race as she groped his chest. He tugged at the collar of his shirt as it began to dig into his skin. She smiled with delight as she started to help him remove his shirt. “Are you still transforming?” she asked.

Jean looked back at her and shook his head as Sasha removed Toby’s shirt. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea to be stirring him up like this in a car. Maybe you can do this in a less enclosed space?” he suggested.

She blushed. “I wasn’t trying to stir him up…I just never expected him to react to me like this” she said.

Lilian snickered. “Lots of testosterone and a very attractive female will always get this sort of a reaction out of a teen wolf” she said plainly.

She bit her lip and looked back towards Toby as she had already taken his shirt off. “Oh…I guess I’m making the situation worse, huh?” she said embarrassed.

Toby let out a big heavy sigh. “You saved my shirt at least” he said softly.

“It can’t be helped…Toby, you’re just going to have to resist a bit longer. No matter how much discomfort it gives you. I don’t want to pull this car over again” Lilian said.

She frowned. “So, is this normal then for a werewolf to be so gosh darn big?” she asked.

Jean thought of an explanation. “Toby’s size is a gift from Angrboða. Angrboða, she was a race of giants called jötunn, who mated with Loki many times. She had three children, which one was an immense wolf named, Fenrir. Fenrir is the progenitor of werewolves. The shapeshifting and bestowal powers came from Loki, and our size and strength come from Angrboða” he explained.

She gulped. “So…um…I can see why your mom chose to become a werewolf. Wow…must have really been scary to come across a wolf in Lycaon form” she muttered.

“Indeed” Jean stated.

“Jez, and how big was Toby when he was born?” she asked.

Lilian looked up in the mirror and recollected her first birth. “He was 14 pound 3 ounces, and 25 and half inches long” she said.

“Holy cow! He was a huge baby!” Sasha shouted.

Lilian grinned proudly. “I delivered him at home without any trouble, and he was a very adorable widdle pup too” she said.

Sasha stared at her. “Were you in werewolf form?” she asked.

Lilian shook her head. “Nope…I was only having one not a litter” she said before she rubbed the back of her neck. “Luckily, baby sizes decrease with increasing litter size” she said.

Sasha looked at the floor. “Wow…just wow” she muttered.

Toby gulped. “Are you alright? You look like your mind just got blown again” he said.

She looked up at him and snickered. “Shut up, you!” she said playfully. They came back onto more well-lit roads, and she grabbed onto her shoulder pulling him down under her arm. “You big bad wolf you!” she said as she started to scratch at his belly.

“What are you doing!? Stop!” He shouted. He lost all control of his leg as she scratched him even faster.

She giggled at the sight of the huge terrifying apex predator feared by man for centuries being reduced to a docile family friendly pet. “I can’t help myself” she said.

Finally, Lilian pulled up to the driveway, and Sasha ceased playing with Toby’s fur. He sighed, and his ears flattened against his head in sadness. He really was enjoying the affection Sasha gave him. His transformation had already progressed to wolf ears sprouting out the top of his head and a tail sprouted out his backside.

 When he got up to get out of the car, he saw her staring at him in shock. “What?” He asked as his voice was getting much deeper.

She gulped and gawked at his already muscular physique becoming more bulked up. The fur was not thick enough to hide the definitions, contours, and crevice, and his blackened disfigured nose and lower jaw had jutted out slightly. “Toby you are…bigger…er um…wait, are you turning back into that giant wolf again?” she asked.

“Get inside before they see you!” Lilian ordered as she opened the door. She walked up to the door into the as the car beeped and flashed its headlights, and she looked back smiling as Sasha helped sneak her Toby into the house despite his imminent transformation into Therian form barely allowing him to get into the house.

After she unlocked the door to the house, everyone followed her inside. Sasha could see that Toby was growing more massive and more fur. She blushed watched just how stretchy his shorts were. She tried her best not to look down as his shorts became so tight, they unveiled his bulge.

As he walked past Sasha, he swatted his tail playfully into her rump before he looked back giving her a flirtatious wink. She smiled receptive of his advances, and she followed him into the living room. He plopped onto the recliner and removed his shoes as they were killing him.

She blushed watching one of his shoes fly off, and she giggled at how inflated his feet and toes were. "Here, let me help you" she said before she grabbed at his socks. She tugged on it and, he tugged against her. She flew back holding onto the sock, and she stared his swollen furry feet, and the black callus like padding growing on the bottom of the ball of his feet and toes.

She reached up to touch his hind paws, and she smiled. “You have really big beans” she said as she squeezed the pads between his toes. She examined his claws, and his toes lengthening past his big toe, which the big toes were in the process of becoming dew claws. She looked up to see the palm of his hands growing the same black padding although his hands were not morphing in structure as his feet were.

He blushed as he could no longer stop himself from transforming, but he was very relieved to see Sasha’s curious reaction. His transformation finished, which he had grown a wolf muzzle, and his feet elongated and widened into digitigrade position. The recliner groaned under his weight, but it held up firmly.

Sasha sat on the couch and stared at him still registering at the fact that her boyfriend was a massive werewolf the same one from the news video, but not only that, he was so calm and tame. "Hey, Toby?" she asked. He looked over at her while perking his ears up towards her.

She blushed and fidgeted with her fingers timidly. "Does it hurt when you…you know, transform this far?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I got used to it" he said as he reclined back into the chair while He stretched and yawned. "It's not a big deal…It's nothing worse than a tugging on a loose tooth" he said.

Bernie, his family, and Kolbe came into the house. Bernie and Zoe both sat on the giant couch making Yvonne and Lilian look tiny. Kolbe sat into a chair near Toby, and he resumed his interview. “Toby,…are you going steady with this human?” He asked into the recorder before he pointed the mic towards Toby.

Toby gave a wolfish grin. "What do you think?" She spoke up as she crossed her arms over her chest. “We’ve been together for almost a month…he’s kept me happy so far” she said before looking up at her big guy blushing brightly and biting her lip.

Kolbe grinned widely. "So why did you pick her for a mate?" he asked.

He paused for a moment and looked at his lady with longing. “Well…look at how she’s comfortable she is around us? I’m in my therian form and she’s giving me a foot massage. She just very calm and relaxing…and to be honest, she pretty good in the looks department” He said. His ears flattened against his head feeling guilty that she had to listen to him. She smiled with her cheeks so red she could lead Santa’s sleigh on a foggy night. “I feel she gets me, and I get her. I don’t feel out of place with her, you know?” he said.

“Good, good…Alright, what happened last Sunday night with Ian? She does know about Ian doesn’t she?” Kolbe asked.

Bernie let off a low growl, and Jean raise his hand towards him. “No matter how much it displeases you to hear the mention of him. I think it’s only right that the girl knows the world she’s getting involved in”

“She doesn’t need to know everything he’s done!” He snaped.

“No, I didn’t say that. I shall spare you the unpleasantries of your past with him…On second thought, why don’t you get some fresh air?” Jean told him. He waited for Bernie to leave the room before he resumed his exposition.

“Where do I begin? Right, 1839…I had taken in the son of Riley Green as an apprentice. Riley Green was an excellent employee for us. His son Ian had just as much promise as his father. He reminds me a lot of Zoe and even you, Toby. Strong, Proud, Insecure, Large, and Impressive. I saw that he could become a great Alpha to some pack…maybe become my successor. I had trained him and showed him everything I knew about our powers. What I had left to teach him was politics…I should have taught him that from the start, for his family was slain by a group of hunters. Also, he saw first hand how I was treated by the Americans and their ways.

They stripped me from my land just as they stripped the trees from our hunting grounds to build their farms and cities. What they brought with them was their hatred of nature and they wanted to tame it or cull those they could not. I can sympathize with Ian, but his way of going about preserving our ways was different than mine” He explained before he let off a heavy sigh. “I regret not pushing more for Oregon Country to become an Independent nation. Once Fort Vancouver was lost and HBC moved north…the wolves joined Ian’s cause. That was when the Werewolf attacks on Barlow Road began”

“I see, but when did they come back to your side?” Sasha asked.

“They never did…most just went into hiding after the hunters and SAD came. They may not say it, but I know most resent the rich and the selfish. Even more so now with climate change and what happened in politics recently. Even if Steele and Bernie had chased off Ian, the werewolves have still been at war with those who have caused damage to their home”

Sasha gasped. “Those Lobbyists that were killed”

“Yes…but I fear it grows worse from here” Jean stated before he glanced over at Kolbe. “Two conservative supreme court judges have gone missing”

The hairs on the back everyone’s neck stood up, and they all wiped out their phones to confirm this. True to his word, the headline was in fact “Disappearance of Two Supreme Court Justices”

“But how?” Kolbe remarked.

“Why would they kidnap judges?” Sasha asked.

“This isn’t good” Toby muttered.

“Shall I continue?” Jean asked. They went quiet before Jean thought back about the troublesome past. “Everything came to a head when Steele came. It could have gone either way. So much pain…so much grief…so much anger. Something that Ian preys upon…exploits. I prayed that he didn’t turn to his side. I’m grateful that he saw through Ian’s façade. I don’t know what would have happened if he didn’t” he said.

Bernie came back inside with Ulf behind him. Lilian made eye contact with Ulf and flashed a smile. He returned one back albeit stiff and subtle. Berne sat back down next to his wife with his arms crossed over his chest. “You know, you should be blessed to have such a good pedigree” He said before he focused his attention onto Sasha. “So, how are you taking the fact that your mate is a werewolf?” He asked sternly.

“Um, well at first…I thought werewolves were nothing but vicious and mindless killers as I have seen in movies. Though my friends have taught me to be brave and open minded. Now that I’ve been around Your family and Toby’s, I see the nuances. There are good werewolves, and there are criminal werewolves. Just like regular humans” she said before she looked between them worried. “Why do you ask?”

“I saw your father and his little hunting buddies. He’s gotten himself into the wrong crowd. If you are going to be with him, you’re going to have to endure anything that he says. He’s one of those folks who are dead set in his ways. Don’t be thinking that you can change him” Bernie said.

“Well he’s my stepdad. My real dad died in the Covid pandemic. Maybe after he sees that Toby is a nice guy” She suggested.

“Sasha, I appreciate your optimism, but I’ve seen where this goes often times than not” Ulf added.

“But, what about Gwen’s webshow? She has Randall on there transformed on a regular basis” Zoe reminded them.

“Gwen keeps whether or not it’s real ambiguous. She’s an actress, so most just think that Randall is part of the act” Bernie corrected her.

Lilian ran her fingers through her hair and got up. “Do you need a drink?” she asked. She went into the kitchen and started making and mixing alcoholic beverages.

“Um, I was going to ask, but do any of you know anything about Champoeg? Some of the members in my club mentioned we go ghost hunting there” Sasha asked.

Jean gave her a stern look. “Champoeg…Some terrible things happened there. That place is between Wilsonville and Newberg. Once upon a time it was the first Provisional Capital of Oregon Country. After, HBC stirred up the wolves to detour Christian missionaries and Americans from coming west. There was always a blood feud with the missionaries and the werewolves from the start.

I remembered what happened in Europe, and I tried to discourage the fighting. None wanted to listen. When the townsfolk held their so-called wolf meetings, that was when tensions came to a boil. They held bounties on werewolf heads and commissioned hunters to systematically kill us off like the Werewolf Witch Trials in Europe. I tried to convince them townsfolk it was a very bad idea since most fur traders were werewolves, so I knew that there were hundreds of them. I knew Ian was very good at organizing attacks.

What made things worse, was the HBC pulling back all operation from the 49^th and south. That put all the wolves out of a steady job and made them desperate. They blamed the Americans, even though the writing was on the wall that the Fur Trade industry was dying out. I tried to get most of the people to agree to make Oregon Country to be an independent nation before George Abernethy of the Methodist Mission used the fear of werewolves and not having the US military to sway them.

Not only hunters were involved now but the US army had become involved. Many werewolves and natives were killed even my son was killed. Even after the capitol had moved to other towns, the hunters operated out of Champoeg, and most of their elite lived in and around there. It was the perfect target for revenge.

Well, on a stormy night, Ian and a group of werewolves crossed the river and killed everyone they got their paws on. This was a part of a bigger campaign that involved attacking all the towns simultaneously. It would have been worse had the river not overflowed its banks. The town was washed away and was never rebuilt” he said.

Sasha stroked her chin. “I think we should start some investigations there” she mumbled to herself before she looked over at Toby’s larger than life form. She got brave and climbed onto him sitting on his lap then reached around grabbing his arms encouraging him to claim her. His heart pounded strong and proud for her as she listened to it.

She looked up at him and blushed as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her up onto him. He formed a canine like grin as she settled into him. “Comfy?” he asked.

She nodded happily indeed very comfortable as his warmth and aura soaked into body. Phoebe walked through the front door, and she saw Sasha’s huge jiggly butt squished up against her brother. She swore she saw her grind up against him. “Enjoying dat ass Toby?”

Zoe snorted as Phoebe walked past them. “Phoebe!” Lilian shouted.

Sasha rolled her eyes at her, but she felt Toby sneak a squeeze on her rear. “So, how did Toby’s father overthrow Ian?” she asked as she traced patterns into Toby’s arm arbitrarily.

“Long story short, Steele got surrounding clans unified and with the help of the Supernatural Ministry supplying them advance weapons at the time, not that Supernatural Administration, it was pretty easy” Bernie answered.

“What’s the difference between the Ministry and Administration?” she asked

“The Ministry is British” Zoe interrupted. Jean nodded quietly.

“Oh, so I take it you trust the British more?” Sasha asked.

“They brought Steele here. The Americans tried to have him killed” Jean said.

“They let Ian get away…when they blew up the dike!” Bernie blurted out.

“You think they would put human lives in jeopardy?” Lilian asked as she sat drinks onto the counter.

“Lilian, it was Vanport…it was the 1940s…” Bernie stated as he grabbed a beer.

Yvonne looked down at the floor depressed. “It was our home”

Bernie glanced over at her and sensed her sorrow. He reached down touching her thigh. “It was…but it was too small for our family. The mountain is where our home is…it always has…it always will”

“How did Toby’s father convince them though?” Sasha reminded them.

“The Atomic bomb, that’s how…he reminded them how far technology has evolved. To challenge them to a war would be foolish” Bernie finished. He looked at her grimly. “They are no longer afraid…he has given you the necklace, has he?”

Sasha reached into her shirt and pulled out a snarling wolf head necklace with red eyes. “I have it here…” she stated.

Kolbe stared at the necklace amazed. “It’s that serious eh? Are you going to turn her?”

“That would be a stupid move right now wouldn’t you think? Her father is a hunter” Ulf stated as he leaned in. “What’s more important is that you keep Toby’s scent fresh on you”

“Agreed, not all werewolves are going to be in the know. They will know they will; however, know that you’ve been mating with a werewolf” Bernie stated.

Sasha blushed brightly. “Me? I haven’t…” she said although all the wolves looked at her skeptically. Her arms dropped in fear of what they would think. Her image with them was ruined, and she looked towards Toby for help; however, he did not want to be a part of this. “I know you are pretending to be asleep!” she grumbled.

Bernie gave out a frustrated growl. “We can all smell him on you…deny it all you want…we know”

“No offense Sasha, but knock it off with the goodie-goodie act. No shame in liking werewolf dick, nuff said” Zoe stated. Lilian gasped mortified with this, but Phoebe snorted at the top of the stairs from her bedroom door.

“Phoebe, you aren’t a part of this conversation!” Lilian shouted.

“I knew she was a faker! Good Christian Girl my ass!” Phoebe remarked. Sasha felt small and wanted to run away. Toby’s grip on her was so tight that it proved impossible to escape.

“Remember that time I caught you drinking my dad’s beer, and you told me that Toby was the sexiest werewolf ever?” Zoe retorted.

“Wait what?” Bernie’s voice boomed.

Phoebe slammed the door shut, and everyone stared at Zoe who was smirking evilly. “That shut her up”

“When did she drink my beer!?” Bernie shouted.

“Oh my god…Zoe why did you bring this up in front of him” Lilian muttered as she pinched her temple.

“Dad, we’ve already punished them for it” Ulf explained.

“Why wasn’t I told this?” Bernie said still with a raised voice.

“I thought you knew” Ulf said.

“Bernard, it was a stupid game of truth or dare. Just let it go…it’s in the past” Yvonne spoke up timidly.

Kolbe skimmed through his reports. “I heard that Tommy has started to go Fully Wooly…is this true?”

“Toby, um…can we go someplace private?” Sasha whispered.

Toby reverted into his smaller manageable Anthro form before he got up with her and readjusted the drawstring to his shorts. He went upstairs, and she followed behind.

Kolbe snickered to himself. “Some girls love the fur” he remarked.

While they bonded upstairs, Lilian recollected her first time being with Steele in a transformed state. “He's got his father’s charms; I bet being cuddled up to him is so dreamy for her. I remember how right everything felt when I was with his father” She said thoughtfully.

Inside the room, Toby was feeling sense of wellbeing as Sasha lay beside him petting his fur on his chest while looking up at him adoringly. He was now beginning to see that he was the embodiment of his father, and this brought him some sense of closure and yes, even pride knowing this.

Zoe came into the room and closed the door. “Care for a threesome?” Toby scowled at her, and she chortled. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding…unless you want to” she said, which Toby’s eye twitched. Sasha was bright red and looked away not wanting to be read like a book. Zoe proceeded to sit at the desk chair and looked at them bored. “Can I watch?”

“Seriously?” Toby exclaimed.

“No” She muttered before she looked towards Sasha. “He’s so easy to tease”

Toby’s stomach let out a ferocious growl, which Sasha squirmed around and poke her head out of his embrace, and she looked up at him mortified. “Didn’t you eat three Chili dogs? How can you be hungry still?”

“I transformed into Lycaon form…Transformations take a lot of energy” He explained.

She sat up and looked between smiling. “So how many forms do you have?” She asked as she placed her hand on his bulky shoulder to hold herself up. She looked into his eyes intensely with a warm inviting smile.

He cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his head. “Well, you’ve pretty much seen all of them Sasha”

“I’d say…I was going to say that that there are probably a lot of forms in between human and full wolf…only…they don’t have names” Zoe said before she crossed her arms across her chest and leaned into the back of the chair. “You know that I’m not going to go easy on you next time we spar right?”

“Okay?” He mumbled.

“Man…I wanted to be the one to go Lycaon first” Zoe fumed.

His stomach growled loudly, and Sasha blushed hugging him tightly not threatened by the sounds of hunger emanating from his belly. “Um, maybe you should get something to eat” She muttered.

Toby’s grumbled and got up out of bed. “Fine…” he mumbled.

As he made his way back downstairs, Kolbe stroked his chin as he scanned through his tablet. “Has the Dr. Lovejoy even looked at Toby, yet?” He asked.

“Toby doesn’t get his checkup 3 days before he graduates. I wasn’t in a hurry to get him checked up” Lilian said.

“I have a feeling that he’s going to be bigger than Steele was” Kolbe remarked.

“I think he’s fully grown now” Bernie protested.

“I can see this tank pulverizing Ian into the ground” Ulf said as he took another swig of beer.

Kolbe looked at Sasha amused. “Looks like some of the single females are going to envy you. This big stud is going to be in high demand pretty soon once this paper comes out about his growth spurt” He said.

She forced a smile though she was beginning to dread more of the likes of Olivia. “I would be scared, but Zoe’s got my back. She took care of the queen bee with no problem” she said.

Kolbe stared at the brace on her arm and frowned. “What happened to your arm?”

Sasha grabbed it and turned away. “Um, I just fell”

Lilian laughed going back inside the kitchen to check on dinner. “Zoe’s an awesome friend to have, but I guess you already knew that when you befriended her” she said before she sighed.

“Yeah, I never have seen a girl quite like her. Makita made sure I’d talk to her though. Man, I thought Zoe would flip a gourd when Makita broke free and nearly knocked her off her longboard” she said smiling awkwardly.

“Psh, You dog can’t hurt me. I would have bailed” Zoe muttered.

“Dinner’s almost ready” Lilian announced.

Sasha smiled and blushed humbly as the large brawny werewolf pulled her into his furry embrace claiming her as his own. She reached up and around to touch the mane on his neck and attempt to scratch behind his ear. Success! He turned his head into her hand and murred softly. She remembered one of her questions from earlier and cleared her throat. “I’ve heard a couple of you mention the term Wolf out? Is that some sort of uncontrolled transformation? What is it exactly” she asked.

“Well, wolfing out is just a broader term where a werewolf loses themselves to their primal instincts. In severe cases whey will actually transform inadvertently or slipping. It may not be a complete transformation to a stable form. It can be any combination” Ulf explained.

Zoe scowled at her and crossed her arms over her chest in a pout. “I thought we already told you this?”

Sasha smiled awkwardly. “I forget sometimes…Oh! So, what about on full moons?” She asked.

They stared at her. “What about them?” Bernie asked. Zoe smacked herself in the head.

“Do you wolf out full moons?” Sasha asked.

Bernie scratched at the back of his head. “We can…just like any other day”

“Toby and Zoe said that you all go out hunting on full moons. Is that your instincts telling you or is it something else?”

“Well, it’s easiest to hunt out with the light of a full moon. I get urges to hunt and kill all the time, just like the rest of the wolves. The full moon just sets an atmosphere that makes all the wolves very hyper and stir-crazy. It builds up within us all, and if we don’t get it out of us, then we explode, and go feral. That’s a part of Toby’s affliction…it’s why he’s been changing into Lycaon form” Jean explained.

“His affliction?” Sasha asked.

They all got quiet in the room before Bernie spoke up. “His human grandmother has shamed Toby in being what he is. Even now after Lilian has disowned her family, it’s hard to undo what has been said”

“Trying to get Toby to go for a kill is like pulling teeth. He just cuts off prey and flanks them. He keeps his instincts and his emotions bottled up. It isn’t healthy” Ulf elaborated.

“Feh, yea…you forget he’s a werewolf until he’s pummeling a teenager into a coma or turning into a giant freaking wolf! I’m always the one making the kill or winning fights. I thought it was just that he’s lazy” Zoe added. Toby looked away sensing their irritation with how the hunt always goes.

“Toby…you know I like it when you act like a wolf right?” Sasha told him.

He stared at her confused. “I thought you wanted me to act more human?”

Sasha ran her fingers through her hair. “Not if it causes you to do this. I didn’t know that you have the opposite problem. It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up…even for humans”

“If you can tell him that next time we hunt, that would be great. I want him to kill something for a change…hopefully not a student” Zoe told her.

“Um, would you and Toby like to go with me to Champoeg tomorrow night?” she asked.

He cocked his head cutely. “At night? What for?” he asked.

She grinned. “I wanted to go ghost hunting tomorrow” she said.

“Um, sure…okay” he muttered.

“Ghost hunting? You’re serious about this aren’t you?” Kolbe asked.

“Yea, it’s what me and a bunch of friends did back east. Everyone called us Mystery Incorporated” she said.

Lilian and Ulf both snickered. “So, you were missing a Scooby and got Toby instead?” he asked.

Sasha shook her head. “Naw, we needed a Shaggy” she corrected him.

Lilian let out a loud laugh. “Just to let you know, Toby isn’t a vegetarian” she said.

Sasha snickered. “Yea, but he is a werewolf…just like Shaggy” she said before she giggled even more.

“Do you have like a tryout or give them a trial before one joins your little club?” Ulf asked.

She laughed. “Oh, of course…you have no idea how many so-called brave people show up and turn away when things start getting good. We usually just ask what insights they can bring to the group, and then we take them to the most active places to see if they crack. I’d doubt Toby would run away from a ghost” she said.

“What do you do in your hunting?” Ulf asked.

“Well, we do a lot of tests. We have to determine if the haunting is a residual or intelligent. We’ve came across a couple of poltergeists but mostly we come across residual. Though the one night we first got Terra, was the night we found a portal haunting. That was super scary…turned out that someone used a Ouija board and didn’t close the portal” she said before she looked up seeing them all staring at her not seeming captivated rather, they seemed to be waiting for something more, something she did not have. She shied away timidly and looked away. “I mean…I would tell you that I got wrapped up with a pack of werewolves, but…y’all have been the most interesting encounters that I have had in my life” she spoke lowly.

“Well naturally, must be pretty cool to be under the protection an entire pack of werewolves” Lilian stated as she started setting the table.

“Um, yea…it is kind of awesome, but I’m really worried about this Ian stuff”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your burden to bear” Bernie interrupted her.

“She has right to worry, Bernard. Don’t shoulder all the burden onto yourself” Jean spoke firmly to the Alpha. His gaze shifted onto Sasha with a same bit of command. “You aren’t in danger for the time being”

Sasha gulped and nodded. “Um…anyway…” she muttered before there was a knock on the door.

Toby reverted down to his human form suddenly, and he ran into the kitchen. Bernie walked up to the door, which he stared at Nathan as he opened the door. “I’m guessing you’re Sasha’s father?” he asked.

Eric looked up at him confused. “I am, and you are?” he asked.

“I am Bernard Cooper. I’m Zoe’s father” he said as Lilian grabbed the door opening it wider trying to squeeze around him. Sasha poked her head over Lilian’s shoulder.

Eric stared between them. “Where’s Toby?” he asked.

“He’s…in the kitchen!” Sasha shouted out abruptly.

Toby walked out of the kitchen without a shirt on as Eric peered in. “Can I have a word with him for a minute?” he asked.

Lilian sensed benevolence in his voice, and she sighed. “Alright” she said before she looked towards her son. “Go talk to him” she said firmly.

Sasha gulped. “Uh-oh” she muttered as Toby walked towards the door timidly. Zoe threw her t-shirt at his face, and Sasha blushed staring at Zoe’s perfect and perky rack. “Zoe? Do you normally go without a bra?” she spouted out in frustration at how aesthetically pleasing they were and how they had not succumbed to gravity.

Zoe stuck her tongue out and went upstairs. “My sports bra was sweaty” she hummed. Sasha seemed annoyed that Zoe was going to wear one of Toby’s shirts.

“Why didn’t you give Toby one of his shirts?” Sasha asked.

Zoe stopped and looked back. “I did” she said with a mischievous grin.

•••

Toby followed walked into Eric’s garage. Toby had to duck under a boat filled with fishing gear. Hunting gear was tucked in one corner next to a big freezer. On top of a toolbox was an old boxy Sony CRT TV was turned on ESPN. “In case if you’re tuning in, the feature High School game has been ended early due to mercy rule. The game will air later at 10 pm Pacific time” the anchor said into the camera before he turned to his panel. “What do you think of this game? Has Jesuit slipped this much? Or has Tualatin got that much better?” he asked.

“Well, the big question coming into this game was “who is Tobias Wolfgang?” I’ll tell you what, this kid is really special. Jesuit just didn’t have an answer to this kid. Since when do you see Quarterbacks play defense and make 3 pick-sixes in a single game? He’s got speed; He’s got power; He’s got vision; He’s got instincts; He’s got Athleticism; Man, Christmas has certainly came early for Bruce Barnum! This kid can play any position and make your team better!” the former coach said.

“I just want to say this. This wasn’t a rivalry game. This was a slaughter. The coach should have taken those two off the field after the first 4 touchdowns” the guest commentator spoke.

“All I want to know is who allowed those monsters onto the 6A division? Those two should be in the NFL. Forget college! You’re going to see the same result. Those two are going to break the game, and it’s going to be unfortunate if those two play on the same team!” the analyst said.

“I enjoyed watching how Toby and Zoe fed off each other…” the anchor said before Eric turned the TV off.

He sat down at his workbench and took a sip from his beer before he looked at him intensely. “I know we got off on the wrong foot, but hear me out” he asked before he looked towards a picture of a young Sasha smiling standing next to a Yellow Fin Tuna that was as big as she was. “I dealt with boys before, and I thought you were going to be no different…” he said before he looked back at him. “I’ve always protected my little girl from everything…” he said before he took another swig of his beer.

His wife opened the door and stared at the two. She looked at the beer on the workbench, and she looked up at Toby. “Oh…sorry” she muttered before she closed the door slowly. “Get back!” she shouted at Todd.

Eric sighed heavily. “I’ve been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and I fought alongside really incredible men! I know a good man when I see one!” he said firmly. Toby stared at him as he finished his beer. “I know you can protect my daughter” he said. He tossed the can into a paper bag filled with other cans of beer and soda. “Just treat her right! Alright!?” he asked before he slapped him over the shoulder.

Toby nodded slowly. “Yea, but uh…” he said before he reached for the door and flung it open.

His wife and Todd were on the other side listening in, and they were caught off guard when they were exposed. Eric looked over and shook his head. “I can’t have a private man-to-man conversation?” he asked.

She grinned. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself” she said before she went back to cooking.

Sasha wondered into the house, and she stared at them. “Mom, what’s going on?” she asked.

Her mother smiled. “Why don’t we think about it over dinner” she said joyfully before she looked towards Toby. “Why don’t you stay?” she asked.

Toby gulped however his stomach growled making the decision for him. “Uh, sure” he said before Sasha’s mother giggled and set a large heavy baking dish of scalloped potatoes. Sasha knew that her mother spent a lot of time making this and something very special was going on.

As they all sat down at the table, her mother looked up at him happily. “So, are you religious?” she asked.

He looked at them and shook his head. “No” he said.

Her mother frowned with disappointment. “Well, you aren’t against us praying are you?” she asked.

He shrugged and shook his head. “I’m not against it” he said.

Eric sighed heavily after they prayed. “I have a couple of friends who are agnostic” he said trying to pretend that it did not bother him before he began to scoop the food onto everyone’s plate.

“I saw you kiss Toby!” Todd blurted out.

Sasha’s face went bright red, and Toby stared at them beginning to understand what was going on. Eric cleared his throat. “Sasha…I believe you’re old enough now to be having a boyfriend” he said. Sasha’s heart began to race, and she tried to force out a word only to let out a faint squeak.

Toby cleared his throat. “Um…you guys aren’t mad?” he asked.

Eric’s head sank low in defeat. “N-n-no…I knew this was coming” he said as they all began to eat.

“Mom, Dad…I’m going to be taking Toby out Ghost hunting tomorrow night” Sasha said.

Her mother stared at her. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“It’s a place called Champoeg. It’s a ghost town not too far from Wilsonville. It got whipped off the map in an epic flood” Sasha said.

Toby cleared his throat. “You’re going to need to know French” he said.

Sasha frowned. “Why?” she asked.

“Because Champoeg had French Canadians as well as Americans” He said before he paused for a moment. “You know, Jean is a polyglot” he said.

“What’s a polyglot?” She asked.

“I means he speaks many languages” He said simply.

Her parents looked at each other before her mother smiled. “Sure, just stay safe” she said happily.

Toby looked down at his empty plate, and once he reached for the ladle, his hand collided with Sasha’s. He blushed pulling his hand back as she scooped him more food. Her mother looked at the mound of potatoes on his plate. “Um, Sasha…do you think that’s a bit much?” she asked.

Toby began to dig in, and Sasha gulped. “Um…Well, he’s a big eater” she said timidly.

Eric nodded. “Well, after what he did tonight, I wouldn’t blame him” he said with a smirk.

Todd grinned. “Are you going to be asking her out to the dance?” he teased before his mother rammed her elbow into him roughly. He looked up as she shook her head at him.

Toby looked up at him annoyed. “Why are you so invested in what I do?” he asked. He looked over at Sasha carefully as she looked down at her lap gloomy. “Homecoming is next week away” he said before he nudged her. “You alright?” he asked.

She nodded slowly. “Yea, I just never got asked to homecoming” she said.

He sighed heavily. “I never went…” he said before he thought for a moment.

“I know you’d take me, big bad” she said before she smiled at him cheerfully. She hoped that he would ask her when the time came.

He looked up at her mother gawking at him as he ate. “Wow, she wasn’t kidding. You sure can put away a whole horse, couldn’t you?” she asked.

He smirked and nodded before Sasha squeaked. He looked at her and smiled. “Well I can” he said.

“Yes…I know you can” she said lowly.

Her parents laughed, but Todd stared at him in shock. “Wait, you can?” he asked. The laughter grew even louder before a smirk crept upon Sasha’s lips.

“Yes! He’s a giant monster underneath!” she said as she patted his back playfully. He gave her a deep ferocious growl before he gave Todd a very intimidating leer while smirking evilly. Todd’s eyes widened with terror before he grabbed his empty plate and quickly ran away. She snickered and nudged his foot with hers underneath the table.

Her mother smiled. “Alright, it’s getting late” she said.

Sasha frowned. “Aw” She whined. Toby nodded and helped carry his and her dishes to the sink before she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rubbed her cheek into his arm. “G’night, Big bad” she said happily. He blushed not expecting her to display this much affection in front of her parents, but once he turned towards them, her mother smiled while Eric pretended not to see.

“I’ll let you know what I can do with Jean” he said before he touched her shoulder firmly. “G’night, little red” he said with an alluring tone.

She walked him out of the house before pulled him down for a peck on the cheek. “Goodbye” she said softly as she caressed the side of his temple affectionately.

He gulped as he parted ways with her going against his instincts. “I’ll see you tomorrow” he shouted back. He looked back at her hearing her let out a heavy saddened sigh, which she wanted to be with him as well.

Once he got inside his mother smiled. “Okay Toby…get something to eat before you go to bed. I don’t want you getting midnight snacks. You’ve been very good with that lately” she said before she looked over at Kolbe, and sighed. “Please keep her out of the paper for now. I don’t want the females to try to intimidate her and manipulate her. It would be nice that you say he’s in a relationship, nothing about her identity…cause to tell you the truth, I’m worried about how nasty these teen shewolves will get once they get wind of this” she said.

“Agreed! Although...They will see Sasha with him eventually, and there’s nothing I can do to stop that train wreck” Bernie said.

Toby stared at his food before Kolbe looked towards him. “Your Eighteenth birthday is in a couple of months. What are your plans?” He asked.

Toby sighed. “Going to sleep…I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow” He said.

Kolbe growled. “Not right now, you turd! You aren’t going to sleep yet!” he said. Toby nodded off before he sunk his head down pretending to fall asleep. “For real?” he grumbled.

Toby lifted his head up with a sarcastic snore. “Huh, wha?” he muttered.

Kolbe glared at him. “Quit screwing around!” he shouted.

Toby glared at him. “I do nothing…You think I like celebrating my birthday!?” he snapped.

Kolbe sighed sensing his mood shift and forgot that this was the same day his father died. “Oh for the love of” he muttered as he slammed his hand over his face and dragged it down pulling his eyelids down with it. “It’s a rite of passage Toby!” he shouted.

“I definitely have plans for him” Bernie chimed in. Toby looked at him unsettled before he glanced over at Zoe and Ulf who were also seeming to be coconspirators with him.