A horn and a hit against the window were my alarm clock the second day on the road. Romulo had to swerve to avoid a truck that was driven in the opposite direction.

"What the hell?" I yelled while I was squeezing the grab handle with all my strength. I stare at Romulo who looked like shit. His hair was scruffy and he had big dark circles.

"I'm sorry," he said and took one sip of a power drink.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just got distracted for a second," he yawned.

"You look tired. I should drive for a while."

He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a license? and a car?"

"Yes and not. I’m saving for one.” He was still looking at me with a bewildered expression. “ Why do you look at me like it was so weird?"

"Nothing. It's just, you don't look like someone in a hurry to drive. You look like, I don't know, like a person who needs someone to take you where you need."

"I have the sensation that you're trying to make fun of me but I'm not catching it," I said after that strange answer.

"I'm not trying to make fun of you. It's just that I thought I bit you for a reason and maybe I was wrong," he said while he parked the van on the side of the road. He got out and walked to my side. I did the same and started the motor again with my mind working in his words.

"Then what is it?" I asked while I was merging onto the road. Of course, I want more information about the reason why he turned my life around.

He yawned. "What is what?"

"Why did you bite me?"

"Because of your essence."

I wanted to look at him with my face of 'you're a weirdo' speaking of my smell. But the truth is that the idea of someone so hot noticing my smell made me blush like a ripe tomato.

"Okay," I said, incapable of articulating a more complex sentence.

"What?" He stared at me and then he blushed himself. "It's not that. Fucking hornydog. I'm talking of your essence, not of your smell. They are not the same."

"They sound similar to me."

"Can you only drive and not make this trip awkward?"

"Not," I said with a confidence that I had to use before I felt like shit again.

"Not?"

"Not. I want answers … please."

"Okay. You want an answer." He sighed but this time with an approving smile."We have a double nature, the human and the beast. Only one of yours was awake when I knew you, but that doesn't mean that your other nature was not there. I smelled it."

"So yes it was my smell," I laughed sheepishly.

"You're the prankster of your group of friends, aren't you?" He said while he was curling up in the chair.

"Ahh, I don't have a group of friends. I'm like a loner wolf."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"You aren't." I looked at him doubtfully. He was reclining with his eyes closed. "I was with you on your first full moon, you're not a loner wolf. I know many and they're not like you."

"Well, maybe it was not an election. Or it was, but the anxiety decided it for me."

"You’re not alone anymore. Now you have me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? Are we friends now?"

"We're not friends, we have a more intimate relationship than friendship," he yawned. "You're my …" He fell asleep before finishing.

***

The words of Romulo made me think about my future. I wasn't sure what would happen when we arrived in Hellens Hills. I knew about a pack but nothing concrete. Could I finish my studies or go to university? Would I work for the pack? Would I be some kind of servant of Romulo? And this was only the tip of the iceberg, I didn't really know anything about what it meant to be whatever I was. Having so many questions and so few answers was pretty annoying. I wanted to ask him but he had fallen asleep two hours ago.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked, still lying in the seat but with an open eye.

"I'm only driving."

"The growling." He raised an eyebrow and I looked at the road again. I hadn't noticed that thing. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess, but I wanna speak with you." I finished the sentence with a growl and this time I noticed.

"First you need to eat something. Newborns are aggressive without food.”

"I'm not aggressive," I said in a voice more similar to an animal growl than a human voice.

"Jonathan, stop the car on this secondary road," he said in a calm but authoritarian voice.

"Why?"

"Do it, right now," he yelled at me. I obeyed his orders and turned off the car. "Follow me."

Both went some steps into a forest close to the road. I couldn’t see the van from there. I was still thinking about all my questions when he grabbed me by the collar and he hit me against a pine. His eyes were bright and his teeth were scary fangs. I didn’t have doubts this time, the smell of powder and water was him. My natural answer should have been my classic cry and beg; however, I growled at him, showing my teeth.

"Stop teasing me." His words mixed with animal sounds. "I should have known that you would use this wimp personality of his as a facade. If you want a play of dominance, you will have one."

He threw me to the ground. I felt anger and a strong wish of howling, but before I could do anything he launched at me putting his hand over my mouth.

"Don't you dare to call him, for your own good. You may be strong but Jon isn’t. He's not ready to let you out so soon, and less when you’re in this condition."

"What are you doing to me?" I was able to say.

"This conversation is not with you, it’s with the cub."

Another growl on my part and Romulo grabbed me by the collar of my t-shirt again.

"This is your last warning cub. This trip is dangerous and I'm not willing to let you kill both of us. If the only way for you to behave is to break your legs I don't have a problem in carrying you to Oregon.” He remarked his threat hitting me against the tree again.

I looked down and whined. Then he let me down. I started to cry.

"Why are you so fucking psycho?" I said crying.

"Don't you start too," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose like I was giving him the worst headache in the world.

I felt a pure feeling of anger. I launched at him with a true wish of kicking his ass. It was a terrible idea, but to notice that I had to be thinking. He avoided me and I fell to the ground. He turned me and looked at me with an angry glance. There are no more bright eyes or fangs, only a very angry human face.

"I'm gonna give you the same message as the cub. If I have to break your legs I will do it. You are so fucking annoying."

"Then why did you bite me? I could be at home. This is your fault but treat me like I was the fucking problem here," I said crying.

He looked away, avoiding my teary eyes. "I bit you because your wolf is strong. My wolf acted on instinct when we smelled your essence. My mission as dominant is to have a strong pack and for the misfortune of both, your cub is a very strong one. I have to keep him at bay because you have so little control over your emotions that he was showing his dominance without you noticing." He got up and offered his hand to help me. "C'mon, you need to eat something before the cub awakens again."

I got up for myself, still crying. I noticed his hand over my shoulder. I turned away instinctively. "Don't touch me," I said trying to show composure but my voice looked more like a scared child. I started to walk to the van.