📎A/N. Thank you for making the decision to try out my story and giving it a chance.
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San Francisco

No dead bodies, no stabbings, and no domestic disputes had marred his uneventful evening. Sure, there were a few bar fights he was called in to deal with—and the robbery at the 7/11 put a little variety into things—but so far, his shift had been ordinary.

Now, not so much.

After overhearing yet another conversation between the dispatchers, Officer Nigel Hardy threw his half-eaten donut in the gutter and groaned. "You have got to be kidding me, not tonight of all nights."

Officer Hardy cursed under his breath as he climbed into his cruiser. Throughout the evening, a series of peculiar attacks had been reported in the Marina District, which had since moved on to the Financial District. The emergency operators were convinced somebody was running an elaborate prank, but the reports had his left eye twitching uncontrollably and his mouth forming a rigid grimace. A sure sign something was off.

The police dispatcher who took the latest complaint debated aloud whether to call animal control, the circus, or the local mental institution to check for a missing patient.

Some panicked callers told 911 operators that a large, rabid dog was terrorizing the public. Others were adamant a dirty and ill-looking naked man was running around biting people. Further callers reported the dog and the man were together.

Officer Hardy monitored the conversation across the police scanner with a growing sense of unease. He had no choice but to intervene. He reached for the two-way radio. "Dispatch, this is Unit 233. I'm near the vicinity of the last sighting. Will investigate. Over."

The speakers crackled, followed by a series of blips. "Confirmed, Unit 233."

Mindful of what he could be walking into, he sped through the deserted streets with lights and sirens muted.

Officer Nigel Hardy was a police officer bound to serve and protect the citizens of San Francisco, but his fellow officers and the public were unaware of his true allegiances. Officer Hardy was a Werewolf, and his primary objective was to protect his own kind. He, and other Werewolves like him, occupied strategic positions on the front lines of law enforcement departments across the country. They monitored Werewolf activity across pack boundaries to ensure their existence remained a myth to Humans. He had come from a long line of protectors, and he wasn't about to fail his race—not on his watch.

Within five minutes, Hardy arrived at the scene, only to confirm his earlier suspicions had been correct.

A petrified couple was huddled in a darkened doorway of a store. Less than two feet from the pair lurked a snarling wolf. Its eyes were wild and mean. Bared fangs drooled copious amounts of saliva, and what could only be blood, dripped from its powerful jaws. The wolf's shoulders were hunched, its head low to the ground as it prepared to attack. A growl ripped from deep within its chest, and the guttural and raspy undertones raised the hairs on the back of Hardy's neck.

He got out of the car and surveyed the area. "Crap." Unlike the other witnesses that evening, Hardy understood the ramifications of the crisis playing out before him.

He took a closer look at the creature. In their distraught state, the couple did not notice what his superior vision detected. The wolf looked...unnatural.

Tufts of dark brown fur had fallen off the animal's body and left its skin exposed. Instead of a smooth surface, the skin appeared scabrous and coarse, as if irritated and clawed at for hours.

How the hell did he get like that?

Hardy glanced back at the couple. Despite his fear, the man had positioned himself as a shield between the canine and the woman. Just as the man held up an arm to protect his body from imminent attack, the beast snapped its jaws at the couple. The man flinched and shrank farther into the shadows.

Instead of lunging, the creature howled, followed by a cry of pain and a series of whimpers. A distinctive creak, like timber as it strains and resists before it breaks, punctured the night air.

The hairs on the back of Hardy's neck bristled. "Double crap."

The Werewolf was beginning the transition into its Human form. He needed to do something before this became a disaster of gigantic proportion. His eyes darted around the area and considered his limited options. Not seeing an alternative, he unholstered his SIG Sauer P226. The handgun was the only weapon he had with any chance of dealing with the other Werewolf. "I'm going to fire my weapon to distract him. When I do, I want you both to run and don't look back. Understood?"

In spite of their terrified state, both nodded profusely, their eyes fixated on the creature.

He discharged a bullet into the air, and an ear-stinging crack echoed through the deserted street. The sound shifted the animal's focus away from the couple. Now the wolf's massive, mangy head faced him.

The couple edged around the doorway and broke into a full sprint.

When Hardy was sure they were out of earshot, he addressed the unstable Werewolf in a quiet, even tone. "Friend, you need to calm down. You're in a heap of trouble. I can't overlook this. Not only have you exposed yourself to Humans, but you've also bitten them. You're just lucky no one has died...yet."

He continued to assess the Werewolf. An odd, putrid odor wafted from the creature. He had failed to notice it before, perhaps due to the intense fear that had radiated from the terrified couple. A cold, foreboding chill ran up and down Hardy's spine. His eyes remained glued to the slow and agonizing transformation of the unknown male wolf. The change from one form to another should not take this long, or be as haphazard.

Hardy pulled out his phone and hit the first number on his favorites list, while still watching the conversion. He did not need to wait long before the call was answered. "Alpha Locke, we have somewhat of a situation here that I'm going to need help with."

A deep, authoritative voice responded. "Situation?"

Hardy briefed his alpha on what had just occurred. This wasn't the first time he had been required to deal with a rogue wolf that had almost exposed them.

And it won't be the last.

His only consolation was that Alpha Daniel Locke would know what to do and would take the problem off his hands.

Hardy stopped mid-sentence and stood transfixed. The Werewolf had completed his painful change into a man. Now more pronounced, the rancid stench of rotting meat made his skin crawl. In all his ninety-two years, this was something he had never experienced.

The man was covered from head to toe in black oozing pustules. There were patches on his scalp where hair used to be. A chunk of his right bicep was missing, as if bitten by ragged jaws. The hole in his upper arm was a mixture of gray and charcoal tissue.

Hardy scratched the back of his neck. What he was seeing was not possible.

"Hardy, are you there? Report."

Silence.

The two Werewolves stood immobile on the darkened pavement. Neither moved, not once breaking eye contact. A bulb from a nearby street lamp flickered and died, bathing the area in near darkness. The movement triggered a reaction in the injured Werewolf. The last remnants of sanity left the Werewolf's eyes, and a menacing growl from somewhere deep in its chest reverberated. Hardy's stomach plummeted.

In an instant, Hardy dropped his phone and discharged his gun. He fired several shots in quick succession at the Werewolf's heart. The body fell to the ground, dead before the last bullet hit its mark. In the ensuing silence, Hardy heard Alpha Daniel Locke's deep voice booming from the phone on the pavement.

"Hardy, what the hell is going on?"

"Crap." Hardy removed his hat and scratched his head. "The paperwork on this one is gonna take me into next week."

Officer Hardy approached the Werewolf, still not sure what had just happened. His chest tightened in horror as he gazed at the odd-shaped boils that covered the body. The sharp smell made him nauseous and, if possible, it was stronger than before.

How the hell am I going to explain this?    

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📎A/N: What did you think? Don't think I'd like to be anywhere near that wolf... I might be inclined to bring up my breakfast :)

Thanks for reading. Please comment and vote - go on, you know you can do it :)

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