I knocked on the door to Rebekah's house and waited for a few seconds until the door opened. Rebekah opened the door and smiled, "I'm glad that you're okay. Come on in, quickly. I don't want Aurelia's followers to see you here. That would just make it more difficult for me to help keep Aurelia's ambitions at bay."

I nodded. Walking inside, I asked, "Did Skylar get here yet?"

My aunt nodded, "She's taking a shower before you guys head off."

"Head off?"

"You and Skylar need to get out of town. It's too dangerous for you two to be here right now."

"But wouldn't it be more dangerous to let Aurelia stay in power?" I asked, "What if she tells the other Supernatural groups not to listen to us?"

"Don't worry. She's an extremist. Most of the other groups will ignore her and be more willing to listen to you, knowing that you're pissing her off. Now, go and rest. I'll take you to the bus station after dark."

I nodded and went back upstairs to the room I've been sleeping in.

Time Skip to a Few Hours Later

"Take this, Skylar," my aunt said. "It's the location of the vampire leader in Boston. He'll help you out when you get there."

It was a little sad, honestly, leaving in these circumstances, but I understood remaining here would only make things worse. Skylar and I have a job to do, and we have to keep that as a priority. Nevertheless, it still didn't get rid of the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time that Aurelia got in the way of our quest.

Marcel opened the door and said, "Come on. The bus is gonna leave soon."

As I walked out onto the street, my body tensed up. Before I knew it, I was on the ground and I felt as if every single bone in my body was being broken. "Ahhhhh!" I screamed out.

My aunt, Skylar, and Marcel rushed to my side. As I looked up at them, they gasped. "W-wh-what is it?!" I asked.

"Your eyes!" Skylar exclaimed.

My aunt said, "Your eyes are changing color. Yellow irises and black scleras."

My aunt's eyes widened in realization, "He's transforming. Quickly! We need to get him inside."

"What's going on?" Skylar asked.

Marcel answered her question, and the two words he said I never expected him to say. "A werewolf."

Okay, look, I knew I had werewolf DNA inside of me because of my mom, but I thought I hadn't activated whatever I needed to to actually turn.

My aunt must have thought similarly because she then asked, "Luke, have you ever experienced this type of pain before?"

"No!" I screamed out.

This pain was getting unbearable. I looked over at my left arm and saw it twisting in a very unnatural position. Seeing it like that almost made me puke, but the pain elsewhere around my body kept me from doing so.

"Luke," my aunt said, "answer this next question truthfully. Have you ever killed anyone?"

My eyes widened, "What?! No!"

Marcel then said, "You had to have. It's the only way to activate the curse."

I thought as hard as I could. Have I killed anyone in the past month? Struggling, I managed to reply, "The o-on-ly thing I've ki'lled r-recently was that hell-h-hound when we first got t-to the cit-y."

"That has to be it."

"But I thought you had to kill a human?" Skylar asked.

"So did I," Rebekah answered. "But Luke is the first of his kind. These are uncharted waters. We don't know how our rules affect him."

"Ahhhh!" I screamed out, which reminded them of my pain.

"Quick!" Marcel yelled, "Get him downstairs."

As if I wasn't in enough pain, Marcel and Rebekah forcefully picked me up, while Skylar opened the basement door. I couldn't really focus on anything and the next thing I knew, I being put in some sort of cold cell.

Rebekah said, "Don't fight your transformation. This cell will keep us safe from you in your wolf state. You don't have to hold back anymore. The sooner you stop fighting, the faster this will go."

It was almost like perfect timing because I immediately felt something inside me change.

I looked down, and saw my hand as a paw. I had black fur, with gold highlights. The cell was no longer as cold as it was before. I could suddenly feel the metal's rough texture, even though I wasn't touching it at all. The smell of the rust was intoxicating.

ESCAPE

The voice in my head was loud, aggressive, animalistic.

ESCAPE

This time it was even louder. I could feel my body struggling to keep it from taking over.

ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE

Then, there was nothing.

I woke up to my body aching as if I had done a full-body workout. I looked down to see that I was back to being a human. The catch: I was naked.

Thankfully, outside the cell, and just within reach, was a set of new, fresh clothes. I quickly grabbed them and put them on.

It was low-key pretty hard, considering my muscles ached like crazy as I moved. But after a few painstaking minutes, they were on. After a few more minutes, I heard the basement door open.

My aunt came down the stairs and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Really fucking sore," I replied.

"It'll get easier from here. The first transformation is a rite of passage. Especially for you."

'Especially for me?' The hell does that mean? I thought to myself. She must've seen the look of confusion on my face and explained, "Your mother's pack, the Crescent Wolf Pack, are the only werewolves that can transform at will, and with little pain. But that ability means that your first transformations are even more painful than other wolves. Since you're still alive, you've passed."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically.

Rebekah's face then became serious and monotone, devoid of any expression. "Luke," she said, "You and Skylar have to leave now. For your own sake."

I nodded. "Good," she said, "Now let's get you out of that cage."

Rebekah opened the cell-door and motioned for me to follow her back upstairs. As soon as I was out of the basement, I was tackled into a bearhug.

"You scared the shit out of me," Skylar said.

"C-Can't... breathe," I gasped.

Skylar's eyes widened, "Sorry!"

Skylar let me go, and I said, "I didn't know you cared about me."

Her face turned red as she tried to hide her emotion. Was she blushing? Can't be, I thought.

"Of course not. You're a pain in my ass."

"Alright," Rebekah cut in. "Time to go. Grab your bags."

Once we were in Marcel's car, it was only a few minutes before we arrived at the first out-of-town bus stop. Marcel got out of the car and went to buy two one-way tickets, cause two kids doing it would likely draw suspicion. After he got the tickets, he got back into the car and handed them to us. "They're one-way to Boston, the epicenter for New England Supernaturals." Marcel explained, "Your bus leaves in just over ten minutes, and you'll arrive by morning."

"Thank you," I said, getting out of the car.

Rebekah then got out and hugged me. "Of course, Luke. Just be careful. Your quest is not an easy one. Good luck."

I nodded.

My aunt then hugged Skylar before saying, "Now go. You don't want to miss it."

Skylar and I grabbed our bags and headed onto the bus. Looking around, there wasn't too many people on it, so we grabbed two seats in the back, away from everyone else. Just like Marcel said, the bus quickly left and before I knew it, Marcel and Rebekah faded off into the distance.