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The world had certainly changed. Well, more specifically, Toudou’s world had changed.
Outside the gates of the hyper-supernaturally-sensitive Hakone Academy, the world was a big and scary place. While the school had a curfew and required the lycanthropic members of its student body to report to the safe rooms, the world outside of high school had no regulations.
There were the Shelters, of course. Specialized hotels where their kind could stay during the full moon in order to avoid injuring themselves and others, but checking into one wasn't mandatory.
Many of the werewolves chose to spend their full moon out in the valley between the mountains, running half-naked through the trees and shifting as they pleased. Tracking and killing a few small mammals and sating their urges. It was a good way to get out their frustration and aggression.
The problem was that more and more of the shifters were choosing that option and, with each wolf requiring a certain amount of space for their territory, they began to run into each other.
Alpha fights were dangerous and often deadly. And that was why Toudou was being especially difficult.
“You’re not going,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his chin defiantly.
“Haah?” Arakita spun around to face him, turning away from his computer screen. “What do you mean, I’m not going?”
“Just what I said,” Toudou replied. “There’s plenty of room in the Shelter nearby and I’ve already made you a reserva-”
“The fuck I’m staying there,” Arakita growled, standing up from his seat. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in that kennel.”
“Ah, so you’d rather die in the woods?” Toudou asked, ignoring the heat he felt rising in the back of his throat at the mere thought of it. “You shouldn’t go out tonight.”
“I should go out, especially tonight,” the other man argued, glancing toward the window. It was getting dark.
“No, you shouldn’t go, especially tonight,” Toudou reasoned.
It wasn’t just a full moon, but a red moon. A blood moon. The night when all of the werewolves' powers were amplified and, in most cases, out of control.
“If you think I’m going to let you wander around the forest and get killed by a raging alpha, I’ve got news for you!” Toudou stomped forward and poked Arakita hard in the chest. “So, be a good boy and go to the Shelter.”
“Jinpachi…” Arakita’s voice was low, dangerous. “Don’t.”
“Growl all you want, but I don’t care.” He put his hands on his hips. “Be mad all you like. You’re going.”
“Jinpa-”
“I’ll escort you there if I must.”
Arakita whined in the back of his throat, his eyes slipping closed as he ran a hand through his hair.
“You’re so fucking annoying,” he groaned and then opened his eyes, meeting Toudou’s gaze. “You really think it’ll be safer if I go there?”
“I know it,” Toudou said with a nod.
They stared at each other, neither backing down. Finally, Arakita heaved a long-suffering sigh and dropped his gaze.
“Fine.”
Toudou clapped his hands excitedly. “Excellent! I’ll go grab my coat and-”
“But I don’t need you to drop me off,” he said. “Let me try and salvage a bit of my pride, won’t you?”
Toudou hesitated, but agreed. As long as Arakita was going somewhere safe, he’d allow it.
A few hours later, Toudou was trying desperately to focus on the magazine in his hands. It was open to a fashion article featuring clothing designed by his dear friend. But even Maki-chan’s outrageous style wasn’t enough to distract him from the uneasy feeling gnawing at the back of his mind.
Arakita.
Was he okay in the Shelter? Was the room large enough? Did he have what he required to stay sane?
What if he needed him? What if the rumors about the Blood Moon were true? That it wasn’t just their strength that increased, but other urges as well?
Toudou flushed at the thought. Arakita was normally pretty wild as his time of the month approached, but his sexual appetite had been especially veracious as of late.
Maybe he should call to check on him. Just in case.
He was pretty sure the Shelter would let him in if Arakita was howling for him. They understood that some lycans had chosen a human mate. He wasn't the only one.
Toudou picked up his phone and searched for the number he’d saved. He hit the call button and waited.
“Hi, yes. This is Toudou Jinpachi,” he spoke into the receiver. “I just wanted to see if I could speak with Arakita Yasutomo. He checked in a few hours ago.” He waited impatiently, drumming his fingers on his thigh while the clerk looked up his boyfriend’s room number.
Then his heart sank.
The man on the other end of the line must have been mistaken. There was no way.
‘I’m sorry, Toudou-san, but we have no record of an Arakita checking in.’
Unbelievably pissed would have been the understatement of the century. With worried out of his mind coming in at a close second.
Toudou couldn’t believe him.
“Lying. To my face!” he shouted, startling a few girls who were rushing home.
It was dark now, the scattered street lamps and the blood red glow of the moon, the only things illuminating the night.
“That arrogant, stubborn,” Toudou went on, tromping toward the edge of town. “If he dies out there, I’m going to kill him!”
He stopped just as he reached the forest. They lived in a pretty urban area, but a few hundred acres of forest had been spared development and set aside as a nature preserve. Of course, back then, the city planners couldn’t have known it would end up as a monthly getaway for werewolves.
Toudou took a deep breath and stepped forward, dead leaves crunching under his Italian boots. The wind picked up, mussing his hair and causing a shiver to run up his spine.
Arakita was out there. But he wasn’t alone.
Ignoring everything inside him that argued on behalf of his survival, Toudou continued on, hoping he would find Arakita before it was too late.
He spent a good twenty minutes wandering around the woods before he finally spotted someone – or something. Whatever it was, it was tall and broad. Much larger than Arakita.
Toudou made to avoid it, but a voice stopped him. A human voice.
He glanced up and, sure enough, the moon was covered by a thick blanket of clouds. At least whoever it was wouldn’t be in his wolf form.
“Hello there,” the large man greeted, closing the distance between them. “What’s a pretty little thing like you doing out this late at night?”
Toudou swallowed, ignoring the way his arms and legs were shaking. “Looking for someone.”
“Looking for someone,” he repeated, eyes raking over Toudou’s quivering form. “I imagine you lost track of your mate?”
“U-Um-”
“How…irresponsible of him.” This man was huge, well over six feet tall and wider than three Arakitas. “But damn,” he covered his nose. “He’s got you scent-marked so heavily, I can’t even smell you.”
Toudou stiffened. He’d never come in contact with any werewolves other than Arakita. Not during a full moon, anyway. He didn’t know what to do. His knees felt weak as he backed away.
“I…really should be…g-going.” Toudou nodded.
“Not so fast.” The man stepped forward. Toudou felt his back come in contact with the tree behind him. “I think I smell something now.” He leaned closer, his thick arms coming up to cage Toudou in. “Fear?” He furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side, then his eyes went wide. “Human fear.”
“Yes, well,” Toudou cleared his throat. “It was nice m-meeting you and all, but I’m afraid I must be-”
“Shit, I didn’t think it was possible.” The man snorted. “That’s why he was covering up your scent.” He grabbed Toudou’s wrist and spun him around, pulling him closer. “You don’t have one.”
Toudou was confused and scared. Petrified.
“I guess some wolves are into that shit.” He laughed again. “So, you spread your legs for any lycan or just your boyfriend?”
Despite his fear, Toudou managed to huff indignantly at the implication.
“I think I’d try it.” He leaned closer, his hot breath fanning over Toudou’s neck. “But I might not be able to control myself.”
Toudou squeezed his eyes shut. This was wrong. This man wasn’t Arakita. He wanted Arakita.
“C’mon, pretty thing.” The large man licked a stripe up his neck, making Toudou shudder in disgust. “Spread ‘em for me-”
“No!” he shouted and pushed him away with all his strength. He had the element of surprise on his side and the big oaf teetered a step and a half back, giving Toudou enough room to wriggle free. He immediately took off and didn’t look back.
“Hey!” the other man called after him, but Toudou kept running.
Where was Arakita?
He heard the larger man’s heavy footfalls behind him. He was crashing through the trees and snapping branches in his pursuit.
Toudou sped up, thankful that he and Arakita still went for long bike rides, even after graduating. He had less stamina than he had in high school, but it seemed to be enough. The larger man sounded farther and farther away.
Then Toudou found himself in a clearing. He slowed down and crept forward, suddenly hyperaware of every sound. The wind whistled through the trees and the ground turned a dim red. He looked up and saw that the clouds had passed and the moon was glowing crimson, heavy in the sky.
Now that he wasn’t running for his life, Toudou’s legs gave out and he fell heavily against a tree.
He wanted to go home.
But he wanted to find Arakita first.
He pushed himself up, scraping his hands on the rough bark, and continued moving forward.
Then he heard it. The sound of something big coming. He spun around, trying to figure out which direction the beast was coming from. With the clouds gone, there was no doubt in his mind that it was a wolf.
A moment later, something burst out into the open. It was a wolf alright. Dark brown fur, glowing eyes, drool dripping from its muzzle. It was easily the size of a small car with canines the length of Toudou’s hand.
It lifted its heavy head and sniffed the air before it turned red eyes on Toudou.
He opened his mouth to scream, but the sound never made it out of his throat. The wolf pounced, knocking him over and pinning him to the ground. Toudou felt its hot, rancid breath on his face as he struggled to get out from under it.
The wolf let out a low rumbling noise, almost like laughter before it tilted its head back and howled. Toudou heard several other wolves echo him. Then the beast looked back down and bared its teeth.
This was the end. He was going to die.
But instead of feeling teeth sink into his neck, there was a pressure on his front. He opened his eyes and watched as the wolf’s sharp claws dug into his shirt, slicing it to ribbons.
“H-Hey-”
“Quiet!” the wolf half-growled, half-spoke.
Oh no. This was much worse than dying. He’d never even been with Arakita in his wolf form. There was no way.
“Stop!” Toudou shoved him, but it did no good, his strength was nothing against a lycan’s during the Red Moon. “Please…” he begged as the beast flipped him over, pawing at his pants. “Yasutomo…”
Suddenly, the heavy weight on his back was gone. He heard an angered growl and then a pathetic whine. It took Toudou a moment to realize that another wolf had appeared. He was much smaller than the first, his fur a few shades darker. It was amazing how such a lanky thing was able to overtake the other, much larger wolf.
A shadow passed over the clearing and Toudou looked up to see a huge cloud blocking the moon’s red light.
When he lowered his gaze, the two were still grappling, but no longer in their wolf forms.
The large man shoved the other off and covered a fairly substantial wound on his neck, his other hand coming up to support himself against a nearby tree.
“What the fuck is your problem, man?”
“My problem?!” Arakita barked back.
Arakita. It was Arakita!
“You’re my fucking problem!” he spat.
The other man scowled and then sniffed, his eyes widening.
“It’s you?” the larger man said with a snort. “You’re his mate?”
“Damn fucking right, I am,” Arakita replied, gaze deadly. “Now, if you don’t want me to finish what I started and rip the rest of your fucking throat out, I suggest you get the fuck out of here.”
“Fine, fine.” The man held his hands up, one conspicuously red. “Just watch him.” He gestured toward Toudou with his chin. “He’s feisty.”
“Shut up!” Arakita howled and the other just laughed it off and walked away. “Asshole.”
“Yasutomo!” Toudou finally found his voice. The other man turned around and ran over to him.
“Jinpachi,” he began, voice uncharacteristically soft. “Are you alright? He didn’t-”
“No. No…I’m,” he swallowed. “I’m fine.”
“Thank God.” Arakita wrapped his arms around him. “When I saw him on top of you, I-” He buried his face in Toudou’s shoulder. “Fuck, I…what are you doing here?”
Toudou pulled back, his thin brows drawn down and a pout on his lips. “I could ask you the same thing!” he snapped. “You lied to me, Yasutomo!”
“Jin-”
“You said you were going to the Shelter, but you never showed and,” he choked on a sob. “I was so worried.” Toudou buried his head in his boyfriend’s chest. “Why didn’t you listen to me? Why did you-”
“I’m an idiot, okay?” Arakita’s grip tightened around him. “I thought it would be better if I was out in nature, ya know? Get in touch with my inner wolf and all that shit.”
Toudou gave a watery snort.
“But the truth is, I didn’t want to be cooped up in a cage.” He sighed. “And because I was being selfish you almost-” He shook his head. “Fuck, I’m an idiot.”
“Yeah.” Toudou pulled back and wiped his eyes. “You are.” He sniffled. “But I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Same here, Princess.” Arakita cupped his cheek. “Now,” he cleared his throat, his face flushing, “Let’s get you home and, uh,” he glanced down and then back up, “dressed.”
“What? You don’t like my new look?” Toudou showed off his nonexistent shirt and tight pants low on his hips.
“No,” Arakita said, voice gravelly. “I like it too much.”
“Oh?” Toudou blinked, feigning innocence. “You like it when I flash a little skin?”
“Jinpachi…”
“Hey, the Blood Moon amplifies your…urges…doesn’t it?” He asked, placing a hand on Arakita’s chest and looking up at him through thick lashes. His teeth worried at his lower lip as he tried to hide a grin. “Need any help…sating them?”
Arakita's eyes glowed red, his pupils dilating.
It was a cloudy night, after all.