-5- James

"Not that fast Jake!" James told him, holding onto his shirt. "You have to answer my questions before you run and throw up."

"How do you know my name?" Jake asked, his voice cracking with fear.

"Relax kid! I am not going to tear you apart unless you piss me off. I only want you to tell me about what happened a week ago," James replied as he returned his left hand to normal.

Jake looked at him confused but nodded. "What do you want to know?" He licked his lips, his whole body tensed to run at any moment.

"Start off by telling me what happened," James suggested as he leaned against a nearby tree.

"Well I went out for a run then a bunch of humans came out of nowhere. They tried putting some metal cord around my neck but they missed, and I ran. That's it," Jake explained.

James frowned, the similarity to his own kidnapping disturbing. Jake's fear hit him hard, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust. "Where did it happen," he demanded.

Jake looked a little paler than before as he swallowed noisily. "About a mile heading west from the old mill," he replied. The teen passed his weight from one leg to the other and looked like he'd rather be anywhere else right now.

"Did they say anything to you?"

Jake shook his head. "Not that I remember, but I was just concentrating on getting the hell out of there," he said. Jake was now eying the school with a look of yearning that almost made James burst out laughing.

"Before that do you remember anyone acting weird towards you? Following you or anything like that?" He asked and Jake thought for a moment. Something passed over the boy's face, but it was gone before James could decipher what it was.

"No, nothing out of the normal," Jake claimed, sounding bored.

James could hear the uncertainty in the boy's voice, but he doubted he'd get anything more out of the kid. "That wasn't so hard now was it? Get out of here before you're late," James told him. Jake nodded and ran to the school as if the devil was chasing him. James looked at the other pictures of the other teens involved in the incident. He didn't see them anywhere around so they must have slipped past him while he was talking to Jake.

It didn’t matter, he'd find them after school. James put his jacket back on then stuffed the pictures back into his pocket, before getting on his bike. He drove to the old mill on the south side of town. A normal werewolf wouldn't be able to pick up much. Too much time had passed and a huge storm had blown in a few days ago. He wasn't a normal werewolf, though. Not only was his shift different, but James was also stronger, and his senses were much more refined. He could pick up the weak scents left by the attackers.

A small smile crossed his face as he parked his bike by the old mill. James remembered all the good times he had with his friends when he was a kid...when life was simple. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. Forcing himself to focus on the here and now, James lifted his nose into the air and tested the scents. It had been a long time since he had been there. James needed to re-familiarize himself with the natural scents before he began his search.

James walked back over to his bike to grab a small bag he kept there. With the bag in hand, he entered the forest until he was well beyond the tree line. He removed his clothing, placing them in the bag, and hid it under some bushes. The cool air made goosebumps break out across his skin and with a deep breath, James began to shift.

The intoxicating feeling of raw power flowed through his veins as his body morphed into the beast. With normal werewolves, the human and the wolf were like two sides of the same coin. They were one being with different views on life. The wolf has more influence on the full moon while the human has more influence during the rest of the month.

It wasn't like that for James and the beast. James and the beast were two separate creatures. There was James then when he shifted there was only the beast. James knew what was going on, but he had no control over what the beast did. On the full moon, James lost even that. He'd only get flashes of what had happened on the night of the full moon.

The beast shook out his fur once the balance between man and beast tipped in his favor. He wanted to know what happened to those kids just as much as James did. He started to run on all fours, heading west, keeping his nose close to the ground to scout the smells of the forest. After about fifteen minutes, he picked up on the weak scent of Jake Adams and began to follow it.

He found the place he was looking for. The beast circled the area picking up on five different human scents. He also caught Jake's scent and the scent of another werewolf. It was masculine, and he didn't recognize it. Could a werewolf have betrayed the pack or was it outside the pack? He growled at the possibility of a traitor amongst them. If he caught him, he'd break that betrayer in two and dine on his flesh! The idea alone filled him with excitement.

The beast lowered his nose to the ground and followed the scents. Unfortunately, they lead right back to the old mill. The beast stopped just before the tree line. He wanted to follow the scent trails, but he knew that if anyone saw him, it wouldn't be good. The beast whined in disappointment. He didn't want to give up the control just yet, but he knew he didn't have a choice. James had to tell the alpha about the possible traitor. With one last growl of frustration the beast gave back the control to James.

James shivered in the cool October breeze and retrieved the bag of clothing to dress. James couldn't help but feel disappointed. He was hoping to have gained more from scenting the site. At least now, he'd be able to recognize the traitor if he ran into him in town.

That afternoon James went back to the high school. During lunch, he read in the file that one of the kids happened to have loaded parents. They'd given him a rather noticeable sports car. He found it quick enough and leaned against it as streamed out of the school. He spotted the group of kids he was waiting for. He singled out the ring leader immediately without the help of the photographs.

The boy was just like all the other ringleaders before him. Tall, cocky, athletic, and probably the wet dream of all the girls in town. It reminded James of himself before he changed. He watched the ring leader frown when he noticed James leaning against his car. The teen stormed over, followed by his little gang of pups. "You have about three seconds to get away from my car before I remove you myself!" The teen threatened with overwhelming confidence, and James grinned at him, just as cocky.

"It's been awhile since someone dared to threaten me," James said with a small laugh.

"Whatever man," the teen scowled before grabbing James's. He tried to shove James to the side, but James just stood there. He was sure this boy thought himself as a real super wolf, but he was still a pup. A pup that could only dream of forcing James to do anything. The fact was James knew there wasn't a werewolf alive that could match him.

"Kid, I am not moving until we have a little chat," James told him smugly. The other kids whispered amongst themselves and the boy looked insecure for a moment.