Crimson Moon

Eleven

"What are the chances that Cain kicks Xander's ass?" Darryl asked, twirling a stick around in his hands.

Paul shrugged. "Fifty-fifty. You remember what a dick Xander is."

Lou looked between the two male wolves, both of whom were sitting a respectful distance away. Fortunately, they'd both brought clothes to change into and were clothed in jeans and thick jackets. They'd been at the cave for at least a few hours now, and it was oddly warm inside. No, warm wasn't the right word, but it didn't have the chill of the outside, nor were the walls freezing to the touch.

Upon their arrival, Darryl had explained that the cave was connected to a system with hot springs, and the warmth of the water transferred to the cave as well. Because of that, Cain had chosen it as sort of a panic room, and there was a supply of blankets already there, tucked away in a trunk near the back. Each of their trio sat on a blanket to protect their butts from the hard stone of the cave.

Lou hadn't said much, she wasn't exactly comfortable being alone around the two male wolves, but it helped that Cain trusted them. She believed him when he said that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. And so far, neither male had done anything to make her doubt their trustworthiness.

"I do, although he left me alone for the most part."

"Wish I could say the same," Paul growled softly, leaning his head back against the stone wall. "Thankfully I only had to deal with him for six months."
Lou cocked her head to the side, curiosity getting the better of her. "You weren't born into Xander's pack?"

Paul scoffed and shook his head. "Nope. I was born a human, actually. In Montana, where their pack is from."

"You were bitten," she stated with wide eyes. Surviving the shift was a rare thing, so she'd met very few Lycans who had been bitten. In the eyes of the Purists, they were even lower than half-human, half-wolf Lycans. At least those with a human parent still had some Lycan blood running through them, those that were bitten had been completely human.

Paul nodded. "Yeah, when I was twenty-three. Pissed off the wrong guy at a bar. He jumped me in the parking lot as I was leaving." He tapped his forearm with a sigh. "Bit my arm as I was trying to defend myself."

"I can't believe you survived the shift," she shook her head. She had never shifted herself, but she knew that the first shift for any wolf was a terrible, painful experience. Pure-bloods had the easiest go of it because every part of them was built for such an occurrence, half-bloods it was a little harder, but for those that were bitten she doubted there was much worse pain they could experience. It was why so many of them died during the shift: their bodies simply couldn't handle the stress.

"Trust me, I wanted to die during it. And after wasn't much better," he admitted. "I was alone, confused. But then Cain and Will found me while they were passing through town. They smelled I was a lone wolf and came to make sure I wasn't a threat. Instead they found a pathetic mess. Going through a change like that and not having someone waiting on the other side isn't something I'd wish on anyone. Anyways, Cain and Will took me back to the pack. Upon our arrival, I met Xander and I thought he was going to attack Cain then and there for daring to bring me to the pack."

"Obviously it worked out."
"That's debatable. Cain never took Xander's shit, but that didn't mean Xander left me alone."

"I've only met him once, but I can't imagine he was any better back then," Lou said softly.

Paul's mouth tightened. "No, he wasn't. I can only imagine that getting on the High Council only boosted his ego."

"Lou, we mean it when we say that Cain won't let Xander near you."