[Worm]

Nora's eyes widened after Audrey's quick response. She zoomed in and whipped to her side. "Now now Audrey, you know a lot more about this shit than we do." Nora looked back at Ash, shrugging her shoulders with her first attempt to persuade Audrey. "I mean, you must be really good if you didn't lose all control like Ash's friend here." Nora bobbed her head back to where Hal was lying. He bubbled drool, snorted and flipped around. "Huhh wass goin' on?" He mumbled, grabbing his spinning head and spitting between words as he regained consciousness.

[sylvanSpider]

Audrey looked from Nora to the now waking up form of an alpha, gulped, and looked back to Nora, "It's not that I can control myself better...it's that he's an alpha--that was the most intense my uh...other side...has ever gotten. I reacted based on the fact that I'm an omega..." her voice trailed off and she looked back down at Hal, seeing Ash crouch down beside him waving a hand in his face.

"Can you hear me? It's me, Ash; you're in my apartment."

[Worm]

Nora's voice softened, believing everything that Audrey had to say. It was written in her face that she was vulnerable and scared. "Alpha?...Omega?..." She looked down at Hal's waking form, then up at Ash. "Excuse my ignorance, but I'm not sure what that all means." She took a deep breath, realizing how dizzy she was, she sat down on the couch and invited Audrey back to it by patting on the gray cushion.

Ash's voice was like a siren calling through the mist. It all came back to him as if in a dream. "Y-your apartment?" He held his head, trying to find something to hold onto, as the world felt like it was spinning still. "H-how did I get ... here?" He fished for Ash's familiar voice, finally landing on the intoxicating scent of... her. He remembered now. He was on the couch with her. What was her name? His eyes were focused on Audrey, staring blatantly.

Nora scoffed, looking back to Audrey with an assuring glance. "Don't worry about him. You've seen me take him down. I've got you." She smiled the way a mother would to a child, opening her arms and patting on the couch once again.

[sylvanSpider]

Ash scoffed, exhaling through her nose a scowl all too obvious on her face. Sure, she'd believe everything her precious little pet worker said, but she wouldn't believe her own girlfriend? “I don't recognize omega. But isn't 'alpha' a wolf term? Like, the leader of the pack or some shit?”

Audrey closed her eyes, sighing, “Yes. Same terminology. Alphas at the top. Omegas at the bottom. I'm at the bottom, meaning I can't get a form like that, even in my strongest state. Hal, on the other hand, can't seem to make the conscious decision to take on that form. Leads me to believe he doesn't know yet...” Audrey sat back down, squirming in her seat, conscious of the alphas consciousness, her eyes, despite Nora's assurance, stayed locked on his, though out of more respect than anything else.

“You came here with me,” Ash told Hal, fumbling once more for her phone to show him what she'd captured, “And it turns out my girlfriend has a friend who's also a werewolf, so I guess you're in luck!” Ash offered the werewolf a shit-eating grin that could only say I-fuckin-told-ya-so as she thrust her phone into Hal's hands.

[Worm]

Nora held her chin, trying to absorb the information. It actually made quite a lot of sense. But it made her wonder how many werewolves were around in that case. And how many other things must also exist. ”How the hell could he not know?” She whipped her head to Ash, a befuddled face on. Hal was caught in the eyes of the omega, the words werewolf and alpha and omega seemed to barely phase him. It was all beginning to become too real.

He gently tilted Ash’s phone so that he could see the image from his seated position. He didn’t take his eyes from Audrey’s until the screen was in his view. He pursed his lips. ”I don’t know, its pretty blurry.” He shrugged, looking at the blur of brown fur and gnashing teeth. ”It could just be a dog for all I know.” He held his arms up and behind his head cockily, grinning like the nit wit he was. Even though he knew it was true, he still wanted to play with the idea that it wasn’t.

”Are you fucking DAFT boy?” Nora shouted, hands on hips. ”We all just saw you go full on beast! I had to smack you over the head so you wouldn’t eat poor Audrey here!” She furrowed her eyebrows, giving him a stern look.

He chuckled loudly, leaning back into his arm hammock. ”I doubt I’d eat her.” He snickered. ”Probably fuck her though.” He shrugged.

[sylvanSpider]

“I don't fuckin' know! That's why I took a picture, because he didn't believe me when I told him the first fuckin' time!” Ash exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at the werewolf on her living room floor. The entire thing was frustrating when all of the evidence was on her side. The black outs were the biggest and most undeniable indicator. How could he have never thought about recording himself before? That would have answered his question relatively quickly. Instead, he had someone fucking spell it out for him and he still didn't believe her! She pointed a spot on the screen, narrowing her eyes until they were little more than slits, tapping her nail against the screen, “That's your fuckin' face and you are in major denial if you say that isn't fuckin' you.”

So far, every person in the room had uttered, or more like screamed, the word “fuck.” There was no decency here. Audrey didn't expect any from the alpha. There was never any decency from alphas unless they had no need to flaunt their dominance; but the humans? She expected more from her employer. Still, there was something sexy in the way she handled herself. Nora was gorgeous, even moreso when she was putting her wit in the spotlight. Audrey squirmed uncomfortably in her seat at the mention of eating her. That part wasn't likely, alphas had other plans that--

Audrey squeaked, straightening in her seat, looking at Hal with wide eyes her mouth instantly going dry. Had she still had her wolf ears out, they would have been pressed flat against her head. As it was, however, her fingers laced and unlaced, laced and unlaced, stopping only to wipe clammy hands on the pencil skirt she'd put on the day before.

Ash snorted, “You're fucking kidding, right? I mean, you're welcome to try, if my girlfriend doesn't get a taste of her first.”

[Worm]

Hal pouted, falling to his back so he could stare at the ceiling. "I guess I just don't get it... I mean... I feel like I knew all along... But I didn't... How did I not know... You're right... Miss... Ash's girlfriend." he sighed off his poor name retention. Nora tapped her foot looking back at the girls.

"Well first off. I'm not letting him touch Audrey without her consent. I don't know how you dogs handle things, but this is a human household." she said in a stern voice. "And secondly, neither of you are putting a paw on my girl, without my permission." she scooped Ash close to her, holding her hip against Nora's own squishy side.

Hal chuckled again, causing Nora to go bright red. "What the hell is so funny, werewolf boy?" her tone was irritated.

"Nothing." he shook his head, a dumb smile on his face.

"Uhm, excuse me?" now she was getting really mad.

"Look who's an alpha now." he rolled his eyes, though only one was visible.

Nora smiled, even though she was obviously passed pissed. "You're damn right boy. And you better get your shit together before coming back here. I've got plenty of collars with your name on it!"

"Ooh, kinky." he chuckled to Nora's dismay.

"Audrey." she moved on, straight up ignoring Hal's comment. "What should I know about you guys? I mean... Is the full moon thing true? Do you know any other werewolves? Do you guys normally have packs?" she squinted her eyes in confusion. There was so much she didn't know. It was up to Audrey to fill them in.

"Nope, not me. I'm a looonnneeee wolf." Hal bantered, swinging one of his legs over his crossed, bent knee, still on his back.

"Hal. You need to shut the hell up or so help me -" she groaned, flustered. "How could you like this guy?" she looked back at Ash, half kidding half entirely serious.

[sylvanSpider]

Ash sighed, moving her hands to her hips, shaking her head in disbelief. Finally, he was beginning to see. Pity that once again it took Nora to even get her point across. Even her proof wasn't good enough for him, it took Nora. It was frustrating to be disregarded that strongly, particularly when she was the one that was initially trying to help him. She couldn't help but smile, however, when her beloved scooped her up, claiming her as her own.

Audrey wanted to say that she had no intention of laying a paw (though she did appreciate the pun) on Ash, who she decided right then that she didn't like. Even this human seemed to put her in her place, which was fine with Nora. Not so much her weaker counterpart. She gulped, lifting her eyes when she added “without my permission.” The pair must have been in an open relationship, hence the presence of the two wolves. What an insane coincidence!

“The full moon thing?” the smaller of the wolves asked, half-grinning, “It's true in the sense that we all tend to go a bit...crazy, and our changes are involuntary on those nights...but as you just saw, it's not limited to full moons. Most of us can change at will, or will react to the other's scent as you saw in ah...in my case,” she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, thankful that once again she had control over herself. She gulped and continued her explanation, “Hal didn't because he was willfully ignorant of his condition, but generally, yes. They resemble human gangs to an extent, a staunch hierarchy put into play—different members from the different hierarchies each seeming to play a different game. For alphas it's all about territory and how many others they can get as followers. Betas will tend to hang out as seconds in command with the alphas. It's a safe place to be, and the stronger the alpha they follow, the better off they are. Betas are more likely to shift between packs for this reason. As for those like me? Well, the others tend to fight for us, and we tend to go with the winner—whether we want to or not. We aren't strong enough to fight back, but we are pretty fast. So if escape is an option, some will take it. Others will like the pack they are with and stick around, praying that a stronger alpha doesn't come along. We're ah...we're the most desired types to have in a pack...”

Audrey found a spot on the floor, focusing on it and hoping she didn't ask that fateful question of “why” they were the most desired and left it at that, at least for the moment. Her fingers laced and unlaced, laced and unlaced, before she looked back up at Hal for only a brief moment, looking again at Nora, “Alphas without a pack are seen as weak.”

Ash snorted, bursting out in a fit of laughter, “Hear that, Hal? Mister Lonewolf isn't as bad ass as he hoped!” She shook her head, beaming over at Nora, “You don't think he's charming in his own right? I detect some charm.”

[Worm]

Hal wasn't explicitly trying to ignore Ash's suggestions, its just that... He liked to play around with her. He liked feeling lighthearted and fun with her. When she brought up the werewolf thing and kept pressing it, it felt like she was harshing his mellow. So until Nora really, and quite literally, got up in his face about it, he had no choice but to accept it. It would've been so much easier to just pretend like it wasn't a problem. He sighed, finally flipping back up to a seated position.

"Well then.. I guess you guys are my pack." He leaned into his hand, grimacing as he said so, and rolling his single eye again.

"Hey! Don't act so disappointed!" Nora stomped her foot, glaring at Hal. "For all you know, we're all you've got!" She hmphed, and looked over to Ash, leaning her head on her shoulder. Even though Nora was taller than Ash, her shoulder wasn't too awkward of a balancing post.

"Yeah, well. I guess at least I've got an omega then?" He shrugged, sending stinging glances in Audrey's direction. "Unless of course, I've got to fight for you." He licked his lips, wondering if this little girl had any juicy secrets. He could feel that primal energy rising in his body again, this time he paused to take deep breaths, trying to tame it.

"So how would he go about controlling this thing then?" Nora lifted her head up, exchanging glances with the two werewolves with watchful eyes. "I mean, obviously you guys have to control it or... you'd get caught and hung as a display on some redneck's mantle... How did you get away with it all this time, Hal? I feel like someone must've known..."

Hal felt a lump rise in his throat. His mom. Of course she knew... Why'd she have to die and leave him with this kind of curse? It didn't make sense... Maybe he died with her, and this was just some kind of shitty dream for his ghost to find peace... Or something like that. He shook his head, fully sobered. "I'm hungry." He muttered, looking up to Nora like a needy child.

[sylvanSpider]

“Your pack? Don't you need, y'know, fuckin' wolves in your pack?” Ash asked cocking her eyebrow. It wasn't as if she was turning him down; on the contrary, the question was more one of logistics. She didn't understand how any of it worked yet, and she didn't know how far down this rabbit hole she wanted to go, or, how far Nora wanted to go for that matter.

Audrey shifted in her seat, continuing with the lacing and unlacing of her fingers, her legs keeping perfectly still. “It's, it's been a thing before. It's actually quite common. Some packs will have token honorary clan members, but those are generally just being used to infiltrate the law system and pick up talk about the town, maybe even pick up on other packs' activity.” She raised her eyes, briefly looking to Ash and then Nora, “The choice is yours, though it seems as if I don't have much of a choice; you're the only alpha around to claim me. The nearest pack is in the next town over.” Audrey squirmed, feeling Hal's gaze on her and looked up at him in time to see him wetting his lips in anticipation.

Ash folded her arms, looking from wolf to wolf knowing that certainly her life was taking a turn at this moment, though she wasn't entirely sure on where. She and Nora agreed on Hal as a toy, but with the knowledge that he was not only a werewolf, but an alpha one at that, she wasn't sure that he would be their toy s much as the opposite. Audrey, she could see, was already his; a fact readily seen by everyone in the room. “Can alphas control it?” she finally asked.

“They...can,” Audrey muttered, tentatively, “Theirs is a much more powerful transformation though, so it takes more power to control it. But, the first step in being able to do just that is acknowledging what you are, get in touch with that other side so to speak.”

Ash sighed, shaking her head. This was something that she felt she could do nothing for. She knew nothing about the wolves, save for what she'd just learned, and the omega was saying that it was all just a matter of willing it? It seemed like simple of an answer to this problem that had plagued Hal since he was a child. “I'll make some breakfast,” she said at length, “How do eggs sound?”

[Worm]

Nora squeezed her brows together, still concerned about this whole ranking system. "Now, now, now, Audrey... I will make sure you're not going home with any brute like Hal, or any alpha from the next town." She smiled gently. "You're safe with me, I'm not afraid of werewolves." While the comment was meant to be calming, it came off as a bit naive to Hal. He shook his head, chuckling.

"Yeah, you say that now. But what if there was a group of three of mes? Like three big, huge alphas?" He waved his arms to exemplify their largeness. "Oh, eggs sound great! Any bacon?" He stood up, stretching his arms and twisting his abdomen back and forth.

"I've got a rack full of collars and leashes in our room." Nora stated matter-of-factly, pointing with a thumb to hers and Ash's bedroom. "Besides, I've dealt with handsy men in the past and I know just where to punt them." She crossed her arms, clearly annoyed with Hal's belittling comments.

"Hey, if you guys can technically be part of a werewolf pack. Does that mean you've got ranks too?" Hal smiled, still trying to tear himself from the intoxicating scent of Audrey's. "Cus I mean... I was obviously drawn to Ash... And Nora, not so much..." He looked at Nora, a dumb smile on his fucked up face, almost regretting his comment.

[sylvanSpider]

Audrey pressed her lips together, looking up at her employer. Her gracious, kind, intelligent employer. Nora bore with her the face of one attempting to be comforting, but one who had no idea what she was getting herself into. She was naive. Despite this, the small werewolf mustered a smile, “It isn't a matter of fear I'm afraid, Miss Nora. You were fortunate to have met Hal and I—an omega and an alpha who has no idea what he's doing. Alphas that do know what they are doing...they're...they're terrifying, and they command not only respect, but fear as well.” She swallowed and looked down, “In the case of...of the latter...I have but two choices, to concede or to run. If we make a pack, there is a good chance those in the next town will hear about it. They will be eager to claim me back once they find that I'm here. They are under the belief that they run this town as well, coming here only when things get too hot.”

Audrey's eyes shifted back up to Hal. He, too, was naive, “Three big, huge alphas would only be working together under the pretense of an allegiance. Allegiances between packs are weak and liable to dissolve at any moment, including when human prey are in sight. If humans are greedy, a werewolf alpha is greed incarnate.”

Ash kept her eyes folded, her eyes resting on whoever was speaking at the moment, tapping her foot lightly. She was not meaning to exude a feeling of impatience, but if one were to describe her in a word it would be that. Audrey's mode of speaking was oddly formal at all times it seemed, and she wondered if she spoke the same way around others not her employer, or other wolves. Then, the way she was speaking now, she made it seem like she didn't really have a voice with other wolves. Audrey was a shy, timid little thing, submissive in nature and perfect prey for someone like Nora to employ. She could see why she'd hired her. She said nothing, choosing to keep her mouth shut and listen. Best not to play the fool.

Audrey spoke for her, wide eyes looking up at Nora, “Collars and leashes? Miss Nora, forgive me, but I haven't seen nor caught scent of a dog since stepping into your apartment---”

“They're for people use,” Ash said, a wry grin directed at Audrey, complete with a pair of waggling eyebrows.

Audrey paled. The leashes weren't for the obedience of an animal. It was likely that those leashes and collars had been used on Ash and she gulped. They apparently had a thing for hierarchies as well. Instead of responding to that, however, she responded to Hal's question, “Humans essentially earn their ranks. For us, it's biological. I could have a burst of confidence and attempt to take command, but ultimately it's a futile battle. I'd still emanate the scent of an omega, the pheromones of an omega. The humans are more free to decide. Of course, when a human joins a wolf pack, regardless of how dominating they are, they would never be able to overtake an alpha unless they were a trained werewolf hunter. Which, speaking of, is another problem that wolves deal with. Thankfully, for those like me, they tend to leave omegas alone.”

[Worm]

Hal rubbed the back of his head, a swollen bump forming where he was hit. "Yeah. And these ladies sure a'int earning their ranks." He scoffed, giving the stink eye to Nora.

"Oh, don't be a baby!" She snarled, crossing her arms as she watched Ash make her way to the kitchen. Her interests were piqued the moment that Audrey mentioned werewolf hunters. An arched brow moved with hazel eyes as they met Audrey's. "So you mean, there's other humans that know about this too?" She wandered in thought. How could supernatural creatures actually exist in a place like this? How did she not know? She walked softly towards the couch and plopped down between Audrey and Hal. Her arm extending behind Audrey's shoulders to form a protective barrier around her.

"Have you ever met a werewolf hunter?" She pressed her brows together, concerned and genuinely curious. Her world had opened up immensely.

"Hey! Maybe that's why this dude kept following me." Hal scrolled through his smart phone to find poorly lit photos of a man in a trench coat. They were blurry and taken at odd angles. "I always thought it was just 'cus ... Y'know. I'm an attractive fellow and -" He smiled with pride, his scarred eye twitching as if it were wide open.

"Oh shut it." Nora groaned. "I doubt it was your looks, mister washed up loser." She rolled her eyes.

Hal grimaced, flicking faster through the pictures on his phone and leaning towards Audrey to show her. "Well excuuuuseeee me. Ash thought I was hot." He shot a glance back at the punky girl in the kitchen, sticking his tongue out playfully at her. Nora shuddered.

"Yeah. Ash likes anything with legs..." Nora muttered beneath her breath. That's why she needed to keep Ash on a leash after all...

"But SERIOUSLY. What if he's like - a hunter and is watching me..." He hyperfocused on the current picture from his camera roll, hoping to find any distinguishing features. Nora snatched it from his hands, now that he was close enough to the girls on the couch. "Hey!" He responded, mouth agape as he sat crosslegged on the hardwood floor.

"Let me see. Maybe I'll know him." She didn't want to say anything, but Nora knew a lot of creeps... She leaned back in the couch and tilted the phone so Audrey could glance as well.

[sylvanSpider]

Ash shot her own stank eye in Hal's direction, “Excuse you? What am I doing to not earn a valid rank in this so called wolf pack? I was the one that figured all this shit out, no thanks to you, Mr. Alpha.” She pulled up a chair from the kitchen and placed it to where the group could be situated in a sort of almost circle and crossed her leg, leaning back in the chair only to cross her arms.

Audrey nodded glumly, “In fact, I'd argue that they are more dangerous than other packs.” She shook her head as if warding away some unwanted memory and pressed on, “You can always guage how safe you are with a pack based on how compliant you are or willing to pledge to a pack...Hunters? Some of them believe they are doing God's work by exterminating all of us. Others simply want to put to rest those of us that are a threat. It can be difficult distinguishing the two, and dangerous when you can't.” She wanted to lean her head into Nora's shoulder, now deliciously in her reach, but the presence of her girlfriend a few feet away kept her from doing just that.

Then, if her girlfriend was jealous in the slightest, she didn't show it. Ash sat leaned back in her chair and her lustful eyes seemed indiscriminate as they roved among the members of their group. Perhaps she was the reason they considered their relationship open. “You say that like don't still think you're hot,” she said chuckling, “Oh, don't give me that look, Nora baby. I like 'em rugged sometimes. I get enough of the soft but commanding feminine wiles from your gorgeous ass as it is, if I'm gonna expand my territory, it's gonna be something that isn't already perfected by the fox I get to call my girlfriend.” She winked at Nora and laced her fingers behind her head, a self-satisfied smirk curling her lips only for it to fade as she opened one eye menacingly toward Nora, “Not anything with legs. I've got standards, you know.”

Audrey peered down at the screen Nora held and bobbed her head up and down as she assessed the image, “There's a big chance that he is a hunter and that he caught onto you like Ash did. He hasn't made any action yet though? No attacking you while in wolf form? Or human form for that matter?”

“I don't think he'd be able to tell you if he had during wolf form, Audrey,” Ash added to Audrey grinning, “He has no recollection of his being a wolf.”

[Worm]

Nora held back a smile as her girl managed to both compliment her partner and admit to being attracted to the buffoon next to them. However, it was hard not to blush. "Well, you can have him." Was all she said, leaning back a little more comfortably now. She zoomed in on the picture that Hal took. The man in suspect was leaning against a wall, it was raining, and the picture looked as if it were taken at hip height. With a little more stretch, she was able to see his face.

"Holy shit. I think that's the guy from LeatherWorx downtown." Nora squinted hoping that it would help her see more clearly. She looked over at Ash for recognition. "Look." She swung the clunky smartphone over to her.

"Hey, careful with my phone!" Hal whined, extending his hands in case of a falling phone.

"Its the owner, Max." She gave a concerned glance to Ash, a secret conversation brewing between them. Both of them had gotten strange feelings about the guy previously.

"So? Is he a hunter?" Hal stressed, clamboring over so he could look at the screen also. Nora pushed him back with a foot as she kept close with Ash and Audrey.

"Where have you been spotting him?" Nora focused back on Hal and handed his phone to him. He wiped off the screen and put it in his hoodie pocket.

"Well, the first time I saw him was... Huh..." He looked down, shaking his head. "To be honest, I feel like I've seen him since I was pretty young..." He scratched the back of his matted head, concerned about his mental stability. "But the last few times were all pretty close together. After my shifts, sometimes I'll see him walking towards me from the alleyway in between the diner and Pizza Joe's."

Nora glanced at the digital clock on their kitchen stove. "Audrey, we've got a lot of questions... And it seems that you're the only one with answers. If we're not keeping you, we'd love to eat some breakfast and chat some more. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like." She smiled warmly towards her secretary.

"And Hal, you're welcome also. At least until we can figure out how to keep you safe." Of course, this extended to both of them. Nora wasn't too keen on letting either of these creatures back into the world and out of her control. "But, I wanted to ask you Audrey. How did you get along, knwoing you were a werewolf? You seem to know a lot about it... Were you raised by a pack? Do you have family? Have you been hunted?" She paused and chuckled sardonically. "Its just hard for me to understand how you could've kept this all hidden, and- I feel lost. Like so many things have been right beneath my feet that I've never even noticed." She shook her head, eyes wide behind her black frames.

[sylvanSpider]

Ash leaned back, a smile on her face that seemed to speak to the fact that she knew she said the right thing. “So, what say you, Hal? Can I have you?” She raised her eyebrows at him, that wry grin staying in its place. She'd never been with a werewolf before. But then, she'd hoped he'd be in his human form if ever anything did take place.

“LeatherWorx?” Audrey asked Nora, tilting her head, “Isn't that the place that--”

“Yes,” Ash finished for her, winking and getting a certain sense of satisfaction at seeing the girl shudder. After all, the leashes were already mentioned. It would be simple enough for a clever girl like herself to figure out Ash leaned over Audrey's lap to get a good look at the phone, “He does kind of look like him though, doesn't he? Down to the same general outfit and everything.”

Audrey gulped, “It's...it's difficult to say. Unless he's actually attacked you or you detected silver in dangerous amounts on his person, it would be impossible to say.” Audrey fiddled with her hands, squirming a bit in her seat wondering if she was really going to be pulled into another pack. This pack, however, seemed a bit more relaxed, and could possibly, possibly be one that she actually held sway in. Of course, all of this was contingent on whether Hal would realize his true potential for being an alpha or not. “I don't have as much answers as I'd like, unfortunately. But if you've been seeing him for a long while, there's a chance he's been monitoring you, aware of your condition, but also aware of the fact that you don't mean to pose a threat to others. I could...I could go for some breakfast,” The last sentence was sort of tacked on, but she was being bombarded with questions and needed to answer all of them.

Ash got to her feet and stretched, “Alright, Audrey's in, what about you, Hal? Am I making breakfast for four?”