Mohegan: Native Instincts, page 8
"Oh my God!" Henry put a hand over his mouth. "Mohegan… so that's why…" "Don't feel bad for him. He may have had a hard starts, but Mohegan is anything but pathe c." Jake shook his head. "A er that, Mohegan began training. He trained as the beast, not just in his human form. Most Lycan, like me, can only keep shi ed for half an hour at the most. Unless the pull of the full moon is present, a Lycan can't stay in their wolf form for long. Mohegan trained his body so hard that now he can stay Lycan for two hours. The problem is, shifting for so long makes you more susceptible to the blood rage, causing you to not be able to control yourself. It's like your mind is in a fever and the human part of you doesn't think clearly. I've been told it's like you go back to your primal roots and you think the way the wolf: eat, kill, mate.
"A er he bulked up, his wolf side became even stronger. When Mohegan was fourteen he made a formal challenge to the Alpha. Mohegan killed him, even a er the Alpha submi ed. Then Mohegan killed every Beta who had been loyal to the Alpha. He dueled the first few, even gave them a chance to strike first, but the rest... Mohegan chased them down, wai ng un l they weren't able to keep their shi and then he killed them, too. Once he had killed every dominant male who could possibly challenge him, he did one last thing.
"He went to Shuey's father and said, 'for your loyalty, I will spare you.' Then he broke Shuey's father's back, pu ng him in a wheelchair." Jake's eyes were watery. "He massacred our people, leaving only younger members and weak-willed Lycan. He's also killed other Lycan, from other clans, to make them powerless against us. He's made us the most feared pack in Oklahoma."
"He did… all that?" Henry paused. "How many people has he killed?" "Not sure... at least fourteen that I know of," Jake said. "Please, that's why I told you he's not cute and cuddly." A shadow fell across the window, but they were too involved in their conversa on to no ce. "He is a monster. A disgus ng, bloodthirsty wolf. He's ugly. He's mean. Most of all, Henry, there is no good that could ever come out of having a rela onship with him." The shadow moved away, and Henry looked up to see the trees wave behind the window.
"Don't say that! He's a wonderful person. Over these last few days..." Henry frowned.
"Days, Henry. You've only really known him for only a couple months. You can't trust him." Henry got up. "What about you, Jake? You think just because your li le fling with Shuey is so perfect, you can judge me?" Henry grabbed his hat. "Mohegan... he's just—" Henry faltered as anger gripped him. "Sure he's not like Shuey. Maybe he won't even reciprocate my feelings, but I know a different side of him! Maybe he's not as perfect as your Shuey, but I love him." Henry was mad. He hadn't meant to say those things, but his anger caused his true feelings to come out.
"Henry, things aren't perfect for me." Jake came closer, hugging Henry. "Shuey has problems too; I just don't want you to get hurt. You're my best friend, my blood brother."
"I need to think about this, Jake," Henry said, rubbing Jake's hair. The storm was passing, leaving dark clouds across the skies. Henry took the opportunity to travel down to the lake, fi een miles away. As he drove his motorcycle along the highway, he thought about the fight Mohegan must have put up. How had he survived such terrible wounds? Was his ability to heal that great?
He parked his bike under a tree, taking off his shirt and laying it over the seat. Mohegan must have longed for companionship at some point. Henry wondered if Mohegan had been with anyone before. Henry unhitched his belt, sliding it off and wrapping it around the bike's handlebars. If Mohegan had really killed all those people, maybe he really would kill Henry too. He kicked off his boots, then slid his pants off and stepped out of his jeans. Would Mohegan feel anything if he killed Henry? Could Mohegan really be nothing more than a monster?
He jumped into the lake, feeling the cool water wash over him. He swam, trying to focus only on swimming laps across the water. He looked up as he neared the shore and found Mohegan watching him. Without hesitation, Henry called to him, "Want to swim?"
Mohegan silently stripped. Henry couldn't help but watch, feeling a s r in his lower region. Mohegan's shirt came off, revealing his thick chest and his huge abs. his pants dropped around his ankles, revealing his round firm ass. Mohegan seemed bigger than Henry remembered; it was as though he'd somehow build more muscle onto his already well-toned body. Henry blushed, watching Mohegan take his me as he entered the cool water. Then Mohegan dove under the water, resurfacing a moment later behind Henry.
"You followed me," Henry said, wondering why he didn't seem to fear the man he just learned was a cold-blooded killer.
"I wanted to swim," Mohegan said, shrugging. "Mohegan." Henry smiled. "I seem to be thinking about you a lot lately." Mohegan frowned, but Henry took the moment to splash him. They played together, swimming further into the depths of the lake. Henry laughed as Mohegan put his hands on Henry's waist, li ing him up into the air. Henry put his arms around Mohegan, bending over to kiss him. Mohegan responded, kissing Henry back eagerly. Henry couldn't hide his desire for Mohegan much longer; he felt a desperate need to connect with him. Mohegan's hands traveled down to the small of Henry's back, his tongue domina ng Henry's inside his mouth. Henry felt a large poke against his stomach as he slid closer to Mohegan, le ng out an interested groan. Mohegan pushed Henry away from his lower region, but continued to kiss him.
Suddenly, Mohegan dunked Henry into the water, laughing when Henry came up spitting water. Henry coughed. "You jerk!"
*~*~* Mohegan's ear twitched and he looked up, but saw nothing. They had swum for almost an hour before Henry returned to the shore and lay down on the grass, fully exposed to the world. Mohegan lay near him, stretched out on his stomach near Henry's feet. Henry sighed, content, and fell into a light sleep. When he woke, the clouds seemed to have masked the sun, causing a large shadow to pull across the field. A face was staring down at him, deep red eyes staring down at him above elongated teeth. Whoever it was seemed to be drooling on him, the warm saliva hi ng just above Henry's neck.
"I leave for a piss and come back to see a mosquito near my lunch?" Mohegan growled suddenly, and he changed so fast Henry wasn't even sure if he was ever a man. The creature was ripped off Henry, and he sat up just in me to see the hood the person was wearing get knocked off to reveal a young woman with blonde hair. She climbed to her feet and blew a kiss at Mohegan. Her skin began to get red in the cloud-filtered light and she pulled the hood back over her head.
"Mo'he'gan, you're not hungry. Why not let me have a bite?" Her fangs pulled over her lips as she looked hungrily at Henry. She seemed about Henry's age and her accent was like nothing Henry had ever heard before.
"Mohegan, who is that?" Henry walked over to Mohegan, hiding himself behind Mohegan. The young woman looked shocked at seeing Henry's relaxed a tude with Mohegan's shi ed form. "Oh... oh!" she said, smiling. "Mo'he'gan, he is human, isn't he?"
Mohegan growled. "Stupid boy." Turning to Henry, Mohegan took him by the shoulders. "You need to run, Henry."
"But, why? Who—" Mohegan pushed Henry off, launching himself at the woman. She hissed and took off, and Mohegan chased a er her. He grabbed her leg, slashing it with his claws. She cried out and screamed at him. "Are you really going to kill me?"
Henry got one leg in his pants, hopping on one foot, then looked at the two figh ng on the grass, heading towards the woods.
"I'll tear your arms off and sit you out in the sun!" Mohegan snarled, racing a er her as she broke free again. Soon they were out of sight, but Henry could still hear Mohegan's growls.
Henry zipped his pants and shoved his feet into his boots, pausing briefly to struggle into his shirt before climbing onto his bike. Revving, he sped to Mohegan's house. Thoughts raced through Henry's head. Who was that woman? How did she know Mohegan? Was Mohegan going to kill her?
Henry paced around Mohegan's cabin, wai ng for him to get back. It was almost an hour before Mohegan got home. He opened the door, slumping against the frame. Henry rushed to his side, no cing bites on his arms and gashes on his chest. Mohegan pushed past Henry and into his bedroom. He grabbed a towel and started to scrub off the blood.
Henry followed. "What happened to her? What was she?" Mohegan laid on his bed, groaning so ly as he moved. Henry felt Mohegan's forehead; he was burning up. Henry got a washcloth from the bathroom and drew cold water on it. He set the cloth on Mohegan's head, si ng down on the bed next to him. Mohegan whimpered, shivering as he se led his head into Henry's lap like a child, res ng his head on Henry's thigh. "Mala?" Mohegan asked, looking up with feverish eyes. "Mala..." He snuggled into Henry, falling asleep in his lap.
A er a me Henry scooted out from under Mohegan's head and slipped out of the cabin. He needed me to think. Mohegan's presence always seemed to confuse Henry. All he could think about were the good mes he'd had with Mohegan, but now... who was he? Who was he calling for?
Chapter Six
It had been almost two weeks since Henry had been on the reserva on. He had spent much of it with Amilee, who had missed him terribly. When she asked what he had been doing, Henry had said he'd been spending me with Jake. It was almost a relief to be with a normal person, and not have to worry about Lycans or vampires. Just listening to Amilee talk about school was relaxing.
His father, James, Billy, and Doc Peters had more of their mee ngs, but Henry didn't feel the need to pay a en on to them. Instead, he went to a drivein movie, enjoyed live music, and took Amilee to the malt shop, enjoying his me as a normal teenager. His mother seemed in higher spirits when Henry took interest in her kni ng, holding the thread as she knit. He helped his father tend to the ranch; chores he normally hated helped him to take his mind off the supernatural.
A er twelve days had gone by Henry came home late from a date with Amilee to see Mohegan wai ng at the ranch gate. "Evening," Henry said, walking up to him. Mohegan stared down at Henry, saying nothing, but his eyes conveyed loneliness. Henry finally reached up and ruffled the man's mohawk. "So you missed me?"
"No," Mohegan said gruffly. "Just checking in on you." Henry frowned. Rolling his eyes, he pivoted to walk away when Mohegan grabbed him from behind, pulling him backwards. Mohegan's huge arms enveloped him, wrapping warmly around Henry. In a hushed whisper Mohegan said, "I missed you." Henry could feel Mohegan shake behind him. "I've never felt this, like I need to have someone else around."
Henry gri ed his teeth, pulling away from Mohegan. "That's not true," Henry said, turning back to Mohegan. "Who's Mala?"
Mohegan's face turned dark. "How do you know about her? I told no one about Mala, and she's none of your concern."
"Who is she?" Henry grabbed Mohegan's hand. "It is my concern."
Mohegan's anger subsided, and with a heavy sigh he said, "She's my sister."
Henry felt a huge relief. "Why didn't you just say so?"
"She's not human..." Mohegan pushed Henry's hair out of his eyes. "She's a vampire."
Henry chuckled. "Is your father Frankenstein's monster?" "It's not funny," Mohegan snapped, causing Henry to pull away. "She's dead. Cold and unfeeling."
"She's not the woman from the lake. The one who tried to bite me?"
"No. Of course not! You don't understand." "I know more than you think, Mohegan. Is she on the vampire council? Is that why they don't punish you even after you've attacked them?"
"You're too curious for your own good. You shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about," Mohegan snarled, and Henry put a hand on Mohegan's arm, looking up beseechingly. "All right, fine! She's part of the council. She's helped me stay out of trouble, but it wasn't out of any love for me." He scowled, looking off to the distance. "She thinks I'm a good pawn in her game."
Henry drew Mohegan's a en on back to him. "I know it's dangerous for us to be together, but I don't care. Even when I try and stay away and act like everything is normal, all I can think of is you." Henry wrapped his arms around Mohegan's neck. "Vampires, werewolves, people, none of it ma ers. I just want to be with you."
Henry kissed him, enjoying the large tongue that invaded his mouth. As they kissed, Mohegan pushed him up against one of the large posts holding up the sign that proclaimed Conner Ranch. Mohegan moved his hands under Henry's shirt, sliding them over Henry's hairless chest. His mouth moved down Henry's chin, and to his neck. Henry arched his back as he felt Mohegan's teeth and tongue move over his neck, feeling a nip on the base of his neck. His eyes flu ered, and he felt out of breath.
Henry pulled away, looking around selfconsciously to make sure none of the farm hands were nearby. He rubbed his neck, feeling excited from Mohegan's a rac on. Mohegan looked around as well, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "So … can I see you tomorrow?"
Henry's smile was so big, all his teeth were showing. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." *~*~* Jake ran with Shuey, their padded feet making li le noise on the forest floor. A white ran in front of him, running for its life, and his jaws were mere feet away from it. Shuey knocked into Jake, causing him to miss the rabbit. Having stolen the upper hand, Shuey dove for the rabbit. Desperate to get away, the rabbit jerked le and both of the Lycan tumbled over each other in their a empt to nab it, allowing the rabbit to make a quick escape. Shuey nipped at Jake's neck, laughing as Jake fla ened his transformed body on Shuey. They lay there resting and getting their breath back.
Jake perked his ears up, his nose sniffing the air as an intriguing scent caught him. Do you smell that?
Shuey rolled off his back, taking in the sweet smell. Yeah … They tro ed along the forest floor, the sweet scent giving way to the smell of blood. She's injured. Jake ran ahead, feeling a primal need to protect a female wolf.
A white wolf with black stripes watched them as they drew close. Her le hind leg was caught in a bear trap, he werewolf blood the only thing that had kept her bones from breaking. Her light blue eyes were entrancing as Jake got drew closer. He licked her muzzle. It's gonna be alright.
She yelped when Shuey, now in human form, moved to the bear trap, trying to find the pin that would release it. He pulled the jaws of the trap open, helping her move her leg out of the grip of the vice. The white wolf melted away into an adult Na ve American woman. Looking over her le leg Shuey saw that it was mangled. She had long dark hair, with pla num blond streaks, and her skin was smooth with a very light tan; she was beau ful. "I don't know how much longer I could have stayed like that..." She touched her leg, seeming unconcerned as blood coated her fingers from the wound. "I was so scared."
*~*~* Amilee had grown more accustomed to their time together, and that made it hard to ignore her interest in being more than just friends. At the end of school she would latch on to Henry, wan ng to take trips down the local malt shop to have a shared shake. Henry tried to ignore her flu ering eyelashes and her nervous a empts to reach for his hand.
Once the bell tolled Henry grabbed up his books, walking quickly out of the classroom and hoping to avoid her. He wasn't ten feet out of his class before he heard her call, "Henry!"
Henry turned, watched Amilee waving at him from the cement stairway. She walked gleefully over to him, her own books wrapped neatly in a silk cloth. Her hair was up in a pony tail, and her long skirt flu ered and swished as she moved. It would have been a welcome sight to anyone else at the school. Henry stopped, turned and walked towards her, leaning against the railing of the broad stairwell. "I was thinking, if you'd like, we could go to my house today. My parents are out, and won't be back for hours." She looked completely embarrassed, but she bravely smiled. "I'd really like for you to come and visit."
Henry took a deep breath, ruffling his hair, "Listen, Amilee, I don't want you to get the wrong impression. I don't really think we're meant to be anything more than friends."
She stared at him blankly for a moment, as if the words simply did not register. A er a few seconds, though, she looked both angry and close to tears. "But Henry—"
As devastated as she looked, Henry knew it was the right thing to do. He'd led her on long enough. She deserved a kind man, one who was completely in love with her. "I really am sorry, but it just won't work, and I should have done this sooner. You're a great girl, Amilee. I—I'm sorry."
She clutched her books to her chest, looking at the ground, tears welling in her eyes. Henry put out a hand towards her, but she pulled away. "I see. I guess I should have seen this day coming."
Henry's hand fell back to his side. "I don't know what to say." Amilee shrugged, but didn't li her gaze from the ground. "I hope you find someone who does make you happy." She quickly turned and walked away from him.
Having broken a girl's heart, Henry wanted nothing more than to feel the warm embrace of Mohegan's arms around him, the huge chest crushed against his face as he breathed in the Lycan's smell. Henry shook his head, and walked towards his bike.
He drove home as quickly as he could, and raced up to his room. Tossing his books on his desk, he changed into casual clothes and went back downstairs. His father was in the kitchen, drinking freshly brewed coffee when Henry came scrambling in to grab a quick bite before heading out. "You going out again tonight, son?"
"Yeah, me and Jake were gonna hang out." Henry popped two slices of bread into the toaster, then began digging in the fridge for some slices of the ham his mother had cooked the previous night.
"You've been staying around a lot more than I reckon is good for ya; thought maybe you two had a feud." He looked. "Things all square now?"
"Pa, you know when you talk like that it just makes you seem older." Henry laughed, cu ng a few slices of cheese. "No, we cleared everything up."
"That's good to hear, son." He set down his mug, then added, "The boys are coming over tonight, so make sure to stay in the house when you get back."
"What do you even talk about, Pa?" Henry asked, si ng down to eat his sandwich. "I mean I'm almost eighteen now, it's not like much can surprise me anymore."
His father raised a brow at his son. "So you think you're old enough to know the truth?" Henry took a big bite of his sandwich and nodded. His father rested back in his chair. "We've been talking about that morning out there in the forest. More of them things might be out there, and we go a do somethin' about it."
