Gypsy Wolf Ch. 05

This story is a work of fiction solely from the twisted mind of Chromex. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters are of at least 18 years of age unless otherwise specifically mentioned. Please do not copy/redistribute the story, in part or total, without the author's permission.

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They say that no good deed ever goes unpunished and so far today was no exception. The uneasy silence that had followed my knock on the cheap aluminum door should have been my first clue. With my old human senses, I would have never noticed the subtle scent of gun oil or the faint click of twin hammers. Even still, with the hairs on the back of my neck popping upright, I barely had enough time to move out of the way before the trailer door exploded outward, shredded by the twin rounds of twelve gauge buckshot screaming through the thin aluminum. "Fuck you bitch," the voice of Riley Williams screamed from inside the trailer, "there is no way in hell you are taking me in."

"Fucking awesome, thanks Guido," I muttered to myself, the blast from the shotgun ringing in my ears. This wasn't even supposed to be my retrieval, I had been at the compound for nearly three weeks when Guido called and asked me to pick this one up after Frank broke his arm. Don't laugh, but he was taken out by a rogue squirrel while climbing out of his truck. The fact that Frank would be dead had he been standing at that door didn't escape me.

"Baby, grab the bags. I'm going to make sure this bitch is dead and then we've gotta get out of here."

"Be careful, something out there doesn't feel right." Awesome, I'd watched the trailer for hours and never saw any sign of another person. This day just keeps getting better and better and as it was none of this made any sense to me. From the notes in his file, Riley was wanted for skipping on bail for a series of petty theft charges, nothing that deserved to be greeted with a buckshot hello. First-degree murder was a bit of a jump from petty theft, especially in a small town like this one, there had to be more going on than I was aware of.

Crouching with my back against the trailer, I watched as the ruins of the door flew open and crashed against the cheap siding. I half expected him to leap out onto the landing, but instead, the twin barrels of his sawed-off shotgun slowly appeared first. It was obvious he was smart enough to realize I was still out there somewhere, but he wasn't sure where. Using my speed, I reached out and snatched the barrel of the shogun hoping to pull Riley out onto the landing where I could deal with him more easily. Instead, I sent the gun flying through the air to land on the far side of the clearing, as all resistance ceased the instant my hand touched it.

I was so surprised by only getting the shotgun that I froze for a moment, it was only when I heard scrambling from the interior of the trailer and realized they were trying to escape that I regained my composure. "Riley, I think we've got a dog after us." Did she just call me a dog?

Moving into the trailer, I saw Riley and a blonde woman making their way out through the back door. Quickly moving through the jumble of furniture, I had almost reached the opposite door when I found myself falling face down on the floor. Twisting around, I saw that I had managed to get my foot caught in what appeared to be a wooden arm. While it only took me moments to free myself, I would have sworn I could feel the grip around my ankle tighten as I yanked myself free. Scrambling to my feet, I burst out through the back of the trailer only to see Riley and the blonde climbing into an old beat-up Chevy pickup.

"Fucking stop," I yelled as I ran towards them.

"Don't worry baby," the blonde said stepping out of the truck, "I've got this. The arm should have held her up longer." Raising her empty left hand towards me, I heard her begin to mutter something I couldn't understand. I didn't know what she was doing but I'd read enough science fiction and fantasy novels to know it wasn't good. My sights were settling in the middle of her chest and I was about to put two rounds into her when the faint scent of ozone hit my nose and I felt the hairs on my body stand on end.

What I can only describe as a bolt of lightning flashed from her hand and instantly arched towards me. You know how in the movies when the evil wizard throws lightning bolts and the hero somehow manages to dodge out of the way? It's utter bullshit. My mind barely had time to recognize what was happening when the pain began. I'd been hit with a taser in the past and that was a gentle tickle with a feather compared to this.

My nervous system was instantly overwhelmed by the electricity pouring through it and I found myself shaking and twitching on the ground. I truly cannot say how long I laid there in the grass but the sun had made a significant change in position by the time I was able to move. Every last muscle in my body felt as if it had finished an intense workout and the faint smell of burnt hair filled my nose as I painfully dragged myself to my feet. Turning to head back towards my jeep, my foot slammed into a burnt lump that took me a moment to recognize.

Looking down at the twisted remains of my favorite gun, I saw that the plastic had melted and the barrel warped. How the rounds in the magazine didn't cook off I don't know but bullets exploding in my hand were one problem I could happily do without. Picking up the remnants of my gun, I attempted to remove the magazine with little success before giving up and carrying it to my jeep.

Setting the gun down in the back, I climbed in and began the drive back to town. Since what I suspected was a witch was involved, I was going to have to talk with Rasp and Natalie about this. First, however, I was going to chew on Guido's ear for almost getting me killed and try and get more information on this witch he had with him. The late summer air was warm and clean and helped me to shake the last bit of fuzziness from the shock.

Despite having been almost killed twice today, I was in a pretty good mood and just happy to be back to work. The three weeks I had been at the compound had flown by as Natalie had managed to keep me busy the entire time. Practicing how to use the pack bond, learning how wolves fight and teaching them a thing or two in the process, and learning the basics of pack leadership. Both Rasp and Natalie seemed utterly convinced I would have a pack of my own someday, but I found the entire idea laughable. The only reason I was a wolf was that I was too damn cheap to buy a treadmill, I had no business learning how to lead a pack.

No one had seen Watcher since we watched him walk off into the woods but I had a sneaking suspicion he was still around and just choosing not to be found. As part of my training, Sara had been giving me lessons on werewolf history but she always seemed to find her way back to Watcher. Between the known facts and rumors I swear the guy is like a werewolf Forrest Gump, somehow managing to be present for major historical events throughout history. He is known to not only have been present for both the founding and the fall of Rome, but it's even rumored that he spent time helping raise Romulus and Remus.

Pulling into my spot in front of K & K, I quickly ran my fingers through my hair before climbing out of the jeep and heading inside. I made sure to grab the remnants of my pistol as it would make an awesome paperweight now. Laura's mouth gaped open as I walked in and headed straight for Guido's office. Pushing the door open, I walked into his office and plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. I happened to catch him with a mouthful of shrimp alfredo and watched as he slowly swallowed his food. "Beth," he said wiping his mouth with his napkin, "what in the hell happened to you?"

"That depends on which thing you're talking about?" I said, examining my clothes for the first time and seeing they appeared to be singed, "Are we discussing the double-barreled shotgun blast I was barely able to avoid or the electric shock treatment I received?"

"What?" I heard from both Guido and Laura. I wasn't in the least surprised that Laura had followed me and was standing in the doorway.

"Shotgun blast? Electric shock treatment?" Guido said, "What in the hell are you talking about? Riley's not wanted for anything above burglary. There's no record of him doing anything violent."

"Well, it's time to update the records because ten seconds after I knocked, the door all but exploded in my face with two buckshot rounds coming through it. Luckily it was quiet enough that I heard the hammers being pulled back and got out of the way."

"So how did your clothes get all burnt?" Laura asked. Of course, her priority would be my clothes.

Setting the pistol on his desk, I watched as their eyes locked on it for a moment then flicked back to me. "He had some kind of trap set up out back," I said, "I was chasing after them and I must have triggered something because the next thing I remember was a hell of a lot of pain and then waking up hours later. Oh and I don't remember there being anything in the file about a girlfriend, but he had some blonde woman with him."

"Jesus Beth," Guido said his eyes focused on the lump sitting on his desk, "You need to go get checked out at the hospital."

"I will later. I need to get my gun replaced first."

"No sweetie," Laura said, "The first thing you need to do is change clothes. You can't go anywhere looking like you stuck your finger in a light socket."

"It's not that bad," I said tugging at my shirt which started coming apart in my hand, "Ok maybe it is."

"I'll get you one of our t-shirts," Laura said ducking out into the main office.

"Oh fuck me," I said. Not only was the shirt disintegrating in my hands but the plastic clips on my bra appeared to have given up the ghost as well.

"Here you go," Laura said, handing me a shirt. Opening it up, I discovered that she had actually handed me a tank top. Covering myself with my arm, I stood up and turned around, letting the remains of my shirt fall to the ground. Unhooking my bra turned out to be impossible as the metal hooks had fused.

"Laura," I said in frustration as I prayed my jeans held up better than my shirt, "can you cut this thing off of me? The hooks won't unsnap."

"Sure thing," she said grabbing the scissors off of Guido's desk. The metal was cool against my skin as she slid the blade under the bra. It took her a moment to cut through the cloth, but I soon felt the bra give way and I let it drop to the floor.

"Damm Laura," I said pulling the tank top on, "was this the only size we had?" The cloth was sticking to me like a second skin, my nipples showing clearly through the thin white material.

"Sorry, but the only other size we had was men's extra-large, and while I'm sure it would be popular with the boys," she said, "I figured you wanted a little more coverage."

"You're right," I said, "the front on one of those would reach to my knees."

"Maybe if someone would let me order some new ones it wouldn't be an issue," she said glaring at Guido.

"Alright, alright," Guido said his hands held up in surrender, "go ahead and order them."

"Thank you," Laura said, "and honey you need to get checked out."

"In this top that's pretty much unavoidable," I said picking up my lump of a gun, "I'm just hoping my jeans hold together better than my shirt did."

"Let's hope so. I'm just glad you're okay but if you don't mind my lunch is growing cold." Ahh Guido, never one to let tragedy get in the way of a good meal. Shaking my head, I walked out of his office, pulling the door shut behind me.

"You know how he is when he's eating," Laura said sitting behind her desk.

"Yeah, the building could be on fire and he'd want to finish dinner first. So do we have any other cases I need to know about?"

"Unfortunately no," she said shaking her head, "It's been pretty quiet lately. That's why we called you as soon as Frank got hurt."

"Well fuck. I suppose I could take a look at some of the older files. I'll take some home and take a look."

"Might as well," Laura said, pulling a stack of files from her desk. These were the cases from people who hadn't been seen in at least a year and had been written off for now.

"I'll let you know if I find anything out." Carrying the files out to the jeep, I stuck them into the storage box I kept in the back. The drive over to the gun store was only a couple of minutes, but as soon as I walked in I could feel the eyes of every guy in the place on me. I had been in here literally hundreds of times but never dressed quite like I was now.

Walking up the aisle towards the counter I heard a very faint tearing sound, faint even to my ears, as the fabric of my jeans started to rip. Thankfully it wasn't falling apart as my t-shirt had, but I could feel the air where it had torn below my back pockets and along the back of my thighs. By the time I reached the counter my ass was hanging out my jeans. Today just keeps getting better and better.

"Elizabeth, what brings you in today?" Neil was the third generation of his family to run this store and both his son and granddaughter worked here.

"I need to get a replacement," I said, setting the lump of a gun on the counter.

"Holy crap," Neil said his eyes wide, "What the hell happened to it?"

"Would you believe a high voltage electric shock?" Be careful, the rounds didn't cook-off for some reason." Picking up the gun, Neil carried it over to the clearing barrel and placed it inside.

"I'll get Tim to look at it later." Tim being the store's armorer, "So do you want the same thing or maybe something newer?"

"Let's just go with the same model and have Tom do the same modifications as well." I would have liked to have looked around the store, but I was trying to avoid moving so the jeans wouldn't give out altogether. "Call me when you have the price figured out and I'll fill out the paperwork."

"Sounds good," he said, "Should just be later on this afternoon if all of your information is the same."

"Oh hell, I moved about a month ago. I still need to get my license updated."

"Okay, give me the address and I'll at least get the paperwork started." I rattled off the address for the compound which earned me a set of raised eyebrows.

"Something wrong?"

"Nope, nothing wrong. I just never figured you for one of those commune types."

I couldn't help but laugh at how far from a commune the pack was. "Trust me, it's not what you think it is."

"If you say so," he said, "You've always had a level head on your shoulders so I'll take your word for it."

"Thanks, Neil, I'll see you later." Turning slowly, I made my way towards the door only to run into Amber, Neil's granddaughter.

"Oh sorry, Elizabeth? Wow, that's a different look for you. Are you going to the heavy metal fest over in Shelbyville tonight?" Glancing down at the shredded jeans and tight tank top I could see where she would get the idea.

"No," I said, crossing my fingers for my jeans to survive a few more minutes, "just trying out something new."

"I'll say, well you have the body to pull it off so why not. I'll see you around."

"Later then," I said before heading out to the jeep. Despite walking carefully, as I climbed into the jeep I could feel the cool air on my skin as more and more of the fabric disintegrated. I've always intended to keep an extra set of clothes in the jeep but I somehow never seemed to get around to it. Pointing the jeep towards the compound, I began the drive home.

As the miles sped by I found myself regretting my habit of driving the jeep with the doors and the top off during the summer. The warm summer air on my legs continued to grow until I could feel it all up along my legs. It felt like it did when I would occasionally drive to the lake in my bikini, but I'm not sure if I had even that much coverage at the moment. Pulling into the road for the compound, the gate was opened so I didn't stop until the jeep was in its parking spot.

Climbing out of the jeep, I looked down and sure enough, both my jeans and my underwear had completely disinterested. A few particles of cloth remained on the seat where I had been sitting on them. I needed to talk with Rasp and Natalie about this whole witch situation but first I needed to grab some clothes. Being naked in my apartment was one thing, but I still wasn't completely comfortable with casual nudity in front of everyone. Grabbing the files out of the box, I headed into the packhouse.

"Elizabeth, how did it go?" Sara said as I entered the house. I didn't respond with anything more than a look, which probably came off meaner than I intended. "That good huh?" Taking a long look at my state of undress, "You forgot about the stashes again didn't you?"

"Oh dammit, yeah," I said heading up the stairs, "Sorry days when I'm almost killed twice before lunch, are never really highlights for me. Let me ask you something. How much do you know about witches?" The pack kept bundles of sweat pants and t-shirts in various key locations and they always seemed to slip my mind until someone reminded me.

"Witches? Not as much as I probably should, but I tend to focus on our history. Why do you ask?"

"Because unless there is some other group out there that can throw lightning. I had a run-in with a witch this morning." Dropping the files onto my table, I pulled out a pair of yoga shorts and slipped them on. I spent a moment blinking at my bare feet as I couldn't remember my shoes falling apart.

"Something wrong?" Sara asked.

"I just didn't remember my shoes coming apart," I said wiggling my toes, "That bitch must have hit me harder than I thought."

"Where were you when this happened?" she asked.

"About ten miles north of town. Not that far from Miller's Crossing." I wasn't planning on leaving the compound today so I decided to forgo shoes.

"Fuck," she said which surprised me as I hadn't heard her swear before, "That witch is on pack lands uninvited." Turning to leave Sara took about three steps before coming to a stop.

"What's wrong?"

"I just remembered Natalie and Rasp are having one of their playful weekends and she's entertaining at the moment." When my only response was a raised eyebrow, Sara felt the need to expand on her explanation. "Every so often they separate for a couple of days to play," she said, "I've seen other couples do it as well, just not as frequently as our Alphas."

"Really? So if Natalie is here then where is Rasp? I can't imagine the two of them both being here at the compound." I knew unmated wolves were not shy when it came to different partners, but this was the first I'd heard of mated couples doing the same. I'd been approached a few times in the last couple of weeks, but I really hadn't been interested and yet the thought of Rasp and Natalie as potential partners started my juices flowing.

"There is a cabin that gets used by newly mated couples and he'll go out there until the weekend is over. It's fully stocked with food and supplies at all times as you never know when a pair will discover they're mates."

"Well one of them needs to be told and since Natalie's here she's the one who gets to be disturbed."

"Probably the better choice, I went out to the cabin once without thinking about it and by the time he was done I was so thoroughly fucked I forgot why I went out there."

"I'll have to remember that." Heading down the hallway towards their room, I could hear the faint moans coming out from behind the door. "Coming in?

"As fun as that sounds I've got some more research I need to get done."

"I'm going to find you later and we're going to work out some of your stress," I said opening the door and stepping inside. I hadn't blatantly flirted with anyone so far, but seeing Sara's jaw drop as I stepped into the room was totally worth it though. Closing the door my eyes instantly adjusted to the drastically reduced light and I focused on the two figures on the bed.