King of the Werewolves

My name is Selma Mays and I was once a young black woman who lived in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. That was a long time ago. I am so much more than that now. I am the Queen of the Lycanthropes, the ancient species of inhuman creatures who have ruled the world since time immemorial. It wasn't always so, though. Once, I was an ordinary person. Yes, a very long time ago, I was completely ordinary, and human.

I was born in 1958 and I've lived my entire life in the state of Georgia. My father, James Mays was a Professor of History at Morehouse College. My mother, Jane Seymour Mays was a Professor of Literature at Spellman College before becoming the Assistant Director of Athletics at the Atlanta Technical Institute. The time was 1979 and I was a student at the University of Georgia. Back then, I majored in Criminal Justice. Someday, I'm was going to be a police officer. Until then, I was enjoying the journey.

I met my future husband, Stephen Lords, on my twenty first birthday. I was born on November the ninth and my astrological sign is that of Scorpio. I was dining at one of Atlanta's finest restaurants with my parents and my brother, Atlanta Technical Institute student Lloyd, when Stephen came in. He was a tall, good-looking young black man. And he wore a Georgia Tech letterman jacket. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was so sexy. He was accompanied by a couple of tall, brawny young black man who also wore Georgia Tech letterman jackets. They were student-athletes from that school.

When our eyes met, it was love at first sight. Stephen surprised me and impressed my parents by his boldness. The restaurant staff joined my parents and I in wishing me a happy twenty first birthday. Stephen got up from his seat and offered me a rose, before introducing himself very respectfully to my parents. He was so bold and so sexy. Completely irresistible. Even my father, who is usually quite stern invited Stephen to join us for dinner. Stephen said he admired our prolific family from afar and couldn't resist coming over to pay his respects. What a man! I wanted to know all about him and he was willing to share. He came from the city of Boston, in Massachusetts and had transferred to Georgia Tech from Boston University earlier in the year. He told us that he loved Atlanta, which he considered to be a black man's paradise. As you can tell, my whole family was impressed with this young man. Especially my father and brother, who usually are quite guarded around any man who shows any interest in me.

Before leaving, Stephen left us his phone number and told us he was happy to make the acquaintance of some of Atlanta's finest black families. Then, he took a little bow and went back to his teammates.

When I went home that night, I was floating on Cloud Nine.

I had never met a man like Stephen Lords. I called him the next day, and we agreed to meet. He gave me a tour of Georgia Tech, the school for which he played Football. He was quite charming and so very nice. Also, he was so damn sexy. He took me out for Ice Cream, then we went to a little restaurant and ate. Ever the gentleman, he put me in a cab and wished me goodnight.

The next time we saw each other, I had gone to Georgia Tech just to see him. I know. Even though times were different, my behavior is quite forward. However, there was something about Stephen Lords that I simply could not resist. It was only later that I would find out what that irresistibility factor was. Stephen and I began dating. Our was a passionate relationship. I was in love with him. He invited me and my family to his football games and made sure we always had good seats. Also, he was so smart, articulate and cool without being pretentions about it. He was studying civil engineering and was one of the top students in his program. At the time, Georgia Tech only had a handful of black students and to see one of them shine so brightly made me smile. Yes, Stephen was smart, handsome and absolutely irresistible. How could I not fall in love with him?

I loved Stephen, and I wanted to spend the rest of my days with him. My whole family was enamored with him. My little brother Lloyd saw Stephen as the cool friend he always wished he had. My mother even came to Stephen for advice when she and the board of directors at Atlanta Tech formed an exploratory committee to see whether or not the Atlanta Technical Institute could start a football program. The Atlanta Technical Institute was a really small school, with only five thousand students. They fielded varsity teams in Men's Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Lacrosse, Rifle, Soccer, Pistol, Swimming, Wrestling, Volleyball and Rugby along with Women's Softball, Basketball, Cross Country, Lacrosse, Rifle, Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball and Field Hockey. Stephen put my mother in touch with the Georgia Tech football coach and the end result was Atlanta Tech began fielding a Football team a year later.

There seemed to be nothing that Stephen couldn't do. And I loved him for it. Was there more to the man I loved? I'm sure there was, but I knew he wasn't a criminal or a bad man, so I wasn't worried. He was faithful to me. I didn't realize that there was a lot I didn't know about myself and about him until that fateful night. Stephen and I were coming from a football game. We had watched Morehouse College demolish Lane College in a pre-championship game. It was hot. That's when we were attacked by a group of men in hooded white robes. If you guessed the Ku Klux Klan, give yourself a medal. The armed Klansmen surged toward us, accompanied by what appeared to be some Klanswomen. We were alone in that park and I'm pretty sure we would have been dead if it hadn't been for what Stephen did. It was something I would never forget.

Before my amazed eyes, Stephen transformed himself from a tall, burly black man into a large black wolf. The magnificent predator he had become attacked the Klansmen and Klanswomen and made short work of them. Then, Stephen changed from wolf to man and stared at me. I looked at him, astonished. He looked at me sadly, and then turned to leave. I stopped him. I don't know what I was thinking. I should be scared but I wasn't. I loved Stephen, and for some reason, the fact that he had changed into a wolf hadn't been enough to frighten me or make me leave. But I did want an explanation. He took my hand, and we began walking away from the scene of the carnage. That night, he told me everything.

Stephen wasn't human. He was a Lycanthrope. Since time immemorial, a race of shape-shifting creatures had been sharing the world with man.

The Lycanthropes were real. There were tens of thousands of them living in North America. They were a secret community. The whole world thought they were a myth. I looked at Stephen after hearing his confession, and kissed him. Then, we made love. In that moment, I left the old me behind. I had become something more.

When Stephen's blood mixed with mine, it changed me too. Humans and Lycanthropes were never meant to intertwine as we did. It was strictly forbidden. Usually, when a human being received an infusion of Lycanthrope blood, he or she died instantly. In my case, something wonderful happened. I was transformed. Somehow, Stephen's Lycanthrope DNA caused me to mutate, and I became something else entirely. Half human and half Lycanthrope. A unique creature. The rarest of all things.

I didn't gain the ability to transform myself into a wolf like Stephen. However, I was transformed both physiologically and intellectually. My strength and stamina increased by a factor of twenty. My senses sharpened. And I discovered that in moments of intense emotion, I could change somewhat. My eyes could turn yellow like those of a wolf, and my normally trim fingernails could elongate and sharpen into a wolf's claws. Don't even ask me about wild hair growing in funny places. I've got that too. But I adjusted. Stephen was fascinated by what I had become. And our love had never been stronger.

He introduced me to his family. Back in Boston, Stephen's father and mother, Arnold and Ellen Lords, were more than pillars of the local black community. They were also the rulers of the fast-growing community of Lycanthropes masquerading as humans in North America.

Stephen was slated to become the King after his parents passed on. And he introduced me to them as his future Queen. The Lycanthrope community had some reservations, but I displayed to them what I could do, and my undying loyalty to my mate, the one I loved. In the end, most of them accepted me. I was one of them.

I never told anyone about the community, or about my new powers.

And Stephen and I lived happily ever after. As it turns out, Lycanthropes could live for centuries, something which amazed me.

As a half-breed, I also possessed that extreme longevity. Another perk for which I am grateful. Stephen and I lived together for the rest of our days and had tons of pups.