The Next Night
The bite itself was almost anticlimactic.
Lucien had rented out an entire floor of a different hotel, somewhere more private, where screams wouldn't draw attention. He'd explained the process to Sam and Lucy in clinical detail, not wanting to sugarcoat the pain they would experience.
"It's going to hurt," he'd warned them. "Your body will be fighting the change, trying to reject it. Some people don't survive. The survival rate is decent, but not guaranteed. Are you certain?"
They'd both nodded, faces pale but determined.
Sam went first. He rolled up his sleeve, exposing his forearm, and met Lucien's eyes.
"Do it."
Lucien let his eyes shift silver, and his fangs extend. Then he bit down on Sam's forearm, feeling skin break under his teeth, feeling his venom flow into the wound. Sam screamed—a raw, agonized sound—but didn't pull away.
When Lucien released him, Sam collapsed to his knees, clutching his arm. The bite mark glowed faintly with silver light before beginning to heal, the skin knitting back together at a visible rate.
"Sam!" Lucy rushed to her brother's side.
"I'm okay," Sam gasped. "I'm... oh god, I can feel it. It's like fire in my veins."
"That's the change taking hold," Lucien said. "Your body is adapting. It'll pass in a few hours, and then you'll start to feel the benefits."
Lucy was next. She was more frightened than her brother—Lucien could smell it on her—but she didn't hesitate when it was her turn. The bite, the scream, the collapse. Lucien caught her before she hit the ground and laid her gently on the couch beside her brother.
For the next six hours, Lucien stayed with them as the transformation took hold. Their bodies burned with fever, sweat soaking through their clothes. They writhed in pain, crying out, and there was nothing Lucien could do but be there, offering water and cold compresses and quiet reassurance.
It was Lucy who completed the transformation first. Her eyes snapped open, glowing brilliant gold, and she gasped.
"I can hear everything," she whispered. "The people downstairs, the traffic outside, someone's watching TV three floors down. I can hear their heartbeats."
"That's your enhanced senses," Lucien said. "You'll learn to filter it out."
Sam transformed an hour later, his eyes glowing the same golden color. He sat up slowly, staring at his hands.
"I feel... different. Stronger."
"You are. Both of you are faster, stronger, and heal much quicker than normal humans now. Welcome to the pack."
The transformation had gone better than Lucien expected. Both betas were strong, not as strong as an alpha, but more potent than normal werewolves. He could feel the pack bond forming, a thread of connection linking the three of them together.
They spent the next week in New York while Sam and Lucy recovered and adjusted to their new abilities. Lucien taught them the basics, how to shift their eyes and claws on command, how to filter out the sensory overload, and how to hide their supernatural nature.
"The most important thing," he told them during one training session, "is control. You need to be able to shift at will, not just when you're angry or scared. Because if you can't control it, you're a danger to yourself and everyone around you."
They practiced in the hotel suite, learning to call on their wolf without fully transforming. Lucy took to it naturally, her shifts smooth and controlled. Sam struggled more, his wolf responding more to emotion than conscious will, but he was getting better.
On their last night in New York, Lucien sat them down for a serious conversation.
"We're going back to LA tomorrow," he said. "But in a few months, we're moving to a place called Beacon Hills. It's a small town in California, and it's... special. There will be other supernatural creatures there—some friendly, some not. I need you both to train hard over the next few months in martial arts, weapons, and control. When we get to Beacon Hills, things are going to get complicated."
"What kind of complicated?" Sam asked.
"The kind where people might try to kill us," Lucien said bluntly. "Remember the hunters that I told you about before? There are also other werewolves, some of whom won't like us being on their territory. And there are things in that town that are dangerous even to us."
Lucy's eyes widened. "Then why are we going there?"
"Because that's where we need to be," Lucien said. He couldn't explain the show, about knowing the future, about the role Beacon Hills would play. "Trust me on this. I know it sounds dangerous, but I'll keep you safe. Both of you."
Sam and Lucy exchanged one of their silent conversations, then nodded.
"We trust you," Lucy said
The weight of those words settled on Lucien's shoulders. They trusted him. They'd given him their loyalty, their lives. He couldn't let them down.
Two Months Later – June
The private jet touched down in Los Angeles just as the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold. Lucien stared out the window at the sprawling city below and felt a sense of completion.
The foundation was laid.
Sam and Lucy had been training relentlessly under Marcus's supervision; the former SEAL had adapted remarkably well to learning that werewolves existed, though Lucien suspected the generous bonus helped. Both betas could now hold their own in a fight, even against trained opponents. Their control had improved dramatically, though full moons were still challenging.
The Beacon Hills property had been purchased, and construction was well underway. Jake's reports showed a fortress rising from the forest, high walls, state-of-the-art security systems, safe rooms, the works. It would be ready by the end of summer.
The security team had been assembled: six former special forces operatives, all vetted by Jake, all trained to handle supernatural threats. They didn't know about werewolves yet, but they would. Soon.
Sarah had the business running like clockwork. Profits were up, investments were paying off, and the board of directors had finally accepted that the teenage CEO wasn't going anywhere.
Everything was coming together.
"Lucien?" Lucy's voice broke him from his thoughts. She was sitting across from him, Sam dozing in the seat beside her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Lucien said with a smile. "Just thinking about everything that's happened. A lot has changed in six months."
"You can say that again," Lucy said, glancing at her sleeping brother. "Six months ago, we were living in a nightmare. Now... now we're werewolves living with a primordial wolf in a mansion in LA and about to move to some supernatural hotspot. It's insane."
"Regret it?"
"Not for a second." She smiled, and her eyes flashed gold for just a moment. "This is the first time in my life I've felt safe. Really safe. Thank you for that."
"You don't have to thank me. We're a pack. We take care of each other."
The car was waiting for them when they landed, a sleek black SUV with bulletproof windows and a reinforced chassis. Jake had insisted on the upgrade after learning about the supernatural world. As they drove through the city toward the mansion, Lucien felt the pack bond humming contentedly. Sam and Lucy were his betas, his responsibility, his family.
And in a few months, they would all move to Beacon Hills.
Where the real story would begin.