Chương 10: Death Is Near

Lucas sat in silence inside his room, the quiet of the house pressing against him in a way that felt heavier than usual. The memory of that night kept coming back, the werewolf standing over him, the feeling of being weak, almost nothing in comparison, and that thought alone made something inside him tighten again. His jaw clenched as he lowered his head slightly, trying to push it down, but instead of fading, the feeling only grew stronger, like something inside him was responding to it.

His breathing slowly started to change without him noticing at first, becoming deeper, heavier, less controlled, and his fingers curled slightly as if his body was reacting before his mind could fully stop it. A sharp pressure spread through his chest and arms, and Lucas finally looked down, noticing how tense his hands had become, almost like they were not fully his anymore. Then it started properly. Not suddenly, but like something breaking through layers of control.

His shoulders tightened, and a low discomfort ran through his body, followed by a heat that didn't belong, rising from inside him. Lucas exhaled sharply through his teeth, trying to hold it back, but the change was already responding to something he had triggered himself. His eyes flickered. Just for a moment. The color shifted slightly, a faint yellow breaking through the normal tone, unstable, almost like fire trying to ignite but not fully taking form yet.

He blinked once, slowly, forcing himself to stay grounded, but even that small movement felt different, sharper, more animal than human.

"I need to…" he muttered under his breath, not finishing the sentence. Because he didn't even know what he needed anymore. And then the phone vibrated. The sound cut through him instantly, like a break in tension that didn't fully stop anything, just interrupted it. Lucas froze, his eyes snapping to the screen, and for a moment the internal pressure didn't disappear, it just paused, waiting. Allison. He hesitated for a second before answering, his voice controlled but slightly lower than normal.

"…Yeah?" Her voice came through, calm, normal, unaware of anything happening on his side.

"Hey… are you home?" Lucas closed his eyes briefly as he forced his breathing back under control, pushing everything down, locking it away piece by piece.

"Yeah. I just got back." A short pause followed on the other end before she spoke again. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay… about earlier." Lucas looked down at his hands again. The tension was still there, but now held back with effort, not gone.

"…I'm fine," he said quietly. Another pause. Then Allison's voice softened slightly.

"Okay… I just… thanks for today."

"Don't mention it." The call ended. Lucas lowered the phone slowly, standing still for a moment as the silence returned. His fingers curled once again, slowly, as if testing whether the change would return immediately or had stopped completely.

"…Next time," he whispered. Knowing that he needed to be careful, because if he lost control he might kill somebody. He knew that he had to be in full control by the time the full moon appeared. He exhaled, and this time he actually moved away from the center of the room. But the feeling didn't fully leave. It only remained deep inside him. Next morning. With a grunt, Lucas opened his eyes.

'Yesterday was a messy day, hope that today will be different.' He then proceeded to get ready, and then headed for school. As he was nearing the school, he heard someone calling from behind.

"Lucas!" He turned around to see Allison just getting out of her dad's car. He waved at her with a smile, completely ignoring Chris's presence. Allison quickly approached him with a happy smile as she said, "Sorry again about my dad, he is not usually like that." Looking at Allison, he smiled as he responded, "It's okay, I understand."

"You do?" Allison looked at him with a confused expression.

"Yes, it's obvious, his little girl was charmed by me, so he's annoyed." Lucas laughed as he started walking. She stared at his back for a few seconds.

'Maybe you're right.' Keeping her thoughts to herself, she laughed too, then started walking shoulder to shoulder with him. As Lucas and Allison stepped into the hallway, voices nearby caught his attention.

"…Seriously, McCall, what are you taking?" Jackson's voice came first. Scott looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" Jackson let out a small laugh, shaking his head.

"You expect me to believe that just happens? You being so good at lacrosse overnight?" Scott frowned, still not getting it.

"I'm not taking anything." Jackson leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as he eagerly waited for an answer.

"No supplements? No boosters? Nothing?" Scott hesitated for a second, then answered honestly.

"My mom does all the groceries." Hearing this, Lucas couldn't help but laugh, causing Allison to look at him, confused.

"Just remembered something funny," he remarked as he headed towards Scott and Jackson. As he was nearing the two, even Allison could hear what they were saying.

"Real funny, McCall, you think I'm joking?" Jackson was even more angry, thinking that Scott was playing him. Scott looked at him, still confused, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Steroids, McCall, I'm talking about steroids." Looking at him, Scott finally realized what he was talking about.

"Wait, no, I don't take any steroids." He responded, then, as if realizing something, he asked Jackson with a weird expression on his face, "Wait, are you by any chance… taking steroids?" Jackson finally snapped. He grabbed Scott, then pushed him hard against the school locker.

"You think you're being funny, McCall?" Suddenly, a voice spoke, "Let go of Scott." Lucas, already satisfied with the show, stepped in. Jackson looked at Lucas, ignored him, then at Scott before saying, "Who's this, McCall? Your new boyfriend?" He remarked with a sarcastic tone. Hearing this, Lucas's eyes narrowed, his smile vanished. Not wanting to waste more time speaking, his right hand suddenly grabbed Jackson's left shoulder, pulling him away from Scott.

Reacting by instinct, Jackson tried to struggle, but he soon realized he couldn't resist. As soon as Lucas's right hand pulled him, his left hand grabbed him by the neck as he slammed him against the locker.

"Ugh!" Jackson let out a sound of pain, then looked into Lucas's eyes that seemed to want to kill him. What he didn't know was that he guessed right. Looking at Jackson's terrified face, Lucas was thinking, 'maybe I should kill him… all the trouble he will cause in the future can end here and now'.