The familiar sights and scents comforted Alex, as they always did when he returned home. The smell of the salty air as it wafted it from the coast. His mother in the kitchen humming to herself, listening to the Beach Boys, as always, his father sat in the chair beside him his nose buried in the paper following paper. The only difference from his childhood was that Thanatos now sat beside him and there was the sense of guilt accompanied with fear of what could happen to them  should he ever be around them on the night of a full moon. To his parents Jack and Catherine Winston, Alex was nothing more than their son.  A wizard, yes, but first and foremost he was their son, their only son a miracle of modern science to even to this day they continue to thank whatever powers that be for.<br/><br/>If they only knew he was now also a werewolf.<br/><br/>Creature of myth and legend that stalked the night when the moon was high in the sky and full. A predator who only just barely kept his mind thanks to the potion he was able to brew most of the time. On the nights that he could not…he often awoke to the sensation of pain and guilt; the fresh taste of copper in his mouth and complete knowledge of all that he had managed to do in just one night.  There was only so much that a man such as himself could take before it became too much. If it were not for his friends, the few that he still had, who knew what he was and tried their best to help him.<br/><br/>Alex is not sure he would have bothered to live life for much longer.<br/><br/>“Alex?” his mother’s voice always had a singsong quality to it. He often joked that she missed her calling to be a singer rather than the simple accountant that she was. Her response would always be that had she became a singer she would not have met his father and they would not have subsequently had him. Fate brought her to numbers and made it so that she could bring him into the world. With how often he made them proud she felt not being famous was more than worth the price of having the most amazing son in the world.<br/><br/>Then he would feel even worst for the thing that he now was.<br/><br/>“Yes, Mom?” he asked with a forced smile.<br/><br/>“I asked if you would be staying with us for the rest of the day?” there was hope in her voice that he would say yes though a part of her already knew the answer. Ever since he became a wizard their contact with him had always been restricted. However, after that big war that he spoke very little of, their time between visits had lessened considerably. As a mother she knew there was something wrong with the boy, she always suspected that the wizards did something to him. But what was she to do? Tell her grown son that he had to stay home? That he had to stop going to that place? That every time he walked out the door she worried she would never see him again.<br/><br/>“Sorry,” the word left his lips and he saw the hope leave her eyes. “I am meeting a friend today. We have a shopping date.” A white lie of sorts, as he and Nice were not meant to meet up until she arrived later that week at Hogwarts, where he would be heading right after breakfast.<br/><br/>“Oh?” his father said for the first time from behind the newsprint. “Who is this friend? A talking toad?” he teased and his mother laughed even as Alex stood with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head.<br/><br/>“She is no such thing. Just a friend from work,” the information given as he hugged his father and then allowed his mother to kiss his cheek and attempt to fix his unruly hair. “We had some plans to get some stuff before the semester started. Mainly me helping her carry stuff,” quick to downplay their relationship because he could already see the renewed look of hope in his mother’s eyes, “Just a friend, though, ok?”<br/><br/>“Sure, honey,” his mother said with a smile that more than told him she did not believe a single word.<br/><br/>“Have fun,” his father returned to his newspaper though Alex could see the look of pleasure that was still on his face at the news of his son having a date.<br/><br/>“You two are hopeless!” Alex said arms are thrown up in the air for added drama before he stormed from the breakfast nook.<br/><br/>“More like just wanting some grandkids before we die!” retorted his father.<br/><br/>“Come on, Thanatos,” he said once he was outside and standing beside an old though well-maintained motorcycle with a side car. While he straddled the machine his wolf jumped into the sidecar, “Man do I enjoy some of the perks from my job.” The thought is given as he pulled down the pair of goggles before he stood and then sat down quickly to kick-start the bike, pleased each and every time the beast roared to life.<br/><br/>Down the small country road he sped, straight off the cliff and off to his “date”. The magical bike took the air like a bird and rose high up into the clouds, above the eyes of any potential muggles that might see. Think that was one thing he hated the most about this other life. The fact that he had to hide the wonders he had seen from the world he had grown up in. He supposed it was for the best, but he had to wonder what life could have been like if he were allowed to share? With the waves far below him and the occasional speck of a boat, Alex wondered if life would really be so bad to share the magic with the whole of the world?<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: orange;background:orange;"/></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic">That was nearly a week ago…</span></div><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">CHOP!</span><br/><br/>A pause as another piece of wood was moved and another took its place.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">CHOP!</span><br/><br/>The pattern continued on, as Alex chopped wood outside of the small hut where the groundskeeper stayed. The task in and of itself had faded into the background of his mind, as the focus was on something far more important.<br/><br/>Tomorrow was the full moon. Already he could feel his skin itch and crawl, like there was something that lay just beneath the surface which craved to be released. His already muscular form, bare under the early morning rays, bunched and rippled with the hidden muscle of the beast that hid within; as usual Alex was afraid. Certainly, he had made sure the potion was ready for him to take and Thanatos stayed even closer at his side as if he knew the cycle of the moon and wanted to be there at his Master’s side. The physical demands of chopping wood were meant to soothe the inner beast and tire him out. Only it seemed to have the adverse effect. The more he chopped the more aggressive he felt and the more aggressive he felt the more he wanted to chop.<br/><br/>Sweat beaded on his brow and rolled down the lines of muscle on his back and along his spine. The woods that surrounded him fell silent as the tension built around him and rippled out like a wave of danger. Pulled so taut, like a rope, that when it finally did snap…<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">CRACK!</span><br/><br/>The head of the axe came clear off the end of the shaft and spun wildly off into the air, just barely missed man who had just wielded it.<br/><br/>Alex lost it…just a bit.<br/><br/>Like a crazed animal, rabid with rage and frustration he growled. Arms flexed down at his sides, closed into tight fists he practically howled before he used the broken shaft end in hand smack it over and over again against the stomp that was the chopping block. It was like Alex had checked out for a moment and it was only the beast and nothing else. No man was present, no human mind and rationality. No, just the frustrated anger of a creature who wanted to hurt something. Needed to hurt something, which only let up when the club in his hand splintered into nothing. As it disintegrated within his palm, the man Alex was able to regain control. Though at that moment he was disgusted with himself that the wolf could so easily take control like that.<br/><br/>Shame etched now only in his face but how he carried himself, Alex gathered the firewood and headed up to the school. There were several fireplaces that needed to be stocked so for the time being he could merely focus on work and nothing else. Absolutely nothing else.