Shannon stood at the doorway, letting her mother snap photos as she awkwardly fidgeted with the long pink skirt. She had spent hours being told how fast she had grown up, and how her daughter had her first date. What was worse is that her mother had told her in detail how she needs to avoid any sort of inappropriate business with her boyfriend at the dance. Shannon had rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh, remembering the heat that had risen inside of her just a few days before at the mountain. "I really need to go." She insisted, her enhanced hearing picking up the sound of Noah's footsteps approaching the door. She silently tightened up as the doorbell rang, and her mother rushed past her to open it.
"Oh don't you look so adorable." She cooed at Noah as Shannon tried to give him a weak smile and wave. "I just have to get some pictures of you two!"
"Maybe when we come back from the dance." Shannon grabbed Noah's hand tugging him past the doorway as her mom shouted instructions and warning. Inwardly Shannon cringed walking up to the massive black SUV that awaited them. "So your family is rich." She gulped, struggling to step up and into the door as Noah tried his best to help her up into her seat.
"Well it helps when your the mayor." A very commanding voice called from the front seat. Shannon's eyes widened as a fairly muscular man with a white beard and arms that looked like they could crush a tree turned to look at her. Just his presence caused her to back into the seat. "Nice to meet you little lady." He smiled, showing a mouth full of pure white teeth.
"Nice to meet you too.." She reached out to shake his hand, feeling like a mouse in front of a cat as Noah's father banged on the side door of the car to get his son moving and into the SUV. "C'mon son, we don't have all day." He yelled out.
"Sorry!" Noah apologized, climbing into the seat across from Shannon and shutting the door, he reached down and pulled back a box containing a pink corsage. "I got this for you." He held it out, allowing Shannon to take it with trembling hands as the SUV began to move down the street.
"So where are you from? Originally?" Noah's father breaks the silence as Shannon glances back and forth between Noah and the front seat. The wolf in her feels trapped and worried for some reason, making her feel hyper alert to the situation.
"Well my family grew up in this town, and we've been here for four generations." Shannon began.
"Oh I am talking way further back than that." His father continued, as Noah rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Did you know some tribes of man actually worshiped different animals, bears, wolves, foxes, birds, things like that."
Shannon felt a chill run up her arms as she glanced at Noah who seemed to be more annoyed than anything else. "Don't listen to Dad, he and mom have been reading all of this fantasy stuff recently, it's really annoying." Noah smiled as Shannon tried to give a half hearted smile back.
Noah's father turned back, his eyes locking with Shannon, for a moment they were no longer blue but gold and she could feel them burrow into her. She was in the car with a predator, an alpha. "At first glance, I would think of you as someone from the wolf tribe." He continued, Shannon's nails began to lengthen as she unfasten her seat belt, ready to launch herself at him if she had to. "But there is a long lost tribe, a tribe of the ring, they don't worship any animal, they worship a very powerful and holy object, one that has the power to change the universe." He smacked his lips together, pointing his finger at Shannon.
"You, you are part of the tribe of the ring, not originally, but maybe an adopted member." He added as Shannon glanced out the window, she could see the school parking lot from just outside the SUV, it was only two minutes away. Her pack was inside, maybe together they could put up a fight. "Son, get out of the car." The Mayor said sternly, his voice cold and commanding.
"I.." Noah glanced back at Shannon who just nodded and response.
"It's okay, I'll be right behind you." Shannon tried to comfort him as Noah slid out of the car. She reached over, catching his hand for a moment before finally letting it go, her eyes never leaving his as he shut the door and the Mayor sped out onto the road. "What do you want?" Shannon's voice dropped to a growl, fur rushing up her arms, her face pushing out as her teeth gave way to fangs. She could feel her tail tug at her panties and her top beginning to bunch out as fur rushed down her chest.
"You're going to tell me where the ring is and then we are going to have a long talk about the future of your pack in my city." The mayor said calmly as Shannon dug her claws deep into the seat, she could see that he was paying little to no attention to her, it was the perfect moment to attack. Opening her jaw she leapt forward, paws extended as she tried to grab at his face. She barely caught sight of the white furred arm that twisted around, it was the size of a tree trunk and hit like a car. The punch landed square against her muzzle and send her head flying against the car window. She could hear a sickening crack and then slumped down, blackness filling her vision.
"You are going to tell me everything."