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Red Moon: Revolution: Chapter 26

Turned out that suddenly having an Inquisition Director as an ally, or at the very least, an acquaintance with similar interests had its benefits.

Rommel, being the only one willing to make contact with the Inquisition soon had a new set of plane tickets for the very next day with no questions asked. The trio arrived at the airport two hours early and were met by Sean and Rob since Rob was to go back to Germany with them as collateral to ensure that there would be no back stabbing. Sean was just going where Rob went since he was very interested in the politics of what was going on and to explore this whole new world that had opened up to him.

Sean and Trevor, being the new, inexperienced ones of the group hit it off quickly and found themselves near the rear, talking as they were whisked through security by a pair of NSA agents that intercepted them and took them around where no one could impede them.

Rommel and Rob talked about what was going on, the planning, when they could expect to get in contact with Director Caughey again, the nitty gritty details that had to be planned out.

Meanwhile, Dmitri was the odd one out. He didn't trust anything that was going on. He hated the idea that he was being forced to watch as the Inquisition did what it could to grovel to them to ensure that some part of it survived, even going as far as ratting other parts of itself out to be marked for destruction. It was good that Caughey had information on how to get to the Coordinator, but he would have preferred to have done it without creating alliances with his enemies.

He was stubborn that way and held onto old beliefs and dogmas, more-so than his own father, the Alpha. He watched from the background as the world changed around him, but instead of adapting to it, he often used his intimidating size and brute strength to shoulder through anything that came his way and he was quickly learning that he couldn't do that forever.

Dmitri watched silently as Trevor made friends with this other wolf, Sean, who had come with Rob, the son of Director Caughey. He wasn't watching because he was afraid that there would be a spark between his mate and Sean, in his mind, Dmitri knew that Trevor was his and that there was nothing that could split them. He was watching because he had nothing else to do. The stores and stands that littered either side of him as he trailed behind towards their terminal were nothing more than part of the background. He was wary of everything around him and was assessing threats. It was all he could do to compensate for feeling so useless at the moment. His opinion had been noted and ignored, he simply reverted back to his primary goal, the thing that had brought him on this long journey across the Pacific seaboard, Trevor.

Trevor was well aware of the set of golden eyes that were glued to his back. He was becoming more and more aware of Dmitri's presence with each passing day, it bore down on him, but it didn't crush him, it was more like a blanket around his shoulders that made him feel safe. But, it did also make him aware of how much of his life no longer belonged to him. Dmitri was now going to be ever present, he was always going to be there and Trevor was unsure of how that made him feel. It was great to have his mate there, but Trevor had never had to deal with anyone for so long and in such a close way, he was afraid that he would get tired or even annoyed by Dmitri eventually. It was a concern that he held and if it did come to that, he would address it, but for the time being, he enjoyed the closeness that he felt with Dmitri.

“So, we were less than a few dozen feet apart from each other for several hours." Sean laughed at having discovered that he and Trevor had been within sight of each other multiple times over the years. Small events had drawn both of them to the same location where it was possible that they had seen each. This one occasion was at a college basketball game between University of Washington and Gonzaga.

“I know." Trevor nodded and walked with his hands in his pocket. The airport was massive, much larger than Seattle so it was taking time to get to their gate that was at the far end of the airport's A terminals. “Just two rows apart, both of us screaming for the opposite teams. One bad call from the ref and we could have been throwing fists at each others." He raised up his fists and threw out a few mock punches. They both enjoyed another laugh.

Trevor was glad to finally have someone to talk to that wasn't so embroiled in the war. He liked being able to have a normal conversation. Dmitri was fine and all, but there was only so much to talk about before the conversation got too serious. He needed a laugh like this after everything that had happened and everything that was going to happen.

As the group finally enjoyed an uninterrupted visit at an airport, everything was getting ready to fall apart in Berlin.

--

"You know I can't do that." Arden stood in front of the much bigger man whose muscles were bulging under his shirt. "I was told by the Alpha to not let you near." He was sweating, he had never been one to stand up to Vasili, not when he was in one of his moods, but he wasn't one to go against direct orders from the Alpha.

It had been simple instructions. He was to make sure Vasili didn't try to get to Erika and Sergei. It was well known now how much Vasili wanted the human dead, but with since she claimed to be carrying Sergei's child, which was confirmed by Sergei himself, she couldn't be touched. The child was innocent in the affair and therefore could not be harmed. That left at least nine months before Erika could be put to justice, nine months too long in Vasili's opinion.

Vasili didn't think of himself as a child killer, no he killed out of necessity and to him, his actions were justified and he was going to carry out what he believed to be right no matter the consequence. Those that had died in the blast needed to be avenged and now he had his friend, someone who had stuck by him through thick and thin trying to stop him.

"Move aside, Arden." Vasili said and pushed Arden, expecting him to give way, but to his surprise, the smaller man stood his ground with a worried frown on his face.

Vasili stopped and looked down at Arden in the eyes. He felt betrayed, if anyone was going to understand why he was doing what he was doing, it would be him. "I said move."

"I can't" Arden pleaded. "I can't let you do this. You haven't been yourself." Arden pushed back against the hand and forced Vasili back several steps. "Alpha knows what's best, you should trust in him."

"Alpha is old and soft." Vasili snarled. He didn't know where it came from, he just felt a sudden rise in anger. He suddenly felt like swatting his friend away with a bat of his hand, but he resisted. He wouldn't strike out.

Arden knew what was happening. "Ever since you were left out under that moon, you've never been the same. You should rest." He noted the bags under Vasili's eyes. "You look tired and when you feel better, go talk to Alpha. You know that he's always been one to listen."

"I..." Vasili clamped his hands around his head as he got a headache. What Arden said made sense and any other day he would have listened, but he just felt so angry, so betrayed and it was becoming harder and harder to think. "I..." He couldn't form words, he couldn't even think words.

"Vasili?" Arden was worried. These were bad signs. After Vasili had been exposed to the Red Moon some time ago, he never fully healed. He was more aggressive and less inclined to listen. For the most part, he was okay and his day to day manner didn't change much, but when he got excited or angry, he could lose control.

Measures were in place. Normally there would be someone around watching for signs and Vasili had medications that he took everyday to help him stay calm, but in the hectic times that they lived in, there wasn't always enough people to spare to watch Vasili and sometimes medications was left forgotten.

"You need to calm down." Arden ran up to his friend and pulled him down so he could talk directly to Vasili. "Take deep breaths." Vasili didn't say anything, but his breaths did become deeper and longer and it seemed to be working. His erratic movements became more smooth and he stopped trembling.

"That's it." Arden rubbed Vasili's back, believing the worst to be true. "Just..." A strong smell came to Arden's nose. It was strong, very strong and very male.

A grumbling came out of Vasili's chest, a deep reverberating noise that buzzed in Arden's chest as he backed away from Vasili, if he could even call him Vasili anymore.

"Oh no." Arden breathed out as he watched Vasili hunch over, his back bent and twisted at an odd angle. There was the snapping of bone and the ripping of muscles and Vasili groaned while his body twisted itself into something new.

Vasili opened his eyes, normally a mundane brown, now a deep yellow with fully dilated pupils. They looked at Arden and a small part of him may have recognized his friend that was terrified, but it was a small part that was shoved deep inside by a new part of Vasili that had laid dormant for a long time, just waiting for its time to be let loose.

Arden wasn't going to stick around. It was too late, so he turned and ran off and out of the alley where he interecepted Vasili and ran towards the Inquisition headquarters to warn anyone what was happening.

Vasili watched the scared man run, he inhaled the smell of fear and it made him hungry. He extended a hand, now distended and deformed, hair sprouting in small tufts that quickly became a ragged carpet of dense black fur. The fingers painfully shrunk into the hand, becoming thick and growing sharp claws as it became a paw. His legs bent onto themselves, becoming more and more feral. Clothes fell away in strips, no longer able to contain the massive wolf that had formed out of the man that it had once been.

The transformation complete and movement no long hindered by the reforming of his body, Vasili lifted his nose to the air. He could smell so much more now. There was smoke and chemicals from the city. There were people and animals, all prey to him now, but he wasn't concerned about them. He had no recollection of who he was, where he was, but he did remember one thing, he was after a very special kind of prey, one that he wanted more than any other and a part of his mind told him that the scared man that had run from him would lead him right to that prey.

Vasili picked up the smell from the man, ripe and fresh with fear, he would be able to follow it easily. Without any regard to the people that he surprised, Vasili bolted out of the alley and followed the smell, fueled by an unfamiliar, but driving rage that needed to be sated.

Cars swerved and people ran indoors and the three hundred pound wolf sprinted on all fours down the busy streets of Berlin.