Controlled Burn (BxB) (Werewolf)

Chapter 24: The Dawn

Callum didn't know what to process first - the chaotic atmosphere of the werewolf bar or the vampire's sickening reaction to the taste of his blood. Both thoughts filled him with worry and distracted him from the task at hand. They needed to recruit more werewolves, and the druid didn't know where to start. He was totally out of his element, like a fish out of water. Callum looked to the werewolves of his pack and noticed them scoping out the place.

"What should we do?" Callum asked.

Beau pointed to a stairwell leading up to a second floor seating area which overlooked the bar. "Go up there and keep an eye on us," Beau suggested. "We're gonna walk around and get a feel for things... see if anyone's interested."

Callum nodded before heading up the stairs. He then leaned against the railing and looked down at the rest of the bar below. It was a good vantage point, and he was quickly able to spot Beau, Jason, and Mateo in the sea of werewolves.

While watching his pack, Callum began contemplating the vampire's reaction to his blood. Specially, he focused on his she mentioned it tasted like death. Was it a figure of speech to express how bad it tasted? If so, why did it taste bad even though she mentioned magical blood usually tasted good? Or did she mean it literally tasted like death? Did death even have a flavor? Was his blood tainted by his mother's use of necromancy?

Callum realized the answer was probably something he wouldn't like.

Down below on the first floor where his pack roamed, Callum watched the trio slip from werewolf to werewolf. Some conversations were brief while others lasted several minutes. Callum couldn't hear what they were saying, but he trusted their judgment. He was sure they knew how to navigate the social intricacies of packless werewolves better than he could since they were all packless at one point in their lives.

With all the drinks flowing around in the bar, Callum became curious about what the werewolves were consuming. He knew werewolves were quick healers and theorized that their bodies should be able to filter out the alcohol and resist the effects much more efficiently than the average human. Were they drinking in such mass quantities that they overwhelmed their natural healing capacities? Or was it something else?

Callum turned his attention to a nearby werewolf who sipped a glass of beer. Tuning into his werewolf senses, Callum detected the barley and hops required to make beer, but he also detected something unusual. Thinking back to all the plants he learned and categorized during his training in the Sacred Grove, he determined it was very small quantities mistletoe. Mistletoe was toxic to werewolves. Callum concluded that the werewolves were exposing themselves to just enough of the toxin to reduce their resistance to the alcohol. It was somewhat clever, but also dangerous if mixed incorrectly. The bartenders must have been true master mixologists.

From a distance, Callum trained his eyes on Beau, who seemed to be talking to a werewolf woman. The she-wolf rubbed her hands on his shoulders and arms while he spoke. It didn't take a genius to know what she was really interested in.

Callum continued watching like a hawk. Beau wasn't reciprocating any of the she-wolf's touchy-feely affection. The longer the conversation lasted, the more antsy the druid became until he couldn't take it anymore. Callum abandoned his post and marched down the stairs.

Along the way to his boyfriend, Callum brushed shoulders with a few werewolves who gave him an aggressive growl in warning. Callum ignored them though. He had tunnel vision. He had so much taken from him already. He wasn't about to lose Beau as well.

The druid stepped between Beau and the she-wolf. He wrapped his arms around Beau's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

The she-wolf scoffed. "All the hot ones ready have a mate," she said with a defeated tone before rolling her eyes and walking away.