Chapter Text
After just hanging out in the living room eating, the pack was feeling better now that their stomachs were full, having been too worried over Anton's well-being to think about eating. But now they didn't have to worry about it thanks to Dion, who had ordered everyone's favorite meal from this restaurant they liked to go to after transformation night. He ordered Declan Grilled crayfish with a salad. Clifton got a Kiwi burger with a side of chips. Both Nathans got the same order, Fish 'n Chips, only Nathan G also had a small order of Oysters. Since Stu was a vegetarian, Dion ordered a veggie burger with a side of chips, remembering that was what he always ordered at the restaurant. Then for himself, he ordered grilled salmon and a side of asparagus. So that just left Anton's order and boy was it a whopper.
Dion ordered him his usual he got after a transformation. However, he decided to triple it since Anton was still in partial wolf form, knowing that the alpha still must be starving after his transformation. So he ordered Four orders of BBQ Lamb ribs. Each came with four ribs per order, meaning he ate 12 in one sitting. He also ordered Anton three orders of grilled salmon with two slices per order, so Anton was also eating six slices of grilled salmon. On top of that, Anton was also eating the jerky snacks that Viago brought with him. That amount of food was far too much for a regular person, either getting too full or sick from trying.
Yet here Anton was in the middle of the couch, scarfing down the rather large meal like it was nothing. The others watched in awe as he started with the jerky snacks that Viago brought. The alpha werewolf thought the vampire had hunted it down himself and got it for him, so he wanted to show his gratitude by eating his kill first. After he moved on to the salmon, grabbing two at a time with his bear, clawed hands, and consumed them at an alarming rate. Once the salmon was devoured, he finished off with his favorite of the course, the lamb ribs, snatching one from the styrofoam to-go box and began to bite at the rib, the meat slipping off the bone with ease.
Viago's eyes widened as he watched Anton eat, quietly observing as the werewolf latched onto the meat on the rib with his large sharp teeth before pulling back, tearing off the meat from the bone with a single swipe as it hung between his teeth before he reached up with his free clawed-hand to push the meat into his mouth, BBQ sauce dripping from the lamb meat and onto the werewolf's chin, making it look like he had dark blood on him.
He then looked from Anton to the others who looked just as observant as he did of the Alpha eating his meal, before Viago broke the silence. "I never realized how much a werewolf needs to eat," The vampire began as he watched the others turn their attention to him now. "I'm surprised he's still hungry after eating that slab of meat earlier."
"Well, he did go through a partial transformation very recently," Dion began with a shrug pushing his glasses up slightly as he spoke. "It has to do with our metabolism. See, when a werewolf begins a transformation-."
The others began to groan as Dion spoke, already tired of hearing the long tangent that he was about to go through which could last for a long time. However, Viago was intrigued listening closely as the werewolf spoke ignoring the other's annoyance with his facts.
"- their bones grow at an alarming rate and that has to do with the epiphyseal plates. It's tissue that is at the end of the long bones of the body. It usually only activates in young children going through a growth spurt. So when a transformation happens, it sort of reactivates the growth plates so that the bones can grow rapidly. That's why he's so huge right now and why his bones hurt during a transformation. He's, essentially going through a growth spurt every time he wolfs out and this affects the metabolism making it extremely high so in return, it makes him super hungry every time. Even if he's eaten earlier, his body is still burning through the calories and turning them into the energy that he needs from the transformation, also another reason why he's so sleepy. So he needs a lot of meat during this time which is why I ordered him so much," He then motioned over to Anton who was on his last few ribs, snatching another out of the to-go box it was in before eating it. "Heck, if he was in full werewolf mode, he might've needed more than he's already consumed! Judging by his size alone, I bet he'd need 10,000 calories for each transformation. It's why he's so sore and tired the next day after a full moon. He's not getting enough calories since he's chained to a tree all night. We aren't getting enough calories either so he takes us out to eat afterward, to build up the calories we've lost."
The others, beside Stu, stared blankly at Dion who now fell silent, their eyes looking as if they had glazed over as soon as he started talking. Anton's didn't since he wasn't paying attention and was more focused on his food and neither did Viago who gave Dion a bright smile clasping his hands together.
"That was very informative Dion," Viago began happily. "You're very smart and know so much about werewolves and their anatomy!"
"Oh uh, thanks," Dion began nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he cast his eyes to the ground before motioning to the others. "One of us has to know things about our kind. I know these knuckleheads don't."
"Rude!," Clifton snapped, before pointing to Dion and looking at Viago with a grin. "But he's right, we don't know shit."
Viago smiled as the others began to laugh all of them closing their finished meal boxes in unison. He then turned to Anton to see if he was finished as well and what he saw was amusing causing him to cover his mouth with his hand to suppress a giggle.
Anton was finished with his meal, however, his face was covered in BBQ sauce, and was now gnawing on one of the ribs pulling on it a bit with his sharp teeth while his face looked like a crime scene. He even accidentally spread the mess to the side of his cheekbone as he attempted to wipe the mess from his face with his still-messy hand before going back to biting at the rib in his grasp. Human Anton never made that much of a mess with his food Viago had noded every time he watched him eat. Now and then he would have a bit of sauce on the side of his mouth as he ate that the vampire gladly dabbed away when he didn't realize but right now his face looked like he slaughtered the animal right from the farm. But Viago just smiled fondly at the display, reaching into his waistcoat pocket and pulling out a rather long handkerchief shaking it a couple of times to get it unfolded before tapping Anton's shoulder. The werewolf paused from his gnawing, his head snapping toward Viago, golden eyes blinking in question.
"Here love, let me clean you up a bit," He began, motioning for him to lean toward him a bit watching as the werewolf looked from him to the handkerchief. "You'll be mad at yourself later if you get any of that on your couch or carpet."
Anton blinked in confusion at Viago's words, unsure why he would be upset at this. He only cared for the bone that he was gnawing on and his mate next to him. But if it was important to Viago it should also be important to him, so he pulled the bone away from his mouth and leaned down toward the vampire for him to reach his face better.
"Danke, love," Viago whispered as he cleaned Anton's hands first with the handkerchief. He began wiping the sauce away, glad it didn't get all over his face as much as it did on his hands, only the right side that he smeared. He was even surprised that none dripped on the carpet already. Once he was done with his hands he moved on to his face causing the werewolf to pause in surprise, a chuckle escaping the vampire's lips as he spoke. "Looks like you've enjoyed your meal very much."
Viago grinned when Anton grumbled in response, one eye squinting shut as the vampire wiped the right side of his cheekbone of BBQ sauce. Once he got it, Viago moved down to his lips, only for Anton to try and nip at the cloth with his sharp teeth causing Viago to withdraw the handkerchief.
"Ah! Not a toy!" Viago scowled pointing at Anton with his free hand who just cowed his head, a look of apology in his eyes as he stared at his lover. The vampire couldn't be mad at that face so he just smiled reaching up to hold the side of Anton's clean face while going back to cleaning now moving to the other side. "You're alright, silly wolf. I'm not mad."
Viago pulled his free hand away as he reached across the coffee table and grabbed the small bat stuffy that he had brought down from Anton's room before holding it out in front of the werewolf whose eyes widened at the sight of it. "If you want a toy, I brought one I got for you a while back that you left at my home by accident. Just for you."
Anton sniffed at the toy in Viago's hands for a second or two before gently taking it from the vampire with his now clean hands, deciding against grabbing it with his mouth, having enough sense to know it would be torn up and ruined if he did so, not wanting to destroy a gift from his mate that he dearly loves. So he just cradled it close, his full attention on the stuffed bat in his hands while Viago got back to cleaning Anton's face.
"Aww Ant," Clifton began as he plopped on the couch, grinning as Anton paused at looking at his plush glaring ahead. He then tried looking past Anton, reaching for the plush as he teased him. "I never seen you so gentle with a stuffy before."
Before Clifton could touch the stuffed bat, he quickly withdrew his hand when Anton pulled it away and began to growl at the other, causing him to back into the couch with side eyes. It wasn't so much as a threatening growl, more like a growl to keep one of his pack members in line.
"Okay, okay, easy," Clifton grinned putting his hands up in surrender. "Just teasing."
"Clif don't tease him while I'm cleaning him," Viago lightly scolded grinning when Anton grumbled, holding his stuffed bat tighter in his grasp as he turned back to Viago to finish cleaning. After a few more dabs on Anton's face, he was finally clean so the vampire pulled away, beaming at the now clean-faced werewolf. "Done! All clean Liebling."
Anton then shook his head in response before looking at Viago watching as his mate got up and headed for the towel closet. He tilted his head as the vampire opened the door and placed the now dirty handkerchief into the clothes bin that was in there. He kept his eyes on his mate as Viago closed the door before he sat back down on the couch next to him, looking up at the werewolf with a fond smile. The werewolf couldn't help but rumble in contentment before leaning down and resting his chin on the top of Viago's head once more. His way of saying thank you for keeping him clean.
Viago smiled fondly at the gesture reaching up to rest his hand gently on the side of Anton's face. "You're welcome, Anton," Viago grinned before watching as Anton pulled away but before he could say anything else, the werewolf leaned down and swiped his slobbery tongue on the side of the vampire's face. He could only stare ahead in shock for a second, about to speak again but was cut off when Anton licked him once more, this time licking his hair, pulling his fluffy hair up slightly before landing on his forehead all wet. He wasn't expecting this, hearing as the other packmembers began to cackle at the sight.
"Knew that was coming," Clifton sighed in between chuckles, grinning as the vampire looked at him in confusion. "You helped clean him now it's his turn to do the same for you."
"He's essentially grooming you," Dion explained next grinning as Anton continued to try and clean Viago. "Packmembers do it all the time in wolf form, to help keep each other clean as well as to strengthen their bonds. Werewolf mates do it the most, however, since they are far closer."
"Oh, how sweet," Viago grinned, but when Anton tried to lean down and clean his ear, the vampire gently placed a hand in his chest and pushed him back grinning as the werewolf paused in confusion. "That's very kind of you, love. But I had a shower before coming here," He noticed that Anton began to frown at that, knowing that the werewolf was just trying to bond with him so before he could let out a whine, he held up one finger causing the werewolf to pause. "However we can cuddle if you would like! That's another bonding experience, Ja?"
Anton's mood changed drastically when he heard the word cuddle, his frown turning into a smile. He didn't think twice as he quickly stood up, causing Viago to look up and him and for Clifton to jump back off of the couch in surprise. The werewolf didn't let Viago get a word in before he leaned down and picked up the vampire off of the couch, his arms wrapped around Viago's back and under his legs, as he hoisted him up in his grasp.
Viago let out a surprised yelp at this, wrapping his arm over Anton's broad shoulders as he looked down in surprise. He then watched as the werewolf fell back onto the couch with a thud, causing him to gasp at the impact. The vampire looked down to see that Anton had taken up most of the couch once more, only this time Viago was lying on top of him. The werewolf had his arms wrapped firmly yet gently around the vampire, cuddling him close while letting out a sigh of contentment. He grinned as Anton rubbed the side of his head into his own before he placed a gentle kiss on the side of his cheek.
"Heck yeah! Cuddle pile!" Nathan G called out suddenly. "I call the spot on the floor closest to Vi and Ant!"
"Hey, that's not fair!" Dion snapped as he chased after Nathan G.
"I'll move the coffee table," Clifton grinned ignoring how the two werewolves began to fight for the spot near Anton and Viago.
"I'll get the blankets," Stu added, as he headed upstairs to the guest room where the extra blankets were located.
Viago smiled at their enthusiasm at a cuddle pile before feeling Anton give him a gentle squeeze. The vampire squeezed him back, while also watching as the others began to pull the coffee table out for a cuddle pile.
...
Forty minutes had passed since the cuddle pile had started and they were all pretty relaxed. The wolfpack was lying on top of each other while holding a conversation on the floor while Viago and Anton were on the couch. Viago was now sitting up in the middle of the couch when Anton had to get up and use the restroom (Which luckily he still knew how to use). But when Anton came back, he decided to lie sprawled out on the vampire, his back laying across Viago's lap as he slept soundly.
Viago sat there with his hands clasped together and resting on Anton's chest as he watched the werewolf sleep, realizing that he was still tired after today's events. So the vampire sat in silence, the sound of the others talking to each other was a sort of background noise that he tuned out as watched the werewolf lying on top of him.
He silently admired how beautiful his lover was, even in this form. How his broad, hairy chest rose and fell as he breathed in and out, finding it calming to watch. The vampire thought he looked peaceful laying there sleeping soundly, happy that he was able to sleep despite feeling the way he did. He looked at the werewolf's closed eyelids, kind of sad that he couldn't see his golden eyes that shined so bright they could quite literally glow in the dark. His eyes then trailed to his lips, seeing his two lower canines that stuck out past his upper lip by an inch, wondering if he could still kiss him when they were like this. Then finally his eyes trailed up and down his body at the rich aburn fur that covered him head to toe. His eyes landed on Anton's exposed stomach which also rose up and down as he was breathing.
Suddenly a thought crossed Viago's mind causing him to blink, tilting his head as he was deep in thought. He began to wonder if Anton would like belly rubs in this form. Anton was more wolf than he was human right now and he remembered that Deacon liked belly rubs when he took the form of a dog. So Viago wondered if Anton was the same way.
Curiosity got the better of him as he unclasped his hands, his eyes still on Anton's stomach as he slowly reached out, his hand mere inches away before he paused when Anton had a short intake of breath. His wide eyes turned from Anton's stomach to his face, wondering if he had woken up. However his eyes softened when he noticed that Anton was still asleep, his eyes still closed. Taking the opportunity, Viago gently rested his hand on the werewolf's stomach feeling Anton's stomach twitching under his touch a bit but other than that, he was still sound asleep. Viago felt the warm fur between his fingers, finding that it was much softer there than on his back. Slowly he began to rub soothing circles in the fur as he lightly massaged his stomach. Then much to Viago's amusement, Anton began to grumble in his sleep, resting his head on the side of the couch, his body turning in on Viago like he was trying to get more of the soothing cold pressure on his stomach. Viago happily continued with the soothing motion, watching in surprise as Anton's right leg suddenly began to lightly kick at the feeling, indicating that he did like his tummy rubbed. Viago giggled at Anton's involuntarily action before he paused when he saw a sudden flash, looking up to see that Clifton had got up from the cuddle pile and had his phone camera aimed at both Anton and Viago.
"Don't mind me," Clifton grinned as he looked down at the photo on his phone before looking at Viago. "Just getting blackmail."
Viago rolled his eyes as he shook his head fondly, watching as Clifton pocketed his phone before going back to the cuddle pile. He then heard Anton begin to grumble, his eyelids scrunching as he slowly reached for Viago's hand in his sleep, pressing the vampire's cold hand on his stomach once more, wanting for him to continue. The other couldn't help but giggle at that before going back to rubbing the werewolf's stomach once more causing him to sigh in contentment, his foot kicking now and then at the feeling.
...
After a while, Anton finally began to stir from his slumber, and to be honest he felt like shit. He woke up trying to push back the giant brain fog he was feeling, finding that it was taking a lot longer to clear than usual. Then his feeling returned to him, feeling soreness in his joints which he was used to by now. He also heard the sound of talking and laughing, realizing that it was his pack having a conversation with each other. As he tried to make out what they were saying, Anton was trying to remember the last 24 hours that had passed, finding it hard to do so at the moment. Due to the brain fog, the soreness, and being surrounded by his pack members, it must have been a transformation night, which caused his brow to scrunch in confusion.
That couldn't be right... The full moon was a whole month away... But why did he feel so sore and have werewolf brain fog... And why was he so hot?... And what was this amazing rhythmic sensation?
The sensation in question felt amazing to Anton, feeling like a cold hand was rubbing soothing circles on his abdomen. But the only one with cold hands and who he would allow to touch him there was his boyfriend, Viago. Then it must have been transformation night last night, otherwise, Viago wouldn't be here to comfort him, knowing that he was always at his house the next morning to help him and his pack after a transformation and this time around must have been awful because he still felt like shit. So with a groan, he began to stir, feeling as Viago's hand paused on his stomach before withdrawing, causing him to silently mourn at the loss.
Viago blinked in surprise as Anton began to stir watching as the werewolf began to sit up groaning. The vampire smiled as Anton turned toward him reaching up to rub his eyes. "Hello sleepy wolf," He began in a whisper, reaching up to rest a hand on Anton's shoulder, who paused at rubbing his eyes. "Do you feel well rested finally?"
".. Vi?"
The vampire froze, his smile falling slightly as his eyes widened with shock. He then watched as Anton pulled his clawed hands away before his tired eyes fluttered open to look at him. Viago let out a gasp seeing that Anton's once golden eyes were now back to hazel, indicating that Anton wasn't out of it anymore. "You're back!" He beamed, causing the others to pause from talking shooting up from their cuddle pile to look at Anton in shock. But Viago was too focused on Anton, taking one of Anton's hand into both of his. "How do you feel?!"
"I'm-I'm not sure," Anton groaned his eyes still a little blurry so he reached up to rub his eye with his free hand before pulling and blinking the sleep away, looking right at Viago. "Everything still feels foggy... Can't remember anything from the last few hours. Was it a full-,"
Anton's breath hitched in his throat as his eyes trailed down to his hand in Viago's. His eyes widened to see that his hands were clawed and covered in fur. But that wasn't what freaked him out. What freaked him out was that he was his whole body was still covered in fur and his body had shifted to look more wolf. He couldn't see his face but he knew that there was probably no trace of human there. Gasping, Anton withdrew from Viago's touch, beginning to back up from him to the farthest end of the couch, looking at his claws in horror.
Viago frowned at this shooting up from his spot as Anton's back bumped into the armrest of the couch, his breath quickening as his eyes were wild with fear. "Anton?"
"What-What the fuck!?" Anton managed to say causing the others to stare in shock. But he did care about being a swearwolf right now, what he did care about was why he was still a werewolf even after the full moon. "What's going on?! The moon had passed, hadn't it? Why am I still this!?"
"Anton calm down," Clifton tried holding up his hands as he slowly walked toward the frightened werewolf. "The full moon is a month from now."
"Then... then what's happening?!" Anton asked frantically looking between each pack member who was silent from shock. "Why am I-?"
"Anton," Viago interrupted gently, causing the werewolf to pause looking directly at him, not realizing that the vampire had gotten close until he grabbed a hold of his hands, holding them gently as he spoke. "Everything is alright. Do you remember what happened in the last 24 hours?"
"I-.. No, it's-," Anton began squinting his eyes shut as he thought long and hard, trying to recall his recent memories. "It's all hazy I-."
"Take your time, love," Viago whispered, rubbing circles on the top of Anton's hands with his thumbs. "Take deep breaths, it'll come back in a second."
Anton did as he was told, taking in deep breaths as he closed his eyes and tried to remember. After a second of breathing, his mind was finally starting to clear enough, allowing him to recollect today's occurrences. Suddenly everything came flooding back to him. The cafe, the witch named Hazel that had poisoned him with wolfsbane, the pain he was in from it, how Viago came over to help, how they agreed on a partial transformation, and everything that had occurred after but in parts. He then opened his eyes with a gasp, looking down at Viago who was watching him closely still holding his hands in his own, wondering why he would want to touch him like this.
"The wolfsbane," He whispered, letting out a sigh. "A witch poisoned me with it so... so I had to take on this form to lessen the effects."
"That's right," Viago sighed with relief, placing a kiss on the top of Anton's hands before reaching up to rest a hand on the side of his face. "You were out of it for a while, love."
"Did I hurt anyone?" Anton asked, reaching up to hold Viago's wrist, gently pulling it away as he looked down at the vampire, still having a hard time remembering everything. "It's all coming back but in pieces... Did you have to use th-?"
"No, liebling," Viago interrupted with a grin, shaking his head as he spoke. "You didn't me nor the others and I didn't have to use the tranq. The wolf's been nothing but a sweetheart."
Anton let out a sigh of relief, letting go of Viago's hand before looking at the others who were now surrounding them, looking over Anton in worry. The alpha looked between each werewolf before his eyes landed on Clifton and Stu, his frown returning as guilt began to latch itself onto him. "Clif... Stu, I-,"
"Already forgiven Ant," Clifton grinned lifting his arm and pulling his sleeve down to show his fully healed arm, watching as Anton's gaze fell on the arm. "Wolf you beat you to the apologies."
"We're square, mate," Stu added with a grin, receiving a nod in agreement from Clifton.
Anton let out a sigh of relief before turning back to Viago reaching up to rest a hand on the vampire's face, being extra careful not to scratch him with his claws, grinning as the vampire leaned into his hand with a sigh. Then his attention was brought to the moved coffee table, blinking in confusion when he saw it littered with to-go boxes, jerky snack wrappers, and a giant bone with meat bits still on it. He then looked from the table to Viago. "What the heck did I miss?"
Viago grinned as he pulled away from Anton's touch giving him a shrug. "I'll tell you everything. It'll maybe help you jog your memory a bit."