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Wolf Moon	By : hatochiisai Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 37634 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 7
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any financial profit off of writing and posting this work.

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Wolf Moon

Ahmose Inarus

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any profit off of writing this.

SLASH WARNING!!! Hotch / Reid

Written for the Chit Chat on Author’s Corner Halloween Horrors Challenge. The moderators supplied a number of titles of the novels of the Master of Horror himself, Stephen King. We were to pick any title and write a fic using that as the prompt. I chose, “Cycle of the Werewolf”

Chapter 12

The forest was dark… the mist was beginning to creep through the trees with an ethereal glow under the full moon. And then dark shadows darted through the mist... Countless shadows on four legs, streaking through the trees. Every now and then, one would raise their Voice, and several others would answer. It was an eerie sound that traveled for miles…

They were wolves, and all other creatures in the forest made themselves scarce as the pack ran…

Amongst them ran a little brown wolf named Spencer Reid, his heart in his throat and his mind spinning. He wanted to be happy… he wanted to enjoy himself… but fear still coursed through his veins, and so he ran closely beside the large black male with him, seeking comfort in the powerful wolf’s close proximity.

The large black male’s tail was up and wagging, betraying his enjoyment. He turned his head to the little brown pup by his side and his mouth fell open, tongue lolling out in wolfish grin. He turned and darted in, nipping at the little brown wolf’s heels. Reid yipped and leapt forward, tucking his tail and hindquarters, then tripping on a tree root and tumbling to the ground. He rolled over several times before coming to rest on the forest floor. Then the large black male was standing over him, licking his ears and nuzzling his cheek. The little brown male wagged his tail tentatively, and the black wolf darted away.

Reid stared after him, then scrambled to his feet and went after him. “Hotch!” He cried.

“Come catch me, pup!”

“Hotch, wait up!”

And then he was flanked by two other large males. One was a coyote, and the other was a dark brown wolf. “Keep running, Spencer!” Said the coyote, the Native American werewolf, Onatah Anaktokon.

“But if you need a break, take a break. You’re not used to this.” Said the large brown wolf, his accent betraying him as Amani Sabastian.

Reid just squeaked nervously. The two males playfully jostled him between their shoulders, and then changed course and disappeared into the trees, raising their voices to join in the others who were crying out their joy to the dark forest. Reid smiled slightly, appreciating the kind support of the two men… Even so, the dark forest was frightening… he sped up, trying to catch up with Aaron Hotchner.

A smaller black wolf followed, piercing golden eyes fixed on the young male…

Slowly, Reid’s run slowed to a heavy trot, and then a plodding walk until h finally came to a stop. His ribs rose and fell as he gasped for breath, and his legs trembled. A moment later, his back legs buckled and he plopped down. He was tired. He couldn’t run anymore. He lifted his head and looked into the darkness, then whimpered. Hotch had left him behind…

But then, his ears flicked and his hackles prickled on the back of his neck. He turned his head and looked around. In the corner of his eye, a dark blur shot past. He turned again, but nothing was there. He spun around again, leaping to his feet. His head kept turning in every direction, and he began to tremble. There was something… someone… out there…

“Who… who’s there?” He called, his ears swiveling in every direction. “Hello? A-Aaron?”

“You’re pathetic…” Came the low growl of a familiar female, and Reid spun around again. A dark figure stalked through the trees in the mist, just far enough for Reid to struggle to make out the shape. “You do NOT belong here… with us… with wolves. Werewolf or no, you’re NOT one of us… you’re too human. And even for a human, you’re weak and pathetic! You should go back to where you came from!”

“He stinks of human…” Came another voice, this one male; with a feeling of dread slithering into his stomach, Reid realized that the blurs he was seeing in his peripheral vision was NOT just the same wolf, over and over again…

“Aaron Hotchner wants THAT runt?”

“Hotchner must have lost his mind…”

Reid laid his ears back and tucked his tail, quivering.

“He’s an omega… why would an alpha like Hotchner even give him a second glance?!”

“Especially when there are so many unclaimed alpha, beta and delta females? Hell, even gammas! He could have his pick of any unmated bitch he wanted, and he goes for THIS whelp?!”

The circling wolves were drawing in closer and closer. Reid was now huddled down on the ground, terrified. He lifted his head and let out a pleading cry for help.

“SILENCE HIM!!!” Snapped the solitary female voice, and the wolves lunged in. Reid’s cry turned to shrill yelps of fright as he bolted, desperately trying to avoid snapping teeth. He heard the snarls and barks on his tail, and he blocked out the burning and heaviness in his tired limbs and pushed them to the limit. Slowly, he began to gain ground and widen the gap between him and other wolves. He weaved between the trees, trying to lose his pursuers, but it wasn’t long before his legs failed him… he was not used to running all night; the others were. He stumbled, caught himself, and pushed on. But the second time he stumbled, he went down in a spectacular cloud of dust.

And then, as he heard the wolves come upon him, laughing and jeering, he just lay there, limp and resigned, awaiting his fate…

But then, suddenly, he heard loud, vicious barks coming from in the other direction. Then shouts, yelps, curses, and there were paws all around him. His eyes opened, and he saw his pursuers fleeing. Vivienne and Fabien Delacroix came charging out of the dark, leapt over Reid and gave chase, followed closely by Mudhakar, Amani, Onatah, and several others Reid was not familiar with.

“Spencer!” Reid lifted his head up. Sean Hotchner rushed over, eyes wide, and skidded to a stop. And then, finally, Aaron appeared. Reid let out a whine and the large black male hurried over to him, eyes wide in worry. Reid hid his face into the black wolf’s furry mane, and the alpha male sniffed over him anxiously, checking for injury. It took Reid a moment to realize that Hotch was speaking to him.

“—thought you were right behind me… I’m sorry, Spencer… I’m so sorry… Are you hurt?”

“… N-No.” Reid gasped.

“What happened?!” Demanded a new voice. Hotch looked up at the bark, and watched the large male approach. Reid whimpered in fright and shuffled underneath Hotch, trying to hide himself.

“Ralph.” Hotch greeted, nodding to the Alpha Male, and then to the Alpha Female as Bev appeared by her husband’s side. “I’m not sure…”

“Ralph. Bev.” All turned when Mudhakar approached. “There were seven of them. Chasing him. Hunting him.” Ralph’s eyes darkened.

“Is he hurt?” Bev demanded to know, shouldering Hotch aside and beginning to sniff over Reid herself. Reid whimpered and scuttled away, hiding behind Hotch.

“I’m taking him back to the compound.” Hotch said firmly.

“We will escort you.” Fabien said, returning with the others who had chased the culprits. Reid slowly looked up into the Frenchman’s crystal blue eyes.

“… Thank you.” He whispered. “For… for helping me.”

“Let’s get you back.” Bev said kindly, and with encouraging nudges Hotch managed to get Reid to his feet. The little brown wolf pressed into his side, and spent the entire walk back to the compound like that.

When they arrived, old Abraham rose from his rug and watched them approach. Bev herded Reid up onto the porch of the main house, and over to a dish full of clean water. Reid gratefully began to lap at the dish, gulping it down. Fabien quietly relayed what had happened to Ralph and Abraham. The old wolf looked livid.

“Ralph, don’t let dad get fired up.” Bev scolded.

Slowly, the wolves on the porch settled in. Vivienne chewed a bit of meat from what was left on the carcass over the fire pit, and brought it to Reid. Reid wagged his tail and nibbled a bit, but didn’t do more than that. And he grew tense once more as wolves began to re-emerge from the woods as time wore on… When they had all gathered once more, the moon was sinking out of sight.

Ralph and Bev sat on the porch overlooking the gathered wolves, Abraham on his rug between them. Pups were looking tired, some of them already dozing against their parents. As things quieted down, Ralph stood, and the wolves gave him their attention.

“I wish we could end this night with positive words.” He called. “But I can’t.” The wolves were all silent now; they could hear his anger. “Seven of you attacked one of our own tonight. And if I ever find out who they were, they will be banned from this compound permanently!”

Murmurs ran through the crowd, and then, Hotch took a deep breath, and stood. Reid watched him with wide eyes. Ralph looked at Hotch, and then stepped back, seeing that Hotch wished to speak.

“For those of you that do not know, I am Aaron Hotchner.” The black male announced. “And this,” he turned and looked back and the little brown wolf. “Is Spencer Reid.” He turned back to the wolves. “He was raised human, rejected by his pack before he was even born. Not only am I teaching him… but he is under my protection. If anyone has a problem with him, they have a problem with me.” And his eyes burned. “I also wish to make a Declaration.” Hotch looked back at Reid, and then out over the wolves who were taking in his every word. “I claim him.”

And then his gaze found Noriko in the crowd, and he stared her straight in the eye. "I make a Declaration of Claim on him, and I intend to make him my lifemate." Noriko looked stunned.

Slowly, as the wolves absorbed this, Abraham rose from his rug, joints creaking.

“The pup is one of us.” He said calmly. “I’ll not hear of anyone treating him as anything but.”

Silence followed the old Alpha’s words. Finally, Hotch turned.

“Come on.” He said gently, licking Reid’s ears. “I’m taking you home.” Reid stared at him, then got to his feet and huddled into the larger male’s side, leaving the porch with him. He paused as they approached the wolves, but then Sean was on his other side. And so protected between the Hotchner brothers, Reid made his way through the throng of wolves, who moved aside to allow them to pass. But then Noriko was in their path. She was looking stunned and furious all in one as she glared at Reid, and then looked at Hotch. The two black alpha wolves stared at each other, eyes blazing.

It was a battle of wills, and seemed to go on for forever, but finally, Noriko shivered and lowered her eyes, and stepped aside. Hotch stared her down a moment longer, but then walked past her, Reid by his side.

And then, finally, the Full Moon ended, and the wolves began to change. Sean and Hotch gathered their clothing and pulled them on. But when they turned to Reid, he remained within his wolf form, head hanging and tail tucked.

“… Spencer?” Hotch asked. Reid’s ear flicked, and then he turned and headed for the car. Hotch and Sean exchanged looks, and then Hotch hurried after Reid while Sean gathered the youth’s clothes. Reid moved to the other side of the car and only then made the change. Sean tossed Hotch Reid’s clothes, and Reid dressed and slid into the back seat without a word. Sean and Hotch exchanged looks, then just got into the car and left, the other wolves watching the tail lights disappear into the woods.

The drive home was quiet. Several times, Hotch tried to ask Reid what happened, but Reid never said a word. As they were arriving into town, the young genius finally spoke up.

“… Take me home.”

“Sorry?” Hotch asked, glancing back at Reid in the rearview mirror.

“Take me home, Hotch. My home.” Hotch’s heart clenched at those soft words.

“Reid?”

“Please. I just wanna go home.”

“Spencer… I’m so sorry… Pack Runs are not supposed to be like that… Next time—“

“NO!” Reid snapped. “No ‘next time’, Hotch. I am never… EVER… doing that again. Now take me home.”

“Spencer?”

“Take me home!” Reid shouted, and Hotch did as he was asked. As he pulled to a stop outside of Reid’s apartment building, he sighed and twisted about to look at the young man.

“Spencer, please… you and I… we--”

“No, Hotch. There’s no ‘we’. We’re co-workers. That’s it. If you want a mate, you need to find one amongst your own kind. And that’s not me.” Hotch stared at Reid, stunned. “I’m human, Hotch. No matter what the full moon turns me into. I’m not like them. I’m not like you. And I never will be.” And he got out of the car and hurried up to his apartment. And not once did he look back at the devastated man he had just left behind…

He ran up the stairs, tears blurring his eyes. But when he reached his apartment door, he stopped in dismay. His keys were in his messenger bag… at Hotch’s house. He stood there shaking, then turned and trudged down the stairs again, heading for the apartment’s office. It wasn’t open yet. He leaned against the wall beside the door, and then slowly slid the floor, hugging his knees to his chest and hiding his face in them. He sat there for a long time, eventually dozing off.

Sean stayed quiet on the drive back to his brother’s home. He was sick over the devastating blow that had just been delivered to his older brother. Hotch seemed to be in shock. Sean couldn’t tell if his mind had just stopped, or was in overdrive.

When the car pulled into the driveway, Hotch shut it of, and then just sat there, staring off into space.

“… Aaron… I’m sorry.” Sean said softly.

“This is my fault.” Hotch murmured, and Sean sighed.

“Aaron, no. You couldn’t have foreseen this.”

“I told him I would protect him. I told him he had nothing to fear as long as I was beside him. And I… left him behind.”

“You didn’t mean to. You thought he was right there with you.”

“But he wasn’t. And now… I’ve lost him.”

“Aaron…” Sean said gently. “He’s scared. Give him some time. He’ll come around.” Hotch slowly turned and looked at his little brother. Sean gave him a smile. “He’s fallen head over heels for you, Aaron. He won’t be able to stay away. Just give him time.” And he gripped his brother’s shoulder, then got out of the car and headed to the front door.

Hotch let out a pained sigh, then dragged himself from the vehicle and slouched after Sean. He unlocked the door and stepped into the house. Immediately, Reid’s scent teased his senses, and Hotch closed his eyes as a wave of sadness and regret washed over him.

Sean let out a soft huff and shook his head as Hotch turned and headed off to his bedroom. Sean headed to the guest bath to grab a shower, and in the bedroom, he heard Hotch doing the same thing.

Hotch took a long time in the shower, soaking up the warmth. And when he got out, he dried himself off, pulled on a pair of flannel pants, and then collapsed onto the bed. And then he was surrounded by smell of what had happened there that morning. He could smell himself, and Spencer… he could smell their pheromones… their sweat… their seed… He groaned, half in desire for the wolf he longed to mate, and half in pain knowing that he may have lost that mate… But he buried himself in the blankets and all the scents that came with it, and sunk into a deep, deep sleep…

As Hotch fell asleep, Reid was awoken by the sound of high heels approaching. Then they faltered, and stopped.

“… Dr. Reid?”

Slowly, he forced his eyes open and lifted his head. A woman was standing there, her purse over her arm and keys in her hand.

“Dr. Reid! What are you doing here?!” She gasped, her brown eyes wide.

“I locked myself out.” Reid murmured softly, running his fingers through his hair.

“… Are you okay?” She asked. “You look awful.”

“It’s… been a long night.” Reid mumbled, forcing himself to his feet with a wince. Already he could feel his muscles growing sore from the run. “I just want to get into my apartment and get some sleep.” The woman eyed him and nodded, then unlocked the office and stepped in, flicking on the lights and heading to the manager’s office. She let herself in and then emerged a moment later with a key.

“Come on.” She said. “I’ll let you in.” And Reid silently followed her up to the second floor where she unlocked his front door for him.

“Thanks, Claire.” He mumbled.

“Get some sleep, Dr. Reid.”

“Thanks.” Reid breathed, and closed the door as she walked way. He locked the door, and then stumbled through his dark apartment, wincing at the morning light creeping in through curtains. His first stop was his shower, where he remained for the next hour, trying to scrub away every trace scent of wolf… He couldn’t stand the smell…

“I’m human…” He gasped, his heart clenching and his stomach twisting. “I’m not a werewolf… I’m not… I’m human… I’m human!”

He stumbled from the shower, shivering at the chill air as he dried himself off, staggered into his bedroom toweling his hair dry, and then he dropped the towel on the floor and crawled under his blankets, curling up into a little ball, hugging himself. And only then did he allow himself to crumble, break down and cry over his crushed hopes and broken heart…
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Wolf Moon