The boy woke up with a start, wincing in pain. His shoulder throbbed, his muscles pulsated and ached. Turning his head, he eyed his shoulder. It had been wrapped tightly.

"What the...?" he said as he stared at the wrapping. He gasped with panic when he finally noticed he wasn't at home in his own bed.

He was in a large hotel room; a warm breeze blew into the room. The sky was cloudy and the sun was high. The room had two lush beds which had plenty of pillows. The bed he laid in was a total mess, evidence of him thrashing in his slumber was clear to see. The next bed over was also recently used, the sheets rumpled and the bed grooved. That's when he noticed the sound of the shower from the bathroom.

"Oh damn." he uttered as he tried to rise out of the bed. Pain shot through his whole body like an angry bolt of lightning, gritting his teeth he managed to slide out of the bed quietly. Once the covers fell off him, he realized that he was in his boxers. Did this person undress him? His eyes frantically searched for where his clothes were. They hung on a small couch, which sat in front of the large TV on the wall. If he could reach his pants, he could grab his cell and call for help.

He began crawling like a soldier after failing twice to stand up. His legs just weren't working right for some unknown reason. They felt like they were stuffed with jelly instead of muscle, did this weirdo drug him? Must have. He was half way there when the shower turned off.

"Mason? Is that you?" Called the voice inside the bathroom.

Mason panicked and began to scramble wildly toward his pants. He didn't recognize the voice as someone he knew, but the owner of the voice knew him, but how?

Suddenly the bathroom door swung open just as Mason reached his pants. Snatching them from the couch, he eagerly searched his pockets for his cell. He looked over to the man at the bathrooms doorway. He wore a towel wrapped around his waist and another draped over his broad shoulders, water glistening over a six pack and tight muscle. The man grinned and raised his hand which was holding Mason's cell.

"Looking for this? Sorry, I had to take it to make sure you didn't do anything stupid." The man chuckled.

"Who are you? What did you do to me?" Mason shouted.

The man's grin widened then quickly vanished. "Um, hold on just a sec." Then he went back into the bathroom.

Mason scanned the room; there had to be something he could use to defend himself. There was nothing, just plushy pillows and furniture. He would have to defend himself with his wacked out shoulder and stubborn body. The man slipped out of the bathroom, but this time he had shorts and a muscle shirt on.

"Didn't think I should be indecent for the talk we must have." He ran his hand through his still damp brown hair, "Had to chill out after the... Uh." The man paused after he noticed the blank expression that Mason had on his face.  "Right, to the point then. My name is Devin, Devin Bourbeaux. It's French." He said almost apologetically.

He walked over to Mason, "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Just going to sit you up on the couch here." Then he plucked Mason up as if he weighed nothing. Mason tried to struggle, but resistance was futile against the man's vice like grip. Devin sat him carefully down into a plush comfy sofa chair.

"What have you done to me?!" He shouted gesturing to his left shoulder. "I was just riding my bike then... something bit me?" Mason held his head in his hands, trying to remember.

"Well, the thing is; it wasn't me that..."

"And why am I in a hotel? You're some kind of sick pervert, aren't you?" Mason interrupted.

Unexpectedly, Devin's eyes glowed and he frowned. "Don't interrupt! Show respect to your elders." Devin growled. Mason winced and tightened his lips, and Devin cleared his throat. 

"I'm sorry. It just drives my mad when I'm interrupted, so please no talking till I'm done explaining, yes?" the tone in his voice said there was no other choice, so Mason just nodded.

"Great!" He clapped his hands together. "First things first, I'm a werewolf and now so are you! Congratulations on surviving the transformation, many don't make it."

"Wait, what?" Mason said. This guy's obviously insane, I have to get out of here. He sat straight up in the comfy couch, bracing himself to rush to the door and out of the room. His legs no longer felt like jelly, he just needed to reach the door and he'd be free.

Devin sighed. "A werewolf, also known as lycanthrope. A person with the ability to shape shift into a wolf, or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature. You were bitten last night during a full moon, which is the only time someone can be turned."

"I know what a werewolf is! I'm just trying to find out how crazy you are" Mason smirked nervously, and then rose slowly to his feet. He desperately wanted to get out.

Devin saw what the boy had in mind. But instead of blocking the door he took a seat in a chair across from Mason. "I'm not going to harm you in any way; actually I'm trying to protect you."

Devin sighed when he saw Mason just eye the door eagerly. "If you want to run, go ahead. I'm sitting over here. Or, you could listen to me as I tell you what happened to you."

Mason shot for the door, with his hand on the handle he turned around to see if Devin was giving chase. But the man just continued to sit calmly in the chair. Mason opened the door and slipped out of the room. He stood in the hallway, everything was quiet and he heard no movement from the room. But try as he might, he couldn't let go of the door handle, something inside him knew this man was trustworthy and he needed to hear him out. And not to mention he had also forgotten his pants on the chair. So there he stood, halfway naked and shivering in a drafty hotel hallway.

"This is so stupid!" He nearly shouted. His gut had never done him wrong before and right then it was telling him to trust this weird man. Twisting the door handle he reentered the room.

"Back so soon?" Devin was standing next to a small desk with the hotels phone in his hand. "I'm ordering some coffee and treats, would you like some?"

Mason walked over to the chair and snatched up his pants, then quickly jumped into them. He took a seat on the larger couch, sitting on the edge of the cushion. "Whatever. So, what happened last night? I can't remember a thing. If I feel you're lying to me, I'm gone."

Devin finished his order. "After all these years, I'm still addicted to coffee. Can't really wake up till I've had a mug of the stuff. It's a curse I tell you," he chuckled lightly. Seeing that Mason wasn't amused, he cleared his throat.  He walked over and sat on the small sofa across from Mason, "Well alright then. Let the story telling begin."

He told Mason everything that occurred the other night. When he finally finished the tale, their coffee and treats had arrived. A short and chubby room service lady placed the tray on the table between them; Devin tipped her a $20. On the tray was a large pot of coffee, with two mugs, and a small pile of coffee cakes and mini donuts. "À table! Don't be shy dig in, I know you're hungry." He then filled his mug and emptied a small cup of cream into it.

"So the front desk of this hotel didn't think it was strange that I was all bandaged up and unconscious?" Mason raised his eyebrows.

"I simply told the lady at the front desk that you had partied too hard and we needed a place to rest, people are so gullible these days, especially if you have a pretty face." He said flashing a smile that must've melted thousands of girls hearts.

"So do you believe me?" Devin asked

Mason stared at the floor; usually he could smell crap from a mile away. But Devin's story didn't start any alarms that he was lying to him, and his gut still told him that Devin was trustworthy. "I guess I do." He finally said.

"Fantastique! Do you have any questions?"

"Wogan, the guy that bit me. Is he a good guy?" Mason said as he stuffed a mini donut in his mouth.

"Good?" Devin sputtered, nearly spitting coffee on Mason. "Let me tell you, Wogan is a very evil man. So evil, he would kill his own mother if she got in his way. Matter of fact, he did. But that's another story." He stared down at his coffee mug, took a deep sip, and then looked up at Mason. "Which is why we have to leave ASAP."

Suddenly the feeling in Mason's gut plummeted, just what was this strange man in front of him saying?