Hybridization

"The process was surprisingly smooth. I was expecting a lot more pain and trauma, but it was actually rather painless. Not the bite though, that shit still hurt. But at least it faded quick. So far, the only downside is that things smell weird and I keep getting urges but Ra said that will settle out." – New werewolf talking about his experience.

Two days after the latest incident with the Avatar, Kurt was on his way to meet with the other werewolves. He had Penny help with the arrangements, setting up a meeting room with them. As he walked, he marveled at the new ability he had to sense aura, briefly wondering if this is what Penny saw.

"So, what is the plan?" Kristi asked, causing Kurt to turn and focus on her and once again inspect her aura. "Stop that." She swatted him on the arm, making him come to his senses and blink away the haze that settled over his vision when he focused on auras.

"Sorry, I can't help it sometimes." He blushed slightly.

Val patted his arm from the other side. "We know but it's kinda like you are leering at our naked bodies."

Kurt did a double take. "You like it when I leer at your naked body…"

"Well, yeah but not in public."

He sighed and turned the corner in the hall. The conference rooms were mostly adjacent to the handler and manager offices. They shared a wing of the Order but that was about all since the space had been set up for manager offices in one long hall and the supporting facilities on side branches. That meant they had a good quarter mile walk after using the portal to Penny's office to get anywhere else.

One the bright side, the portal to their building in town was in the empty office right next to hers. That office was technically for Feraz, the goblin running that little project, but he didn't use it for anything other than a little storage area.

Kurt approached the door and pulled it open, finding the room was empty save for Jay. "They should be along shortly." The demon said. "I just got a text saying they were on their way. Hope this room is big enough for you."

The room was in face plenty big. It seemed to be more of an empty gym than a meeting room and he suspected it served more as a multipurpose room. The ceilings were nearly twenty feet high and the walls were over sixty feet to a side, forming a large, well lit, box.

Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, Jade and her team entered the room. She paused slightly after seeing Kurt sitting there but bowed respectfully after entering. She took her place behind a chair opposite him, not wanting to sit unless told. Ra was hot on her heels with a few people of his own.

Looking over the assembled wolves, Kurt found their numbers had grown. Rather than just Jade and the other five wolves, there was also Ra and a couple more who were looking at Kurt with skeptical expressions. In total, there were eleven werewolves standing in front of him.

"Thank you all for coming." Kurt said. "Please take a seat."

The wolves all shuffled into their places and sat, giving Kurt time to begin to study them. He once again focused on his ability to see aura, letting the strange haze settle over his vision. He quickly saw that there were three in this gathering with the right color aura but only two with the density needed.

Jade, who flinched as he turned his gaze on her but otherwise held his eye, was one such candidate. That was to be expected since she led the little group that wanted to be a permanent detachment for him to use. The other one was a surprise to Kurt, mostly because he had forgotten about him.

Senal'Ra was looking back at him with a curious expression on his face. The man had the same, if not better aura density than Jade. The other distinguishing factor was the aura movement in the room. Jade's team and Ra's auras had those little specks that Kurt now knew were faith floating in them. Their aura also seemed to be more easily wafting toward him than the wolves he wasn't familiar with. Jade in particular gave off waves of the faith energy that was easily double any other's.

"Who are the new ones?" Kurt asked Jay but got an answer form Ra.

"Agency ex-pats like me…uh, sir." The werewolf explained. "We knew each other from working for Terminus and they decided to leave when I asked if they wanted to work somewhere better."

Kurt eyed the four newcomers, seeing that they all appeared to be capable and having auras that reflected confidence in themselves. "Fine. I should congratulate you, Ra and Jade."

"For what, Sir?" Jade asked.

"Well, I have something for the two of you." Kurt said. "It's a gift. One that you can turn down, but I strongly suggest you don't."

Jade and Ra shared a look before nodding, completing a very quick silent conversation. "We would be honored." Jade said, once again lowering her head.

Snorting, Kurt waved her off. "Don't thank me yet. This is going to hurt. Come on you two, follow me." He then walked over to the open area away from the table. He wanted space to do this. Val and Kristi followed after and the group came to a halt on the other side of the room with those left at the table watching what was about to happen.

"You might want to strip down." Val said. "This won't be good for your clothes."

"What?" Jade spluttered, blushing as she looked at Kurt. Naturally, Val had waited until Kurt was storing his own clothes in his ring.

"Ugh, Val. Come on." Kurt groaned before addressing the two wolves. "You are going to shift and it will tear your clothes if you don't strip down."

"Oh, umm, ok." Jade said.

Ra had just started taking off his uniform, not even questioning what Val had said. He also had a sneaking suspicion that there would be a shift involved, and Val was just having a little fun. They both passed their clothing to Kristi who had stepped forward to hold on to it for them.

A moment later, Kurt shifted, transitioning to his full size and ignoring the gasps from the four new werewolves at the table who were all staring in shock. Once Jade and Ra were in only their underwear, Kurt leaned in.

"I am going to bite you. Don't struggle." Then he snapped forward and sank his fangs into Jade's shoulder. She gasped at the sudden pain but other than placing her hands on either side of his jaws, she didn't struggle.

Remembering what he had seen in the vision, Kurt forced the mutated strain into the bite and used his will to break off a small piece of his divinity and pass it to her through the bite. He felt her shudder as the spark of divine power moved from him to her, passing into her soul with ease. He consciously willed for her transition to be smooth, fighting back the raging curse on her behalf.

Kurt let her go, backing away as she dropped to the floor, convulsing slightly as she began to slowly shift into a werewolf. He turned to Ra who stoically nodded once before bearing his neck and shoulder to him, accepting the bite with a little more grace than Jade.

A few seconds later he let Ra go, watching as he also fell to his knees and began to shift. Jade was already nearly done with her shift and now stood much taller than her previous size. Kurt stepped back, not shifting at all but still watching as Ra went through the process. He also needed to catch his breath, the experience of breaking off some of his divinity was more difficult than he imagined.

While it had been easy on a technical level, it was very draining mentally. After doing it twice, Kurt felt suddenly tired and fought to shake off the sudden lethargy. It helped that he was witnessing the creation of an Alpha for himself and was fascinated by the fluctuations in their aura.

When Ra was done, both he and Jade stood on their hind legs and let Kurt do a quick orbit of them, inspecting how they had changed. They had both kept the same color of fur, Jade having a soft chestnut color with Ra being almost completely black except for some grey in the fringes of his neck and face. They had also grown to nearly nine feet in height, same as Kurt had been before he was changed.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Their bodies had not only grown in height but also expanded in other ways. Muscle was now more obvious where it rippled under the fur and their eyes held more intelligence than they previously had. There was a certain humanity that they had been lacking in their previous forms which was now present in their expressions.

Kurt stepped back in, closing the distance and they both knelt, bowing their heads as their faith filled aura surged out of them in greater quantity and density than he had felt before. There was a sudden rush of energy that went to refilling the divine vessel in his soul and replacing what he had given them.

As if in a trance, the werewolves at the table formed up behind their new alphas, kneeling and bowing their heads in supplication though remaining in their human forms. Kurt watched in amazement as their auras suddenly began to carry those little sparks of divinity. He was so fascinated that he didn't hear the quiet conversation that Jay was having with Penny.

*****

"Well, that was something." Penny said.

Jay snorted and his eyes flashed with an internal light. "You have no idea. You can see the aura right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Can you see anything else in it?"

Penny squinted, peering at the group of werewolves. "No, what am I missing?"

"It would seem Kurt has finally taken his own first step on a path. I am sure you will pick up on it on your own, so I won't spoil it for you." Jay said with a sigh that masked his excitement. He had a persona to maintain after all. He was supposed to be the calm, collected boss who had been around the block hundreds of times and seen everything. It was a carefully cultivated mask that he maintained, having learned that his kind were particularly vulnerable to those that could manipulate emotions.

No, it wouldn't do for the others in the Order or his underlings to see how excited he was as having someone new walking the path to divinity. He was just amazed that he was here to witness the event. After all, it wasn't often that he was able to witness someone entering his peerage.

"Welcome to the god club, Kurt." He muttered.

Penny turned to him. "What was that?"

"Hmm? Oh, I said it's a god damn club." He smoothly lied, seeing Penny bought the line without question. He would have to have a private chat with Kurt one day. Maybe when this business with Mister X was all taken care of and they moved on to his next project. Yeah, before they went off world would probably be best.

*****

"Nothing has changed in your day-to-day." Kurt said while dragging his hand down his face. This was getting exhausting. "You are still responsible for your teams or squads."

"But y-you're a god…" Ra said, having a harder time than Kurt thought he would with coming to grips with the truth.

"No, if anything I am demi-god adjacent at best. Not even, all things considered. I am still mortal." Kurt was trying to explain. He looked at Jade who was staring at him in wide eyed awe. She had an expression on her face that Kurt wasn't sure he was completely comfortable with.

Ok, maybe Ra was taking it pretty well. Jade was just stun locked in a near catatonic state after reverting to her human shape. He snapped his fingers in her face, making her blink and refocus on him.

"Both of you are alphas now. Your packs need you to get your shit together and I need you to get ready for this hunt." Kurt growled. He put a little of that commanding influence in his voice and both of them snapped into action. He watched them trot off to their teams and get them moving before sighing. "Why is this so hard." He muttered.

"You think this is hard? Try dressing Jade some time." Val said. "Seriously, it was like trying to stuff a mannequin into an outfit but with more… squish." She made grabby hands at boob level. Her tone said frustrated but her face said amused.

Kristi smacked her on the butt. "Focus. We need to get moving. Rupert is expecting us soon at the portal to the Tampa warehouse."

They quickly trotted off, waving to Jay on the way as Penny broke off to join them. "Ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah. The wolves will be meeting us there soon. I think Rupert said that the Association is staging out of Sarasota?" Kurt knew they were but wanted to confirm.

"Yes, I have arranged transport."

"Busses?"

Penny nodded causing Val and Kristi to high five. "Sorry but the vans aren't very comfortable over long distances."

"Also, no bathroom in a van so you have to make them pull over if you gotta pee." Val added. "Not as good as trains but way faster with the portal network."

That comment led them down a spirited debate over the pros and cons of various travel methods. Kurt was a fan of planes, but he was willing to sacrifice comfort for speed. His concerns were dismissed when Val asked what he was in a hurry for when they would be together on a train, no matter how long the trip. Afterall, a train cabin could be quite cozy in the right circumstances.

When they crossed over the threshold of the Tampa warehouse, they found an almost identical sight as the one they used to assault the last coven. "Are all these identical?" Kurt asked.

"Sure are." Penny responded while guiding them toward the reception area. "We designed them that way on purpose. It helps ease any congestion in the portal traffic when people know what to expect on arrival."

That made a lot of sense to Kurt and he wondered why more travel hubs weren't designed like that but realized that the Order didn't have the same limitations as mundane infrastructure. As they approached the waiting area, they saw a few familiar faces standing in small groups around the benches.

First, and to be expected were the two mages from the local Cep-Ma chapter, Clark and Michelle. Second was the group of mercs who they had detained from the previous mage compound. Third was Rupert, Tig and a couple others in Order uniforms but namely Anna.

"What are you doing here?" Kristi asked, giving the smaller fey a hug.

Anna returned it before giving one to Val and Kurt in turns. "Field training as part of the onboarding program. I am surprised Penny didn't tell you."

"I thought it would be a nice surprise." Replied their handler as she pulled out a clip board. "Now I want to reintroduce you to some other assets we have joining us. You have met them, but it was under less-than-ideal circumstances."

"The mercenaries? Ouch!" Kurt asked, looking over to the two dozen heavily armed men wearing Order uniforms. He then yelped when a sudden pain flared on his hand.

Penny had smacked him with her clip board. "Be nice. After we scooped them up, their previous company cut all ties and wouldn't even help them get home."

"So how did they end up here?" Val wondered. The group had realized they were being watched and had all turned to inspect Kurt and the girls as the newcomers.

"Well, we offered them a new contract..." Penny sounded like she was trying to guide the village idiots to an answer without just saying it. After she just got blank looks in return, she threw her hands up in defeat. "Like, we hired them… Come on, is this really that difficult? You should have been able to figure it out."

Kurt was still rubbing at the spot where the edge of her clip board had connected with his knuckles. "Fine, I get it. They work for us now." He saw one of the mercs nudge one that he recognized. He couldn't remember the man's name, but he figured he should go over and be friendly.

Walking over, Kurt extended a hand. "Hi, my name is Kurt. It's nice to meet you on more friendly terms mister…" He let the word trail while shaking the man's hand.

"W-winslow. Jeff Winslow." He stammered. Jeff didn't know why but Kurt seemed to tower over him despite being of a similar height. When he looked into Kurt's eyes, he saw a slight flash of amber amongst a normal light hazel.

While the merc leader was close, Kurt inspected his aura. He normally wouldn't have but he smelled something and grew curious. Looking at the wafting energy, Kurt saw it had a certain quality to it most humans didn't have. In fact, all his men had it. That little discovery surprised Kurt as he cast his gaze over the group.

"Penny?" Kurt asked, knowing she wouldn't be far away.

"Here."

"How much time do we have before this all kicks off?"

"Approximately thirty-four hours." She replied looking to Val and Kristi for any clue as to what Kurt was getting at. "Why?"

"That might change, depending on if Jeff and his boys accepts the offer I am going to make."

"No." She gasped.

Kurt felt a sudden surge of anger from his werewolf side and wheeled on her, eyes glowing. "Yes." He growled firmly. "It is my right to offer and their right to accept or refuse." He wasn't sure what had caused him to react that way but also didn't have time to think about it before someone smacked him.

"Hey, back off!" Kristi was in his face suddenly. "You need to calm down. She wasn't trying to stop you, she was surprised you would do that."

Val appeared at his other side whispering in his ear. "Sweetheart. Penny was shocked, that is all." She caressed his face as his jaw unclenched. "Nobody is telling you what you can and can't do."

Shaking his head to clear it, Kurts eyes softened, and he looked to Penny, feeling a deep regret for his actions. Even his wolf half felt remorse. "Sorry, I-ah. I got carried away a little. The whole wendigo thing is a little bit of a raw nerve right now. Can I make it up to you?"

Penny didn't hesitate to ease his worries. "It's fine, I didn't realize you had such a strong reaction to wendigo." She still looked a little shaken and he wouldn't blame her for it.

Kurt looked at her wide-eyed expression until Val pulled her aside to have a hushed conversation. When he turned around, it was to be stopped by a nearly invisible barrier forming a dome around them. He glanced back to Kristi, quirking an eyebrow.

"Sorry." She dispelled the barrier, with a wave of her hand. "Thought this conversation needed to be had in private."

"Thanks." Kurt said and gave her a hug and a kiss. "And thanks for stepping in. I am hoping things are less edgy over time but for now, it's hard. There is something going on here and my wolf is a little stressed."

"Umm… do you still need us?" Jeff asked, reminding them that they had an audience.

Kurt returned his attention to the group of mercenaries. They were showing their nerves in the way they stood at ready with their hands tightly gripping their weapons. "Walk with me, Jeff."

They moved to the far end of the waiting area, far out of ear shot of the gathered humans and had a muted conversation. There was a lot of back and forth as Kurt made the offer to gift him and his men with lycanthropy. While the offer was quick, Jeff had questions, many of which were based on popular fiction and widespread slander.

When they returned, Jeff stood on one of the benches so he could address his company. "Alright lads got an offer for you. Just know that it's completely voluntary and if you decline, nothing changes, and we are still working for the Order and on the same mission." That started some muttering before on of the braver mercs called out.

"What's the offer?" called one of the former mercenaries sitting in the waiting area.

Jeff looked to Kurt as he stood at the side of the gathering with the rest of the werewolves who had finally shown up. Getting a nod to continue, Jeff turned back to the men and two women who made up his company. "Who wants to be a werewolf?" He asked while raising his hand.