Chapter 4 The Night He Tore Apart
The first time it happened, Sam thought he was dying.
It began with pain.
Not the sharp kind that came from scraped knees or hunger, but something deeper—something wrong. A burning pressure spread through his chest, tightening with every breath. He woke in the cave choking, his small body slick with sweat, heart slamming against his ribs like it was trying to escape.
"Mom," he whispered instinctively.
The word tasted bitter.
The cave answered only with echoes.
Sam curled into himself, clutching his stomach as the pain spread outward, crawling through his arms and legs like fire under his skin. His bones ached, stretching in ways they weren't meant to. He cried out, the sound raw and broken, and the wolves stirred around him instantly.
Low growls filled the cave.
Not threatening.
Warning.
The alpha stepped forward, its massive shape blocking the cave entrance. Its eyes locked onto Sam, sharp and knowing. It didn't come closer—but it didn't leave either.
Sam's vision blurred.
"I don't feel good," he sobbed. "Please make it stop."
The pressure inside him built and built until breathing became impossible. His chest heaved violently, ribs straining as if something inside him was trying to tear its way out.
Then came the crack.
Sam screamed as his spine arched unnaturally, bones snapping and reforming with sickening sounds. His scream turned into a choking gasp as his jaw forced itself wider, teeth grinding against each other painfully.
He clawed at the stone floor, fingernails splitting, blood smearing the rock.
"I'm sorry," he cried. "I didn't mean to be bad."
The pain didn't listen.
His arms lengthened, muscles tearing and rebuilding thicker, stronger. His small hands twisted grotesquely, fingers stretching as claws burst through flesh. Sam screamed again—louder—until the sound shattered into something deeper, something wrong.
A growl.
The wolves outside the cave howled in response, their voices echoing into the night.
Sam's skin burned.
It felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside, stretched beyond its limits. Dark fur pushed through his skin in violent waves, spreading across his arms, chest, back. His clothes shredded and fell away, useless against what he was becoming.
He collapsed onto his side, convulsing.
Every heartbeat sent agony through him, but beneath the pain—something else stirred. Strength. Heat. A deep, wild hunger.
Sam's thoughts fractured.
Mom. Dad.
Cold.
Alone.
The memories crashed into him all at once. The forest. The waiting. The wolves' glowing eyes. His parents' backs as they walked away.
Something inside him snapped.
The pain peaked.
His scream tore out of him and transformed into a howl so loud it shook the cave walls. Stones fell from above as his body surged, growing larger, taller, heavier. His legs reformed with brutal force, bones reshaping to carry far more weight than before.
When it finally stopped, Sam lay motionless.
Smoke-like steam rose from his body in the cold cave air. His breath came slow and heavy, each inhale dragging through a chest that was no longer human.
The alpha wolf approached.
Carefully.
It lowered its head, sniffing Sam's face. Sam's eyes fluttered open.
They burned.
Not brown anymore—but glowing faintly, reflecting the moonlight spilling into the cave. His vision was sharper now. He could see every detail—the cracks in the stone, the individual hairs on the alpha's muzzle, the steady rhythm of the pack's breathing outside.
He tried to sit up.
The movement was wrong—too powerful. He lurched forward, claws digging into stone effortlessly. Shock flooded through him.
"What… what happened to me?" he asked.
The sound that came out wasn't a child's voice.
It was deeper. Rougher. It echoed through the cave like distant thunder.
Fear seized him.
He scrambled backward, hitting the cave wall with enough force to crack it. His heart raced as he looked down at himself.
He was bigger.
Much bigger.
His body was covered in thick black fur, muscles coiled tight beneath it. His hands—no, his claws—trembled as he lifted them, flexing instinctively.
"No," he whispered.
The alpha wolf let out a low, steady rumble.
Not fear.
Acceptance.
Sam stood shakily, his head nearly brushing the cave ceiling. Panic rose in his chest as he staggered forward, bumping into the stone, knocking loose debris with every movement.
"I don't want this!" he cried. "Please! Make it go back!"
The wolves didn't move.
They watched.
They waited.
Sam's breathing grew erratic as something else rose inside him—rage. Not sudden, not explosive, but heavy and deep, like a storm gathering beneath the surface.
His parents' faces burned in his mind.
The fear twisted into anger.
The anger became heat.
Without realizing it, Sam roared.
The sound ripped from his chest and thundered through the forest, echoing for miles. Birds scattered. Smaller animals fled in terror. The wolves outside lifted their heads, answering him with howls of their own.
Sam froze.
The sound… it felt right.
That terrified him more than the pain ever had.
He staggered out of the cave, moonlight bathing his massive form. The forest looked different now—alive with sound and movement. Every scent told a story. Every heartbeat nearby sang in his ears.
He felt unstoppable.
And he hated himself for it.
"I'm not a monster," he whispered desperately.
But the forest didn't deny it.
The alpha stepped beside him and nudged his leg gently—grounding him. Sam looked down at the wolf, his chest heaving.
"Am I… like you?" he asked.
The alpha met his gaze.
Then, slowly, it bowed its head.
Something in Sam's chest cracked open.
Tears burned his eyes, sliding down fur instead of skin. He dropped to his knees, the earth shaking beneath his weight.
"They didn't want me," he whispered. "So this is what I am now."
The wolves surrounded him—not threatening, not fearful. Protective.
Family.
As dawn began to creep over the horizon, Sam stared at his reflection in a pool of water. A towering, black-furred creature stared back.
He touched his face with trembling claws.
Sam was still inside.
But he was no longer alone.
And deep in the quiet space between pain and power, a new name began to form—one shaped by the forest, the wolves, and the world that had abandoned him.
Blake.