Very beautiful! Echoing others, love to see this series continue! And absolutely loved so many parts of this chapter - especially your description of the latex transformation and how it made him feel. Looking forward to what happens next!

Good start, I really enjoyed it. Keen for the next part!

@[Rock Creek Werewolf](/user/show/10002145) I see....so Ray is kind of seeing divinity through various lenses. I suppose in a way the idea of consummation of divine love is present in a spiritual fashion in sufi literature- the archetype of the lovers is there. I'm not sure if that has a christian variant (perhaps in being the "bride" of christ or the like)- but sufi literature sees the tale of Layla and Majnun (romeo and juliet before romeo and juliet) as showing how mad love can lead to the divine, and of Potiphar's wife (who basically goes from two-timing conniving seductress to madly in love tragic lady with a whole lot of cunning, a whole lot of drama, and a whole lot of getting whooped over the head with consequences...she gets better eventually). In that view, Potiphar's wife (Zulaykha)'s chasing after Yusuf is literally her chasing after the divine. And boy does she want that man....depending on the reading he wanted her to but kept his cool- though he needed a little nudge to move away. Never lost that want though depending on the reading. Rumi's telling of her story blends the erotic and the divine to an almost scandalous degree- using romance and sensuality and love and mania as religious allegory. It's been a favorite tale in the east for nearly a millennia to tell all over Asia. At the same time, Ray integrating this with the classical understanding that the abrahamic god is well...beyond the need for sex alongside the idea of divine eroticisim is another thing I'm thinking about now. We know Chavez wants to induct him as an apprentice- and it's clear Chavez in his own way is devout- he didn't take kindly to Toddson's mockery. Chavez's chirstology and theological views were shown earlier with the saints- but I am intrigued to see if we'll see them explored further. And it's also clear that Chavez wants to keep Yousef away from the king- but why? The king seemed affable...mostly. The way I see it, for Chavez to be a cardinal means he knows his theology. Very well. So seeing that further explored is what I am interested in. We know Chavez sees service as a cardinal for all kinds- not just weres. At the same time, he does see weres as different from people- and that mondjugen must grow into being one. As for werewolf instability- while it makes sense they would be high strung and prone to conflict, it sometimes makes me wonder how they've also managed to infilitrate high levels of human society, be world leaders (Toddson's comment on Bush) and clearly manage technological infrastructures like the mondjugen searching app without combusting. If they were so unstable it's likely their enemies would have proxied their way through them- setting them against each other. If a werewolf can't wait even five minutes for revenge then well...it does make sense why they are constantly engaging in park chuckings of wolves, coups and other messes. But it also makes me wonder how their entire society hasn't well...collapsed yet in some massive conflict (like a civil war) that just completely wrecked them collectively. Or perhaps that already happened.... The mystery and complexity of werewolf politics is really how despite all their instability (seemingly in a perpetual warring states era style) they somehow survive without being overrun by their enemies. I suspect hunters can take advantage of this chaos really well.

A deeply intriguing chapter. The pack seems to be shattered, but is there a chance to regroup? Cardinal Chavez and King Ted do not seem to be on the same wavelength- Chavez doesn't want Ted to get his paws on Yousef. Why? What does Ted have planned for Yousef that he would find so objectionable. A long-awaited smackdown between Ruiz and the scheming Toddson- "I can't wait to see how *this turns out!"

Oh no! Bill and the pack are paying for his spell to trap Nando, aren’t they? The scene with Ray in prayer was both hot and moving. Love it all!

Also, I am curious- how exactly are these alphas just going to tear up the place and run off? Wouldn't somebody well...notice? Or is that covered under magic? And as Tom said....are all the alphas who were there guilty? Or not? Yousef is absolutely enraged but he needs to calm down. Meanwhile poor Frank in all of this is just...forgotten. I know we'll be seeing him again. As for Yousef's visions....oh I don't like the sound of them. Did one of them have them running through the park? And Oakley....now really is not the time to shoot your stuff. Please don't. Then again, at least he means well. Our protagonists do need that much. Honestly the fact that pack politics are so violent and the fact that they chuck people into the park...honestly it's fascinating how they all haven't done infighting so badly they've all become non-sapient. Like what is stopping them from just...combusting on a mass scale into conflicts? Clearly coups and wolf kings can get deposed like nothing else. Even here we're seeing scheming against the king. And then there's that hunter....they're up to something. Honestly, I can't even blame said hunter at this point. Werewolves seem to just uniquely be really unstable and dangerous compared to other weres. Oakley does not seem anywhere near as wonky at times. On the other hand....something tells me these hunters go after more than just weres.

Yeah....well Bill managed to mess everything up. I so wonder what he's wondering was going to happen- that everything would be fine? They've lost a pack member, their home is gone, and now they're being hunted. Lovely. I do think he's not making it out of this in a good state once the truth comes out. He clearly is staying mum. How long will that last though...I think Paul is going to start noticing things. Also, Toddson really needs to stop playing hardball. Does he want Yousef dead or what? Clearly he wants him for himself but boy did he not think anything through. Mullins is well...Mullins I guess. Paul at least is getting more acclimated to things, hopefully he isn't going to face worse. Ray really must have been feeling the stirrings badly but also he must really like Father Chavez. To confuse him as being god in that moment. Also, I'd have thought Ray would know god in christian tradition doesn't really...take consorts. I mean...unless we want to metaphorically assume Mary as one. But that's metaphorical. Anyway. It seems Father Chavez has saved Mo and Ray but for his own ends...and he's also trying to keep Yousef for himself as well. Seems like pack politics are about to blow. And it seems Father Chavez wishes to take Ray as his apprentice in a fashion. Perhaps Ray and Alpha Spencer (was that his name) can perhaps get away from all this madness. Or Spencer is wrecking the gym right now...

I want to know more.

You should definitely continue this! I'm loving these characters and the scenario. You've really got a fun and sexy storyline here!

I'm so glad to see this series continue! Really looking forward to how all the different threads in the story will tie together.