The brunch was amazing.
The pancakes were light and fluffy, perfectly soaking up the maple syrup, and the eggs and bacon were cooked to perfection. Lexi surprised herself with her newfound appetite as she went for seconds. She didn’t feel bad about grabbing more—there was truly an enormous quantity of food for the meal, which made sense for a den of many beastesses.
Sabrina cozied up to Meg while she ate, who wrapped her organic right arm around her and rubbed her shoulder affectionately. Occasionally Meg would squeeze her tighter, and Sabrina would make the most adorable squeals of delight in response.
Audrey kept discussing random subjects she had found online that went over everyone’s head, until Roxy eventually silenced her with a long and passionate kiss on the lips, eliciting a wolf whistle from Syd and causing Audrey to blush and mumble something Lexi couldn’t hear but which made Roxy chuckle. Syd kept making comments throughout the meal about how fucking gay everyone was acting, to which Roxy retorted that, quote, ‘the big puppygirl wearing a collar was one to talk,’ upon which Syd blushed, then laughed.
Lexi wondered for a moment what the Church, especially Bishop Ironside, would think about what she was doing here—laughing and joking as a newly realized trans woman, in a house full of degenerate heathens, queers, and criminals, enjoying a delicious home-made meal together as pack-mates.
Then she realized something very important.
She doesn’t give a flying FUCK what they think.
She isn’t one of them anymore. She’s a fucking beastess now.
Her new pack-mates were cool, and nice, and accepting of her as she truly was. Nothing like her classmates or superiors at the academy, for sure.
Sure, they’re technically criminals, but she’s done enough research to know their crimes include either trying to conduct their ceremonial fights, stealing from the wealthy and powerful, or protecting disadvantaged people from paladin raids. In the past she would have judged them for sure as morally bankrupt, but inside she always had a feeling their crimes were being unfairly targeted by the paladins in proportion to what little harm they caused. They were made an example for the public, to be punished and hunted for their paganism and debauchery.
They were treated like wild animals, feared by humans who want to destroy what they don’t understand.
These beastesses are nothing like what the Church demonizes them to be.
The only person who she really wished could be here right now was Sophie.
She really missed her.
… Screw it. She can’t tell her about her new situation—probably not ever, she was afraid to admit—but right now she just wanted to talk to her best friend.
Lexi excused herself for a moment and asked to use a phone. Syd pointed to the kitchen at the ankh-engraved phone and nodded, saying it was an untraceable line and she could use it whenever she wanted, and Lexi thanked her. She ran into the kitchen, dialed Abraxas Paladin Academy’s main number, and asked to speak with Templar Sophia Ryder.
“Alex?” came Sophie’s crackly voice over the line.
“Hey Soph,” Lexi replied, wincing at her former name. Still, she was glad to hear her friend’s voice.
“Are you okay? You haven’t come back to the academy yet.”
“I’m fine! I, uh …”
Fuck. What does she say?
“... I found a hostel to stay at,” Lexi finally said. “I think I’ve actually found a lead, so I’m not going to be back at my dorm until probably after the weekend. Today’s Friday, so … I’ll be back Monday or Tuesday.”
“Thank the Lord. I was going to start looking for you. I’m glad to hear the mission is going well! No beastesses gave you trouble?”
Lexi looked over at the dining room, where Audrey was chastising Roxy for stealing a piece of her bacon off her plate when she wasn’t looking, while everyone else laughed.
“No,” she said, “the ones I encountered were pretty nice, actually.”
Silence on the other end.
Lexi started to sweat.
“Don’t let them deceive you, Alex,” Sophie finally said, her tone ice cold. “They are still sinful pagans. Talk to them only as much as strictly necessary. They’re natural hunters—they will take advantage of you if they can. Beastesses cannot be trusted. Understand?”
If only she knew she was talking to a beastess right now.
Unfortunately, she had to lie. To protect her. Which only proved Sophie right. Lexi felt a lump in her throat.
“… I-I understand.”
“Focus on the mission. Stay. Safe.” Sophie pleaded, “Promise me, Alex?”
“I promise, Sophie.”
I promise I’ll keep you safe too, Lexi thought.
Sophie’s voice warmed up, and she said, “Good. I’m excited to hear what you found out when you get back! If it means you have to come back late, so be it. I’m sure it’s worth it enough for the bishop to overlook taking a bit longer than expected.”
Lexi shuddered. Right. Bishop Ironside. She’ll have to come up with something to tell him after the weekend.
“Speaking of, could you let the bishop know for me? About me being on the mission all weekend?”
“Of course, Alex! Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you. But you owe me, dude!” Lexi could almost hear the wink in Sophie’s voice.
“I dunno if I can take another one of your all-day personal training sessions again! I nearly puked last time afterwards!” Lexi said, laughing. “But seriously, thanks, Soph.”
“If you need me at all, don’t hesitate to call the academy again. Or even go to a library and send me an email! You should really think about getting a communicator so this doesn’t happen again.”
“I will, I promise!” Lexi said, to everything Sophie mentioned.
“See you when you get back! Bye, Alex!”
“Bye, Sophie!” Lexi hung up.
Whew.
She was going to have to keep these lies up, for the foreseeable future. Maybe the rest of her life. Lexi didn’t want to think about that right now. It was for good reasons.
Still. This was going to be harder than she thought.
Lexi looked over at the dining room, at her new pack-mates. At least she had allies in her corner. Maybe they could even be her friends, one day.
Her eyes lingered on Syd, who was beckoning Lexi to join them at the table again.
Or maybe, with Syd at least … something more than friends.
Once Lexi had returned from her phone call with Sophie, Syd gave her the run-down of their plans for this evening in-between bites of leftover pancake. Along with Sabrina and Roxy, they were going to go shopping for some ‘questionably legal’ magitech augmentations for Lexi.
“So we’re going to need to get some programmable nanobot injections to help you with strength training, and to help make your first transformation a little bit more bearable—you’ll thank me later. Roxy’s coming with us because she used to be a courier, so she knows the area better than all of us.”
“My old stomping grounds,” the hyena beastess said. She leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head and gave a smug grin, but nearly toppled and righted herself at the last second.
“Sabrina’s also insisted that she come along to pick out some makeup and better clothes for you.”
“I’ll give you a crash course in womanhood, Lexi!” Sabrina piped up. “Plus, like, I can’t pass up an opportunity to go on a shopping trip with my gals!”
“Oh,” Syd continued, “we’re also gonna need to get you an artificial ovary implant so you don’t need hormones—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—back up, Syd,” Lexi interrupted. “Why do I need all of this? Isn’t the Goddess’ gift enough to make me a woman?”
“Well, you’ll have your first transformation on the full moon. And you know—of course you know, you fuckin’ beastess nerd,” Syd said as she elbowed Lexi gently, ”—how the first few lunar cycles can have the most dramatic changes on the appearance of a beastess’ human form.”
“So isn’t the wild magic enough? Why do I need an ovary implant? Why do I need nanobots?”
Syd flexed both of her biceps and smirked. “Because you wanna look like me, pup.”
Lexi nearly spat out her coffee she had just taken a sip of. Her cheeks felt hot.
“Hhh … ah, w-well, I mean …” she sputtered. A few of her pack-mates giggled at her flustered state, which only made her blush harder.
“Don’t deny it,” Syd said. “We’re gonna help accelerate the Goddess’ gift. Not too fast, obviously—you still need to be able to look like a guy at the academy, at least for a few weeks while you help us. But it worked on me, and it’s gonna work on you. You wanna be big, strong, and feminine like me? This magitech we’re getting is gonna be your golden ticket.”
Wow. Lexi had seen people with magitech implants and augmentations, obviously—even some paladins got them, and the presbyters were proficient enough in magitech to work with them occasionally—but she had always seen them as debasements of the flesh, defiling the Lord’s creation, only to be used when absolutely necessary and always with the blessing of a presbyter.
It had never occurred to her to ever get one herself.
… She wondered if there were even more augmentations out there that she could find—ones that would get her even closer to having the body of her dreams.
“Where are we going to get all of this?”
Syd gave a wicked grin, baring all of her fangs to Lexi as she waggled her eyebrows in excitement.
“Shadow Town.”
Lexi gulped. Her mouth felt dry.
Shadow Town was located close to the center of Abraxas, slightly east of downtown, and not too far from Club Demiurge, the nightclub she had infiltrated last night. Getting its name from the countless awnings and coverings that shrouded its alleys and streets in darkness—whether it was day or night—it was the slums, black market, and red-light district all rolled into one, in perhaps the most terrifying area of the city. The rule of thumb was you didn’t go there unless you had a very good reason.
Well. Becoming a strong beastess like Syd was probably as good of a reason as any.
Seeing the worry on Lexi’s face, Syd said, “Don’t worry. Shadow Town is neutral territory for all of the Four Packs of Abraxas. Plus, you’ll have three of us there to keep you safe.”
Syd wrapped an arm around Lexi and squeezed her close. Lexi couldn’t help but smile bashfully.
Yeah.
Yeah, she’ll be just fine.
After all, she’s got the big bad wolf herself on her side.
After brunch, as promised, Syd gave Lexi a tour of the den. It was a formerly abandoned large house on the outskirts of the west side of Abraxas. With some funds from Alpha Lea, the Pack of Abraxas West had spruced it up into a nice and cozy living space, with no neighbors and plenty of privacy. Living near an industrial district sometimes had its perks.
As Syd showed Lexi around, it became clear that the pack had built some extra extensions and basement floors into it, so it had other functions too as an adjunct base of operations: a meeting place, equipment storage, a garage workshop, a home gym, a library, and even some rudimentary medical facilities.
It was the coolest place Lexi had ever stayed over at, for sure.
By the time the tour was done, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out in full force, as if Father Sun himself was trying to dry up any evidence of the storm on the city. They decided now was a good time to start getting ready to head out, and they would leave just before sunset.
“So … about this ‘shopping trip’ …” Lexi said, wringing her hands.
“Yes?” Syd said. She cocked an eyebrow.
She might as well come out and say it. A confidence surged through her she didn’t even know she had.
“… Is it just an excuse for you to take me out on a date?” Lexi asked wryly, hands on her hips.
Syd chuckled.
“Sure, let's make it a date together, pup!” She grabbed Lexi in a headlock and ruffled her hair. “Never gone on a date with a fuckin’ paladin before.”
“First time for everything, I guess,” Lexi said, grinning up at Syd.