Werewolves, also known as Lycanthropes and the Children of the Moon, are a species of Downworlders. Like vampires, werewolves are humans infected with a demonic disease, which gives them the ability to transform—or Change—into powerful wolves/humanoid wolves and gain their inhuman strength and enhanced capabilities.

 

Lycanthropy transforms a human into a werewolf, a demihuman whose demonic infection causes them to transform into a large and dangerous wolf under the light of the full moon, though they can also Change at will. Some wolves who have been wolves for years can even refuse to change at the light of a full moon, though this has been proven difficult. Werewolves in their lupine form are not merely wolves; they possess unnatural strength and speed comparable to that of demons, and their claws and canines are strong enough to be able to slash through a chain-link fence or bite through a padlock. While they still bear a little resemblance to their human selves while Turned, their eyes become that of a wolf's, now the colors have been showed to vary. As there is some sort of pack mentality with shifting, alpha wolves tend to be larger while the second in commands or middle class known as betas tend to be of a slightly slender build but strong in their own rights. Omegas tend to be scrawny and almost runt like, omegas are also rarely seen in packs and normally on their own without the aid of a larger force of wolves.

 

In addition to their supernatural strength, grace, and reflexes, werewolves have the same unnaturally accelerated healing abilities as most other Downworlders. They cannot regenerate a severed limb, but they can recover quickly from most mundane wounds.

 

In human form, they look fairly normal, albeit a little ragged, as many of their kind do not care much about their appearances and do not bother to clean themselves up. Werewolves also retain their superhuman speed and strength while in human form. Werewolves are also mortal; they age and die normally like ordinary humans, though they do grow slightly faster. Some werewolves though have been found alive for centuries, it depends on the strength of the demonic disease. Though it seems those of the stronger breed have died out for good, most likely from over hunting by humans or nephilim during the downworlder wars.

 

As werewolves, they follow the long held tradition of being mortal enemies of vampires. Maia explains that the demons who passed on the disease to humans that gave birth to vampires and werewolves are believed to have been mortal enemies, and, as a result, the prejudice was passed down through their respective races.

The bite of a werewolf has a fifty/fifty chance of turning the poor person who has been bitten.

 

• Weaknesses

 

The only ways to permanently wound or kill a werewolf are either with the angelic fire of a seraph blade or with pure silver. Silver is associated with the moon, and wounds made with silver weapons will not only cause permanent damage to the wounded but will also cause them great pain, as even their enhanced healing abilities are not effective when a wound is inflicted by silver. Any Institute will have a cache of silver weapons in place for just this reason, in case of rogue werewolves.