Even though most of the noise outside remained minimal once I lay back down, fear and frustration kept me awake the rest of the night. At some point, Mary’s breathing slowed, and I knew she slept. The harmless sound helped ease some of my fear of her. However, the creatures that waited outside the door were a different story. I stayed on the floor, moved as little as possible, and thought about what might come next.
A gentle tap on my door at first light gave me the answer.
“If you want to bite me again, go away,” I said, staring at the panel.
Mary immediately sat up and glanced at the door. A smile lit her face.
“She won’t bite you,” she said, standing. As she moved to open the door, I saw Mary wasn’t wearing any pants, just my shirt. I looked away. Who were these people?
The door swung open, and an adult strode in. She wore normal clothes. I couldn’t have been more relieved. Mary closed the door behind the woman, and I noted the complete silence in the hallway.
“Can you sit up, dear?” the woman asked me.
“Are they gone?” I said, sitting up.
“No. But they will behave.” She squatted beside me.
She had very light blonde hair, so light it almost appeared white. She smiled at me and smoothed back my hair with a gentle touch.
“Can I take a look at your neck?”
“I’d rather leave it well-protected.” There was a good two inches of material covering my skin at the moment, and I didn’t want it taken away.
“I understand. However, I would like to check for infection. It wouldn’t do to have you become sick.”
The image of me even more helpless around these people had me nodding. She carefully began to unwind the bandage.
“You were lucky Mary’s pack was near and knew where the first aid supplies were hidden. Let’s see what they did for you.”
The end of the material stuck to my skin. She moved closer and began to work it away with small, slow movements. Most of the cloth was clean, but pink and red stained a few places. When she had the mass of material on the floor next to her, she tilted her head to study what she saw. I wished I had a mirror.
“Who Claimed you?” she asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head the tiniest bit. I’d stumbled into a world I didn’t understand, and she wanted to start questioning me? “That’s not how our conversation is going to start. First, you’ll tell me who you are, then what you are. After that, I’ll leave.”
The woman chuckled. “You’ll need that inner strength to deal with us. I’m Winifred Lewis. According to Mary, you saw one of us change yesterday. So, I think you know what we are. We’re having trouble figuring out what you are, though.”
My eyebrows shot up before I could stop the reaction. My heart did a quick double tap against my ribs.
Hearing her say that I already knew what they were definitely troubled me. I’d seen them change from wolf to man. I’d watched movies, and I knew the Hollywood legends. Never once had I thought any of it real. Yet, believing in werewolves bothered me a lot less than having her question what I might be.
I relaxed my face before I warily asked, “What do you mean?”
“Our kind doesn’t mingle with humans,” she said. “You, however, seem to be causing a stir. There are two males out there who both insist they have Claimed you.”
She’d circled back to the Claiming stuff again. I sighed.
“Since I don’t understand what you’re talking about, I can’t say what they did other than bite me.” I gestured to my neck. “It hurt, and I didn’t like it.”
She studied me for another moment. “Did you find either of them…attractive?”
Two men had bitten me on the neck and she wanted to know if they were attractive? I blinked at her, got to my knees, grabbed my backpack, and stood. This place was crazy, and I wanted nothing to do with it. Neither Ms. Lewis nor Mary moved to stop me as I walked toward the door.
“There’s something special about you, Charlene. Don’t you want to find out what that might be?”
I stopped with my hand on the latch.
“How do you know my name?”
“Mary told me. I can communicate with her silently. It’s a bit hard to explain.”
Still facing the door, I considered what she said. She could do things with her head? Things that most people couldn’t? She had my attention. She knew it, too.
“If you’re willing to stay for a bit, I’m willing to try explaining how it works though,” she said.
“I’d be foolish to stay.”
I couldn’t ignore the fact that these beings had the ability to change from a dog to a person at will and that they liked to bite. Did I want to find out more about them? Yes. They were unique, like me. But they’d already hurt me twice.
“What if I promised no one else would bite you without your permission?” she said.
I snorted. “Permission?” Turning, I shook my head at her. “In what universe would I ever give someone permission to bite me?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know, Charlene. You might find yourself willing at some point. Consider staying. Let me introduce you to the people here.”
“People? No disrespect, but I don’t think that’s the right term.” Not for what I’d witnessed.
She didn’t say anything. I kept my hand on the latch. If I left, where would I go? If I stayed, how long until I died? I closed my eyes, tilted my head back, and silently asked “what next?”
As I stood there waiting, something tickled my senses. Then, I felt the threads of their wills drifting in the stillness around me. Animals didn’t have those threads. Only people. And I could control people.
I opened my eyes and found both Ms. Lewis and Mary watching me closely. Ms. Lewis was right; I was special. So special I needed to hide from the world.
“I won’t allow anymore biting.”
“Neither will I. I promise you are safe.”
“No one is ever safe, Ms. Lewis,” I said. I pictured Penny and the gym of people I’d controlled. “I’d like to leave this room now.”
She stood with a smile. “Certainly. Mary, your father has everyone in the yard.”
Mary, who’d quietly watched our exchange, glanced at the window with worry. “How many?” she asked as she stood.
I walked to the window and looked out. A pack of wolves, at least twenty, waited. And they all watched the window. My stomach churned. I automatically searched out the threads of their wills. The thin strands hovered around them. It gave me comfort. I would be safe, but not because Ms. Lewis said so.
“Twenty,” I said, moving back to the door. I pulled the latch and let myself out. Ms. Lewis and Mary followed behind me.
The halls were clear of most the cobwebs. I doubted it was due to any cleaning effort but rather their fighting and general presence in the halls.
Recalling the layout, I descended the stairs and kept to the hall to the right. At the main entry door, I hesitated a second before pushing it open.
They remained as they were, waiting in a group. As soon as I stepped onto the porch, a collective, angry growl rumbled from the gathering. I stopped moving forward. Before I could do anything, Ms. Lewis spoke.
“No one will bite you again without my permission,” she said. Complete certainty echoed in her words.
I didn’t turn to look at her. I couldn’t take my eyes from the hackle-raised pack of wolves before me. They certainly looked ready to bite.
“How can you be sure?”
She stepped around me so I could see her.
“I’ve told them they couldn’t,” she said, setting a hand on my shoulder.
Her kind smile did little to reassure me as the growling increased in volume. She looked out at the group.
“Protect her. Make her welcome for as long as she wants to stay here. I will return Friday evening to listen to your requests.”
The crowd before us quieted, and she stepped off the porch, obviously intending to leave me. I panicked. My mouth opened, but before I could ask her to wait, the woman disappeared and a white wolf stood in her place. My heart beat hard against my ribs. I struggled to breathe as she turned. Was I a fool to stand in a yard full of wolves? I swallowed hard against the remembered sensation of teeth breaking through my skin. The white wolf nudged my hand with her nose.
“We can smell your fear and hear your heartbeat,” Mary said gently from beside me. “We can sense lies and taste freedom. She says she sees so much potential in you and wonders, if we can do all that, what can you do, Charlene?”
I met the white wolf’s steady gaze and struggled with my choices. These creatures attacked me, bit me, then bandaged me up and protected me. They could do things regular people couldn’t. How long had they existed yet remained hidden from the real world? I was foolish to stay, but was I more foolish to consider leaving?
“I can keep secrets,” I said. Theirs and my own.
The wolf bobbed its head, turned, and I barely caught the streak of white as she left. The other wolves in the yard hardly gave her a glance; they watched me.
“Are you hungry?” Mary asked after a moment.
“Very.” I looked over at her. The shirt just managed to cover her. Still, I blushed seeing her standing there, close to naked, in front of a group of twenty wolves. Wolves that were also men. Given her complete ease with it, I wondered how much time she spent as a girl versus a wolf. Then, I cringed as I considered what her idea of food might be.
“Um, what do you eat?”
She smiled at me. “Rabbit’s good. Let’s go back inside. Someone will bring in wood and a rabbit or two for us, and we’ll have roasted meat.”
I glanced at the group and blushed further as I imagined them strolling in, wearing nothing. I leaned toward Mary.
“If they change into men, can they wear pants, please?” I whispered. A few of the wolves made a coughing noise.
“We have very good hearing,” she said with a laugh. She tugged me back through the door. “We’ll see what we can do about clothes. Wini mentioned you might find it embarrassing if we walked about without them.”
“Do you usually? Walk around without clothes, I mean,” I said as I followed her down the hall.
She smiled and touched the shirt she wore before answering.
“I usually walk around with fur.”
We entered the main room, and I was surprised to see wood near an already lit fire. She walked toward the fireplace and sat near the flames. Though it was warm outside, it was cool enough inside that the fire wasn’t too much.
“I’m glad you’re staying, by the way,” she said.
“I never said that.” Yet, here I was. “Will everyone else stay outside?” I asked. The possibility of lying down for a nap drew me to her side. My throat was getting sore, and I was tired from so little sleep the night before. But I wanted to know how safe it would be to sleep.
“Yes. Not many of us like to stay in these buildings.”
“Good. If it’s all right with you, I think I’ll lay down for a bit. You’ll stay with me?”
She nodded, and I lay on the floor and closed my eyes.
The smell of roasting meat invaded my dreams, and I woke with a growling stomach.
Mary knelt by the fire, watching a rabbit cook. She wore loose pants, now, though her feet were still bare. As if sensing my regard, she turned.
“It’s just about done,” she said.
I sat up and winced at the soreness in my neck.
“Wini suggested we clean your neck with alcohol a few times today.” She tilted her head and watched me closely. When I didn’t say anything, she grabbed the white bottle beside her and handed it to me. On top rested a clean cotton cloth. I stared at the cloth and frowned. Where were they getting all these supplies from? She caught my look.
“Dad sent others for more things. I have clothes, and you have a bed.”
I wet the piece of cloth with alcohol as I turned my head and saw a narrow bed set up beside me. It looked very similar to the bed I’d left behind. The white, wood frame supported the metal spring on which the mattress lay. A clean comforter covered the mattress, and a fluffy pillow rested by the headboard. I reached out, tugged the comforter back, and saw white sheets. A complete bed. I touched the mattress with longing. How had they managed that?
Mary took the rabbit from the fire and set it on a ceramic plate, pulling my attention from the bed. I absently started to dab the alcohol on my neck and cringed from the sting of it. Trying to distract myself, I looked around and noted other additions.
A pitcher, two glasses, and two plates waited on the mantel. On the foot of the bed rested another blanket and a stack of clothes, including a towel. A bowl sat on the floor under the bed along with a large cooking pot. Further away was a familiar bucket. I didn’t think I could use it in an open space like this.
The new items were as far as they’d gone to improve the living conditions. Wind swept through the room, rustling the leaves still on the dusty floor.
“Here you go,” Mary said, drawing my attention to the plate she held out. Half the rabbit lay on it.
I accepted the plate and dug in. Between bites, I started asking questions.
“What happened to the two that bit me?”
She grinned. “The rest chased them off. They had their chance and failed.”
“Chance for what?”
“To Claim you for their own. For whatever reason, their bite didn’t take hold. Probably because they weren’t meant for you. Either way, they won’t get another chance. Word is spreading. There are many more who will want a first chance, and they won’t allow those two a second one.
Many more? The idea of others wanting to…wait, what? “What do you mean Claim?” I knew it meant biting me, but they kept talking about it like it was something beyond just that.
She gave me a look. “To be a pair.”
“Pair? You mean like boyfriend and girlfriend?”
She shook her head slowly then shrugged, obviously not understanding what I meant, either.
“It’s where the male tells the rest that the female is his. Mating usually occurs shortly afterward.”
I stopped chewing and stared at her. I totally understood what she meant by mating.
“I’m glad you’re here with me,” she said again. “This was supposed to be the start of my Introductions. That’s why we were on our way here. Finding you distracted everyone a bit.”
“What do you mean?”
“Instead of looking at me to see if I’m suitable to Claim, everyone’s looking at you. I don’t mind. The thought of Claiming…” She shrugged and glanced at my neck. “I was nervous. Still am.”
She’d come here with the purpose of meeting a “nice” wolf who would bite her neck and then immediately…I shook my head. She seemed close to my age. Too young. I preferred my dreams of the ring-proposal method and the delays brought with it.
“So you’ll stay here until someone Claims you?” I asked.
“Not usually. We tend to meet here every few days so the attention doesn’t become overwhelming for me. Dad promised Wini he’d stay here, though, until she returns. That means I’ll stay too.”
“When’s Friday?”
She shrugged. “I was going to ask you that.”
I’d lost track of the days weeks ago. “Where did Ms. Lewis go?”
She giggled. “No one calls her Ms. Lewis. Wini or Winifred. She’s different. She lives in the human world as a teacher. She had to go back to teach her kids.”
The way she said that told me a lot. Most of their kind did, then, live in their fur. Winifred did not. It explained why she appeared with clothes on and how she knew I’d be uncomfortable with Mary walking around naked. A werewolf teacher. My mind had difficulty with that. I tried to picture my chemistry teacher as a werewolf and just couldn’t.
“What happens next?” I asked.
“We wait for her to come back to talk to the males who want to Claim you.”
I chewed in silence for a moment. My eyes drifted to the broken window. The bright light of midday made me squint. Throughout the entire conversation small sounds had drifted in from outside: a distant bark, general movement, and the chirping of birds.
“How many?” I said, using her words from earlier.
“I didn’t go out. But there are more.”
We finished eating, and she took the bones and threw them into the fire. Using the bowl under the bed, we worked together to pump water and wash the plates.
“If you get hungry, just say. They’re all willing to do anything that might win them some favor.”
“What kind of favor?” I wasn’t about to offer up my neck.
“Wini probably won’t give anyone permission to Claim you unless you agree to it. They’re looking for ways to win your support.”
“Ah.” That was unlikely to happen. We set the plates on the mantel and looked at each other at a loss. A light breeze stirred a leaf on the floor.
“Got a broom?” I asked finally.
“What’s a broom?”
I shook my head. How did she know what a bed was but not a broom?
I eyed the door. If we opened it, we might be able to kick out most of the debris. I hesitated because of the men outside and mentally scolded myself. If they were going to come in, they would have already. Nothing was stopping them. I doubted Mary’s presence was that much of a deterrent. But would they see an open door as an invitation? I didn’t want to put myself into a position where I’d need to control them like I had with Penny and all the people at school.
“Is it safe to open the door?”
“Sure. They won’t come in, but they’ll watch us.”
Just as I’d figured and hoped.
Once we kicked the leaves out, we could maybe use one of my shirts to screen the window and give us privacy. Standing there watching the fire burn low, I realized the direction of my thoughts. I wanted to clean the place up as if I intended to stay, not just until I learned more about them, but permanently. Did I really want that?
Despite what had happened, I did. This place had no electricity or plumbing; and, without the generosity of the people here, I had no source of food. Was I crazy? I didn’t think so. I realized there was a high threat here. I allowed my fingers to drift up to my collarbone, but I caught myself before touching my wounds. I didn’t want to contaminate the bites. Was the threat here any higher than in the real world? No, it was just different.
In the real world, I could picture myself caught and taken to a secret lab where cold-hearted scientists would poke and prod me. It would only take one person of importance to believe Penny. If they caught me by surprise and knocked me unconscious, my ability wouldn’t save me. Here, I had a chance at freedom. These people didn’t want to dissect me, they wanted to, what? Date me?
Decided, I walked to the door and opened it. All the wolves in the yard turned toward me. I didn’t look at them and tried to pretend my heart hadn’t just leapt in fear at their attention. Instead, I focused on the sun angling through the door. The light warmed me.
Sunlight and fresh air won over a cage.
I took a step back from the door, then turned to get my bag. From a pocket, I pulled the money I’d hoarded during my journey. Ms. Lewis—Winifred—had asked them to make me welcome, and Mary had said they would be willing to help me. Standing with the money, I nervously approached the door once more.
“Would any of you be willing to get a few things for me? I’m not sure how close the nearest grocery store is, and you’d need clothes to enter the store.”
Immediately, several of them dashed from the yard into the trees.
“It’ll take them a bit to find clothes,” Mary said from behind me.
“They have them hidden somewhere?”
“No. Usually they take them off a laundry line. Some of the clever ones can get into houses without being noticed.”
I glanced at my bed. “You mean these things are stolen?”
“How else would we get them? We have nothing to trade.”
“Only Winifred has a job?” I asked.
Mary stared at me for several long moments.
“She says there are a few others. But not many. Mostly, the men only resort to jobs when they want something they can’t steal.”
“She says?” I asked. Then I realized she meant Winifred. “You’re talking to her now? How?”
“In my head. Elders, like Winifred, connect us all. They help us communicate with each other. That’s how the families know to meet here for an Introduction and how the unMated males know when to show up.” Mary looked outside at the remaining wolves while I tried to wrap my head around what she’d said. Winifred’s abilities were impressive.
I followed Mary’s gaze and found the remaining wolves watching us. My pulse jumped a little; their scrutiny unnerving me.
I’d hoped to send one of them for supplies and to start cleaning. But to start cleaning, I’d need to leave this room. The idea of walking around out there…well, I was having a hard time picturing it without them running after me.
“Can I go out there?” I asked.
“Sure. Why?”
“I was thinking. If we took a bunch of that thick grass at the edge of the clearing and tied it into a tight bundle, we could use it as a broom and start cleaning this place out.”
However, my feet stayed where they were, safely inside. My hand drifted up and hovered over the marks on my neck. I closed the door, walked back to the bed, and sat down. Logically, I knew I could stop them from biting me. I’d felt their wills; they weren’t just wild animals I couldn’t control. But that understanding didn’t overcome my fear.
“Are you okay?” Mary asked.
“No,” I said. The sound was more a hoarse rasp than a word. “I can still feel their teeth on me. Seeing all of them out there…”
She didn’t say anything. I stared at the dying coals until someone knocked on the door. We both turned toward the sound, but neither of us moved. It wasn’t fear that held me this time. It was surprise. They knew to knock? I looked at Mary. She looked at me and shrugged.
“Yes?” I called.
“We have the grass,” a rough voice said.
Mary walked to the door and opened it. Men, wearing pants, stood outside. Each held a bundle of grass. When the ones in front saw Mary, they shifted their positions in an attempt to see around her. Those behind them craned their necks, too. They wanted to see me. However, they didn’t try to enter. They just waited and watched, each holding a clump of long grass.
I forced myself to stand and went to the door. The first man held out his fistful of grass.
“For you.” Red tinted his cheeks as he handed it over.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling equally uncomfortable.
One by one, they handed me grass until I had a pile next to the door large enough for several brooms. After the last one left, Mary closed the door, gave me an undecipherable look, and motioned for me to follow her. We went to the room I’d first slept in. She shut the door and turned to me.
“I have never seen anything like that before,” she said in a whisper.
“What do you mean?”
She motioned for me to keep my voice down and peeked out the window. I followed her gaze. Men and wolves mingled in the yard.
“They don’t do that,” she said, moving away from the window. She caught my puzzled look and pointed at my neck. “They do that. They see a female and Claim her. If there’s someone else interested, they fight for the right to her. They’ll hunt for you, but they don’t bring you things. They don’t try to get on your good side first. I thought they might be nicer to you, but that was unbelievable.”
Bringing grass to a girl was unbelievable? It hardly seemed worthy of her astonishment. Yet, it was their way. I sat on the floor and started winding together some of the grass I still held. Mary sat next to me.
“No flowers, nice dinners, or seeing a show. Just a life-threatening bite on the neck.” It seemed a very harsh courtship. Nothing I wanted any part of.
“It’s not life-threatening to us. We heal quickly. The ones who bit you didn’t know you wouldn’t heal.”
I didn’t think it made it any better, but tried to look at it from her point of view. Would I feel differently about the bites if they were already healed? I couldn’t decide.
She watched as I wove the top of two clumps together. When I had a decent bunch, I stood and tried it. It worked all right.
“Here,” I said, handing the sad little broom to Mary. “Can you start sweeping this room out? I’ll get more of the grass.”
She took the broom with an arched brow but nodded. I left her there, sweeping awkwardly, and made my way to the main room.
As soon as I entered, someone knocked on the door, and I regretted leaving Mary behind.
I’ll be fine, I told myself as I squared my shoulders. I’d run from Penny. I wouldn’t run from them, unless they started eyeing my neck again. My shoulders slumped, and my hand drifted upward in a protective gesture. I didn’t want to experience that ever again.
Another knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. What to do?
“You said you needed supplies.” The hesitant voice beyond the door gave me my answer.
With a sigh, I cautiously opened the door. Men waited, and the rest of the wolves shuffled around behind them. They were so different. I was different, too. Different didn’t necessarily mean bad. As Mary had pointed out, the first two hadn’t known I wasn’t one of them. I needed to give the rest a chance, didn’t I?
“Have any of you ever been inside a grocery store?” I asked.
No one responded.
“Have any of you used money before?”
They remained quiet. It looked like I wouldn’t get any of the things I’d wanted.
“Winifred is willing to help whoever you send,” the one closest to me said. He had dark brown eyes and wore his light brown hair in shaggy waves back from his face. Sparse whiskers grew on his chin and upper lip. He watched me with interest but seemed relaxed.
Since he’d answered, I handed him the money from my pocket.
“Canned vegetables and a can opener, nails—as many as you can buy—and a hammer, toilet paper, and a handsaw. I don’t know how much of that you can get. Just don’t steal anything.”
When he turned, the men parted and watched him leave.
I eased the door closed, collected my grass, and went to join Mary. If I worried each time I had to open the door, how would I ever be able to live here?
We had the bed moved into the newly cleaned room and another rabbit roasting on the fire by the time the man returned. When he handed me the bag, he gave me an expectant smile. I wasn’t sure what he wanted.
“Thank you. What’s your name?”
“Anton.”
“Thank you, Anton.”
He grinned wider, nodded, and walked away. With relief, I went to sit by Mary, who waited near the fire. Inspecting the bag, I pulled out each item and found we had the nails we needed but no hammer. There were also several canned goods, an opener, a handsaw, and my change.
“Why do you need all of that?” Mary asked.
“Because, if I’m going to stay here, we need to fix this place up. Winter will be cold, won’t it?”
She started shaking her head then stopped. “Without fur, yes. So you know how to fix things?”
I shook my head. “But it’ll be easier to learn that than it would to grow fur.”
She nodded, and we ate the rabbit as the light faded.
