Chapter 7 –

When we reached Zak’s house, we saw that Cameron was back at the house. Her car was a cherry red convertible that was parked in the driveway, next to brown truck and a dark blue 1085 Buick.

The last thing I expected to see when I was idling back to Zak’s house was a large shirt and sweats hung on a hanger on the side of the house. At least that’s what it looked liked when I approached it. A white simi-transparent plastic bag was covering it from the moist rain.

The rain was coming down harder, but not enough to deter me from anything, if I was doing anything of importance. It was now pitch black outside, but it would have been to a normal person.

I looked up absently observing the clouds as I took the clothes off the hook. I couldn’t describe the large cloud other than a large black sheet.

I walked to the onning that was located at the kitchen door, making large imprints in the mud as I passed. Of course I was still in my werewolf form with soaking wet gray fur that I shook off like a dog when I was underneath the onning. I minds well be dry if I was going to deform.

Deforming I hadn’t the faintest clue how to do, and just like transforming, I wasn’t going to ask how to do it. For the same reasons as before, I wasn’t going to have to pack have something to snicker about.

It must had something to do with the heat that wrapped itself around me. Something like that…

I concentrated on the heat that surrounded me. The act would seem ridicules because who ever did? I willed it to go away, to just fade away for the time being.

I felt the tingling feeling on my back. The heat seemed to ripple a crossed me back as I felt it starting. I heard I started to feel parts of my fur began to fall off, in large clumps. Next one of my legs gave a snap as it formed into a human foot. The act was so swift that the sudden imbalance made me tip over. My mind was just started to get foggy when I fell. I hit the ground before I could catch myself.

The numbness started to take over.

This transformation didn’t seem right for some reason. Would there be a difference between forming into a werewolf and back into a human? The processed didn’t seem right. My right side of my body was staying wolfish while the left was warping itself into a human. My skull suddenly felt like putty and someone was molding half of it to a human’s skull. I felt half my fangs recede while the others seemed to grow larger. What was happening?

It hit me as I felt my left side of my muscles began to deflate. I had done something wrong with the transformation. I panicked. I concentrated for it to stop but it wouldn’t cease. I had no control.

A minute passed until I felt my left side of my body stop quivering with the essences of transformation.

I opened my eyes vaguely, having to close them before. I saw two trees. Two trees that were identical but different in a vary huge way. I was seeing double. My eyes weren’t working together with my brain. My right eye saw the tree and every nook and cranny it had, such as the moss on the bark or the little individual rain drop that was about to fall off a leaf; while my left eye just saw the tree but not and distinct figures.

How could have this happened?

I got up wearily, using a bar girder that was holding up the oning, first on onto my beast foot then my human. I immediately lost my center of gravity again and nearly feel over once when I let go of the bar. I quickly grabbed it.

Why hadn’t Zak told me about this? I asked myself. Why hadn’t he just been out here waiting for me? The thought made me angry. Angry that I could just spit at. I furrowed my eyes and wobbled toward the door.

I heard many sounds from inside the house when I entered. Such as the TV going on in the living room, something boiling in the kitchen while someone was cooking over it, and many feet wondering around the house. One pair of heavy feet made its way to whoever was behind the stove cooking.

“Hey babe,” came Zak’s deep and baritone voice, “What are you cooking?”

“Oh hey Zak,” came a female voice, sounding not in the least surprised, “I am cooking some ravioli, for dinner.”

They didn’t noticed me for some reason. I would expect they could hear everything and anything going on around the house, like the rain drops singing their song on the roof. Deciding anyways, I continued to walk toward the kitchen.

I wasn’t paying any attention to their conversation anymore. Why should I? I had a bone to pick with Zak. As I walked, my talon claws were silently tapping against the floor.

I now stood in the kitchen. I saw Zak and what would most likely be Cameron facing the stove, facing not toward me. Zak’s body was nearly hiding the stove and Cameron. But I saw her at an angle, still not facing Zak.

She twirled around toward Zak with allegiance of a ballerina. I saw her face just then. She was beautiful none the less. Her burette hair swirled around her, revealing her face. She had thin lips that were curled up in a smile and her eyes were they color of safaris.

It was just then when she was looking at Zak that she saw that I was in the kitchen.

Her eyes widened for a moment and for a second, I could see something in them. Hilarity? But it vanished for a moment to be replaced by a smile.

“You must be Luke,” she said, her smile growing.

Zak whipped around to face me, probably he didn’t want to be interrupted. He faced me. In the few seconds that he did, his face showed shock then he burst into laughter. His laughter was so loud that I could have half expect the window to rattle in its frame or shadder from the sonic boom.

His laugh was still baritone and it carried his laughter though out the house. The action had caused the feet from upstairs and whoever was watching TV in the living room to jump and scamper toward the kitchen.

I stood there, my eyes furrowed even more. Could he show at least some dignity and help me? I asked, my lips curling. A few seconds passed and I saw Shawn and Jerrick entering the kitchen, both of their faces had an expression that a bomb had gone off.

Simultaneously they turned toward me, took half a second of examining me and they began to howl with laughter as well.

This was just to much for me. What do they think is so funny? I asked myself. I felt a bolt of heat struck down my spine and in its wake I began to feel the blazing heat rush up my back, hotter than I have ever felt before. Before I knew what I was doing, I lunged toward Jerrick, who was the closest, and I felt the sudden change in me.

My body warped for the briefest and before I knew what had happened, I was taking most of the kitchen space with my huge body and girth. The anger was all that I felt now, nothing else. I still wasn’t in clawing distance of Jerrick but in a split second, Zak was in front of me recoiling a fist.

Regardless of my body mass, I was still sent backward. I landed with a boom that shook the kitchen. I was looking at the ceiling now, dazed and confused. My mind was foggy as well and my vision was seeing stars. The stars disappeared instantly just as they appeared.

I saw Cameron was bending down, leaning over me for a closer observation. I hadn’t noticed before, but the scent of Cameron was just as nice as looking at her. Her perfume was that of roses and a mixture of other wild flowers. It smelt so good and pleasant. I smiled, nearly forgetting what had just happened. Nearly.

Zak came into my vision, his arms were folded a crossed his massive chest. He may still seem huge but I nearly took up all the space of the kitchen. My tail brushed his boots.

“Ever heard of control, Luke?” he ask shaking his head.

I growled, but the meaning was clear.

“Luke, don’t worry about that.” Cameron said, brushing the fur on my skull. The act was completely motherly. I kinda felt natious as she did it. But it did relaxing.

“Come on, Cam,” Zak complained, “Don’t baby him.”

Cameron got up swiftly, backing away from me, shaking her head.

“Okay, you two go watch TV.” She said, waving away Shawn and Jerrick. A second later I saw Nathan and Aiden enter the kitchen through the door from the hallway. Smiles flashed on their faces once when they saw me. “You too you two,” she said again waving them away. I saw Jerrick sneer at me before everybody left.

I briefly wondered why Zak hadn’t object to Cameron’s orders but it came to me that Zak was going to help me deform back into my human form. Which meant that I wouldn’t have anything on besides the skin on my back. It was a good thing, I didn’t feel like showing the rest of the pack members more than what they needed to see.

Zak clap your hands together, “Okay Luke, deform back into a human.” His voice full of sarcasm.

I gave an exasperated look at him which caused him to chuckle.

I figured that I should sit up now, instead of laying on the floor. I did so. I was nearly bigger than Cameron when I sat up. My head came to her shoulders.

“Okay now you need to imagine your human form, or what you saw in the bathroom mirror.” His voice trailed off as he looked away.

I knew what he was implying. There only could be one thing. What I saw in the bathroom was not what I have ever looked liked. I closed my eyes and imagined what I had looked like in the mirror. My chin and my new physique. It was all new to me. I had muscles now and especially since I was a werewolf. The thought of me being a werewolf now, even though I was one, still seemed to be farfetched; even though I knew they existent. Existeted in this new world that was just outside of my backdoor in this county of Washington.

When I was younger, I have always kept the idea of myths and magic kept in my head and fantasized about become someone or something of a myth. I would have dressed up as monsters on Halloween and roam around all by myself and acted like I lived in a world of nightmares and horror. Wondering around and socizling with zombies with their guts hanging out, or toilet paper-wrapped mummies.

It always seemed to be the right thing to do then because everybody else did that, and who was I to defy what everybody else did… at least until I grew up.

I never really liked my mother in the case that one might love their mother. Diane was just some person in my life that fed and gave me a roof over my head. Just gave me a place to sleep at night. In fact, a few years ago I figured out that I was just an item to lower insurance. But of course that didn’t really matter to me. I never felt loved by her so why would that make any difference. But now however, I was beginning to wonder what she would do now that I pretty much ran away?

When ever I was growing up and even going through puberty, Diane wasn’t there. She worked 24/7 as an account at the Washington State Bank in Vancouver. She getting off from work would be as common as her starting her own naked cooking show with the New York Yankees.

I have learned at an early age that getting love from Diane was just not possible. She always did something to keep her occupied after I was old enough to walk and podie trained. I shivered. The thoughts of those days of infanties and adolescence were to much to bare. When I was young I tried to get some kind of love or affection out of that woman, but she had always been busy. So at an early age I figured that she was not worth the trouble.

I gave a labored breath as I came back to earth with my eyes still shut. Wasn’t I support to be doing something? Changing back into a human? I gave another long sigh and pictured what I had looked like in that bathroom mirror. But something wasn’t right… I felt a cold breeze it my face. I paused…. If I was a werewolf, than wouldn’t it take a big gust for me to feel the breeze on my hot and furry skin?

I opened my eyes and saw Cameron leaning over me. Her face was still the same but with a new smile.

“You are cute,” she said a bit to much enthusiasm.

What was she talking about? I was still a werewolf….

“You do look different than you did earlier today, Luke,” Zak said for the periphery of my vision. “You should look in the mirror or something.”

I sat up once more, “What are you guys talking about?” I asked with a bit on annoyance. Something hit me in the gut. I had just spoke with my lips. As I did I felt my lips touch each other in intrakite forms to make the words. I reached up and felt my face. No muzzle or fur. No fangs or wet nose.

“Ay.” I said to myself.

“Anyways Luke,” Zak elaborated, drawling his words out. “You better go get some cloths on.

Hurriedly I jumped up to my feet with a start as my stomach did five somersaults. No wonder why the breeze was so breeze! I dove toward the bag of clothes.

A minute later I was fully dressed in the stretchy sweat pants and loose fitting shirt. Although I knew neither Zak and Cameron were human, I knew they would do a human reaction and look away.

“Okay,” I said walking toward the kitchen door that led into the living room, “I am dressed.”

“Oh wait, Luke,” Cameron said, grabbing my shoulder. Again the act seemed motherly. “Zak has something to say to you.”

This couldn’t be what I think is it? I asked myself….

Zak gave a drawn out sigh, “I am sorry that I didn’t tell you to wait to deform.” He mumbled. The tone sounded sincer but it also had a hint of sarcasm, which was none the less of what I expected from a pack leader.

“Even though he doesn’t sound like it, he does,” Cameron said, filling in my thoughts. “We are truly grateful to have you in our pack and home, Luke. Welcome home!” Her smile was way to big on her face.

I gave a nod, and figured I might say something too. “It means a lot to me that you opened your doors to me.”

“Well…” Zak drawled, “We need all the pack members we can get, even though you were the accident.

I paused and just remembered what I was going to ask Zak.

“What exactly are we hear for Zak?” I asked the obvious question.

Zak gave a long drawn out sigh before answering.

“What don’t you get Luke?” he asked, “We moved out of Scythia and migrated here. There is nothing in preticualer we are here about.” His words seemed to twisted to mean anything. I could tell if he was lying, and he was. I needed to find out, but not now. It just occurred to me that I was running on adrenaline from the transformations. All of those must have filled my system. But now I could feel it wearing off slowly, and along with that, I felt sleep crawling on the brink of my conciseness.

I nodded vaguely.

Cameron, ever the mother in this house, noticed at once at my sudden fatigue. “Luke, you look like you’re going to pass out any minute.” She said in her soft voice. “Don’t worry about tomorrow.”

I didn’t need to hear anymore. I made my way into the living room where I saw Jerrick and Shawn both staring at the TV, both to absorbed in whatever was on to notice me.

When I reached my new bedroom, I toppled on my cot/makeshift bed. It didn’t occur to me that I had toppled on a pile of clothes that were stacked neatly on my bed. Could this mother thing get any worse and did the rest of the guys get treated this way?

I sighed and drifted into sleep.

I woke up in the night or what could be an early morning. A ray of sun light had leaking though the curtains that were opposite from the bed I was on. It was morning and yet I still tired than anything else. My eyes drooped and I faded back into sleep.

I woke again but this time the sunlight was pouring into the bedroom that lit up the shadows that had been there the night before.

I wearily sat up and swung my legs off the bed. I sat there, my head groggy and the fatigue was still heavy in my eyes. Of course I knew where I was. The place that I had been before but this time I could feel that something was different. Different but I couldn’t explain it because not even I knew.

I stood up, deciding to find the rest of the pack.

I heard the TV was on in the living room and a chatter of a few voice.

“Don’t you think we should wake him up?” came Nathan’s voice. Unlike me, it sounded like he was fully awake.

“Na,” came Zak’s deep voice, “The change needs to set in. Who knows, it could take days or weeks. You remember your change don’t you?”

“Yes I do,” Nathan’s voice was trailing off, like he was remembering the experience.

Change, what do they mean? I thought to myself. Thinking besides, I crossed to the rest room where I first found my morphed body. When I entered for the second time, it was no different from the first. I looked in the mirror and recoiled in shock and the fatigue instantly melted away.

In the mirror was a huge muscular figure that nearly touched the ceiling with a large brow and and scorning eyes. I jumped back as I the revelation hit me.

I woke up bolt up right breathing vary heavily. My heart was beating like a drum in a rock band concert. My eyes looked around hurriedly as I realized where I was. I was in the room that I had first woken up when I arrived at Zak’s house, my bedroom. The room was dark, but I could see regardless.

It was just a nightmare, I told myself, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. Then an idea came into my head. Do I looked like the figure I seen in the mirror? I wasn’t tired at all, my scare and ran the fatigue out of me. I stood up and stretched. My back gave a few pops as I rotated my back. There was a closet to the side of the room that I just noticed. Maybe with any luck, there would be a mirror in it.

Do I really want to see it? See me? What if I was that burly figure that I saw in my dream? Could I handle it? I stopped thinking right there. What was I talking about? Why would I care what I look like? I never did when I was human, or at least fully human. Why would I have been scared of looking at my reflection. Even if I did look like a Zak figure, who would care? I was living in a house full of werewolves.

I opened to closet door to find a long rectangle mirror bolted to the door. The mirror was spotless and was incased in a white casing. I looked different, that much I could tell. I reached out to touch my reflection. I was redder than I was yesterday and my chest stuck out more, large and wide. I began to wonder if I would be able to fit on my cot for vary longer.

My arms where larger and my hands where huge, or they looked huge to me. They probably could have covered half of a water melon. My face was the same as I had saw it the last time I looked at it, although my eyes where a deeper color of red…. Red eyes.

I walked to the window that was near my cot, thinking. Why did I have red eyes while none of the other pack members did? Was it that I was new or was it just that I was different than the others, as other had different colors of fur. Now that I thought of it, I never looked at the colors of eyes as the others.

I jumped as I heard someone snore loudly. It sounded like a bark from a dog. The sudden noice had just made me think of something. How were we suppose to stay in Amboy if we were never going to age? Would we move to a new house and new town… and what would the residence think?

I sighed. Yet another questioned that needed solving.

That night, I went back to bed and tried to get some sleep. I woke up a few hours later with the early ray of lights pouring from my window. I stayed in bed, looking at the ceiling, listening for anything. Erritably and annoyed, I stood up and crossed to my door and opened it.

Nobody was in the hallway. It was dark of course but there was no need to flick on the lights. To the right of me there was the living room and to the left where more doors. My footsteps were even more silent than a whisper as I walked. The hallway was wide enough for me to walk freely and tall enough for me to stretch my arms up. Many pictures lined to walls in a strait line.

One however caught my attention. It was a loosely painted portrait of a man in a field with an infant next to him, and from the heavens, wolf was padding down on an invisible road. Was the man going to give the infant up as a sacrifice? I continued on.

I passed more doors and a bend in the hall that went up stairs. I had to say that this house was huge. The stairs were carpeted like the hallway was. I climbed them and winced as my foot made a tiny floorboard squeak. I paused for a second, listening to see if anybody had noticed. Nobody did. I continued up stairs until I was on the landing. Here was a longer hallway than the one downstairs. Clear down it was another stair case.

How many rooms does this place have? I asked myself about to turn to go back down stairs.

Just then, I heard a door open. I swung around to see Shawn stepping into the hallway, stretching his arms and yawning. He face toward me and a broad smile appeared on his face. As he spoke, I wondered why I hadn’t heard him walking to his door.

“Morning,” he said, smiling. A few short steps and he was already four feet from me. I slightly had to crain my neck to see his face.

“Morning,” I said, backing away slightly to see his full frame. Now that I was alone with him, I noticed he had a oversized black shirt on that had the words in red, Amboy. His chest was wide and puffed out, not that was unnatural. I am sure heh was comparing his body to my developing one.

“So tell me,” he said, stretching again and rotating his spine, making a popping sound, “How was it when the wolf spirit took over you mind.”

“Umm,” I stammered, kind of thrown off by the question, “It was creepy because I had no control and yet it was… tasteful because the blood….” My voice faded as I was thinking of the experience. The memory of last night ran shivers down my spine, shivers of pleasure.

“Yeah,” he said chuckling, “I remember my first kill.” He looked up, most likely think of his fond memory.

“How old are you?” I asked, knowing the question would catch him offgaurd.

“Umm what?” he said, coming back to reality.

“How old are you?” I repeated.

“I am 31 years old,” he said, “and I think I am in pretty good shape.” He flex his arms the way Arnold Shwarniager would have.

“Yes vary impressive.” I said rolling my eyes and turning around to head back down stairs.

“What no more questions?” Shawn said from behind me, “No I think we’re good here.”

“Well that’s good, but I have a question to ask you.”

I stopped and looked at him. He was leaning on the reinforced steel railings that leaned over the stairs.

“What do you think of us?”

“Us?” I asked confused.

“What do you think of the pack?”

That was what I have been thinking, sitting at the window a few hours earlier. What did I think of the pack? The question seemed to be like a double negative. The pack was inertly different from any group of people I have seen, and all of them were hulked up, excluding Cameron. But despite how everybody was, this was my new family. I could have cared less because I had a family. All of them had their features that stood out. Shawn and Jerrick had the cockiness of quarterback at a high school, while Zak erificly loved Cameron, who was exceptionally motherly. Nathan was kind and had welcomed me without any question. The same with went Aiden. Venn was knowledgeable and unique in his own way, seeing how he wasn’t a full fledged werewolf as were everybody else in the house. But taking the factor away that they werewolves, you would have a house full of humans.

As I thought about Shawn’s question again from a different angel, I began to wonder if he was expecting an answer like the ones I thought of. I gave a look at him, still leaning against the raining at the top of the stairs, intently waiting for an answer.

“I think everybody belongs here and everybody his happy here.” Okay not the truth of what I had thought of, but whatever. I was half of it anyways.

Shawn looked puzzled as he shifted his feet.

“Are you happy here, Luke?” he said, his deep voice rumbled in a low volume.

Of course I was. I had a family that seemed like they cared about me, but I couldn’t be sure with everybody. So what would happen if Jerrick didn’t like me. Would it matter? I changed my thoughts to the others. Nathan was glad that I was here, no doubt about that. Although the word happy seemed to be an understatement. I had a family that would be the same as me when my human form shifted for the better.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I have been happy?” I asked, turning the question on him.

He thought for a second. “Well you seem to be in to much thought most of the time. Like you judge every step you take before you move.”

Okay, I did think a lot. But that reason was because when growing up I only had myself most of the time, and I myself only wanted one person inpreticuar. And that was of course Jenn.

In that moment, my mind instantaneity switch to her. The way her hair flowed in the breeze while the wind swept through it and the smell of her perfume…. Quickly I focused on Shawn, not wanting my reality slip away as it did often. Quickly I thought of a rebudle to his answer.

“Well, I think I hear Nathan watching TV now.” I said, and it wasn’t a lie. The sounds of the television, even thought it was on low volume, came up stairs to our ears.

“Oh yeah,” Shawn said, distracted or not wanting to speak with me anymore. “I think Sports Center is on.” He hurried down the stairs, taking five steps each step, passing me so fast that I felt the wind behind him. Of course, despite everybody’s sizes, they were all a fast. Could I be faster than anyone when I do change? Possibly but I continued to walk toward the living room. I could hear Nathan greet Shawn and Shawn’s excaperatiedness as he told Nathan to turn it to the sports station.

When I came into the living room, I saw that Nathan was sitting on the couch and Shawn was leaning back in the recliner. It just hit me, these werewolves did seem awfully lazy. I sat down on the other end of the couch, next to Nathan. He turned toward me as I sat.

“How was your first sleep here in the house full of werewolves?” he asked, a bit childishly-as much a werewolf could get his deep voice to sound childish.

“Oh it was scary.” I said rolling my eyes and giving him a punch in the arm. My fist hit his hard muscle and nudged it a few inches. Although the punch had force behind it, it did not recoil back up my arm. The punch was an experiment that I was thinking of half the night as well. Nathan did respond, but not that I was expecting…. Actually I dint know what I was expecting. He gave me broad smile and wacked me on my right arm.

I let out a low breath as his massive fist came flying and bashed my arm. I of course winced at the impacted but I that air releasing from my lungs was all that came out. The pain that followed pulsated twice with my heart beat before it vanished. The pain was only brief.

Nathan gave me another smile and faced back toward the flickering television. I flexed my arm, thinking of the result. Of course the punches were just friendly and I was wanting to see if that would have angered him. The act was purely out of an experiment but Nathan seemed to take it as a any man would. It was a sign of friendship.

It was still early dawn outside and a few hours later, the sunlight came fileling through the windows. I was barely noticing the conversations Nathan and Shawn were having. Only thing I knew was that they were discussing about the results shown on Sports Center.

As soon as I heard footsteps walk into the kitchen, I jumped up to see who it was. Well not wanting to see who, just wanted a discration away from the TV. It was Cameron who had walked into the kitchen. She was wearing a silk robe over her perfectly sculpted body. Cameron’s female physique could have been in a hardcore fitness training exercise and still be out of place, as if she out ranked all of the people who were there.

She heard me as I had left the couch, probably aware that I would be the first to see her. She didn’t turn around as I entered the kitchen, but she did greet me.

“How was your sleep, Luke?” she asked, her voice was soft and kind.

“It was normal…” I said, not telling the whole truth. The only truth about it was that I was laying the bed almost the whole night, thinking.

“That’s good, and how is everything here?” She asked, pulling a glass from a cupboard, “What are the others watching in there?”

I looked inquizicly at her. “Sports Center.” I said simply.

“Of course they are,” she said, not at all surprised. She took two glassed to the fridge and a split second later, I stood up and I was at her side in a few short steps.

“You don’t have to get me any juice or anything.” I said, a little brusky. I didn’t like being cared on like Cameron was doing. “I can pour you some if you want, but I can handle getting myself a drink.”

She gave a slight squeak as I stopped her. But a split second later she smiled at me. “Oh I am sorry.” She apologized, “I forget that you can handle yourself. You have to forgive me, its just that I see you as a child of my own.”

“Oh…” I said, puzzled.

She handed me the glass and got out the orange juice from the fridge she already had open. I watched as she poured herself a glass and handed the carton to me. Orange juice? Why had I been expecting something more tasteful? Like blood juice or liver juice? I shook my head and I realized that I was hungry. That was why I had thought of the mouth watering liver juice.

I was still a little confused as I poured my glass and Cameron went back to the fridge. Why did they have regular foods and perishables, such as chips in the cupboards? They were werewolves after all. Shouldn’t they have at least a human heart in the fridge somewhere? I gave a chuckle. They weren’t carnivorous enough to have that kind of stuff I the fridge.

I poured my glass or OJ in one gulp. I hadn’t known I was thirsty, but the cool liquid slid down my throat, seeming to revive my parched throat. I sighed and headed toward the door that would lead me to the porch.

I almost reached the knob when Cameron spoke. “Where do you think you’re going?” she said, her voice slightly hardening.

“Out for a walk I guess,” I said turning around to face her, “What’s the problem?”

“You are not suppose to go outside alone,” she said leaning her head ot the side, her face looked like I should have known this fact.

I furled my eye brows. Great, more rules? I thought to myself stubbornly. As I was about to speak, I heard heavy steps in the hallway coming toward the kitchen. A second later, Zak appeared behind Cameron. He ducked as he entered.

“You can’t leave because you are still unstable.” He said, filling in to what Cameron was saying.

I focused on him, feeling a little bit irritated at this. “I was out alone last night, after I came back from the…” my voice trail off as I remembered the limbo I had faded into.

Zak rolled his eyes, a little bit irritated as I was. “You thought that we would leave you out all alone out there as a werewolf?”

“But I was alone,” What wasn’t he getting here? I came back on my own with out any disctations.

“No, you weren’t,” a voice came from the hallway, walking toward the kitchen. It was Venn of course, I could never forget his smug voice. “I was watching you the whole time.” He walked out from behind Zak’s large girth.

He was wearing a plaid buttoned shirt with blue jeans.

“Then why hadn’t I heard you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes on him. Why did it matter if he did follow me?

“You don’t look up when you are a wolf that much do you?” he asked.

I thought about it. I hadn’t looked up only around me. The only time I had was when I was sniffing the air with Zak, Jerrick, and Shawn. But besides that, I hadn’t. I thought of something.

“Than why hadn’t you sedated me when I lost control?” I asked Venn.

“Because before we all came into the house, Zak had told me to let you go if you lost control, when you guys went hunting.”

Zak gave a short pretentious bow as though he had all knowingly knew what would have happened, play by play. It occurred to me that Venn was a good climber as well. He was fit and lean, scaling the trees would have been cake to him. Hooping branch by branch would have been a feat for a normal person, but Venn… there was no need to think anymore. He was half werewolf after all, and silent as well….

“So I cant go out right now, because?” I said, focusing on Zak now.

“Because Venn here is going out and no one else wants to go outside with you.”

I looked at Venn. It did look like he was going out. But why couldn’t the rest could escort me outside? I gave sigh. “I am sure Nathan would go outside to watch me.” I said bitterly. I had a feeling that was a dog on a leash, although this time, I was on a leash that was held by even a bigger dog. And just as I had those words, Nathan appeared in the kitchen.

“I don’t mind, Zak,” he said gruffly, “I am in need for a snack anyways.” He glanced at me.

“Well I guess I got carried away when I said no one would want to go out there with him,” he mumbled to himself. “Yeah whatever.” He said and turned to Cameron, who had went back to her kitchen duties.

Nathan’s grin stretched as he thought of going hunting, since he hadn’t gone the night before. I gave a grin as well. I had to admit that Nathan was my number one friend when it came to this house of werewolves. I also felt like I could ask him questions. Plus the rainy air would be great for my lungs.

Without another word, I turned the knob and opened the door to the poarch. I didn’t bother slipping on any shoes. Why should I? The way I wasn’t thinking, they would be taters in minutes in not seconds if they where on my feet.

Nathan followed my decision and followed me outside, while I heard Venn stop to get his shoes on. Where was he planning on going anyways?

“Looks like Venn has a date,” sneered Nathan, answering my thoughts.

“A date?” I asked bluntly, dumbfounded, “I didn’t know werewolves or… half werewolves had dates.”

“Oh we all have dates now and then.” Nathan said, rounding a corner of the house, heading toward a forest trail. “It is just the fact that we can’t tell anybody about us.”

“Don’t they get suspicious?”

“The girls who we go on dates with? Of course they do. They see giant muscle bound humans walking around the street and its bound to get around. But weather or not they do something is different.”

“Are you thinking of what I am thinking?”

“Most likely,” he chuckled.

“So you are going hunting.” I asked. It wasn’t a question, it was a state of fact.

“Yeah, I think I might get a buck this time,” he took a deep and slow breath. He held the breath in for a second than exhaled.

I didn’t bother taking a deep breath like him. I already smelt plenty of wildlife around this area. The smells were fantastic however, the sweet taste of the rain in the leaves made a pungent smell.

“So what’s next?”