I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.
*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story Unbroken. It is an excellent story and Max will be making background appearances in it as well. If you want to see more Max and meet some amazing new characters please read her awesome stuff.
With Great Power
"Your dog is running lose," Kate told the bigger boy. The boy looked down at her with an incredulous look and then he looked at his younger brother. I looked up at both of them. Timothy and Tucker Thomson were the neighbourhood hooligans. They were the closest people who lived near us and they even went into our woods every once in a while. Jeremy had gone to talk to them, but it hadn't changed anything. Maybe the werewolves would eat them. One could only hope.
"Who are you?" Timothy asked, looking down at my sister. I pulled myself up to my full height and put my hand on my sister's arm out of sight.
"I'm Kate Danvers and this is my brother Logan, we live down the road from you," Kate said, giving me a 'seriously' look. Both boys looked at one another and then grinned. Suddenly Tucker reached over and pushed the books out of her arms. I glared at him as they laughed.
"Hey, leave my sister alone," I growled and their attention turned to me. They both shook their heads as I reached down and helped Kate pick up the books. "And tie up your ignoramus dog," I told them, trying to appear bigger and badder than I was. I wasn't but my dad was one of the baddest werewolves out there so I took my cue from him.
"Fine, if you want our dog put away you'll have to fight us for it. If you beat us, we'll tie up our dog," Timothy said. I sized them up and managed to suppress a grimace. Both boys were older than us, Timothy by 2 years and Tucker by 1, and taller than us. I was tipping the scale at 45 pounds and 3'1 and while my sister was a bit taller and weighed a bit more, 50 pounds and 3'4 we were out matched physically. Timothy was at least 60 pound and 4'8 by my guess and his brother was 4'9 and 70 pounds.
"You're on," my sister blurted and I sighed. The boys rolled their eyes at us and then walked away. I turned to Kate and gave her a look.
"You're sense of justice is inexplicably bigger than your sense of fear," I told Kate who gave me a 'huh' look. I rolled my eyes now and began walking towards my next class. Kate ran after me and caught my arm right before I stepped in the door.
"First of all, mom said to stop using those big words all the time and second of all, you're going to help me, right?" she asked. I gave her a look as some kids pushed past me, rumpling my uniform shirt. I smoothed it out, giving them a look and then looking back at my sister.
"Fine, I'll help but I'm not going to stop using my cumbersome expressions," I grinned. Kate grinned through her annoyance and kissed me on the cheek before heading to her own class. Well, this should be an interesting night anyway.
After the last bell I followed the rest of my class outside with my nose buried in a book. I looked up to see where Kate was, but she was already running towards me so we could wait for our ride. The bus did come out our way, but our parents preferred to take us. It was a long bus ride. We went to a private academy in Syracuse now since our last school was a disaster. They didn't have any of the classes we were interested in and they refused to acknowledge that I needed to be challenged and Kate needed to be giving room to express her creativity.
"Logan, are you ready for tonight?" Kate asked, pushing my book down. I nodded and pulled the book back up. I was in the middle of a good part. "Logan," Kate sighed, but I ignored her. She didn't get why I liked to read so much.
"Hey, Kate, Logan," we both heard. We looked up at the same time to see our Uncle Nicky and our pack brother Reese. Ok, now I was ignoring my book.
"Uncle Nicky," we both cried and ran towards him. He easily bent down and scooped us up, laughing. I loved it when he picked us up. It usually meant an ice cream treat before supper. It was always our little secret, though.
"Hey, kiddos," he grinned, setting us on our feet. I moved the bookmark to the page I had left off on and stuffed it in my bag before turning my attention to them again.
"Hey, Reese," Kate called immediately, attacking his legs. Reese grinned down at us and ruffled her hair and then winked at me. Kate had a bit of a crush on him. I just rolled my eyes at this. Reese was a tall and according to Kate, really cute, werewolf with an accent. I wasn't into girls or boys or whoever I would be in yet so I wasn't sure what she was talking about.
"Excuse me, are you picking up Kate and Logan?" someone called. We all turned to see one of our teachers Mrs. Bonaparte. She must have been watching the kid pick up today.
"Yes, I'm Nick Sorrentino, their uncle," Uncle Nicky stated, setting a hand on each of our shoulders. The pack was very protective of us. She nodded and consulted the pickup sheet. They were really strict about who could pick us up and stuff.
"I.D.," she said and Uncle Nicky only smiled and gave her what she wanted. He was very charismatic, or so mom said anyway. Once she was satisfied she asked who Reese was and wrote down his name, checking his I.D. as well. We waited then while she placed a call home to make sure this was alright. When she was finally satisfied she let us go. You would think the giant gates going into the school would keep non authorized people out, but apparently they didn't.
"That's why I never went to public school, too much hassle," Reese joked as he opened the back door for us and took our backpacks. Reese had grown up in Australia way in the outback and too far from anything really. He told us his parents homeschooled him and just took him in for activities in the city. I'm not sure why he's not there still but when I asked once time about his parents he only gave me a small smile and he looked sad. I promised myself not to ask again. Plus, it was more interesting to ask about his missing fingers.
"And the whole being a werewolf and all," I joked as I got in after my sister. Reese laughed as he set our packs in the back and Uncle Nicky got into the driver's seat. Reese shut our door and got in the front as we buckled up. "Where are mom and dad?" I asked as we started off.
"Yeah, daddy said he was picking us up today," Kate said. I nodded and looked at them in the front seat. They looked at one another and then at the road again.
"They're gone again, right?" I asked and Uncle Nicky nodded. I sighed and folded my hands in my lap, looking at them. I hated it when they left. I especially hated it when they left and we couldn't say goodbye to them.
"Awn," Kate groaned, pushing herself back against the seat and crossing her arms. Once we learned mom and dad were werewolves we also learned why they had to leave so much. They had work to do for the Alpha which was Jeremy. Soon the Alpha would be our mom. We weren't sure exactly what they did when they went away, but I thought it might be something about other werewolves. I wasn't entirely sure but I think they went to fight the bad ones.
"Ice cream, guys?" Reese asked as we pulled into Ben and Jerry's. That cheered my sister up a bit and she nodded. When we finally made it home we found out Jeremy and Jaime were making dinner.
"Jeremy," I yelled when we stepped into the kitchen. He grinned widely as I flew at him followed by Kate. I loved Jeremy, he was our grandfather, but we only called him Jeremy. I loved our uncles too, they were the coolest people. I wasn't sure who I liked more but I was named after Uncle Nicky. Uncle Tonio was awesome too. He must be working, though, which is why he wasn't here too. Mom says he works about 60 hours a week which is just nonsense if you ask me.
"How was your day?" Jeremy asked, squeezing us tightly. Honestly, I loved being one of the only kids in the pack. I had my sister and we were spoiled by all the adults.
"Good," we both answered. We had no plans to tell anyone about our scheduled fight with the Thomson kids. If we pulled this off, we could gain valuable leverage over them that meant getting their stupid dog inside and getting them out of our woods. Plus, it was dangerous for them to be in the woods when the pack was running around.
"Where's Noah and Uncle Tonio?" I asked next as Kate nodded. I liked Noah as much as I liked Reese. He was quiet and more withdrawn but he was still cool. He played video games with us and took us for walks in the woods as much as Reese did. Mom explained that Noah was more reserved than the other because of things that had happened to him but he liked us paying attention to him and hugging him just as much as everyone else did.
"Working," Jaime said from the doorway. We both quickly turned and ran at her, hugging her as well. Jaime was Jeremy's girlfriend and she was like a grandmother to us. We liked her a lot. "Hey, sweethearts," she said, bending to hug us. I grinned at her and then felt Kate tugging my hand.
"We're going outside," Kate suddenly called and took my hand, pulling me out the back door. We had to strategise.
"Wait, change and take your stuff to your room and then supper will be ready. You can go out after," Jeremy called. Kate gave me a look and I shook my head. We could plan later. There was no arguing against pack members, though Kate often tried.
We trudged back out of the kitchen and picked up our stuff, going up stairs. We both changed into jeans and t-shirts before going back down for supper. They had made Shepherd's Pie and Caesar salad. "So how was school?" Uncle Nicky asked, wanting a more detailed account of our day. I took a bite and looked at Kate to field that one. She was a lot chattier than I was.
She told them about her singing practice and how excited she was about her upcoming concert. Kate was a really good singer. She loved performing in front of people and being the center of attention. I, on the other hand, would rather just disappear into the background and was perfectly happy to let her take center stage. I did jump in with a science project I had been working on but I didn't say a lot about it.
"Can we go now?" Kate asked eagerly. They all looked at us and I kicked Kate under the table to tell her to tone it down. They would get suspicious. Jeremy nodded and we both hopped up, taking our plates out and then pulling on our running shoes and coats. We headed to the woods and to our favorite spot to plan and talk. It was a small little clearing that some of the pack members used for changing.
"Ok, they're both bigger than us and weigh more so they have the advantage. We should tackle them to the ground when they're not paying attention and then take them out," I suggested. Kate got a big grin on her face and swiftly hugged me.
"I knew we were related. Finally you're started to act more like a werewolf," she grinned. I laughed. It was true that I was more reserved and a lot quieter than my sister, but so was Jeremy so I figured it was ok. Maybe that meant someday I could be Alpha too.
"We'll circle around the woods and go out near the front to meet them," I said and she nodded. My sister took my hand and I grinned, leading her. I liked pack bonds but this was beyond that. We were twins and while we did have pack bonds we also had the deeper bonds of being siblings and being one in the same.
We circled around the house through the woods, knowing that sometimes they watched out the window, checking on us. We stepped onto the driveway out of sight of the house. Our house was strategically placed so you can't see it through the pine trees until you're almost on top of it. I am not entirely sure why our ancestors made it this way but I assumed, like our parents leaving all the time, it had to do with other werewolves, especially the bad ones.
"So you showed up," we heard. I looked up from my thoughts and saw Timothy and Tucker standing there with their arms crossed, looking at us. Kate glared at them and crossed her arms, pulling herself to her full height. I did too. I was the shortest one there but I had a lot of heart, that's what Uncle Tonio said anyway. I think it meant I had courage but I wasn't sure.
"Of course we showed up, we're not cowards," Kate growled. I nodded when she looked at me and suddenly we both surged forward. We needed the element of surprise so we attacked when they didn't expect it. Both boys made sounds of surprise as we rushed into them and knocked them to the ground.
"Hey," Tucker cried as I landed on top of him. I was about to hit him like I saw Kate do when my sister and I were hauled up and off of the Thomson kids.
"Go home," I heard ordered from behind my sister and me. I froze and looked at her as Tucker and Timothy scrambled up and ran away. "Logan Nicholas and Katherine Natalya," Reese said and set us on our feet. We both turned and looked up at our pack brother who looked none too happy. "Are you both ok?" he asked. My sister and I nodded.
He sighed and pointed to the house then. I hung my head and went with Kate beside me and him following us. No one said a word until we stepped into the foyer. I was desperately trying to search my mind for ways to bribe Reese not to tell, but I was almost 100% sure he would not go for that. Once he closed the door he bent down and took both of our shoulders. "I think it would best for you two to go to Jeremy and own up to this...," he half said and half ordered.
I nodded, taking off my shoes and looking at Kate who had a pouty expression. I looked from her to Reese but quickly grabbed her arm before she could protest and dragged her to the study. Reese followed us into the room where Jeremy, Jaime and Nick sat and were talking. We stood there and my eyes flitted to Kate's before going back to the scene. Reese cleared his throat then and I almost jumped.
"Logan and Kate have something they would like to talk to you about," Reese said, gently setting a hand on our backs and guiding us forward. All three adults looked at us. Nick and Jaime smiled, but my attention was on Jeremy. He set his tea down and folded his hands on his knees, giving us a knowing look.
Reese then went to sit beside Nick, folding his arms and waiting. I looked at my sister again, finding she was going to be no help. She was defiantly crossing her arms and glaring at the floor. "We got into a fight," I blurted out, looking at Jeremy. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"No, we got stopped from getting into a fight," Kate protested, glaring at Reese who said nothing. I gulped and then looked at all the grown pack members.
"The Thomson kids challenged us," I explained and then told them the whole story. When I was finished, Jeremy gestured for us both to come forward and we did. He set a hand on each of our shoulders.
"Do you feel this was the right decision for the situation?" he asked. I immediately shook my head, but Kate nodded. I looked at her as Jeremy's gaze went to her. "What makes you say that, Katherine?" Jeremy said. I gulped. Full names were not a good thing around here. It would go from Kate to Katherine to Katherine Natalya and then when the Danvers was added we were in serious trouble.
"Their dog was running loose and they always go into our woods and their bullies, they deserved to be taught a lesson," she said, crossing her arms and looking superior. That was clearly the wrong thing to say. I took a step away from her to distance myself as Jeremy kept his gaze on her.
"And you felt you were the right one to do that?" he asked. Kate nodded and hesitated and then shrugged, looking unsure. Eventually if you waited long enough you would get through to her and make her see your side. Sometimes it took a while, though.
"Well, it's our property," she said and Jeremy nodded to this. I looked back and forth between them, wondering exactly what I should say or do. I decided on doing nothing for the moment.
"Yes, it is and as werewolves we are very territorial, but if you have a problem with another child or person, you need to come to an adult before you try and handle it on your own. You and Logan are both stronger than human children and so you must never fight them or hurt them," he instructed. I nodded and after a moment so did Kate. She did understand that aspect at least.
"Sorry, Jeremy, we just annoyed with their behaviour and we didn't think. We will next time," I promised and Kate nodded. She didn't look entirely like she was happy with the situation but she knew more punishment would only come her way if she disagreed.
"You're both grounded for the weekend which means no swimming and no going to the birthday party," he said. I wanted to protest but didn't. I saw Kate open her mouth but she quickly closed it at a look from Uncle Nicky. "And you will talk to your parents tonight about this," he added. We both nodded, knowing this would happen.
"Jeremy, why is it ok for mommy and daddy to go out and fight other werewolves and for the pack to do it too, but we can't?" I asked. He gave me a thoughtful look. I always asked the tough questions. I once heard him telling Uncle Tonio he had to be on his toes with me. I'm not sure what he meant but I thought it might apply to this situation.
Jeremy patted his lap and we both scrambled up. I leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around me. I sniffed his chest and was comforted by his scent. The pack wasn't sure if we should be able to smell or show werewolf powers yet but we definitely were.
"What your parents do in the world and what the pack does is for the good of the pack. They do it to keep us all safe because it is their job. You fighting a harmless human is not the same thing. Don't you agree?" he asked, looking at both of us. Before I could think about that I had to think about the fact that he did not deny our parents left and went to fight werewolves. That was interesting. Now I knew what they were doing for sure anyway.
"No, it's not the same thing," I answered, bringing my attention back to him. Kate thought for a moment and then nodded as well. "I love you, Jeremy," I said and reached up, hugging him. He might be the Alpha but he was my grandpa first even if we never called him that.
"I love you both too," he answered and hugged us. We said good night to Uncle Nicky, Jaime and Reese. Kate even hugged Reese and gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was her way of telling him she forgave him. From the big smile on his face I knew he was grateful. He liked us a lot and he didn't like us being mad at him.
As I lay in bed that night thinking—mom said I was a thinker and thought way too much—I realized how important us being careful really was. We were stronger than any human our age and with great power came great responsibility. I heard that in a movie once. So we had great power, my whole family did, but as far as I knew they only used it for good. I would too. If they had taught me anything in my young life, it was how to be a good person. I would be a good person and even a good werewolf someday. I didn't want to hurt anyone and so I vowed I never would.