Chapter 3 – The Pack - Revised
Sam and I quickly changed back into our human forms and put our clothes back on. We didn't want to continue leaving Burdette out of the conversation.
"How many," I asked, getting straight to the point.
"Seven including me," said Sam.
I took a moment to process that. I had assumed there must be others somewhere. I may have failed AP Statistics but I knew it was highly unlikely that little ol' me was the only furball on the planet. And there had been moments when, in my wolf form, I thought I could hear voices. But I had never called out to them, afraid my own mind had created them. Perhaps I had been wrong.
"Now what," I asked, coming out of my reverie.
"Well, for starters, I think you should meet the rest of the pack," said Sam, "And then we can discuss you moving."
"Now Sam," Burdette began.
"What do you mean," I asked, confused; was he saying what I thought he was saying?
"We can't risk her giving away our secret," Sam said.
"I have never, nor will I ever tell a soul about this," I said sternly, "This is as much my life secret as it is yours."
"Exactly. I agree with you Sam that it would be best for Arianna to stay here, however that is not our choice to make, it's hers" said Burdette, looking at me.
"I want to stay," I said, perhaps a little too quickly because she raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.
"Look, there isn't much left for me back home. It's just my parents and I and my close friend Gwen and after what happened a couple of months ago…" I stopped, feeling panic rise in my chest again. "I'm taking a gap year," I continued quickly, "So I won't be missing out on anything. I want to stay."
This was the summer following my senior year of high school. The events of the months leading up to my graduation had been difficult, a blur, making college applications practically impossible. By the time I was able to focus on applications, it was too late. I could take a gap year or enroll in online classes for the Fall Semester. I had the whole summer to decide, and spending the summer here, rather than in Winthrop, seemed like an answer to my prayers.
"If you would like to stay, I have no problem with it, it's just a question of where you will be staying, and if your parents will be ok with it," said Burdette.
"Umm," I said thinking, "Maybe I could tell them I have a summer job or internship here or nearby and I have to stay on sight?" I invented, thinking my dad would buy it; but would my mother?
"That sounds good to me, now, where to house you…." Burdette wondered.
"She can stay in one of the houses with another member of the pack," said Sam, "Members of the pack live in these two-story houses you see here. Each one is assigned to a person, or couple, once they are 16. We are separated from the rest of the tribe," Sam explained, "All of the pack are young so it looks to all the rest of the tribe that we are just a bunch of kids living to overhear to be free of our parents, but it's more to give us the ability to change back and forth from wolf to human without fear of anyone seeing us. The Elders know, Burdette of course lives on this side with us, but it's only a legend to the rest of the tribe, to protect them. Emily, my wife, she is human, and we share a home that was built for us; the rest of the pack is spread out in the rest of the houses."
I looked around at the houses, there were 5 of the small two-story houses Sam mentioned that were built about 20 yards from the woods, and then one larger two-story built next to the woods. A dirt path had been worn between all the houses and blueberry bushes flourished around the largest; which I assumed was Sam's.
"She should be introduced to the rest of the pack before we decide where she stays, I think," said Burdette, turning to walk back to her house, "I'm sure you'll be able to handle that without me, I'll bring the broth over to Emily myself."
Sam nodded and turned to me, "Follow me, I'll call them to the meadow."
We walked past all the houses to a large meadow with a thick, old tree in the center. I saw a patch of woods behind the meadow and barely visible behind the topmost branches were the roofs of houses; no doubt the rest of the tribe lived there.
Why keep the existence of the werewolves a secret from the people who believed in them? I wondered.
Sam making a loud howling sound brought me back to the meadow. As I looked back at him I could, sense rather than see many large creatures moving towards us. I stood very still, feeling threatened and vulnerable in my human form and yearning to change into a wolf again but I held myself back; not a good idea with so many strangers around me. That's when 6 huge wolves came walking slowly into the meadow. One was white streaked with silver, another light hazel, another deep chocolate brown. It was the deep brown one that caught my eye; it was bigger than the hazel one and looked much stronger somehow. As I watched they all formed a circle around us.
I could hear their voices, speaking to each other saying things like, "Who is the girl", and "Damn, she's hot".
My cheeks turned pink under their staring and comments.
"Can you guys change back, it will make it easier for me to explain," said Sam to the group at large. They all retreated to the woods, and then 6 humans reemerged, looking slightly disheveled as they had quickly redressed with clothes they had carried tied to their legs.
"What's going on Sam," asked a tall, muscular, brown-eyed, and brown-haired guy; he was very handsome.
"Wait for the others Jacob," said Sam.
When all the others had gathered in front of Sam and me, he spoke again, "This," he said gesturing towards me, "Is Arianna Spade, and she has just confided in Burdette and myself something I did not think possible. She, like us, is a werewolf…"
"WHAT?!" yelled a huge guy with thick arms.
"Let me finish Paul," said Sam, "Arianna, will you show them?"
I nodded and walked to the large tree. I once again undressed and slipped into my wolf form. 6 surprising faces met my eye as I walked out from behind the tree.
"How the hell is that even possible!" exclaimed the woman with black hair streaked with blonde highlights, standing next to the guy called Paul.
"Burdette and I are as clueless as you are Emma," said Sam.
"Sam, should I show them my other ability," I directed at Sam alone.
"I think so," he said aloud and everyone looked at him, puzzled.
"Hello, I'm Arianna, you guys have no idea how happy I am to know I'm not the only one," I said to the group.
One boy, who appeared to be the youngest, flinched. A few of the other's jaw's dropped in shock.
"This is really fucking weird," said Paul.
I walked back behind the tree and again changed back into human form and then put my clothes back on.
"You're telling me," I said, walking back to the group and smiling slightly.