Author's Note: Hello all! Sorry I haven't updated lately I am just a bad bad person! Anyway, I honestly couldn't decide if I should put a chapter that has to do with Luke and Sophia or Ruby and John next so I sat there debating for the longest time, and then finally just decided to put the John and Ruby chapter in. I may change it later though you never know! So please enjoy this next chapter and remember Read and Review! Have a Nice Day!

Chapter Seven

Tyler couldn't believe his eyes. John Kanin was standing in front of him acting not like a simple human, but like a powerful skinwalker out for blood. "What did you do Ruby?"

"Nothing that was my own right Tyler." Ruby answered with a stern glance in his direction. "I will remind you that as the white wolf I have the right to choose my own mate and have done so."

Tyler looked back and forth between his wife and the one man he hated more the most in the world with anger that was slowly building inside of him. Who was he kidding? He didn't really love Ruby; she was just a means to power. But he sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone, let alone a false skinwalker like John Kanin, make a fool out of him.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you Ruby, but I do not intend to let you go without a fight." Tyler announced and took a step towards the porch. He didn't get more than that one step before John was on him. Tyler had expected to be met with some resistance, but did not expect the force that was thrown at him. Tyler was hit hard and he knew it. His feet had left the ground as soon as Kanin had touched him, and for a second got really worried. He could see the gold flash in his opponent's eyes, and already feel the change that was emanating off of the man he so wished to kill.

"What's the matter Creed? Worried your cronies here might see you're not all powerful?" John taunted as he as Tyler circled each other in the small clearing in front of the cabin.

"All right Kanin, if that's the way you want it, let's settle this in the old ways. One skinwalker against the other."

"Fine, but what about them?" John asked inclining his head to where Tyler's men were standing waiting for instructions.

"They won't move. I may be a two faced creep, but I honor the ways of the pack. It will be just you and me." Tyler guaranteed John and gave a very pointed look at his men who immediately stood down.

"John, please don't..." Ruby pleaded from on the porch where she was still standing.

"I'll be fine." He assured her without taking his eyes from Tyler.

"You don't have to fight! I have the right to choose whoever I want. You don't have to fight!" She exclaimed trying to stop what was happening right in front of her.

"Yes I do!" John growled and quickly stripped off his clothes before flipping. The two men were rushing at each other for their first attack when Sherman and Matt first showed up. The sight before them was one that had not been seen for many years in Wolf Lake. While the town stuck to some of the old traditions of the pack, Matt had not seen an all out fight between two males over a mate since he was a young boy.

"Sherman, do something." Matt commanded as he watched the fight in front of him. Tyler and John were ripping each other to shreds. They continuously snarled and snapped at each other occasionally grabbing hold of a leg or a shoulder. After a few seconds of fighting though Tyler had sliced John's leg and was trying to make his way over to John's face. But John retaliated and ripped open Tyler's shoulder exposing the bones and tendons located under the skin. Tyler was stunned not expecting such power to come from the man in front of him, and then tried to limp away to give his shoulder a chance to heal. Matt saw what was happening and knew unless he did something, one of the men in front of him was going to die right there in the clearing.

"Uh uh uh!" Sherman warned as Matt started to take a step forward. "This is a fight between the two of them, you cannot interfere."

Matt knew his keeper was right, but that didn't quell the urge to stop the chaos and resume order he felt as a police officer. So even though he felt like he should do something he just stood and watched as John once again lunged at Tyler.

John got hold of Tyler's injured shoulder and ripped the healing wound apart again. Tyler went down instantly and in that one second John transferred his jaws to Tyler's neck intending to rip out his muscles and tendons. It was the shots that stopped him. Two rapidly fired bullets shot into the air from the barrel of Matt's gun.

"I knew you couldn't leave it alone." Sherman mumbled as he watched the scene in front of him.

"All right that's enough." He shouted and quickly strode over to where John still had Tyler in his jaws. "Come on Kanin, you won, let go."

John reluctantly released his grip and looked around him to size up the situation. Ruby was rushing down from the porch as Creed's men ran over to make sure he wasn't dead. As he flipped back to his human form John could feel his leg wound already healing. He was relieved to see the muscles and skin already repairing themselves when he looked down to see how bad the damage was.

"Are you all right?" Ruby asked him in a slightly panicked voice.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said and gave her a smile.

"Are you sure, it looks like he gashed your leg open pretty badly."

"Honey, I'm fine the wounds already starting to heal. Don't worry about me." John assured her and chuckled a little as he talked. It felt really good to once again have Ruby by his side worrying about his welfare. It almost felt like they were a normal couple again, not members of a race of mythical creatures he would have only thought existed in horror movies.

"This isn't over Kanin." A voice croaked from where Tyler was being dragged away by his henchmen.

"Leave Tyler." Matt warned and walked over to where Ruby and John were standing. "John won, and Ruby made her choice. You have no claim over her anymore."

Sherman could see the hatred directed at John that radiated off of Tyler, and somehow he knew that the fight over Ruby was not over. In fact after Tyler had tried to kill John a few weeks ago, he wouldn't be surprised by anything. Nobody said a word until the last of the exhaust from Tyler's car drifted away, and then Sherman surprised everyone by calmly asking "So John, what's new?"

Everyone just stared at him for a few seconds and then started laughing which broke the tension everyone was feeling.

"So John, I see you finally figured out what you are huh?" Sherman said when the laughter finally subsided.

"Wait you knew I was a skinwalker?" John exclaimed.

"Yes but not for as long as you probably think." Sherman answered his question. "Come on let's go inside and we can have a nice long chat." It was only when everyone was situated in the cabin living room that Sherman continued with the new bit of information that had everyone so puzzled. "All right John yes I did figure out you had skinwalker traits in you, but only recently did I manage to put two and two together."

"How recently?" Ruby questioned.

"I finally got my last piece of evidence last night. After that whole incident with that kook Professor Van Halen, I watched the portion of the web cast he recorded in which he injected Ruby's blood into you John. At first I didn't see anything, but then when I watched it the second time I saw something. At first I thought it was a camera glitch, but hen I looked closer and saw John's body begin to shift slightly."

"He started to change in front of the cameras?" Matt asked with a worried expression on his face. "Who knows how many people saw!"

"I don't think we have to worry about it Matt. You don't see anything unless you know what you are looking for." Sherman assured him. "Even with all of my brilliance I didn't even see anything at first."

"That's good." Ruby said with a sigh of relief and a slight chuckle. "What did you see Sherman?"

"Your face started to shift, and hair started to grow but it only lasted for a second before you changed back." Sherman explained and watched the faces all around him. "After that I decided to do some digging. I have a friend that works for the state and I told him I needed some information on a cop that was causing trouble in town. So luckily he didn't ask any questions and sent your birth records and adoption records."

"So it's true then!" John interrupted before rubbing his hand over his face as if to massage in everything he had learned in the past few hours.

"What's true?"

"That I'm adopted." John answered.

""You didn't know you were adopted?" Matt asked.

"No. The only clue I had was that hallucination I got from you special soup Sherman!"

"Oh you liked that didn't you?" Sherman brightened up and asked. "Pretty powerful stuff my medicine huh?"

"Pretty powerful drugs you mean." John scolded with a smile on his face. "If I wasn't so completely freaked out by what was happening to me right now, I would personally throw you in jail for possession of narcotics."

"Sherman!" Matt exclaimed with a similar look to John's on his face. "I thought you promised me you wouldn't pass out your medicine anymore."

"Hey old habits die hard." Sherman only responded with a shrug. "Besides it made you feel better, didn't it John?"

"Yes." John admitted while Ruby sat giggling next to him. "Ok that's enough, what did you find out from my records Sherman?"

"Your Mother's name was Evelyn Dark Crow. She was a young Native American woman who was studying at Boston U when she met your father Michael Shaw. Michael used to go to Boston when he was still in his rebellious days." Sherman explained. "On one of his trips, he met your mother, and they had a night on the town together. The next day Evelyn got called home because her mother was ill, and 6 weeks later she realized she was pregnant with you."

"Wow." Ruby said and laid her head on John's shoulder.

"As far as I can tell, Evelyn was going to keep you but there were complications and she unfortunately died a few days after you were born."

"Poor girl." Ruby said with a sad voice and held on even tighter to John's arm. "I'm sorry John."

John gave her a small smile and was quiet for a few seconds before asking, "What happened to my father?"

"Michael returned to Wolf Lake where there are records in the previous keeper's journal that says he seemed like a changed man. He was not as spry, and was constantly on his own. I'm sorry to tell you this John, but Michael died two years after you were born. The death certificate says he died of a heart attack, but I think he was heartbroken over loosing your mother."

"Did he know about me?" John asked when Sherman finished.

"No. Your mother didn't even tell her own parents who your father was." Sherman answered him. "Your mother was the oldest of five children, and your grandparents couldn't handle an infant, so they put you up for adoption. I think you know the rest."

"Well now we know how you are a skinwalker John." Ruby said as she lifted her head up from John's shoulder."

"Hang on, why didn't John flip when he was a teenager?" Matt asked.

"I've been thinking about that and have come up with three conclusions that would probably explain that. One: John's mother was human, Two: John was raised away from Wolf Lake. There is a force that connects all skinwalkers to the land. It affects you all and actually is what pulled your ancestors to settle in Washington. Since John was raised away from Wolf Lake, the pull was never very strong in him."

"What was the third conclusion?"

"Oh yes. Three: Michael Shaw was never very strong eve before he met your mother. He didn't flip until he was eighteen and almost didn't survive that. After the flip he was nowhere near alpha or even beta level but made up for it with his good nature. He was also supposedly quite a ladies man."

"You must have gotten that from him." Matt teased John.

"Shut up." John just responded and gave him a dirty look.

"Oh no I totally agree with you Matt." Ruby jumped in with a mischievous look on her face. "You just a bout swept me off my feet the day we met. And don't try to deny the fact that all the guys at the police department tried to warn me many times about you."

"So now what?" Matt finally asked after everyone had had a good laugh. "What is going to happen with the pack? John technically is a member, but I have a feeling he will not be accepted very easily. Look at the way everyone treated Sophia before she flipped."

"Were just going to have to take everything one step at a time I guess." John said. "I got Ruby back; I sure as hell am not going to let anyone tear me from her again."

"Good man John." Sherman said while standing up. "Now, Matt I think it is time that we let these lovebirds have some time alone together." He teased and not so subtly winked his eye at Matt. "I'll be back to see you two tomorrow, for now just relax and heal up."

John and Ruby watched both cars drive away and then returned to the bedroom where they had been so content before Tyler showed up. They were lying on their sides looking at each other when Ruby finally asked the question that had been on her mind for the better part of an hour.

"John..."

"Yes?"

"Please tell me the truth, are you all right? A lot has happened to you today, I want to make sure you are ok."

"Honestly, I still am freaking out a bit, but I have you back and that makes everything all right." He then looked at her brilliant smile for a few seconds before grabbing her face and laying a long missed tender kiss on her lips. A great many spectacular things had happened over the past few hours to John Kanin and no doubt new challenges lay ahead, but for now he was just content to lie there with the woman he loved more than anything else in the world.

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