"Cassie," I silently called out. "What are you doing?"

Cassie was wearing a red t-shirt, white shorts, a pair of sandals, and her red hair was down. In her hand, she carried a flashlight. "You promised we'd go to the cabin tonight, remember," she replied. "To help you with your werewolf training."

"But, how are we gonna do that without getting caught by the trail cameras we set up?"

"I know another way around. Come on, before your family wakes up!"

I looked back, made sure Mom, Dad, and Emily were asleep, then hopped out the window. I didn't even bother changing out of my pajamas, so my bare feet could feel the grass. Wolf awoke and came running up to me. He barked and I shushed him. "Wolf, quiet!" I looked at the deer. They hadn't left the pen yet and were sleeping together.

"Come on," Cassie said.

We hopped the fence and Wolf and I followed Cassie down a trail I don't normally take, and into a grove of trees. The only sounds that could be heard were the hoots of an owl, the croaking of frogs, and the buzzing of mosquitos. I swatted a few and muttered, "I wish I brought bug spray."

"We're almost there," Cassie assured me.

"How do you know?"

"I've been here longer than you, Grady. Not as long as Will was, but long enough."

Eventually, we came across the cabin. We entered, and sat down on the floor with the only source of light being the flashlight. "Okay," said Cassie. "Tell me everything you know about werewolves."

"Uh, well, they transform under the light of the full moon, and can only be killed by silver bullets..."

"I'm gonna stop you right there. I told you before. That's stuff Hollywood made up. In fact that silver bullet thing was invented by were-folk so poor people couldn't afford to hunt them."

"'Were-folk'?"

"I suppose you'd call them were-persons."

"Wait, so there's not just werewolves out there?"

"Yep. There's werefoxes, werebears, werecats... The list goes on, and their transformations differ with each species. Now, as for werewolves, like you, you can transform any time without a full moon, but that's usually when they are at their strongest. Like normal wolves, werewolves have a pack mentality. They're usually headed by a mated pair, and the rest of the pack is made up of their cubs. They can also take in stray werewolves if they volunteer. Packs also keep werewolves structured. That's most likely why Will couldn't control himself. He had no pack to ground him and no alpha to teach him right from wrong."

"I thought wolves were about fighting each other for dominance," I said.

"Well, yeah, if you're basing your knowledge on outdated research on captive wolves from the 1970s. But it's not like that in the wild. I thought your scientist parents taught you that." I was about to retort when Cassie continued, "Pretend Emily is a werewolf, too."

"I don't want to even imagine..."

Cassie continued as if she didn't hear me. "Does she outrank you because she's older than you? Or do you outrank her because you've been a werewolf longer than her? Does it matter? A stable pack relies on everyone's strengths."

"So, how do you get to be an alpha?"

"You tell the alpha or alphas that you'd like to form your own pack. You either start your own family or find some people who want to follow you. No fighting to the death involved. Normally."

I thought it over. "Could I be an alpha one day?" I asked. "I got Wolf by my side."

"Probably. You two do get along really well. Now, onto the transformation. When you first transformed, what did you do?"

I tried to remember. "Honestly, I don't really know. I just looked up at the moon and...it just happened naturally."

"Try to recreate those feelings you felt."

I closed my eyes, and thought about that first time transforming, watching the moon through my bedroom window, and transforming under its light. Nothing happened. "Yeah, I didn't think this would work."

Cassie made a thoughtful look before saying, "Okay, try imagine turning into Wolf."

"Um...are you sure about this? I mean, what if I lose control?"

"You haven't attacked your family since the last full moon. And you haven't eaten any of your deer despite them being prey animals. If that doesn't tell you you're in control, I don't know what."

Wolf seemed to agree with her as he let out a bark and wagged his tail. "Alright," I said. "I'll try again." I closed my eyes, inhaled and exhaled. I could see myself transforming into the wolf. I could feel the fur sprouting on my face, my snout expanding, and my fangs sliding out between my dark lips. I let out a long, joyful howl.

"Whoa," said Cassie. I snapped my head toward her and growled. "G-Grady?"