“Easy Ginny, you’re still recovering.” Stephen could hear the muffled cracking and popping of Ginny’s bones under her skin. They were taking it easy, as they moved down the stairs towards the stair hall.

The pack doctor that has been looking after Ginny. He had finally given her permission to leave her bed, however, he did stress she was to do no shifting. All her bones were still healing, which for a normal Were would have healed within a few days. Since Ginny wasn’t a normal Were and her healing ability had been forced activated to save her life. It was taking longer for her to heal.

Even the abilities she got from her coyote side had been punished to its max.

By the time Ginny got to the bottom of the stairs. She had to lean against the banister to catch her breath.

“I hate feeling like this.” She felt the pain of her bones as they cracked and popped either back in place or as they were used.

“I can’t say I understand how you feel. However, you know Bryan isn’t going to let you go back to work, till Devin gives the okay.”

“I know.” Ginny starts walking across the stair hall towards the central parlor/ living room.

Once they enter the room, she heads over towards her favorite recliner and sits down. She was happy to be out of her bedroom. Even her beast was happy to be out and about. Every once in awhile it would surface to make sure it was safe. Even though it was among its pack, it still was on guard.

“Stephen, did I imagine a bunch of rats helping and talking to me?” Ginny looks at Stephen for an answer.

“You weren’t imagineing them, Ginny. There is a group or mischief of Were-rats that live here in Kingman, Arizona. They watch and report on anything that is happening in the city to Bryan.”

“I thought that was what we did?” Ginny was curious.

“No, we are the enforcers of the peace here. No other Were or supernatural creatures are permitted to set-up shop here without council or our permission. This is considered neutral territory where waring packs or supers can come to work out their problems. Now, the mischief that is here, works with us. The leader of the mischief, a person you know very well. He is the leader of Were-rats in this area.”

“You don’t mean Barney is a Were-rat, do you?”

“I will neither deny or acknowledge that your boss is the leader of the local Rat pack.” Stephen has known since Ginny joined the pack. That her boss has been watching over her since her mother abandoned her.

Leonard dug into her past to find out why a girl her age wasn’t in school and was being paid under the table. Even the bar she worked at, which for them is an asset. Most people who enter another pack, pride or hunting area normally stop at a bar.

“So, that’s a yes?”

“If you say so. What do you want for lunch?” Stephen knew she was going to need food soon.

“Mmmm???, I could go for Mexican, but not your style of Mexican,” Ginny remembers the last time she was with Stephen they had Mexican. It was too spicy for her.

“Don’t worry, I’m not cooking. Serra is bringing us food.” Stephen had asked Serra from the rat pack to come by.

“Thank goodness. If I had to eat your cooking, I might not survive.”

“Remind me again who smoked up the kitchen, because someone left the oil in the frying pan on?” Stephen looks at Ginny.

“Hey, I got distracted from a call on my cell phone.”

“Yeah, right.” Stephen had a smile on his face. After that incident, Bryan wouldn’t let Ginny in the kitchen by herself. She had to prove she could handle the cooking without burning the place down.

Stephen lets Ginny sit and recover for twenty minutes.

“Alright, up and at them. We need to work your joints.” Stephen helps Ginny out of the recliner.

Stephen takes her back out into the stair hall and out into the front hall.

They head out onto the front porch and down the stairs. Bryan told him to let her walk around the pack house. She needed to move around.

“I would say let’s play tag, but you’re not in any shape to chase me.”

“You’re funny, you know that?” Ginny just glares at Stephen as he helped her.

By the time she was ready to go back inside the pack house. A woman with light brown color hair that comes down to her shoulders, wearing a
nice light blue business suit comes out of a 2004 Burgundy Mustang. She walks up to Stephen and Ginny carrying three huge carryout bags from Le Diablo.

Serra could see that Ginny was still a little pale. She wonders why her healing ability wasn’t like most Weres she knew. At least she looked better than the last time she saw her. The poor girl was crushed by several crushed cars. If Barney hadn’t managed to find a way to her and jump-start the healing ability her wolf side had, she would be dead now.

“Hey guys, I bring gifts.” Serra holds up the carryout bags.

“FOOD!” Ginny could smell the contents. Her mouth starts watering from what she was picking up.

“Well come on inside Ginny.” Serra heads into the house and towards the dining room to set up everything she brought with her.

“Food!” Ginny tries to move a little faster towards the house. Her stomach was fine, till she smelled what was inside the bags.

Stephen notices Ginny trying to move a little faster. He lets go of her arm but stay nearby to catch her. He watches her carefully as she makes it to the steps.

Ginny slowly walks up the steps toward the porch. By the time she gets up to the porch, she was exhausted.

“Stephen, I need your assistant.” Ginny hated asking for Stephen’s help.

“I’m right here kiddo.” Stephen grabs her left arm and escorts her into the house and into the dining room.

Serra was setting the last plate when Ginny and Stephen come walking in. She sets the plate she was holding, at where she was going to sit and eat.

“I hope your hungry, guys. I bought a lot of food.”

“I know I am.” Ginny spotted that Serra had bought, burritos, tacos, fajitas’, refried beans, Spanish rice, chips and sauce for them.
Serra had placed ice tea at everyone’s place. She pulls a chair out for Ginny.

“Here you go, Ginny.” Serra watches as Ginny and Stephen step into the dining room.

“Thank you, Serra.” Ginny sits down on the chair.

“You’re welcome.” Serra takes her place.

Stephen starts loading up Ginny’s plate with a huge amount of food, than she normally ate. Bryan told him that she was going to need the extra food. Her weight has dropped below what it should be.

Ginny looks up Stephen as he piled food on her plate “Stephen, this is a little too much for me.”

“Trust me, Ginny. You need this much food. You have burned through too many calories already and you need to replenish them.” Once he was satisfied with her plate. He started on his plate.

Serra just listens as Stephen spoke with Ginny. The mischief found it weird that they had to activate traits from both her nature. Normally, when a child is born from two different Were’s they inherit only certain traits. That wasn’t the case with Ginny. She had traits from her Wolf side and her Coyote side. However, they weren’t active inside of her. They were dormant, which was unusual.

“How is your food, Serra?” Ginny was looking towards Serra.

“Fine, it looks like you are halfway through your meal.”

Ginny blushes from embarrassment. Once she started eating, she just couldn’t stop. Her body was craving the nutrients from the food.

“Sorry.” As she bites into a taco.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Ginny. Like Stephen told you. Your body has burned what calories you had and what you have been getting. If you were a pure Were, you would be acting the same way. Actually, your beast would be at the forefront looking for a fresh kill.”

“Sometimes it is, but not to hunt. She knows her body is wounded, and she comes forward to make sure her pack is protecting her. Even now, she is listening to us.” Ginny’s eyes had bled to her coywolf eyes.

Serra saw the settle changes in Ginny’s eyes and the changing of her scent. She looks towards Stephen to see if he noticed the changes, but he just kept eating.

Stephen had caught a glimpse of Serra looking at him “we’re used to it. Bryan has been monitoring her.”

Serra glances back towards Ginny and notices the coywolf was looking at her. She had stopped eating and was paying attention to her.

“Don’t move Serra. She smells your rat nature.” Stephen had stopped eating to protect Serra.

Ginny watches for a few minutes and then goes back to eating her food. She stops to see why Stephen and Serra weren’t eating.

“Is everything okay?” She had a puzzled look on her face.

“Everything is alright, Ginny. Your coywolf paid us a visit.”

“Oh, okay.” Ginny goes back to eating.

The rest of lunch goes by peacefully. By the time Ginny is done eating, she is ready for a nap. Stephen escorts her to the living room and lets her lay down on the sofa. He drapes a blanket over her and goes back to the dining room to help Serra clean-up.

“Does her Coywolf do that a lot?”

“Nope, she normally stays quiet till Ginny needs her or changes into her.” Stephen takes the dirty dishes into the kitchen and places them in the dishwasher.

“Has she ever lost control of her nature?” Serra brings what is left into the kitchen and put them in the frig.

“The first time she changed. Some bikers tried to rape her and ended up being coywolf chow for her. Her coywolf saved her that night.”

“Was that the first time she changed?”

“Yes. That was the first time she changed.” Stephen kept cleaning the table.

“Where was the coywolf that changed her?” Serra knew all makers were required to mentor anyone they changed. That was the law among all
Were’s. if you broke that rule, you died.

“She wasn’t created by another coywolf that was like us or an offspring. She was created by a Veterinarian playing around with a serum that had the virus that creates us in it. He injected it into a normal Coywolf he captured to use as an experiment. It escaped and attack Ginny while she was working. She managed to kill it, but it had managed to transfer the virus through its bite in its saliva to her.

“That would explain why none of the traits were active and why she had all of them.”

“Well, I don’t know anything about that. All I do know is that ever since Barney activated her healing traits and the rest of her genes. Her body has been going through some changes.”

“If he didn’t activate those genes, she would be dead right now. Barney said her healing ability wasn’t that strong.” Serra and Barney had talked about it afterward.

“Hey, I’m glad he did. Everyone in the pack has come to think of Ginny as a daughter. She drives Leonard crazy with some of her antics, and she is fun to kid around with and teased.”

“I’ve heard about some of your twos antics. Still, it’s good she gets along in the pack. Just remember, she’s going to test you guys and want her freedom.”

“We already know that. Bryan is going to give her as much as he can, but you know as well as I do. Female Were’s aren’t very common in the community. You’re the exception to that rule. You had yourself, changed after you became a Wererat.”

“All I did is made how I felt inside match my other nature. Remember, I had a female rat form. I wasn’t male. So, I underwent the surgery to change. Suppressing my natural healing talent was hard.”

Serra had felt better after she had her body changed. She had to get a flesh sculpture to do the work. Then she had to drink a potion for two weeks that suppressed her nature healing talent.

“Well, I’m just happy that your happy now and thanks for coming over.” She hugs Stephen.

He returns the hug. Afterward, Stephen escorts Serra to her car.