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Author's Note: I interrupt the previous DRU story to bring you this DRU surprise. I got a lot of PMs and comments about ending For The Fairest on such a wicked cliffhanger. I let everyone stew and groan at me for a while about it, knowing that in the back of my mine I always had something like this planned. It was a bit evil of me to do, ending the story on such a thing but I had a lot of fun doing it. Now that the fun is over though, I give this little story. Call it an epilogue or For The Fairest 1.5 :) I'd like to thank djkauf and Indy for the magical editing and everyone for enjoying this universe :)

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“Hey Trace,” shouted a voice as I wandered aimlessly down the hall.

I barely heard it though, my head still in a fog. I’d been in said fog for a few days now ever since I read that letter. It’s one thing to find a strange diary sitting on your bed but it’s another to find a letter addressed to a daughter that didn’t exist two months before hand. I think when I read it the first time, I was a bit shocked. All I could remember was holding the letter, tears running down my cheeks and my hands shaking. I’m not sure when I recovered but I managed to read it a few more times, each time I cried a little more. But unlike the first time, my shock was replaced by anger. Anger for having read its contents, anger that the writer could do something like that, anger that they weren’t around now to see what had become of me.

“Earth to Tracy” said the voice again as I made it to my locker.

I turned around and faced my “stalker”.

Chris Harper was standing behind me, looking out of breath and as cute as ever. That last bit didn’t escape me in the least. I wouldn’t deny I still felt something for him, made apparent by our time at the Halloween party a few nights ago. I almost lost myself to him again, mesmerized by his gooey eyes. That mesmerization was lost as soon as I took a look at his sling. Looking at it I couldn’t help but be reminded by what happened. He’d gotten shot because of me. Everything that happened after that was a bit of a mess. I wanted to try to talk to him again but I wasn’t sure what to say.
I still wasn’t sure what to say.

“Hi” I managed to get out, trying not to look at his shoulder.

He caught me looking because he laughed. “It’s not as bad as it looks actually. The doc said the bullet went clean through. They patched me up and I only had to spend the night in the hospital. My sisters were a wreck of course; you should have seen Cindy bawling.”

Cindy? “I thought she was your cousin?”

“Technically.” He said quickly then added. “My aunt and uncle adopted the two of us. Well her first…you know the drill.”

I nodded. I’d forgotten actually. It was strange how things like that happened. While the two of us were dating, I didn’t really hang out with Cindy much. But in her defense, she wasn’t around all that much either. I thought it was because she didn’t like me but it turned out she got wrapped up in her own little adventure involving crazy Hunters, a strange baby and dragons. At least that’s what Chris told me. If it weren’t for Linda suddenly appearing in their lives, I wouldn’t have believed any of it. Most people in Ravencrest thought she was a distant relative the Harpers took in. After the mess that was involved with her, Chris tried his best to fill me in. It was a big hush hush thing and apparently, I wasn’t completely in the know. In my defense I was a bit busy with my own stuff, too. I never really thought about it until now but Cindy and I seemed to have this knack for stepping in it, didn’t we.

It kind of ticked me off that Carson wouldn’t tell me about it either. He was in the thick of things but he had made a promise not to tell anyone what really happened. I guess he was just protecting his girlfriend. I couldn’t help but shudder at that, Carson dating someone. I suppose it was bound to happen but there were bound to be problems. After all, our family stopped me from dating Chris. I couldn’t imagine what Trev was going to say when he found out about the two of them.

I diverted my attention back to my former boy toy.

“So did they say how long you’ll be wearing that thing?”

“A week at the most I think.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry about…”

“No” he said, cutting me off. “You don’t get to apologize for that. It was my own fault. I charged into that blindly.”

“He was after me, you shouldn’t have been there. If you’d only stayed like I asked then…”

Chris touched my arm gently. “You were in danger…I…”

“You don’t have to protect me.”

“I know but I want to.”

Damn why does he have to be such a nice guy. It’s a shame that most of the girls in school think he’s such a scrub. I got such hell for dating him; everyone kept giving me dirty looks in the locker room and going out of their way to tell me how much they disapproved. I tried to defend him but when Chris refused to defend himself it was kind of a moot point. He was a great guy, loving and caring and always there for you but he did nothing for himself. That’s not why we broke up of course; I guess I just got tired of trying to get him to open up. If I had known what he was truly hiding and he’d known my secret, well maybe things might have been different.

Talking to him made me forget my problems for the moment. The letter evaporated from my thoughts. Unfortunately so did everything else. It’s sometimes hard to forget that we don’t have all the time in the world to talk, especially in the middle of school. The bell went off, signaling the fact that now both of us were late for class. I hadn’t even noticed but the hall was devoid of people, well except for the two of us.

We both cursed. I quickly opened my locker and switched books.

“Hey you want to meet up with me this weekend?” he asked as I slammed my locker.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

The two of us started speed walking to class.

“I’m not talking about a date. I was thinking more along the lines of sparring.”

“Chris, you were just shot.”

He laughed. “Weres heal real easy. The sling is merely for show. Well OK, that’s not one hundred percent true. It hurts like a bitch but by Friday everything will be fine.”

I sighed. “Can I think about it?”

He smiled. “Sure, give me a call with your decision.”

I went a little weak in the knees at that smile. Damn him. I nodded my head as we rushed into the classroom together. Of course, everyone---including Cindy---stared. The teacher gave us a nasty look for interrupting his lesson. Chris and I quickly rushed to our seats. I dropped into my usual next to Cindy. He was still staring at me when I sat down. It’s strange but I suddenly realized something. Maybe it was because Chris called her his “sister” or maybe it was because I’d been so preoccupied but Cindy was sitting in the exact same seat that Craig used to sit in.

I smiled back before taking out my notebook.

After class, I found myself in the girl’s bathroom. Something that was so strange and foreign to me only a few weeks ago was now commonplace. It kind of scared me how well I’d adjusted to it. Adjusting to this whole new life was kind of frightening actually. Before I couldn’t stand it, hated everything about being a girl but that had changed. I’m not saying I’d run off and join the cheer squad or flounce around in a frilly dress but I definitely wasn’t the same old Trevor. Looking in the mirror I couldn’t help but wonder, given the chance to turn back, if I’d take it now. After the change happened the first time, I would have said yes without thinking about it but now things were different. My friendship with Mary was better than ever, I had more friends, more confidence and a better love life.

Now there were complications, too.

OK, so not severe ones but they were there.

I turned on the sink and started washing my hands, trying hard not to think about the letter. Of course, when you try not to think about something it’s usually the first thing that you do. I sighed.

My Dearest Daughter, I know that you’re scared and confused. I know that you probably can’t quite comprehend what’s going on and I understand that. Given the choice, I never would have wished for something like this. I was being selfish…

My thoughts were interrupted by sobbing. I shut off the water quickly and turned around, looking for the source. I scanned the bottoms of the stall, looking for the tell tale signs of feet. I didn’t see any but I knew there was someone else in here with me. I decided to rely on my instincts, scanning each stall. My eyes fell on the second one from the left. I’m not sure how but I just knew there was someone there. As I got closer, I got a strong whiff of a flowery perfume. Was it possible I had smelled it and not even realized it?

I knocked gently on the door.

“Go away” sobbed a voice, the girl on the other side clearly in a real mess.

I thought about doing exactly what the girl asked but I couldn’t. Whether it was my chivalrous male nature shining through or if it was just the fact that I couldn’t leave a girl crying alone. I took a deep breath and said. “I can’t do that.”

The girl didn’t say anything so I took the first step. Well, the second, the first being actually talking to her. I tried to open the door but it was locked so I put a little muscle into it. I know vandalizing school property is a no no but this girl sounded really upset. The door snapped open easily thanks to my Were strength, wood and metal popping away. The girl looked up at me in surprise but not as surprised as I was when I saw who it was. It was Misty Curtis, formally the bane of my male existence. She was the bane of my female existence too.

Misty looked up at me, her tear streaked mascara all over her face.

“It’s you” she snapped. “What the fuck do you want?”

OK, so she still had her old hatred for me. I guess that wasn’t going to change.

I’d like to say that I felt sorry for her but I really didn’t. Even looking at her in her halter-top and tight jean skirt, I still couldn’t help but see Mike Curtis, the bastard who made my life a living hell. He’d been that very same bastard up until a few days ago when Mary---my best friend and resident witch---decided to pay him back for all the hell he’d been causing. I wasn’t really keen on the idea of her turning the football star into the school slut but after a day of watching him get ridiculed, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. Mary was sure enjoying it, going out of her way to make sure Mike---err---Misty was punished as much as “she” could be.

Maybe that ridicule had finally gone too far though.

“You OK, Mike?” I asked, without even thinking about it.

“What did you call me?” she asked.

I cursed. I just called her Mike didn’t I? One of the things about the spell was that everyone now thought of her only as Misty. Well everyone that wasn’t an Unseen. It was strange but I was unaffected by Mary’s spell but so were Dana and Chris too, Cindy as well as far as I knew. Mary told me later that some spells didn’t work on Unseen; Weres for instance had a lot of resistance, especially to reality altering spells.

“Misty” I said, trying to recover quickly.

“No you didn’t,” she said, her eyes getting big. “You know who I am? Who I really am!”

I shook my head. “You’re a bit confused.”

“She did this didn’t she? That little friend of yours. She’s a witch.”

Her eyes widened. “She did it to you too, didn’t she? You really are Trevor aren’t you?”

She laughed. Suddenly whatever depression she was in was gone. There was a malice in her eyes though not nearly as wild as the one Mike used to get. This one was desperate, like a scared girl looking for answers. Now I felt a bit sorry for her. It was clear that she’d gone through hell the last few days and now here she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Of course, she’d discovered the truth---Mike might have been dumb but he was really perceptive. Now he was starting to put more pieces together, something that no one wanted him to do.

“I think you need to go to the nurse Misty.”

She got to her feet. She moved forward, grabbing my shirt. “You’re in on this too, huh. I bet you wanted to be a girl, bet you’re one of those little sissies. Your bitch of a friend fixed you up and then said what the hell let’s do the whole population. You get Harper too?”

Harper?

“What the hell are you talking about?”

She snorted. “If you didn’t notice. Kind of convenient that Trevor and Craig disappear and suddenly Tracy and Cindy show up?”

Shit, how had I not noticed that? Where was Craig? Chris told me some weird story but I’ll be damned if I remembered that. How did Curtis notice something that I completely ignored?

I needed to do damage control and quick.

“Look Misty, I’m not sure what’s happened to you but it’s clear that you’re not feeling well. Why don’t I walk you to the nurse’s office, maybe you can lie down?”

I reached for her but she pushed my hand away angrily.

“So you can mock me the whole way there. Fuck off. I don’t need your help, I don’t your help. You fucking freaks are all the same and as soon as I figure the whole thing out I’m going to tell everyone.”

She stormed past me, her heels clicking loudly as she ran for the door. I turned to go after her but she was out the door by the time I got there. In the hallway, I looked for her. I caught a fleeting glimpse of her but she was too far away to stop now. I couldn’t help but sigh. Me and my big mouth. To think that I actually thought that Misty might be different than Mike, that she might have learned a little humanity after the change. I guess a change of gender doesn’t always mean a change in personality. That last thought gave me a slight pause. Is that what happened to me? Did changing me into a girl somehow brainwash me into a girl’s way of thinking?

Looking down at myself, I couldn’t help but laugh. At least I wasn’t wearing a halter top and the shortest skirt imaginable. I didn’t feel any different either so clearly Misty was blowing smoke, this time it was a little less dangerous than before but something worth thinking about. Not her accusations but what she said about Cindy. Now that I thought about it, it was a tad bit strange that she appeared right after Craig left. Was it just coincidence or was it something more?
I cursed and looked at my watch. There was still a lot of school left for the day but maybe I could catch up with her later. I’m sure it was nothing but it wouldn’t hurt to ask her a few questions.

…I was thinking only of myself and not what was truly important. Your father and I discussed for a long time about what we really wanted and as much as I wanted to give him another strong son to be proud of in the back of my mind I wanted a daughter too. It’s sad to think as I write this that my dream came true and that it will no doubt cause you a great deal of pain.

The letter was still fresh in my mind as I left school. The sun hit me in the face, blinding me. It was extremely rare to be so sunny like this; it was November after all. It was reasonably warm too, a lot warmer than it usually is. This time last year the temp was down in the thirties and you could feel it trying to snow. Today it was in the mid forties and though the wind had a slight chill, it wasn’t the cold blast that most people were used to. The weather however was the least thing on my mind as I shielded my eyes and looked out across the field.

The Ravencrest Rhinos’ football field was behind the school, situated between the baseball diamond far in the corner and the soccer field that took up the rest of the space. Back when I was a guy, most of our gym classes were spent out here. As a girl, gym was still out here but we didn’t do as many sports as they did. I paused at that thought. The boys were “they” and “them” now; I couldn’t help but wonder when that happened. Was I so far into this new life of mine that I didn’t even think of myself as one of “them” now. Did I even want to?

I finally caught sight of the cheerleaders. There were about fifteen girls out there. I’m not sure if that was normal or not but there were very few things about Ravencrest that were. I took a deep breath as I walked slowly toward them. Back when I was Trevor, the cheerleaders were a bit of an enigma to me. They were these school goddesses, meant to be always seen but never approached. Any guy of my status who even looked their way got their asses kicked by any jock, no matter the sport. It was like The Mummy movie. No one could touch the pharaoh’s mistress without death. It wasn’t that extreme of course but it sure felt like it sometimes.

As I approached the girls, I couldn’t help but feel like I was going to get pounded.

But I was OK now because I was one of them. Well not a cheerleader but I wasn’t something that was trying to take them away.

Getting closer I glanced at the football team practicing at the far end of the field. Looking into the bleachers there was a small group of girls---their girlfriends. I turned my attention away from them and back to the school’s elite. The cheer girls were dressed in white and maroon---the school colors. They weren’t in their uniforms though because it was practice, instead they were wearing either wind shorts or warm up pants. I couldn’t help but cringe when I looked at the girls wearing the shorts---it was way too cold for that.

“Hey Tracy” said a perky voice from my left.

I turned and found Britney Hawkins. She was one of the smart ones---wearing pants. She was stretching, looking particularly limber today. A small part of me wished I was still Trevor so I could really enjoy what I was seeing. The rest of me was appalled at having such a thought. Britney was a sweet girl, we had a few classes and though we weren’t really friends we got along pretty well. At first, it was hard because she was the first one to notice my change from weakling Trevor into stud Trevor. I’m not sure what would have happened if I’d stayed that way but I had this fantasy of possibly asking her on a date.

I guess that was over now.

“Hey Brit” I said, trying to act a part. “You seen Cindy?”

Britney turned to the group, I did the same. I scanned the faces of the girls---all in various stages of stretching. I knew most of them from class and from around school. A few of them I even knew personally---not that I was ever friends with any. Some of them even joined in the ridicule Mike and his goons used to give me. One of them---Tara Heart---even went so far as to spit in my face. I looked past all of them and found Cindy hiding in the back of the group, wearing a tank top and maroon warm up pants, her hair in its usual long braid.

“Never mind,” I told Britney. “I found her.”

I wove my way through the girls toward her. Throughout the rest of the day, I couldn’t help but think about Misty’s words. It was hard not to think about them actually. It was strange that Cindy just appeared right after Craig disappeared. It was stranger still that Cindy appeared just as I did as well. I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe there might be something connecting the two of us. The letter was pretty vague on things, especially on what had changed me. I prayed for a daughter, wanted one more than anything. When you were born and I looked at you in my arms I couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss. It’s horrible for a mother to think that about her child but I really wanted a girl. That’s when she came to me.

“Hey Cindy” I said as I finally got to her. “You got a minute.”

She was laughing with one of the other girls---a joke I didn’t hear. She turned to me and when she did, she looked a bit surprised. I guess I was probably the last person she expected to see out here. I’d heard the rumors about Tracy Locke being the tomboy after all. Cindy smiled at me and nodded, pointing toward a section of the practice area after from the others.

“What’s up?”

I took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask you about Craig.”

For a split second, I saw her eyes pop open.

She recovered quickly. “What about him?”

“Chris and I never really discussed it. He was kind of vague on where his brother went and I was just curious.” OK, time to drop the bomb. “It’s a little strange you know, his disappearing when you show up?”

There I said it. Now it was time for her to react.

It didn’t take her long.

“No stranger than you showing up the moment your brother disappeared.”

Right for the throat. I knew Cindy was a fighter but that took me by surprise. I was certain that most people had bought the bull shit.
Cindy was in top form today. “People leave, other people come. It’s not that hard to comprehend. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get back to practice, it’s the playoffs you know.”

She started back toward the others but I wasn’t done. She didn’t really answer my question, just sort of danced around it.

“Where did Craig go?”

She sighed heavily, turning around. “Why do you care, you didn’t know him.”

OK, offensive time.

“What if I told you I did?” Her eyes widened a bit. I closed the space between the two of us quickly. “What if I told you I knew a lot of things, things I shouldn’t know?”

Cindy tried to fight. “Then I’d say you were well informed.”

I lowered my voice into barely that above a whisper. “What if Trevor never left Ravencrest at all?”

I was going out on a limb here, it was a risk but I was confident it would pay off. It was just too damn convenient that Trevor and Craig disappeared around the same time Tracy and Cindy showed up. I couldn’t prove anything but if I threw myself out there, maybe just maybe she would do the same.

I saw her body visibly stiffen.

“What are you saying exactly?” she whispered, looking around to make sure the other girls weren’t nearby.

I did the same before I spoke. “What if Tracy Locke wasn’t around before Labor Day of this year?”

Cindy’s eyes got as big as saucers then they slowly roamed around my body. When they got to my face, she squinted as if trying to see something. Her eyes widened again because I think she saw what she was looking for.

All I could do was nod my head.

“I’ll tell the other girls something’s come up and I need to leave. I’ll meet you outside the locker room in fifteen minutes.”

I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

Cindy turned and walked off toward the girls. She staggered once before getting to them.

Mission accomplished.

“So it happened on your birthday, too?” she asked as we drove.

Cindy was taking things pretty good, all things considered. After all, it’s not every day that you find out that you’re not the only one the universe fucked over. After meeting her outside the locker room, neither one of us said anything until we got out to the bike rack. We strapped my bike into her trunk---I so had to start driving more---then got into her Miata. Neither one of us said anything until we got out of the school parking lot. As soon as we did, we both started talking at the same time. I guess we really were two teenage girls after all. Through the babble, we were both able to make out each other’s stories.

Surprisingly, her story was very similar to mine.

I nodded my head to her question. “At my family’s hunting lodge. My father practically disowned me over it.”

“That’s gotten be rough.”

I sighed. “I think he’s finally coming around.”

Not that Dad was really showing it. After our little talk in his office, Dad left the country. He apparently had some business abroad to attend to. He promised to be home in time for Thanksgiving though. We were supposed to do a little father daughter bonding as soon as he got back. I wasn’t holding my breath though. Sure we’d sort of mended things but I think it weirded Dad out a bit. It weirded me out too.

“My folks were OK, a bit shocked but OK.”

Her folks were in fact her aunt and uncle. Chris and Craig---I mean Cindy---lost their parents when they were young. Their older sister Carly stepped in for a while but it didn’t take long for their uncle Patrick to take them into his home. Them becoming Cindy’s parents was a new development, having just adopted her back in September. The Harpers were good people, even if they were Coyotes.

We didn’t say anything for a minute or two.

“So this letter you mentioned?” she asked after the short silence.

“OK, so after the incident with Damien and his craziness, I found this diary in my room. Leather bound, blank pages. Out of it I found a letter, addressed to me by my mother.”

“She’s dead right?”

I nodded. “Long time ago, after I was born”. I took a moment to collect my thoughts. “According to the letter, Mom somehow did this to me, whether she meant it or not.”

Cindy bit her lip. I could see some indecision on her face before she slowed the car and pulled it over. We were only halfway to my house so it was a bit confusing.

She turned to me. “If I tell you something you swear you won’t say anything?” I nodded, she took a deep breath. “You don’t think it was Lady Moon do you?”

“Lady Moon?”

She looked at me like I’d grown a third eye on my forehead. “You don’t howl to the moon?”

I laughed. “No but it sounds like fun.”

She smiled before continuing. “We Coyotes howl at the Moon, she’s our Goddess. It might sound crazy but shortly after changing, she actually started talking to me.”

“The Moon talks?”

She shook her head. “It’s hard to explain. Anyways for a while I thought she might have been the reason for my change.” She looked at me, squinting. “Are you sure you haven’t been hearing her too. Maybe you just haven’t noticed?”

I shook my head. “The only voice in my head is my annoying dog.”

We both laughed. After a minute or so, the laughing died down. The two of us sat in silence again.

“You don’t think it was magic do you?”

Another part of the letter came into my head. The figure that stood before me was bathed in a brilliant white light and told me she was here to answer my prayers. She did something; a bright white light came from her hand and surrounded me. I felt so warm and safe. When it was gone, she was still there. I could only see her face though; it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

I’d been thinking about the whole magic route too but Agatha had already tested me. Her tests had all come back negative.

“I’ve pursued the magic angle but nothing came from it.”

Cindy scoffed. “Yeah, well in my experience magic users don’t always tell you everything.”

“You’re talking about the whole Linda thing?”

She nodded.

“How’s she doing?”

“Real good” she beamed. “Better than ever in fact. She’s so smart; it won’t be long before she starts walking.”

I think Cindy was being a little too enthusiastic but it was refreshing. All mothers boasted about their children and Cindy was no different. Even though Linda wasn’t technically hers, Cindy was probably going to be the only mother the girl knew. That boggled my mind a bit when Chris first told me about it. Here I was having just recently become a girl and his “cousin” was taking in a baby to raise. It was even more mind blowing now that I knew that Cindy was in fact Craig and that his change was just as recent as my own. It made me wonder, did he get a different change than me or was it just that he or rather she adapted to things a lot faster?

After another moment of silence, Cindy restarted the car and we were on our way again. We didn’t say anything more until we got to the house. I tried to remember if Craig had ever been here because I know Cindy had never been. When we pulled through the gate and open to the house, her eyes got huge. The Harper house was nice, it was a good size but it was a shed compared to ours. I guess it’s one the perks of being the richest family in Ravencrest. I directed her to guest parking around the side then the two of us went in through one of the doors there. I shouted as soon as I got inside, hoping that no one responded. Thankfully, my prayers were answered so I led her through the house. The whole time Cindy didn’t close her mouth, staring at the grandeur of it all.

“Carson and Chris said…I mean I’ve seen it from the street but wow.”

I laughed. “I think it’s too big”.

We meandered through the rest of the house until we got to my room. I was a little nervous letting her inside because it wasn’t exactly the room that most teenage girls had. Sure, it was starting to turn that way but there was still a lot of Trevor there as well. For instance, I had a vanity but no makeup and while the walls had taken on a more gender neutral color, I was still a little messy with clothes all about. I turned several shades of embarrassment as we entered, especially with the bra hanging off one of my chairs.

Cindy didn’t seem to notice.

“You can sit wherever,” I said as I walked across the room over to my desk. It had one of those drawers that locked where I kept all my valuables. The key stayed with me at all times. I unlocked the drawer, took out both the letter and diary and brought them over to her.

She was sitting on the edge of my bed.

“I haven’t showed these to anyone yet.”

I didn’t really know who to show. In fact, she was the only one I’d told about them too. I thought about sharing them with Mary but it felt wrong somehow. Sure, she was my best friend but Mary had this way about her. She didn’t really like the mushy stuff and then there was that whole thing with her own parents. We didn’t talk about things like that, because I could how much it hurt her. She lost both her parents whereas I had Dad and Constance. It was kind of a sore subject.
Telling Greg about it was out of the question. Sure, he knew my secret now, but he was still a little weary around all of it. I guess I couldn’t really blame him.

I’m not sure why I decided to open up to Cindy about it. At first, I was just going to tell her about being Trevor and leave it there. It was up to her to fill in her side of the story, which she did. After that, though she got talking about the change and wanting to know how it happened. I somehow let slip about the diary and the letter and here we are.

“Can I read it?” she asked, referring to the letter.

For a moment, I almost told her to go screw herself. Hey, it was mine, written to me by my mother. As far as I was concerned, it was the most precious thing to me in the world. She was a mother, she’d understand. Then I realized that I was being selfish. If our changes were somehow connected, ---I couldn’t see how they weren’t---then she had the right to know too. So reluctantly, I handed the letter over.

I sat impatiently for her to read the letter, thankfully, it wasn’t very long. As she read, the last bit of it came into my head. She never told me her name but she told me she gave me a gift. She said on the eve of your sixteenth birthday that the daughter I always wished for would come forth and that all my prayers would be answered. I had conflicting emotions about this revelation. On one hand I would get a daughter and on the other I would be losing a son, a son who had been a son for sixteen years. She left shortly after telling me this and I couldn’t stop myself from writing this letter. I wish I could be there to see you now, my beautiful girl but if this letter is in fact in your hands then I know it not to be so. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering you’ve gone through, how scared and angry you must be. If I could take back what I’d done I would do it in a heartbeat. I love you so much my darling child, my wonderful daughter.

Cindy finished reading and looked up at me. “I think your mother is wrong,” she said, handing me back the letter.

“What do you mean?” I asked rather defensively.

“About this being her fault” she quickly clarified. “A lot of people wish for things, I’m sure there isn’t a mother out there who doesn’t wish for a cute little girl. I think she was being too hard on herself. She could have never known that someone would hear her prayer and make it so.”

I had had the same thoughts myself.

I started to walk the letter and diary back to my desk to look away but Cindy stopped me. “Wait, maybe we can use those.”

That gave me some pause.

“Think about it” she continued. “You said the diary just appeared in your bedroom right?” I nodded. “Well whoever put it there must have left some kind of fingerprints on it. We find out who it is and maybe they can tell us what’s going on.”

I felt like an idiot for not thinking about that myself. Of course, whoever put it there must have known that my mother had the diary. If that was the case, they must have at least been asked by her to give it to me. The only problem is that they went out of their way not to be known so would they be stupid enough to leave fingerprints? It took me only a second or two to work out a solution. Maybe not fingerprints but possibly something else.

I set the book on my bed and slowly kicked off my shoes. Cindy watched me for a second. She looked away when I peeled off my shirt and then it clicked with her too.

“Good thinking,” she said as I unbuttoned my pants.

I slowly finished stripping and closed my eyes.

You could go out of your way of not leaving fingerprints or DNA evidence easily enough but there was no way to fool the senses. I concentrated and ten seconds later, I opened my eyes in wolf form. There was a gasp from Cindy. I turned to her and she just stood there staring. I ignored her for a second, turning my attention to the bed. I jumped up on it and sniffed the air, especially around the book. The first thing I smelled was the dust. Whoever did have it was keeping it somewhere a bit dusty, probably hiding it away until the right time. I sniffed the book itself, smelling the leather. I might have even smelled the cow that the leather actually came from. That was a bit mind blowing and distracting. I tried to push the fresh meat out of my head as I concentrated harder. I spent quite some time sniffing the book, trying to get everything from it I possibly could. I even went so far as to lick it---the only thing I got from that was a bad taste.

After ten minutes, I gave up. Whoever handled the book---as strange as it was---had no odor.

How was that possible?

I closed my eyes and transformed back. Before turning back to Cindy, I grabbed the blanket and covered myself with it. “Nothing” I said “which makes no sense.”

If Cindy heard me, she didn’t acknowledge it. When she spoke, her voice was quiet. “You’re a white wolf.” I nodded. She smiled big. “Shortly after I changed I had this dream and in the dream there was a wolf, a white one. There’s no doubt about it Tracy, we are definitely connected somehow.”

We smiled at one another for a minute or two. I think both of us were trying to take in what that meant. I’m not sure what she was thinking but I knew what I was: how were the two of us connected and why?

Cindy spoke first. “You said you got nothing, how is that possible?”

I shook my head. “I was pretty thorough; I even smelled the cow in the leather.”

Cindy laughed. “Makes me hungry just thinking about it.”

We both laughed a bit until the diary came back into the equation. Then the two of us sat and stared at it. It was perplexing to say the least. What kind of person touched something and didn’t leave any trace of them behind. Clearly, whoever they were, they weren’t human. Which left one option of course but how could an Unseen mask their scent from a Were?

“Let me try” said Cindy as she pulled off her shirt.

After stripping, she disappeared to be replaced by a Coyote. Watching someone transform was never going to get easy.

The coyote jumped onto my bed and spent about as much time as I did with the diary. In fact, I think she might have spent even longer. She got so caught up in it actually that I had to nudge her to get her attention. As soon as I did, she turned to me and a second later, a very naked Cindy was squatting there. I turned away, embarrassed. I was a bit sad too, because her naked form truly did nothing for me. I’d accepted that long ago but now it was just another big nail in the coffin.

“Shit” she gasped a moment later. “I don’t understand it. Someone must have put it there.”

I nodded as I slid off the bed. The two of us took a moment to get dressed.

“You don’t think someone used magic on it do you?” I asked as I laced up my sneakers. “Perhaps a spell to hide their trace on it?”

“Why go to so much trouble though?”

I shrugged. I finished with my shoes and walked over to my end table, grabbing my phone. “I can find out” I said, quickly dialing Mary’s number.

The two of us waited in the kitchen.

“This is really good,” said Cindy, her mouth half full with lunch meat.

It wasn’t cow of course but it was the best I could do on such short notice. It was strange really. When we got downstairs, Gloria was nowhere to be found. I guess that wasn’t unheard of---even she had her own life but it was just odd. She was never out this late before. In fact, it was even stranger that Constance and Tommy were gone too. Looking at the clock on the wall, I knew for a fact that Constance was done with work and Tommy’s school let out a while ago.
“I’m sorry it’s not more satisfying,” I said, grabbing another sandwich from the tray in front of us. “Usually we have a lot more meat lying around.”

“Meat is meat”

I couldn’t help but smile. It was strange how quickly my appetite and attitude toward things had changed. To think before all this I was a vegetarian. Now to even think about not eating meat was some kind of sin. I tried to fight the urges whenever I could but it was hard when you could smell everything as you passed by it. In wolf form, it was ten times worse.

We waited while we ate.

On the phone, I quickly filled Mary in on things. I think she was a little ticked that I told Cindy about everything about me but she’d get over it. She’d been a little grumpy lately. I don’t think she really liked her cousin all that much. It was still a few more days before he arrived but for the last day and a half, she talked nonstop about how much of pain this was going to be. I knew Kelly; he’d spent a few summers here over the years. Mary exaggerated things a lot because he definitely wasn’t as bad as she claimed. In fact, Greg and I got along with him really well. It was going to be a bit different this time around though, what with him not knowing about the new me.

We didn’t have long to wait. When the doorbell rang, Cindy followed me through the house to answer it. One bad thing about being the only one home, it took forever to get to the house. When I finally opened it, Mary was standing there looking pretty ticked. But her pissed off look paled in comparison to the look her grandmother gave me. I nearly did a double take because I wasn’t expecting her.

To say that Mrs. Crawford and I didn’t get along was an understatement. When I was Trevor, she didn’t like me because she thought I was romantically interested in her granddaughter but as Tracy, she saw me as a danger. I’m not sure where all the bad blood came from but it was clear that in most cases, Witches and Weres didn’t get along.

I guess that made Mary and me an exception to the rule.

“Mrs. Crawford” I said, giving Mary a look. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yes, well Mary talks rather loudly.”

“Sorry” Mary mouthed.

I invited both of them in. I introduced Cindy to Mary’s grandmother. The older woman gave the Coyote the same severe look as me.

“A Coyote and Wolf in the same house, how interesting.”

I led all my guests back to the kitchen where we left the diary and letter. Once there I played the polite host, offering them refreshments, drink and sandwich. Mary took both but of course, her grandmother declined.

After a few moments of awkward silence, I jumped right in. I explained about the letter and how I was convinced that Cindy and I were a lot alike. I was talking more to Mrs. Crawford, in hopes she had some much needed light to add to the subject. She didn’t speak until I was finished.

“You’re not alike, not fully anyway.”

“What?” Cindy and I blurted at the same time.

Mrs. Crawford continued. “While it’s clear that both of you might have been changed by the same means, whatever it was it was much stronger in Tracy. There’s no indication in Tracy of a signature but in Cindy I can see a small portion of it. There’s something else, too” She smiled. “A bit of dragon and a very powerful presence.”

Cindy smiled.

Mrs. Crawford continued, turning her attention to me. “This letter and diary, may I see them?” I nodded and handed them to her.

We all watched as she held her hands over the items, her fingers twitching slightly as they glowed. As we watched, the glowing intensified until it was almost too bright to look at. Seconds later, she gasped and the glowing ceased altogether. Mrs. Crawford was visibly strained and sweating, even short a breath for a few seconds. It took her a moment or two to recover. When she did, there was a moment of shock. She looked at Cindy for a second then her eyes lingered on me. She stared at me for the longest of time. Then she smiled. It kind of scared me because I’d known her for quite a while and I couldn’t remember the last time she actually smiled at me.

“You are a very fortunate person, both of you in fact,” she said, still smiling. “It’s been a long time, ages in fact but there’s no doubt about it.”

She stood up, causing all of us to stand with her.

“I don’t understand,” I asked quickly. “What did you find?”

She was still smiling. “You’ve both been given a divine blessing. The Sacred have deemed you worthy. If you’re smart, you’ll accept it for what it is and be happy.”

What was a Sacred? What the hell did any of this mean?

I had another billion questions now. I think Cindy did too but Mrs. Crawford didn’t stay to answer them. Instead, she turned and walked out of the kitchen. I looked to Mary; she was giving me this dreamy look. She was lost in it for some time; the only way to get her out was to stab her in the hand with a fork. She gasped then cursed.

“What the fuck?”

“That’s what I want to know,” I said, “what the hell just happened?”

Mary started to rub her hand. “You stabbed me.”

I snapped my fingers in her face. “Concentrate” She stopped rubbing. “What the hell is a Sacred?”

Mary bit her lip. Then she looked around quickly as if there might be someone watching. But her grandmother was probably in the foyer waiting. “Ok” she said in barely a whisper. “We’re not supposed to say but because it pertains directly to you, let’s just say that they’re the most powerful things in Ravencrest and leave it at that. They’re special; they’re never seen but always here.” She looked at Cindy. “You know what I’m talking about right?”

Cindy nodded numbly.

Mary continued. “If my grandmother says a Sacred did this to you, you’ll have to accept it and move on. There’s nothing anyone can do to change it. Sacreds are extremely powerful. Consider yourself lucky, both of you because Sacreds rarely interfere with the lives of mortals.”

With that, Mary grabbed the rest of her sandwich and left.

I sat there and watched her go. I felt as numb as Cindy looked. So something called a Sacred, changed Cindy and me and we were both just supposed to accept it. I wanted to laugh but nothing came out. Instead, I continued to sit there. We both sat there for a long time, neither one of us moving. After a while, I think Cindy came to her senses. When she did, she looked at the clock and cursed.

“I didn’t realize it was getting that late. My parents are going to kill me if I’m not home in time for dinner.”

I stood up with her. When she looked at me, there was the glistening of tears in her eyes. I suddenly realized I was crying a bit too. Ok so I didn’t really get the answers I was looking for but at least I had a pretty good idea what happened. My mother prayed for a daughter and one of these Sacred people most have heard her and answered that prayer. I’m not sure how Cindy was involved in all of it but at least we both knew that our change wasn’t something malicious. It seemed to be irreversible though. Weeks ago, I would have been really angry to hear that but now I was so used to be Tracy Locke that it didn’t even matter anymore.
In fact, I was happy to be me.

I followed Cindy back to the side door that led to the guest parking. When we got there, she surprised me with a hug. I surprised myself when I hugged her back.

“Thanks for this” she said, still crying. “I know it wasn’t all the answers but at least I know something.”

“If I find out anymore I’ll call you,” I said, wiping my own tears.

“Call me if you don’t find anything too. Just because you and my dork brother are no longer together that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out. Who knows I might be able to rope you onto the squad.”

“Fat chance of that.”

We both laughed.

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Your brother wants to get together this weekend to spar; you’re more than welcome to join us.”

She smiled. “Remind me to kick your ass then.”

“I accept that challenge.”

I hugged her again and she left. I felt good to know that I wasn’t alone in this after all. I’m not sure what connection we really had but I was glad to know that I at least had someone to talk to about these things. I wandered back through the house and found myself in the kitchen. I sat back down at the table and looked at the letter; it was lying where I’d left it. I slowly picked it up, caressing it gently with my fingers. It still made me sad to know that my mother wrote this and probably died shortly thereafter. There was so much I wanted to ask her, so much I wanted to share with her.

I wanted to tell her I loved her, I didn’t blame her and that I was happy to be her dearest daughter.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF

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Author's Note: Just when everyone thought they were getting rid of me, I'm back :) Someone else is back too....Tracy. I was going to post this story for Christmas but it started to get a mind of its own and wasn't ready. I then decided New Years but once again Tracy decided she had a much longer story to tell. So in the end I decided to just go with it and see where the story decided to take me. This is the end result. Get ready for a Tracy story...outside of Ravencrest.Timeline wise this story takes place after the events of For The Fairest, My Dearest Daughter, Season of the Witch and Two Sirens but before the events of Kit and Kin. I hope that clears some things up. Oh FYI, the part of Tracy will be played by Ashley Benson :) I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing and all the authors who have contributed to the DarkRealms.
 

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“How long are you going to be gone for?”

Mary and I were in my room, her complaining, me trying to get ready. I was packing for a week long ski trip with dad. We were finally going to get that father daughter bonding I so craved. Ok so maybe craved was the wrong word but I definitely needed something. Ever since my “Change”, Dad has been a little distant. Sure, we talked but never longer than a few minutes and never about anything with substance. He always found a reason to back out of our planned talks. Shortly after me rescuing his ass from the dreaded Coven, he fled to Europe until Thanksgiving. When he got home, he was distant, like he had a lot on his mind so I let him be. I tried to talk to him a few times afterwards but all he wanted to do was bury himself in work. Being accused of murder had taken a toll on him. Plus there was the added bit about trying to fit Dana into things.

I don’t even want to go there. I wasn’t allowed to know about Were Council politics so I kept my nose out of it.

I’d been keeping my nose out a lot lately. Ok, so that’s not one hundred percent true. There was that incident before Christmas involving Mary and her cousin Kelly but I was hardly involved. Before that, there was that bit with the new Lorekeeper but I’m not going to get into any of that. This was the beginning of a stress free week. Just me and Dad. Father and daughter spending the beginning of a new year together. Dad wasn’t so keen on the idea at first, claiming he had lots of work to do but with Connie on my side we were able to convince him. We didn’t really get to celebrate Christmas last week. Dad had run off on a last minute business trip and none of the relatives could be there. It was just Connie, Terry, Tommy and me. Suffice to say it was a little depressing.

We used to have these big family gatherings. All my uncles and aunts used to be there, my cousins. Connie used to hire a bunch of people to turn the house into a winter wonderland. We got the biggest tree, the best food. Everything was always perfect. This year though things changed. I’m not sure what it was but ever since my Change, things had been pretty hectic. I’m not saying I was the cause but Ravencrest sure was supercharged now. Though no one really knew how or why it was happening, the town was definitely going through a drastic change. First, there was me and Cindy then there was the thing with the witches. Add to that the reappearance of the Were Lorekeeper and a few other things and let’s just say that Ravencrest wasn’t the quiet little town anymore.

I think all the craziness affected my family. Suddenly everyone had other plans, plans that took them outside of Ravencrest no less. The big Christmas party was cancelled, Dad was suddenly away---something that never happened---and no one was in a very jolly mood.

“Earth to Tracy” snapped Mary, waving her hand in my face.

I came back to the present. “Sorry, a bit distracted.”

Mary sighed. “So this trip…?”

“A week” I said, folding another sweater to put in my suitcase.

I’d been packing for the last day or so. Usually I was a light packer when I went on trips. Last summer we did a week in Europe, I only packed one bag. I currently had three. It was amazing what a year and a quick gender change does to a person.

Mary groaned. “What the hell am I supposed to do for a week?”

I rolled my eyes. Mary had been exceptionally clingy ever since Kelly left. It was kind of funny really because the two of them hated each other. Kelly was kind of like me. He’d been a boy before coming here but some strange wacky spell had changed all of that. At first, Mary hated it. Though I don’t think she’d ever admit it, there was a bit of jealousy there. The new Kelly got to be pretty popular, something that Mary would never be able to achieve. The two were at odds the whole time until last weekend of course. That’s when the shit hit the fan. Though Mary refused to talk about most of it, it was clear something had changed. She and Kelly had bonded and now Mary was moping because her new friend was gone.

That had been three days ago.

“You know,” I said, putting my sweater away. “You could always try finding some new friends.”

The look on her face said it all. Friends were a pretty sour subject with Mary. Besides me and Greg, she didn’t really have anyone. Lately it had just been me though. Greg and Rita were pretty hot and heavy now. Though we still hung out on occasion, Greg spent most of his time with her. I think he kind of felt a little left out now anyway. The three of us used to be inseparable but that was before me---his best bud---became a “smoking hot chick”. His words, not mine. Ever since then Greg has been a little distant as well. Thankfully, he had Rita.

“And who should I be friends with?”

I almost suggested Cindy but that wouldn’t have ended well. Cindy was the Anti-Mary. Also very popular, she was nice, sweet, and cheerful. Everything that Mary was not. The fact that she was a cheerleader also put a huge dampener on any kind of friendship they might have. If there was one thing, Mary hated more than stupid people that wasted her time it was cheerleaders.

“How about Maggie? I bet she’s lonely too.”

“I’m not lonely.”

Ok, so poor choice of words there.

“What I meant to say is that the two of you were close to Kelly. I bet she’s missing her as much as you are. I think you two might be able to get along in your grief.”

“I’m not grieving and I definitely don’t miss Kelly.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, pouting like a little kid.

“Grieving or not, I think Maggie might enjoy the company.”

“I’ll think about it.”

We fell into silence after that. Mary made comments about the clothes I was packing. She was particularly interested in the ski clothes I had. Connie took me on a crash course shopping trip yesterday. She insisted I get a whole new wardrobe. She said that girls of my status had to dress certain ways while on the slopes. So we hit a few stores in town. There wasn’t a great selection of ski gear but we got some essentials. She made sure that I bought a several pairs of these really tight black ski pants----she insisted I needed to show off my butt like a proper ski bunny. I protested but in the end, I lost. I tried to convince her that this trip wasn’t about being cute; it was about reforming a bond with my father.

Mary had fun with the pants. She laughed quite a while about them. She only stopped when I finally got to packing some underwear.

“What the hell is this?” she said, picking up one of my new bras.

It was a lacy, satin one. Definitively unlike the sports bras I preferred to wear. I quickly snatched it from her hands and stuffed it into the nearest case, blushing several shades of red as I did so.

“Those were a gift,” I said, quickly hiding the matching panties behind my back.

“Who sent them?”

I frowned. “Aunt Mari.”

Terry’s mother meant well. We’d never really been all that close back when I was Trevor. Now that I was Tracy, a girl, everything had changed. Marisol only had one child after all---my brother. I think she always dreamed of having a girl and as such, I suddenly became her prime target. The bra and panty set were just one of many clothes she’d sent me in the last month or so. She was apparently bound and determined to turn me “into the young lady I was meant to be”. Those were her words not mine. It was hard to convince her I was happy with who I was so I just went along with it. My closet though was starting to slowly fill up with all of Mari’s clothes----not that they’d ever see the light of day.

“Your aunt must have a really morbid sense of humor.”

“Says the girl wearing a black corset and spider web stockings.”

Mary stuck her tongue out at me.

We had a good laugh about it.

After that, she sat around to help me finish packing----i.e. to make fun of the other clothes I was putting into my bags. As soon as I was done, she watched in awe as I carried all three of them downstairs. I might have been a weakling as a guy but as a girl, I was super chick. Score one for Werewolf blood. After sorting all that out, we retired to the entertainment room. Tommy was in there playing Wii with my cousin Max and two of his friends. At first, I thought it was a boy and a girl but both were actually girls. One of the girls smelled a lot like Will Holden, I’m guessing she was a sister. The other was a Were. Her scent was pretty distinct. I smelt her as soon as she came into the house actually. My wolf instinct told me lunch but everything else told me young frightened girl. I could only imagine how she must feel----a Raccoon in the den of Wolves.

I smiled at her as Mary and I dropped into the chairs in the far corner.

“So when are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

Mary sighed. “You really know how to suck the fun out of a girl’s vacation you know that?”

Yep that’s me---the fun sucker.

Dad ordered a rental to take us to McCormick Field. I tried to strike up a conversation but he was too busy with his phone. The quiet left me to my thoughts. I couldn’t help but think of all the crazy things of late. First with my own transformation then the events afterwards. Getting a diary and a letter from my dead mother, finding out I wasn’t the only male to female Were out there, that whole business with the witches last week. I know I might have mentioned that Ravencrest was getting crazy but there was definitely something wrong. It was like the whole world was turning on its end and Ravencrest was somehow in the middle of it. Sure we’d always been a little strange---even before I found out I was a Were---but this new kind of strangeness was unbelievable.

The ride from town to the airstrip took about thirty minutes on a good day. I say on a good day because Ravencrest liked to mess with people. On a bad day it could take anywhere from two hours to six. It was just one of the benefits of living there. When we finally managed to reach the strip, the driver was kind enough to open the door for us and get the bags. At least mine anyway. He made a grab for Dad’s but he wasn’t having any of it. As the driver unloaded my stuff, the owner of the airstrip---his name escaped me at the moment---came out to greet us.

“Good morning Mr. Locke, quite a fine bit of weather we’re having here.”

It started snowing last night. The storm was fairly light at first, increasing in intensity as the night went on. Though it was fairly light now, an hour ago it was white out conditions. Dad almost cancelled before his pilot called and assured him that we could manage. I couldn’t help but look across the strip to Dad’s private jet. It was a Gulfstream, on the side of which was our name with our family logo: a Wolf’s head. I’d been in my father’s jet before but this one appeared to be a newer model. It was a bit bigger than the last one. Dad liked to fly in style though. Expensive cars, private planes. He spared no expense when it came to these kind of things.

“Look Fox, just help the man put our bags into the plane”

Fox? I looked at the guy standing before me. The one who was now grimacing at my father. I sniffed the air, finding the smell that escaped me before. It was similar to the one Mr. McC gave off. The only reason I missed it was because it was smothered in diesel. I gave the man a warm smile, hoping it would make up for my father’s attitude. I’m not sure what his deal was. For as long as I could remember, my family and the McCormicks didn’t really like one another. I suppose it had something to do with Were politics. Like October, it wasn’t really my place to get involved. Even if I wanted too, Dad would be sure to keep me out of it.

The man smiled back at me before taking our bags and heading off.
“Tracy, don’t humor him.”

“I’m not humoring him, I’m being nice.”

“He’s a Fox, there’s no reason to be nice to him.”

“What’s the deal with that anyway?”

“It doesn’t concern you.”

Dad said nothing more on it. Instead, he went straight for the plane. All I could do was follow. So much for the great bonding. Here we were only hours into the trip and Dad was already being an ass. I suppose it was second nature to him but it was definitely not the way I wanted to start things. I guess I wasn’t expecting him to swoop me up into his arms and spin me around but I was at least expecting him to be partially civil. I knew it was difficult for him, hell it was for me too. If I’d been his little girl from day one, I couldn’t help but wonder how things might have turned out. Fathers and daughters were supposed to have these special bonds right. I mean Patrick Harper was like that with his own daughters, he was even starting to treat Cindy that way too. What made me so different from her?

“Are you getting on the plane or not?”

Dad was standing at the door, looking very annoyed with me.

I grumbled which startled our driver a bit. I cursed under my breath and slowly made my way to our “chariot.” When I climbed the steps, I already found Dad up front in one of his usual posh seats. Me, I didn’t want to sit next to him anymore. I went to the back, making sure I was as far from him as possible. If he was going to be a jerk the whole time then so was I. I watched as a perky blonde stewardess gave my father a drink then turned to me. I shook my head but she came anyways, giving me the oddest look.

“Mr. Locke doesn’t generally travel with young women…are you related to him?”

“I’m his daughter.”

I was never going to get used to saying that. Not that I had much practice saying it actually. The girl gave me a strange look nonetheless.

“I didn’t know Mr. Locke had a daughter.”

“He doesn’t like to take me out much…I think I embarrass him.”

My father gave me a stern look. I guess he didn’t like being made a fool in front of the staff. Hey, he started it. I understand my father was an important man but I was his daughter. It made me feel like an idiot whenever he decided to talk down to me. So I wasn’t up to date on Were politics; that didn’t mean he had to be so cruel in his explanation of them.

“Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” asked the girl.

I shook my head and said. “Maybe a Sprite.”

She smiled and left, no doubt to get my drink. She returned a few minutes later with my drink. I took it and thanked her as she left. I watched her go, wondering how my father could objectify her by making her wear such a small skirt. I frowned at her then turned my full frown to him. We stared one another down, neither of us blinking. My father finally flinched when the plane started to move. I took that time to turn toward the window and watch as the plane slowly started to taxi down the runway. It didn’t take long before we were up in the air. I absently fumbled into my carry on and pulled out my mother’s diary. Ever since I found it in my bedroom, I’d been writing everything down. It took me a while to get the previous stuff written but now I updated it every day.

Sitting here now, I couldn’t help but tell my mother everything that’s happened. I’ve taken to starting each entry with “Dear Mom”. Hey, she kind of started it after all. I wrote to her all about Dad today. How he’d been a real ass when talking about the Fox at the airstrip. After the whole incident with Damien Cross, I thought for sure that Dad would learn his lesson. He treated the other Weres so poorly, it was no surprise that one of them actually tried to ruin him like that. Not that I’m justifying what that bastard did, I just thought a lot of it could have been avoided if Dad maybe pulled the stick out of his ass a bit. I told Mom about that. In my head, I imagined her reading that bit and laughing. Mom always laughed at my jokes when I imagine her reading my stuff.
I finished the entry with my usual closing: Your Dearest Daughter.

When I closed the book, I noticed Dad staring. I looked up and saw that somewhere during my writing he’d moved down the aisle and was now sitting a seat away.
“You look so much like her when you concentrate like that,” he said, eying me with this far long look on his face.

“Like who?”

I already knew the answer of course but I wanted to hear him say it. I’m not sure when being like my mother mattered so much to me but I wanted to hear him say it anyway. It was strange to think that way and months ago, I would have been appalled. Now however it was probably one of the greatest compliments in the world.

“You know who.”

I couldn’t help but blush. I quickly forced it away, remembering I was still a bit mad at him for his mistreatment of the Fox back there.
“Dad is this the part where I’m supposed to get all mushy and fawn all over you because I’m not like that. I may be a girl now but most of me is still your son Trevor.”

He sighed heavily. “Actually this is me apologizing for earlier.”

“You mean with Mr. McCormick back there?”

He nodded. “Our family has an interesting relationship with theirs. I don’t want to bore you with the details, suffice to say there was a bit of a problem with a land dispute. Some claims were made---false or not---and some bad blood developed. The McCormicks are not good people, they don’t deserve our respect. There’s a reason they’re at the bottom of the hierarchy.”

Typical Dad. This wasn’t an apology at all. It was his explanation for his actions. He was trying to lay down the law to me, to tell me how I should think. Just when I thought he was going to turn into a decent human being. I don’t even know why I bothered with this stupid trip. There was never going to be any way the two of us were going to bond. He was too selfish and stupid to see that his actions were the problem. I saved his ass back in October and he acted like it never happened. If it wasn’t for me, he’d be rotting in a Coven dungeon somewhere or worse. He showed no gratitude whatsoever. Not the great Tobias Locke. Heaven forbid if he ever showed even the littlest bit of weakness.

“You don’t quit do you. Everything that ever happens has to be about you. I bet you only agreed to go on this trip because it benefitted you in some way.”

“That’s not…”

“Save your bullshit for someone who cares.”

I saw the anger well up in his face. His features started to take on a feral look and his eyes, they flashed from their regular blue to a vibrant gold. He started to snarl when I cut him off with my own. If he thought, he was going to intimidate me with his savagery I was going to prove him wrong. He may have been able to pull this trick with the other Weres but I was a Wolf and wolves didn’t back down so easily. Ferocity took over and I felt this overwhelming urge to tear his throat out. There was a great deal of pain in my back and suddenly it looked as if my father was shrinking away from me. No not shrinking away, actually getting smaller. I’m not sure when it dawned on me that I was changing but as soon as the realization hit me, so too did the look I saw on my father’s face. There was fear there and something else, perhaps a bit of respect?

It was gone an instant later but I saw it. At least I thought I did.

“You need to control yourself,” he said, giving me one of his stern looks. “You’re just lucky that they’re Weres or else this would have been a real mess.”

They? I turned to look and saw the two other occupants of the cabin---the two stewardesses giving me scared looks. I’m not sure what they say but whatever it was, it was enough to make one of them cry. I felt really bad about that. I felt like an idiot too. I’m not sure what came over me actually. One minute I was fine---well less fine than I thought but definitely not bloodthirsty. The next minute I felt like I could eat a whole buffalo. What the hell was that all about?

I dropped back down in my seat, looking sheepishly around me before turning back toward the window. Dad didn’t say another word. Instead, he got up and returned to his previous seat at the front of the plane. The rest of our flight was quiet. Every few minutes or so I caught one or the other stewardess given me the evil eye. I guess wolfing out wasn’t the best thing to do. Hey, it’s not like I could help it. Whatever it was? Turning into a wolf was easy; it was something I did whenever I could. This other thing though---this Beast---I had no idea how to get a handle on that. I mean the first time I did it, I killed and ate someone. To think that I might have done that again---no I don’t want to think about it.

I preoccupied myself by staring at the clouds, hoping to find solace there as the plane slowly soared through them.

The plane landed nearly four hours after takeoff. I think I might have dozed once or twice but was fully awake now. The first thing I saw as we made our approach was nothing but trees, snow and distant mountains. The plane circled once around the area before finally touching down on a little airstrip. I didn’t turn away from the window until we came to a full stop. Here I thought Ravencrest was a remote place. I’m not sure exactly where we were but it was remote enough that there wasn’t a single building around as far as I could see. With my wolf vision, that was pretty far. When I finally turned from the window, one of the stewardesses was standing nearby. She was looking out the window too apparently; she had a look of longing on her face.

“Are you from these parts?” I asked, hoping to heal the rift I caused earlier.

At first she didn’t say anything but she finally nodded. “Well not here exactly. I’m from Majestic Falls; it’s a tiny little town in Alberta. You’ll be spending the night there.”

Majestic Falls huh? I looked out the window again but saw no water. How could there be a falls way out here? I knew from our travel itinerary that we were in northern Alberta. According to our flight plans, the plane was to stop here for the night before we took a helicopter the rest of the way to the resort in the morning. Then it was skiing for the rest of the week. Surprisingly the place did remind me a bit of home. Except this place had a much better view.

“I didn’t think there was anything out here but well nothing.”

She smiled. “There isn’t…at least to the rest of the world anyway.”

Ah so that’s how it was.

“Majestic Falls is that kind of town then?”

She smiled and nodded before stepping away from the window and heading down the aisle.

Whereas Ravencrest was mainly an Unseen town, we had our fair share of Norms as well. However, there were towns out there that were only for the Unseen. They were rare of course but they were out there. Of course, I’d never seen any. I’d only known about the Unseen since September. After that, of course I did some research on the matter. I was curious to find out as much info on the Unseen as I could. Patrick Harper---Chris’ uncle turned father---was a great store of info on that. While Chris and I were dating, I literally spent a good portion of my time mining Mr. Harper and his archives for as much info about our kind as I could. He was a well of information.

That’s when I also learned that Ravencrest was a Sanctuary for the Unseen. That is, it was a place where they could come and live and not be threatened by the harsh world outside. There were several different kinds of them there actually, most decided to remain truly unseen. Not even Mr. Harper knew how many Unseen existed inside of Ravencrest’s borders. Ravencrest was a different kind of Sanctuary though. It was what Mr. Harper called an Open Sanctuary, that is a place where Norms and Unseen lived side by side. Of course, a majority of the Norms didn’t even know we existed. If I had to guess, I’d say this Majestic Falls was of the other variety---the Closed kind.

“Tracy” said my father as he came down the aisle, wearing a rather snug looking winter coat with a fur lined hood.

I’m not talking about something off the rack at Wal-Mart either. This was Grade A expensive. Dad went all out with his winter gear. He was holding a similar looking coat in his hand, this one smaller and more streamlined---it also happened to be pink. I groaned at the look of it, wondering where in the world my Dad got his fashion sense.

“You’ll be needing this,” he said, handing me the coat.

He smiled as he did so. Clearly, he picked it out himself and thought he’d done a good job. One more reason the two of us needed this time together. I needed to teach Dad that just because I was a girl now didn’t mean that I liked girly things. I’m sure the coat was really comfortable and warm but the color----argh, the man needed serious help in the me department.

I flashed him a fake smile as I pulled it on. The pink may have been outlandish and definitely not me but it was really warm. I zipped it up before taking a quick glance out the window as an SUV came slowly toward us. “How far are we from the resort?”
I looked past the vehicle to the mountains---they were farther away than I thought.

“Far enough” said my father as he pulled out his cell. Before he dialed a number, he continued to speak to me. “We’re going to spend the night in Majestic like we planned. In the morning, the copter will take us to Green Pines.”

Why was it that adults thought they had to repeat things we already knew? I asked one question and got a completely different answer. I’m not sure if that was an adult thing or a Dad thing? I guess it didn’t really matter in the long run. From the looks of things, the mountains were far away. Which meant we’d probably get in our SUV and drive most of the day anyway? I’m not sure where this Majestic Falls place was but wherever it was, it wasn’t here.

Dad flipped open his phone and walked off, talking to someone on the other end. One of the stewardesses came up to me, holding my bag. She held it at arm’s length, as if she was afraid I was going to bite her. I took it from her and saw her visibly relax. There was a lingering scent in the air---her Were smell. She tried to mask it with a lot of perfume but there was no hiding from my nose. I couldn’t quite place it though. They were over twenty different Were species in Ravencrest, most of them at the fraternity at the college. This particular scent though was none of those. It was distinct though, like wet fur. If I had to guess I’d say she was a water species, possibly a beaver or an otter. There was an otter in town last week; Mason came home reeking of him.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said with a pleasant smile.

“I know that Miss Locke.”

I sighed. “It’s Tracy” I said but decided that it didn’t matter.

It was clear the girl was scared of me. I’m not sure if it was my earlier almost transformation or if she’d always been scared of me. I found that more and more, many of the other lesser Weres tried to keep their distance. More than once, I’d walk into a store or down a street and pass by a college guy and he’d shy away from me. It was clear he was a Were and that he was scared of me. There were no Alphas at the college---Dad refused to let any in town. The only reason the Vances got a warm welcome was because of me---that took quite a bit of arm twisting to do. Dad still didn’t like Mikaela being here but he tolerated her nonetheless.

As soon as the girl was done giving me my bag and after I tried being pleasant, she disappeared back to wherever she came. I felt bad about her being scared of me but knew there was nothing I could do about it. Instead, I found myself wandering down the aisle, wondering where Dad had gone. He’d been here a second ago and now I was the only one still goofing about. I made my way toward the door to find it wide open. Someone had gone out of their way to put some stairs there so I slowly went down them. Outside our bags were already laid out. A man in a white parka was starting to put them in the back of the SUV. As he did so, I looked around, hoping to find Dad.

I got a good view of the landscape in the process. It truly was gorgeous out here. I took a deep breath, taking in the most refreshing air I’d ever smelled. There were hints of pine and dew. I could smell the pine in the air too. This part of Alberta was mainly boreal forest. I’d read all about it on Wikipedia the other day. It was all lush and green in the pictures, that’s one of the reasons I picked this place. Dad wanted to go to the Alps but everyone went there to ski. I wanted to go to some place that was different but felt enough like home that we didn’t feel to out of place. It was actually him that suggested Green Pines. Now I had to wonder if Majestic had anything to do with it.

“You must be Tracy,” said a voice from behind me.

Well actually to the side of me. I turned toward the car, noticing another man in a white parka. He was half hanging out of the SUV, a big smile on his face. He was handsome in that old guy kind of way. He was Native American, his long black hair streaked with gray. He had a kind face, a warm, welcoming smile. There was something familiar about him too and not just his smell. He had the look of the Cordays, at least in so much that he was Native American. My thoughts wandered back to the smell too as my nose too over---musky with a hint of fresh fish.

“Bear” I said, a little louder than I should have.

The man chuckled. “My friends call me Munroe actually.”

I couldn’t help but blush with stupidity. I can’t believe I said that aloud. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean too…my nose sometimes has a mind of its own…”

Munroe laughed again. “It’s all right. Toby used to do it all the time too.”

Toby? I looked over to the SUV, seeing my Dad sitting in the passenger seat, the window rolled up. He didn’t mean Dad did he? I shook my head. There was no way my Dad would ever let anyone call him Toby.

Munroe seemed to read my mind because he laughed again. “I guess the old man doesn’t go by that anymore. Your Dad and I go way back, went to school together. Toby was quite the animal back then. I suppose time changes all.”

Munroe said that last bit with some sorrow. I looked at Dad, trying to see the wild man Toby in him but wherever it was, it was long gone now.

Munroe’s sorrow was gone in a second. “Your father tells me you’re going to the Green Pine?”

I nodded. It was actually Dad’s idea in the end. After I said everyone went to the Alps, he was the one who suggested there. At the time, I thought he was finally showing some initiative but now it seems I knew the truth. Well at least part of it anyway. Dad only chose there because of Majestic. Leave it to Dad to pick the ski resort that just happened to have an Unseen town nearby. Were Unseen that paranoid that they refused to vacation with Norms? Sure there was a small bit of danger but it was tiny it wasn’t even worth mentioning. After all, there were very few Norms out there who actually knew we existed. Back home, the witches usually wiped them clean of the encounter. I’m not sure how things worked in the real world.

I sighed, wrapping my arms tight to my body. The Real World. The last time I was out of Ravencrest was more than a year ago. I was still Trevor back then. It had been a school trip. We went as a class by bus to Finson, Vermont. It was one of those historical little towns that was supposed to have a rich colonial history. I’m not sure why we went there, surely there were other historical towns nearby. The trip was funded by the Harpers, organized by the Holdens of all people. Will’s grandmother was the President of the Ravencrest Historical Society. The bus trip took nearly all day so we had to get hotels. That was kind of cool---at least for me because I got to room with Greg. Mary hated every bit of it because they put her with Sarah George, one of the cheerleaders.

I couldn’t help but smile at the memory.

My smile evaporated as soon as I heard my father’s voice. “Tracy, get in the car.”

I looked around, not realizing the SUV was all packed and they were waiting on me now. I blushed in embarrassment before I opened the door and climbed inside. The SUV gunned its engine once before slowly taking off down the unevenly plowed road.

“You might want to take this time to get some rest,” shouted Munroe from the driver’s seat. “We have a little ways to go before we hit town.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. Last night had been kind of restless and I just wasn’t able to sleep properly on the plane. Just thinking about sleep made my eyelids start to drop. I tried to keep them open for as long as I could, I wanted to see as much of this beautiful landscape as I could. We had trees back home but they looked nothing like the ones out here. The trees here were tall and very majestic looking. I couldn’t help but wonder if they helped influence the name of the town. After only twenty minutes of tree gazing though, I think sleep finally caught me because the last thing I remembered before my eyes closed was wondering if they had tree spirits too.

The large bump woke me. I nearly hit my head on the ceiling of the SUV it was so severe. I cursed, pulling myself into a seated position and looked around. My eyes drifted to the window and the landscape I saw now was completely different from the one before. Gone were the trees and the mountains, in their place was a quaint little village. It wasn’t all that dissimilar to Ravencrest, though it appeared to be much smaller. Most of the houses here were small too, some only having one floor. The street was kind of narrow, too, and the houses were built close together. I turned to the other side of the car, seeing pretty much the same thing. In the not too far off distance, I saw a large lake. It and the town were shadowed by a large mountain.

The SUV meandered along the narrow road until it opened more. Now we were on a main street, shops lining each side. I felt a pang for home after seeing this. Up ahead a battered sign said Welcome to Majestic Falls. I took another quick glance back up at the mountain. There was a mountain and a lake but so far there was no falling water.

Munroe laughed. “It’s just a gimmick for tourists, there no actual falls here.”

“Are there any tourists?”

“No” he said, laughing louder.

As the SUV wove its way through the main street, I couldn’t help but notice that every person we passed stopped to take a look. They were all staring at us like we were celebrities. I took note of their faces, their skin color. Nine out of the ten people we passed were Native American. Another thing I noticed immediately were how many fish vendors I saw. There had to one every few feet or so. If there were no tourists then why was there so much fish? My question was answered almost immediately. As we passed by one of the stalls, a large giant of a man waved at us before shifting into a grizzly bear. I nearly fell off the car seat at the sight.

Munroe laughed again. “We have no restrictions here.”

So I was right. This place was a Closed Sanctuary. I looked at Dad but he didn’t even flinch. I’m guessing this wasn’t his first time here. I quickly turned back toward the window and watched as the grizzly grabbed one of the fish off the stall before making his way slowly down the road.

“This your first time in an Unseen town?”

“So there’s really no Norms?”

“None that stay for very long and none that remember us after they’re gone.”

It made me think of something. I’m not sure where it came from actually. I couldn’t help but think of the mystical city of Shangri-La. I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe it to was an Unseen town, well paradise. Maybe it only existed in legends because no one truly remembered being there. I couldn’t help but wonder if Majestic was such a place like that as well. Ok so looking out the window I could see this place was no paradise but the principle was the same.

“Are you still making a fortune on fish?”Dad asked.

Munroe laughed. He was quite the laugher. “Where else would we be getting our money from?”

When Dad spoke again it was actually to me. “Majestic Falls is one of the world’s largest exporters of trout.”

“How come I’ve never heard of it then?”

“We like it that way.”

Trout huh? I guess there was a reason I’d never heard of the place actually. I mean how many teenagers out there do you know of who actually know about trout exports. Well sadly, now I was one of them.

The rest of the SUV ride was in silence. I continued to stare out the window but the town was pretty much the rest of the same. We did pass by a little park and a school of some sorts. Beyond that were more of the same houses. At the end of the road however was a bit of a hill, at the top of which was a large Victorian. It looked so out of place.

“Final stop” said Munroe as he pulled down the little drive, stopped the car in a small lot.

I saw a sign in the front yard---Deer Crossing Bed and Breakfast. So they actually had a B&B, which was kind of strange seeing as they hardly had any tourists.

“How does a B&B make money if you have no tourists?”

“The Trout Business is a good business.”

Munroe beeped the horn. A moment or two later, the door of the large house opened and a teenager a little older than me stepped out. From the look of him, he was clearly related to Munroe---most likely a son. Once again, he reminded me a bit of the Cordays. He had their same look---ruggedly handsome---and their same build. What was it with Were bears and looking like linebackers? As the boy came down the steps, he paused at the sight of the car. His eyes locked with mine and his face turned a shade of red before he turned away. How cute, Bear Boy has a bit of a crush. Sadly after Chris I made a pact with myself---No more Were Boys.

“Mark” said Munroe, ushering the boy over. “Help me with the bags.”

The boy nodded, his eyes kept straying to me.

I opened the door of the SUV and dropped out. As soon as I did, I started to stretch. I’m not sure how long we’d been driving but my body was stiff. I limbered up nice and good though, trying to make sure everything was in working order. As I was doing, do I couldn’t help but notice a pair of foreign eyes watching my actions. I tried not to notice of course but it was hard not to. I cursed myself for buying the skintight ski pants and wearing them this morning. They were thermal insulated so I thought they’d be perfect for the cold mountain air. It never occurred to me that they’d also make me look really desirable. I knew buying them was a bad idea but Connie had insisted upon them.

As soon as I was done stretching, I noticed exactly where Mark’s eyes had been.

“Hey eyes up here Bear Boy.”

Mark nearly dropped one of my bags. His father laughed, my father gave him a cold, dark stare. Hey at least Dad knew where his priorities lay.
I picked up the bag before Mark could. He stumbled out an apology before I shoved the bag into his chest.

“Munroe, can you show my daughter inside please?”

“Sure thing, Toby”

I scoffed at the name. Munroe pointed to the B&B, leading me toward the front door. I looked back once, seeing Mark shrink away from my father as the two of them continued to unpack the SUV. I’m not sure who I felt more sorry for. With a laugh, I followed Munroe into the house. The first thing I noticed was the smell---it smelt like freshly baked cookies. I looked down a hall toward what I could only assume was the kitchen---that’s where the smell was coming from. A moment later, a little old woman came around the corner. She was carrying a tray of cookies, her long gray hair braided down her back.

“Would you like a Snickerdoodle my dear?” she asked, holding the cookies out to me.

“Nana not now” said Munroe.

I ignored him and took a cookie.

“Such a pretty young thing, I can see why Mark was salivating earlier. You’re not for him though are you dear?”

She winked before she turned and walked down the hall. I blinked once or twice, trying to figure out what just happened. “Ummm…”

“Nana is one of the Shamans,” said Munroe as if that explained it all. “C’mon I’ll show you to your room.”

I followed him down another hall. As we were passing by a sitting room, a large husky came bounding out in front of us. He went right to me, rubbing his head against my leg. “Pretty lady” said a voice in my head, his voice.

I smiled down at him. “Pretty dog” I replied, making sure it was to him and no one else.

The dog cocked his head. “Lady can talk?”

“Yes” I said, crouching down to pet him behind the ears. “What’s your name?”

“I am Ralph.”

“It’s nice to meet you Ralph, I’m Tracy.”

“Pretty Lady is nice.”

“Tracy, stop terrorizing the dog” said Dad as he came down the hall behind me, Mark following far behind.

So Dad could hear the dog too.

“Old Man not nice” said Ralph, baring his teeth.

“No he’s not,” I said as I patted him on the head and continued to follow Munroe.

He led my father and I up a flight of stairs to a second floor. The hall was a lot wider than the ones downstairs. As I started down it, I couldn’t help but pick up the smells of other animals.

“How many Weres are in this town anyway?”

“Skinwalkers.”

“What?”

“Were is a derogative, general term” said Munroe. “My people prefer to be called Skinwalkers. As to how many of us there are, I can’t really say. There are over two hundred people living in Majestic, of those more than half of us can Change. The rest…” He shrugged. “My father would know the exact number, he’s the Chief.”

Munroe finally stopped in front of a door. “Tracy can be in here for the night” Then he pointed down the hall. “We have a room for you down there, Toby.”

My Dad frowned. I don’t think he liked the idea of not being in a room next to me. Mark’s glances from earlier must have really gotten to him. Well screw you Dad, I am a girl now after all. What did he think was going to happen---me become a nun. I snorted at the thought before slipping into my room. It was a typical bedroom---bed, dresser, closet. I didn’t really take a look at anything though. My bags were already set up inside though---boy Mark moved pretty quick for a Bear. I went straight to my carry-on, opened it and found my phone. I checked messages but was kind of surprised there were none from Mary.

I took a moment to give her a call. She answered on the third ring.

“Malice’s House of Pain, this is Your New Mistress speaking, how may I brutalize you.”

“Hey what’s up?”

“Oh it’s you,” she said, sounding all too thrilled to hear from me.

“Are you still mopey?”

“I’m not mopey” she said, annoyed. Then she sighed. “Ok maybe a little bit but it’s really fucking boring.”

“Well, did you try Maggie?”

“Uh huh, she’s hanging out with that weird kid from Japan, you know the one, he’s always pining over Dana.”

“You mean Takeshi?”

“Yeah him.”

I rolled my eyes. Takeshi wasn’t weird per se; he just had his head in the clouds more than others. He wasn't from Japan either, he was American. That was just her being her bitchy self as usual.

“You mean to tell me that you can’t find anything to do without me?”

“Well I was thinking about starting a blog.”

“A blog?”

“You know---get on the internet and bitch about my problems.”

“I know what a blog is but do you think anyone would read it?”

“And why not?”

“Well you’re not exactly a people person, Mar?”

“You can’t see it but I’m totally flicking you off right now.”

I laughed. “Ok, so tell me about this blog of yours.”

She quickly regaled me with her plans. As much as it pained me to say, it actually sounded pretty cool. Hell I’d read it and I wasn’t just thinking that because she was my BFF. As much as people loathed her, they all knew she had a bit of a rep for being a bitch. Maybe she could finally put that bitchiness to good use. We talked for a while about her blog though. She seemed pretty excited about it actually which was a first for her. In fact, I couldn’t remember if I’d ever heard her excited---about anything. We talked for a while about that then she switched gears to other stuff. Not much was going on in town at the moment. You ever begin to wonder if the whole world revolves around you. Ok so maybe not just you but a few select people and when you’re not around, things just don’t happen. It was definitely freaky to think about.

Our conversation was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door. I sighed and told Mary I’d talk to her later before shutting off the phone. I quickly went to the door and upon opening it, I found Mark standing there.

“Come to stare at my chest this time?”

He flushed and shook his head. “I’m sorry about earlier…we don’t get many female Walkers up here.”

For a moment, I almost made a crack about the undead but bit my tongue. I had to remember that we were Skinwalkers to them. It made no sense to me of course. What was wrong with being a “Were”. It almost sounded like the whole lot of them were ashamed. This wasn’t one of those Victorian monster novels or a sappy teen romance book, this was the real world. We weren’t tortured souls, moaning in the dark. We’re people who just so happen to be able to turn into animals.

“So no girls huh, then what do you guys do for fun around here?”

Mark laughed. “There’s girls here, Walker girls but not many foreign ones.”

“I thought this place didn’t get any tourists?”

“No Norm tourists. We get a lot of Unseen ones though” He looked toward the window. “How much do you know about Green Pines?”

I shrugged. “Only what I read on the internet.”

Mark nodded. “It’s an Unseen ski resort. It’s one of a kind; in fact it’s the only one in the world that’s strictly for us. Our people come from all over the world to go there.”

“Our people?”

“The Unseen” He looked at me a little confused. “Don’t they teach you that in school?”

This time I laughed. “Ravencrest isn’t a purely Unseen town…we have Norms there. In fact, one of my best friends is a Norm. They don’t teach us anything in school about it actually. Back home we sorta just exist and live our lives like any normal person does.”

“Wow that must suck.”

I shrugged again. I guess I never really thought about it. Would it be cool to live in a town fully of Unseen, maybe? Would I call them my people though, I’m not so sure about that. There were a lot of us out there, especially back home and I’m not sure I would want to lump myself in with all of them. Mary sure, maybe Cindy and Chris as well. Dana was cool but the vampires, well maybe not them as much. There were hundreds more there too.

“So if you didn’t come to stare at my chest…”

“Oh, I’m supposed to escort you to dinner.”

Dinner? I looked out the window; it was still fairly light outside. I quickly pulled my cell out of my back pocket and looked at the display. Holy crap, it was six o’clock at night. Why was it so light out then? I sighed, how in the hell could these people live like this?
Mark stepped aside, allowing me past him out the door. A real gentleman. I headed down the hall, making sure to follow it until I reached the stairs. Once there, Mark took the lead and led me toward the dining room.

The first thing I noticed when I reached the bottom of the stairs was the smell. There were a dozen different kinds of freshly baked aromas that assailed my pallet. The meat drew my attention the most, of course. Mark seemed to feel the same way because I saw him stop to smell as well. Then he led me down a hall toward the noise of talking. When we finally approached, I saw a modest sized dining room with a large table laden with food. There was a large amount of people as well, a dozen or more. Most of them were Native American like Mark and his father. I saw the old woman who Munroe called Nana, another older gentleman who though not as old as Nana, was starting to get up there in age as well. There was a woman sitting to Munroe’s right---I’m guessing it was his wife. On his left were two little girls, one about twelve, the other about six or so. Next to the little girls was another girl, she looked to be in her twenties. She was an exotic beauty. When I walked into the room, her eyes locked with mine and refused to let me go.

The rest of the people at the table must have been guests like me and Dad. Dad was there of course, an empty seat next to him. Across from him was an older gentleman in a cheap suit and an Asian woman who looked a little out of place. I couldn’t tell if they were together or if they just happened to be seated next to one another. The only other person at the table was a frat boy looking guy. He’d been staring at the beauty until I walked into the room. His eyes lingered to me and I felt like I needed a bath immediately. Sniffing the air told me that everyone present was a Were. Munroe’s family of course smelled like Bear. I was getting some kind of waterfowl from the Asian woman, a beaver or rat from the businessman. The frat boy kept screaming dog for some reason. There was something off about it though, a strange smell that I couldn’t quite place.

“You must be the infamous Tracy,” said the woman sitting next to Munroe. “I’m Tia; you already know my husband and Mark.” She took Munroe’s hand as her son took an empty chair at the far end of the table.

Then she pointed to people as she named them. The two little girls were Mara and Grace---eleven and four, so I was off a little bit there. The beauty was their eldest---Sandra. The old woman of course, she simply called “Nana” and the man was in fact the Chief, Munroe’s father. She didn’t give his name, only referring to him as her father-in-law. The Chief gave me a cold, hard look. He had these shadowed eyes that seemed to sear right into my soul. It was definitely an uncomfortable stare. I found myself shrinking from it as I made my way around the table and dropped into the chair next to Dad.

“Why sit there Sheila” said the frat boy, revealing a distinctive Australian accent. He patted his lap. “There’s plenty of room here.”

There was a low growl from next to me, no doubt Dad making his presence known. The frat boy didn’t even flinch. I’m not sure if it was stupidity or his attempt to show no fear. I’d seen what Dad looked like all wolfed out. Trust me; this guy had a lot to be afraid of.

“I think I’m in the right seat.”

“Mr. Phelps” said Tia, pulling her long braid behind her head. “I’m not sure how they do it in your home but in ours we show a little more respect to other guests.”

“Sorry” said the frat dog, turning away.

Dinner went pretty quiet after that. The Ross’s---Munroe’s family---weren’t much for dinner conversation. That was fine by me. The meal was easy enough when it was quiet. It was help yourself, which was a bit of rush with all the hands going about. Us carnivores went right for the meat. Dad and I settled on the steak, which was a shade above rare---just how I had grown to like it. The Asian woman---who later introduced herself as Miss Qwan---stuck with the veggies. A nice salad, some greens. The older gentleman---Mr. Dobson---ate light, barely touching anything. I caught him munching on some carrots though. It made me second-guess my read of him until I saw him fidgeting, staring at the wooden totem in the corner. The frat boy was Jake and like the rest of us Meat Eaters, he went for the steak. The Ross’ however seemed more keen on the fish.

I watched our assortment eat, surprised at the table manners. I’m not saying we were pigs at home but some of my uncles tended to be a bit more rough with their food. Looking at Dad I couldn’t help but be surprised at how civil he was being. He was actually using a fork and knife, something I knew was definitely against his nature. At home, Dad usually dug in with his hands. He might have been a man and half-human at that but he was wolf where it counted. Me, I always ate with silverware. I chalk that one up to the good manners Connie instilled into me since, well, birth. I couldn’t help but wonder if Mom would have been the same?

As soon as he was done, Jake was the first to leave. He left without being excused. That never would have flown back home. The only one who gave him a cold look was Nana. Mr. Dobson and Miss Qwan left next. The more I watched them the more I realized they were in fact here together but not as a couple. If I had to guess, I’d say they were business partners, possibly here for some corporate retreat. It made me wonder where their other company mates were though. The B&B looked plenty roomy after all. It housed rooms for several guests and it must have housed at least Nana, possibly the Chief too. There weren’t enough cars around for it to house the Ross’s. I saw another house close by on the drive up, I’m guessing that one belonged to them.

“So Toby have you reconsidered?”

I looked at Dad. Had he reconsidered what? Dad promised this was going to be a business free week.

“Dad nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin as he spoke. “Tracy and I would be delighted to stay here instead of one of the lodges.”
I saw a bright smile spread across little Grace’s face. I’m not sure when it happened but the girl had suddenly taken a great interest in me. I think it might have happened somewhere in-between my first and second steak. From that moment on her eyes were glued to me. I smiled at her as well, hoping it was enough to please her.

“Tracy” said Dad, setting his napkin on his plate. “We have an early start in the morning. I’m turning in; I suspect you will be following?”

This is where I could test the waters. How adamant was Dad that I follow his orders? At home, it was a given because he was Alpha and it was mandatory. But here there was no pack, no set rules. I didn’t want to disobey him but I also wanted to know how much leeway he was willing to give me.

“I think I’ll head to bed in an hour or so.”

He nodded but motioned me to follow him all the same. I sighed but did as I was told. We walked in silence together down the hall and up the stairs. In the second floor hallway, he stopped me and looked both ways. When he spoke, it was in a very hushed tone.
“I want you to promise me something?” I nodded, kinda weirded out. “I want you to refrain from turning into a wolf while around these people.”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s just they haven’t seen a wolf here in many years and Munroe has told me of some bad blood. It’s wise to err on caution, at least for a while. Can you control yourself for a week?”

I hated that he used control. It made me sound like I was some kind of unbridled beast or something.
“I think I can manage”

I made sure that he knew my tone.

As soon as his warning was over, he slowly made his way down the hall and retired to his room. As soon as he was gone, I made my way back to the dining room. As soon as I got there, Grace grabbed my arm and dragged me off to one of the sitting rooms. Her sister followed along somewhat reluctantly. The little girl started grilling me about Ravencrest. She wanted to know a lot about the Cordays---her cousins. I knew something was familiar about them. I tried to do my best but I didn’t really know them all that well---except for Uncle Burt. I tried my best though. I told them about Burt’s sons, Ben and Henry. Ben was in my grade but home schooled. He used to come around a lot but last year he kind of fell off the radar. I guess it was the best. It blew my mind how Uncle Burt was such a sweetheart and his sons were total asses. I also told them about Amy, Henry’s twin sister. She was the shining moment. Like Ben, she used to come around a lot too but law school was keeping her busy.

Of course, I didn’t tell the girls that. I just told them that their cousins weren’t very sociable.

Then they wanted to know all about me. Thankfully, my true nature never came up----I’m not sure if they knew but I decided to keep my promise to Dad. Instead, I told them about school, about Timmy and Terry, about Boomer and especially about Mary. That bit drew Mara’s interest the most. It turns out witchcraft was forbidden here so to hear about a witch was the best thing for a young impressionable almost teen. She became an instant fan of mine after that. I tried to tell her everything I could about Mary but I didn’t really have a lot to tell. Mary wasn’t exactly the best topic. I thankfully managed to get their attention away from it when I mentioned Greg. Of course, that went over like a hit----me being friends with an actual Norm.

An hour or two after our discussion began, Tia came to retrieve.
“Bedtime girls.”

Mara instantly whined. “But Mom it’s Christmas break.”

“That it is but Tracy has to get up early in the morning.”

I nodded and faked a yawn. “I’m pretty beat too.”

Grace gave me a big hug, Mara sadly waved and their mother led them away.

“You’re pretty good at that, Wolf,” said a cold voice as a figure slunk into the room behind me.

It was Sandra. I knew she was there of course. She’d been there since I started talking with her sisters. She tried to stay down wind but it was really hard. Bear was a strong odor, stronger than any other Were scent out there. She slunk slowly around me, dropping into the chair across from me.

“Is this the part where you try to scare me out of town?”

She scoffed. “Why bother, you’re going to be gone by the end of the week.”

“Then what’s your problem then?”

“I don’t like your kind.”

This time I scoffed. “Have you ever met my kind?”

She didn’t have anything to say to that. I’m sure there was a lot of prejudice and fear toward me. I’m not sure what it was but I sensed it from her grandfather too. Something about me and my father didn’t settle well with these people. I’m sure what these people thought I was but I definitely wasn’t a terrible monster out to eat their children.

“Well” I said, standing up to try to make myself more threatening.

“I have met your kind. Slow, dim witted and easily spooked. Sure you’re powerful enough but you lack one thing.”

Sandra got up from her seat, trying to make herself as threatening. “And what’s that dog?”

I made sure to wolf out my eyes, and bared a little teeth. “You lack the killer instinct.”

I snapped my jaws, causing her to jump slightly. Then I turned and slowly made my way down the hall. I kept my senses at full alert in case Sandra tried to bum rush me. Bears might have been slow but they were strong. In an enclosed space like this, I was definitely no match for her. I’m not sure she would have been stupid enough to try but if she did, her family would definitely come to her defense. Like Wolves, Bears protected their own. I might be able to hold off Sandra given enough room, but two or three Bears was another fight altogether.

I didn’t lower my defenses until I was safely in my room. Sandra was a smart Unseen; even she knew the pain she would receive if she breached my room without being invited. Hospitality rules were very important with our people and to break them was never bad.

I sat on my bed for a while before retrieving my diary. I wrote down the day’s events before finally getting ready for bed. As soon as I was dressed, I crawled under the covers and shut off my lights. I didn’t close my eyes though, that was too dangerous for the night. Instead, I lay there like my ancestors, ever vigilant as I drifted off to sleep.

Both of my eyes wide open as I did so.

“Tracy wake up”

I slowly turned, groaning as I did so. Grace was standing at my bedside, gently shaking me. I let a big yawn before slowly sitting up. The little Bear stared at me, a giddy smile on her face. I always envied children for all the energy they had in the morning. Tommy was just as energetic. It was really annoying. I suppose it had something to do with how early he went to bed. I’m guessing Grace had a similar bedtime, possibly earlier. Seeing her standing there now, bouncing slightly on her toes I couldn’t help but smile myself.

“You’re just a bundle of energy aren’t you?”

She giggled. “Daddy says we can go with you to the cad.”

Cad? What was a Cad? It took me a second to realize what she was talking about.

“The helipad?”

She nodded. I loved how kids her age always heard one word but seemed to think it was something else. It was so cute. When Tommy was her age, he couldn’t say Trevor so he went around saying Evor forever. It used to drive me nuts. Now that I looked back on it, I couldn’t help but smile. I felt a little sad too. I was never going to be Evor again. Not that I didn’t like being Tracy now, I felt like I should have been Tracy forever but there was a small longing for the guy I used to be.

“You think you can hand me my bag over there?”

I pointed to my duffle in the corner. Grace nodded quickly and ran over to it. She grasped the strap in her little hands and pulled with all her might. The duffle was well packed and definitely heavier than she could carry. She tried though. It was kind of cute to see her attempt to lift it. In the end, she dragged it slowly toward me. It took her nearly a minute to get it to me. When she got to me, I pulled it onto the bed. I quickly unzipped it, pulling out some clothes for the day as well as my bathroom products. As I was taking those out, Grace caught sight of my diary. I thought I’d put it in one of my other bags.
“What kind of book is this?” she asked, pulling it out of the bag.

I smiled. “It’s called a diary. Do either of your sisters have one?”

She nodded. “Uh huh. Mara hides it in her sock drawer but I’m not supposed to know it’s there.”

I smiled at that.

She ran her fingers over the words on the cover. “What this say?”

“For the Fairest. It was a birthday gift from my mother.”

“She didn’t want to come on the trip?”

I’m not sure if she understood what death was at her age but I decided to take a stab at it. “Do you know what Heaven is?”

She nodded. She didn’t say anything but quickly gave me a tight hug.

After the hug, I asked her to show me where the bathroom was. She took my hand and led me down the hall. It was three doors from my room. I knocked to make sure no one was there before going inside. I stripped and showered as quick as I could. Someone must have put a towel out for me because it was waiting there when I got out. I wrapped myself in it then brushed my hair and teeth. As I was leaving the bathroom, Jake was standing at the end of the hall. I hated the look he was giving me.

“Now that’s a sight to wake up to.”

I gave him the finger before moving slowly down the hall to my room.

“Don’t be like that,” he shouted, his voice muffled by the slamming of my door.

My clothes were laid out on the bed for me but they weren’t the same as before. Sure, it was the same shirt, turtleneck and pants I put out but the underwear was different. Gone was the sports bra and basic white panties. Im their place was the lacy pink set that Aunt Mari bought me. I groaned. Clearly the only one who could have done it was Grace. I laughed and grabbed them, carrying them back over to my bag. I rifled inside, looking for where my other previous selection was hiding. It wasn’t in plain sight. Sighing, I emptied the bag onto my bed. All my clothes were except the underwear I packed. The only pairs in there were the few sets that Aunt Mari left. Clearly, Grace thought they were prettier but they were hardly something to go skiing in. I searched the room, hoping she was just playing a game and hid them somewhere. I overturned the pillows, lifted the mattress, opened the dresser and the closet but my normal underwear was nowhere to be found.

Sighing in defeat, I put on the frillies.

After that, I finished getting dressed. I made sure to put my bags in the closet, hoping I hid them enough so that she couldn’t find them. With that done, I left the room and went down the hall. When I got to the kitchen, I heard Grace in the sitting room watching cartoons. Walking by toward the dining room, I stopped to ask about my clothes.

Mara answered for her. “She’s been down here with me. Maybe you just thought you packed them?”

It was possible but I clearly remembered getting out a sports bra and white underwear. Sighing heavily, I headed into the dining room.

Jake was at the table already. He patted the empty chair beside him but I went around the table, dropping into one of the empty seats there. Nana came over a second later with a plate of bacon and sausage. Ever since my change, I’d been craving nothing but meat, which was sad because I missed the other stuff I enjoyed so much. Sure I still ate it but it didn’t satisfy me as well as meat did. To think that at one time I considered myself a vegetarian. I sighed, missing the old life before scarfing two pieces of bacon.

“I love a Sheila with an appetite.”

Jake gave me a big grin. He leaned forward. “What say you ditch dear old Dad today and come hang with me and my mates? We know this really choice bit of powder high up the mountains, some of the best snowboarding around.”

“I’d rather get caught in an avalanche.”

Jake laughed. “How can I change your mind?”

“You can’t.”

“I’ll go,” said Sandra as she walked into the room. She dropped into the seat next to Jake, shooting me a look that said it all.

I couldn’t help but raise an inquisitive eyebrow. Last night it was clear she didn’t want anything to do with the horn dog and now. It suddenly clicked a second later. She thought I was playing hard to get with him and thought she was going to make me jealous. I couldn’t help but laugh. She could have him; I wanted nothing to do with the scumbag. It was still pretty funny. I’m not sure why she was being such a bitch to me. If it was just the wolf thing then that was stupid. So I was a Wolf, that didn’t make me the most vilest thing in the world. Sure so maybe a Wolf blew down the little pigs’ houses and ate Red Riding Hood but those were stories. Stories I might add that gave wolves a really bad name. It was stupid to think she was judging me on my species alone. If she was really going to play that card then there were a few choice things I could say about her own.

I kept my mouth shut, deciding to eat in silence. Halfway through breakfast, Dad and Munroe came into the room. At the sight of her father, Sandra jumped up from her chair. He gave her a stern look and gave Jake an even sterner one. It must have been a Dad thing. Sure Jake was a tad good looking but there was something about him that put me off. Every time I looked at him, I couldn’t help but feel my skin crawl.

“Tracy” Dad said, sighing. “There’s been a change of plans.”

“What do you mean?”

“Munroe is going to take you up to the resort this morning.”

“Where are you going to be?”

I didn’t need an answer to that because I suddenly knew. It was Mr. Dobson and Miss Qwan. I groaned, feeling like a complete idiot. I should have seen it last night but I’d been stupid. The two of them weren’t here for some kind of business retreat, they were here for business. Business with my father. I couldn’t believe he’d pull something like that. Well actually, I could. Wait until Connie found out, she’d make him sleep in one of the guest rooms for three weeks after this one. This was supposed to be our time. Him and me, just the two of us bonding on the slopes. I knew he’d pull something like this though. The man just couldn’t be alone with me.

“You promised,” I snapped, the anger welling up.

“You knew this was a possibility.”

“Bull shit.”

“Don’t take that tone…”

I cut him off. “Or you’ll what…ground me? You’d have to be a proper parent to do something like that.”
“This is neither the time nor the place.”

“You got that right.”

“We’ll discuss this later.”

I scoffed. “No we won’t. You’ll be busy later.”

“That’s not fair.”

“How would you know what fair is. You always do this. Just when it looks like you might be turning into a semi-decent person you pull something like this. You’ve never going to change are you?” I could feel my tears swelling up, all the eyes in the room shifting from me to him.

We were just a spectacle to them. I had half a mind to wolf out and make all of them piss their pants. I didn’t though. I keep my promises. Instead, I sat in brewing anger, the hot tears rolling down my cheeks. Dad took a step toward me but my low growl kept him at bay. The growl didn’t scare off Sandra though. Whatever bad blood there might have been was gone in an instant as she put a gentle hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off; I didn’t need pity from her. I needed a father who wasn’t an ass and kept his promises.

Dad opened his mouth to say something but stopped. Instead, a look of his own anger crossed his face before he turned and stormed out.
Fuck him. If he didn’t want to spend time with me then fine. I’d find someone else to go skiing with. Someone I knew I’d have more fun with. Someone like…

“Hey Jake” I said, smiling even though I wanted to barf. “Where did you and your buddies say you were boarding at?”

Jake smiled. Me, I threw up a bit in my mouth. I hated the idea but I just knew it would piss off my father.

I took a deep breath, taking in the fresh, pristine smell of the mountain air. It was a tad thin but it was the best smelling air I’d ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Now that I was a Wolf, smells held a whole new meaning to me. Where once before it was just a smell, something most humans took for granted for me it was an experience. It told me everything about a person. I could tell who they were, where they’ve been and who they’ve had contact with. It also told me a lot about a place I was currently occupying. Like this mountain.

When we arrived on it less than an hour ago, we took some snowmobiles to the resort area. Green Pines was like most ski resorts. My family had been to several over the years, from the Alps to the Colorado Rockies. They were pretty much the same thing too. Some were a bit different from others but all of them had the same arrangements, more or less. As soon as I stepped off the helicopter, though I knew this one was different. For one thing, the air was so pure, it was bogged down by whatever it was that I’d been smelling lately. That was hardly the most important thing though. The most important thing was the fact that I didn’t smell a single Norm in the bunch. I didn’t smell other Unseen for that matter either. Every single person at the resort---staff included---were Weres. I guess that made a bit of sense, considering the mountain shadowed Majestic Falls below. It was just a bit surprising.

“You need help with that board, Sheila?”

I groaned. And suddenly the most beautiful place in the world I’d ever seen wasn’t so grand anymore.

I turned and looked up at Reese, one of Jake’s frat buddies. They were from the University of Sydney. Jake and his fellow Frat Dogs, including himself and Reese, there were six of them. All of them smelled of dog of course. As soon as I met the others, I realized it had to be Dingo. They definitely didn’t smell like Boomer. I’m not sure that made it any easier, knowing what they were. They were still as horny as hell, switching their attention between Sandra, a few other slope bunnies and me. There were seven of us girls. The others were a variety of different Weres. Sandra and I were the only Alphas, the rest were from small animals, one of them even was a bunny. Go figure.

“I don’t understand this,” said one of the bimbos.

She was blonde, dressed from head to toe in pink. It made me groan to think that the two of us were wearing the same jacket. I was so going to kill Dad for that one.

One of the other boys---Corgi---went off to help. That wasn’t his real name of course. I didn’t know that and frankly I didn’t care. I wasn’t with these guys to make friends. I was with them to piss off my father. After our little argument at dinner, I made sure to stay as far away from him as I could. To think that he planned this whole thing from the beginning to include those two stooges. My blood was boiling just thinking about it. It annoyed me that he treated it like it was nothing too. His promises meant nothing; well they never did in the past but for some reason this time it really pissed me off. This was supposed to be our time. Instead, he decided to treat me like a little girl and pushed me aside. Well if he wanted to treat me like a girl, I was going to show him what it was like to have a true teenage daughter.

Once again, I swallowed the bile and plastered on a fake smile.

“I’m not sure I understand either.”

Reese smiled. That’s it. Let the big dumb dog think he was helping a sweet little thing. I’m hoping a few hours of this would be enough to piss Dad off.

I pretended to listen as Reese schooled me in the finer art of snowboarding. In truth, I knew a fair deal about it already. I’d been snowboarding since I was like six. Every ski vacation we went on, Terry and I used to try to top one another on the slopes. I’d like to say I was better than him but only in my mind. My brother taught me everything I knew about it though. Listening to Reese go on and on about it was a little boring, especially seeing as he was an amateur compared to me. Not that I’m trying to gloat or anything. When Reese finally finished, he looked particularly pleased with himself. I knew him and his buddies well. Not personally, of course, but I knew the type. They were those guys who thought they knew everything or at least enough to get by pretending to know everything. They were out to impress and it didn’t take a fool to see that the only ones they wanted to impress were the ladies. I’d met several guys like them and now that I was on the receiving end of such treatment I was no doubt going to meet several more.

“You think you got all that?”

“I think I can handle it.”

Reese smiled big before one of the other girls caught his attention. He didn’t say a word as he wandered off to help her. While he was off doing his thing, Sandra came wandering over to me. She, Jake and I took the helicopter up together in the morning. It was a quiet ride. Since then, she hadn’t so much as looked in my direction. I think she was still a little peeved that I one-upped her last night. I didn’t know much about Girl World but I knew enough to know when someone was threatened by me and thanks to Mary, I knew exactly how to handle that person. If they’re a bitch, turn it in their face and be a bitch right back. Any other day I’m sure Sandra was a great person but two Alpha specie females in one room, it’s bound to get messy. It’s one of the reasons why I decided to stay my distance from Dana and Cindy.

“I bet you just enjoyed that,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

I rolled my eyes. “I could give a shit less actually.”

She huffed. “You know you’re exactly like I thought you’d be….a spoiled little princess.”

Me a princess? I wanted to laugh in her face. Instead, I just shrugged.

“I didn’t even know you existed until yesterday so I could give a damn what you think.”

Sandra opened her mouth to say something but I didn’t stick around long enough to hear it. I wandered this time; over to one of the little piles we had waiting. I found a board I thought would suit me then started to get ready. Halfway through one of the dogs---Carl---came over to help. God, just because I had blonde did all of them think me a bimbo? Well I decided to play up the stereotype and let him assist the ditzy Sheila. Carl flashed me his pearly whites, swished his mop of sandy blonde hair and tried his hardest to impress as he step by step showed me how to work the board. It was almost word for word the same conversation I’d had with Reese only minutes ago.

These boys were really into it. Did they think that this was a way into our pants?

When Carl finished, he brushed some hair from my face. “You got this now?”

I giggled. “Sure do”

Gag me now.

After that, the boys made their rounds to make sure all of us knew what we were doing. Sandra didn’t pretend to need help. She got right into her board without a problem, no doubt trying to show off. Before she headed down the mountain, she turned and gave me this vindictive look. What the hell did I do to that girl to piss her off so much? I watched her sail down the mountain, sliding this way and that like a pro. She was good, really good in fact. Of course, she’d spent her whole life up here so she was bound to be a little good. The guys watched her too, a little dumbfounded at first. Jake strapped on a board quickly and followed. He was a bit awkward but he wasn’t bad either. He wasn’t in the same league with Sandra but he was trying to be.

As soon as they were off, Carl followed. Another boy, Shawn, was right after him. Sadly, it seemed Corgi and Reese got the short straws because they stayed back with us “amateurs.” I waited until Corgi was slowly moving down the slopes, a few bunnies following. As soon as they were half way down, I made my run. Reese followed shortly after, trying his hardest to keep up. Did I mention I’d done this more than once before? I cut a nice path down the slope, Reese struggled to keep pace. I let myself go a bit, losing myself to the cold and fresh air of the mountain. It was rather exhilarating actually. For a moment, it almost made me forget I was mad at my father.

When I got to the end of my run, Reese came boarding up next to me.

“You were screwing with me,” he said, half excited, half-angry.

I shrugged. “And you don’t want to screw with me?”

He laughed. “Let’s say we go again, this time I won’t hold back.”

I smirked. “Me either.”

We returned to the top and did it all over again. Reese was a little better this time but his skill still didn’t compare. When we got down the hill, his anger wasn’t mixed with excitement at all. I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m sure these guys were used to being the show offs and not getting out classed, especially by a Sheila. He begged me to go again, complaining about the sun in his eyes so we went again. That turned into another and another. After six or seven times, Reese finally accepted that I was the better boarder. After that, the two of us just had fun. I kind of forgot that I was up here to piss my father off and that all these guys were dicks.

After a few hours, we broke for food.

The guys rented a lodge for the day. They carried the stuff while us girls lingered behind to chat it up. I managed to fall in line next to a girl named Beth. She was an American like me, said she came from somewhere in Indiana. She and her college roommates were up here for the week as well. Her roommates were in their lodge though, studying. She was the only one who really wanted to hit the mountains. Like me, Beth seemed to be a pretty smart one. I couldn’t figure out why she’d be on the slopes with these Dogs.

As we got closer to the guys’ lodge, Beth stopped.

“I’m not so sure about this,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve never done anything like this….I mean I’m still a…”

I gently took her hand. “They’re not going to do anything that I can’t handle.”

I could smell her fear. I could smell the animal hidden inside too. Beth was a mouse, so it was in her nature to be scared and timid. I gave her hand a good squeeze. I managed to get her moving again. When we got closer to the lodge, I couldn’t help but smell the other girls as well. Besides the rabbit from earlier, I smelt two squirrels, a hedgehog and a pair of sparrows. Like I said all small animals. All of them kind of timid too. Sandra cast me a look. Though Bears and other Weres didn’t have as strong an olfactory sense as mine, I think she could smell enough to know we were the odd ones out.

Once inside the lodge, Jake took charge. “Ladies” he said, taking off the coat of the nearest girl. “Our lodge is your lodge. Why don’t you kick back, relax and let the festivities begin.”

Festivities? A moment later, Corgi and Shawn came into the room carrying a keg between them. Reese disappeared for a moment then came back a minute or two later carrying a platter of veggies. So that was their game. It was wine and dine. I kept my eyes on all of them, watching their every movement. I wasn’t about to let them get the drop on me. I’d been training at the dojo with Chris every other day after school for the last few months. Though my skill wasn’t as good as say him and his sisters, I was confident I could handle myself here if things got out of hand.

Reese came over with a glass and a salad. “May I take your coat my lady?” he asked, putting the refreshments on a nearby end table.

He helped me out of my coat before I could say anything. As soon as that was done, he grabbed the glass and handed it to her.

“Some libations” he said with a smile.

“I’m not old to drink that.”

He winked. “I don’t see any police here.”

No but my father would kill me. I might be mad at him but I wasn’t stupid.

“All the same, I think I’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself,” said Reese, downing the glass. “I’ll go get you some water then.”

Reese handed me the empty glass before heading off to get me another drink. While he was gone, I saw the other girls getting a little friendly with the guys. All of them were college age, including Sandra. I felt a little awkward with all of this. I’d only been a girl since September after all and I was underage at that. Maybe this wasn’t the best place to rebel against my father. I looked toward the door, wondering if I could make a break without them noticing. I might be able to get down the mountain by nightfall if I wolfed out and ran. Then I could get someone up here; show them what was going on. I shook my head. No, by the time I got down the mountain whatever was going on would be long done before then. I wanted these scumbags to get arrested, not get away with whatever it was they were planning.

Reese came back a second later with a glass of water. “For the lovely lady.”

I took it without question. Before I could take a sip, one of the other girls called Reese over. He immediately obliged. As soon as he was gone, I felt Sandra slip up from behind me. She’d been so quiet I didn’t even hear her.

“Don’t drink that,” she said quietly, pointing to the glass.

I looked down at the glass. There was only a slight trace of bubbles. Shit, so that was their game. I looked at the other girls, already seeing them in a state of drugged bliss. Shit. Maybe now was a good time to take off after all.

“You won’t make it,” said Sandra, seemingly reading my mind. “You might be a wolf and fast but there are six of them. You could get far but they’re pack hunters too, they’d chase you down and kill you.”

I cursed. She was right.

“Can you fight?”

“Sure” she slurred.

I turned to look at her and cursed again. She had half a glass of beer in her hand. She was a little tipsy already, barely able to stand in fact.
“Unfortunately” she said, staggering. “I didn’t find out about the drugs until I drank half my glass.”

She swayed again, ending up in my arms. I looked around but most of the guys were preoccupied. I saw Beth trying to push away Corgi but she was giggling too. I’m not sure what they’d given them but whatever it was, it was enough to send the girls into a bimbo frenzy. I cursed. I half dragged, half-carried Sandra over to one of the free couches. I dropped down into it next to her. As soon as I did, she ran her fingers through my hair.

“You’re really pretty you know,” she said, a soothing, sexy tone to her voice.

Before I knew what was happening, she was straddling me. She started to kiss my neck. I pushed her away but she was all over me. It was now clear why Sandra had been spurning Jake’s advances yesterday. Lucky me.

“Sandra you need to focus” I said, trying to break whatever hold the drugs had over her.

“I am focused,” she said, giggling. “Focused on trying to get your shirt off.”

I sighed as she slipped her hands up my shirt, trying to pull it over my head.

I was about to push her off me when I saw Reese approaching. Cursing, I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed Sandra’s head and started sucking face. I hoped it was enough to fool him into thinking I swayed her way and that I was just as drugged as the others. As soon as our lips touched, her tongue forced its way into my mouth. If I had been a guy still, this probably would have been one of the best experiences of my life. As a girl who liked guys though, this was all I could do to keep those bastards from raping me. Sandra was enjoying it though. She managed to pull my shirt up to my chin. She was in the process of undoing my bra. As her tongue danced around mine, I couldn’t help but taste something off. It was metallic, definitely didn’t belong in her mouth.

Or mine for that matter.

I finally pushed her off, wiping my mouth as I did.

“That was so hot,” said Reese, who was standing by watching. “I’ll leave you ladies to it then.”

As soon as he was gone, I smelled my fingers. A few things there I didn’t recognize but one of them I did: silver. It was very faint, barely there. Did these assholes actually use silver to drug us? I looked past Sandra’s head for a moment and saw the other girls. Crap, most of them were unconscious now. The guys were in the process of undressing them. The only one still partially conscious was the blonde bimbo bunny from earlier but she was so out of it she might as well been out cold.

I was starting to feel the effects of it too. There was just enough of the drug on Sandra’s lips and mouth apparently. I cursed. My limps were starting to feel heavy and my mind a little foggy. I shook it off, needing to concentrate. I wanted to get out of there. If I could make it down the mountain, get to my father then everything would be ok.

“You stopped” said Sandra, her breathy voice low and labored.

“Sorry” I said then bit my lip.

I thought through my options but there were none. There was only one thing I could try to do and that was fight. It was stupid but I might be able to get a few of them before the drug made me pass out.

“Sorry about this too.” I said then head butted Sandra.

It hurt like hell. Her skull was a lot thicker than I thought. Fortunately, for me it was enough. I knocked her out cold. I slowly slid her off me and staggered to my feet. As soon as I did, Reese turned to me. He’d been sitting nearby, dividing his watching from me and the others. He was back to watching me though.

“What the hell is this?”

“You pricks are so busted,” I said, my words a bit slurred.

Shit, I didn’t have a lot of time.

“Mates, we have a problem.”

Jake was the first one to notice. He cursed. He came wandering over. “Little Tracy, you didn’t get enough to drink it seems.”

I staggered away from the couch and the unconscious form of Sandra. Reese and Jake were slowly walking toward me. Corgi and Shawn were coming from behind. I saw the other two Dogs still entertaining the ladies. The four of them were the ringleaders though. If I had to guess, I’d say Jake was calling all the shots here though.

“We’ve got what we came for,” said Reese as they closed in. “Let’s put her out and leave her with the rest.”

What they came for? I looked around and my eyes fell on Sandra. Were they here for her? But why, it made no sense.

Jake shook his head. “She knows too much.”

I took another step back and bumped into Corgi. He grabbed my arms, pinning them behind my back. I started to struggle but the drug made me weak. My blood started to boil, the anger rising. I could feel it, feel the beast trying to break free. It was just like back at the Stiles when I killed Damien, just like the plane when I nearly tore my father apart. Whatever it was that was inside of me was a monster and these guys were close to releasing it.

“Shit look at her eyes” snapped Reese. He turned to Jake. “You said she was a rabbit.”

Jake was confused. “She was a rabbit, at least she smelled like one.”

The other two had abandoned the girls; one of them was holding my coat. He sniffed it and growled.

“It’s her coat you idiot” he snapped. “It’s lined with rabbit fur.”

My head was in total fog now. Combined with my anger, my arousal was starting to rise too. I wanted them, I wanted all of them. I started to growl and tug, trying to break free so I could make one of them mine.

“A wolf” snapped one of the guys. “You brought a fucking wolf here!”

In my heated state, I think I let out a howl. It was loud and ear shattering, louder than anything I’d ever belted out before. The guys clasped their eyes before one of them hit me in the head from behind. In my drug-addled state, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought. Corgi let go of my arms though as I dropped to the floor. The room started to spin before the darkness took me.

When I finally opened my eyes, my head was throbbing. Everything was a bit blurry for a second or two before wherever I was came into focus. I was surprised to see that the Frat Dogs hadn’t moved me anywhere. I was still in the lodge with a few added treats: my hands and legs were bound and I had a gag in my mouth. I tried to move but it was hopeless, especially with my head. I’m not sure what was causing it to throb more, the drugs or the blow to it. I’d like to think it was the blow but I’m not sure what kind of drug cocktail those jackasses forced upon us either. All I knew for certain was that it contained silver and that fact alone was enough for me to want to kill them.

I struggled as hard as I could against my bonds but it was no use. I was still pretty weak from the drugs. Slowly admitting defeat, I took a look around to see if there was anything I could use. The first thing I noticed was that I was alone. Where the Dogs or the other girls were I didn’t know. I was lying on the floor pretty much where I feel, the couch Sandra and I were spooning on earlier was to my back, the rest of the lodge spread out before me. I slowly inched my way over to the couch, using it to push myself up onto my knees. From there I was able to get a better view of my situation. I looked toward the large windows the lodge had and saw darkness, the stars twinkling off in the distance. So it was night, which meant I’d been out for quite some time now.

I looked around the lodge, sniffing as I did so. I could smell the other girls. Their scent wasn’t faint either, which told me they were somewhere close by. I pushed myself up onto the couch, sighing heavily as I did so. I was so weak. That’s the first time I noticed my clothes were gone. Well not all gone exactly. The bastards had stripped me down to my lacy bra and panties. I could have died right there. Instead, I used that embarrassment and anger to fuel my revenge. It was coming too. As soon as I caught sight of one of those smug bastards, I was going to throw whatever strength I had left at him. First, though I needed to find something to cut me free.

I looked toward the main sitting area. There was a glass-topped coffee table there. The veggies from earlier were still there, I could smell them starting to go a little rank after hours of sitting. I could also smell the beer and vomit. Someone must have thrown up. That smell hit my nose a little more than I would have liked. I looked away from it, hoping to find anything of use. That’s when I spotted a group of packs piled near the door. If I had to guess, I’d say they belonged to the dick heads. Where they were or why they left them I didn’t care. All I cared about was the possibility of them leaving something there that might help me cut myself free.

I took a look around to make sure they truly were gone then I made my move. I dropped off the couch, onto my knees again. Trying to hop across the room would take too long so the only thing I had going for me was a stupid half-slide, half-crawl thing. Thankfully, I still had a bit of strength left or it would have taken forever. As it was, it took longer than I would have liked. I got a little caught up when I made it to the main sitting area, there were a few more couches then I would have liked but I managed to get around them. When I finally got to the packs, I counted them. Five, weren’t there supposed to be six? Where the hell did the last dog go?

I couldn’t think about that at the moment though. Right now, I needed to find something to help me. I quickly went through the bags, not an easy task with your hands tied. After managing to open the first pack, things were easier. There was nothing in the first two though; I didn’t strike gold until the third one. In one of the side pockets, I found a knife. It was a pocketknife but it would serve the purpose. I opened it with my teeth then slowly worked the blade through the ropes on my hands. It wasn’t an easy task. I nicked myself more than once and the rope was tough. I was almost through when a noise from the back room caught my attention.

Cursing, I slipped the knife into my palm and tried my hardest to make it back where I’d been left. I got halfway before I heard footsteps. I dropped to the floor, hoping no one saw me.

It was just in time too because my captors had returned.

“They going to be all right in there?” asked one, I think it was Corgi.

“They’re going to be fine. We’ve left others like that. When those girls wake up, they’re not going to remember much of last night. They’ll think they had a wild night on the slopes and that will be the end of it.”

I took a chance to peek at where they came from. I think it was one of the bedrooms. So that was their plan. Unfortunately, I still had no idea what the hell was going on.

There were only two of them out of the room too: Reese and Corgi.

I continued to watch them. Reese ordered Corgi to get their stuff ready. Then he turned to the rooms, shouting to the others to hurry up. I watched Corgi for a second before turning my attention back to Reese. I think I’d been wrong about Jake being the Alpha. It was clear that Reese was really calling all the shots. I guess it made sense. There was no way the Alpha would have ventured off on his own like Jake did. Jake had been the scout clearly. It had been his job to get the girls. What these guys were up too though was beyond me.

A moment later, Shawn and Carl appeared. They weren’t alone either; they were carrying Sandra between them. Shit, what the hell was this?

“Careful with the merchandise.”

Merchandise? Were they planning to sell her?

“Why are we taking her again?” grunted Shawn, clearly not happy.

“I mean we already have a blood sample.”

“This isn’t just about one sample you idiot. That Bear is worth a fortune. You know how much blood we can get out of her before she’s no longer useful. We’re going to be rich. No more stupid jobs like this anymore.”

Blood? They were after her blood?

“And the wolf?” asked Jake as he came out of the room, looking in my direction.

Thankfully, I dropped my head a second before he looked. My heart was racing, pounding like a drum. Ok so I was outnumbered, that much I knew. I was one wolf against five dingoes. I might have been able to take one or two out but the others would definitely tear me apart. Sadly, I didn’t have a lot of options. Either I pretended to be unconscious still and hoped they didn’t notice or I attempted to fight. Though the latter was suicide, I could only imagine the alternatives.

“We could just leave her,” suggested Carl. “What do you think Corgi?”

Corgi wasn’t paying attention clearly because he didn’t respond.

Shawn did though. “We could always kill her.”

Ok so definitely not liking Shawn.

“No” said Reese, the voice of reason. “No one is dying. Keeping two Alphas is risky; I’ve made a call already. I’ve got someone lined up. We’re supposed to wait here until they arrive then they’ll take her off our hands.”

“Wait here; are you out of your fucking mind?” Jake didn’t really like that plan. “Those girls will be waking up soon. They’ve seen our faces. If we stay here any longer, it will raise far too many problems. I say we cut our losses, leave the little bitch and get the hell out of here.”

“No” snapped Reese. “Not until Rob gets back here with the snow cat.”

“Fuck your brother.”

Jake and Reese started arguing. Soon Carl and Shawn got into it as well. The only one who didn’t seem to care was Corgi. He was currently going through the bags, most of their contents spread out on the floor. This was all good news for me though. All of them were distracted which gave me enough time to think. It also gave me plenty of time to continue cutting myself free. Thankfully, the ropes tying my hands were almost cut so it took only a few more tries to get them off. As soon as I did, I took a moment to rub my sore wrists. I also quickly covered my cut with my hand, hoping the smell of blood didn’t attract any of them. They might not have been apex predators but I’m guessing like most dogs, they had a good sense of smell.

I took a quick peek over to them to make sure they were still arguing before I worked on my ankles. Luck was with me tonight. Unfortunately, I had to sit up to properly cut which was risky. I double checked to make sure they were still going at it before trying. Cutting the ropes at my ankles was a lot easier now that my hands were free. It took no time at all to get them free. As soon as I did, I let out a sigh then covered my mouth quickly as I did so.

“Hey” said Corgi; I quickly dropped back to the ground.

“Hey guys,” he said a little louder, interrupting the argument. The others turned to look at him. “Have any of you seen my knife.”

Shit, I didn’t think of that. Sure, it was a possibility the owner would notice it missing but I never thought it would be this soon.

“Maybe you left it in the room”

Corgi shook his head. “No, I put it back in my pack. I always put it back.”

Jake sighed and went over to help look. He started toward Corgi but stopped, turning slowly to look at me. I closed my eyes, praying silently to whoever would listen that he would grow a brain. Sadly for me, the Gods were cruel.

“Guys where did we leave the wolf girl?”

“Over by the couch in the corner” said Shawn, taking interest.
“Why?”

“Because she’s suddenly moved to the center of the room.”

Shit.

“Do you smell that?” asked Jake, sniffing the air.

Double shit.

The nosey Dingo slowly started stepping around the room, sniffing like a bloodhound. I cursed myself for being clumsy. Jake sniffed then walked then sniffed again, his steps bringing him closer and closer to me. A few more steps and he was right on top of me. He nudged me with his foot. I made sure not to react. I needed to make him think I was still out cold. Jake kicked me. I could feel the brunt of his boot as it slammed into my side. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. It didn’t seem to satisfy him though because he slowly bent down, his face inches from the back of my head, his mouth moving toward my ear.
“Very clever you little bitch,” he said in a soft whisper.

I snapped around, realizing I had no choice now. I took Jake by surprise, the top of my head connecting with his nose. He stumbled back, catching himself off guard as he fell over the corner of the coffee table. I sprang to my feet, my body still a little numb from their drug. The others still didn’t really have time to react but Jake did. I managed to get about two feet from him before he lashed out and grabbed my ankle. He pulled hard, sending me flying hard toward the floor. My head connected with the arm of a chair, sending stars through it. Dazed and in pain, everything was blurry.

“What the fuck” I heard one of them snap.

“My knife” said Corgi.

“Get her up” snapped Reese.

A rough hand grabbed my arm and I was yanked to my feet. Corgi came forward to try to retrieve his knife. With what little strength I could muster, I lashed out with it. I caught his right forearm, leaving a nice jagged cut. He screamed out in pain. Jake snatched my wrist, giving it a nice twist. I gasped in pain, dropping the knife.

“The fucking bitch cut me.”

“Go wash off” snapped Reese before he turned his attention to me.
By this point, Jake had one of my arms twisted behind my back; his other hand was grasping my hair tightly, pulling my head back.

“You think you’re a smart one, don’t you?”

I scoffed. “Says the moron who thought I was a rabbit.”

He yanked on my hair. “Keep it up bitch.”

Reese shot him a cold look. “No one is going to do anything. We can be civil about this. We’re not murderers after all.” He turned to me. “We’re not bad people; we’re just trying to make a living.”

“No you’re just a bunch of creeps who like to drug girls, kidnap them and take their blood.”

Reese sighed. “I was so hoping you didn’t hear that last part.”

“Well I did and you guys are real geniuses too. Who drugs a bunch of girls and tries to kidnap one on the top of a fricken mountain?”

Jake yanked on my hair even harder.

“You’re Tracy right?” Reese didn’t wait for a reply. “Well, Tracy. My friends and I are businessmen of a sort. We’re kind of in the supply and demand business if you will. You girls have a supply and we make sure that those who demand it get what you offer.”

“You’re Blood Thieves?”

“I prefer the term Blood Traders.”

“And who do you trade this blood too?”

“Whoever needs it the most?”

I’m not sure I really liked the idea of him telling me all this. Sure, I kind of asked but the fact that he was so forthcoming with it kind of scared me. He said he wasn’t going to kill me but at the same time, I was scared what he might do instead. Looking about the room, I knew I lost all hope of escape. That ship had sailed. I also knew I lost the element of surprise too. If I had been able to get the drop on them, I might have been able to make it out the door before they could recover. Now that was out of the question too. Now all I could do was survive and hope that whatever was coming would happen fast.

“So where does that leave me?”

Reese smiled. “I have this friend. He likes fiery little girls like you. You might be the Big Bad Wolf now but when he’s done with you, you’ll be lucky to be one of the Wee Little Pigs.”

He didn’t say it but I could read between the lines. I shuddered at the thought.

Reese was within a few feet of me. He stepped closer, standing in front of me now. “Now, why don’t you be a good little girl and sit quietly while we wait for my friend to arrive.”

He patted my cheek. And to think that I actually thought this guy might have been kind of cool.

Reese pointed to one of the couches. Jake nodded and started to drag me over to it. As he did, Corgi came out of the room. He had a white towel pressed against his forearm; his blood was already seeping through. The smell of it hit my nostrils. It was intoxicating and invigorating, revitalizing as well. I could feel a tingle in my bones and my muscles tensed as a small part of strength slowly started to return to them.

“Jesus Corg” snapped Reese; blood was actually dripping from the towel to the floor. “You’re bleeding all over the floor.”

“It won’t stop” he whined, directing whatever anger he felt right toward me.

“Stop bleeding here, can’t you see what the blood is doing to her?”

All eyes turned to me, including Corgi’s. His eyes popped open. I’m not sure what they were seeing but whatever it was, I could smell the fear in the room. It was just as invigorating as the blood, even more so. I felt a rush of strength and before I knew it, I let out another howl. I’m not sure what came over me. A second later, there was another howl, closer than the Dogs would have liked. Corgi turned to the window behind him just a large gray wolf came jumping through it. The wolf hit him like a trunk in the chest, its jaws going straight for his throat. Corgi burst into screams, which were cut off a moment later when the wolf---my father---gave his neck a quick snap to the left.

I’d never seen death quite like that before. Sure when Vernon Stiles was shot dead in front of me, back on Halloween, it was sudden but watching my father end Corgi like that…it was something else entirely.

The room broke into chaos after all. Shawn screamed and ran for the door. Dad was on him in a second. Shawn managed to get the door open but Dad caught him by the leg, yanking him away quickly heard the snap of bone and the foolish Dog fell to the ground. There were screams but I turned away before the brunt of the violence happened.

“Son of bitch” cried Carl, he was at the packs.

He was trying to take something out of one of the bags. It took me a second to realize it was a gun. Jake loosened his grip on me enough for me to pull free. I dropped to the ground, scooping up the knife that had dropped there minutes before. In one fluid motion, I snatched it up and let it fly. I hit Carl in the shoulder. He screamed in pain, abandoning his search for the gun as he fell to the floor. Jake recovered from his shock enough to smack me in the face with the back of his arm. I fell over the coffee table, crumbling on the floor as I did so.

The anger surged through me. I felt the flimsy fabric of my undergarments snap away as my body went through its metamorphosis. With the change couple, my strength returned. With it came my blood lust and I found myself joining the fray. Chad recovered enough to go for the gun again, only to find my fangs sinking into his arm. He let out a scream. I wrenched him sideways, breaking the limb and pulling him away from the packs.

“Change now” shouted Reese.

Carl started to transform in my mouth, his human arm slowly turning into the furry foreleg of a dog. I didn’t give him a chance to finish the change. I went for his throat. He was caught in mid-transformation as I sunk my teeth into his jugular. I clamped down hard, sealing off any air getting to his brain. It didn’t take long for my tight grip to suffocate. He died mid-form, half man, half dog. A growling behind me drew my attention and I snapped around, seeing two mangy looking mutts behind.

“Cut her off,” said a voice in my head, Reese’s.

“You cut her off, I’m getting out of her”

One of the dogs---they were nearly identical---made a break for the door.

That was Jake and he was mine. He ran past Dad who turned toward him. I warned him off as Jake ran out the door. I gave chase. There was no way I was letting this one get away from me. Jake the Dog was fast but as a wolf, I definitely had more stamina. I chased him down, lunging toward him. I pounced on his back. The speed that we were going caused both of us to collapse and slide through the snow. We rolled before he managed to come out on top. He didn’t stay to fight though. As soon as he was free of me, he took off again. Momentarily stunned, it took me a second or two to get to my feet. When I did, he was far enough away that I knew it wasn’t worth it. I cursed.

A second later, a rifle rang out into the night. One shot but I knew its meaning. I might have missed Jake but someone sure didn’t. I retreated to the tree line, not sure what to expect. A minute or two later, I saw a figure slowly make their way toward me. They smelled familiar which made me relax a bit until I safe their gun.

“Its ok Tracy” said Tia as she shone a flashlight toward me. “You can come out now.”

Relieved, I slowly made my way toward her. As I did, I transformed back.

I collapsed at her feet, exhausted. She bent down, taking off a heavy coat, laying it around me. I looked up, eying the shiny badge on her shirtfront.

“You’re a cop?”

“Sheriff actually” she said, slowly helping me to my feet.

“How did you…?”

She pointed behind me. “Your father.”

I turned and saw Dad walking toward us. He was back in human form as well, fully clothed like usual. I should have felt embarrassed. Instead, I burst into tears and ran right toward him. Tears streaming down my face, he was the most amazing man in the world. I threw my arms around him and buried my head in his chest as I cried. I felt his arms around me and he held me tight, the two of us---father and daughter---standing in the snow in a loving embrace.
I stopped crying a minute or two later. I pulled away quickly, suddenly realizing I was completely naked save for Tia’s jacket and that I was really mad at him.

He frowned at me. “Let’s get things sorted first then you and I can have a talk.”

A talk, why did that sound ominous.

I nodded regardless, following my father and Tia back toward the lodge.

“Can I get you anything else?”

Sandra set a large plate of pancakes in front of me. I smiled up at her and shook my head. She smiled back but made no move to leave my side. I couldn’t help but feel she wanted to watch me eat them. I obliged, lathering them in syrup as I did. As soon as I put the first forkful in my mouth and made a satisfied noise, Sandra returned to her seat. She continued to stare and smile at me though. I couldn’t help but smile myself. It was amazing what a few days could do to a person. When I arrived here, she wanted to boil me alive and now it seemed she wanted to shower me with food and affections. Not that I was offended but I think it was a little overkill.

I continued to eat the pancakes. The events of last night were still fresh in my head. After Tia arrived and shot Jake---no tears were shed there---I followed her and Dad back into the lodge. The carnage inside was overwhelming. I’d killed before. There was an incident before Christmas with Kelly and Mary, I killed to save them. Most of the death there had been a combination of fire and the work of my fellow wolves. It had been intense, a blur to me. Last night though had been much more personal. The bodies that were strewn about were guys who were trying to kill me, who wanted to kidnap Sandra and harvest her blood. Though there was no mistaking it, like the bastards who tried to harm Kelly, all those Dingoes deserved death. I was a little surprised though that Dad left Reese alive. When we came into the lodge, he was just sitting in a corner, mumbling to himself, in a state of total shock. Tia then called in back up, something called a “Cleaning Crew” and we waited. When some of her deputies and paramedics arrived a few minutes later, they went right to work. There was a lot of crying. Tia seemed to hold Sandra forever. The deputies took statements, the paramedics checked injuries. It was several hours before we were allowed to leave.

In the end, Reese was taken into custody. One of Tia’s deputies did something to the girls. I’m not sure what it was but when she opened her mouth, a strange melody came out of it. When the girls were led through the main room, it was as if they were mesmerized. I think it was to keep them from seeing the carnage around them. As soon as they were gone and safe, they made sure Sandra and I got to the B&B safely. On the ride back in the helicopter, Sandra had held me tight. I think she was thrilled that I managed to save her life. She cried a bit on my shoulder too, especially after she overheard most of my statement.

Before I went to bed, Dad promised we’d talk in the morning.
“You need anything more?”

I was almost finished with the pancakes now and I was stuffed. I shook my head.

“You know,” I said, between bites. “You don’t have to do this. You would have done the same for me.”

Sandra nodded absently. “I felt so helpless last night though. I don’t really remember much though. I didn’t do anything…ummm…stupid did I?”

I couldn’t help but remember her straddling me and fondling my breasts. That should have excited the hell out of me. Trevor would have loved it for sure. It just confirmed without a doubt that I was a girl who liked her boys. I didn’t want to tell Sandra about it though. Even if she was under the influence of a drug mash, up so I just shook my head. She let out a sigh of relief. I reached across the table and put my hand gently on hers.

“They’re dead, we got them.”

That wasn’t true of course. Though Reese was in custody, his brother Rob was long gone. I told them about him not being there but it was clear his trail was cold. There were some snowmobile tracks but I didn’t expect that to lead to much. I’m not sure what Rob got away with but whatever it was, it was going to be someone else’s problem. I was done with Dingoes and blood thievery. There were authorities out there that dealt with those kinds of things. It was their problem now. I was just glad it wasn’t Sandra that he’d taken. I never would have forgiven myself if that had happened.

“I wanted to apologize,” said Sandra finally, speaking softly.

“About what?”

“Judging you before I got to know you.”

I nodded. “It’s ok.”

“No its not” she sighed. “My people have always been weary of Wolves. In the past, we’ve had bad experience with them. I’m not sure of the specifics but my grandfather says that your people are not welcome on our land. I guess I took his prejudice to heart a bit.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Sandra bit her lip. “Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“Are you really a white wolf?”

I’m not sure why that mattered but I nodded my head.

Sandra lowered her voice even more, leaning forward. “You and your father can’t stay here then. If my grandfather finds out…he’ll…well it’s not pretty. I suggest as soon as you’re able, you two should go home.”

Whoa and she was back to her old self.

“I think that’s for us to decide,” I said defensively.

What the hell did me being a white wolf have to do with anything? It was just the color of my fur; Sandra made it sound like I was diseased or something.

Sandra shook her head. “You don’t understand. There’s this legend among my people. It says when the White Wolf comes to us, fire and death will follow. So you see what I mean. You can’t stay here any longer than necessary; it’s a really bad omen.”

Just when I thought, things couldn’t get any worse. There were legends about me out there? Ok so it wasn’t necessarily about me but it was kind of freaky nonetheless. I couldn’t help but be a little scared too. I’d never met these people before, never even heard of this place and yet it was like they knew all about me long before I ever got here. I couldn’t help but be a little freaked by that. It also made me understand why Dad didn’t want me to wolf out in front of any of them either. He didn’t want them to see the color of my fur.

Speak of the devil. My father walked into the dining room a moment later. He looked at Sandra, giving her a smile.

“You’re all right?”

She nodded. “Thanks to Tracy.”

Dad didn’t say anything to that. Instead, he turned his attention to me. “I think you and need to have that talk now.”

Sandra quickly got to her feet. “I think this is my cue to exit. I’ll make sure to keep the others out of your hair for a while.”

She quickly rushed out of the room.

Dad sat down in her vacant seat. Without even asking, he reached over and took the rest of my pancakes. I wasn’t the least bit offended. They were really good but she made way too much. He took my fork and a bite.

“You were right,” he said after swallowing. “These are good.”

“You were eavesdropping?”

“Lingering.”

“So you heard about…”

He nodded. “I knew about it actually. Munroe was worried about his father’s reaction. The Elders of this Tribe are a superstitious lot. If it doesn’t rain properly, they have some crazy legend to blame it on. Munroe knows this but his father is set in his ways.”

“Are they going to run us out of town now?”

Dad laughed. “No but the Chief has asked us to part before nightfall. Legend or not, I believe we’ve outstayed our welcome here.”

I nodded. “But that’s not what you wanted to talk about is it?”

“No” he said, his tone turning serious. “What you did yesterday was overly reckless and stupid. You could have gotten yourself and those other girls killed. Do you understand what would have happened if I hadn’t showed up when I did?”

I nodded. I found myself tearing up and hating myself for it. Trevor never would have cried so easily and definitely not in front of his father.

“It was partially your fault,” I said, building up the courage to do so.

“If you didn’t break your promise to me then I never would have run off with them in the first place.”

Dad sighed heavily. “I guess I deserved that one. And just so you know, I didn’t break my promise.”

I scoffed. “Then I imagined you talking shop with Munroe. And what about those suits?”

“Those suits weren’t for me; they were for the Bed and Breakfast.”

Now I was confused. “I don’t understand.”

“They were from the bank. This place has fallen on hard times. If you haven’t noticed, business isn’t really booming around here. The Ross’s are a very honorable family in this community. The bank held off as long as they could but they couldn’t delay any longer. Munroe asked me to come and help. I wasn’t here to do business; I was here to help out a friend in need.”

Shit. Now I felt like the bad guy. What was I supposed to think though? Dad was always pulling crap like this. I see two suits and I immediately think they’re here for him.

“You could have said something.”

“And embarrass Munroe and Tia? Announce to their children that they’re having money problems?”

He had a point.

“You could have stopped me. Most fathers would never have let their daughters run off with a moron like Jake. When I stormed out of the room, I was hoping you’d give chase. That’s what real fathers are supposed to do you know.”

Dad fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, it was with a tone I never heard him convey before. “When your mother first told me of her plans, I wasn’t happy. I knew the risks of such an endeavor but there was nothing I could do to stop her. She made her wish and a small part of me wished that it wouldn’t come true. The rest of me though, the rest of me wished with all my heart that it would. That part of me was selfish though. I wanted it so that our family could regain the prestige they once had. If I thought for one second, about things I might have stopped being selfish and thought about others for a change. When you were finally born, I was both scared and relieved. Your mother was so weak then and I had another son. Her wish had sadly failed. As she lay dying though, she told me about the letter and the diary.”

I was crying. The tears were running down my cheeks. “You put it in my room.”

He nodded. “She asked me to take care of her daughter, to make sure that when you came into the world that I treated you with the same respect and kindness I treated others. I was scared though. I was afraid what might happen if things turned out the way they eventually did. You don’t know what kind of problems something like this would cause. In the end, my selfish pride forced me to keep my distance. You think I was being cold and standoffish but in truth, I was terrified. I was afraid for you, afraid that what you might do given the circumstances of things.

Then you surprised me. When you fought for me against the Coven, believed in me when no one else did, I realized you were a lot stronger than I ever gave you credit for. After that, time and time again you proved to me that you were more capable then I ever thought possible. You ask me why I didn’t chase after you when you got angry and stormed off. Well it’s because I knew you could take care of yourself, that you were the strongest person I’d ever met in my entire life.”

I pushed myself out of my chair and ran around the table. I threw my arms around him. I didn’t care that I was mad at this man. I didn’t care that what he did was wrong. All I cared about was that my father was finally here, the true father I’ve been searching for. I held him tight and he held me. I cried and I think he might have done the same. We held each other for a long time, neither wanting to let the other go.

“I’m sorry, Daddy “I said softly in his ear.

“I’m sorry too, sweetie.”

When we finally pulled away, he wiped my tears. “Oh I almost forgot, I have something for you.”

He reached into his coat and took out a long box. It was pretty plain looking but I’d seen enough of them to know it was a necklace box. I took it from him and slowly opened it. Inside was a gold chain and a gold A as a pendant. I looked up at him, confused.

“Is this what I think it is?”

He smiled and nodded, taking it from the box. “I was an idiot to deny you your birthright. All I wanted to do was protect you.” He laughed. “Last night you proved to me that you were more capable then I ever thought. So as the Alpha of Clan Locke, I name the Tracy Locke, my Heir and Successor.”

He gently put the necklace over my head.

The tears started to flow again. I threw my arms around him. Once again, he held me for what seemed like forever. I felt safe in his arms, I felt protected. I knew as long as Dad was around now that nothing bad was going to happen to me. This trip might not have started out how I planned but it was turning out perfect.

When I pulled away, I asked. “So what happens now?”

Dad smiled. He took me by the hand and slowly led me through the house. We went out the back way until we were standing on a wooden porch overlooking a vast expanse of forest land. How did I not see all of this before? It was one of the most beautiful sights I’d ever seen. Dad walked down the steps, stopping at the end of them. A moment later his human form melted away and the wolf stood before me.

“You coming?”

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere you want.”

I smiled and ran down the steps, transforming before I hit the bottom of them. As a pair, the two of us---father and daughter---ran off into the woods. I’m not sure what the future held but today I was going to finally bond with my father the way it was always meant to be.

---

 
Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF

Photo Credit: Actress Ashley Benson