C9 Charlie

My eyed widened. “Wait. The town’s population … all of them are like us?”

Regan laughed, a sharp, biting sound. “No. The pack totals about seventy, including small children and the council elders. Every one of them live in the group of houses you see below.” She pointed to the houses clustered at the bottom of the hill. “We’re just far enough outside of town to be considered our own village, if you will. Some of the elders have talked about going for our own township to cut ourselves off even more, but nothing’s happened yet. So far, the humans pretty much leave us alone.” She leaned over and lowered her voice to a whisper. “They think we’re some sort of radical cult colony. If anyone asks, just say Jesus Saves in your craziest voice. They’ll leave in you alone.”

Any other day, it might’ve been funny. But after being kidnapped and meeting my estranged father and sister, nothing was funny about this situation. “Why are we up here?” I asked, gesturing to the house behind us.

“We are the alpha family, the most likely to be attacked. From down there, the pack has a clear view of the main house. They can see and protect us.”

“Wouldn’t living next door to the pack make it easier to defend us? So we’re closer to help?” I asked.

“Being up here keeps the alpha separated from the commoners.”

I stared at her, trying to figure out if she was serious. She didn’t crack a smile, and I shook my head. Was my sister really that stuck up?

I followed Regan to the edge of the yard. When she kept walking past the garage, into the trees, I stopped. “I thought we were going to town.”

“We are,” she said.

“The car is parked back there.” I pointed to the late-model Chevy truck parked on the side of the garage.

“We aren’t taking the truck.”

“Then how are we getting there?”

She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Running…”

She must’ve seen the surprise in my face because she walked back over to where I stood at the edge of the grass. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that a problem?” she added. There was no mistaking the challenge in her tone.

I met her gaze as steady as I could. “No problem.”

She nodded once and then turned back to the forest. I followed and when she broke into a run, I increased my speed. I felt the wolf in me rise to the front of my mind, and I gave in. My bones cracked and shifted and, in mid-stride, furry paws extended out where my feet and arms had been. In the next step I landed on all fours, muscles rippling over furry shoulders. I sped up, gaining momentum and relaxing into my new body.

Regan was still a few steps ahead of me. Her wolf was a shade lighter than mine, its hair not quite as long. I stretched my neck side to side, straining the muscles of my jaw against the irritation my wolf felt at following instead of leading. That was a new feeling for me. I’d never run with anyone except my mother and she’d never felt this … bossy.

Regan increased the pace and my wolf matched it. Soon we were shoulder to shoulder. We sped down the hill, the greenery a blur around me. I was focused only on beating Regan. I didn’t know where the town was and I didn’t care. My wolf just wanted to win.

When Regan veered left, it took me a moment to notice and turn. By then, she was slowing and repositioning. Up ahead, I could see a small woodshed at the edge of a thick grove of trees. Beyond it, a house loomed on the other side of what looked like someone’s backyard. A swing set stood, unused and rusted, on the sunburnt grass.

Regan steered us toward the house. I let her take the lead again, wary of a man-made building while still in this form. At the edge of the yard, Regan’s wolf form shook around the edges. I could see her beginning to change. She stared me down, letting me know to do the same, and then squeezed her eyes shut as the change completed. When she was back on two legs, she stood and waited for me to join her.

I pushed the wolf to the back of my mind and pulled on the humanity underneath it. The fur shrank back and in its place were clothes, skin, fingernails. I shook my body, ridding it of the tingling that came from the change, and smoothed my hair. My sweatpants had returned and I was beginning to regret the choice in the heat of midday. California was a lot warmer than Oregon.

“You’re pretty fast,” Regan said.

My head came up. “Thanks.” I had the feeling of being sized up. I shifted my weight, resisting the urge to fidget. “Ready?”

“Let’s go.” Regan led me through the side yard between two houses. The path emptied onto the circular street that encompassed the grouping of houses we stood between. Regan pointed at the house we’d passed. “That’s Carter’s house. His dad is the pack beta so he serves on the council.”

“Is that like a board of directors or something?” I asked.

“Sort of. The council is made up of five families, including the alpha. They all get a vote in major pack decisions. Then there’s the elder of elders. He gets two votes. He’s the oldest living member of the pack and has been around since my great-grandparents ran things.”

“And the beta position you keep talking about. What’s that?”

“The alpha’s right-hand man—or woman—is called the beta. It represents the second letter of the Greek alphabet and therefore symbolizes a second-in-command figurehead. Carter’s dad was my mom’s—” She swallowed. “Anyway, now he’s my—our—dad’s beta until a new alpha is named.”

I wanted to reach out or say something meaningful, but words failed me. I didn’t know this girl and something about her, while strong, felt so fragile. Like one wrong word would shatter … everything. So I ignored it in favor of our shared dilemma. “If our dad is alpha already, I don’t understand why he can’t just continue to be. At least for a while longer while we figure out this contest business.”

Regan shook her head. “It’s against pack law. The title must be passed to a female in the blood line. He’s only temporary alpha by council vote. And even then it’s only because of … what happened to my mom.”