Wolfsbane

Safety is a Relative Term

I found the backdoor and went to the porch. I sat on the steps and stared out at the property. The expanse of grass. All of the trees on the edge of the property that expanded back into the woods. The land seemed to go on forever and it made me feel free. It was a stark contrast compared to how I felt at the commune. All the land that the cult had and I always felt trapped and confined. I never felt anything close to free while I was there. "It's not just you." A voice said behind me and I jumped. I turned and saw Britney. "I know what you were thinking but that's just Dustin. You're new and he doesn't trust easily." She sat down and studied me. "I'm a hereditary werewolf. Some think that girls don't get to be wolves unless they're bitten but we do. We're just rare." This time I heard the door open and both of us turned to see who it was. I felt apprehension when I saw Dustin. "Dustin." Britney said making his name into a warning. "I just want to talk to her. I'll behave." They stared at each other and she finally nodded. She stood and as she walked to the door, she turned back to me. "We'll talk later." One last glare at Dustin and she was gone. He approached where I sat slowly. "I'm sorry." He said quickly in a low voice. Almost like he didn't want to say it at all. "I shouldn't have acted like that without giving you a chance." I stared at him and he finally sat down. "I wasn't always pack so I shouldn't judge so quickly, I'd be dead if the pack had acted like that towards me, but I know that most mutts would rather die than join the pack or they would pretend to join just so they could destroy it from the inside." I understood what he was saying. I had stumbled naked and bleeding into their yard and started telling stories about a cult of werewolves a state away that none of them had known about despite that fact. "I'm willing to give you a chance if you'll forgive me for earlier." I gave him a tentative smile, "I forgive you." We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Don't make regret it."

I was grateful for the days of rest that I got. I needed it more than I was willing to admit. I was able to catch up on sleep, let my wounds heal and build up my strength again but all too soon it was over. Waine announced we would go to the commune the following night. He wanted to neutralize the threat of the mutts as soon as possible. Only Waine, Dustin and Sam were going with me to the commune since it was strictly information gathering. Waine wouldn't typically go because he was the alpha but he wanted to see it for himself. The others were staying behind and they didn't blink an eye or show any kind of outrage. The decision of the alpha was absolute. I didn't understand not questioning him even a little. I guess I would have to learn if I was going to be one of them.

The night was warm and humid but now oppressively so. I tried my best to hide it but I was terrified to go back even if they would't know that I was there. Everything that had happened to me there came rushing back and I had to control my breathing. I can do this. I directed them there but we made a wrong turn before we found it. We parked on the outskirts and walked the rest of the way in. "We have to be careful. They run in these woods." I whispered. The guys nodded and Dustin tapped his nose to indicate that they were using their noses to watch out for other wolves. We came to the edge of the forest, careful to stay hidden as we looked at the commune. I whispered where things were, what I remembered about their habits and how many were there.  Everyone seemed to be inside of their houses. Some would usually be out even at this hour and I wondered if what I did to Joel had anything to do with it. Waine jerked his head in the direction of the trees and started walking. We followed. "We have to be careful. I'm worried about how many mutts are here compared to pack wolves. We'll have to catch them by surprise." We started the drive back and the guy started forming plans. I feigned sleep the rest of the way.

The rest of the pack was informed of the plans. We would go back tomorrow night and ambush the commune. Everyone was told to rest beforehand. Waine was going to call some of the pack members that lived in other states and see if they could make it here to help. Everyone readily agreed to the plan after nailing down the details. I looked at them and wondered if they were as scared as I was about what was coming.