Grace was walking calmly to the top of the hill that overlooked the pack house. I on the other hand was trailing further and further behind her, dragging my steps.
I was on my way to meet the Alpha of this pack. Despite the fact that I needed his permission to stay on his land, I was still nervous to meet him after what happened the last time I met a new Alpha.
"Keep up." Grace orders me without turning around as I groan and pick up my pace to match hers, I still stay a few steps behind her though.
We continue like that in silence until we crested the hill overlooking the pack grounds and saw the pure black wolf that was observing all the humans that were doing something down below in pairs.
The wolf was enormous, the biggest wolf I'd ever seen with the exception of Grace. He had a long jet black coat, but when he stood in the sun like he was currently doing you could see the light reflecting off the few brown hairs hiding in his coat.
When the wolf turned around to face Grace I noticed his burnt orange eyes. I've never seen this color eye on any other living creature. This was obviously Alpha Leyton, I didn't even need the amazing amount of dominance radiating from this wolf to know that.
Grace stopped before Alpha Leyton before greeting him casually, not at all how I would expect a pack member to greet their Alpha.
"Thank you Grace." Alpha Leyton said in a deep voice. "You may go and join the others in training."
Grace didn't say thing. She just nodded her head as she got up and casually walked back the way we had came from, looking like she didn't have a care in the world.
"Welcome Eva, as you probably already know I'm Alpha Leyton." The black wolf greeted me. "I hope you are feeling better than when you stumbled onto my territory."
I bowed my head in submission to Alpha Leyton and stared at the ground as is customary for a wolf as I answered. "I am thank you sir. I'm also very thankful you took me in and nursed me back to health. I don't think I would have survived on my own for much longer."
"I'm not so sure about that." Alpha Leyton replied with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "But enough about that. For now I want to hear what you think about this pack." A wolfish grin appearing on the Alpha's face.
"Well first off every wolf here is HUGE." I state as the Alphas tone and mannerisms made me relax and let me know I can be more friendly with him instead of formal.
Alpha Leyton chuckled. "That's a very good observation young one, what else?"
"Well honestly, I'm impressed sir. I'd never seen a human before and had always heard that they were murdering beasts. The best option was to run as fast as I could from them. But here you are living side by side with them in a way that seems to benefit you both." I answer truthfully.
Alpha Leyton seemed surprised and impressed at the thoughtfulness of my answer but he quickly hid it. "Good answer young one." He tells me.
"Now on to a more serious topic, your future. Have you given any thought to what you want to do now?" The Alpha said turning serious. "Staying here would be difficult for you as our customs and lifestyle are completely different from anything you've ever been exposed to before. So if you want to leave our territory then no one will stop you."
"Oh," I said lowering myself down in disappointment at the thought of having to leave Grace, Derrick and even Thomas who I'd grown fond of. "I guess I can't stay then. When would you like me to leave?" I ask Alpha Leyton with sadness lacing my voice.
"I said it would be difficult for you to stay, not impossible. I am giving you a choice" Alpha Leyton corrects me, making me instantly perk up again. "However this pack has a lot of secrets that may be very difficult for you to accept."
The Alpha pauses for a moment before continuing on. "If you want to stay it means that you want to work towards becoming a member of this pack and all the challenges that entails. However if you want to go and find your own path then you're more than welcome to visit us as often as you like. I'm not going to banish you from our lands, Grace and Derrick are already too fond of you to do that." The dark wolf chuckles.
"I'll give you a few days to decide." Alpha Leyton said.
Before he'd even gotten up I spoke. "I don't need a few days to decide Alpha." I declared. "If you're offering me a chance to be part of this amazing pack with the way you seem to care about each other, and the food, then I would love to be a part of this family, humans and all."
"I'm glad you said it like that young one." Alpha Leyton said happily. "Well then I welcome you to the Roaring Hills pack as a trial member."
My tail thumped against the ground I was sitting on in a painful manner, but I didn't care because I was so happy.
"You're first task as a trial member of this pack is going to be harder than it seems." Alpha Leyton declared. "The first thing you need to do is except the truth about us."
I sat there and turned my head sideways in confusion.
"We are not wolves, we are werewolves." Alpha Leyton started to explain in a gentle voice, as if he didn't want to scare me off. "That means that every wolf here is part human and part wolf."
I sat there stumped. "What do you mean?" I asked in genuine confusion.
"It means that everyone here except yourself and a few full humans have two forms that they can go between, as well as two souls. One being wolf and the other being human. Every wolf here over a certain age can shift between the two forms at will." The dark wolf was still using the gentle tone of voice.
"So you're saying that you're also a human?" I asked, trying to make sense of what the Alpha was trying to say.
"Yes, that is exactly what I mean." Alpha Leyton said. "If you promise not to move and stay calm I can show you the transformation from wolf to human. It should make things easier to believe."
I of course didn't believe this wolf and I was honestly starting to think that they'd all gone mad. "Go on, show me then." I challenged the Alpha. I learnt a lesson that day, never challenge an Alpha, particularly when they're right.
Alpha Leyton got up and moved a few steps back before his bones suddenly starts breaking with loud CRACKS.
I dove to my belly in fear immediately as the Alpha's bones continued to break and his skin and muscles reformed. It looked like swarms of insects where moving under his skin as his fur disappeared and his entire body changed shape.
Less than 10 seconds later there was a human male standing where Alpha Leyton was. "Do you believe me now?" The human said in Alpha Leyton's deep voice. "If you want to get closer and check for yourself, know that I'm not going to hurt you Eva."
I stayed on my belly, paralyzed by fear for a couple of minutes. However during that time I did note that the human had the same black fur on top of his head and the same burnt orange eyes.
I think it was the eyes that I'd seen no where else before that convinced me to get up and sniff the human. Sure enough he smelt the same as Alpha Leyton.
"How?" Was the only word I managed to get out, still shocked by this impossibility that had happened before me.
"No one knows for sure." Alpha Leyton said while sitting down so his eyes where closer to my level and therefore made me feel a little safer.
"There are many different stories that are told about how we came to be, but the most popular one is about a group of humans and wolves that lived together in peace long ago." The Alpha continued. "It is said that the group was attacked by other humans but different versions of the story say it was different creatures that attacked the group. Creatures that were wiped out and removed from the history books."
Alpha Leyton had a far away look in his eye as he recounted the story. "Anyway, all that matters is that the humans and the wolves fought together side by side, but were ultimately defeated. The Mood Goddess, having witnessed two different species live, fight and die side by side decided to save the group from their everlasting death by taking each wolf soul and paring it with a human soul in one body. Therefore connecting the two souls together forever."
"Legends say that was how the first werewolf pack came to be, thousands of years ago." Alpha Leyton finished his story.
I sat there so fully wrapped up in the story that I didn't even realize I'd moved over next to the human Alpha Leyton.
"That's amazing." I said like a little kid. "Did they all live happily ever after?"
"That's what the legend says." Alpha Leyton replied chuckling. "So do you still want to be a part of this pack now that you know what it truly means young one?"
I debated his offer for a bit. Could I really live among wolves that were also humans? I'd be lying to myself if I said I wasn't scared.
"What do you really have to be afraid of? You're tougher than this." The little voice in the back of my head informed me. Once again I had to think that it had a point.
"I think I can do it Alpha." I said a bit uncertainty. "It may take a little while but I can adapt."
The Alpha smiled at me. "Then once again, welcome to the pack little one. Now if you'd step back a little I need to shift back to a wolf."
I didn't even realise I was close enough to Alpha Leyton that I could lay my head on his arms. Where had all that fear from earlier gone?
Knowing what was coming this time I was a lot more relaxed and watched carefully as the human body in front of me collapsed and started to reform back into the giant black wolf with lots of loud CRACKS from breaking bones.
"Doesn't that hurt?" I ask once the shift is complete.
"The first shift is most painful thing you'll ever experience." Alpha Leyton admitted. "But every time you shift from that point onwards it becomes less painful until it doesn't hurt at all."
"Well I'm glad the pain doesn't last." I said. "That looks so painful that I wouldn't wish it on my enemies."
The black wolf chuckled yet again. "So will you be alright around everyone in human form if I move you from that small kennel into the pack house?"
My ears pick up instantly. "You're going to let me sleep in the pack den?" I ask with excitement evident in my voice. I'd never heard of a non pack member sleeping in the pack den before.
"Of course I am." Alpha Leyton said. "I wouldn't want anyone staying in that small cramped space if I could help it. Unfortunately we were to afraid to let you into the pack house before because you would have been terrified of all the humans in there. All the werewolves are in human form in the pack house after all."
"You might be right about that." I admitted. "But I won't run now that I know what's going on."
Alpha Leyton relaxed a bit more. "You're a good kid with a solid head on your shoulders Eva. If you work at it a bit I'm sure you'll make a great pack member."
"Thank you sir." I reply humbly.
"You're welcome." He replies. "One more thing before we head down. There are a few pure humans here that are mated to some of our wolves. While they try their best to understand our ways it can be a hard adjustment for them, so please be a bit patient with them."
"Of course Alpha." I reply immediately with a nod. It was very easy to be patient when someone was learning after all. Just like the pups back home.
"Just remember that these humans are considered part of the pack and the Luna is also a human." Alpha Leyton informed me.
I was shocked at this news, but I'd had so many shocks today that I just took it in my stride and nodded my head in understanding at the Alpha.
"Let's head down and meet the pack then." Alpha Leyton said as he started to walk down the hill to the impossibly tall square structure called the pack house.
"Oh, one more thing." Alpha Leyton said as we were plodding along the path to the pack house. "My sons mate is dying to meet you since she was told about you. She's also human and a little over the top so if she suddenly rushes up to you or tries to touch you, know that she's being friendly and not aggressive."
"Thank you for the warning Alpha." I said. "Who is your son if I might ask.
Alpha Leyton gives me a wolfy grin before replying "His name is Derrick. I believe you've already met him."