Chapter Nine

June

I moaned, a deeply contented sound as I smiled and stretched my legs on the viewing deck of the ferry. I was sure I got a few odd looks from the other passengers. I didn't care.

For three day—three long days—I had been cooped up in one car or another or walking across abandoned farmland. My butt hurt. My back was knotted all to pieces. I hadn't had a good stretch in far too long.

The moment our car was loaded into the belly of the ferry and we were free to go to our seats, I made a beeline for a free space to just . . . walk. How weird would it look if I started exercising? A few lunges sounded useful right now, even if they would earn me a few stares. I sighed and looked out over the water for a moment before retreating back inside.

I had been worried for nothing about fitting in on the boat. The werewolves were right at home, and Jerod and Amelia both managed to get seated without arousing suspicion from their obvious pain and disgruntled expressions. Jerod pretty much sat down and popped a fistful of melatonin. I questioned the wisdom in that for what amounted to basically a human who was already going through enough symptoms without adding side effects on top of that. But he was still breathing, so I stayed out of it as he fell asleep. Dom kept a close eye on everyone anyway. Amelia toughed it out for a while, but took a very large dose of ibuprofen and seemed to settle down a bit as she stayed put in her seat.

And I finally had a taste of freedom after being cooped up in the most bizarre and upsetting situation I have ever been in.

As I came inside, I spotted my empty seat between Dom and Jack. They both looked occupied enough; they wouldn't notice if I was gone just a few more minutes. When we came in and got to our seats, I'd seen the computer kiosks. If I hurried, I might even have internet access before we got too far from port.

My heart raced as I had to wait a minute for someone else to finish before I could use a kiosk. As soon as my fingers hit the keyboard, I went straight to the site I used to send Kat money.

"Come on . . . come on." I furiously typed in my info, racing to get the transfer completed before we lost signal. "Yes."

In went Kat's email address, and out went most of my savings. At least Kat could keep our apartment afloat for a couple of months; more if she was careful. I hoped she would be careful. I had just logged out and stepped away from the computer console when a voice made me jump out of my skin.

"All done?" Dom said.

"I was making sure my roommate could pay the rent." My heart was pounding.

"Walk with me," Dom said. He didn't wait for me, but turned away from the kiosk and headed toward the door to the outside deck.

The moment the door opened, the nighttime air had me tightening my new fleece jacket around me. Pulling my hands into my sleeves, I followed Dom onto the deck, from which you could see the stars reflected in the rippling water. The wind sent a chill across the area and chased most of the passengers back inside. Dom leaned on the rail, watching the water lap against the boat and not speaking. It was probably the most privacy we were going to get on the ferry, and I was dreading what he had to say. I eyed him sheepishly, feeling as though I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

"This must all be pretty frightening for you," Dom said.

"I'm still kind of touch and go with how unbelievable it all sounds."

"New bites usually feel like that for a while. Until their first attempt at shifting, anyway." Dom turned from the view of the water and looked me in the eyes. "We've done a poor job of getting you ready for what's ahead, and I'm sorry about that. I'm not much of a teacher."

I studied his profile as he looked out at the water, the moonlight highlighting the sharp lines of his nose and jaw. He was head babysitter in all this, that was for sure. "You may not be a teacher, but I can tell you're doing your best to watch over everyone."

"I do what's needed of me for my pack. Always."

"I think I can relate," I said. "Some of us get stuck with all the caregiving, huh?"

Dom huffed a laugh, finally turning to study me. "Care to elaborate? I don't know much about you."

"I could say the same about you," I replied. "But sure. I grew up with my grandparents. Grandad passed when I was eight. Granny three years ago. When you're the healthy young person in the house, you end up doing a lot more than a kid should have to do. Then there's my roommate. She's my best friend, but I'll admit I do baby her. I guess the role is just ingrained in me at this point."

"I can see it," Dom mused. "All you need now is a set of scrubs and a stethoscope around your neck."

Elbowing him lightly, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. "Shut up, at least I know what I want in life for the most part. Not everyone gets to say that."

"You're right, they don't." Dom watched the water for a few quiet heartbeats. Studying his profile, I could see that he was actually attractive when he was relaxed. It made me realize he'd mostly been a ball of stress since we'd met, and from the bits and pieces I'd gathered from the group, they had just been in some kind of traumatic conflict. That couldn't be easy on anyone, but I respected Dom for coming up with a plan and keeping everyone to it.

"Okay, New Bite. Ask all the wolf questions burning a hole inside that head of yours. I can feel you staring."

"All right, did you struggle like this when you were bitten?"

He looked at me strangely, confusion plain on his face, then he laughed. "No. You've seen too many old movies. Most of us are born this way."

"Really?" I asked sheepishly. "You're not pulling my leg?"

"Really. Raised in the village, the pack all take a hand in the kids. Had a dad, mom died when I was younger. Had friends, neighbors, a house, the whole deal. Cases like yours are not that common," he answered. "But back on the subject of what's ahead, you should know about the hierarchy of a pack. Do you know much about wolves?"

"Maybe?" I said. "I haven't really thought about them since probably a report in middle school."

Dom nodded. "All right. Well, have you heard the term alpha wolf before?"

"The boss wolf, right? I thought that was a myth."

"In the wolves you know, sure. For us it's very much real. We have roles in the group that keep us strong. Everyone does their part, and speaking of that, I owe you an apology for the other day."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I hadn't expected an apology, especially so many days later. Then again, this was the first time we'd been alone since that morning. "Thank you."

"When we get to the village you'll meet the alpha, his beta, and any warriors on patrol. These are the top of the food chain, so to speak. Their roles are to keep humans, other creatures, or rogues out of the territory and away from the village."

"Got it. Boss, vice-boss, and cops," I said. "I need to know them? Anyone else I need to know about?"

Dom chuckled as he turned back to me again. "That smart mouth is going to get your ass handed to you."

"By you?" I asked, then frowned. I had no business playing around with this guy. He'd been kind of a jerk so far, if I was being honest. And the second I had this shift thing under control, I was going home. I'd probably never see him again.

"By someone at the pack, I'm sure." His mouth twisted up at one side. "Everyone in the pack has a job, we cover all the things needed to keep us going. Trackers to keep an eye on the territory and watch the migration of animals, spot where the wild foraging is growing in and when the season starts. We have warriors to keep the pack safe from anything that would threaten it, animal or otherwise. The alpha is the unquestioned leader of the pack. They will be the strongest wolf with the most dominant presence. You physically won't be able to resist a command unless you turn out to be one hell of a wolf when you turn."

"What are the chances of that?"

Dom laughed. Probably not a good sign. "Astronomical," he answered.

"Figures," I said. "So, how does one get voted alpha?"

"It's less like a vote and more like a fight to the death," Dom answered.

"You're not serious."

"I am," he said. "This isn't a human civilization, June. We have different rules, morals. The wolf code of honor means something. Respect a dominant wolf but never call yourself weak either. A pack helps each other. It's a tight community, no one knows a stranger. No one goes hungry. Everyone has a place."

"You're saying things I love and things I hate about this village."

Dom shrugged. "Save your judgment until you get there. I'm just filling you in so you're prepared when you arrive. You'll be expected to meld in with the pack pretty quickly, so be ready for a lot of ‘finding a place for you' going on."

"But I don't need to find a place or whatever. I'm not staying," I reminded him.

Dom sighed and ran his hand down his face. "June, I won't stop you from leaving if you're able to."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

"Wolves have a strong sense of community. When you fall into place, your wolf won't want to leave. You'll have a stronger force inside you to guide your instincts, and sometimes what you want and what those instincts want doesn't line up," Dom said. "You're going to have a hard time convincing your wolf, those instincts, to leave if they want to stay."

"That's not possible." The notion of losing that kind of control over myself made me uneasy. "I have a career, ambitions, friends, all back in Seattle. I have school in a couple of months, I was thinking about taking a semester full-time if I could get away from the clinic I'm at now. I can't just drop my life like that for a condition that happens one night a month."

"June," Dom groaned. "It's not a condition. It's an alteration of who you are. You'll be one of us, and you'll seek out our communities whether you like it or not. You don't want to live rogue, trust me."

"What's a rogue?" I asked.

"A wolf or small group of wolves who live outside of a pack dynamic. A rogue wolf is a lonely and powerless wolf. Do not go rogue, June. You'd be chewed up and spit out in a year."

"I still can't picture it."

"Clearly. Promise me you'll give the village a chance. If you really, truly don't feel like you can live there, at least cooperate with them long enough to find a rank in the pack. After that, you can possibly negotiate joining a pack closer to home once you've gotten a feel for your wolf and what you can do. You might have a rank beyond just pack member, and if you do, that will be important information for a new pack to know."

"Rank, like a score? How do you get a good rank?" I asked.

"Dom!" Carson was at the door of the ferry, waving to get our attention. "We're having some trouble with Amelia, and she's going to lash out at the people in the row behind us if we don't stop her soon."

Dom grunted in frustration and turned to me one more time. "We won't know your rank until your first shift, and there's nothing you can do to alter what you are. It would be like changing your eye color or how tall you are. It's just . . . what you are."

"Oh," I said softly.

"Just think about what I've said. I don't want you going down a bad path because you made your decisions as a stubborn human without even knowing what it's like."

Then Dom turned to Carson and followed him inside. "Get her to some fresh air and see if you can get another dose of those pills in her. I'll find her something to eat and see if that helps her disposition."

"Got it," Carson answered as the door closed.

And then I was alone. Alone to think about what Dom had said. About belonging. I shook my head and turned to watch the water again. It was too hard to picture. Melding into a strange society because we shared a common . . . curse? Ailment? Whatever it was supposed to be called.

I was happy in Seattle, right? Sure, rent was high and pay was low, but I had Kat and I was helping people. What would a village of werewolves in Canada have for me?

I went back inside, immediately spotting the guys taking care of Amelia. It was clear they all cared for each other deeply. It was nice, in a way, to have that sense of community. Could I have that too?

It wouldn't be easy to wrap my head around it. But I supposed I could try.