“Yes, there’s something I need to do first.” The Club members started coming in as we were finishing, taking seats around the room until it was full. I made sure all the windows were closed and the doors were locked before I started talking. “First, I’m sorry I ruined your dinner,” I said. “What happened back there I didn’t expect. The three men who I was running from were after me, I knew it as soon as I saw them. They ran me off the road, then when I tried to run through the swamps to escape, they caught me. I was beaten and raped.” Snake held me tight in his lap as that news hit the others like a bolt of lightning. I could see anger, shock and sympathy in the group; Kelly jumped out of Doc’s lap and hugged me, followed by Teri and Taser. It took a few minutes to reassure the girls I was all right and to get the other men calmed down.
“The three men are gone,” Viper said, “So there is no one left to go after. Our little DeWalt here killed one in the fight, and another she stabbed in the groin and stomach with a combat knife. We finally caught up to her and killed the guy who raped her.”
That calmed things down a little, they wanted vengeance and they had gotten it. “Did you know the guys,” asked Kelly.
“No. I could smell them, and they could smell me. That’s why they went after me,” I said.
“What, your perfume set this off?” Kelly looked confused.
“In a way. I’m not like you, I’m a different species. I’m actually a werewolf.”
A few people laughed, while Rocket even asked if I was more Teen Wolf or American Werewolf in London. They didn’t believe me. “I can prove it,” I said as I pulled my arms out of the sleeves of my robe. “Help me up,” I said.
Snake helped me stand as I loosened the tie on my robe. “Should you be doing this?”
“Shifting will be painful, but it will help with the healing,” I said.
Viper’s low voice boomed through the room. “When she does this, nobody fucking moves or says anything. I don’t need the neighbors wondering what is going on. This is DeWalt, she won’t hurt you,” he said.
I shifted as I leaned forward, turning into my wolf before my arms hit the ground. The robe fell off as I walked forward a few steps; I was waiting for screams, but they didn’t come. People were shocked but not afraid. I moved over to Viper and put my head on his leg, he scratched my ears as my tail wagged. “This is how we saw her in the swamp, those three men were also werewolves.” I moved around the room slowly; I was bigger than a German Shepherd, grey in color with white and black patches.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” Teri said before I licked her face. “Ewww…”
I chuffed softly and moved around the rest of the room, making sure everyone got a chance to touch me if they wanted to. When I made it back to Snake, he covered me with the robe. “Guys, turn around,” he said. I shifted back to my human form and pulled the robe back on.
“Decent,” I said. I felt much better after the shift. “Now I know you must have questions.” I repeated what I had told the others yesterday; what I was, what was happening with our women and why the men were after me.
“So just how many werewolves are out there,” Rocket asked.
“I don’t know. Before all this started, I knew there were about five hundred Packs in North America, each with between ten and two hundred members. There are also loners, wolves without Packs, and rogues, wolves who were kicked out of Packs. Up north there were three smaller Packs the Alpha was allied to, all are gone, some of the survivors joined his Pack. Most of these raids, everyone is killed except the women who are captured and forced into mating. There’s no way to get a count now, but I know that there used to be about a hundred Pack Doctors like me, and there may only be a handful left now.”
“What about back home,” Tiny asked.
“Packs like having land to run and hunt in, plus being in close proximity to humans makes it harder to keep our secret,” I said. “That’s why they are in remote, rural areas. The smells and sounds of the city can be overwhelming. I have trouble being downtown too long,” I said. “So, I don’t expect to run into werewolves there, but you never know.”
“And any male werewolf is a danger?”
“Yes… if they don’t want me for themselves, females like me have become valuable. If they will wipe out entire Packs to get women, they will pay for them too, or trade.”
Viper stood up. “I can tell she’s getting tired, and she needs to rest. Snake will be staying with her, but I’d like at least one other Club member to be around as backup… armed backup, just in case.”
“I’ll stay this afternoon,” Doc said. “I still need to dress her wounds.”
“Sounds good. Everyone else, get ready, we’re rolling in fifteen minutes. We’re taking the backup run, back roads between here and Gainesville. Since you guys already rode all morning, we’ll make the Daytona Beach run tomorrow instead.” The Club spent a lot of time talking with local clubs and figuring out good routes and stopping places, and they always had extras.
“We’ll watch football and rest,” Snake said. “Have fun.” There was one more riding day on the second, then the next morning they all went back to the airport. The trip was almost over.
When they were gone, Doc had me lay down on the bed so he could check the wounds. He put dressings over the ones that were still healing, hoping to protect the stitches and scabs a while longer. “It looks better since you shifted,” he said. “Not as much blood as earlier.”
“I’ll need to shift twice a day until the scars are gone,” I said. “This is a pet-free hotel, so I can’t exactly spend a lot of time as a wolf.”
He put the clean clothes on me and tucked me in, turning the bedside light off. “I’m going to nap with her if you’re good,” he told Doc.
“Sure, I’ll watch the game.” I heard Snake pull his clothes off and felt him get into the bed behind me.
He wasn’t touching me, and that bothered my wolf. “Hold me?”
“Always.” He scooted over until his chest met my back, and an arm carefully laid over my waist. I rested my head on his arm and was instantly asleep.
I woke up to a knock on the door; Snake wasn’t in bed, but I could smell him in the room along with Doc. I heard Doc open the door and pay for the delivery, the smell of pizza was enough to get my eyes open. “Feed me,” I said softly.
“Good, you’re awake,” Snake said. “The others are back, there were thunderstorms moving in so they returned early. They’re all going out to a bar tonight, so dinner is just us.”
I sat up, the pain wasn’t as bad now. I took the pills on the bedside table and the glass of water he’d left for me before he handed me a plate of food. “A quiet night with you sounds good,” I said.