Author's note:  A special thanks to @Wolphin5 for allowing me into his universe, borrowing a couple of characters, and assisting with portions that deal with his characters. And thanks to MaxD01. I mentioned this general storyline to him before he died, years ago. He told me to "go for it" lol. Well, I hope I can finish it...

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 THE LONEWOLF: THE HELL YOU SAY...

The 18-wheeler slowed and exited into the rest area. It followed the signs to the vehicles with trailers side, eased to a stop in a parking spot and with a hiss of released air, set the brakes. It was an impressive vehicle, a shiny, extra-large sleeper truck, with a custom looking trailer. The driver, inside, shifted to his right, stood up bent over a little, and stepped back towards the oversized sleeper and stood upright, stretching. The big dog on the bed stretched and stood, before hopping down to the floor and pushing against the driver's leg, nearly unbalancing him. "Dangit, you doofus head... Stop trying to kill me", he laughed as he scratched and rubbed her ears.

"You ready for a stretch and a break, Rose?" Rose wagged her tail viciously and whacked his legs several times. "OUCH!! Come on, man.... Watch that rebar you got for a tail... Alright, alright, let's go." He slid back up to the front, to the passenger's side this time, popping open the door and dropping to the ground. The 70 lbs. Pitbull hopping out beside him, and then sitting, waited for him to close the door. As the man shut the door, Rose woofed at him. He looked at her, and then reopened the door, reaching in and retrieved a long straight walking stick, reshutting the door. "Heel," he commanded, and then started towards the pet area that led towards some open woods, with Rose at his side.

They passed through to the  pet area and saw that it was an open shot into the woods. "Looks like a nice spot for a hike, Rose.... Let's go see what we can see..." They followed the trail for a few minutes. The man looked around, and not seeing anyone, plus remembering how few vehicles were in either side of the rest area, said "Go, break time." Rose took off like a shot and started investigating everything she could smell and see. Rose trotted from tree to tree, sniffing everything, occasionally looking back to be sure she could still see her protectee. She was a large Red Nose pitty, with a vaguely rose shaped splash of white on her chest. She had been professionally trained as a personal security dog. They had been together for about six months now, and Rose had formed a good rapport with the man who had bought her.

They wandered down the trail for about 45 minutes, they had gotten a fair distance from the truck. The man was keeping a casual eye on Rose as he strolled and walked with his stick. It wasn't one of those "professional" style, skinny carbon fiber walking sticks, it appeared to be just a tree branch that had been turned on a lathe and lacquered to nice reddish color. It had darker stained leather wrapped around the top 18 inches for gripping it, and another section of leather, roughly in the middle. The whole thing was about five feet long.

Reaching a clearing that was pretty good sized, Rose sniffed the perimeter and then softly woofed at the man. "Yeah, yeah... I know, practice, practice, practice...", the man responded. Then, after looking around, he moved through the grass to roughly the center of the clearing and took a stance, raising the walking stick like it was almost a short staff. He started spinning the short staff around himself slowly, at first, and then started moving and stepping into what appeared to be a kata of his own making. As he slowly sped up, he transitioned from staff work to something that more resembled a sword form. It wasn't smooth. If you knew what to look for, you could see that he was still learning. It would still scare the bejeezus out of some would be thief, if they were not a fighter.

Rose trotted around the outside of the clearing, sniffing, and investigating everything. Then satisfied it was safe, laid down on the upwind side and watched the man practice. After a few minutes the wind shifted slightly, and Rose growled, rising to a low ready, and moving to between the man and the new dangerous scent on the air. The man heard her growl, and stopped his practice, turning to see what had her upset. He saw nothing but remembering his training with the company he got her from, knew not to dismiss her signals. Then he heard loud crashing through the trees and brush, approaching them at a rapid pace. It got louder and louder as he adjusted the grip on his stick to appear like a batter that has choked up on a bat to a ridiculous degree, his right hand at the bottom of the leather wrapping, and his left just below that on the bare wood.

As they watched and listened apprehensively, there came a multitude of howls that seemed to be following the crashing. He gripped his staff tightly and slowly twisted his hands. Then there was a loud roar, and a beast came running out of the trees and came right for him. Rose snarled loudly and launched herself towards the beast, with her huge mouth open, ready to protect her owner. The man yelled "NO!!!" and lunged toward the two even though he was scared shitless. In that moment, he knew they were dead, but refusing to go without a fight, he quickly pulled his hands apart revealing the shining metal blade of a straight sword. His mind flashed to his many failed attempts to cut the rolled tatami mats. He prayed to whomever would listen, that he got the angles and alignment right this time...

The beast swiped at Rose and slashed her on her side, blood flying everywhere. But Rose was well trained and had also dodged slightly and gotten a bite on the beast, slightly distracting it as it went to bite the man. The man swung his sword, and for the first time, it felt correct, but he thought he missed as he was bitten by the beast and pain exploded everywhere. The man fell and thought he would die in the next instant. Then there was silence in the clearing, broken only by the sound of something rolling on the ground.

The man nearly blacked out, but through sheer force of will, got to his knees and looked around. The beast lay a few feet away, missing an arm/leg and its head. "Huh... I can't believe I got it right... ROSE!!!" he heard a whimper to his left, and he turned to see her bleeding on the ground with a chunk of the beast in her mouth. The man shuffled over to her, and carefully picked her up, staggering to his feet. He started stumbling back towards the rest area, moving on will power alone. He fought his way through the immense pain and moved slowly.

**********

The patrol was tracking a Rogue, and were closing in. they were nearing areas close to humans and were hoping that they could catch the Rogue before encountering any. They were almost close enough to see its tail when they heard loud growling and a roar, sounding like two different beasts.

*Crap, two of them?* George sent to his team. *Harry, Mike, shift to Were.* Two minutes later they rushed into a small clearing and what they saw dumbfounded them. The Rogue was dead, and a human was carrying a large dog in his arms. The man fell and struggled to continue. The patrol hurried over and just as the man passed out, he whispered "Rosebud..."

*Alpha, we have a problem...* George called out silently over the bonds.

*Did you lose the Rogue?* Alpha James asked.

*No, the Rogue is dead* George replied.

*Then what's the problem? Gather everything up and bring it back for disposal...* The Alpha was a bit confused as to what the problem might be, if they had killed the Rogue.

George the replied *Um, we didn't kill the Rogue. A human did, and was bit. His dog is pretty tore up also*

The Alpha sat in his office shocked. *How the... Never mind. I'm dispatching another Patrol to assist and you can transport. If the human is stable, send two to see where he came from, and start cleanup until the support arrives.*

George acknowledged the orders and shifted human to remove his pack. The other three team members shifted also and started stabilizing the human. The dog weakly licked at the human's wounds and growled softly, before passing out like his owner. They tried to move the dog out of the human's arms, but he just held tighter. Never seen that before...George thought. He said "Larry, you and Dave track his scent, and see where he came from. Here's his keys, in case he has a vehicle in an obvious place. We'll meet you back at the Packhouse."

Larry and Dave got dressed and then scented around, and then headed down the faint trail towards the rest area. *George, looks like he came from the rest area.* came from Dave.

George replied, *Good thing I sent keys with you.. Use the fob, and find the car.*

*Yes, Boss.* Dave and Larry both replied. After running down the trail for a couple of minutes, they saw vehicles and moved to the car side of the rest area. Raising his arm into the air, pushing the lock button to make the alarm on the vehicle beep to find it. They heard a beep, but instead of seeing lights flash in front of them, they heard the beep behind them. They didn't remember seeing a car on the truck side, but it's been known to happen.. They turned around and hit the button again. Seeing the lights flash on a HUGE dark purple truck with a custom trailer. The truck was night sky purple with a howling wolf with a full moon on the side of the sleeper.

"Wow... You ever get that license Dave?" Larry asked.

"HAH, 50 years ago.... I haven't driven one of these in 20 years." Dave responded. Let's go see what's changed. They went up and climbed in after unlocking the doors. Dave studied the gauges and controls for a few moments, "Uh, where's the shifter?" he asked, after not seeing it on the floor.

Larry looked over from the passenger's seat and from the different angle could see the markings on a paddle under the steering wheel and pointed.

"They have autos now? Huh... Ok, let's see..." Dave fired up the engine, checked the gauges and then released the brakes, flipped the transmission into drive and eased off the brakes. The big truck slowly rolled forward. He applied the brakes and the set the truck brakes. Dave adjusted the seat, and then the mirrors so he could see as well as he could, then released the brakes, reset the transmission, and then slowly pulled out of the rest area and headed to the Pack warehouse. There was no way this rig could make it to the main Pack area.

*George, we need to stop at the warehouse, and then we will meet you at the packhouse.* Dave sent to George.

*Why?* George sent back.

*He has a semi truck and trailer. I don't see any indications that he has a load, and no markings on the rig to say who he works for. He might be retired and this is a personal RV* Dave sent back.

Great, just great... George thought to himself. *Alpha, more possible bad news, the human has a big rig, Dave is moving it to our warehouse. We will inspect it there and see if he is on a run, or not.*

James slapped a hand to his forehead and rubbed down his face and acknowledged the report. Just fantastic. A missing trucker is not what he needed to deal with. He sent to the warehouse to tell them to watch for Dave and to help determine if it was going to be a major issue or not.

George, Harry and Mike got the human stable. It wasn't easy with the human refusing to release the dog, even though he was unconscious. The second patrol arrived with more supplies and a litter. They got the human loaded and headed off to the packhouse and medical. "Sam, sorry to do this, but get this cleaned up and documented. My team will run them to Medical." George told the other team leader.

About 30 minutes later, they ran up to the entrance of medical and the healer met them. The healer laid hands on the human and felt the injuries. "Pretty stable, You're sure this was a Rogue? Seems like he got off light...." the healer asked. Then he touched the dog and was shocked at what he felt. He didn't feel a normal dog with injuries, he felt a tiny touch a were starting to form. What the hell? He felt the start of a slight bond between the human and the animal forming slowly.

"Let's get them inside." The medical staff moved the man and his dog to a gurney and rushed them into the medical section. They managed to get the man to release his grip on the dog, and they began cleaning the wounds on both of them. The healer had a thought and decided to put them together in the same bed. The healer returned to the waiting patrol and asked who was going to stay for the turn.

George spoke up, "I guess I will, I feel some connection to the man for some reason. Mike, grab my laptop and get it wiped down. I will need it to get the report written up." George then went in with the healer to get showered and sterilized for the turn monitoring.

They finally inspected the man's clothes and found his wallet. The man's name was Langston Walker. One of the medics exclaimed, "OH SHIT!!!"

"What?" the healer asked.

"Let me check something..." They went to a computer and did a quick search. "Yeah, we have a huge problem... look..."

Everyone gathered around and saw an article about a recent lottery winner. Langston D. Walker won a mid-sized 9 figure lottery jackpot about six months previously in Washington State, was a former truck driver, former Military Police, and now retired, doing whatever he wanted. There was a picture of the man that was laying in isolation. He was grinning and holding one of those big checks. The story stated that he was a racing fan, planned on getting a custom big rig, and touring to follow the big racing series in the US.

*Alpha, we have an issue you need to know about. Can you come down to Medical?* The healer sent. "OK, Diane, good catch. Leave that on the screen and let's get this place cleaned up again." Everyone started cleaning up after the excitement of the Rogue turn was over.

A few minutes later, everything was cleaned up, Langston's possessions cleaned and bagged, and his torn, bloody, and dirty clothes sent to be burned. Alpha James walked in and looked for the healer. "Quincy, how can you add to my misery for today?" he asked wryly. Everyone knew dealing with Rogues were a major potential disaster every time.

"Well, Alpha, there's good news, strange news, and potentially 'oh shit' news. I'll start with 'oh shit': Mr. Walker here, won the lottery about six months ago."

The Alpha nodded and raised an eyebrow.

Healer Quincy continued, "He won fairly big, around 220 million." James' mouth dropped slightly as he started seeing implications... "He was Military Police in the Army years ago, a truck driver for the last twenty-some odd years and now retired. Enjoys racing, and apparently was on his way down to California, Nevada, and Arizona for the races down in the SW over the next few weeks."

"I see what you mean by 'oh shit' news." James responded when Quincy stopped talking. Walker being a semi-public figure after the win, could be problematic. He sent to his mate to start some checking and working on some potential cover stories that might be needed.

"I'm going to assume the 'good' is that he will recover well?" James asked.

Quincy nodded.

"So, now the strange... how can this get worse?"

Quincy started with a slightly confused and embarrassed look, "Well, to start, when they tried to separate the dog and Walker... Walker wouldn't turn loose, even unconscious..."

James raised both eyebrows this time.

"Yeah, he should have been limp as a noodle unconscious... But somehow, he held that dog like if he did, it would die... When they got back here, I managed to get them separated, and we worked on both, getting wounds cleaned and patched up." Quincy thought for a moment, "I didn't notice in the moment, but even though Walker relaxed enough for the separation, both of them slightly destabilized, not dangerously so, but just 'less', so to speak. After getting them bandaged, we put them back together, and they went calm again. Almost mate-bond, but not quite. Speaking of, the dog feels like she has some sort of were-turn starting, just like Walker, only less so, and there is some low grade bond forming between the two."

"The hell you say..." Alpha James responded. "Have you ever heard of something like this before?" he asked Quincy.

Quincy thought for several minutes. "Well, I vaguely recall something about some experiments centuries ago with Were blood, but I don't think anything ever came of it. I do remember something of a report from the council... Doesn't MacLaren and Wild Valley train wolf dogs as service dogs? I seem to remember something about theirs being extra smart for dogs. Maybe they know something?"

"I'll send them an email in a few days, to quietly ask if they know something. Meanwhile, keep me updated on Langston's progress, and the dog's. Tell George I need his report soonest. I need to get back and see what other surprises are in for us." James responded and then left to go back to his office.

**********

Burt was supervising the cleanup and sanitation of the fight area. His team had gotten the Rogue bagged and were picking up the area. Ernie found the sword and picked it up after photographing the spot for reference, and then, since it was a naked blade, started looking for the sheath, after cleaning the blade well. Sam spotted the sheath with the leather wrapping in the middle, called for a photo, and then picked it up. The whole team worked like a CSI team and photographed everything. Sam handed the sheath to Ernie. Ernie slid the blade home and noticed that the blade didn't stay firmly home. After inspecting it closely, he realized that if he twisted it, it locked home. Well that's neat, and expensive. He thought. Everything about this sword was expensive, well made, quality, and hidden.

**********

Dave eased the rig into the parking area at the warehouse, Susan, the warehouse manager, came out and directed them to park, out of the way, and tried to hide the fancy rig as much as possible. He shut it down, and then Larry and he climbed down and started inspecting the trailer with Susan. They found a side door located low on the passenger's side and tried the latch. It was locked. Dave tried the keys he had and found the one for the side door. They opened it up and stepped up into the trailer. It was laid out like a small RV trailer, kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc. They also noticed that it did not use all of the available space in the trailer.

The three got out and locked it back up. Going to the back of the trailer, they tried more keys, and found the controls to open the back. Larry pushed the button marked OPEN, and watched as the top came out and it opened at the hinge to the bottom. Once it was open, they stepped up onto the ramp, for that's what it was, and then their mouths dropped open. Inside was a brand-new Jeep Wrangler two door, and on a second level in front of the Jeep was a brand new Mustang GT350R.

"Whoever this guy is, he's frickin' loaded...." Larry said.

Susan asked, "Is that a Harley up front?"

"Yeah, let's lock this back up, and get back to the packhouse and start our reports. I'm certain that this guy is retired and not running a load that we need to worry about. That's a small relief." Dave responded.

**********

George got his report in as he sat and watched Langston and the dog cuddle together. He was still trying to figure out how a human managed to kill a Rogue. What is it about you?... He wondered as he finished the report and hit send.

***********

Selene was relaxing with some wolves that needed her time and comfort. A big one wandered up and sat a respectful distance away without intruding. She looked up and said "Hi, Dan, how are you today?"

*I've been thinking, I've been here for a long time. I think I might be ready to go back again.* Dan responded. *Can I just be a nobody this time? Maybe a Lonewolf? No responsibilities?*

Selene looked at him lovingly, "Of course you can Dan." In fact, I have just the one for you. She showed Dan Langston's life and what happened. "What do you think? Independently wealthy, planning on traveling all over. If you want to be a Lonewolf, this would be ideal..."

*I'm thinking I might like the easy life for a change. Go where I want, do as I please. No worries about working. No responsibilities.* Dan responded.

Selene laughed, "OK, Dan. As you wish. This is not anything I have set up. I promised you. If anything weird happens, it wasn't me or any plans I had... It's a good thing time can be a little wibbly wobbly, I will send you down when it is time for you to ease into your appearance. Come relax with me. I will miss you while you are gone..."

A couple of the wolves eased to the side and made room as Dan slid in and laid his head on her lap. Then the wolves all piled around the both of them, taking comfort from their strength.

**********

James came and spoke to George through the intercom, "So, you didn't kill the Rogue, Langston did? With that sword?"

"Yes, Dad, and that big ass pitty had taken a chunk out of it too. Damndest thing I've ever seen. Langston will likely make a great enforcer. If he could take out a Rogue as a human, he could do it as a wolf. We are going to have to watch him closely... You know how everyone gets bit and then is out cold nearly instantly?" James nodded. "Well, he had picked up his dog and was struggling to make it back to his truck. That's some kind of frickin' will power he has, not to be knocked out immediately. He only made it 30 feet or so, but still..."

James looked at his son George with shock. "He did what? You're sure?"

George turned to his computer and brought up some scene photos. "You see the Rogue over there. From the signs on the ground and the splatter, Langston was over here when he killed it. The Dog was over there. And then we found them both over in this spot. I could have sworn I heard Langston whisper 'Rosebud' as he passed out and collapsed." He looked at his father through the window and shrugged. "I can't explain any further that's just what the evidence shows..."

"Huh... Well, you certainly have got your bases covered. I'm kind of glad you convinced me to send some wolves to the CSI school. Them up training the rest of our teams has paid dividends with just this one incident. So, it's likely the dog's name is Rosebud, Sort of fits with those markings on her chest." He said as he smiled.

**********

Quincy came in and checked on the progress, a week later. Langston was still out cold, the wounds healing more quickly than he had expected. The dog's wounds were nearly healed as well. That shocked him. He'd never seen or heard of anything like it. As George watched the healer do his thing, he thought he saw the dog's tail twitch. "Q, watch yourself, I think the dog is waking."

Quincy gently eased a hand onto Rose and applied his powers a little. Yeah, waking. This is going to be different.. Quincy eased slowly back as a faint growl came the dog. He said softly, "Easy girl, I'm a doctor and I'm helping you and your master." sending calm into the dog. The growling faded almost immediately, followed by a quiet whine. Almost like the dog had understood him. Quincy slowly eased a hand back onto the dog and did a more in-depth study. The dog was almost completely healed, and he felt a quiet intelligence. He could almost say he felt a personality. Huh.. I wonder... *Hello friend, My Name is Healer Quincy, what is yours?*

*My name Rosebud, help Dan* Rose sent back quietly. Quincy nearly fell down in shock.

George was watching Quincy. He heard the dog growl and Quincy slowly pull back, then ease slowly back placing a hand on the dog's side, and then nearly fall down. "Q!! Are you alright?" George asked as he placed a steadying hand on Quincy's back.

"Yeah... Yeah I'm alright. Just shocked a bit. Send to the kitchen and have a bowl of food brought down for Rosebud. I need to see the Alpha." Quincy responded. "There are bowls for water in that cabinet under the sink.." Quincy quickly removed the IVs and such from Rose, and then left, stripping off the sterile gloves and smock, hurrying to the Alpha's office.

Rose lifted her head and looked at George. *Food, now* George dropped, almost missing the chair he had been using. It took George a few moments to collect himself and send to the kitchen for food.

A few minutes later, a Theta came and passed the food through the door, staying outside to maintain the quarantine state. "The dog woke up, huh?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, Quincy had me order up some food for her. Her name is Rosebud. Thanks Mary, I'll push the bowl outside when done." George replied. He placed the food bowl on the floor, and then filled another bowl with water and set it down next to the food. George went over to the bed and said, "Hey Rosebud, let me help you down. You've been through a bit and are pretty weak. I'll help you back up when you're done." He gently eased his hands under Rose and helped her onto the floor. Rose went over and lapped some water, before wolfing down the food.

After getting some more water, Rose looked up at George and whined, *More?*

George thought a moment, and then said, "Umm, That was a pretty good meal. I think it might be a good idea if Q looked at you first. Let the first food in a week settle a little first."

Rose looked down, and sent *Fine... Potty?*

George pondered a moment and then opened the bathroom door. "If you leave, yo-"

*NO!!!* Rose immediately growled.

"I had a feeling. If you leave and go outside," he held up a hand to Rose, "You can't come back in. Langston is changing and has to stay in here. No bad bugs here, bad bugs outside. You could bring bad bugs inside. So, use the shower floor for now, and I will pick up after you until Langston wakes up and you both can go outside safely." George felt like an idiot explaining to a dog. But Rose looked at him, then moved slowly into the bathroom and the shower, doing her business, and then returning to the bed and waiting patiently.

George helped Rose back into the bed and watched as Rose curled up next to Langston and laid her head on his belly and watched... Wow, that is amazing. A talking dog... He thought to himself. He then went in and cleaned the shower, flushing what was needed. He went back out and re-opened his laptop, trying get as much of his work done that he could with his limited status.

**********

Alpha Adam of Wild Valley Pack contacted the Alpha Gareth of MacLaren Pack, and technically still their own Alpha and Wild Valley was considered an off shoot of MacLaren Pack, "What do we do about Alpha James and that Rogue turn down in California?" Both had seen the report which had been flagged for them to look at by a couple who knew about their wolfdogs. For both packs, much of the details were considered a Pack Secret, and not discussed with outsiders, especially much of their training methods.

Gareth responded, "Well, for now, we haven't been contacted directly. We can hope that the dog's mental ability is too weak to be really noticed. Hopefully, it doesn't get past a slight bonding. I really don't want that secret to get out. It really depends on how much blood got into the wounds, and how much was ingested. For now, we wait."

"Well, if it is worst case, full blown 'Wolfdog' level, how do you want to play it?" Adam asked.

"I guess we'll have to send someone down there to evaluate the dog, and then train it to service standards. It will have to be close to..." Gareth shuffled a few papers, "Langston nearly all the time, just like our dogs, once they bond. Remember how upset Charlie gets when you leave him behind."

"Yeah, unfortunately he just can't keep up with us sometimes. OK, I know it could depend on who he calls first, who are we going to send down if needed?" Adam asked.

Gareth responded with "I guess I can send John and the Kennel Master. Kenneth knows the most about the Wolfdog history. He has the certs to credential service dogs, even in the States. Between the two of them, they won't share more than what is absolutely necessary."

"Alright, If Alpha James calls me, I'll refer him to you, and let you handle it. Adam agreed.

**********

Quincy knocked on the Alphas door frame and walked in and submitted. James looked up and said "What can I do for you Quincy?"

"Have you contacted Wild Valley, or MacLaren yet?" Quincy asked.

James responded, "Yes, but I haven't heard anything back yet. Why?"

"I think I might know why... Rosebud is smart and can talk...." Quincy cut right to the heart of the matter.

James sat there and looked at him for several moments. "Huh? You're joking..."

Quincy said, "I almost wish I was. Rosebud started to wake up..." Then he explained everything that happened.

James stared at Quincy for several moments and then, "Well. I guess I should make a call then... Anything else I should know?"

Quincy updated him with Langston's status. How quickly he was healing. He expected Langston to wake in the next 3-4 days instead of another week or more.

"You're sure?" James asked in shock.

"Well... I could be wrong, but I have NEVER seen a turn progress this fast, even a mate turn. And DEFINITELY not a Rogue turn. All I can do is monitor things and guess." Quincy answered.

"OK, keep me updated. I need to make a call." James turned to his computer and started up the secure communications module.

Quincy acknowledged the dismissal and returned to Medical.

*****

Alpha Adam had just forwarded the message to Gareth when he noticed it, wincing, as nobody had noticed it in all the messages he got from the various Alphas for several days. He did add on some flags to have it not get missed, and to have him deal with it.

*****

When Gareth checked his email, something he was getting better at doing, especially with his pups able to answer his questions about it, he saw the message right away.

This is not something I am willing to have discussed over an email, as generally details are a pack secret. I am willing to send you two from my pack to have them train both and pass on some details to your own trainers so they can continue their learning.

Are you willing to accept the two coming to your pack?

He had prepared a document with a basic bio and skills of the two which were going to be traveling down, if they had approval. He attached it and sent the message. Travel for werewolves was harder than for humans, as not only did they have to deal with the Human rules, they also had to have permission from all packs which they were traveling through—unless that pack has a free-acess corridor they permitted travel on—and the one they were going to.

 CHAPTER 2

"MacLaren Pack, how may I help you?" asked the perky voice that answered the phone.

"This is Alpha James Maxwell of the Sugarloaf Pack in northern California, I would like to speak to Alpha Gareth on a very important matter surrounding our latest Rogue." James replied.

"Just a moment please, I'll see if he is available." She sent to Alpha Gareth, and then responded, "I'm transferring now, Sir."

A moment later, "Alpha Gareth speaking, how may I help you, Alpha James?" Gareth said in greeting.

Alpha James said, "Good morning Alpha, I just saw your return email. I understand about pack secrets, but this is something that we are going to have to come to an agreement on. Yes, I will allow two of your people down here for training and information. I promise, it will go no farther than those who are already involved. I have no interest in training dogs like you do."

Alpha Gareth thought for a moment, and then with a little relief, said, "Very good. I plan on sending Second John, my son, and Beta Kenneth, our Kennel Master down to you. What can you tell me about this situation?"

Alpha James considered for a moment and replied, "We had a report of a Rogue and my Alpha Heir, George, took his patrol out after it. They were pursuing and catching it when they heard what they thought might have been two Rogues fighting briefly. When they came onto the scene, they were shocked to see ..." Alpha James continued to relate all the details up to this morning.

Gareth looked down at his phone and verified that it was secure. The Werenet was still new, and only a few packs had signed up. This Sugarloaf Pack was apparently on the leading edge of new tech. "Alright, our wolfdogs have a bit of Were blood in them, from experiments done long in the past. It makes them smarter and live longer. Anything more, I don't feel comfortable, even on a secure line. I will have my Second and Alpha Heir, John, and our Kennel Master Kenneth go down and brief you in person. Kenneth has more knowledge on the dogs than even I do. Is that agreeable with you?"

James sat back and thought for a moment, a Second/Alpha Heir showed what level of Pack Secret this was for them. "Yes, I think that will be agreeable. We are about an hour and a half north of Sacramento, that would be the best place to fly into. I'll send you details to our gate. Let us know their itinerary when you have the travel details arranged."

Gareth asked, "So, how is the human doing, any problems with the turn? I wonder why there are so many Rogues lately."

"No, no problems. Far from it in fact. Langston's injuries weren't that serious, surprisingly, and our Healer believes he will wake in the next couple of days. And I have no clue as to why there are so many Rogues recently." James answered.

Gareth's jaw dropped. He consulted the calendar and did some math, "Under two weeks since bitten, and he is showing signs of waking? What the hell? I will speak to our Healer and see if he has heard of anything like this. If I may suggest, keep these unusual things and times under your hat. If your Councils down there got wind of this speed, Langston may have issues approaching him rapidly."

"I suppose you may be correct," James considered the possibilities quickly. "I'm sure you don't want any more details out than the minimal information from that report after your Alpha meeting a few years back. I commend you on keeping such a tight lid on things that the report was quite barren." He laughed. "I imagine most packs glanced at it and forgot it immediately."

"We definitely tried to minimize any information that was available. We'll get you travel details as soon as possible. Anything further?" Gareth responded.

"No, that is all I need for the moment. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Plus, I'm sorry this has impact on secrets, I feel your pain on that point. Have a good day, Alpha, goodbye." James replied, and then hung up.

Both Alphas leaned back in their seats, and unbeknownst to each other thought that could have gone worse..

**********

A few days later John and Kenneth greeted Alpha James in his office, both submitting. John, spoke for the two, "Greetings, Alpha, I am Second John MacLaren, and this is Beta Kenneth Armstrong, our Kennel Master. We are here to evaluate the dog and do what we can to minimize the potential for exposure."

James studied the two, and then stood to greet his guests, coming around his desk to hug and sniff them, locking the scents into his mind. A woman walked in, and James introduced them, "Sherry, this is Second John and Beta Kenneth from MacLaren Pack. Gentlemen, this is my mate, Luna Sherry." Sherry hugged both wolves, and she invited everyone to the two couches to chat briefly.

"So, what can you tell us?" Sherry asked.

John replied with a slight smile, "Well, I guess that depends on what we find after Kenneth examines and evaluates, Rosebud, was it?"

"Yes, a Red Nose Pit named Rosebud. When you see her markings you'll know where the name came from." James answered. Looking at Kenneth, "So, Kennel Master? I thought the report stated your dogs run free."

Kenneth said, "Yes, Kennel Master. We needed a title that works when humans are around. No, we don't really have actual kennels. We do have some good sized," looking at John, "suites?" John nodded, "that we use when a dog gets injured. They do not always understand the Healers instructions, at least the dumber ones. So we do keep facilities to limit movement when they are healing."

James got up and motioned towards the door, "Shall we go see the patients?" Sherry led the way for everyone to Medical, and the chatted about the trip and inconsequential things as they walked.

Arriving at Medical, they looked through the window at the two laying in bed. Quincy and Diane were inside with George and evaluating Langston and Rosebud watched from the floor, her front paws up on the bed. When Quincy pulled back, he noticed the Alphas and guests, so went to brief them. Diane removing the feeding tube and catheter, working with George to start changing the bedding, Rolling Langston back and forth to work the sheets under him. As soon as they were finished, Rosebud jumped back up, curling next to Langston and watching everything intently, mainly focusing on the window where she could see strangers.

Quincy stepped out, and then submitted to the Alphas "Langston is something I have never seen before, He has finished quarantine early, and I expect him to wake at any time. It is almost like the Goddess herself has intervened and designated this one as special. I don't know any other way to put it, Alphas." Glancing at the two new comers, he asked "Are these the ones from MacLaren?"

Alpha James answered as John and Kenneth nodded with shocked and amazed looks on their faces, "Yes, this is Second John and Beta Kenneth." pointing to each in turn. "When can they meet Rosebud and begin evaluating her?" He directed at Quincy.

"Well," Quincy thought, "They are both released from quarantine, so it is safe to enter. I'm sure that Rosebud, and George, will appreciate being able to get outside for her business. However, Rosebud is still guarding Langston, so.. I guess you will have to ask her if you can enter and evaluate her. At least until Langston wakes and can get her to relax. She seems to take her job very seriously of protecting him."

The Alphas looked at John and Kenneth and raised their eyebrows, almost in unison, asking what they thought and wanted to do. Kenneth looked John, also with a questioning look. John stated, "Up to you Ken, this is your particular area of expertise."

Ken thought briefly and said, "Alright, John you stay out here and I'll just step inside the door, but first," He turned to Healer Quincy and started asking questions about Rosebud and his interactions and experiences. Nodding, Ken opened the door and slowly entered staying at the entrance.

"Hello Rosebud, My name is Ken. I have been asked to talk to you and Langston once he wakes up." Rosebud watched Ken enter and growled softly and then listened to what he had to say. She sniffed several time to get his scent and his apparent intentions.

*You stay there, wait for Dan* Rose sent to Ken. *No trust yet, trust too many, forced to*

Ken nodded, "Alright, we can wait, Healer Quincy has said Dan will wake soon. We will wait." Ken slowly eased back out of the room and shut the door. Turning to the Alphas and John he said, "That was far more intelligent than I was expecting. We are going to need to wait until Langston, or Dan I guess, wakes and can get Rosebud to stand down. She is in full on protection mode, and my guess is tolerating George, Diane, and the healer because there ore no other choices."

He looked at John, "We train ours to fight and protect, so I can see this. But, we also train to trust Pack, and authority. She doesn't have that training yet. We are going to have to wait until we can truly evaluate anything."

Everyone nodded respecting his professional opinion and experience. Nobody wanted to fight the dog if she was just doing her job.

Sherry said, "Let's get you folks settled into guest rooms. And it is nearly lunch time. I can show you to the dining hall." She turned and left, expecting the others to follow.

"Thank you Luna." John responded as he and Kenneth hurried to follow her. "Lunch does sound good. They were shown to guest rooms and then to lunch. After lunch, they relaxed in their rooms waiting for Langston to wake.

**********

Later that night, George was woken by a soft moan. He looked at the clock for the time needed for his report, and then moved to the bed. "Well, Rosebud, it looks like he is ready to wake up." He sent to one of the night thetas for food, and then waited for Langston to open his eyes.

***********

Selene softly stroked Dan's head, looking down at him in fondness. Quietly she said, "It is time Dan. You must go now. A couple of things, first: You are innately powerful. I have given you control over how much you let slip through. You won't remember much, but your skills will come to you easily. Please try not to interfere with some of my other Chosen too much. Remember, your choices are your choices. Think of the consequences of your actions. Your instincts might want you to intervene in some circumstances, but carefully consider what may happen when you do. You could easily be the Alpha of any pack, but remember, you wanted to be a Lonewolf with no responsibilities. To travel, and see things. Certain Alphas, I might not mind," she stated with a quirk of her mouth, "but this is your chosen path."

Dan looked up at Selene with love and thanks, *I understand. I will try to curb my instincts to stay on my path. But, I doubt if I can just lets some things go. I will try to find alternatives to just jumping in with direct actions. I really do want to just see the world, not be tied to a pack and one location.*

Selene leaned down and kissed Dan on the head. Straightening, she reached out and poked her finger into the stop between his eyes, "It is time, be well my Knight Errant..." Dan faded from her world and returned life among the living.

**********

Dan moaned softly, waking was like walking a long tunnel and seeing the light, but it only slowly got brighter and closer. It concerned him a little. Did he die? He felt so weak. He tried to raise a hand to his face, and it was a struggle. "EASY THERE LANGSTON, THINK OF A DIAL IN YOUR HEAD AND TURN THE VOLUME DOWN." It was so LOUD. Dan winced in discomfort at the horribly loud sound. Slowly the message penetrated and he thought of a dial. It was maxed out, so he thought maybe halfway might work, as he rotated the knob. As the loud thumpings, like heartbeats, got quieter, he began to think more clearly.

Dan opened his eyes and winced at the brightness, in the dark room. He wondered briefly, the thought of another dial for brightness. Cracking one eye open, he adjusted the brightness to standard daytime, then opened both eyes fully.

George watched him quietly. Softly he asked if that was better. Dan nodded, then tried to sit up. George put a hand on Dan's chest and easily held him down. "Easy there Langston, you are very weak at the moment. You've been down for some time. I will help you to the bathroom and food will be here shortly." Dan's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, as seems to be the common timing in these things.

Dan's thoughts started to clear, and pieces of memory began making themselves known. "ROSE!!" He exclaimed loudly, looking around frantically. Rose, for her part, had been excitedly watching from Dan's waist, and no longer being able to wait, jumped up and started licking Dan's face all over, her tail wagging back and forth a mile a minute. George had been leaning over Dan and then got whacked several times by Rose's tail before he could move out of the way.

"OWWW!!! What the hell do you have in that tail??" George exclaimed rubbing his arm.

Dan felt a surge of strength with Rose's 'attack' reaching up and grabbing her head and scritches and scratches abounded as he tried to control her licking. He grabbed her by the back of the head and gently by the ears and pulled her down to where there foreheads met, Dan having been pulled up the sitting with Rose's actions. As their foreheads met, Their mental connection solidified, and Rose was in Dan's head with love and joy, *HAPPY WAKE HAPPY WAKE HAPPY WAKE, LOVE YOU LOVE YOU RELIEF RELIEF*

Dan fell back onto the bed in shock, his mouth dropping open. He wondered if he was going insane with a voice in his head. George guessed what had happened, and said, "No, you aren't crazy, Rosebud can talk to you now. You have gone through many changes in the last, nearly two weeks, and I will try to explain things to you as we go. For now, let's get you to the bathroom, and then some food in you."

George helped a still gaping Dan up and practically carried to the bathroom to do this business. He turned on the shower and got the movable shower bench adjusted. As he was doing all this,he was telling Dan what had happened. When George said Werewolf, Dan's head snapped around and loudly exclaimed, "THE HELL YOU SAY!!!! Werewolves are real?!? Oh, please call me Dan, I never liked Langston"

"Yup, and now you are one, Dan." George answered.

"The hell you say." Dan said much more quietly. "I never suspected that the stories and myths were true. What can you tell me about-"

"Hold on, hold on," George interrupted. "We will get there, let's focus on you, and what you need to know immediately, alright? As I said, you were bitten by a Rogue Werewolf. That means you are now going through the change to become a wolf. There are three main types of Werewolf: Pack wolves, they live in a pack under an Alpha who is for all intents and purposes, 'king' in his territory. Next, we have Lonewolves; for whatever reason, they choose not to live in a pack and under an Alpha, going their own way, and doing as they wish. Lastly, there are Rogue wolves. Some are Lonewolves that should have been in a pack, some are wolves that are thrown out of a pack for crimes. All are insane for the most part. Some only slightly, some totally and completely. Rogue Were are killed on sight."

"Wait what?", Dan interrupted, "Can't you-"

"No," George responded firmly, "No, we can't lock them up or rehabilitate them. First off, Were live for hundreds of years unless killed. If a Were is jailed in solitary confinement they go insane from lack of contact with others. If they are already insane, they get even more unstable and more insane. It is truly a kindness to put them out of their misery and start them onto their next journey, hoping their next life will be better, and they will be better also. That leads us to Were in general believe in reincarnation. We believe in the Goddess Selene, the Moon Goddess, and she watches over us and cares for Werewolves in the afterlife, before sending us back to continue here on Earth. We believe in not just a single soul, but that the soul has three parts. The human, the animal, and the Mate."

As George was explaining everything that Dan had to learn, he got him out of the shower, dressed in something better than a hospital gown and then fed with a nutritious beef stew that smelled wonderful and tasted even better to Dan. Once more, unprompted, Dan used a dial analogy to adjust his nose sensitivity so smells were not too overpowering. George noted the little twitches after the hearing. The wincing at the"bright light", the crinkling of the nose at the food. He was prepared to instruct on how to adjust again, but was somewhat shocked that Dan did the adjustments without prompting.

Dan finished what he had thought of as way too much food. The bowl of stew had been enormous. As he sopped up that last little bit with the best bread he had ever tried, he stopped in shock that he had finished it completely, then yawned. George chuckled slightly and informed him, "Yeah, you will notice that you will eat a LOT more now. Were's tend to eat a lot, and with you being turned, you will eat even more, until you have finished with the turn. You will also sleep fair bit more in between meals. We will get you up and walking to gain your strength back. Sleep now, We will talk more when you wake again, and there are people who want to meet you."

George tucked Dan into bed, and Rose snuggled back up him and closed her eyes, tail happily slapping the bed. George then wrote quick notes to the Alpha and the Healer for what time Dan had woken, that he had started the training information, and that he would see everyone in the morning. Then he curled up next to Dan and went back to sleep, himself.

**********

In the morning, Quincy checked on his patients. He walked in and Rose greeted him with a wag of her tail and a raised head. Quincy noticed the note, and then made his own notes in Dan's file. Then he woke George as he asked Rose to step down so he could lay a healing hand on Dan to check his status. If anyone was touching the patient, it threw off the Healers check, so it was practice to have no one touching the patient outside of an emergency. He saw that Dan was ready to get up and start moving around. He was still a bit confused though, since with most turns, the patient woke and then still needed quarantine for their immune system to catch up. This was a most unusual case.

Dan felt the change in temperature as Rose and George moved away from him. He slowly woke, then opened his eyes to see a stranger with two hands on his arm. Dan raised an eyebrow at Quincy.

"Good morning Dan, My name is Healer Quincy. Healers have the ability to tell how you are doing just by touching you. You are quite the conundrum Mr. Walker. Let me explain..." Healer Quincy then explained how most turns, mated, voluntary, and Rogue, normally proceeded. Plus, that there were some deviations due to circumstances, but usually minor. "Well, I may be confused about your circumstances, but, I am not confused over your status. Once you feel up to it, you may leave Medical at any time of your choosing. I AM certain, that Alpha James will want to see you before you go wandering about the property. If you have any, and I mean any, questions about what your body is going through with the turn, please come ask me. Especially if George or anyone else can't answer your question. All Were know the basics, but not everyone knows everything. Being a Healer, that is my job, even though I just said that I don't know about your timing here. Learn something new everyday." Quincy stated with a quirk of his mouth.

George checked the clock, and said "Well, breakfast is about halfway through." Right on cue, Dan's stomach growled. Everyone laughed a little. "Feel like a walk?" George asked Dan.

Dan nodded, "Yeah, but first, bathroom." Dan slowly sat up and turned to the edge of the bed. George helped him down and then supported his arm and Dan slowly made his way to the Bathroom, Rose walking to the side and out of the way. Dan did what he needed, then everyone slowly made their way out of Medical and to the main Packhouse. A small side trip outside for Rose. "OK Rose, good girl, Break Time, try to find some bushes, I'll be right here on this bench." Rose took off for the nearby woods, and was gone for a few minutes.

*Alpha, Dan is awake, if you haven't seen my report yet. Healer Quincy has cleared him from Medical. We are headed to breakfast, after a pit stop for Rosebud* George sent to James.

*Alright, I will have the MacLaren wolves meet us for breakfast, and see you when you get here.* Alpha James replied.

Rose came back and ran straight to Dan and licked his face, as he sat on the bench. *Hungry, food?* Rose asked Dan.

"Yes, it's food time Rose. We are headed to breakfast. I hope they have dog food available." Dan told her.

George started laughing. "Oh, she has been gettting far better than dog food." Dan looked at George with a questioning look. "You'll see in a few moments." George said with a grin. "Oh yes, try not to be shocked. Most wolves are a huggy bunch. You might get a hug from anyone. They might be wanting comfort from you, giving comfort to you, or just saying hello. In addition, they will be getting your scent from your neck. It also shows trust, that you are not going to attack, since the neck is a vulnerable spot."

Just as they entered a large dining room and the smells of amazing food hit them, a wolf was walking out, and then straight up to George and gave him a hug. "Man, I been missing you. How is our boy doing here? Hi, I am Dave, I'm on George's team. Holy shit, you have a nice rig." Dave then turned to hug Dan.

"This is Dave Johnson. One of my team that found you and was chasing the Rogue. He drove your truck and trailer down to our warehouse." George explained to Dan. "Dan has been released from Medical and we are headed to feed the beast." He continued with a grin.

"Hello Dave, Thanks for taking care of my truck. And yeah, It's kind of a one of a kind. It took six months to get it built." Dan replied.

"OK, here's the line, pups and pregnant wolves go first. Pups are the future of any pack, so we ensure that the future comes first." George instructed. "Everyone else waits in line. But I think we can make a small onetime exception for Mister Growly here." George laughed as Dan's belly let out another roar of hunger.

Everyone in line laughed as they stepped to the side and ushered Dan and George to the front. Dan had only ever seen a spread like this at the Casinos in Las Vegas. And even then only very few casinos truly cared about their buffets anymore. They used to take pride in being listed on the best Buffet in Las Vegas list. But this food, just the smells alone put everything in Vegas to shame. He got a tray and started loading it up. He started to make his coffee like he did all the time, when George said "Easy with the pollutants. Remember, your senses have changed. Most wolves can't drink sodas, they taste the various chemicals in them. Test to see where your new taste buds are, and go from there. Oh, this is all you can eat. You can go back as many times as you want or need to. Dave, can you get something for Rosebud?"

"Sure, I've already eaten, I can help out. What would you like today Rosebud?" Dave replied, grabbing a large stainless dog bowl. "Dan, sometimes wolves want to eat as wolves, so we have these bowls available." Turning, Dan saw Rose with her front feet on the rail and pointing her nose at various meats that were available. Dave just took it in stride and dished up generous helpings of the things Rose pointed at.

***********

Alpha James, Beta John and Beta Kenneth were watching Dan and Rose when they entered the dining hall. They observed how Dan interacted with everyone, and how Rose acted. George saw where they were sitting and angled over to their table, leading Dan and Rose. Dave followed along with Rose's bowl. Sitting down, George introduced everyone there to Dan. Dan, remembering what George had said about meeting an Alpha, submitted by nodding his head and greeted him properly.

"Good morning Alpha. It is a pleasure to meet you. I thank you for saving my life." Said Dan in greeting.

James responded, "Hello Dan. I am sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances. The Rogue is dead, though. Please, eat. I have seen several turnings. I know you are hungry. We will speak more when you aren't stuffing your face." He said with a grin and a chuckle as Dan's belly once more let its displeasure be known.

"Thank you, and sorry" Dan replied with a grimace, then began shoveling food into his mouth.

Dave had placed Rose's bowl down next to Dan, out of the way, and Rose also ate quickly like most dogs do. Licking up every bit of food and juice, leaving the bowl almost clean. Dave had also gotten another bowl for water and placed it beside the food bowl. Rose finished, got a drink and then sat attentively at Dan's side, watching everything carefully.

Dan noticed her attention, and told her between bites, "Relax Rose, Friends." At that, Rose laid down and tucked herself out of the way near Dan's feet.

Kenneth and John glanced at each other and waited patiently for Dan to slow down so they could speak with him. They also finished their own breakfasts as they waited.

Dan finished one plate and started to get up for round two, when an attentive Theta took his empty plate and placed a new plate with things he had picked, and a few samples of new things that he hadn't had room for on his first plate. Dan looked up in surprise and thanked the person.

Since George was still eating his own breakfast, Alpha James continued Dan's education. "It's alright Dan. Theta's enjoy taking care of others. Sarah had observed what you had chosen, saw that you were nearly done, and then made up a fresh plate for you. It is some of what they do. All here know you were turned and know what the first few days out and about are like. Let me tell you about the rank structure a bit. Thetas are at the bottom. Well, nearly. Omega is the bottom and you only become Omega as punishment. Omegas have done serious crimes, and must follow direction from everyone. Omegas are also to be protected, since they are not allowed to fight. They pretty much have no status. Next are the Thetas. They are low dominance wolves. They are not fighters. They are taught to fight, to defend themselves until someone stronger can get there to help them. Thetas are the heart of a pack. They cook, clean, and care for everyone above them. No, they are not slaves, they choose to do this. They live to take care of others. Above the theta, are the Gammas. They are the next level up in dominance. They also serve, but, they do paperwork, maintenance, and some patrolling of the territory. Next are the Deltas. They are higher of dominance, and have more responsibilities and fighting ability. Then the Betas. They are the section heads, the leads. They supervise everything and ensure that my wishes are enforced. At the very top, will be an Alpha Heir or Second. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes they are different. They lead the pack in the absence of the Alpha if needed. They are there to continue the pack if something happens to the Alpha. And of course, there is the Alpha. In charge, and responsible for everything about the pack. It's protection and health all depend on an Alpha being a good leader."

Dan listened as he ate his second plate of food. He got the feeling that Rose was listening too, and was wondering where she fit in. As he pushed his plate away, he said, "Rose wonders how she fits into this. At least that's what I feel. I kinda want to know also."

Kenneth glanced at John, but held his silence for the time being. Alpha James answered Dan, "Well, that is why these two Wolves are here. They are from the MacLaren Pack in Canada. By the way, in case no one has mentioned it, this pack is the Sugarloaf Pack. Let me introduce you to Beta, and Second, John. Next to him is Beta Kenneth, the MacLaren Kennel Master. They have some expertise in your particular situation. When we are not so public, they have questions and training for you and Rose."

"Nice to meet you both," said Dan, submitting. "I can't believe I ate that much.." He said as he place a hand on his belly.

Everyone chuckled. They had heard the same thing from everyone that had been turned that they knew.

Alpha James said "Dan, I'm sure you understand, you have a lot of work ahead of you. You will be taught how to be a werewolf. You will be trained in self defense. Mostly, for the moment, you just need to get some strength back. My son should be teaching you nearly constantly. Unfortunately, you will not be allowed to leave pack territory until you are able to prove that you have control over your wolf, and will not be a danger to yourself or to others. Either hurting humans, or exposing Were to humans. Once you have exhibited sufficient control you will be allowed off of pack territory. You are invited to become a pack member here. George will supply you with all the materials you will need to make informed choices. If you decide our pack is not for you, you will have the opportunity to join a different pack or to become a Lonewolf, if that is your choice. But, control in the human world is paramount. We can introduce you to some local Lonewolves, so you can talk to them and get their input. Until then, you will be a guest of the Sugarloaf Pack and treated as such. Do you understand the seriousness of these things Dan?" James asked with a serious look on his face.

Dan gulped. If he wanted to be free, he had to learn, and learn a lot. He had the feeling that if he didn't he would never leave here, and could possibly be killed if he couldn't learn control. Dan nodded slowly and answered "Yes Alpha. I will do all I can to learn what is necessary"

Alpha James stared at Dan for a few moments, taking his measure, as Dan returned the alpha's gaze by looking at his chin as George had instructed. Dan appeared resolute in his conviction. Smelled slightly of fear, but, that was to be expected. Alpha James nodded. "If you are finished, let us adjourn to a conference room to continue these discussions. George, have you gathered the required reading material for Dan?" he continued, turning his gaze upon his son.

"Yes, Alpha, my team gathered the materials and they are in Conference Room 2." George answered as the five, plus Rose, rose to move their conversation to a more private setting. George walked beside Dan ready to assist him if needed. Dan slowly followed the short distance to the conference room, dropping into the first chair he came to.

"Sorry Alpha if this is your seat, I can't believe how weak I am since I've woken up." Dan apologized.

James laughed, "That's alright son, I quite understand. You are not the first turned wolf I have had this discussion with. The first Rogue turned, but not the first turned." He continued down to the head of the table and sat. "Alright, have a seat gentlemen, let's get started. John?"

George shut the door after everyone had entered and sat next to Dan. John and Kenneth moved to the other side of the table from Dan and George, Rose laid down at Dan's feet, but out of the way.

John Looked at Kenneth, and nodded for him to begin. Kenneth thought for a couple of moments, and then said, "As Alpha James indicated, we are from MacLaren Pack in Canada. I am the Kennel Master there. We raise wolfdogs as service animals. What is not so well known, is that the dumber ones are our service animals that we donate to needy persons, who could not otherwise afford them. We give access to additional funding to feed and care for the animals. Food, grooming, Veterinary services etc. These are the dumber dogs, as I said. We also have the smarter dogs that can assist with patrols and other things. It is also great cover, having the dogs around and all over the place, for all the wolf fur being around that gets shed. What is not known is that these wolfdogs have a little bit of Were blood in them. Long ago, there were experiments to improve the intelligence of these dogs to assist with protecting the Pack." He looked at John.

John looked at Alpha John and said, "We request Alpha James that you respect that this is a Pack Secret for us and Wild Valley. We request that you order that this information go no further than those in this room without good reason."

Alpha James nodded and replied, "Yes, I spoke with Alpha Gareth on this, and I agree." Turning to George he stated with a touch of Alpha power, "George, speak to no one about this unless absolutely necessary, and then notify me immediately after when able to." John nodded, agreeing with the wording.

George bowed his head and stated "Yes Alpha, I understand." Feeling the power of the Alpha Order.

Dan watched, barely understanding things, and wondering why HE was there.

Kenneth turned to Dan and explained, "When you were attacked by the Rogue, you were injected by the Were virus, which started your turn. Rosebud, had bitten a chunk out of the Rogue, and was covered in the Rogue's blood, mingling its blood with hers. The Were blood, mixing with hers, has enhanced Rosebud to our wolfdog standards. She is able to bond with her owner, and have limited mental communication with you. Her intelligence has been enhanced. She will likely live far longer that any other dog you have ever seen. Be aware of this GIFT that you have. Our wolfdogs are not assigned to owners, they pick whom they want to bond with. Rosebud chose to bond with you, judging by the look on your face." Dan had started listening very closely with a look that had shock, awe, and gratefulness.

Rose chose that time to stand up and put her head in Dan's lap. *Love you Dan, you good to me, I protect you.* She sent to him.

"This is why we are here. This is why I am here. I am the Kennel Master and lead trainer for our wolfdogs. With your permission, I will train Rosebud to our standards and get her certified as a Service Animal."

"She has already been trained by Holt and Company." Dan said numbly.

Kenneth nodded, "I see, I am familiar with them. They put out high quality protection dogs. But even protection dogs are limited in where they can go and will be accepted. A Service Animal, cannot be denied access to anyplace that you go. It is against the law. And with this bond that you now have, Rosebud will not want to be far from you. Granted she did not want to be far from her protectee, but this is a whole layer beyond that, and I can help with that. Once I have confirmed, and enhanced Rosebud's training, I will issue the proper paperwork, and get her registered in the government computer systems as a Registered Service Animal. Both in the U.S. and in Canada. While I am training Rosebud, George will be training you."

"I see, alright.. I think I need to go back to bed. Sleeeepyyy..." As Dan suddenly crashed. His head drooped and he was out.

Alpha James chuckled a little, "I was wondering how long he would last. It seems we got the important things out of the way. George, get some help and move him to the guest room he has been assigned. John, Kenneth, let George know what you will need. I have work that is calling my name. If there are problems, let me know immediately and I will solve them, one way or another." James got up and headed to his office, stopping to give a passing wolf a hug and ask about an issue that the wolf had been having.

George sent to Dave, and Dave entered the conference room. Together, they carefully picked up Dan and moved him to his guest room with Rosebud following along. John and Kenneth sat for a moment until the room was empty, then Kenneth closed the door.

"Was that too much information, Second?" Kenneth asked.

"No, I think that was just about perfect. Some details, but not all. This is a difficult situation. We needed to divulge parts of the secret, but not all of it. That was a good presentation. I hope Dan remembers it, he started crashing fairly quickly, but I've seen faster." John laughed. "Let's go do some of our own training while we wait for his next meal. Turns are never easy. Fortunately he'll be awake more and more as his body adjusts."

Kenneth nodded and they left to go get training clothes and head to the training areas.

 CHAPTER 3

Dan woke with a start, and a grumbling stomach. That was one hell of a dream. He thought. Dan opened his eyes and saw the guest room that he was in. Welp, there goes the dream theory. He crawled out of bed slowly and made his way to the bathroom. He felt better than the previous time he was awake. Hungry as a bear, but a bit stronger.. Dan checked the closet and drawers and found clean clothes that looked like they would fit. I'm going to have to get down to the truck and get my own clothes, this borrowing stuff isn't right. He thought to himself. He started making a list in his head of the things he needed from his "home" away from home.

As he exited his room, he looked around and tried to remember which way to the food. He didn't see George. He was thankful that he wasn't hovering, and he had space. But at the same time wishing he was there to guide him to the dining hall. He paused and thought a moment, closing his eyes, he slowly turned the dial for his nose up and started sniffing. Turning his head left and right, he caught the stronger scent to his right and headed that way after opening his eyes. As he passed a couple of people, a few wanted to give him a hug and ask how he was doing. Dan felt a bit awkward getting hugs, but decided they did feel nice.

Dan made it to the dining hall and turned down the dial to somewhat less than overwhelming. He was going to need to figure out how to fine tune that and assumed that it would be automatic and natural after some time. He remembered that pups and pregnant women went first, so got in line behind the last one there.

Stanly, the wolf in front of Dan, turned to Dan and asked "How are you doing? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Dan answered, "I'm doing alright, but I kind of hate borrowing clothes. I'd like to get some stuff from my truck so I can wear my own things. Shave, get my glasses so I can start reading all the stuff I need to."

They inched forward as lines do. Stan chuckled a little and responded, I can help you with that. But, you might be a little disappointed." He thought for a moment and then continued," You haven't really looked in a mirror yet have you?"

"Not yet, why?" Dan queried back.

"I guess you only needed glasses for reading?" Dan nodded. Stan reached down and grabbed a bottle of soda that they were standing next to, "Here, try to read this." He handed it to Dan.

Dan took the bottle and looked at the print, shocked that he could read everything clearly, even the extra fine print. He replaced the bottle where it came from and continued grabbing food, embarrassed at how much he was taking.

Stanly, seeing how weak Dan still appeared, also grabbed a couple of bowls for Rosebud who was dutifully pacing Dan's side. He filled the bowls with food and water, and balanced them on his tray with his own selections of food.

Dan thanked Stanly for the assistance, and commented, "I guess you will have to ask George where my keys are. I remember him saying they moved my rig down to the warehouse? I appreciate the help, I don't know where that is, but I'm guessing it's somewhere I am not allowed yet..." looking down with chagrin.

"Don't worry about it. George will be here in a moment, I will get the keys and collect a few things for you. If there is anything specific, let me know. A lot of things have been happening since you woke up this morning, and you have not been completly awake for all the information that has been thrown at you. You have likely forgetten things. Now, look down at yourself and tell me what you see." Stanly said.

In between bites, Dan looked down at himself, and then realized that he had changed quite a bit from what he was used to. He had been 5'10"ish and around 225 lbs before the Rogue got to him. He had been heavier, but had been trying to get back to something resembling in shape after striking it rich. Now he saw pecs that had not been there previously, at least not that large and defined. A flat stomach that he was trying to push out with all the food he was consuming. He thought a moment and realized that he felt a little taller too. He wondered how much he had actually changed.

George came up with John and Kenneth and trays of food for themselves and sat down across from Dan and Stanly. "Good evening Dan. Thanks for calling me Stanly. How are you doing Dan?" John and Kenneth just nodded a greeting and tucked into their food.

Dan answered in between bites, "I feel a bit stronger, and Stanly here, just freaked me out. I just realized how much my body has changed since before I woke up. I wonder what else has changed about me."

George chuckled slightly, "Well, I guess you don't remember, but, I informed you that any of your previous medical conditions are gone, you will now be in the best shape of your life so far, and you may or may not grow a little bit. How tall were you before?"

"Five foot tenish I guess." Dan replied.

"I think you are about 6'2" now. And any excess fat that hasn't already been used up with the turn will disappear over the next week or so as your turn continues. Your turn seems accelerated, most turned wake in a week or so and then remain quarantined for another week as their immune system is rebuilt. No, the Healer does not know why you seem to be turning at an accelerated pace. Most turned have their wolf show themselves at about a month. I have a feeling yours may show before that. And then the first shift about two weeks after that. We'll have to wait and see with you. You are a bit odd, and no one knows why." George explained. Again. But this time Dan was more awake, less exhausted, and definitely paying attention.

Dan definitely looked a bit concerned at the news. "So... My turn is different than a normal turn, and even different than a Rogue turn. Is that going to be a problem? Am I going to be all right?"

George thought for a moment then answered, "Yours is definitely faster than normal. Healer Quincy is going to be keeping an eye on you for any complications. Yours appears to be normal, with the exception of the accelerated pace. We'll go see the Healer every day until he decides he doesn't need to see you any more."

They finished eating, with Dan making two more trips through the food line, Stanly clearing the dishes, as that was what a Theta did. Stanly looked to George and asked about Dan's keys saying Dan wanted some things from his truck. George answered "His keys are on my desk. I didn't think they should go in the fleet box for now. You can return the keys to Dan when you are finished. His other personal effects are with the keys, please get them and return them also while you're at it." George looked to Dan and continued, "We, are going to slowly start your exercise program. We'll start with walking around the grounds, letting you nap as needed, and keeping your belly full. The first several days are eat, nap, eat, walk. Pretty quickly we can start with real exercise."

Stanly got the list of things Dan wanted, and took off to fetch them. George started walking Dan around and showing him the pack's inner territory. There was a mix of people and wolves running around. As they turned the corner of the Packhouse to the back yard, they were almost run over by a bunch of pups that were chasing each other. Dan, needing a brief break, sat down and watched. Two of the smaller pups resembling fluff balls ambled over and climbed up into his lap and promptly went to sleep.

Dan scritched ears and petted heads gently. "They're so cute." He said softly. Rosebud had laid down next to Dan and closed her eyes. A bigger pup came over and flopped in between Rosebud and Dan. Rose lifted her head and gave the pup a lick before closing her eyes again with her head between her feet. "I guess exercise time is over for the moment." He laughed.

George rolled his eyes, and stated, "You don't get out of it that easily, once you have recovered a bit, we'll just move them off of you and continue on. You are a good person though, the pups can sense it. I think your dominance is starting to show a little. Pups are attracted to higher dominance wolves for protection."

A few minutes later they shifted the pups off of Dan and continued on their walk. A little while later, Dan's stomach grumbled quietly. Dan was shocked, he had just eaten an hour before. George just grabbed the bag he was carrying and tossed it to Dan. Dan found jerky and other treats in it. "Go ahead Dan, snacking is expected. Most wolves carry something with them to hold them over in between meals. I picked up this bag for you and filled it for you. Just remember to refill it at the next meal as you go through line.

They had wandered a fair bit over a couple of hours. Dan saw the gym, some workshops for various things, and a very large garage with a lot of vehicles. George explained everything they came across, answering Dan's questions.

It was quite dark when they returned to the Packhouse. George told Dan and Rosebud "Stanly should have everything you wanted by now. It should be in your room. If you need anything, ask any wolf, and they will help you out, or contact me. We will see you in the morning at breakfast. Oh, you might want to get a snack in the dining hall and refill your snack bag too." He laughed.

**********

Dan woke refreshed and feeling great the next morning. He felt almost normal again, but starving as was his new normal. Rosebud looked at him and said *Back soon* and let herself out using the lever handles on the door. Dan was a little shocked, but decided it made sense that Werewolves would want a way to open doors when in wolf form. He showered and changed clothes. Rosebud came back as he was ready to leave for breakfast. He strolled to the dining room and grabbed his tray and a couple of bowls. He made selections for himself and Rosebud and went to sit down. Several wolves were at the table he chose and he greeted them and introduced himself. They returned introductions and asked how he was coping and if he needed anything. He chatted with everyone as he ate and went back a couple of times for refills. Everyone chuckled at his embarrassment and again said it was normal. George showed up and joined him in line for his third trip and asked how he felt.

"I feel almost back to normal. What is the plan for today?" Dan responded.

"As I said last night, after breakfast we will go see Healer Quincy, and then depending on his determination, we will adjust your training to fit his recommendations. Kenneth will take Rosebud and begin her training as a service dog as well." George replied.

They both sat and finished eating and then Dan looked for the bowls that he forgot to return in his quest for food, and was surprised they were gone. Everyone laughed and George said, "If you want to take your own tray or bowls back, you have to be quick. Some Thetas make it a game to see if they can get things done without being seen or noticed. Some get upset that you are trying to do their jobs, and might growl at you if you try to do things for yourself. But let me say this. Never assume that someone will do it for you. If you do not show your appreciation, they will refuse to help you. It is still YOUR responsibility to return your dishes and to put them into the correct bins. If Thetas help you out, they believe that you would defend them, and are, in a sense, paying you ahead of time for the time that you may defend them in the future."

Everyone looked around to be sure something wasn't missed, and then headed off to their jobs. Dan saw that Kenneth had also finished eating and told Rosebud, "Rose, go with Kenneth and get your training done, alright?" Rose nodded her head and went off to stand next to Kenneth, looking up at him waiting for his instructions. John observed from the side and followed Kenneth and Rosebud outside for her new training. Dan and George headed off to Medical where they were greeted by Diane, who stated that Healer Quincy would be with them in a moment.

Quincy came out and had them follow him to an exam room. Dan sat on the bed and held his arm out for the Healer. Quincy quirked an eyebrow and smiled taking his arm and sent his senses into Dan. "It surprises me a little how quickly you are adjusting to being a Werewolf and how some of us operate. Thank you for making it easy. You are, physically, adjusting rapidly. I think more than just walking will be acceptable today, No combat training quite yet. Maybe tomorrow. We will assess you again in the morning. Again, eat often, snack if needed, and it probably will be." He laughed. "So, walking, and some running today. Nap when you are tired. That is still going to be your normal for a few days. Eat, nap, and exercise. See you tomorrow." he said in dismissal.

As they were leaving Medical, George said, "Let's see what we can find for workout clothes for you. I'm pretty sure you found that none of your previous clothes fit you now. When we think you are able, we can head into town and you can buy a new wardrobe. For now, we have plenty of spare clothes on hand. We tend to go through clothes somewhat rapidly. Sometimes we don't have time to take our clothes off before shifting, so we have a lot of spares available. Mind you, if it is a constant thing, you may have to pay the pack back if you are always ruining clothes. But in your case, it is all free for the time being."

They got Dan some more clothes and returned to their rooms to change. Then they met again and George led Dan off on a short run. For George it was real slow. For Dan, it was pretty quick. Dan had always hated running, even in the Army, but found that its was quite pleasant now. Even rewarding. They stopped a few times for Dan to rest and snack, and returned for lunch.

After lunch, George told Dan to read up on the information that had been given to him about Werewolves. It was all pretty basic information that all wolves grew up learning. But for him, it was all new. Dan found that the easy chair in his room was quite comfortable and with Rose curled up next to him on the floor he read.

At dinner, Dan met with George again and everyone at the table started quizzing Dan about what he had read. Dan answered all their questions and had a few of his own to clarify what he had read, asking about the why's behind some of the rules. George was quite pleased with Dan's answers and his questions. It showed that he was taking everything as seriously as he needed to. George didn't think Dan was going to have any trouble adapting to his new life.

The next couple of days were the same. Rosebud would join Kenneth after breakfast and learn, Dan saw the Healer, and then exercise. Lunch and then reading with Rosebud until dinner when he would be grilled on what he had learned.

***********

After dinner one evening, Kenneth and John sat with Dan, Rosebud, George, and the alpha joined them that meal. Kenneth stated, "After dinner I want to have Dan and Rosebud join me for the final training. Plus I have things for you. "

After everyone ate, they all trooped outside to a quiet place. John and Kenneth carrying a couple of bags. Kenneth then pulled out Rosebud's new Service vest and showed Dan how to put it on her. Then went through the few new commands that would be needed when in public.

"Remember, even though you have a bond with Rosebud and can give her instructions silently, it would be wise to give verbal commands when in public. People will look at you strangely if she starts doing things on her own without any commands given. Here is my card with my contact information on it. Please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns. Here are her updated papers and certifications. She is legal to be at your side anywhere in the United States and in Canada. If anyone gives you grief over her, simply either threaten to call 911, or call 911 and let the authorities deal with it. These Service papers even gets around those damn dog bans that some jurisdictions have." He then looked to John and let him continue.

John said, "Thank you Alpha James for your hospitality and your welcome. I believe that our jobs here are done. If you have nothing further for us, we will take our leave and head home in the morning."

Alpha James replied, "Thank you for the knowledge you have imparted. We will keep things quiet down here. I'll have Emily set up your flights back and give you the itinerary. I will work with Alpha Gareth for any payments for services rendered and supplies."

***********

Several days later Healer Quincy declared him ready for combat training. George took Dan and Rosebud to the gym.

"OK, Dan, we will start with unarmed combat using an assortment of martial arts forms. Please ask Rosebud to stay out of the way, and tell her we are training and she does not need to defend you." George stated.

Dan turned to Rosebud who was looking up at him. "Rose, Heel!" then walked over to a wall out of the way and away from any equipment. "Down. Stay, Training!"

Rose looked at him like he was an idiot and replied, *I know Dan, not dumb*

Dan looked at Rose for moment and then facepalmed as he knelt before Rosebud. "Sorry Rose, still getting used to the bond, I forget I don't need to use the commands like that." Rose nuzzled his face and sent love and affection, then laid down to watch.

Dan walked back over to George and then the instruction began. Dan picked up the forms quickly and the class progressed at a rapid pace. George tried to hide his shock at how fast Dan was learning. Dan noticed, and told him, "Don't be too surprised. I have had some martial arts training before. Some moves I already knew, maybe forgotten, but knew, and others I can see are a natural progression from the previous ones. I'll give you that doing all the moves are a lot easier now that I have a body that isn't struggling. I hated exercise, but I can really appreciate this second chance that I have. No need for glasses,no joint pain, and best of all, no more diabetes and I can eat what ever I want without guilt or thinking I have to compensate for it somehow." He laughed.

After they cooled down had some water and some jerky, George led Dan and Rosebud out to a quiet meadow nearby. Dan looked slightly confused and George explained that Dan needed to learn to meditate. It was nearing the time that his wolf should be making an appearance.

"Ah, good thing I have a little experience with mediation. I've never been real good with it, but I know the basics. Rose, Protect!" With that, Dan looked for what could be a comfortable spot and then sat cross legged, straightened his back and closed his eyes. He worked on clearing his mind and was somewhat surprised that everything he had struggled with was now a lot easier. His mind calmed and he was finally able to actually look inside himself and take a look at things. As he relaxed and looked around, he felt a little fuzziness behind him. As he turned, he saw what appeared to be a black fuzzy ball over in a corner. It was a bit indistinct, but he could feel it there. It felt asleep and somewhat incomplete. He didn't feel anything bad coming from it, in fact, it felt comfortable to him. He decided that it would be wise to let it be. He had been told that his wolf would make itself known to him when the wolf was ready. Dan determined that it would probably be a good idea not to disturb the fuzzy until it was ready. He would just check on it everyday and wait. He knew patience. Driving 18 wheelers taught patience. It had taken him a few years, but then it clicked. "Don't stress over things you have no control over" You can't control traffic. You can't control shippers or receivers, you can't control dispatch. You have some limited control over break downs, but it all depends on how well and often you checked your vehicles out.

Dan opened his eyes some time later and saw Rose and George. Rose was watching anything and everything. George had been working on his computer. George closed his laptop, and asked "How did it go?"

Dan replied, "That was the easiest mediation I've ever done. I found a black fuzzy in a corner, but it felt not quite complete. I decided to just watch it and wait. When it is ready it will be ready to say hello."

George was a little shocked. He hadn't ever heard it put quite that way. Especially not with that much detail. Normally there's just a fuzzy/furry feeling in the back of the mind. He said, "That is probably a good idea. Let it be until he is ready. Now, once your wolf wakes and is ready to greet you..." He continued with the instruction of what to do. George quizzed Dan on what to do until he was satisfied he understood. It didn't take long.

"Now, who's hungry?"George asked.

Rosebud stood and Dan's stomach growled. Dan laughed and they started back to the packhouse, Rose pacing at Dan's side.

**********

As they ate, George told Dan that the following night was the Moon night. Dan thought he understood, but George continued "Every full moon, the Pack gets together to celebrate. We have announcements, food and a pack run and hunt. Not everyone goes, the pups cannot keep up. So, some wolves stay back and take care of the pups. Usually the Elders and any injured, plus some of the pup minders. You, not having fully turned yet, so you will stay at the pack house and either help out or be watched and protected. Most likely a little of everything."

Dan nodded his understanding. He didn't have any questions. It all made sense to him. He had no wolf to shift into yet. There was no way that he could keep up, much less help with a hunt. And protecting the young pups who also would not be able to keep up made sense to him. He did know how to guard. He would take that responsibility seriously.

Then George sat up straight with a vaguely distant look in his eyes. Dan had begun recognizing the look when someone was using the pack bonds. He wasn't pack, so he waited patiently for an explanation.

Without saying anything, George got up and went out towards the front of the Pack house. Dan wondered, but since he wasn't told anything decided it wasn't his business. He was curious though.

Shortly, George returned with two adults and a child. They looked a bit rough around the edges, but were reasonably clean. They headed down the hallway towards the Alpha's office. Dan decided that if it concerned him, someone would tell him. He looked around, and saw that others had noticed the four and were chatting amongst themselves with curiosity. After a short time, George and the Alpha came out followed by the trio. The Alpha went up to the front of the dining hall and howled for attention.

It quieted immediately. "I would like to announce that we have three Lonewolves that will be staying with us for a day or two. Yes, they will will join us for the Moon night tomorrow. Their car broke down and they are waiting for repairs. They will be working here to help earn enough to pay for the repairs. Please welcome Larry and June Smithfield and their pup Marissa." The assembled wolves let out a loud howl of welcome. Some came forward to guide them to the food line and took Marissa to the front of the line. Marissa looked at her parents with fear, and got nods of approval, calming the pup. Everyone got their food and they sat together at a different table. They sort of huddled together, not really feeling quite comfortable among all the wolves.

Dan saw how uncomfortable they were and wondered if Rose would help. *Rose, do you think you can look goofy and harmless? The Lonewolves still look a bit scared.* Dan looked down at Rose and Rose let her tongue slide out of the corner of her mouth and got a goofy look. *That's perfect. Slowly go over and try to introduce yourself. I'll come along behind you and talk to them. If they look more scared, just come back here, alright?* Rose nodded and got up. Slowly she wandered around the dining hall inviting pets and scritches while playing up her goofy side.

Eventually, Rose made it over to the table where the Lonewolves were eating. They had seen Rose move around the hall. They had watched nervously, and then slowly relaxed as they saw Rose playing up her innocent side. Then Rose struck. She just plopped her head down in Marissa's lap and gave them all big puppy dog eyes. Larry started to react, but June's hand stayed him. Marissa giggled and got Rose a nibble of meat from her plate. Rose very gently took the offering and never laid a tooth on her, just soft lips shuffling the treat in her mouth. Of course, it was gone instantly. Pitties are notorious treat swallowers.

Dan came up behind them and scolded Rose for appearances sake, "Now that's enough Rose, you've had your dinner. No begging treats off of a pup's plate. Bad girl!" *Great job Rose, now look sad and chastised.* Rose immediately looked down and whined softly, looking like I had broken her heart. Dan spoke to the family, "I'm sorry about that. She knows better. I saw her getting pets and rubs, that's fine, but begging treats are not." Rose continued her act and lowered her head further. "Hello, I'm Dan, nice to meet you all. Sorry to hear about your car. What seems to have happened with it?"

Larry stood up and shook hands, drawing Dan in close enough for a sniff. "I'm Larry as you heard the Alpha's announcement. I think it might need a new transmission. We were going up Dunsmuir and it went 'poof'. We got towed into Weed and to a local mechanic. We were trying to get into Oregon for some work, but now..." he trailed off.

Dan sat down and told Larry "Eat, eat, I didn't mean to interrupt your meal. That really sucks about your car. What sort of work do you do?"

The family returned to eating and Rose laid down at Dan's feet as he chatted with the family. Once out of sight under the table, Rose now had a smug look of a job well done.

Larry spoke in between bites, "I'm a handyman of sorts. I can do nearly anything as far as home repair. I have done farm labor too. Let me tell you, it can be difficult making it look hard to match the humans." he chuckled.

"As you probably noticed, I'm in the middle of my turn, I can't wait to meet my wolf. Tell me about yourselves and life as a Lonewolf." Dan invited.

The family then started talking about all of the adventures they had had. Then Dan asked about why they chose to be Lonewolves instead of joining a Pack. They then talked about those reasons. They liked the freedom to adventure. It was hard at times making ends meet, but unless it got really bad, they would continue.

Dan got a feeling of trustworthiness from the trio of Lonewolves. He wondered how he could help them without making them uncomfortable. He got the impression that they would outright reject anything that they hadn't earned.

**********

The next night, the Moon night, had the entire pack out behind the Packhouse milling around and chatting. At the appointed time, The Alpha and Luna came out and he howled for attention. As it quieted, James spoke, "Welcome to another MOONNIGHT!!" Everyone present howled, and Dan did his best to watch and absorb the feeling. Everyone was happy. "As I announced last night, Larry, June, and Marissa are joining us this night. Larry and June, you are welcome to join us on our hunt, or to remain behind and do your own thing as a family. Also, welcome Dan to his first Moon night celebration." he paused for the welcoming howls, then lifted his hands for quiet again.

"Alright, LET"S EAT!!!!" That pronouncement was met with howls of hunger, the everyone slowly wandered to the buffet line the cooks had set up outside for the evening. You name a BBQ style, they had it, from around the world. The pups were all ushered up to the front, including Marissa. Larry and June watched to be sure she was safe. The other wolves were watching, and casually stepped aside and let them get their food a little more quickly so they could be closer to their daughter.

Dan watched, and appreciated how casually it was done. Not making it a big deal or seem on purpose. The trio seemingly unaware of how the pack was offering protection and comfort. Everyone got what they wanted to eat and sat around chatting excitedly about the run and hunt coming up. Larry and June decided that they would join the hunt, and that Marissa would stay with the pups and Dan, being protected by those staying behind.

When it was time Alpha James howled and got everyone's attention again. "LET'S HUNT!!!" He yelled. All of the wolves that had not already shifted, stripped off and shifted, giving a great howl of anticipation. Alpha James and Luna Sherry led the pack on their run before the hunt.

Dan watched them go, and felt a little left out. Which of course he was. He turned and then with the Elders and the others staying behind to watch the pups started playing with them. Little balls of fur gamboling around the legs of the older pups as they tried to take each other down.

Dan sat and watched the play, while pups came over and attacked his pants legs and growled cutely. Dan reached down and started pushing the pups around and petting scratching and generally playing with them. He talked with the Elders and asked good questions about pack life, being a wolf, and how wolves should handle being around humans out in the world.

Marissa got tired and shifted back to human and got dressed. Then came over and leaned against Dan. Dan talked with her extensively about her life as a Lonewolf.

"I love my parents, Dan, but there are times I wish we had a real home and not our camper, always moving here and there trying to find work. Sometimes I want to have friends like everyone else. Things have been difficult since Daddy got laid off from his last job." Marissa hung her head and leaned harder into Dan for comfort. Dan hugged her gently and tried to project comfort and love.

Rose was having a blast. Pups were trying to take her down, but she was bobbing and weaving and shoulder checking all over the place. She got to play as pitbulls do, loudly growling and snarling play biting. If you've ever seen pitties play, you know. It is very similar to how Werewolves play. Rose took care not to hurt any of the pups. If she nipped slightly too hard, she licked them to show how sorry she was. If the pups ganged up on the little fluffs, they gathered under her legs and she protected them.

Hours later, all of the pups had returned to wolf form and were piled together in a puppy pile. The fire had burned down to comfortable coals. The adults chatting silently using the bonds. Dan had to settle for talking quietly to those close to him. Long after midnight, the pack straggled in in small groups. The hunt had been a success. Some of the wolves had brought back haunches of deer and elk for the Elders and the watchers.

***********

The next day, Dan woke as usual, fairly early. Breakfast was a pretty quiet affair, most of the wolves still sleeping after the long night. Dan left a note for Alpha James that he would like to speak to him when he had time available. Dan and Rose had gone to the gym on their own to work out. He was lifting weights today. He was still a bit shocked at how much he could lift, now that he was a Werewolf. Rose had carefully taken a barbell in her mouth and was gently waving it around building neck muscles. She also did what resembled squats for a canine, working on leg muscles. It was rather funny looking, but no one in the gym said anything. Some considered it a good idea that they would try in wolf form to improve their own strength.

After the weights, Dan went to a mat and closed his eyes, as he stood at the edge. He pictured where he was on the mat and how much room he had. Then he started to move in the forms he had been taught. He smoothly swept around the mat, one form sweeping into the next. The few others in the gym stopped to watch. They hadn't quite seen something like this before. They were slightly awed that he was doing it with his eyes closed, never coming too close to the edge of the mat.

Dan was deep into his meditation and just moved without thought. One of those present sent *George, can you come to the gym? You need to see something.* George responded he would be there soon. George arrived and the wolves parted to let him up to the edge of the mat, just as Dan started in on a different form style.

George sent to his father, *Dad, I need you in the gym. I want you to see this.* A few minutes later Alpha James walked in curious what his son wanted him to see. He watched Dan move through martial arts forms none had seen before. James was a bit shocked. He HAD seen this before. Long, long ago as a pup. He was fairly certain he knew what was happening. As Dan swept past him, Alpha James confidently stepped onto the mat and stopped just off center, and then stood and waited.

George was shocked that the Alpha would do something dangerous like interrupting someones workout, especially when they had their eyes closed. *George, on his next pass, step up across from me and stand still about 6 feet away from me* James sent to his son. George looked curiously at his father but obeyed. Dan's head twitched to the side slightly as he continued his movements. He slid past George again swooping low in a show of leg flexibility exploding up in a vicious strike that only Dan could see in his mind. George stepped quietly onto the mat and move where James had indicated.

Dan floated and swooped around the mat deftly avoiding James and George both while striking and parrying invisible enemies that were only in his mind. No one had ever seen anything like it. James motioned for George to exit the mat, and they both stepped off to allow Dan to finish. A couple of minutes later, Dan slowly came to a stop, bowed to his invisible opponents, and opened his eyes. His eyes continued to open widely in shock at the crowd that had gathered to watch him, including Alpha James and George.

Alpha James greeted Dan, "Good morning Dan, quite impressive. What were those last couple of forms you were doing?"

Dan thought a moment as he breathed deeply like a bellows, since it was a quite strenuous workout. "Um, I'm not sure, I started with what you all taught me, and then started moving with what felt right. I could see the bodies I was striking and blocking. I even saw those that were to be avoided, and moved around them, protecting them. I've never experienced anything like that before."

James nodded, "Get cleaned up, and then come to my office. I find that I have time before lunch for that meeting you requested."

Alpha James turned and walked out leaving everyone gaping at Dan and what they had seen.

 CHAPTER 4

Dan knocked on the Alpha's door frame, "Alpha? Is now a good time?" He poked his head around the corner, and saw several people in the office.

"Come on in, close the door and have a seat." Alpha James answered. "This is Eldest Anthony, and Elder Gertrude. I'm not sure if you have met them yet.." Also in the room was George. They were all sitting in the more casual area of the office on sofas and love seats.

Dan entered and sat next to George on one of the sofas. Sherry entered and sat on James' lap. "Thank you for seeing me Alpha and Luna," Dan started, nodding to the Alpha pair. "Nice meeting you again, Eldest and Elder. I am concerned about the Lonewolf family. I spoke with Marissa last night while everyone was on the run and hunt. My impression is that they are financially strapped, and cannot afford repairs to their vehicle, and that Marissa wants a bit more stability than traveling all the time. I wanted to ask what your impressions are of Larry and June Smithfield. Are they honest, dependable, worthy of assistance?"

Alpha James pondered the question, thinking about how the trio felt when he interviewed them. "I think they are trustworthy. They are proud, won't take charity unless they have absolutely no other options. What were you thinking?" Sherry nodded her concurrence. She had been there when the Smithfields had been brought in.

Dan debated with himself a moment, then, "I have a place in southeastern Washington that is truly too big for just myself. But I want the space for all the various projects I have wanted to try to do over the years, and now have the time and money to try out. I could use some trustworthy folks to keep an eye on things, and do small repairs. They could farm, do general maintenance, get a job, or just chill. Marissa could go to school and make friends. It is outside of town by about 2-3 miles and has a creek off the edge of the property. It is also about 15 minutes from the Blue Mountains and Oregon. I propose that if they are willing, I would hire the family to be my caretakers while I myself go off adventuring. It keeps my home base secure, and gives me peace of mind. I understand that my plans have now changed. But my goals are mostly still the same. If they agree, I would need to contact the Sheriff's office and let them know. I have asked them to keep an eye on things for me. I'll also need to get a hold of Gustav..... Oh shit.... I really need to call Gustav and tell him I am alright. I bet he is worried that he hasn't seen any expenditures on my accounts." Dan wound down and face palmed, in chagrin. He couldn't believe that he forgot about calling his support staff, his lawyer and accountant.

James nodded. "I'm a bit surprised that you haven't looked at your phone closer. We used your thumbprint and got it open, checked your messages and notified Gustav that you had found a neat place to side trip and delay your plans. We sent someone to the store and bought supplies for a few weeks. We will reimburse you for that. So at least short term, we have you covered. Sorry about invading your privacy, but we needed to know whom to contact to delay things for as long as possible."

Dan nodded in thanks and sighed in relief. "Thank you Alpha, and that is alright. I can understand in this instance. It needed to be done. Now that that panic attack is over," Dan and the others chuckled a little, "what do you think of my proposal?" Dan asked everyone.

Sherry looked thoughtful, then, "I think your idea has merit. Not charity, a job in a secure location. A chance for some roots. At least temporarily. You are incredibly generous to offer to assist someone you just met yesterday."

James looked to the Elders, who looked at each other briefly. Anthony said, "I like how you think Dan. Not a handout, a hand up. Very pack like, yet with a Lonewolf's perspective. I will be interested to see how the Smithfield's answer your offer." Gertrude nodded in agreement.

George just watched everything in silence. He thought Dan's proposal was rather genius, solving multiple problems with one solution. Now if only the Smithfields would take the offer. He thought that Larry was a low Gamma, and June was a Theta. He didn't know where Marissa fit in yet, not having much of a chance to interact with her, and her being a pup.

James cleared his throat, "Now that your business is out of the way, I have things to discuss with you also." Pinning Dan with his gaze. "You rather set the pack atwitter with your performance this morning...."

Dan looked baffled at that statement, he didn't know what he had done. "I'm sorry Alpha, I have no idea what you are talking about." He said in clear confusion.

James then told him what he had done, and that it was quite unusual and rare. So rare, he had only seen it once before. "My great grandfather did that when I was a pup. He was Alpha before I was. He, as a young wolf, had traveled in Marco Polo's footsteps along the Silk Road. He went to the Orient and learned things. When he returned, he was quite the young wolf. Very impressive and calm. He could do things no other wolf could do. When he became Alpha, he led with dignity and grace. Yet no one ever dared to call him weak. At least not more than once. There were a few cruel alphas that attempted to take over the pack. They were unsuccessful. The last time the Pack split, I was chosen to lead our pack and Alpha Dan had become an Elder and chose to join the new pack. What is now Sugarloaf. I valued his input and advice greatly. Even George here, learned things before Eldest Dan died."

At that last bit George looked down with embarrassment and tears in his eyes, remembering his experience with Eldest Dan. Dan, looked curiously at George, but didn't say anything. He still wondered where all this was going.

James continued, "What you did this morning during your workout was very different than how wolves normally train. I have seen very few practice their forms with their eyes closed. What you may not be aware of, is George and I stepped onto the mat with you, in the middle. You flowed around us smoothly without breaking concentration. You treated us as wolves to be protected. Somehow you sensed us and didn't run into us, nor let it interfere with your practice. You unconsciously incorporated our being there into your workout."

Dan's mouth dropped open. "The hell you say..." He whispered. He closed his eyes and tilted his head as he thought about the morning. He vaguely recalled feeling a change as he was moving and just adjusting to the change.

James let Dan mull over that news a bit and then continued, "You also used moves that you have not been taught here. George mentioned that you said you have had previous martial arts instruction, but the moves you did this morning, were completely new. I recognized some of them that Eldest Dan had used. Both in demonstration, and in combat. We have discussed the details with the Elders, and they agree."

Dan continued to listen in shock, not quite sure where James was going with this. "Alpha, I..." He stumbled to a stop, not having any words.

The Eldest thought it was time he carried on the conversation. "We believe that you are Eldest Dan reincarnated and returned from Selene's domain. It is very encouraging that you have returned to us."

"The hell you say... Huh? I'm just some lucky driver that won the lottery and can now do whatever I can think of. Yeah, My name is Dan, but beyond driving past here a few thousand times on I-5 I have no connection with you or your pack. I never knew Werewolves actually existed until that Rogue got me." Then Dan looked concerned as a thought occurred to him, "Alpha, I swear I have no intention of taking over here, I want you to know that. If you have any thoughts or concerns, please, I do not want your job..." Dan trailed off.

Alpha James and everyone else just kind of looked at Dan in shock. They had never considered that outcome. James looked around and then began laughing. The others also began chuckling at the least. Dan looked confusedly at everyone present.

After a while, James explained, "Oh no, Dan, we are not concerned about that. But we are concerned about your plans to be a Lonewolf. Extremely Dominant wolves do not do well as Lonewolves. They need the stability of a pack to keep them settled. The good ones have a drive to protect those weaker than themselves. As evidenced by your wanting to lookout for the Smithfields."

Dan let out a sigh of relief. He truly only wanted to help those worthy of assistance. He had no desire to be in charge of anyone. "That's a relief. I was starting to wonder what my future would be like if you were concerned I wanted to take over. I really don't want to have any more responsibility that I have to. Pay taxes, and bills. Possibly invest in something or someone I think has merit."

James replied, "Alright Dan, if that is how you feel. We want you to be aware of where some feelings in the future come form. You can always join a pack at a later time. But please, do not wait too long if you start feeling like you are going a little crazy. I know it is a bad way of putting it, but I think you understand what I mean. We will look into where you have your home and see if there is a pack nearby. If there is, you may need to negotiate your presence there. Especially if your property happens to be inside of what they claim as pack territory."

"Once your wolf shows itself and you shift for the first time, George will be teaching you things he learned from Eldest Dan. George spent a decade as the Eldest's assistant. He learned a great deal.' James added.

Dan looked a little confused, "I thought Thetas took care of the Elders."

George looked embarrassed at that, looking down he said quietly, "I was a very stupid and arrogant wolf about 60 years ago. I thought leading was all about power and being in control. I was heading in a bad direction and Alpha James and the Elders decided that they needed to do something before I messed up in a way that could not be fixed. I was assigned to assist Eldest Dan. I didn't know who he had been. He had already been an Elder for over 200 years by the time I had been born. I thought I knew better than him. I was proven wrong. When my punishment was over, I decided that I still had so much that I could learn from The Eldest. I stayed with him till he passed. That was the hardest night of my life...." George trailed of and into tears. Sherry got up and rounded the couch we were sitting on, wrapping her arms around George and sending comfort. The Elders both got up and sat on either side of him, giving comfort also.

Dan got the feeling that Eldest Dan had been well liked by everyone. James explained with tears in his eyes also, "Dan was the longest lived wolf that I am aware of, well over 600 years. When you have an Elder around that long, they ARE the pack. Everyone depends on them. They represent stability. When Eldest Anthony goes, it will be the same. Any death hurts the pack, especially if it is unexpected. But losing an Elder, it rips a hole in the pack for weeks." James said quietly.

Slowly the group broke up as George regained his equilibrium. Dan's stomach growled, initiating growls from other bellies. Everyone laughed gently. It broke the somber mood in the room. James stated, "Alright. Lunch is what is needed right now. How about after lunch, George brings the Smithfields in and we talk with them?"

Dan considered it, "I think that checking on their vehicle first may be a better course of action. If it isn't as bad off as we thought, my assistance may not be warranted. Maybe I can get my first off territory field trip?" Dan added hopefully.

James thought that checking on the vehicle first was a good idea. He decided that Dan was ready for his first public excursion. He had been calm and not easily riled since he had awoken. He had been studying diligently. "I think that could be arranged. George, you will handle the details?" George nodded. With that, everyone trooped off to lunch.

**********

After lunch, Dan went to his room and collected his phone, keys, "walking stick", and Rose's service vest. He looked in the mirror at his outfit and then it hit him. "Oh, wow, I look like I'm 20. That's going to be a problem. I wonder how they deal with this aspect of being a Werewolf?" He wondered to himself.

They met back at the front doors and walked outside seeing Stanly with a large SUV. Stanly handed over the keys and went off to other duties. George took the keys and got behind the wheel. Dan said to Larry with a smile, "Why don't you take the front, Rose and I can sit in back." With that, Dan opened the back door and Rose jumped in, with Dan climbing in behind her. Larry looked slightly shocked at the respect and honor being shown to him, as he slowly got into the front passenger seat.

*Dave, is the team ready?* George sent.

*We got ya boss, loaded up and out of sight. We'll follow a few miles back. Tell us if there's and issue and we'll swoop in like nobody's business.* Dave responded.

With a turned wolf, they have had the life experience of dealing with humans and dealing with the common disrespect, however, with a wolf, the wolf doesn't like being disrespected. Werewolves tend to deal with such disrespect in a firm and sometimes permanent way. That doesn't go over too well in the human world. So, until total control is demonstrated, new wolves tend to not be allowed off territory or be followed by an extraction team, just in case they get spun off balance and start to lose control. With Dan being a somewhat special case, (not easily hide-able due to the lottery win) James ordered an extraction team to follow. Of course, Dan's wolf hadn't shown yet, so that was a complication. James was betting that 20 plus years of truck driving gave Dan above average control in the presence of "stupid". But the team would be close in case oh "oh crap".

George wound the vehicle through the back roads that Dan never knew were there and got on I-5 and headed north to Weed. As they passed Castella Dan remarked "I've always wanted to stop and take a closer look at those rock formations, that is an impressive looking mountain." You can just barely see Castle Crags from the road, but what you can glimpse is quite impressive.

George and Larry both laughed. George answered back "Once you shift, I'll bring you up here and show you things that you would not have seen as a human. There are places that you can't get to unless you have Four-Paw-Drive." Larry laughed harder and nodded his head. Dan thought that FPD was cute and went along with it.

Half an hour later, they pulled into the shop that the Smithfields' vehicle had been towed to. They all got out and went inside. It being Larry's vehicle, the other two hung back a little. The mechanic that came out was well built. He was tall and good looking. Dan sniffed slightly and was shocked that the mechanic was a Werewolf. "Tom", as the name tag proclaimed, submitted to George and then focused on Larry. "Hello Larry, I got bad news, it is the transmission, but that's not all. When the tranny seized up, it torqued the mounting and busted off bolts from the rear main seal. It will need an new engine as well as a transmission." Tom looked bad about delivering the news.

Larry just hung his head and tears welled up in his eyes. They couldn't afford this repair. His family was stranded. What are going to do? I guess we will have to join the pack. I can't think of any other alternatives. Larry thought to himself. At least Marissa will be happier with gaining friends.

Dan stepped up and hugged Larry. He didn't think about it, it just seemed natural. He tried to give comfort to the forlorn wolf. Even Rose came up and leaned hard against Larry, trying to impart comfort. Then he whispered in Larry's ear, "I think I might be able to help you out if you are willing to do something for me." Larry pulled back with a jerk, and started to get an angry look on his face. Dan stepped back, and raised his hands, "Whoa, whoa whoa... That didn't come out quite as I intended. I just have an opportunity for you and your family." Larry paused, and tilted his head, willing to listen for a moment.

Dan continued now that Larry was calmer. "See, I have my place up in Washington. I could use someone to keep things tended to, and secure. I have the Sheriff's office keeping an eye on things, but they have other priorities and are not a security company. I have a 9000 square foot house with 5 bedrooms on nine and a half acres outside of town. It is quiet, and 15 minutes from the mountains. With the creek off the end of the property and the road, it is common for teenagers go party at the creek at the road. My dad had to go down and run them off all the time. Now that I have wealth, I have even bigger liability if someone does a stupid and tries to sue me. It would be helpful to me if I had someone able to watch things. I would pay you and your family. Marissa could go to school and make friends. If you wanted, you could farm or get a job in town or both. My dad farmed for the family and we always had way more that what we needed. And he had a job in town. What do you think of my proposal? A place to live, doing a simple job for me, and getting paid." Dan rambled to a stop.

Larry looked at him curiously, and then thought about it. It sounded almost too good to be true. Larry slowly responded, "I would need to discuss this with June and Marissa. And if we agreed, there are more details to work out." Dan nodded his head in agreement.

"OK, now that that is out in the open, who's hungry? There's a BBQ place down town I was never able to stop at." Dan stated as his stomach growled. Everyone in the shop laughed. "But first, Tom, how are you able to work here at the shop? Don't people notice that you don't age properly? Oh, and George, how am I going to explain how I look now? I don't look anything close to my fifty years old..."

Tom answered, "Well, there are three or four of us that rotate through the shop every 10-15 years or so. We work it out that we are gone for about 40 to 60 years, and then we just claim to be our own children if someone recognizes us." Tom laughed as he said that.

George continued, "If there is an issue, we rotate someone new in. Now, for you... We have connections. We have a network of wolves that work in the DMV in every state. Different packs do the same thing like here in the auto shop. They have a few wolves rotate through, and then there are the human mates and Pack Friends. Humans that know about us and help us out when they can. Yeah, give me your license and we will get a new picture of you and send it off to our people in Washington. You will have a new license in a few days.. We will have to discuss how you will deal with your lawyers and finance people. Maybe we can get recommendations for humans in the know that you can transfer your business to that you can be open and honest with."

Dan replied, "Well, I am rather happy with who I currently have, but I understand what you mean. Fortunately, I haven't actually met my lawyers or money people. The internet is a great thing. I have spoken to them on the phone though. I will give you their names, and maybe I will get lucky and they are already in the know. Unlikely, I know, but..." Dan chuckled a little.

Tom went back into the car bays and returned to work, The trio plus Rose got back in the SUV and Dan gave directions to the place down town. Now, down town Weed is not really much to look at. At least not what a truck driver would consider downtown. US 97 splits off and then after a small business district heads out of town going north east-ish. So there is about 4 blocks of touristy shops and restaurants.

They parked and walked up to the open air BBQ grills and sniffed. It all smelled good. Not quite as good at the pack chef's work, but still good. They ordered what they wanted and then sat at some picnic tables and ate their food. Dan had gotten some "naked" meat for Rose and set her plate on the ground for her. Everyone decided that it was worthwhile and would come back at some point.

As they were walking back to the car, they heard a commotion down the street. A woman screamed and yelled out "HELP!!!" They saw a young man running with a purse, straight at them. Dan, with out thinking, stepped forward and raise his walking stick and tripped the kid causing him to fall at the others' feet. Dan immediately told Rose "GUARD!!" Rose stepped on the kids chest and lowered her head and growled at the kid. The young man immediately stopped fighting, terrified with a pitbull's giant mouth inches from his face.

The kid started stammering, "C-call it off man, c-call i-it o-off, PLEASE? I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry..."

George just looked down and whispered, "We don't need this..." He looked back up as the woman came running up yammering her thanks. Then a police car rolled up and the officer got out with their gun drawn, seeing a dog on a man's chest and a woman crying.

The officer yelled "EVERYBODY FREEZE!!! Nobody move until I can sort this out." The officer reached to his shoulder and keyed up his radio, "Base, this is 435, I need backup at this location"

"10-4 435, 432, do you copy and en route?" Came the reply back through the radio.

"Roger, two minutes." replied a female voice.

*Dave, call the Sheriff and ask him to come down here. Dan seems to have stepped into an issue. No recovery needed at this time. Just get the Sheriff here, and call the Alpha..* George then gave Dave and the team the overview of what happened. When George finished, Dave and his team started making calls.

Another police vehicle rolled up and turned off the siren, leaving the lights on and flashing. A tall female officer got out and surveyed the scene. She saw three men and a pitbull surrounding (and on) a man on the ground. The men standing had their hands up. There was a woman crying and leaning into one of the men. And her fellow officer watching everything and everyone with his gun drawn, but held low and ready. The woman had Sergeants stripes, so she did what sergeants do, took charge of the situation.

"Bob!" she barked, "what do you have?" she demanded. She knew that 911 had gotten calls about a purse snatching, and assault, and a dog attack. She didn't see any blood, so wanted to find out the details first.

Bob reported, "Not completely sure Ma'am, when I arrived I saw the dog jump on the guy on the ground, but not really attack, and everyone here has been pretty calm and cooperative so far. There was just too many people for me to figure things out on my own safely."

Gwen Tammerack thought that was a decent report given the circumstances. Not a lot of time had passed since the calls came in, let alone Bob's arrival on scene. OK. Crying woman first. "Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?" She asked the crying woman.

The woman choked out, "THAT BASTARD STOLE MY PURSE AND NOW I HAVE HAD A GUN POINTED AT ME!!!" She pointed to the man on the ground and continued to wail with big tears falling down her face.

"Whose dog is this?" Gwen asked the assembled group.

Dan calmly stated, "Mine. I will recall her when you are ready to receive the detainee, or ask me to."

"Recall please. Bob, cuff the suspect and search him." Sergeant Tammerack ordered.

"Rosebud, heel!" Dan commanded. Rose immediately returned to Dan's side and looked up at him for approval. Dan leaned down and gave her may good scritchens and rubs telling her "Good girl, that's such a good girl!" over and over.

Gwen was quite impressed with Rose's actions. Some of their own canines were not quite that well trained. Bob stepped up and rolled the guy on the ground over and cuffed him. At this point, Stewart knew he was screwed and he gave up and cooperated.

Bob got him standing moved Stewart over to his car and leaning over the hood, and then started searching him as he asked, "Do you have anything illegal on you? Do you have anything sharp that will poke or cut me...." all the usual things that happen when someone is arrested.

"OK, folks, I am going to need IDs from everyone and statements. Ma'am, I am sorry that you had a weapon pointed in your general direction, but given the circumstances, Officer Johnson did what was needed to control the situation and did everything by the book. If you will all pull out your identifications, I will start taking everything down."

The woman had started calming down as she leaned into George, who had been sending calming thoughts and feelings her way. Dominant Wolves effected humans also, so it was working wonders. She bent to retrieve her purse from the ground and rooted around inside of it to locate her ID.

Everyone else started pulling out their IDs and Dan gave George a worried look. George returned his look and sent to him *Don't worry, I have someone coming.* Just about that time, the Sheriff's SUV showed up. And then the wind shifted. George inhaled and then he caught the most wonderful scent he had ever smelled. His wolf came forward and growled *MATE* George was caught a little off guard and struggled to push his wolf back and told him *WAIT, not here, not now. We will get to know this human. We will have to do it the human way... Patience..* His wolf growled in annoyance and then whined with acceptance. Stepping back from the fore to let George handle things.

Just as Sergeant Tammerack was looking at Dan's ID and then looking back up at him in confusion, the Sheriff walked up, seeing her confusion, told her, "I can explain, but not here. We will have a conversation once the paperwork is done. Just treat it as normal and don't ask questions for the time being."

Gwen was shocked. She clearly had a fake ID in her hand and the sheriff was telling her to ignore it. She knew the sheriff was honest, so his actions confused her. She respected his reputation, so went on with her duties.

George flagged the sheriff over and whispered in his ear "Harold, she's my mate. How come I haven't met her before now, and it may or may not make things easier."

Sheriff Harold Smith jerked his head back and then grinned at George, clapping him on the shoulder and smiled in congratulations. He nodded and then went about supervising all the goings on. Then the Police Chief showed up. The police chief stormed up to Harold and started to demand why he was interfering in city business. The sheriff calmly looked at him and said "it's fuzzy business." That stopped the chief in his tracks. He didn't really like it, but there were things that he got read into when he became chief that he had to respect.

Sergeant Tammerack started to become a little nervous with all the brass raining on her head over a simple purse snatching. She had no idea why the chief and the sheriff both were involved. She double checked everything. She double checked everything Officer Johnson had done. When she was satisfied that all of the paperwork was in order, she asked the Chief to check her work. The Chief just smiled and said carry on. He then got back in his vehicle and left.

Gwen handed to ID cars back to their owners. She gave Dan a hard look when she got to him, but didn't say anything. She sent Bob off to the city jail to process Stewart and start on his report. The woman grabbed her purse and went back to her car quickly, deciding that this tourist stop was over. She was going home.

That left the three wolves, the Sheriff, and her. She went up to the sheriff and asked, "Is there anything else Sheriff?"

Sheriff Smith replied, "Yes, when is your shift over?"

"I should be able to have the report done on time. As long as nothing else happens, I will be off shift at 1500" Came the sergeants reply.

The sheriff nodded thoughtfully, "Alright, dinner at Joe's in the back room, at 1800. I hope you didn't have other plans. This is important and I expect you to be there."

Gwen had planned on hanging with her girlfriends, but she knew that the sheriff wasn't really "requesting" her presence. Plus, she really wanted to understand the ID issue. "Yes Sir, I will be there. Dress?"

Smith replied, "Casual". He then turned to George, and told him, "Get it fixed ASAP. I don't need these troubles. And you be at Joe's also."

George, knowing what he meant nodded his head. "Yes Sir," George responded respectfully.

Dan was slightly confused, but relieved that there wasn't any issue over his license picture not matching his face any longer.

The wolves loaded back up into their SUV and headed back to the pack. George looked over his shoulder at Dan and told him, "I really wish you hadn't done that. We don't get involved with the humans for the most part. On the other hand, thanks to you, I've met my Mate," He grinned. "Overall, I am impressed with your calmness and control. Of course, you will be reevaluated once your wolf shows and you shift. But so far, you are impressing us. Now, let's get back to the pack and report to the Alpha. He needs to know what happened."

**********

"Why? Why do you need to try to make me have a heart attack?" Alpha James was not happy. "First we have a Rogue running around our territory. Then the Rogue bites a fucking truck driver. I can't have a missing damn truck driver!!!" James continued to vent: "Then, just as I am relieved that the truck driver is a civilian and not on a company's time, I get a DAMN LOTTERY MILLIONAIRE WINNER to deal with. Why Goddess, why me?!? Then, just as I think things are going well, the damn LOTTERY BOY stops a fucking purse snatching and doesn't have the right damn ID. Now I have to call our allies to clear THAT up..." James stopped pacing long enough to stare a hole into Dan, who was standing with his head bowed in submission and embarrassment. Then he turned his glare onto George. "And YOU! What about stay under the radar is difficult to understand?!? Why haven't you gotten the network onto his new license yet? Why didn't you stop this wolf from intervening? We don't care about humans petty thieves. He shouldn't even have been out there until he had his new ID. I thought you had done that already. It's been a MONTH since he has woken up. That should have been one of the FIRST damn things you did!!!" George dropped to his knees and bared his throat in submission. He knew he had fucked up royally.

Sherry chose that moment to step up and wrap her arms around her mate and try to calm him down. She knew he was just venting his frustration over the events, but acknowledged that their son had messed up badly.

James tucked his nose into Sherry's neck and breathed deeply, letting the scent calm him. After he had calmed some, he stood up straight again, and then looked at George on his knees. Calmly he stated, "You know we will have to be in the circle over this. This oversight cannot be over looked. But, you get a reprieve for today. The sheriff informed me of your meeting tonight at Joe's." His stern look softened, and a small smile began on his face, "At least you finally found your mate after all this time. Congratulations. You know she is human, take your time and go slowly. Good luck with your meeting tonight. I hope it goes well. Tomorrow, 10 AM in the circle." Alpha James said in dismissal, tuning and leaving with the Luna to go on about their day. Turning in the doorway, James tossed over his shoulder, "Nice job with control. I knew you wouldn't disappoint us." And they were gone.

Dan was somewhat scared and confused. An ass chewing, a compliment, and questions. That was about the most scared he had been in a long time.

George got up off his knees in relief. He explained to Dan, seeing his face, "I missed the step about your ID, I endangered the Pack and all Werewolves. I have to be punished for these actions. At least the Alpha was kind enough to allow me to see my mate again before it. It would be difficult to explain how I looked fine earlier and then have bruises and broken bones later in the same day." He scrubbed his face with his palms. Alright, Let's get you ready for your new license." George led Dan out of the Alpha's office and down to George's.

George went around behind his desk and sat, firing up his computer. He scrolled his contacts and then located the one he needed, selecting it and hitting connect. It rang a few times and then, "Jerry, I have a turn down here that needs a new one up there. Dan, let me have your license please."

Dan could only assume that Jerry was in the Washington DMV. He pulled his license out and handed it to George. "OK, Jerry here's the number," He read off Dan's license number. "Yeah, that's him.. I know, it will be trickier than usual... Yeah, hold on, Dan, stand over there in front of that wall." He pointed at the one white wall that didn't have anything on it.

Dan moved over and stood just like he did at the DMV. George came over with his cell phone, lined up a picture and clicked. Then went back to his desk and picked up the handset. He input information into his cell and sent it off. "It's on its way. So, how are the pups? Uh huh, that's great. You got it? Good, so when... get a Courier. Special rush, I need it down here yesterday. Thanks Jerry. I appreciate your help. Tell your mate I said hello, OH! and I found my mate. She's human and a Weed Police Sergeant. Yeah," George laughed "that sounds all kinds of messed up. I didn't name the town. Hopefully it won't be difficult to explain things to her. I'll keep you updated. Later Jerry." George laughed and hung up the phone.

Looking over at Dan he said, "Your new license should be here tomorrow. Now go train or talk to the Smithfields or something. I have to get my reports done and try to get caught up before I head back up to Weed tonight."

Dan left with that dismissal, and went to find the Smithfields.

**********

The sheriff might have said "casual", but Sergeant Tammerack knew better than to show up in jeans and T-shirt. She walked into Joe's wearing navy slacks and an off white blouse, with a navy blazer over that concealing her off duty weapon.

Joe spotted her and pointed her to the back room of the local cop bar. She headed to the door leading to the back room and saw the familiar brass sign on the door that said "BRASS" on it. She glanced at her watch, and then knocked on the door precisely at 1800. She heard a quiet "Enter" from the other side and opened the door. She entered and closed the door behind her. As she looked around, she saw the Sheriff and the Chief sitting at the round table. George, she thought was his name, also sat with them. She thought George was attractive, but she also thought he might be involved in shady business, so she kept her head clear on the matter. She didn't want to be involve in any bad dealings.

"Sit, sit and relax. All your questions will be answered, and some you didn't know to ask. What do you want to drink?" The Sheriff said, indicating an empty chair.

Gwen briefly debated with herself, and decided professional was the correct approach, "Water please, Sir." She moved to an empty chair and sat, facing the other three." George leaned forward and poured four glasses of water, passing them around to everyone. The other three each reached forward, took their glasses and took a sip. Gwen felt slightly relieved with that show of the water being fine.

"So, what are your questions?" Sheriff Smith asked.

"Um... Why did you let a man with a patently fake ID leave without doing anything, Sir?" She decided to start off with the big bang. If she was out on a limb, she wanted to know right away.

Smith chuckled, "Well, you see, that there is a slightly incorrect question. You are in the correct neighborhood, but your premise is flawed. That was a VALID ID, and the CORRECT man was holding it."

Sergeant Tammerack bristled, and began hotly "SIR, that ID was for a 50 year old man and that BOY could not have been him."

The Sheriff held his hand up to stop her. "This here, is why you are in this room with us right now. It is time that you learned of some new things in the world. Well, 'new things' is not quite true, since they have been around for thousands of years, but new things to you. Bear with me for a moment while I come from a different angle. What do you think about the supernatural? Have you ever had to deal with things that you cannot explain?" He asked.

Gwen thought of a couple times where things just didn't make sense. She was quite undecided on the supernatural, she didn't believe in ghosts, or magic, but she had seen enough things in her life that she was open to possibilities. "Sirs, you know as a cop, you sometimes see things that cannot be readily explained. I don't necessarily believe in the supernatural, but I cannot discount it wholesale either."

The men glanced at each other and had small smiles.

George felt it was right, so just blurted out "Werewolves are real..."

Sergeant Gwen Tammerack's mouth dropped open. "The hell you say...."

 CHAPTER 5

"You have got to be kidding me." Sgt. Gwen Tammerack said in disbelief. "That is what you are going to go with? Seriously? If you don't give me a more truthful answer than that, I am going to have to call the FBI and give them something to investigate..."

Sheriff Smith just leaned back in his seat and smiled thinly. The Weed Police Chief, Andrew Finnigan, reached down and pulled his official laptop out of his bag and set it on the table. "Let me fire this up, give me a second." He got the laptop running as Gwen watched confused. "Alright, here is the FBI's local Sacramento page, do you confirm this is the official website?" Finnigan rotated the laptop so Gwen could inspect it.

"Yes Sir, it appears to be the correct web page, but I don't understand." Gwen stated after careful inspection of all of the headers and such.

"Okay, click on 'Personnel' on the left side, then look for SAIC Emil Cottin. And his contact information." The Chief replied. "Take his number and then call him from your phone. Ask him if we are lying."

Sgt Tammerack did as instructed, and then, "Cottin."

"This is Sgt Gwen Tammerack with the Weed Police Department. I have come across a fake ID and am being told it is actually real. My police chief gave me your number for clarification, after I threatened to call the FBI for letting if go." Gwen was getting a little nervous now. And very confused.

SAIC Cottin replied, "Ahh, initial briefing. Got it. Code phrase 'Fuzzy Business'. Remember that if you need to call me again for assistance. And take this number. I am fairly certain that what they, your Chief, and I assume, the Sheriff, and a Pack representative, are going to tell you is the truth. If you have further concerns, call me and I will make time for you. Anything further? Is this an emergency?" Cottin had been rather abrupt, but is was after "working" hours.

"Uh, n-no Sir. This is not an emergency, and I think that answers my questions for the moment. Thank you for your time Sir." Gwen stammered back, a little shakily.

"Alright then, I will let you get back to your local briefing. Have a good evening and enjoy the ride. It will be a weird one." With that, SAIC Cottin disconnected.

Gwen pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it for a moment before setting it on the table in front of her. She continued to attempt to process the brief information she just got. Somewhat disbelieving, she looked at the three men at the table with her. They calmly looked back at her and waited.

George asked calmly, "Do you need additional proof? I can give that to you." Gwen was still processing and nodded slowly. "Alright, please remove all weapons, place them on the table, and back up to the door. I have no desire to be shot if you freak out and get scared." George continued.

Sgt Tammerack looked at the Chief and the Sheriff. They both nodded. Gwen then removed her gun and several knives. The men smirked a bit at the small armory that she removed from her person. Once everything was on the table, the chief and the sheriff leaned forward and pulled everything across the table away from her. Then they motioned towards the door.

Once she was in front of the door, George stood and started getting undressed. Gwen started to ask what the hell he thought he was doing, when George spoke again. "Shifting will ruin any clothing we wear. I rather like these clothes, I just got them broken in. They are comfortable. Sheriff, would you mind holding up my jacket for the Sergeant's peace of mind?"

Sheriff Smith turned towards George and held up the jacket at waist height in front of George as he finished removing the last of his clothes. "Alright, please remain calm. Do not run. Wolves love to chase things and catch them. After I shift, I will wait a few moments, and then when I feel you are ready, or you tell me to, I will approach you slowly and let you feel my fur. Are you ready?" George instructed and questioned.

Gwen slowly nodded. She tried to hide her approval of his chiseled chest as he had undressed. She watched careful as all of a sudden a massive Grey wolf was looking at her over the top of the jacket the sheriff was holding. Smith draped the jacket over Georges chair and ran a hand through the wolf's fur. The wolf licked his hand and then wen back to looking intently and Gwen.

*Remember, she is human, don't scare her, we need to go slowly* George told his wolf. George slowly stepped to the side of the table and looked at Gwen. He sniffed the air a few times, and then smelling that calm was overtaking the initial panic, slowly stepped towards her, pausing a few times.

Gwen was shocked. That was an understatement. Where there was a man a moment ago, there stood a wolf that had to be at least twice the size of the wild wolves she had seen once at a wildlife park. It slowly stepped out so she could see him better. A beautiful gray with white and black markings. It slowly stepped towards her, and she tensed in fear, then relaxed as the wolf paused, waiting for her to relax. She decided what the hell go for it, and reached out towards the wolf. He slowly walked towards her and gently brushed his head against her hand. She was surprised at the tingles she felt, but chalked them up to static electricity. She ran her hand through the fur and was surprised once more at how soft it felt.

George's wolf was loving the tingles and the feel of his mate's hand in his fur. He couldn't help it, he gave her a lick across her face and she jumped back a little, "Hey! No face baths!" She rebuked him. George whined a little and lowered his head.

Sheriff Smith said, "That's how they show affection you know. You've hurt his feelings a little I think." He chuckled a little at the sight.

"Well, sorry, but not the face, Okay?" Gwen said as she grabbed his head and looked George in the eyes. George let out a little 'woof' and nuzzled her again, loving the contact with his mate.

Chief Finnigan spoke up, "Alright, I think that is enough demonstration, please shift back and let's continue this conversation."

George rubbed against Gwen a bit more, then reluctantly went back around to shift again. He was on his knees, and getting dressed again, standing as he pulled his pants on with his back to Gwen. "So, what do you think? Are you convinced now?"

Gwen sat back down and watched George dressing as she thought about the question. "It is rather difficult to refute this evidence. It is very shocking, to say the least. Speaking of, I thought it was static electricity, but I felt continuous tingles while touching him, is that normal?" Gwen asked.

George, once dressed, sat in his chair and faced her. "Kind of. It is not a normal thing you would feel with Werewolves. It happens only under certain circumstances, that I will get to in a few moments." he blushed a little and lowered his head slightly. "First, the ID you thought was fake. It belonged to the man who gave it to you. He was turned recently and had not yet gotten a new ID to present to you. That was my failing. He should not have been in public until I had done that. I apologize. There are things that I cannot tell you here. What I can say, is that wolves age slower than humans. How much, I will not say at this time. Now, the tingles, that is somewhat tricky to explain..." George then went on to explain about how Werewolves believe in a soul with 3 three parts. The human, the wolf, and the mate.

Gwen was listening and thought it was romantic. Life mates for life. The she caught up to what he was saying. "Wait, wait, wait, you're saying that I am your mate? You don't even know me."

George went over the wolf smelling their mates, and if it was another wolf, how they could smell each other, and know. Gwen, being human, could only feel the tingles. And the draw of the mate-bond. "I think Andrew and Harold would like to get home. We have kept them long enough. Can I buy you a drink out in the bar?" George asked, trying to let the others go on about their business.

Gwen considered a moment, and then nodded, gathering up her assortment of weapons and putting them away. They exited the Brass' room and went to order drinks and get to know each other. It was going to take some time, but George was confident in the draw to do its thing.

**********

Dan had met with the Smithfields and worked out a deal with them to keep an eye on his place. He had offered them a new vehicle to get there, and would make the right phone calls to ensure they didn't have any trouble the next day. Now, he was meditating in his room. He peered in the corner with the black fuzziness and wondered when it would wake. As he watched, the fuzzy began to uncurl from itself and then stretched. The fuzziness slowly faded and then a great black wolf stood there. The wolf turned and regarded Dan curiously. Then slowly paced towards him. Dan said *Hello, my name is Dan, do you have a name?*

The wolf looked at Dan and then sat a short distance away. *I have had many names over my lifetimes, Dan is one of those. Oh, don't tell anyone. I should not have said anything about that, but I am a bit more free this time around under the Goddess' blessing. Most wolves remember nothing of their previous lives. Selene has graciously given me a free-er hand in this life. I dislike hiding things from my human half unless it is absolutely necessary. So, please, tell no one about my history.*

Dan's eyes got really big. This was not what he had been told to expect. He managed to calm his shock and excitement and said *Shall we bond then? Are you ready? Wolf-Dan nodded his big head and stood, coming closer. Man-Dan knelt down and pressed his forehead against Wolf-Dan's. They shared memories. Dan's life being much shorter, the wolf's taking much longer.

**********

The next morning, Stanly hadn't seen Dan yet, so went and knocked on his door. Not hearing anything, he poked his head in, and saw Dan sitting on a cushion on the floor, deep in meditation. Stanly softly closed the door and went to get some food for Rosebud. He set the bowl of food down in front of Rose and told her, "When you are done, I will watch Dan for you while you go out." Rosebud woofed softly and ate her food. When she finished, she went out and did her business and returned. Stanly took the food bowl and said on his way out, "I will get him something that will keep, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Stanly was getting Dan some food when George came in looking for Dan. "Hey Stanly, seen Dan?"

"Dan is in his room meditating. If I had to guess, I think he is bonding with his wolf. I am getting him some food in case breakfast is over before he finishes." Stanly replied.

George thanked Stanly and then got his own food and then sat to eat. He wondered what Dan's wolf would look like.

**********

Dan slowly opened his eyes and then smelled the tray by the door. He looked at the time and was shocked that it was nearly ten o'clock. Then he suddenly remembered Alpha James's announcement at dinner last night. A punishment at ten. He quickly scarfed down the food and then dressed quickly and he and Rose headed out for the Challenge Circle.

As he arrived he saw that nearly the entire Pack was present. The circle was close to thirty feet across. It was large. At Ten o'clock Alpha James stepped up and howled for quiet. "We have a punishment today for a severe lack of attention to detail. As a part of transitioning a newly turned Wolf, they sometimes need new Identification. George failed to get new identification for Dan Walker before allowing him out into the human world. Dan then proceeded to stop a purse snatcher, showing incredible control for a newly turned wolf. Unfortunately, the police became involved nearly immediately and asked for ID. He had his original ID. The Sergeant on the scene thought it was fake. George's only saving grace in this breach of Were security is that the Sergeant happened to be his mate, and was brought into the secret last night." The assembled wolves alternately growled in disapproval and then howled in congratulations.

"Let the punishment begin, are you ready? James asked George.

"I am Alpha, shall we start as human?" He said as he stripped off his clothes.

"Sounds good." The Alpha returned and stripped also.

They measured each other for a moment, then George decided to get things under way and carefully approached James and began his attack. James blocked and countered. They circled each other and threw punches and kicks. Some were blocked, some struck home. George caught the worst of it. Alpha James was still Alpha, and it showed. George also knew that if he just took a beating, it would be worse, so he gave a good fight. After 20 minutes or so, George shifted to wolf, and tried for James' leg. James leapt and shifted at the same time, landing and whirling to catch George in his hindquarters. George's rear flew to the side and before he could recover his balance, James' wolf was on him, snarling and biting. Lunging and dodging. It was a hell of a wolf fight, but George again was losing. After James bit a foreleg and broke it, he finally ran a shoulder into George knocking him down. James grabbed George by the neck and George immediately stopped moving and whined in submittal.

George was bleeding from nearly every part of his body. James held the hold for several moments, growling, then he released George and shifted. The assembled Pack cheered for their victorious Alpha. James raised his hands and called for quiet again. "George has been punished. Healer Quincy, you can have him. Ensure he lives, but don't heal him. He needs to remember this. Unfortunately, his mate will have to wait a few days for him to be able to visit and woo her.

Dan was shocked at the violence of the fight. His wolf informed him that it was a good fight, and that he actually got off pretty light. Dan questioned that, and wolf-Dan informed him of about how serious a crime it is to endanger all Werewolves by letting the ID slip through the cracks. Dan slowly understood how serious it was. It was nearly lunch, and everyone headed in to eat, talking about the fight.

**********

Dan decided it was time to call Gustav and his Lawyer, Jim Stevenson. He decided to call Jim first. He pulled up the contacts, and then hit send. It rang a few times then "Law offices of Stevenson and Brower, how may I help you?"

"Hello Julie, this is Dan Walker, is Jim available?" Dan replied

"Dan, so good to hear form you. Did you enjoy your side trip?" Julie asked, while looking at Jim's schedule.

"Well, it was unexpected, but everything has turned out alright." Dan answered.

"Let's see, Jim is with a client, but has time available after 2PM today. Would you like to have him call you back?" Julie gave Dan.

"Yes, please. I have hired a family to keep an eye on my place, and need a contract. I will email the details and get with Gustav for the finances. I will see if Gustav is available at two and we can conference things."

"Sounds good Dan. Are you sure you can trust these people. Have you had them vetted?" Julie asked.

"Yes, I have had them vetted. I can trust them completely. I will be buying them a vehicle and they will be heading up there in a few days." Dan informed her.

"Anything else you need?" Julie asked.

"No, that's all for now. Nice talking to you, and I look forward to Jim's call. Bye Julie." Dan then ended the call and pulled up Gustav's number.

"Silver Investments, How may I direct your call?" said the perky receptionist.

"Gustav Fischer please." Dan answered. "This is Dan Walker calling."

"Ah, hello Mr. Walker, one moment please," She replied.

There was a brief bit of hold muzak, then "Dan, how's it going? How is California treating you?"

"Hello Gustav, it's been a rough couple of weeks, but I have things under control now." Dan answered.

"We got a bit concerned when we didn't see the expected transactions for a few days, then that text you sent. I hope you enjoyed your unplanned side trip?" Gustav said.

"Yes, it was unexpected, but the end result was more than satisfactory. I have a call lined up with Jim Stevenson at two, will you be available? I have hired a family to watch my place." Dan told him. "Oh, I need a new vehicle too. Theirs died, and they need transportation to get there."

"Sure not a problem. I hope you know what you are doing. Did you have them vetted properly" Gustav said with some concern.

Dan had gotten a little information, and was curious. "I did have them vetted. I thought there might have been some fuzzy business involved. I had everything checked out."

Gustav sat back in his chair. It was an odd turn of phrase. "Where exactly are you right now, Dan?"

Dan considered his reply. "I am near Pollard Flat at a placed known as Sugarloaf." He carefully phrased his answer.

Gustav considered how to reply. "I think I have heard of that place. They don't seem to shave down there. They get extremely fuzzy I hear."

"Yes, I have gotten rid of my razors in fact." was Dan's answer.

"Alright, I will make time for you at two, and I will have some friends of mine get a hold of you. I am thinking you might need some upgraded computer equipment, and some cell add ons." Gustav sent *Sheila, I think Dan got himself turned somehow. I believe he is with the Sugarloaf Pack. Can you call down there and confirm? And if so, have our guys load up a package for him. I can't see him being a pack member somehow. Truck drivers are very independent.*

"Thanks Gustav, I'll talk to you again at two and lay out the details. I'll have an email on the way to both of you in a bit with the particulars." was Dan's reply. "Talk to you soon." Dan disconnected, and then opened his laptop to start the email.

**********

*Alpha, a member of Silvermoon is calling, are you available?* James received. Huh, I wonder what they want.

*Put them through Sandy, thanks* James sent back. His phone rang and he picked it up. He checked the connection and saw it was secured. "Alpha James, how may I help you?"

"Hello Alpha James, this is Sheila from Silvermoon. We were wondering if one of our clients with our investment firm was with you. One Langston Daniel Walker. He said some interesting things to his account manager that hinted at things."

James rubbed his face, "That boy will be the death of me and has some kind of luck. Yes, we have Dan Walker here. I believe his wolf just showed himself today and we are waiting for his first shift." James told her.

"Alright, that is excellent news. We will update his file with our firm. Also, it has been requested that we send down an updated package for him. Before we do, will he be joining your pack?" Sheila inquired.

James replied, "We think at the moment that he is leaning towards being a Lonewolf. He has been out and about already and appears to have excellent control. We will see how it goes after his shift. When should we expect some of your people?"

"Hmm, let's see I will have some people at Silver Fox putting together an upgrade package for Walker. I think Gustav has enough information for what he has to get that moving. Walker can afford anything we send. Once we have the assembled package a couple of guys will head down there. I think it can be assembled today, so, with travel starting tomorrow morning, probably tomorrow evening sometime. By the way, are you needing anything?" Sheila finished her somewhat rambling answer.

James considered and pulled up their current security sensor array. He looked over the status of everything. "Hmm, well, the S302s we have are getting old, I have 300 of those, what do you have available and pricing?" He was not expecting to upgrade the sensors quite yet, but was going to soon. Since Silver Fox was sending some techs down, might as well make use of the offered service. They discussed sensors and cameras back and forth for another 30 minutes, and any computer upgrades. The Pack was offered a decent discount since the techs were coming anyway. He was certain that whatever vehicle they were going to use had been up sized. Sheila sent the invoice and James signed off on it. Forwarding payment.

Once off the phone, he wandered down to the security center and talked to the head of security, Beta Peter Smith. Alpha James told him what he had coming down in a day or two. Peter looked pleased.

**********

Dan's phone rang and he saw that Gustav was calling. He answered and had him hold briefly while Dan added Jim to the call. Dan asked a passing wolf to send Lonewolf Larry to Dan's room, and quickly the Smithfields joined Dan in his room. Dan put his phone on speaker and the group as a whole discussed the details of the contracts and financials. Once everyone was satisfied, Gustav disconnected to start writing everything up. Jim stayed on the line.

Jim said, "Well, Dan, I have confirmed that you have gotten yourself into some fuzzy business. I have some friends of mine coming down to upgrade some of your stuff. Then we will be able to talk more clearly about some things. I will include phones for the Smithfields, and while they are down there, they will get the details of your property security and what the Smithfields will be comfortable using. Silver Fox will sweep the woods at the creek clearing any trail cams that are not yours. You should see them tomorrow. Anything else? Oh, I opened an account with Silver Fox for you."

Dan was a little in shock at what he heard. Gustav was in the supernatural community. His world just got a bit weirder. The Smithfields were a bit shocked as well. They could not believe that they were getting what was the equivalent of pack protection while remaining Lonewolves.

Dan answered, "No, I think that is everything for now. I'll be in touch later. I am waiting for a package to arrive later today before we head out vehicle shopping. You guys need anything? Oh, Gustav, can you get their new bank cards down here quickly?" The Smithfields shook their heads negatively, they just couldn't believe their luck.

"Yes, I will get the cards to Silver Fox and have them courier them down to you with the rest of the stuff." Gustav answered.

"Good, good, that takes a load off my mind. Thanks Gustav, talk soon." Dan disconnected and looked at the family. The Lonewolves gathered up Dan and cried tears of happiness onto him. He was somewhat uncomfortable with the group hugging, but wolf-Dan was loving every bit of it. Wolf Dan sent love and protection to the family.

**********

Around dinner time Alpha James was informed a courier had arrived. The courier walked into the Alpha's office, knocking and submitting. "Courier Tara Zimmerman. I have a package for a Lansgston Walker, Alpha." She reported.

Alpha James responded, "Thank you, Tara, you can relax and have a seat. Dan will be here shortly." *Stanly, can you fetch Dan for me? I believe his IDs have arrived.* he sent.

Tara was little confused, but didn't let it affect her. She had been a courier for a long time. She was used to not understanding things. It wasn't her job, her job was to move things from place to place.

Dan knocked and entered he open door, submitting he said, "You wanted to see me Alpha?"

"Tara here has a package for you. I believe it is your new identification cards and papers." James told him.

Tara stood and handed Dan a large envelope. She had him sign her paperwork and looked to the Alpha before being escorted out to eat.

Dan opened the package, and had his new license fall out into his hand. It looked pretty much the same, but had his new picture and a new DOB on it. He put that away and looked to see what else was in the envelope. Out came a new birth certificate and some background information.

"You will need to study and memorize that information for your next encounter with law enforcement. Somehow, I get the feeling you will have more contact with them. I just hope you are away from here when you do. I know it isn't truly your fault, but you have been nothing but a headache for me Dan." Alpha James told him.

"I am sorry for the headaches, Alpha, I will try to not be a problem for you for the rest of my stay here. Oh, speaking of problems, or not so much, my accountant is in on the fuzzy business and is have some people come down in the next few days to upgrade some of my stuff. I hope that will not be and issue for you Alpha." Dan looked down in chagrin.

Alpha James barked a laugh, "THAT one, is NOT a problem Dan. I received a confirmation call, and then managed to get a nice discount on upgrading some of our systems at the same time. This one is definitely not a headache. How are you getting along with your wolf?" James asked to change the topic.

Dan replied, "He and I have come to an agreement. We both want to see the world. He is pleased that I have taken responsibility and offered protection for the Lonewolves, yet are not making a pack. We both enjoy helping people, but are not just wanting to give handouts. I believe we will get along very well. He is my other half. Or well, I suppose one third, or is it sixth? Math and mates is complicated." Dan laughed.

Alpha James chuckled a little and smiled. "I haven't tried looking at it that way before, but I understand the sentiment. And that math might be beyond me as well. So, now that you have your new ID, you will be able to go into town again. I think you mentioned getting the Smithfields a vehicle?"

"Yes, If you allow it, we can go pick something out for them. I understand that George is out of commission for a few days? Who would be my escort?" Dan replied.

"I have some free time tomorrow morning. I have been meaning to trade in one of our older vehicles any way. We can all go look together." James said.

"Just let us know when you want to go Alpha. If that is all?" Dan asked.

"Yes, you can go eat now." With that dismissal, Dan's stomach growled. They both laughed as Dan left the Alpha's office.

Dan and Rose went through the food line and it was pizza night. There was still basic meat out, so Rose was able to get what she wanted. Dan spotted Tara at a table and went to sit with her. "Hello again, Tara. Mind if I sit here?" Dan asked her.

Tara looked up at Dan, smiled, and then down at Rosebud and with a blank look said, "Sure, have a seat."

Dan saw the blank look and decided to explain. "Tara, this is Rosebud, she is my service animal. I had her before I got turned. So she is still with me." Dan decided it was better to skip the whole Were blood part. Or even the security dog bit. Leaving it at service dog, lets folks make their own assumptions that whatever need required a service dog was healed in the turn, but loyalty to the dog kept her around. Wolves understood bonds.

"So, a courier. I am new to all of this, can you explain that to me?" Dan inquired politely.

Tara then explained that packs used couriers to move various papers and objects between packs. Most were pack wolves, that like to travel, and they had certified courier papers to show the various packs they traveled to and through. These papers were essentially gave an official status to traveling wolves. Occasionally, Lonewolves were couriers. If they happened to be going a certain direction that had something going that way, they might take up being a courier for some extra money. The package would get there eventually, but it was on the Lonewolf's timeline. Pack couriers tended to be a bit more prompt.

Dan considered the information. He could see himself doing something like that in the future if he got bored. He didn't really need the money, but it could help him travel and be helpful at the same time. He back burnered the idea, and went back to eating as he questioned Tara and listened to her experiences. Dan shared his experience of being a wolf so far.

************

The following day, found Alpha James, Dan, and Larry at a local car dealer. They arrived in a 3 year old 4 door Yukon. Dan was impressed with how clean the Yukon was. Dan wondered the lot with Larry as James looked for his replacement. Larry was being quiet.

Dan asked him about a couple of different cars, and pretty much got 'whatever you want, sir' back. Dan finally asked "What's wrong Larry?"

Larry looked down in embarrassment, "We have never had a new car. Even the one that Alpha James is trading in is newer than anything we have had. I know we agreed that you would provide a vehicle for us, but I still don't feel comfortable about it."

Dan considered for a moment and then took Larry in tow, looking for the Alpha. They found the Alpha looking at new van. There was a Durango next to it. James looked up and smiled. "Ah, which do you think, Durango, or full sized van?"

"It all depends on what you plan on using the vehicle for Sir." Dan replied. He said 'sir' instead of 'alpha' since they were in public with humans. "I thought you would exchange the Yukon for something similar, another Yukon, or perhaps an Expedition or Excursion. Something like that. Vans and SUVs are similar, but can perform different functions."

James considered for a moment then decided on the Durango. Dan then said, "Sir, I, we, had a thought. Instead of trading in your Yukon, why don't I buy it for the Smithfields. You will get a better price than trade in value, and we both get a good deal. I had planned on buying new, and can afford it, but I also didn't know that you were thinking of trading one of yours in. If I had thought more last night, I could have saved a trip up here. Is that alright with you?"

James thought about it and saw no downside. He looked at Larry and asked, "Is that alright with you?"

Larry said with a touch of relief, "That is more than aright Sir. We have never had a vehicle that new ourselves. It is more than sufficient for our needs. I was feeling a bit uncomfortable with a brand new vehicle. I.. We.. We appreciate everything Dan is doing for us, but we have been independent for so long, it is taking some getting used to to accept the help. We know it isn't free, but it is new to us. Your used Yukon is fine for us."

Dan and James quickly worked out a price between themselves, after a quick googling and ended up between he dealer offer and a high end retail price. Both were pleased with the results. Dan called Gustav, they got that out of the way. Then Dan called Jim and had a bill of sale typed up. Jim would email it and they would print it our back at the pack and sign it. James got things rolling with the Durango, and after settling thing with the dealer, told them he would have someone come down and pick it up when it was ready.

Everyone pile back into the Yukon, and James tossed the keys to Larry saying, "Well, I guess it is yours now. So you might as well get used to how it drives. If you crash on the way home, that's on you." He said the last with a laugh.

**********

After dinner, Alpha James was notified that the Silver Fox techs had arrived. He called for Dan and met them at the front door. A medium sized box truck pulled up and two men got out and came up to greet the Alpha.

"Alpha James, I am Jerry Sato, and this is John Tanaka. We are from Silver Fox with your order and with a package of upgrades for a Langston Walker." The taller one said in greeting. They both nodded slightly, it wasn't really a submission. That was when Dan noticed that both men had pointy ears on the tops of their heads, and bushy tails trailing behind them.

James noticed Dan's confusion and greeted them, "Welcome gentlemen. This is Langston Daniel Walker. He prefers to go by Dan. Dan, these gentleman are Kitsune. They are in the supernatural world, but not really shifters. They can explain it to you far better than I can. If you follow us, we can get you some food, I am sure you would like to relax a little after the long drive. Tomorrow is soon enough to get started on things."