Silvia was in between her children in the back seat of the convertible, pretending to be asleep as she tried to process what was going on.
Her husband was dead, she'd been repeatedly raped in front of her kids, and her savior was a werewolf.
She was so far off normal she didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or have a total breakdown. She hugged a sleeping Zach to her side, he had fallen asleep when he stopped shaking and the tears ran out. Michelle was asleep in her car seat, and she kept a shaking hand on her leg for comfort. Her children, born and unborn, she had to be strong for them.
Marcus was driving, but with his hearing he could tell that she was still awake. He looked over at Josi, she was peering through the windshield looking for any other threats. She put on a good act, but he could sense her fear and see her shaking. "I know you're having a tough time with what happened back there, I'd be worried if you didn't. Nobody who takes a life and doesn't question their action is truly human." He put his hand on her shoulder. "You were brave back there. You had a job to do, and you did it. Because of you, those three in back have a chance to live again."
"I understand that up here," she pointed to her head, "but in here I'm still feeling guilty." She pointed to her heart. "I can't get the image out of my head. His head... it just exploded, like when we used to shoot jugs of water out back."
"I know." He looked over at her. "I've killed before, and I wasn't much older than you the first time. Talking about it helped, but what got me through it was finally accepting that I did what I had to do, when I had to do it, and it was my job to do so. I knew deep down that I had done the right thing, that taking those lives meant innocent lives were saved." He looked back at the road. "It doesn't make the dreams go away, I still have those. They aren't as bad now, my mate helped me move on from that. When I got back from the war, and I had lost all my close friends, I withdrew. It wasn't healthy, and if I hadn't found Rachel I would probably have committed suicide within a year, the dreams were that bad."
"What did Rachel do?"
"She listened." He chuckled a little. "I told you the first time I met her, she was in wolf form, right? She was too injured to shift back. There was just something about her; even though she looked like this huge, dangerous animal, I didn't feel that way by her. She gave me comfort just by being there, and he eyes were so expressive and accepting. I was able to tell her about things I never was able to talk about before. There wasn't a day after that when I didn't regret leaving her there with her Pack." "So how did she tell you she was a werewolf?" "She showed me. I found her on my front porch one day, and it was like she hadn't been gone. She changed from wolf to skin while her front paws were on my shoulder. She was... breathtaking. As a person, she had the same qualities I loved in her wolf. Brave, caring, loyal, patient. Even though I didn't feel the mate pull like a werewolf, there was something so right about her. It was like I finally found the missing piece in my life. We made love and I asked her to change me so we could be together always."
Silvia's voice came from the backseat, she was no longer pretending to sleep. "You chose to become a werewolf?"
"Yes, and I haven't regretted it for a second." He looked at her briefly in the mirror. "Werewolves have been around for millennia, but our laws have always kept us secret from humans. We scare them, and entire Packs have been wiped out when something happens to expose us. So we hide, but in plain sight. We have jobs, families, homes. Our children go to school and play sports and participate in activities alongside the humans, at least in our pack. Others separate themselves. Changing is only done for mates, our laws say it is a death sentence to change without permission and approval."
Josi looked over quizzically. "Who would you need approval from?"
"Each pack has an Alpha pair, they are the most dominant wolves in the group and are the leaders. All decisions that affect the Pack are made by them, and they are subject to rules of the Alpha Council which is made up of all the Alphas on this continent." He looked in the mirror and anticipated Silvia's question. "There are 187 packs in North America, with a total of about four thousand members. My pack is pretty typical in size, we have forty one members, and the pack I was visiting had about thirty. Too many wolves and it becomes difficult to control, they usually split as stronger wolves jockey for the top job. Too small and you can't function well."
He looked up at the moon, then back down. "They are my family, my friends, but more than that. They are my closest companions, I would give my life to save any of them and I know they would do the same. It is something I experienced in the Green Berets, that total trust and togetherness, and it is the greatest thing you can have in your life. Well, except your mate. That's the best ever."
"How did she turn you? Is it like the movies when you get bitten and turn into a wolf on the full moon?"
"Yes, you are changed by being bitten, but the rest is not always accurate. Think of it like an infection, it changes your DNA and your body. You get a high fever, like a bad flu, while you are changing. It takes about three days before it is complete and you can change to your wolf form. You gain a wolf inside you, like another consciousness that shares your brain. He starts out wild, so your mate or Alpha has to be there to ground it until it can integrate with your own mind. If they don't integrate, you can go feral, attacking anyone and anything. The tales of werewolves as monsters are because of these turns." He looked in the mirror, she was taking it well so far. "She bit me as we were making love, since the pain of her bite doesn't do a much when I'm on such a high. Three days later, I was like her."
Marcus stopped talking as they rounded the bend in the road, they could see the town of Salmon ahead in the moonlight. There were smaller fires and torches about, but their eyes only saw the huge bonfire on the east edge of town. He slowed down as they got closer, then came to a stop when a Sheriff blocked the road at the edge of town.
"Doctor Mendez, thank God you are here." The deputy ran up to the door. "They need you in the clinic. It's bad, real bad."
"I know, Robert. It's bad on the road. Can we talk for a minute?" He got out and they walked far enough away from the car so the family wouldn't hear him. "On the way here I came across a family. Three men had killed the husband, and were raping the wife in front of her kids."
"Fucking BASTARDS! Let me get some guys together, we'll go get them."
Marcus shook his head. "Nothing left to do, we took care of them and left them by the side of the road. I've got her husband in the trunk. What are you doing with the dead?"
"We are burning them, that's the pyre over there. Take him over, and we'll give him the best sendoff we can. We lost another three hundred today, and we still have volunteers going door to door finding more. I'd guess we only have a couple hundred who aren't dead or severely injured." He looked at the car. "Good thing some of the old cars still work. Were there any other problems on the drive?"
"No, but we came from North Fork so it wasn't that long a drive." He looked back at the car. "I'm going to help with her husband, then take her back to my place and let my wife help with her and the kids. She's pregnant, too."
"Fuck. I feel like driving up there and killing them again. Do they have power up in North Fork?"
"Not even. No power or electronics, most of the town is dead from the radiation and many were blinded. There are only about four dozen people still alive up there." He gave him a hug, then turned for the car. "We'll catch up later, thanks for keeping things safe here."
"It's what we do." They waved as they drove past and took a left towards the pyre.
Marcus looked in the back. "I'm sorry, but there are so many people dead and we don't have the equipment to do a normal burial. The best way to prevent disease is to burn them, so that pyre up ahead is being used." She started to cry, but nodded. "We will be with you. You should probably wake up your children so they can say goodbye."
They pulled into the street near the fire; it was a section of new housing still under construction, this left open foundations that could contain the fires and the brush and trees had already been cleared so the large fire was safe. He parked the car and went around to the trunk to get the body. He picked up the blanket with her husband, and Josi closed the trunk so she could set him down on it. Silvia held Zach to her side as they came around. "I left Michelle sleeping, she's too young to understand. Zach, we need to say our goodbyes to Daddy."
Marcus moved the blanket back carefully so part of his face would be showing while the damage from the bullet would still be hidden. He didn't want the last memory of his father to include that. Zack moved forward, crying softly as his hand rested on his Dad's shoulder and he leaned in and kissed his cheek. Silvia followed suit, then she pulled the blanket back over his face. "Goodbye, my love."
Josi hugged her other side while Marcus picked him up and walked him to the men tending the pyre. They were unloading the dead from a trailer being pulled by an old farm tractor. One of the men came forward and took the foot end of the blanket; when they reached the edge, they tossed him into the blazing fire. He bowed his head, praying to Luna for their family to find peace, and then turned back and walked to the car. He helped them back in, then they drove quietly through the empty town. It was a depressing drive; so many empty houses, dead people piled at the end of driveways waiting for pickup. They saw more activity downtown. "They must be using the basements in the larger buildings for shelter, most houses here don't have basements." There were people in the streets manning propane grills, and the smell of cooking meats filled the air. "At least they are using the food in the freezers before it spoils." The car left town again, and soon they turned into the driveway of his rural home. Before the car had stopped, Rachel was running out of the house.
"MARCUS!!!" She almost knocked him back into the driver's seat as she barreled into him. She grabbed his hair, pulling him into a deep kiss that went on and on. She might not have come up for air except Josi walked around and cleared her throat. Marcus pulled back from her, kissing her forehead, then turned to make the introductions. "Rachel, these are my friends. Josi we found up in North Fork, she has two friends Britney and Bethany who turn out to be mates to the Becker twins. Two other friends stayed with them, and she came here because she is looking for her Mom."
He moved to help get a sleeping Michelle out of the car seat as Silvia and Zach came around to greet her. Over the bond, he warned, "She lost her husband on the road and was raped, Josi and I killed the guys but she's just holding on by a thread right now." He pulled them forward, then said, "And this is Silvia and Zach Perkins. Silvia, this is my mate Rachel."
"Mate?" Rachel looked at him while talking over the bond. "They're HUMAN!"
