Cheyenne woke up refreshed in the late afternoon, and gently disentangled herself from Willow on the small bed. Willow shifted in the bed, rolling onto her back as the wolf pup between her legs whapped his small tail against the blanket. She scratched his ears as he lay back down; the young pups felt safe with anyone in the Pack, and since they were new the two humans had become a favored place for pups to sleep.
She quietly got up and walked over to the next bed, where Britney and Bethany were being lovingly tended to by Eric as Derek slept between them. "How are they doing?"
Derek smiled and looked up at her. "The fever should be breaking in a few hours, they are both strong and will come through this. I can't wait to see their wolves."
"What do you think they will be like?"
"They will be like my best dreams come to life." He looked down at Bethany, she could see his love for her in his eyes. "Sleek and light of color, fast and strong. My wolf can't wait to meet her and make her his."
"Ugh." She grimaced a little. "I want to see her change, but I don't think I'm ready to see THAT yet." She thought back, the Pack members weren't shy about their sex lives, there was plenty going on in human and wolf form; they just tried to give each other respectful privacy and looked the other way. She had become accustomed to the nudity and the activity, and it helped that no one was hitting on her or expecting her to join in. They all were waiting for their mates, and seeing what her friends had with Eric and Derek made her long for one of her own. She looked down, the bucket he was using to wipe them down with a washcloth was nearly empty. "Let me get you some cold water."
"Thank you." Derek looked up at her. "I'm glad the girls have friends like you. Please know that, wolf or not, you always have a home here with us."
Cheyenne gathered her long black hair behind her and fashioned it in a ponytail, then reached down and grabbed the bucket. Putting her hand on Derek's shoulder, she gave him a gentle squeeze. "Thank you for saving my friends, and for saving us. You will always be family." She smiled and turned away, heading over to the corner where a 250 gallon container held the drinking water in the basement of their shelter. She nodded to the women who were taking care of the thirteen townspeople who were undergoing the change and were in the earlier stages of the fever.
On the way she grabbed the Solo cups she and Willow were using, as they would need to drink and do their teeth before everything started happening. When she got to the container, a naked young boy was standing there with his sippy cup in hand. "Dwink pwease Miss Sai-Anne?"
"Of course, Billy." She filled his cup and he drank from it as she was filling the others.
"Dank you." He set his cup down and shifted back to his fur form, then ran across the room and jumped back up on the bed and snuggled up under Willow's arm. The emotions snuck up on her, it reminded her of her little brother when they were young, and that made her think about home, and that led to crying softly as she set the cups and the bucket down on the small table. She felt strong arms wrap around her from behind, and she relaxed into the embrace of Megan.
"Hey, I'm the one who's supposed to be all emotional and crying at the drop of a hat," Megan joked as she relaxed her arms so Cheyenne could turn around. "Are you all right?"
She nodded. "Just thinking about my family." She let her arms fall until she was touching the sides of Megan's baby bump. "Are you not letting Mommy get her sleep, little one?"
Megan laughed. "It isn't that big yet, but I woke up with an insane urge for Mexican food. I mean, who wants a spicy breakfast burrito?"
"Pregnant werewolves whose mates will do anything to keep them happy." She looked over to where Al was digging through the food cabinets and the coolers, she could see salsa and tortillas already on the table.
"It actually sounds pretty good. Hey, I have some questions, would you mind talking for a bit while he's cooking?"
"Not at all, I'll tell him to make enough for all three of us." She looked around, knowing how sensitive wolf noses were, she shook her head. "He better make enough for everyone. Once that food starts cooking, he'll wake up the whole Pack."
"It's good for the men to cook, don't you think?" Al glared at them, then went back in the cabinets and grabbed more ingredients. Soon he had eggs, cheese, and a bunch of sausage on the table. "They have to do more than just kill it and bring it home to keep their woman happy."
She left the happy couple behind and brought the cup to Willow's bedside, then handed the bucket to Derek. The girls were still feverish and moved around in their discomfort, but she knew it was perfectly normal- and it was a lot less than what they had gone through earlier.
She moved back to where Al was starting to fire up the propane stove in their makeshift kitchen. "Anything I can help with?"
He glanced over to the table where the camping coffee pot was. "Can you make coffee?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm a barista, I worked in the Starbucks by the college." She moved over and started to fill the pot with water and put it on a back burner. "Beans?"
"No fancy stuff here, Folger's is in the cabinet."
"Oh my God, you people are so in the dark ages." She threw her hands in the air dramatically.
Megan snorted at her as she walked away. "Would it make you feel more at home if I ordered a Grande, Quad, Nonfat, One-Pump, No-Whip, Mocha?" she cracked as Cheyenne turned around with a red can in hand.
"Don't tell me you're one of those high-maintenance bitches who don't tip." She stared her down, then they both cracked up. "Besides, you're pregnant, and coffee isn't good for the baby. How about I get you an apple juice?"
Soon the basement was filled with the smell of frying sausage and eggs along with the coffee, and Al got help from several other Pack members as they started to put breakfast together for everyone. Willow joined them, she didn't even look up until after her first coffee. "I'm not a morning person," she apologized.
"No problem, girls. Now Cheyenne, what did you have questions about?" Megan put her burrito down as she looked across the table at them.
"Werewolves." Willow had looked up and answered first. "Cheyenne and I are thinking about being turned, Alpha has said he would do it if we wanted."
Cheyenne held her hand over hers. "We've seen how humans have fared in this, but if we change now it means even longer until we can search for our families. And if we wait..."
Al looked at them with sorrow in his eyes. "You might not find them." They nodded. "On the other hand, if you leave now, what are your chances of making it? And if you do make it, how will you get them to safety?" They looked down at the table. "And if you make it there, would you want them to become wolves as well?"
"I want them to live," Cheyenne said. "Right now, living means being a wolf, I mean, just look around here. Humans have no chance."
"So, you need to be wolves to save them." Al said somberly. "How else will you get there, and get them back? You are part of our Pack if you want to be, and your family will be welcome as well. You can have a life here, be part of something, part of the rebuilding of a new society."
"Do you ever regret being a werewolf?" Willow asked.
"No, I live among humans and always thought they were missing out." Megan looked around. "We live longer, heal faster, have better senses, stronger bodies and mates." She squeezed Al's hand. "If it hadn't been for the Alpha Council rules that strictly limited turns, I'd have asked all my friends to turn."
"And it's not just physical stuff," said Al. "Werewolf society is more stable, more of a family. We have clearly defined leadership and roles, we rally together and support each other. We also have stable relationships with other Packs, after all, that is where many of us find our mates. I found Megan at a pack in Colorado when I was visiting relatives." He leaned over and kissed her gently.
They made room as Alpha Calvin and Luna Kelly came over with their plates. Willow and Cheyenne looked at each other before they both nodded before Cheyenne spoke. "Alpha, we'd like to be changed."
"And we'd like to do it in a way that allows us to get to our families as soon as possible. I know Britney and Bethany will want to get their families, and Josi her Mom. How should we do this?"
Luna Kelly smiled and took both their hands. "I'm glad you came to this decision, we've come to care for you two a lot in these short days. We understand about your families, but we want you to be escorted by experienced wolves who can help you avoid detection."
Calvin nodded in assent. "I think tomorrow night would be a good time to do this, we can have a formal ceremony with the Pack. If you were to head for Salmon Pack as soon as the twins finish their change, you two could ride on the boys before your fever hits. The run will help the girls get used to their wolf forms. Alpha Richard could help you through the change, along with Josi. You stay in Salmon until after your change, then you can all make your way to Pocatello."
"That sounds good," Derek said as he came over to get breakfast. "The girls won't rest until they have found their families, and so the faster we do that the sooner we have them safe back here. I don't think things will get safer on the road as time goes on."
"Plus," Eric added, "this time we only have to carry ONE of you."
Willow chucked her napkin at him in mock outrage. "I can't BELIEVE you just called your mate fat! When she wakes up she's going to want a piece of you!"
"And you can bet I'll get a piece too!" The table erupted in laughter, setting the tone for another day.
-
Reggie was almost to his room when he realized he had forgotten to ask his Mom how best to get Josi to allow him to link her so he could apologize. He knew she was busy with Dad, so instead of using the link he walked back to their office. He was almost there when his mom's voice stopped him.
"HE'S YOUR DAUGHTER'S MATE!"
"He's dead to me now."
Reggie paled, he didn't know it was THIS bad. Rachel was not going to take this well, if he acted like that she would have to make a choice, and he knew which one HE would make now that he had a mate.
"He used to be human, Richard. He's bound to look at this differently than a born wolf."
"He was Pack, he had a wolf and a rank. He accepted all that when he was changed, and he damn well knew what he was doing when he did it. He wants to make Alpha decisions, he can be his own fucking Alpha."
