“Protect her. Make her welcome for as long as she wants to stay here. I will return Friday evening to listen to your requests.”
The crowd before us quieted, and she stepped off the porch, obviously intending to leave me. I panicked. My mouth opened, but before I could ask her to wait, the woman disappeared and a white wolf stood in her place. My heart beat hard against my ribs. I struggled to breathe as she turned. Was I a fool to stand in a yard full of wolves? I swallowed hard against the remembered sensation of teeth breaking through my skin. The white wolf nudged my hand with her nose.
“We can smell your fear and hear your heartbeat,” Mary said gently from beside me. “We can sense lies and taste freedom. She says she sees so much potential in you and wonders, if we can do all that, what can you do, Charlene?”
I met the white wolf’s steady gaze and struggled with my choices. These creatures attacked me, bit me, then bandaged me up and protected me. They could do things regular people couldn’t. How long had they existed yet remained hidden from the real world? I was foolish to stay, but was I more foolish to consider leaving?
“I can keep secrets,” I said. Theirs and my own.
The wolf bobbed its head, turned, and I barely caught the streak of white as she left. The other wolves in the yard hardly gave her a glance; they watched me.
“Are you hungry?” Mary asked after a moment.
“Very.” I looked over at her. The shirt just managed to cover her. Still, I blushed seeing her standing there, close to naked, in front of a group of twenty wolves. Wolves that were also men. Given her complete ease with it, I wondered how much time she spent as a girl versus a wolf. Then, I cringed as I considered what her idea of food might be.
“Um, what do you eat?”
She smiled at me. “Rabbit’s good. Let’s go back inside. Someone will bring in wood and a rabbit or two for us, and we’ll have roasted meat. .”
I glanced at the group and blushed further as I imagined them strolling in, wearing nothing. I leaned toward Mary.
“If they change into men, can they wear pants, please?” I whispered. A few of the wolves made a coughing noise.
“We have very good hearing,” she said with a laugh. She tugged me back through the door. “We’ll see what we can do about clothes. Wini mentioned you might find it embarrassing if we walked about without them.”
“Do you usually? Walk around without clothes, I mean,” I said as I followed her down the hall.
She smiled and touched the shirt she wore before answering.
“I usually walk around with fur.”
We entered the main room, and I was surprised to see wood near an already lit fire. She walked toward the fireplace and sat near the flames. Though it was warm outside, it was cool enough inside that the fire wasn’t too much.
“I’m glad you’re staying, by the way,” she said.
“I never said that.” Yet, here I was. “Will everyone else stay outside?” I asked. The possibility of lying down for a nap drew me to her side. My throat was getting sore, and I was tired from so little sleep the night before. But I wanted to know how safe it would be to sleep.
“Yes. Not many of us like to stay in these buildings.”
“Good. If it’s all right with you, I think I’ll lay down for a bit. You’ll stay with me?”
She nodded, and I lay on the floor and closed my eyes.
The smell of roasting meat invaded my dreams, and I woke with a growling stomach.
Mary knelt by the fire, watching a rabbit cook. She wore loose pants, now, though her feet were still bare. As if sensing my regard, she turned.
“It’s just about done,” she said.
I sat up and winced at the soreness in my neck.
“Wini suggested we clean your neck with alcohol a few times today.” She tilted her head and watched me closely. When I didn’t say anything, she grabbed the white bottle beside her and handed it to me. On top rested a clean cotton cloth. I stared at the cloth and frowned. Where were they getting all these supplies from? She caught my look.
“Dad sent others for more things. I have clothes, and you have a bed.”
I wet the piece of cloth with alcohol as I turned my head and saw a narrow bed set up beside me. It looked very similar to the bed I’d left behind. The white, wood frame supported the metal spring on which the mattress lay. A clean comforter covered the mattress, and a fluffy pillow rested by the headboard. I reached out, tugged the comforter back, and saw white sheets. A complete bed. I touched the mattress with longing. How had they managed that?
Mary took the rabbit from the fire and set it on a ceramic plate, pulling my attention from the bed. I absently started to dab the alcohol on my neck and cringed from the sting of it. Trying to distract myself, I looked around and noted other additions.