“That last day, I slipped down to the water’s edge to get some water to drink. I heard a person coming, only when I looked at first, I didn’t think it was him. Until he said, ‘One less werewolf to hunt down!’ And began shooting. I meant to bolt, but he shot so many bullets at me, I didn’t think I could run away. Instead, I collapsed and played dead.”
Except that she’d stopped breathing and had nearly died. Allan remembered the horror of that day as if it had just happened. Debbie’s eyes filled with tears. He took her hand and held it, but it wasn’t enough. He tucked her under his arm and she relaxed against him. He could only imagine what she was feeling—that she had intended to put the wolf, Tara, out of her misery. That if he hadn’t stopped Debbie, she would have killed her.
“All of you have worked so hard to keep the pack safe from other wolves, from rabid wolves in the past, and from humans who would kill us if they knew what we were. I…I just wanted to help. I’m so sorry. I know what I did was wrong, and it could have gotten us all in a lot of trouble.” Tara looked at Debbie. “I’m so sorry, Debbie. I don’t know how you could be managing with all this thrust on you so suddenly. It’s all my fault and I feel terrible.”
Debbie swallowed hard. “We’re both alive and the man responsible is still out there. He’s the one who’s at fault. Not you.”
Tara’s eyes filled with tears and she looked down at her hands, but then she turned her attention to Debbie again. “I’m sorry I got you involved in this, but for Allan’s sake, I’m glad you’re one of us.”
Allan rubbed Debbie’s arm. “I agree with you on that.”
Lori then talked about protocols and how everyone was supposed to talk with her or Paul first before they ventured into something risky that might cause trouble for the pack.
Debbie was quiet and Allan wondered what she was thinking about all this. That she was living a real nightmare? He rubbed her arm and gave her body a reassuring squeeze.
With the pack leader business finished, Tara and her mother and brother left.
Lori said, “I hope we didn’t upset you by having you join us in the meeting, Debbie.”
Allan knew Lori and Paul wanted to include her because she’d been so involved in what had happened, and Tara had wanted to say she was sorry. They had also wanted to impress upon her, as well as Tara and her family, the importance of the pack and how everything that might involve them had to be cleared through the leaders.
“No. I was glad to be able to tell Tara it wasn’t her fault I was injured so badly,” Debbie said. “I didn’t even realize she had felt she was responsible. I…felt awful that I might have killed her if Allan hadn’t stopped me.”
“You wanted only the best for the welfare of the wolf, had it been strictly a wolf.” Lori took Paul’s hand. “Are you ready to go home? I think I need to lie down.”
“That means I’ve got massage duty,” Paul said.
“Did anyone learn anything about any local medical facility taking care of a man suffering from a gunshot wound?” Allan asked.
“No. I wonder if he took care of it himself,” Paul said.
“Maybe he won’t be able to shoot anyone else.” Debbie sounded hopeful.
“Infection, loss of blood, or both could really hamper his ability to do anyone any more harm.” Allan walked Paul and Lori out to their car. “Unless…”
“He’s a wolf like us and his healing abilities saved his life,” Lori said. “Wouldn’t that be ironic?”
“And not in a good way,” Paul said.
“I’m going to change,” Debbie said. “Night, all.”
As soon as she headed for her bedroom, Lori whispered, “Change for bed or shift into her wolf?”
“Shift,” Allan said.
“How are things between the two of you?” Lori asked.
“No courting or dating.” Then he smiled. “All that matters is a mating, so however we get there, if we do, it works for me.”
*
“Today, we’re starting a new routine,” Allan said after the second week of Debbie’s shifting. She was having a little more control over it as they approached the week of the new moon. He had seen how often she kept checking the lunar calendar he had bought her. She couldn’t wait as she marked off the days in black Magic Marker. “We’re going to have daily guests for a while.”
She grumbled. “I’m being treated like a new puppy that needs to be socialized with others.”
He smiled. She had often mentioned how she felt like a new puppy, learning all she could about living as a part-time canine. It had been like that for her to some extent, but she wasn’t puppy age and she had her adult human perspective on life in general. She’d been really good about all the lessons, and he hoped this would help to show their pack unity and make her feel welcome. To start out, mostly just the members of the original pack visited: Paul and Lori, Allan’s mom and sister and her mate, and Lori’s grandmother. Everyone came at different times of the day on separate days and usually alone so Debbie didn’t feel overwhelmed. Later, newer members of the pack visited. All had worked out well.