2 Chapter Two

Emerging from the forest a few steps behind Henry, I saw it in all its magnificent glory.

Home.

It wasn't really home; not in the way that you would think. I didn't live here, but my entire life was here. Known to locals as Vineyard Manor, but known to us as the headquarters of the Maine werewolf pack.

The house wasn't as large and overbearing as its name would have you believe. It was a two storey build, and it looked like an oversized hunting cabin. There was a porch that stretched right around the exterior of the building, which ended with a seating area. The forest almost entirely closed it in, the trees were so close to the walls. The only way in was either via a half day walk through the forest, or down a very long and windy dirt track, which was also cleverly disguised. It was almost impossible to just stumble upon the house by accident, which was exactly the idea.

From the upper level of the house, there was a panoramic view of the mountains. From the lower level, all you could see was forest. The perfect abode for the big bad werewolves that were currently sitting on the back porch, laughing and drinking together. They sat out in just jeans and t shirts, most of them, despite the thick layer of snow on the ground and the icy chill in the air.

It was a full moon tonight; not that that is at all important. I am telling you that only to let you know straight up that the whole 'full moon' legend is a load of crap. Werewolves can change at will, and the moon has absolutely nothing to do with one of us going mad with blood lust. It is like exercise; some will run for fun, and others won't get off their asses more than they need to. Eventually though, sitting on your ass gives you cramp, and you have to get up and walk it off. Changing form is the same; you've got to do it every so often. With the land that the pack has at their disposal though, most of us change at least once a week.

I waved at my Dad who was sat amongst the group. He winked back at me, the moonlight glinting in his eyes, which were already a little bit glassy from the beer he was drinking. "Hey, there's my little cub!"

Dad didn't drink much, and only ever with the rest of the pack. It had only been me and him growing up; my Mom left almost as soon as I was born. She didn't know what my Dad was. They weren't married or anything, they were only dating and I was a complete mistake.

'You were not a mistake, Madison.' I can almost hear my Dad sigh. 'You were just a very happy accident.' He said the same thing every time I had brought it up growing up, when the other kids at school had questioned why I didn't have a Mom, and was she dead? Or did she just not want me?

They had both been pretty young, Mom was nineteen and Dad was twenty-two. They had met at some college party, hit it off... and continued to hit it off for a few weeks after that. Mom found out she was pregnant about five months later, but by then it was too late.

Not all babies born of werewolves actually become werewolves. It is like any gene; there is a chance that it may or may not be passed down. Luckily for me, it was. I guess that would have been a shock for Mom if she had stuck around to find out. As it happens, she was gone within six months of me being born. It has just been me and Dad ever since.

Well, it has never really just been the two of us. We had the pack. Dad told me the stories of how the other families helped out when I was growing up; especially Henry's mom. Sierra Barton had helped raise me, she babysat me when Dad had to work, and she braided my hair for school dances. She helped me when I got my first period, and when I got my first taste of heartbreak after being dumped by Ross Mitchell in middle school, right after we kissed. Dad could never handle all of that stuff.

Henry was a year older than me, but we had been brought up together. We used to be super close, until he went to high school. By the time I was in my freshman year, Henry was already in a new crowd. He was trying out for the basketball team, after impressing the coach the year before, and he was dating Sophia Michaels, one of the most popular girls in school. He didn't have time for me any more. Except when we were all back home, at headquarters. When we could run together, and it would feel like old times.

"Coke?"

I blinked, pulled from my thoughts, and glanced up to see I was stood in the kitchen. Henry was standing in front of me, his black hair pushed back off his forehead, staying in place due a mixture of moisture from the snow and sweat from the run. He was holding out a bottle of coke to me. I took it with a small smile, cracking it open and taking a sip. Then I pulled myself up so I was sat on the counter top next to where he was leaning.

We stayed like that for a little while, just drinking our drinks, enjoying each others company. The silence was comfortable, but it always was with us.

"So, erm... how have you been?" Henry's voice broke the silence, and I blinked. Maybe it wasn't as comfortable as I thought it was.

"Good. I tried out for the cheerleading squad."

He turned to look at me, as if to check if I was kidding. I was not what you would expect for a cheerleader. Sure, I was physically fit; you had to be when you were part canine. But looks wise, I was absolutely ordinary. My hair was shoulder length and brown, and it was currently pulled back into a messy bun, the way it always was. I was wearing an old pair of Adidas leggings with a hole in the knee, and an oversized hoody that I think actually belonged to my Dad. My sneakers, which were once white, were now a yellowy sort of colour and caked in mud.

"Really?" He asked, and I could see the smirk playing at his lips. He was trying not to laugh, but I could see that it was difficult for him.

I rolled my eyes. "Did Sophia not tell you?"

He shook his head, and his eyes dropped to gaze at the floor. "No, erm... me and Sophia broke up. A while ago actually."

"Shit!" I cursed. "I'm sorry... I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged at that, "We haven't really hung out much lately, Maddie."

'And whose fault is that?' I thought. I had asked him to hang out plenty of times, to watch a movie, to see a concert, just to go for ice-cream. Henry always had an excuse, and I always vowed that I would stop asking. I never did stop though. I couldn't.

"I guess." I carried on, "Well, I figured it would look good on college applications, to have some extra-curricular activities. The track team was my first choice, but my speed and stamina might raise suspicions, you know, considering how much better I am at long distance than you." That earned me a playful thump on the arm. I laughed. "Anyway, I didn't get picked. Sophia said I didn't have the right look for cheerleading." My hands made air quotes as I said, and he chuckled.

"Screw them." He exclaimed, knocking me lightly, shoulder to shoulder. "You are way too good to be a cheerleader. They are so full of themselves."

I scoffed at that. "Henry, you have fooled around with almost the entire cheerleading squad. You can't think they are that bad. Plus, you dated the current captain for like, a year!"

"Ten months, actually. And exactly, my experience makes me fully qualified to confirm that you are absolutely not cheerleading material, and in the best way possible." He stepped in front of me now, placing his hands on my thighs as he looked straight into my eyes. "You are too kind, smart and funny to be a cheerleader."

My stomach somersaulted at his words. He thinks I am kind, smart and funny? Is that just a nice way of saying I am unattractive? I looked up at him, shaking my head so that my fringe flopped to the side, out of my eyes. He was still looking at me. Was he waiting for me to do something? I could lean in and kiss him. His lips were right there, all pink and plump, slightly chapped from the cold. Just do it, Madison! What's the worst that could happen?

He stepped back, and then ruffled my hair. "Anyway, cub, I am heading out with the guys. I'll see you around."

And with that, he left.

*

Cub. Henry had called me cub. Only my Dad, and some of the other elders, called me cub.

I wasn't even a year younger than him. Henry's birthday was in January, and mine was October. That is only ten months.

I huffed as I dragged myself outside to join my Dad on the porch, slumping into the empty deck chair beside him. He glanced over as I did so, sensing something was wrong. "Everything okay, Mads?"

I plastered a fake smile onto my face. Dad didn't want to hear about my teenage woes of unrequited love. "Fine. Are you ready to go home?"

As if in answer, he picked up the beer bottle that had been on the floor at his feet. He held it up to the porch light to see how much was left. "Let me finish this drink, and we will head out, alright?"

I nodded, and settled back into my seat. Most of the male members of the pack were here tonight. The pack wasn't huge. There was one in most of the states, with the alphas meeting regularly to maintain communication and respect. On my Dad's other side was Michael, and next to him sat Travis. Henry's dad, Dan, was opposite, with our Alpha, Ray, sat beside him. Finally, Jackson sat on the porch steps. The only ones missing were Ryan and Joe. Ryan was in London, attending a conference on something or other. He was a History professor at the University of Maine. And Joe... well Joe had a new girlfriend. I don't think I need to explain any further.

Henry's mom, Sierra, was a werewolf, and so was Michael's wife Hayley. But they rarely attended the little get togethers, having to stay home with the real cubs; their younger children.

I sat and listened to the conversation, the buzz in the air palpable and helping me to forget my bad mood following my conversation with Henry.

Then the conversation was suddenly interrupted by a cell phone ringing. Ray pulled his from his pocket, and his mouth spread into a thin line when he looked at the caller ID. "I will just take this inside." He said. He didn't need to say anything else; the tone of his voice told everyone that the Alpha needed privacy for this conversation. That meant he would take the call right on the other side of the house, in the den, so that even enhanced werewolf hearing would struggle to overhear.

After about fifteen minutes had passed, Jackson finally broke the awkward silence that had fallen on the group. He was the youngest of the main pack, at thirty. Henry and I were not officially allowed to undertake pack duties until we were twenty one and finished college. Ray was serious about that; he always said that whilst being a werewolf was important, so was living your life, and he would not let pack life get in the way of that if he could help it.

"What do you figure is going on?" Jackson asked.

Dad shrugged, "I don't know. There was some trouble in New York last month. Billy called Ray to give him the heads up in case it spread north, but I thought it was under control."

At that, the back door was pushed open and Ray stepped onto the porch. He had a grave expression on his face.

Dan stood quickly up from his seat. "Everything okay boss?"

Ray didn't respond to him directly, he just looked over at me. "Madison, can you please call Henry, and go and collect him and take him home immediately. Everyone else... Pack meeting, inside. Now."