Shifters Pen

5

Being a werewolf was amazing! I chatted with Joe, “I’m cinnamon colored! At least I get to have 3 good hair days out of the month. And no one, no one, bothered me.”
  I couldn’t see his face, “Even Luke?”
  I blushed a bit, “Well, there may have been a thing.”
  He grumped, “A thing?”
  “We weren’t exactly in the drivers seat. It’s like sitting in the passengers seat. I can see things happening, but have no control over what is happening.”
  “Uh huh. So there was a thing, in wolf form?”
  I was so embarrassed. “Nevermind I said that. I turned into a wolf. Not a coyote. Not a snake. A wolf. Maybe I won’t be evil at all.”
  Joe smiled. “I’m telling you girl, you are only as evil as you make yourself.”
  It made me feel better. Maybe he was right. And now I was a werewolf. I was redeemable. I could get out of here. But it would take time.
  The hallway light flashed blue. “What’s that mean?”
  Joe groaned. “Test time.”
  Above the door it flashed ‘LM report to station one. JB report to station 4.’
  “Station one is the cafeteria.” He stood and stretched, leaving for the test.
  I found my way to the cafeteria with several others. Luke was here. He saved me a spot. His beta wasn’t thrilled that it was not for him, and glared at me before moving further down the table. Everyone had what I would define as a pencil nub and a sheet of paper. It said, “On a scale of one to ten”
How violent were you this week?
How fulfilled were you?
  I chuckled and pointed to the second one, nudging Luke and circling 10. He hid his grin behind a hand, like he was thinking of how to answer a question, but I could feel his joy. Hang on, I could feel his emotions. How?
  He looked from me to the clock. We would talk later. We completed the questionnaire, and he tapped mine gently, reminding me to write the message. I covered my test up and wrote.
Asterion,
Is there any chance of getting Birth Control Pills in here?
Lucy
  Then I flipped it over when turning it into the basket. I looked around, and noticed Harold looking around. He seemed to be waiting for something. Like a bell to ring and class to be over. He was very much like a child. Then I realized he couldn’t read the test. He had no idea what it said.
  The teacher in me couldn't resist. “Hey Harold. What did you think of that first question? ‘Scale of one to ten how violent were you last week?’
  He sat up proudly, “I got into a fight with JJ about sleeping on the top bunk. But no one bothered me about the food so much.”
  I nodded, “So, about what, a 5 or 6?”
  He nodded and circled the number. “Hey, what did you think of the second one?”
  The cafeteria emptied out steadily as we went through each question as if we were talking about it. He proudly placed his test in the basket and left.
  Luke approached me, “You didn't have to do that.”
  I blinked. “Yes, I did. He is my friend. And for 3 days out of the month I am his luna. You said luna's look out for children. And if Harold isn't a child then I am a monkey's uncle. Besides, I am a reading and writing teacher. We thrive on offering dignity to people who may not understand something.”
  Beta Kevin snorted, “Dignity? How much can you offer while you're off getting humped by Luke in the yard?”
  I blushed, and Luke threw him to the floor, kicking the crap out of him. “That’s my mate! Your luna! You don't disrespect her!” He kicked him once more, leaving Kevin groaning on the floor.
  Then, as rough as he had been with his beta he took my hand gently, and led me away. I helped him fold towels, feeling emotions surging through him. He was angry one second and confounded the next.
  “So did I do something wrong?”
  He looked at me, and warmth ran through my body. Was that my emotion, or his? He sighed, “You did the right thing. I just never thought of Harold like a child, until you said it today. I have seen him as a stupid idiot, a horrible cook, an inconvenience. But you're right. I treated him badly, when I should be protecting and guiding him. Harold has been sitting through those tests for years now, and probably never answered any questions until today. Who knows? He might be out of here by now if he had help.”
  I kissed his jaw. “I give you an A on your essay, Luke. You learned a lot. I will see you at dinner.”
  He yearned after me as I headed out. But he didn’t have condoms, and I didn’t have anything either. It was better not to tempt fate. I was trying to remember when my last period started. I wasn't always regular. Sometimes I would go 6 weeks between periods, sometimes as much as 3 months. When had my last period been? It was before dad died. At least 2 months then. Yeah, better not to tempt fate.
  Besides, I wasn't sure I was ready to have sex with Luke, but not wake up beside him. When we mated he was there, in human form, and then in wolf form. But it would feel like prostitution almost to leave him and sleep away from him. I had never really liked the one night stand idea.
  Harold was ready to make fries and nuggets, again. We'd had those several days in a row. I opened the freezer and found why. It was a mess. A horrible mess. Except for the fries and nuggets. “Harold, why are there broken, frozen eggs in here?”
  He grinned a guilty grin. “Well, I can scramble eggs, so I ordered some. Then I put them in here, and stuck the case of beans on top, and bag of rice, and they went squish.”
  Squish indeed. Squish and freeze. I had wondered why the cans of beans were cold. He had been freezing them. “Beans and rice do not go in coolers, but eggs do. However they shouldn't be frozen. Show me the cooler.”
  He shrugged, “Don't know why you want to see that. It's broken.” He showed me to a cooler door. “No, don't open it.” Too late. Things were growing in there. I nearly vomited.
  He pushed the door closed.
  I walked away. Everyone had been living on reheated nuggets and fries for who knows how long, because the cooler was broken and Harold didn't know where anything went.
  “How do you order food?”
  He showed me how nuggets were at the top of one page and fries the top of the next. He was doing his best, and no one had been helping him. I couldn't get too mad at him.
  But I could be Luna and get everyone fed better than this. “Alright Harold, we are gonna do something different. I am going to give you a hard job for the next couple of days. I need you to do a good job though.”
  He was happy to help. “What's that?”
  “You are going to clean out the freezer. I will make dinner, and tell you if the food can go back into the freezer or not. Then I am going to order hamburgers, pancake mix, biscuit mix, sausage, and a few other things. I'm going to need you to clean out the cooler, make it completely empty and sanitized. Then I can order milk, eggs, and other things.”
  “Blood? The vampires aren't happy with me.”
  Blood. Of course, the vampires drank blood. There was none of that in this kitchen anywhere. 40% of the prison was a starving vampire. Not good at all. “Just start with the freezer.” The other 60% needed to eat too.
  I turned the ovens on and started preparing nuggets and fries. Hopefully it would be the last batch for a while. Then I started calculating how much money I had to spend on each group. The vampires food was going to be expensive. They couldn't have human blood. But I could order pig, sheep, chicken, and cow blood from butcher companies. Tyson sold more than nuggets. Jimmy Dean had more than sausages. They had the blood from those animals.
  Without the cooler fixed I could only serve actual blood to the vampires on order day. But it was better than nuggets. I decided to serve rolls and a creamy sausage potato soup on order day. Since everyone else was having pork I bought pig's blood.
  I hated the idea of it, but bought powdered eggs and milk. My order grew. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and not one nugget did I order. I submitted it.
  Then I fixed dinner up fast. The men were rather disappointed in the nuggets. I noticed the vampires looked sick. Yes, undead, but not well. No one taunted me, or said anything though.
  Until I sat down at my table. Kevin was not going to say anything, but another guy I didn't know the name of asked, “Do you know how to cook anything else?”
  Anger was growing within Luke. I lay a hand on his leg and he settled down. I faced the man, “The kitchen has been down a cooler, and most of the freezer has been a mess that contends with art class. I have ordered some stuff today though, so fear not. Your diet will be changing. If anyone is interested in trying to repair a cooler then I could make it even better.”
  The cafeteria went silent, then curious, happy discussions broke out everywhere. Luke had to know, “What's on the menu?”
  I had a feeling he meant more than the food we would be eating. I smiled, “Wishful thinking Alpha Luke?”
  He shrugged, “Maybe. Is pizza on the list?”
  “Nope. Maybe next time.”
  Another asked, “burgers?”
  “No cooler. I can't serve it with lettuce, tomatoes or cheese. But I am going to make salisbury steak, gravy, and mashed potatoes.”
  Luke grinned, looking to the heavens, “Thank you Goddess!”
  I chuckled. “Does anyone here have experience fixing coolers?”
  A man I didn't know, and who didn't smell like a werewolf or vampire approached our table. Luke wore a cool expression, but felt wary, untrusting. “I used to work on A/C units. I could try taking a look.” How could I smell what he wasn’t? Werewolf powers.
  “And what, exactly do you want in payment IF you get it fixed?” Luke asked, an arm protectively on my shoulders.
  The man eyed me. “I want a steak, baked potato with butter and sour cream, and fresh baked bread and a beer.” A steakhouse. He wanted a steakhouse.
  I considered that. “I can swing everything but the beer. The bread will be a challenge, but I think I can do it.”
  “How about soda?”
  I had to order everything by the case. “I can make iced tea.”
  “Southern style?” This man.
  I nodded. I could afford a cup of sugar in a pitcher of tea. “But it has to be fixed, and running long enough for me to get in an order. Steak can be frozen, but it's better when it isn’t. Butter, sour cream, eggs for bread. Those need a refrigerator, not a freezer.” I felt it only fair to warn him, “It’s disgusting right now. I wouldn't be surprised if little green men crawled out of it.”
  He nodded, “Two possibilities of the problem. If you clean it out, and it still doesn't work it's probably the cooler gas needs to be changed out. Let me know.” Then he walked away.
  Luke never took his eyes off of him. “He is a wendigo.”
  He liked eating people. He wanted to be in proximity of me. Was I supposed to be the steak? Well, he would just have to get in line. 60% of Shifters Pen thought of me as a tasty morsel. However, I could possibly take that number down a bit. I knew what it would take, and was a bit worried about it.
  “Trust me for a moment. I gotta do some research.”
  Luke watched as I stood and walked to another table, in the corner. It was full of high ranking vampires. One of them smelled like an old man. The others deferred to him. “May I take a moment of your time?”
  His eyes smiled, “The Luna has manners. Gents, make room.”
  They scooted over, and one even left to dump his tray. “Thank you. My name is Lucy, and I am the new cook here. I was taking a gander at the order book, and came across various forms of blood. How much blood do you generally consume in a day?”
  I had their undivided attention. The old man pursed his lips, “It can vary. We should have one 8 ounce cup a day, at least. With that we could supplement with rarer meats and whatever you are serving the rest.”
  I blinked, “Do you ever enjoy mixing flavorings or things into the blood? Spices, or iron supplements, or anything?”
  The vampire laughed, “Iron? Am I that pale?” He looked at his wrinkled hand. He frowned, “Maybe it wouldn't hurt to try. As for flavors added to the blood go crazy. Just no rat poison. That won't kill me, but it does leave me trapped by the toilet at strange hours.”
  I nodded. “So, some wendigo is going to try to fix the cooler. I have already ordered some pig's blood, but I kept the blood order to one meal for this week. I just can't guarantee that the cooler will be repaired. I will try my best to supplement with rare meats for your kind until I am certain the cooler works. Unless you can freeze blood?”
  All of the vampires shuddered at that. “No. Never freeze blood. Chill it? Sure. Warm it? Please. Never freeze it.”
  “Is there anything else I should know about feeding vampires? Is garlic OK?”
  A vampire with a distinctly Italian accent said, “If garlic killed a vampire I would have died 800 years ago.”
  The old vampire, who was older than 800, said, “Nothing. Thank you for the inquiry.”
  I stood with a smile, “You are welcome. If any of you gents have a suggestion for me please let me know.”
  One said, “No chicken nuggets for a while.”
  “Only if I am sick and no one can help Harold in the kitchen. But not while I have the oven.”
  The vampires blinked slowly, reminding me of a cat that did that to show me she liked me. I might have made friends here. I headed back to my table.

  Great Goddess above! She had just approached Nostradamus and had an actual conversation with him. How did she do that without blood being spilled? He was not known for being approachable. Maybe he just wanted to get a good look at the female inside.
  He didn't touch her though. 400 werewolves were watching. It wouldn't have been healthy for him to touch her. She was triumphant, and radiant as she ran her fingers along my shoulders. “I have to get to bed early tonight. Early morning. How am I supposed to shower?”
  I had visions of she and I partaking in a very pleasant shower. Naked in the water. Her body pressed to mine.
  “Luke. Blink.” She was bemused. Men were trying to stifle chuckles. I'd been caught.
  I cleared my throat. “I will clear the area, and we will guard you.”
  She nodded. I followed her. She was thinking the same things as me, but there was a sense of trepidation around her desires. She was worried something could come of it. I would respect that. There had been nothing about birth control pills for her being shipped. I had to be patient. She didn't want me to touch her like that now. Respect.
  I took a little bit of my frustration out on the two guys showering. I tossed their soapy asses out, and gave the room to Lucy.
  She stopped in front of me. “It’s nothing personal.”
  I nodded, “I know.”
  She kissed me sweetly. I groaned. This was not helping me. She pulled back and headed to a faucet. Her jumpsuit came off. Was this respectful? I couldn't turn away. Water ran down her body. Her hair got wet. She used a couple of pumps of shampoo in her hair. Her eyes closed as she rinsed it. I heard a noise in the hall.
  No! No one would see her this way, except for me. In the hallway I found a very low ranking wolf. “They have Harold.”
  “Who does?”
  “The Hexenwolves. They have him in the yard.”
  I turned to Kevin. He was ready, despite me kicking his ass earlier. Fast healing. “Take the men from level one and two. Save Harold. Make sure those freaks know not to mess with us again.”
  “Yes Alpha.” and he and half my men were gone. Saving Harold.
  I stood my ground outside the shower. No one would come close. A couple eyed the door on their way past, but none stopped, especially when they saw me glaring at them.
  Long minutes went by. She came out of the shower. Her hair was wrapped up in the towel. It looked ridiculous. But she was scrubbed clean. I escorted her to her cell. Joe was there. I felt relief. “Branson, keep her here. I got business.”
  Joe said, “You ain't my alpha.”
  He was right. I wasn’t his alpha. But I was hers. I hated doing it but I gave her a Command, “Don't leave this cell without a guard.” I turned and hurried off.
  She yelled behind me, “What's going on? Luke! Dammit!”
  I was running full tilt now. Jumping down the stairs. Racing to the yard. 200 werewolves surrounded 20 hexenwolves. Sounds reached my ears.
  “Back! Or he's dead!” I saw Armin holding a claw to Harold's throat. They could turn into a wolf whenever. However, their wolves weren't anything special. They weren't exactly large, or fast, and not as strong as us. They didn't heal like we did.
  “You sure you want to hurt him?”
  Armin said, “He isn't in your pack. Why does this concern you?”
  I stepped closer. Harold was hurt. A busted lip, bleeding nose, black eyes. Anger roared in me. My wolf wanted to shred pelt wearing Armin. I was tempted to let him. “He is one of mine. Release him and I will only hurt you like you hurt him.”
  Armin didn't like the agreement. I was on him before he could blink. He shifted into a wolf and clawed at me. Skin tore, but I didn't care. I had him around the midsection and started squeezing. He yelped as I broke ribs and made organs change into abnormal shapes. He yelped again. Then I grabbed him by his hind feet and smacked his head into the pavement of the basketball court. The bloodstain of his brains might never come out. I didn’t care.
  I took a stance over Harold. “Now, which wannabe wolf is next?”
  They backed off.