Werehuman

Surprise!

Casey and the others arrived not long after that. More surprising was the addition of Keith. He was watching me in particular and I swallowed nervously.

"I've never fixed a fence," Brian said cheerfully. "Is this wooden or barbed or what?"

"Hot wire," Ralph replied with a grin. "Don't worry, we'll turn it off first."

Those two and Aidan headed down to the stockyard. Katie offered to feed the chickens as Susie Lynn had forgotten and Daria followed her curiously.

"Conor, I need to speak with you," Keith told me. "Come on."

I thought Mel would step in and stop Keith from ordering me, but she didn't. Instead, she chatted with Casey, though watching me as I rounded the corner of the house out of eyeshot.

"What is it?" I asked, hoping that Keith wasn't going to drag me back to the camp with them.

Keith attempted a smile. "Don't look so worried, Conor. I'm not spiriting you away. But I do need to talk with you about...something a bit serious. Hear me out first." Keith paused and then sighed. "Do you think that Ralph or Mel were bit?"

"What? No. Why..."

"Because Casey said they were quite beat up when you two first arrived and now both of them look fine," he said. "Because they ordered me and Casey around last time we were here like that was their job. Because Mel telling me that the pack should stay has totally pit the pack against me, and they shouldn't behave like that unless there was another alpha. My money's on Ralph and Mel."

"But they said they weren't bit..."

I trailed off, uncertain if they had said so specifically. Keith had some compelling arguments and now had made me uncertain. He shifted his stance, looking uncomfortable.

"If that's the case, the full moon will be dangerous for everyone. I can't control the pack like I have in the past; we have three brand new werewolves, and Katie, who no one knows anything about, isn't making matters any better. If they truly are our new alphas, then fine. I can concede gracefully and we can move here and whatever else they want. But we have to make it through this full moon first."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Have you talked to Casey?"

"Of course I've talked to Casey. She says you don't experience full moon like we do. I'm talking to you because it would be a hell of a lot easier to have this conversation with you on my side that all of you vilifying me. Please, Conor."

"I thought alphas had to fight each other," I said cautiously.

"We do. And if you remember the altercation at the table during that lunch we shared, you'll recall that I didn't win. Being alpha is about being strongest mentally, not just physically."

"Oh."

I tried to see past Keith's bravado, hoping that he just wanted what was best for the pack, now nearly twice as large. I wasn't sure how this would play out, but I put a hand on his arm. It seemed like the right gesture and he gave me a half smile.

"We can talk to Mel," I said. "And then Ralph. Did you talk to the rest of the pack about this?"

Keith shook his head, and we rejoined Casey and Mel standing on the porch. Keith was right; Mel didn't have a single bruise on her. Even Katie looked more battered.

"Glad to see you two back intact," Mel noted. "Anything important we should know?"

"Mel, were you bit?" I asked.