Werehuman

Midnight Mistakes

The barn was clean from most of the blood spatter and slowly, our farm was being converted into a place for ten people to cohabitate. We took most of the evening to clear out just one of the rooms in the shop; the boxes were piled outside near the dumpster. Only what could be used was saved; we had too many people and too little space.

Casey and Keith offered to sleep out there, and bedding was doled out by our watchful alphas. I wasn't as tired as I should have been, and so knocked gently on Ralph and Mel's bedroom door, hoping to talk to them.

All I heard was silence, and was just about to turn away when Mel finally opened the door. Her eyes were red and she wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Hey Conor," she said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I assured her. "I just wanted...we haven't talked about any of this. Everything changed and I..."

I wasn't sure what to say. Though they had put on a brave face for the pack, perhaps they were feeling more conflicted than appearances. Mel opened the door for me. Ralph was sitting in his chair next to the bed and I leaned against the bed, frowning at them.

"We murdered that pack," Ralph said, surprising me. It was an odd outburst. "We murdered that pack before we had been werewolves for even a day. And you know, it doesn't even bother me. And that's why I'm so scared."

"Because murdering them didn't bother you?" I asked, trying to understand. "They took Susie Lynn. They would have hurt others if they had the chance. They didn't give us a choice."

"And what will we do about the next pack?" Mel asked. "Or if someone here goes rogue, heaven forbid?" She scoffed. "Not that heaven has anything to do with it. We're unnatural."

Ralph had tried to explain their faith before, but I hadn't understood much. I still needed help using the microwave, trying to comprehend anything more supernatural was far too much for me.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I don't blame you, Conor," Mel sighed. "There are so many other people I can blame. We have to be better than that pack. I can't wake up in two days and find out I'm a monster. An uncontrollable monster. And I'm scared to death that's what I'll find." She trailed off and leaned against their bed, sobbing. Ralph rushed to her side and I stood by awkwardly, the root of all their troubles. Mel shuddered, and reached out a hand towards me. I reluctantly took it.

"We are family," Ralph told me. Tears flowed down Mel's face, but she nodded. "I don't care if we're human, or wolf, or werewolf. We are family and we will get through this. And it's going to be hard, and it's going to be weird, but hey, we have time, right?"

I nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I said.

Mel squeezed my hand and then released it. I stepped from the room, wishing there was something I could do. Nothing came to mind. Instead of heading to bed, I slipped outdoors, setting aside my shirt and shorts to change into my wolf form. It had been the first time I had ran alone for a while and though guineas squawked at me, the freedom of the night air was nice. I ran down to the north pasture, steering clear of the cows at the other end. The small creek wasn't much, but Ralph and I had carved out a decent sized pond. I jumped in, changing back into my human form. The moon was nearly full, giving me plenty of light to see the water.

I was floating quietly, pondering my week's adventures when I heard the rustling grass above me. I looked around and then realized a flashlight was coming towards me. If I got out, they would see that I was naked; humans usually took offense. He had already seen me, obviously; so changing into a wolf wasn't an option.