Derek felt like his head never stopped moving from the moment Stephan took him through the double doors that led into the building. It still possessed the feel of an industrial site, with its bare concrete walls and the lingering smell of oil. The first room they came to was a huge, open space, what Derek assumed had been the main part of the factory when it had still been in business. It had since been filled with various pieces of furniture, and the furthest part of the room had been sectioned off with drywall.

He gazed up at the ceiling, seeing the sunlight coming through the skylights. “How long have you been living here?”

“Sean became Alpha a few years ago, and he chose this spot just after that,” Stephan told him.

“Was it always like this?” Derek asked.

“It was a mess when he first bought it. There was still factory equipment in here and it looked like no one had touched the place in years. It took us a while to clean it out and get working on making it habitable. He kept most of the pack in a nearby apartment building while we worked on it,” Stephan said.

That surprised Derek a little. “You all cleaned it up?”

Stephan nodded. “Once we got the dangerous stuff out, we even had the kids in here to help. They didn’t really have to do much, but we could give them a broom and set them to work in a room where the rest of us were trying to scrub things down or whatever we were doing. Sometimes we’d camp out in the old offices that are still here. Richard was a journeyman carpenter before he joined up with our pack, and he was a lot of help getting the living area set up and doing repairs around the place.”

Derek pointed to the furthest and cleanest wall in the room. “Is that where the living quarters are?”

“That’d be it. The whole room used to be a lot bigger, since it was the factory floor. We cut a whole section of the place off by throwing up that wall and then dividing it into different rooms. We turned a room back there into a communal shower room too,” Stephan said, pointing in that general direction.

“Communal? You all shower together?” Derek asked, remembering that it was a human custom to shower privately.

“It was easier than building a bunch of individual showers for everyone to use. We aren’t much different than you forest folk in that way. We don’t really care too much about being naked around one another,” Stephan said with a shrug.

Derek smiled. “We were always taught that Gaia gave us the bodies she did for a reason, and that there shouldn’t be any shame with regards to her gifts. Sometimes I wonder if they only said that because our only option for a long time was to bathe in the forest lakes and streams. It’s difficult to have privacy when you’re bathing in the open.”

“Eh, kinda the same thing here. It was a lot cheaper and simpler to just create one big shower area for everyone to use. Sean had already poured a lot of money into the place as it was, and we didn’t wanna burn through even more of it building individual showers,” Stephan explained.

“I take it everyone has their own place to sleep then?” Derek asked.

“Technically, the kids sleep in the same room as their parents or whoever they want really. We all kinda take turns watching over the pups, so most of the time they just curl up next to whoever they feel like. Sean’s got his own room too, but he usually ends up crashing in his office or on a couch out here,” Stephan said, nodding toward a door off to the right of them.

“He has an office?” Derek asked.

Stephan shrugged. “It makes it easier for him, I guess. He can keep all the stuff he needs to make decisions in one place. He doesn’t use it very much though, so I think maybe he just likes the idea of having one. If he’s gonna have a private meeting he’ll hold it in there, though. Usually, he just naps or sits in there when he wants to be left alone, since no one else will bother him then.”

“My father was like that about the room we have in our home that’s meant solely for his use. I believe the human equivalent is an office. I always grew up knowing it as my father’s private room, one that I wasn’t meant to go into,” Derek said.

Stephan turned to him with a surprised look on his face. “You guys have actual houses out there?”

Derek drew back. “Well, yes, why wouldn’t we?”

“I dunno, I thought maybe you guys lived in like…shacks or in caves or something,” Stephan admitted.

Derek wasn’t sure if he should be amused or insulted. “We have houses, built by our packs. I’ve got my own room as do my siblings and parents. There’s a main area we use for cooking and eating, and then there’s the room my father has for his own use. To be fair, our home is considered large and extravagant by sept standards. It’s not uncommon for siblings of all ages to share a room, while the parents only have a room of their own for sleeping in.”

“Huh, I guess you at least get to close your door when your parents are driving you crazy, huh?” Stephan asked.

Derek shook his head. “The only room that has a door in our home is our father’s private room. There is no closing off the rest of your pack from your personal space. It’s regarded as your space, certainly, but you’re never closed off.”

Stephan blinked at him; “Ah, well, that’s a little…well anyway, you’ve got a door to the room you’ll be staying in. Nobody around here will just walk into your room though, not even Sean.”

It was a level of privacy Derek found interesting and at the same time, a little odd. He’d grown up with his life and business being open for anyone to see if they should happen to walk by his room. It was considered polite to announce yourself before you walked into someone’s room, but it wasn’t required. An alpha could stroll into the house or room of anyone in their pack whenever they wished. Derek had grown up knowing that if he were doing anything he didn’t want to be seen doing, he had to be careful and time it right. The best time to get any measure of real privacy was usually late at night, or when everyone was gone from the house and he could hear them enter.

Stephan led him to the back, where the sleeping rooms were located. Derek was surprised to see how spacious the area was when they entered through the door. From the main area, the living quarters hadn’t looked as if they took up very much space. From the look of it, the hallway that accessed the rooms was a long rectangular shape. The various doors were evenly spaced, as some were open, while others were closed tight.

“Your room is right over here,” Stephan told him, leading him in.

The room, much like the living quarters, was larger than Derek expected. There was a bed in the corner, and a small desk opposite it. There was an overhead light that came on with the flick of a switch, and a small table beside the bed with its own small lamp that could be used instead. Other than the furniture, it was bare of any ornaments or decoration, but it was more than Derek had expected.

“Thank you,” he told Stephan as he stepped in and set his bag gently on the bed.

“Ain’t much, but we don’t really decorate people’s rooms for them. That’s up to them to do,” Stephan said with an embarrassed smile.

“Being given a bed, and a comfortable one from the feel of it, is all I could ask for. So really, thank you,” he said, meaning it.

Stephan smiled. “Sean got something right about you.”

Derek turned to him. “And what would that be?”

“You’re an odd one, but I think he’s wrong about you being snotty,” Stephan said.

“I don’t remember him calling me that,” Derek told him.

Stephan laughed. “He got the worst of his temper out the way before you even showed up. Was bitching for an hour straight before you arrived.”

Derek sighed. “I don’t really want to know all of what was said, do I?”

“Probably not. C’mon, I’ll show you the showers and then you can rest for a bit,” Stephan said.

Derek followed him back into the hallway and around another corner. Against one wall was a wide opening with a set of double doors. Stephan opened a door to the sound of running water, gesturing for Derek to take a look. There were a few werewolves in there already, two men and a woman, each standing under a stream of water.

A dark haired, tank of a man peered out from the water running down his face. “Who’s this, Stephan?”

“Sept guy who’s here to help us,” Stephan explained.

The woman stepped forward, leaning on the divider between the shower area and the rest of the room. “Yeah? You here to help us fight or you gonna teach us how to behave?”

The others chuckled as Derek shifted uncomfortably. “I’m here to help in whatever way is deemed best.”

She looked doubtful. “Just you, huh? I hope you’re more dangerous than you look, otherwise the mountain people just sent us a pretty paperweight.”

Stephan shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, mind your own knitting. You can worry about what he can or can’t do after he’s settled in.”

The woman eyed Stephan. “And if I don’t? Gonna yell at me?

Stephan grinned. “I’m sure you’re bound to find out if you keep going.”

Derek grimaced after Stephan shut the door. “I’m guessing Sean isn’t the only one who’s not happy about my presence here.”

“Don’t mind them. They just like to run their mouths,” Stephan explained.

Derek snorted softly. “She looked about ready to try and eat me.”

Stephan laughed. “Don’t worry about her. I swear she’s toothless.”

“She certainly appears otherwise,” Derek said.

Stephan grinned. “She’s a good woman; just likes to tease. She’s good with my son, and he could use a mother figure, I think.”

“Oh, did something happen to his mother?” Derek asked before realizing the question might be considered rude.

Stephan’s face tightened, though he shrugged. “Vampires. Got her a couple of years ago. Just been me raising him mostly, except for where the pack helps.”

“Daddy!” a small voice chirped before Derek could ask anything more.

A blur rocketed up from behind Derek, slamming into Stephan’s chest and clinging there. A small boy, not much older than eight by Derek’s approximation, held onto the large werewolf’s middle with a hard grip. Stephan snorted, wrapping his thick arms around the boy’s waist and hoisting him up.

“Speak of the devil and he will come,” Stephan said with a chuckle.

Derek took in the sight of the boy’s sandy hair and bright eyes. “This is your son?”

Stephan nodded his head at Derek. “Rico, this is the guest I told you would be coming. Say hi to Derek.”

The boy, without missing a beat, twisted around to grin at Derek. “Hiya, Derek! Do you really live up in the mountains and drink from rivers?”

“Yes, and sometimes we even climb trees and chase deer,” Derek told him with a smile.

“I’ve only seen one at the zoo, but sometimes I chase the cats that come in here,” Rico told him.

“I’ve never seen a cat,” Derek admitted.

Rico’s eyes went wide. “Really? That’s so weird. I’ll have to catch one and show you.”

Derek, catching Stephan’s eye, grinned. “I think that’s a great idea.”

Rico wiggled in his father’s arms. “I’m gonna go get one now! There’s always one waiting by the trash.”

Stephan set the boy down. Derek watched the small boy sprint down the hallway. “He certainly looks like you.”

“Yeah, but he’s got his mother’s energy. And now that you went and piqued his interest, he’s gonna end up breaking into your room to show you some stray. You really never seen a cat before?” Stephan asked.

“Not in real life. Most things in this place I’ve only heard about or glimpsed in passing before,” Derek explained.

Stephan scratched his chin. “I guess that makes sense. Otherwise you would have been freaking out over electricity and stuff like that.”

Derek laughed. “We’re not totally ignorant to human inventions.”

“So, why don’t I let you get some rest, and I’ll come get you later when we need you?” Stephan asked.

Derek thought about it for a moment. Taking some time to get his head on straight and breathe sounded appealing. He’d come here to be of help though, and sitting around doing nothing was just the opposite. That and the sooner he helped, the sooner he’d be able to leave. Stephan might be perfectly nice to him, but it didn’t take a genius to see that Sean wanted him gone as soon as possible.

“No, that’s alright. We might as well see if there’s anything I can do while I’m here. I can always rest later, I’m feeling better now I’ve been up and walking about,” Derek said.

“Alright. Come on then,” Stephan shrugged.

Stephan led him back into the main room and to the door he’d pointed out before. “This is where the factory office area was. Like I said before, Sean’s office is in here, but we use the other rooms for other stuff. We’ve got this guy, Luca, who’s a big tech guy, uses a couple of the rooms for himself just to fiddle with stuff. Don’t ask me what he does, but he’s good at figuring stuff out, and he’s also the guy who keeps track of our weapons and supplies.”

“You use weapons?” Derek asked.

“Sometimes they’re a better option than turning werewolf and going for the jugular. We don’t always have the time to transform, and sometimes it’s a really bad idea to turn. Like, when you’re in an alley and there are humans only a few feet away. Easier to explain gunshots in the city than it is to explain a seven-foot-tall wolf monster,” Stephan said with a chuckle.

As they entered a hallway, Sean popped his head out of one of the doorways. “What are you two doing?”

Stephan motioned to Derek. “Giving the tour, which you wanted me to do.”

Sean scowled at Derek. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting or whatever?”

Derek repressed a sigh. “I see no point when I’m not tired. I appreciate the hospitality, but I came here with the intention of helping. I can’t very well help if I’m lying in bed all day.”

Sean snorted. “You wanna help?”

“Does that mean you have something for me to do?” Derek asked.

“If you aren’t too tired to get down in the trenches with us, I’ve got something perfect for you to prove yourself with,” Sean told him with a grin.

Derek glanced at Stephan, then nodded. “Tell me about it.”