Henry stood in the driveway, looking between the two large vehicles. He wasn’t sure what their custom was in the city. He knew living in Portland it was hard for all the packs to shift on the full moon and avoid the human populace. Most of them used abandoned warehouses and factories and kept to alleyways. Henry had dined on enough rats to turn his stomach over for decades. Henry hoped they intended to drive out to the woods, as it was only a thirty-minute drive to be well and truly out of the city, and his wolf could use a good run. As it was, Henry had been feeling trapped in the house and in his own skin. Henry knew he could do nothing about the former for the time being, but it would be nice to free himself of the latter, if only for one night.

Louis touched his elbow and opened the passenger door of the large SUV in front of him. Henry let himself be guided inside while Louis went around to the driver’s side and climbed in. After everyone was buckled in, they set off down the road.

“Where are we going?” Henry asked casually, not wanting to sound too interested in case Louis was under the impression that he intended to run away.

“To the woods just north of the city, between Bangor and Orono. The river runs all the way up through the woods, and the wilds offer us the opportunity to hunt without interruption or the chance of stumbling onto humans.”

“Are there any… is anyone in the pack, you know… willing to attack humans?” Henry noticed that Louis was frowning, and quickly backtracked. “I meant no offense, but I prefer to stay away from humans myself when I shift. I know werewolves aren’t typically interested in hunting humans, but there have been, ah… stories, that occasionally a wolf pops up who is… different. I know you, um, help those who are different.” There really was no polite way to ask, but Henry wanted to know exactly what kind of wolves he was running with. He needed to be on guard in case anything happened or there were any more altercations with Pierre. He didn’t want to run the risk of coming across any humans if they got into it again. Their instincts as wolves were too volatile in that state.

“No, there are none in my pack who have openly attacked humans, not even Pierre.”

“I’m sorry. I meant no offense. I just… I have had my share of drama for a while.” Henry cupped his hands in his lap and stared down at his intertwined fingers. He was so tired. Henry could have slept. Perhaps he should have told Louis he wanted to stay behind and shift in the room, and then he could have slept the night away out on the balcony with the cool breeze flowing through his fur. It would have been calming listening to the crickets chirp along the riverbank and the splashes of the sturgeon out in the water.

“I can understand your concern,” Louis’ voice was soft but reassuring. Henry was keenly aware of the other wolves in the back seats. Daumier had driven Phillip, Lizette and Pierre, but Colette, Matthew and the kids were riding with them. “You don’t need to worry about expressing your concerns with me. I hope all the members of my pack feel like they can come to me with anything.”

“Thank you.” Henry stared out the window as the city scenery flew by. The old city had grown and modernized, but the wood and brick buildings still stood, a couple hundred years of history preserved in their walls. Henry couldn’t help but feel that for a city it was cozy compared to the vastness of the Portland streets. Henry began to wonder if Louis was truly as genuine as he claimed to be, if he could actually make a home for himself here. Henry couldn’t help but entertain the idea, even if it was just a wish.

“Are we there yet?” Gabrielle was bouncing on her seat and kicking the seat in front of her, which happened to be Giraud’s.

“Gabrielle, stop it!” Colette chastised when Giraud began to whine.

“No, Gabrielle… as you can see, we have not stopped the car, so we’re not there yet.” Louis’ voice was patient and Henry thought that he would have made a great father. He essentially was the father figure in the lives of all of these wolves. Louis’ pack seemed to be family oriented, which was what Henry had been hearing for years through the grapevine, and now observing for himself. Henry could see that everything he’d heard was true. Even with the demanding schedule of running a pack, Louis was vested in the welfare of the little ones under his care.

“Gabrielle is still kicking me!” Giraud whined, and Henry ducked his head, suppressing a smile. Henry had often imagined this was what it would be like to have children. It usually left him with the urge to avoid it at all costs, but there was something sweet about it at the same time. Maybe that was just because he was older now.

“Gabrielle, Giraud. That’s enough.”

“But Mom!” both kids whined at once. Henry looked at them from the side view mirror of the SUV. They weren’t in any distress, so he attempted something himself, hoping he wasn’t overstepping his bounds.

“What do you like the most about the run?” Henry asked them. Both children clamped their jaws shut so fast, it was almost audible.

“It’s okay, you can answer him,” Colette encouraged.

“I like chasing the lightening bugs!” Gabrielle was the first to dare to speak to him.

Giraud, not wanting to be outshone, said, “I like chasing the rabbits and the field mice. They are fast, but I have gotten faster. I chase them into the rabbit holes in the fields.”

“That’s how you got sprayed by a skunk last month!” Gabrielle giggled. “You stuck your nose where it didn’t belong and got a nose full!” She kicked her feet with glee and Henry looked over to see Louis’ lips twitching. Henry saw that Matthew and Colette exchanged a look of exasperation. He could only imagine what it must have been like to deal with a wolf pup who had been sprayed in the face by a skunk. No amount of tomato juice or baths could get that smell out of wolf fur.

“Lemon juice added to the tomato juice helps,” Louis spoke, seemingly reading his thoughts. Henry raised his eyebrows as Louis pulled the SUV off the main road and bumped along a dirt path out of the city. It was an old access road that probably hadn’t been used in a long time, save for hikers and campers. “We usually run north, away from the city for a while before we double back at the end of the evening and head back towards the cars. It’s a beautiful forest and we won’t be anywhere near the border between the north and the south, so don’t worry about being attacked. I’ll be running with you.”

Henry didn’t bother to ask if it was for his own safety, or if it was just so Louis could keep an eye on him. Henry was happy just to be given the chance to run as a wolf again. He could forget his human troubles for a while and focus on releasing all of his pent-up anxiety.

When he got out of the car, he saw the other SUV pull up behind them and heard the car doors slamming. He turned his head up to the sky and took a deep, refreshing breath of clean air. The moon was almost at its apex. He wondered if the pack gave in to the urge to call to the moon, or if they preferred to keep a low profile, so as not to scare any humans that might hear the howls.

Henry walked around to the back of the SUV, standing in between the vehicles. He preferred not to shift or remove his clothes in front of the others. Henry had always shifted in private back home; it was just an ingrained habit to protect himself. Henry looked around to make sure no one had followed him but judging from the grunts coming from the other side of the SUVs, everyone was in shift mode and not paying him any attention. Henry quickly dropped his shorts and peeled his t-shirt off, leaving them in a pile by the rear wheel well of the SUV. Then he let himself succumb to the shift and change.

Henry was small for a male wolf. He didn’t mind, and what Henry lacked in brute strength and size, he made up for with speed.

Henry lay in the grass panting after the shift and allowed himself a moment before rising and carefully making his way around the vehicles. The other wolves were waiting for him, and judging by their coats and coloring, Colette was the reddish-brown smaller adult wolf, only a little smaller than he was. The twins were obvious. They were a mix of auburn and brown markings, pups playfully tugging on each other’s ears.

He picked out Matthew easily as well with his sandy fur, sticking close to Colette and helping her pull the pups apart. Phillip was also noticeable. He had a lot of gray in his coat and a paunch belly. Henry guessed Daumier was the large dark wolf beside Louis, who was a unique brindle color with brown, black, and tan hues in his fur.

Pierre was painfully obvious. Even his wolf form was gaunt looking. He had patches of fur missing where it had fallen out, and it was a dull color that bordered on gray when it should have been an luscious brown. Lizette was the wolf whose form surprised him the most. He had expected her to be dark like her dyed hair, but she was pure snowy white, and her eyes were a brilliant electric blue. Henry figured she must have some Scandinavian influence in her bloodline.

Louis yipped at them all and they formed a line behind him. Louis approached Henry slowly and Henry stood, ready to run or fight. Henry was fast, and he would run if he had to, banking on his speed to see him to safety. He still wasn’t physically well; his own fur felt loose over his muscles. Henry’s coat was a mixture of brown hues mixed with white, but it was taking on a dull look, like Pierre’s. That would hopefully improve after tonight’s hunt, if he survived this meet and greet. Henry hated having to meet the wolves all over again, but wolves were somewhat separate from who they were as humans. It was more dangerous to meet as wolves. As humans, they might be able to quell any urges to attack, but wolves suffered no such conflictions with their lack of moral code if they felt threatened.

Louis approached first, and Henry sat to the side of the vehicles. Louis padded in a circle around him, sniffing and watching him, but eventually he must have decided Henry was not a threat, because Louis returned to the line of wolves and brought them over one by one to meet him. When it was Pierre’s turn, the wolf staggered toward him, seemingly drunk. Pierre sniffed him once, but Henry had noticed that when he was in human form, he had the sniffles because his navel cavity was so eaten away from chemicals. His sense of smell as a wolf must have been compromised, too, because Pierre circled him once and then returned to sit next to Lizette, leaning heavily against her.

Henry noticed Colette kept herself at an even distance from Louis at all times. He had been able to tell that she was a submissive even when he had first met her as a human. As a wolf, she walked a few paces behind Louis and kept her head down, never looking directly into anyone’s eye. Matthew was noticeably tense, but he didn’t break ranks from the line. Daumier once again spent the longest time sussing Henry out. He sniffed and circled and crowded Henry, but Henry didn’t take the bait or rise to circle him as he circled Henry. Henry remained sitting, as an Alpha would do, not allowing himself to be intimidated, and he waited until Daumier was satisfied enough that he returned to the line. Once Phillip and Matthew gave him a pass, Louis walked up to him and nudged his shoulder. Henry walked with him to where the twins were wrestling in the tall grass.

Gabrielle had a hold of Giraud’s left hind paw in her mouth, and he was stumbling around, trying to get at her. She refused to let go, so he was mostly tripping over himself and turning to nip at her. They both froze when Henry approached. Giraud was the first to bound over and try to jump on his back in an act of play. Gabrielle remained where she was, but then joined the fray and nipped at his heels. Henry let them play, occasionally putting his snout low enough to catch their scent. They were too young to if they would be alphas, betas, submissives or even his own kind, omegas. If Henry had to make a guess, he would say Giraud might be a beta, what with the way he tried to herd his sister. But she always gained the upper hand, which suggested she was more dominant than Giraud. Both of them rolled onto their backs in the grass, and Henry touched his snout to their bellies, a sign to show his affection and also to let their mother know that even though they were vulnerable, she needn’t worry that he would harm them. Exposing their soft spots was an act to show that they were submissive to him. Henry tugged at both their tails and then turned away and strode back to the end of the line. Henry felt the tightness in his chest release as Louis led the way into the forest, with Colette and Matthew herding the two little ones back into line again and again.

Henry kept to the rear of the pack. They moved comfortably together, despite Pierre stumbling every now and then, and he didn’t want to interrupt that dynamic. Henry kept moving at an even pace, until Louis stopped in an open meadow, tipping his head back and releasing a powerful howl at the moon. The rest of the pack followed suit. Their noise disturbed the creatures living in the tall grasses of the field, and as they flew and scampered away, the wolves were off.

Henry found himself sprinting alongside Louis in pursuit of a rabbit they had startled, and he heard the frantic yips of Giraud and Gabrielle behind them as they chased after their own prey. Phillip brought up the rear as the oldest and slowest of the group, and the rest ranged anywhere in the middle of the loose cluster. It wasn’t necessary for the children to make so much noise, but Henry remembered being a pup and how hard it was to contain the excitement. Honing their hunting skills would come later.

Henry let Louis give chase over the rabbit and instead contented himself with chasing after Louis. Henry was quickly winded despite all the food he had eaten throughout the day in an attempt to build up his strength. His muscles fatigued quickly, and he took frequent pauses to pant and rest. Louis would circle back to check on him now and again, letting Daumier take over the chase, or letting Lizette capture whatever small creature they happened across. Henry found he didn’t mind not being in the lead. He was enjoying himself, and he ended up with his stomach full again by the end of the night. The hunt was exactly what he needed. All Henry needed now was a good night’s sleep, and he would be nearly back to his usual self.

By the time the night began approaching the dark side of dawn, Henry was truly exhausted and glad they were turning back to the cars at a slow jog. Even Pierre seemed to come far enough out of his intoxication to become smitten with the breathtaking views of the forest and countryside. They cut through a farmer’s field from which they could see the sunrise for miles out over the vast farm lands, and Henry paused, wondering how anything could be so beautiful. The south was a mix of carefully manicured lawns and arranged trees. There were the wilds, but the packs of the south preferred even their hunts be in controlled environments. That was the problem Henry had always had with them. The rich and elite needed everything to be controlled, and if it didn’t fit in their parameters, it didn’t belong. Like him. But Henry quickly shook off his melancholy. He wanted to get back to his clothes before the pull to shift became so strong he couldn’t hold back any longer.

When Henry was fully dressed, he helped Colette lift a sleeping Gabrielle into the car, as Matthew buckled in an equally worn out Giraud. The ride back to the city was a silent one. Once they arrived at the townhouse, they quietly made their way to their rooms with satiated bellies and physically exhausted bodies, welcoming sleep.

Henry poked his head out into the hallway and was greeted with the sight of Louis’ broad chest. Even though Louis hadn’t spared a word for any of the others, he’d been hoping to be able to say goodnight to him before bed. Louis was wearing a tight-fitting navy-blue t-shirt and Henry had to lean back to look in his still yellow tinged eyes. Everyone else was exhausted from the run, but Louis seemed invigorated. Henry assumed that sort of energy must be what the Alpha recharged with: the energy of his pack. He looked as if he’d already had a full night’s sleep.

“You were magnificent,” Louis whispered. Before Henry could respond, Louis touched a finger under his chin, tilting it upward as his warm lips descended onto Henry’s slightly parted ones in surprise.