Chapter 5: Who's Side Am I on?

The barbeque was going on without a hitch, and the sun had just set. Most of the men were drunk at this point and getting louder. The children were still running amok although their parents were watching on every now and then. One of Zoe's cousins came up to them asking, “Who's she?" he muttered as he shook himself off.

Water flung everywhere, and Zoe and Phoebe looked at him annoyed. He cocked his head cutely, which Sasha found his lupine behavior to be adorable. She was already wet from the barrage of water balloons and water guns from earlier. “What!?" he raised his voice defensively.

They shot him a nasty look. “You're just as bad as Toby!" they scolded him.

“Zoe, weren't you jumping 30 feet not too long ago?" Sasha pointed out.

“I was competing it's different. Besides that, I stayed all dry until Turd ball came over!" she shouted.

“We won!" Toby and Nathan shouted.

“No you didn't! That doesn't count!" Zoe shouted.

“But you got wet though!" Toby shouted back.

Sasha looked around the park and her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. The reality setting in that everyone around was a werewolf and not just Toby. She forced a smile at the boy who just got them wet. He was so very young and innocent, and she did not want him to think she was afraid of him. She was not sure herself whether to fear them or put her trust in them. It was starting to get dark and the moon was already out albeit not as full as it once was.

“Um, it's getting late. Thanks for the food and hospitality!" she said before she got up.

“No Prob!" Zoe shouted before she looked towards Phoebe who was nervous about the whole Sasha thing and her brother's losing control.

Sasha went to go find Todd before she was confronted by Phoebe. “So you figured him out already? I can hear your heart beating faster than a hummingbird" she asked.

Sasha scanned her surroundings still nerve wracked with her discovery. “You gotta be kidding me? You mean you all are…you're not messing with me are you? Why would you be so open about it?" she asked.

Phoebe just kept smiling sadistically. “Not like anyone would believe you. I mean…after all, you have just the most adorable cellphone shaky cam videos. With all the screaming and babbling. Psh, no one would take a girl like you seriously" she said.

“She has a lot of views Phoebe, maybe a lot do take her seriously" Gwen postulated. She stood behind them with her arms crossed over her chest slightly annoyed.

“Ha! She's got a lot of views because of her huge boobs and a bubble butt!" Phoebe mumbled more to herself. Gwen gave her a very intimidating but passive aggressive leer.

Phoebe could eviscerate Sasha's hobby any farther, and she gave her a bit of some encouraging advice. “Hey, anno what yer goin for wit yer videos. Ah think ye got yerself an opportunity to expose more of the world to what they are all about. Do what ye do best. Yer audience are way younger than mine. It would be nice to see yer perspective. Am I right?" she told.

“Why are you being mean to me, all of the sudden?" Sasha asked her.

Phoebe scowled at her. “You're closed minded. I don't know why Gwen would defend you after all that you've said!" she spoke harshly.

Gwen sighed heavily. “I don't believe she's closed minded. She's just outspoken" she told her.

Phoebe eyes narrowed suspicious with what Sasha would do with knowing the truth. She walked away. Sasha looked towards Randall who was busy grilling and chugging beer with his relatives. Gwen nudged her and giggled. “You know I could give you some dating tips if you'd like. I was human when I met my husband"

Sasha nodded although she blushed bright red looking away. “I mean…that would be nice, but I'm not sure just yet" she said timidly.

Gwen shifted her hip and raised an eyebrow. “I'm sure you would like to know what not to do when dating a werewolf. It's best not to make the same mistakes so many teens make when they want to get romantic with a werewolf" she stated.

Sasha frowned. “Why? You worried I might end up getting turned into one?" she asked.

Gwen shrugged. “Well that's always a risk, but…I have you warn you that teen pregnancies rate run really high, and…In case you haven't figured it out…werewolves have very large families" she said motioning to the rest of them. She laughed nervously. “Yea, my son became a father when he was 18. I'm on my ninth child" she said while she rubbed her belly, which Sasha's jaw hit the floor.

“Your Ninth!?" Sasha shrieked.

“Hehe, yea…I mean I don't have the biggest of families. Zoe here has eighteen siblings" Gwen stated.

“Oh jez! I'll keep that in mind" Sasha muttered before she looked up at Toby playing ultimate Frisbee with the others which they had the Frisbee lit up in flying through the dark.

Zoe rushed over enacting her plan. Zoe waved him over trying to get his attention. He stopped and looked at her confused. “What?" he muttered.

She slung her arm around his shoulder and pointed over to Sasha. “Why don't you go over and talk to her? She's literally gushing for you! I know you've been avoiding her the whole time. She already knows what we are…she's cool with it" she told him casually.

Sasha blushed knowing just what her friend was doing, and she brushed her plus sized dress nervously knowing he was approaching her. She looked up as his shadow cast over her, and her eyes widened. She squeaked and tensed up feeling moist everywhere and vulnerable.

He gulped and looked away timidly. “Uh, hey…" he muttered.

She smiled and nodded looking away as well. “Yea, so…was that you that showed up in my stream?" she said.

Toby shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno…I wasn't your stream"

“You know you can drop the act Toby. I know what you are"

Toby stared at her confused. “Act?"

“Yo heads!" someone shouted.

He glanced over and caught the Frisbee within a second from it hitting him in the side of the face, but he noticed that Sasha had reached out and grabbed his hand in an attempt to catch the frisbess. She pulled her hands away blushing, while he threw the Frisbee back. “Sorry about that" he apologized.

She gulped. “Oh no, it's fine…you have really warm hands by the way, and you have really quick reflexes too" she said.

“I thought you knew what I was?"

She rolled her eyes at him. “I forgot how good they were" she said as her dog nudged her, and she fell onto him catching herself onto his torso. She pulled her face away from his prized brawny chest, which when she took in his scent, she was overcome by a soothing calming wave of tranquility. Toby stared at her awkwardly, and a lot of eyes were on him as he had caught her.

It took her a moment to zone out of her zen like trance, but she realized he had his large hands wrapped around her shoulders. She started blushing like crazy as he pushed her back onto the balls of her feet. She gulped as she began having perverse fantasies about him, and she knew she had been caught. “That was real smooth, good thing he's built like a tank…" she muttered. She looked around his mass noticing Zoe and Gwen smirking.

“Great…" she muttered feeling as if she were the center of attention. The adults got quieter, and she was pretty sure all they needed now was some popcorn with this cheesy romance flick. He looked at her awkwardly before he released his grip on her shoulders. “Um, sorry, I lost my balance" she said meekly.

He looked at her dog who was wagging her tail happily at her accomplishment. “Your dog really likes me, doesn't she?" he asked.

She nodded and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You have no idea what it was like the past few days" she said with a smile. “You got me and her hiding in the closet every night" she told him.

He stared at her for a couple moments. “You know…I have a great sense of smell…and I can open door…actually I can bust them down pretty easy"' he told her.

“Okay, that's really not helping" She told him. She laughed nervously. “You did say you would protect me didn't you?"

“Uh, well…that was my wolf instincts taking over" He told her.

She took a step back biting her lip looking him over and started playing with her hair nervously. “Oh, your wolf instincts? That's always a good sign, isn't it?" she asked.

“If I always followed my wolf instincts all the time then only Zoe would be left in the high school" he muttered. This gave her goosebumps, and she shivered.

“You haven't tried to kill anyone have you?" Sasha asked although she already knew this answer from Phoebe.

He crossed his arms over his chest and took in a deep breath. “I can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind" he spoke gruffly.

Again she shivered. “Anyone who wasn't bullying your siblings?"

Toby went quiet as she looked deep into his eyes. He looked off to the side and muttered, “Not anyone who didn't deserve it. Those two were lucky I wasn't able to transform. I would have gutted him like a fish"

Bernie approached them and slung his arm over Toby shoulder leaning on him. He stood over her looking at her happily. “Why don't you stay a while longer…you're safer being here with our pack than at home" he interrupted with a drunken slurred speech.

“You know…you got a point there, Mr. Cooper"

“Heh, you can just call me Bernie, and don't you be worrying about a thing. Toby will treat you right" He told her. Toby made a face and looked at him flustered, but he could not get mad at them as it was a part of their culture to act this way. “Heh heh, are you going to try out for football this year?" he asked trying to coax him to play. It sounded rhetorical rather than giving him any option to say no.

“Oh! So are you a football player? You're like a tank there!" Sasha remarked with admiration as she patted at his chest.

He laughed awkwardly. “Um, I play the other football. Heh, we won state, and we placed first in the nation last year" he said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Sasha glanced over at Bernie amused. She was eager to help push Toby into signing up. “My dad is crazy for football. He'll probably nag you to join the football team. You look like you'd kill them easy. You said it yourself" she said told him win an amused grin.

He looked away and sighed. “I know I could…but that's more Zoe's department" he said pointing back over at her.

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Psh, I don't buy that one minute. Not after everything that you just did!" she retorted from out in the field.

“Feh, you should sign up. It'll teach you how to be a leader, and it's a very popular sport. You can get a lot more scholarship money" Bernie told him.

Toby gave him a look. “But…didn't you all get bribes from the schools?" he asked.

Bernie snickered. “That's the business side of college sports. Really good players get all the schools trying to compete to get you to play for them" he said nonchalantly.

Sasha glanced over at the young adults leaping seven feet off the ground to make a score for their team, and she gulped looking back at him. “So is Zoe going to play still if they won't promote her to varsity" she said before Toby interrupted her.

“Do you think I'm going to reward them for it?" Toby muttered before Bernie growled.

“She'll get on the varsity team this year. I will see to it. I've already gotten that old coach fired. The school knows how good a player Zoe is. Hell, She will be starting Quarterback!" he boasted.

Sasha smiled happily. “Yea, I think she really deserves it" she said in agreement.

“Toby you better play! Or I'll keep using you as my practice dummy for all of my moves!" Zoe spoke aggressively. She slugged him in the back causing him to yelp and tense up.

“Ah! Fuck! Why'd you do that for!?" Toby shouted. He closed his eyes tight and balled up his fists while gritting and snarling. “Ahhh! What the fuck Zoe!" he spoke through his teeth. He was not breathing which prompted Lilian to run over to examine him along with Phoebe.

Sasha's eyes widened in horror and froze in place. “Oh no! What's going on!? Is he transforming!?" she shouted.

“Tch, no! If he was, you'd know it by now. That's such a stupid question" Phoebe muttered. Lilian shot her a look, which she gulped and rushed over to the cooler.

“That's where he hit his back in that fight. Must be still tender" Bernie remarked.

“You fucking know better Zoe!" Toby growled.

Lilian lifted up his shirt and examined his back closely. Phoebe came back with a bag of ice, and Lilian took it from her before applying it to Toby's affected area. “With how much I saw him being thrown around I would suspect it to be a strained trapezius no doubt" she said.

“Anything else you been hiding? How about I punch ya some more and help them find the rest of it?" Zoe teased.

Toby's nose and lips twitched with anger, which Bernie cleared his throat. “You really should be taking it easy and not be running about so much. You might be young, but you still got pretty banged up. Sit down, be social, and enjoy yourself" he lectured him.

“Dad, do you know how hard it is for him to do any of that?" Zoe asked.

“He's going to have to learn either the easy way or the hard way!" Bernie spoke harshly. Gwen smirked at Toby and shook her head at him. Lilian was mildly annoyed with Toby's carelessness, but moderately annoyed to Bernie just now saying something as if he knew all along and told no one about the extent of Toby's injuries. It was obvious he conspired with Toby to hide it from her strict bedrest policies and healing practices just to ensure that he would come to the barbeque in the first place.

Sasha looked between them, and she genuinely felt bad for Toby, but she was irritated that he was doing all these incredible things while being injured. “Why the heck do you have to show off like that when you know you're hurt!?" she told him off.

Toby stared at her blankly. “What are you talking about? I'm not showing off. You're acting like I tried to bench press a car or something"

Sasha was confused and looked towards everyone not sure if they would call him out on something so absurd. When no one said anything, she blinked rapidly trying to imagine such a sight. “He's not serious is he? Y'all can't bench press a car can you?" she asked.

Gwen had already pulled up a video on her phone and showed Sasha a clip of Randall lifting a John Deere tractor assisting her father make repairs. “Holy shit!" she muttered. She still glanced over and scowled at Toby. “I don't care if you weren't bench pressing a car. I might not know anything about werewolves, but I'm pretty sure getting slammed up against a semi-truck can't be good on your body…or any the other things that happened to you. You should be resting!" she said.

“You know…I think I'm starting to like her" Phoebe muttered.

“Heh heh, she'd make an excellent wife for him" Bernie remarked. Gwen laughed nervously while Lilian rolled her eyes at him; although, she did not correct him. Sasha was grateful that these werewolves were more interested in getting her to date one of their own than being hostile or wanting to attack and eat her. She was flattered, but felt unworthy of this beast of a teen.

“You know you can't win an argument with females Toby. You'd be smart to just shut up and accept it" Gwen advised him.

Bernie burst out with laughter and slapped him over the shoulder causing him to yelp once more. “Don't worry…they would have found out eventually with or without the pain pills" he told him.

“Pain pills, huh?" Lilian muttered with her arms crossed over her chest very annoyed. “Aren't you are aware that it doesn't help you heal faster!" She scolded them. She growled lowly. “Is this what you promote? Drugging up teen wolves to hide their wounds from their mothers!?" she raised her voice.

Zoe fidgeted with her fingers and drifted away from the tongue lashing avoiding her part in this all, but Lilian caught her. “Does this happen all the time!?" she asked. Zoe froze and looked between Bernie and Lilian nervously.

“I mean we don't do it that often…I mean if we were sore we'd just take Ibuprofen and we'd be fine. I didn't think he was that hurt" Zoe mumbled.

Lilian gave her a cold icy stare realizing that she was in on it also. She left them to go speak with Yvonne. Zoe sighed heavily, and Bernie waited for Lilian to get far enough away. “Don't worry about it. I'll handle it" he told them.

“Good luck with that. Oh better yet, go drink some more and loosen up that tongue even more!" Zoe mumbled.

Sasha was not sure what do make of this, and she helped hold the icepack on Toby's back as he laid on his belly on the grass whimpering like a pup. “Um, so is he going to be okay then?"

“What Toby? Psh, he's fine. He's been through far worse. A lot of us have" Bernie answered.

Sasha was somewhat relieved, but something was still bothering her. “Um…just what happened? Who was that Ian guy he was fighting?" she asked.

The crowd noise faded into near eerie silence with only the music playing in the background. Bernie gave her a stern gaze, and he chugged the last of his beer. “It's best you not meddle with our affairs. He is of my concern…my responsibility" he said before he looked down at the ground repressing a great deal of anger, which he took it out on the can crunching it up in his hand.

Sasha felt even smaller now, which she gulped hoping that she did not cross the line and he was not angry with her. Yvonne and Lilian came back standing beside her. Yvonne went to his side and touched him pushing him away from them then dragging him away. Lilian looked back at Sasha rather glum, and she muttered, “This isn't the time or place to be talking about it. It's a really dark and traumatic past not worth bringing up"

Zoe looked off to the side and rubbed her arm feeling guilt, but she was not sure why. Sasha looked down at the table and sighed. “Oh…I see" she muttered.

Gwen reached over to tap Sasha's hand. “Don't worry aboot it. Remember, Ye got Toby and Zoe living near ye. Might I add that Bernie is the Alpha of all the werewolves around here. Yer well protected in this community should that thing turn his ugly heed" she informed her.

Sasha looked back to where she was icing Toby's back. “Um…yea…I guess your right there…I'm just worried Toby might do something stupid and he'd never be in shape to protect anyone" she mumbled. Toby was irked and he glanced back at her after her muse growling at her.

“You know, I'm not stupid"

“Tch, you do stupid stuff all the time Toby" Phoebe added.

Sasha continued to stare into the big bulky muscles on Toby's back. “You know…Today's been weird. I didn't get up this morning thinking that I was going to be nursing a werewolf's sore back" she said to herself. Her dog looked up at her happily wagging her tail at the sight as if approving the potential pairing.

Toby's muscles continued to spasm underneath the bag of ice, which Sasha took the incentive to gently place a warm hand over his back. He flinched and tensed slightly but eased into her attempts to rub it with care after figuring out her intentions. He was hoping the talk about him and the new girl would cease.

After another fifteen minutes, Todd approached the two of them. Toby had dozed off into a nap, and Sasha's hand wondered over his back exploring the contours of every muscle. She was simply getting the guilty pleasure of being this close to a supernatural being. “What are you doing?" he asked her. Her hand stopped, and she blushed knowing she was caught.

“Uh, his back was sore" She told her brother.

Toby opened his eyes and glared at Todd irritated with him, which any witty comment was silenced with a sense of impending doom. He knew he probably did not want to mess with him, so instead he submitted and nervously scratched at a mosquito bite. “Sasha, it's really late. Mom's going to be worried if we don't get back home. Aren't you afraid of the werewolves?" he told her.

Toby growled muttered, “Kid, I'm about to show you a werewolf if you don't quit that whining" he muttered before he picked himself back up off the ground growling as he exhibited his alpha traits. He felt a twinge in his back and he reached for it. “Eeh! This fucking sucks!" he complained.

Naturally Sasha went back to massaging over that spot, and she rolled her eyes. “You're a real tough guy when you're hurt, aren't ya big bad?" she asked.

Toby snorted to that nickname. “Big bad huh? Like I haven't heard that before" he muttered sarcastically.

Sasha stuck her tongue out at him. “I figured I was obligated to call you that…you know because your big and trying to act bad" she teased before she fumbled with her fingers. “Um…you wouldn't mind walking us back home would you?" she asked.

Toby was conflicted, but she did help his back and maybe she would rub it on the way back. “Um, sure…I'll walk with you"

Soon they started to walk down the pathway, which Toby a hold of his longboard and a rope. He started to tie it around his waist and laid his board on the ground. “Get on, I'll get you there faster" he told them Todd grabbed the road and got on the board.

Sasha looked at the board apprehensively. “Um, isn't this a little bit dangerous? I mean how do you steer this thing?"

Toby huffed and growled lowly. “Look! I'm not going to run…You just got to lean into the direction you want to turn. It's simple!" he spoke roughly.

Todd was looked back at her and grinned. “If we can't steer it, we can get off and turn it the old fashioned way"

Toby's eye twitched. “I swear…if I have to stop, I'll make you pull us instead" he grumbled. Todd gulped as Sasha got onto the longboard afraid that the both of them were going to snap it in half. Toby started to pull, and the rope slid out from Todd's hand giving him rope burn.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! My hands! Why are you going so fast!?" Todd yelled.

“Why'd you put slack in the rope!" Toby yelled back.

“Just give me the rope…"Sasha muttered in frustration. She grabbed onto the rope and told Toby to, “Mush!" much to his dismay and humiliation. The rest of the pack laughed at him seeing that he put himself in the situation in the first place.

Toby rushed Sasha and her brother back home. He did not realize this until after he got a good speed going that Sasha and Todd did not know how to stop. He turned and Sasha grabbed his arm before he eased them into a stop just short of hitting the curb. Todd was not having a good time thinking that he almost died, but Sasha stared up at him shaking her head at him with a slight smirk.

Her spirit was very high after seeing Zoe and her family's overwhelming hospitality. She was definitely feeling a lot more comfortable living around a pack of werewolves; although, she was going to have to avoid talking about specifics around her brother despite that nagging question she had in her head.

As they got to her house, her mother was caught way off guard with how much taller he had become. She could not find any words as her mouth hung open; however, she did mutter a simple “Thank you" and “Thank you for making sure they came home safe"

He went straight into the bathroom and turned the knob and set the plug in the tub. Steam rose out of the tub as he grabbed some epsom salts out from under the sink. The tub was quite large and it was going to take a while to fill. He dumped the rest of the box into the tub and cracked open a new one dumping a couple fist-fulls in.

He got a text message, and he set his phone in a Ziploc bag before he read the message.

“Yo, you wanna tell her about Ian?"—Zoe 23:18

“Didn't your dad say not to tell her?" he replied back.

“You don't need to tell her everything you know?" —Zoe 23:20

“Not right now. I'm still sore"

After he filled the tub he soaked in the tub grimacing as his back spasmed again while he lowered himself gingerly. His phone went off again, and he growled in frustration. He had the compulsion to look at it and not let it be.

“Hey, your dad isn't still mad at me is he?" —Olivia 23:30

“You're lucky you found me when you did"

“Bernie is Zoe's dad not mine"

“Besides that, how did you find out about my secret?"

“Tbh, a lot of kids at school spread rumors about you. I did see you grow fur a couple times in class before. I thought I was seeing things, but Zoe did tell me before she told me I couldn't handle you" —Olivia 23:32

“Are you still hurt? Could you come over?" —Olivia 23:35

“Yes I'm still hurt. I'm not in the mood for sex" He replied back annoyed.

“Aw! But, I need a big boy! Your big boy! I can't stop thinking about it" —Olivia 23:37

His eye twitched and replied back. “Think about something else!"

Eventually, he got out of the tub and at that time his family was just getting back inside as he entered his room. He shut the light off, and he walked to the window to check if it was open. He stood behind the curtain allowing the breeze to flow through the fur that sprouted all over his body. Once his muzzle formed, he flopped onto his king sized bed, and he looked around his room which he saw his sister looking at him from his door.

“You know that transforming can't be good on your injuries" She mentioned.

He growled at her, and she stared at him defiantly. “You know mom would say the same thing"

Tommy poked his head around just as the large beast man charged at the door slamming it shut. Once he was certain that he was alone, he picked a stuffed animal off a large bean bag chair in the corner. His wolfie still had some of his father's scent entwined deep into fabric and stuffing. He yanked his blanket and green pillow off his bed before he wrapped himself up and began to meditate.

He heard his phone vibrate near his head on the night stand, but he did not bother to attempt to check it. His ears perked hearing the door unlatch, and he opened his eyes as the door slowly creaked open. The light beamed down on him like a UFO as it were about to abduct someone. He turned away from the brightness groaning as he tried to pull the pillow over his big furry head.

His mother walked in and looked at him intensely. He pulled the pillow away from his head and stared at her. “What?" he asked.

His mother finally went to picking his clothes up off the floor. “You seriously need to put these in the hamper!" she scolded him. She turned away still not used to seeing her son in a therian form. “How's your back?" she asked. He did not respond before he told him, “I've brought you home a ton of food back. I set it on the table with some ibuprofen" she told him before she smiled weakly seeing his ears perk at the mention of food a trait she was well familiar with his father. She shut the door quietly, which Phoebe was not that far away.

“I thought you were angry with Bernie giving them pain pills?" She asked.

“We I don't like it when they hide things from me" Lilian explained.

“Mom, did you know about Toby going full on Lycaon form?" Tommy asked.

Lilian went quiet causing the two of them to become nervous. “Yes…I know about that much. At least they don't hide everything from me" she mumbled.

Toby came out of his room having reverted into his wolfman like anthro form wearing his shorts and a torn up t-shirt. He walked past them pretending to not overhear their gossip. He binged on everything and glanced over at Tommy who was staring at him out of curiosity. He finally mustered up the courage to ask him, “Toby? How old were you started to become fully woolly?" he asked.

Toby scratched at his chest and crammed the rest of a burger into his mouth. “I think I was in 7 ^th grade"

“So, this hair on my body is"

“It's just puberty dude…none of that is legit fur"

“How can you tell?"

“It's too thin…you've just started turning not too long ago right?"

Tommy nodded before Toby stood up scratching at his stomach overstretched and stuffed to full capacity. He yawned and headed back upstairs with Tommy watching quietly imagining what he would look like as a fully grown werewolf.

Toby made it into his room, and it was cool and dark just as he liked it. Everything was set up perfectly for him to pass out. He transformed into his beast like therian form giving him extra capacity in his stomach and quicker digestion. He felt like the true alpha of the house. The power and hormones coursed through his veins bringing him satisfaction and confidence. He lay on his beanbag chair and sprawled out meditating and slowly unleashing his inner wolf. His phone went off again, but he was too far gone to even move.

It was five minutes in, and he was roused from his slumber after feeling something striking his foot or rather someone kicking at it. Zoe scent filled the room, and he stared at her looking down at him. He was surprised yet not surprised that she was there as she looked like she needed him. He remained quiet as she removed her clothes and started to transform into her therian form. Although, she was not as hulking and bulky, she was very fit nonetheless and proud to show off her hard work and discipline.

The shewolf approached him licking her lips with hunger and need before she pounced on him growling biting at his neck. He was too food drunk to defend himself from the shewolf attack and gripping at his chest. His inner wolf was getting in the mood, which he unwrapped himself from the blanket where she could get at what she was after. She licked her lips and lowered her maw near his giant red pepper ready for her treat.

Everything he felt was primal, yet it felt like they were going through the motions with enjoying each other's company. He watched her cleaning and grooming him, and he closed his eyes allowing her to take charge.

After she had gotten to ride her favorite stallion, they reverted to near human form where Zoe remained on her side while pressed up against him looking up at him with an approving and satisfied gaze as well as a pat on the chest. “I don't think that cute chubby neighbor girl really believes that we are what we say we are"

“Isn't that normal?" Toby muttered.

“Well it isn't the same. She knows we're different, and actually…you are the reason why we are in this whole mess in the first place. She's a nosy Christian girl who just so happens to have a paranormal vlog with hundreds of thousands of views. Does that spell out normal to you?" She retorted with her gruff shewolf voice.

Toby shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know how humans work…but you…I could have just taken the hit, but…you know…everyone would be asking questions as to why I would be still walking" he retorted.

Zoe huffed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever…it wasn't one thing you did that tipped her off. It wasn't even one day. She's pretty smart, and she had you figured out with the wolf behavior" she teased him.

They both knew if it were not for the news, then their secret would have been safe for at least a few more weeks. She got up and started to put her clothes back on. “Hey…join the football team. It's not that fun with just me being on the field. I can't show my talent with how slow and out of shape the wide receivers and tight ends are. I'm going to need some who can keep up, Toby" she said before she slapped him on the shoulder.

•••

The next morning, Sasha was woken up by her parents. This was the first night she had actually slept on her bed since moving there, and she had forgotten how comfortable it was. Her dog had calmed down a lot now seeing that Sasha did not feel as if she were in danger constantly. She got out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror in disgust. She turned and stared at her rear still her brother's words echoed in her head. “I really do have a beanbag chair for a butt…" she muttered.

She got into her church dress, and she was very mindful with each step she took something about her body was jiggling or sloshing about. She did not dare go on the scale, and she stared at it thinking it was mocking her. She felt massive, like Macy's thanksgiving parade balloon even the outlines of her undergarments could be mistaken for the seams of a balloon. Her mother knocked on the door to the bathroom to help her do each other's hair.

Her mother looked back at her and down at Sasha's chest and noticed that her breasts spilling over her bra, and she smiled. “Where going to need to get you some new bras" she said thoughtfully.

Sasha's eyes widened and squirmed. She crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably not wanting to think about her growing problem. “Mom, I'm fine" she told her.

“Sasha, look they are coming out the sides, over the top, underneath…it's way too small"

“But I like my bra…" Sasha whined.

“Don't worry about it. You and I can pick one out on the computer" her mother said.

Sasha was not looking forward to getting measured again. She did not want to find out just how much farther down the alphabet she would go or heaven forbid any doubling or tripling of letters. “Hmph, I better not be a J" she mumbled to herself.

Her mother laughed nervously. “Let's not jinx it. I think you might be" she told her as she combed her hair.

“When will they stop growing? I look like a cow" She spoke harshly.

“You don't look like a cow. Besides that, I think you've lost weight since we cut back on the sweets and soda" she told her daughter. Sasha looked down at the counter not believing a word that was said to her at this point.

They all pilled in the car and headed off to the church. Sasha looked out the window feeling trapped in a body that was not hers. Once they got there, she got really uncomfortable with the stares and being “accidently" bumped into. They got into their seats for the service, which she and her mother had to squeeze herself between the arm rests thankfully she did not have to cramp herself in as her mother did.

They sang some hymns and then they read a passage from Matthew 7:15. When the pastor came in front of the altar, he had a very solemn expression. “Brothers and Sisters, it gives me great sadness to announce that one of our own was attacked on Wednesday. I visited Ashley last Friday after her surgery. She was scared and understandably, After what you and I have seen in the news, I would not believe her or that any of the stories were true. Ashley told me that she was attacked by a werewolf" he said.

There was a loud collective gasp from the chamber before the pastor held up his hand. “Now I know what you all are thinking. No, they are not creatures from the movies or books. In fact they are a lot fearsome and formidable. They are cunning and violent. The epitome of a wolf in sheep's clothing. According to some of my colleagues, this has not been the first encounter with a werewolf in the State, no not just the Willamette Valley, or Tualatin for that matter.

Back when the settlers made their perilous journey over the Oregon Trail, if it wasn't dysentery and cholera that did not kill them along the way, it was the Native Americans and Werewolves that did. Often times they worked hand-in-hand. The worst of these attacks were over Barlow Road and Boones Ferry Road. It wasn't a coincidence she was attacked, she didn't know they lurk in these parts"

Sasha became very uncomfortable for a new reason now. She had to know more about these werewolves from the past. Where these the same ones the met not too long ago? She got up and asked an usher where the bathrooms were. After she got in the stall, she started to text her grandmother.

“Um, so it turns out that the whole neighborhood is filled with werewolves. I overheard them talking about this guy named Ian. The pastor just told us about attacks on the Oregon Trail. Do you know if this guy is responsible for them?"

“I'm sorry hun, I don't know specific names, but from what I know the British encouraged the attacks on American settlers, and this happened way before the Oregon Trail days" —Grandma Aoife 8:40

“Wait the British? Why would they want to do that?"

“Yes dear, they were the ones who brought most of the werewolves over in the first place. The model worked so well that they used the same method to colonize Australia?" —Grandma Aoife 8:43

 the sunlight beamed down on Toby's face and soon his alarm clock went off. The obnoxious blaring noise startled him, and he yelped and rolled out of bed. He reached up and gently pushed the snooze button. “Snooze, need more snooze" He muttered before falling back to sleep. During the night he had reverted almost completely into his human form, and he scratched at his shoulder. He growled as the sun had other plans and shone even brighter on his face. “Stupid sun!..." He muttered as he reached up to check his text messages.

“Watch out! Someone's onto you, Baka! XP" Zoe texted.

“Hey, I'm moving your shift to Sat and Sun @ 9am-7pm, Cheers!" his boss texted.

He groaned as he got up and rubbed the side of his head. His stomach growled to the scent of cooking meats, as well as the sounds of sizzling and crackling. He got up and stretched. “Ah, that was a good sleep. I wish I could have had more" he said. He heard his mother laugh in the kitchen while he rushed to put his clothes on. His wore a maroon tank top and tan cargo shorts over his black spandex shirt and pants. He slid on his black spandex arm guards and skateboard shoes before he rushed downstairs.

His mother watched him from the chair she smirked. "Planning on going in your anthro form, are we?" She asked giggling.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I am. Chicks dig the ears and dazzling smile" He said sarcastically.

She laughed. "That's true…you do have a dazzling smile" she teased.

He looked at his mother with begging eyes. “Aren't you going to give me my meal?" He asked, which she stared back at him blankly.

She gulped and got up out of her chair. “Uh…oh, yea…sorry, hun…I'm just really busy" she said. He looked at her oddly as she did not appear to be doing much, but he was not about to call her out. She sat the platter on the dining room table, and he quickly dove into the food wolfing it down…no pun intended. She looked at him amused. “Need a fork or knife dear?" she asked.

He looked up at her with his ears perked up. “No, It will get stuck in me throat!" He said.

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “You aren't supposed to eat it you twit!" She teased.

He smirked back at her. “I don't intentionally eat it…it just gets in the way most of the time" He said.

She looked to the clock on the TV and giggled. “You got 5 minutes to get ready and out the door" She said.

He sighed heavily as he reverted to his human form. He looked at his mother and smirked. “I'm not a female. You say 5 minutes like it's a bad thing" He said.

She shot him a nasty look. “What is that supposed to mean!?" She growled.

“Didn't the British ship their criminals to Australia?"

“Back then, being a werewolf was a crime. In fact most of the witches and werewolves in Europe were sent to the New World to escape persecution. All aligned with the Native Americans naturally, in fact they did not side with the British until they offered them money to hunt and trap animals. Although, they became hired mercenaries and thugs later on" —Grandma Aoife 8:48

“Oh, by the way, how are you and that Wolfgang boy getting along?" —Grandma Aoife 8:49

“He's nice, and the other werewolves have been trying to get him to date me"

“Well that's always a good sign. You still think he's dangerous?" —Grandma Aoife 8:51

“I think he's extremely dangerous, but he did say he would protect me. I guess you have to fight fire with fire. Am I right?"

“From what I know about werewolves is that usually when one says they will protect you they are intend for you to become their mate. Another sign is if they share their food with you. Also they will come to check on you at random" —Grandma Aoife 8:55

“What should I do? They are going to have mom and dad to have the wrong idea about all of them!"

“Not tell them about what he is exactly…I will try to speak to your mother" —Grandma Aoife 8:58

•••Later that day•••

The Pastor was visiting Ezekiel's living quarters across the complex, which he was sitting at the dining room table from him drinking a cup of coffee. Ezekiel's head was down low staring into a huge mound of meat ashamed and disgusted with himself. His face was stained with sauce having torn into it like an animal. The pastor was calm and collected looking at him with concern.

“How far has it progressed?"

Ezekiel continued to stare at his plate quietly. He looked at his hand feeling glum. “I don't know how to describe it" he muttered.

“Do you think that the girl will turn?"

“I don't think so…her wounds did not show any signs of accelerated healing" He mumbled.

The pastor closed his eyes and sighed. “Don't worry…we will find a cure" he told him before there was a knock on the door.

Ezekiel gasped and got up quickly and rushed to the door looking through the peephole. He gasped and looked towards the Pastor scared. The Pastor got up after being prompted to hide in the closet. He looked through the slats of the closet door as a man in black walked inside with a briefcase.

Ezekiel crossed his arms over his chest and scratched at himself nervously staring at the case. “Do you have the stuff?"

The agent opened the case containing vials and needles, which he then slammed it shut. “First of all, did you manage to infiltrate his ranks?"

Ezekiel took in a deep breath and sighed. “I have but…they don't trust me yet. They have been making me recruit to show loyalty. I can't bear to condemn teenagers to live this life. This is madness!"

“They have made their choice to join them. I'm willing to sacrifice a few at risk youth to protect our nation. They wouldn't have amount to anything anyway" The man in black said casually.

Ezekiel stared at the case. “What about those who didn't choose this life?"

“It's unfortunate that your father and his team were incompetent hunters. It's a shame they didn't know what happens when you come into contact with werewolf blood. Just a bunch of amateurs with special toys to try out without and no research" The agent mocked him.

Ezekiel glared at him, which this only amused the agent more. “Tell me…have you started sniffing butts yet?"

“I'm not a dog!"

“Well you smell like one. You know…if you don't roll over, I won't give you what you want"

“I already told you…I don't know anything" Ezekiel shouted. The agent kept a straight face and said nothing, which Ezekiel gasped at this. “Really?" he asked in disbelief. Again the agent stared at him. Ezekiel growled lowly in humiliation as he got onto his hands and knees literally rolling over to the agents sadistic demands.

The agent laughed at him and dumped the contents of the case onto the table. “You're so stupid!" the agent muttered. The vials rolled across the table threating to go over the edge. Ezekiel ran over to the table to catch the vials as the agent left him. He then stopped at the door looking back at him with a smirk. “You can't stop the inevitable. It's only a matter of time before you will become one of them"

Once the door shut, the pastor came out of the living room closet. Ezekiel remained slouched over the table defeated and broken. “Who was that? What…what is this stuff?" he asked before he raised his voice as he picked a vial up. He brought it up to the light looking at the milky substance.

“That was someone from the Supernatural Administration, corrupt little bastards. They told me they had a cure to lycanthropy. They told me that as long as I took this my body would fight it off. That was a crock of shit! It's only slowed down how fast my body turns. It makes me feel sick all the time, tired all the time, and my body is in pain all the time…It's the only way"

The pastor stared at him in confused setting the vial aside. “So this Supernatural Administration, why are they so corrupt?"

“They gave my folks some new experimental weapons and handed them the location of the werewolf alpha. They didn't tell us anything farther than that. They are the reason why I'm like this…why my father is dead. We fucked up. Now they are all pissed. They aren't falling in line…they want revenge!"