The Moon's Pack Book 1: A Girl Among Wolves

Chapter 6 - Avery

My mind goes through all the information Bastan has given. Werewolves, they’re real. Those men in the woods know about them too, and seem to be some kind of poachers or traffickers after all. Despite all these dangers, all these newly revealed realities, I still have that feeling. Somewhere inside me, this feels like home. Am I crazy? Is this real? This is real, it has to be real. This is not a dream Avery. This is definitely real. What have you gotten yourself into?

The next morning, I wake up to a nurse taking my temperature with one of those forehead scanner things. I smile sleepily up at her as she smiles apologetically down at me. We don’t speak, which is good. I am not a morning person. She moves a tray in front of me with food on it. Let me tell you, it was the most heavenly scent to ever waft through my nostrils. There was no way this was hospital food. A glass of orange juice, a cherry Danish and a bowl of fresh berries sit on the tray, accompanied by the most glorious thing in the world: coffee.

I dig in right away, feeling as though I haven’t eaten in ages. Come to think of it, it has been probably a full twenty-four hours since I last did eat. The Danish practically melts in my mouth, each piece so flaky and buttery. Some celebration of cherries is in the middle of it all, and I involuntarily moan. The nurse, who I forgot was in here, giggles at my reaction, and I can feel my cheeks heating with embarrassment.

“Danish day is my favorite. No need to be embarrassed. The Delta made sure you were brought the good stuff instead of any of our tray foods.” She continues jotting things down on my charts as she checks my pulses and fluids. “The whole of the pack leaders are all kind of like that. Thoughtful, I mean.” Her cheeks are tinted with a little pink as well, and I realize she must have a crush on one of them.

“That’s good to know the leadership here is so beloved,” I grin up at her as I take a very unladylike bite of my Danish. “I’m Avery, by the way.”

“I know,” she giggles as she waves the chart in her hands around. My own blush returns. “I’m Wendy. Obviously, I am one of the nurses here.” Wendy sets my chart down and goes to the counter. It sounds like she is getting some medicine ready for me. “We all heard what you did, risking your life like that. And for a wolf without knowing who or what it really was.” Wendy shakes her head as if in disbelief over the whole story as she sets down a little cup with two pills in it and a matching little cup with water in it.

“I’m not in a whole lot of pain if that’s what these are for.”

“They are actually just antibiotics. You have open and healing wounds. We usually don’t have to administer these unless there is an awful wound caused by silver, or if the wolf side is incapacitated and can’t heal us.” Wendy explains rather quickly as I take the little pills. She takes the cups when I am done, no longer speaking, as if she is afraid she said too much.

“You don’t have to worry about giving out any kind of trade secrets,” I add a little extra humor to my voice so she doesn’t feel guilty. “Bastan told me quite a bit last night, and promised to answer any and all of my questions still. Plus, I will be staying for a while apparently, so I have a feeling a lot would have been revealed in time regardless.” I smile at her and she nods, her shoulders relaxing a bit.

“Thank you. You are really sweet. And quite intuitive.” Wendy sits in the chair Bastan had taken up residence in yesterday, seemingly ready to talk with me some more. I stare at her curiously for a moment as I drink my juice. Her hair is a beautiful chestnut color, up in a high ponytail now, but I can tell it’s long. Her skin is this milky white and so smooth looking. I look down in my empty juice cup, unable to look at her when I ask what’s on my mind.

“Wendy?”

“Hmm?” She almost hums a response, letting me know she is listening.

“You’re a werewolf, right?” Sounds like such a stupid question.

“Yes, I am. Almost everyone living here is.” She doesn’t laugh at me or talk down to me. She makes the conversation easy. I relax back into the pillows a bit.

“Are all werewolves just freaking beautiful?” I can feel my cheeks pinking up again, but I force myself to peek at her reaction. She too is blushing, and then we both fall into a bit of laughter.

“I don’t know. I guess, objectively, yes. We all train hard, from young ages, in our human form. When our wolves come, our training gets more intensive for both human and wolf form. So, everyone is physically fit.” She laughs a bit before continuing, “Although we all eat a ton due to all the calories we are burning. Plus, we have to feed the wolf in us too.” Wendy stares off blankly for a moment before giggling.

“What was so funny?” I look at her confused as she shakes her head.

“My wolf, Mina, she was saying wait until you see all the ranked members eating,” she giggles some more. “It’s like feeding time at a zoo.”

“You can talk to your wolf like this?” I gesture at her current form, and pointing to my temple. My curiosity seems to only grow with the more I learn.

“Oh, yes! Our wolves are as much a part of us as we are of them. They of course have their forms, like when you saw Jasper, Bastan’s wolf. They also have their own mind and personality, we just share. It’s like always having a friend or sibling around. I guess it’s harder to explain than I thought,” she stops with a pout. I nod in understanding, sort of getting what she is saying.

“Are you all born werewolves or do people become them?” I try to remember all the different lore I have heard from books and movies, wondering what is true and what was made up.

“We were all born werewolves. Rarely do humans get turned. Even vampires have strict laws on turning humans.”

“Wait, wait, wait… vampires exist too?” I can only imagine the face I am making right now. Does everything we thought was myth actually exist right under our noses?

“Oh dear, um, well yes. I don’t think I am the best to explain about all that though. I chose to focus on medicine. I am a nurse now, but I am hoping to one day be the pack doctor when Dr. Knix retires.” Wendy’s whole demeanor brightens as she talks about how hard she has been studying. Basically, having to learn everything a doctor and a veterinarian would have to learn, plus the supernatural side to all that studying. Apparently, almost all pack doctors start as nurses because it takes so damned long to get to the proper qualifications of pack doctor.

“So, are all the nurses studying to become pack doctors?” Wendy shakes her head profusely.

“Oh gosh, no. Most are just happy to be nurses and learn any new qualifications as they go. Most of them think I’m crazy for studying so much, but it’s what I have always wanted to do.” The more Wendy and I talk, the more I like her. I hope we can be friends even after I’m out of here. We talk about what she’s currently studying, how she got to live for a year at another pack to study with their doctor. We just talk, so easy, like we are old friends.