18. Explanations

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Thursday, August 27th
Waning Gibbous Moon (Twenty-Eight Nights to Next Full Moon)

I sat up and looked around, using the blanket on the bed to cover my naked body. The room looked vaguely familiar, but I was too groggy from the previous night to think clearly. My head was pounding and every bone, joint, and muscle in my body ached. Sunlight was pouring into the bedroom, playing across the unfamiliar pattern on the quilt. In the warm brightness of the day, the past night was already feeling like a distant dream.

On the floor by my bed was the overnight bag I had packed the day before. My mind finally clicked and I realized where I was. Randall’s house, in one of their several guest rooms set up exclusively for some members of the Pack to stay overnight in on full moon occasions.

I pulled my clean clothes out of the bag and rinsed my grungy skin in the room’s private bathroom shower. After toweling dry, combing my hair, and getting dressed, I ventured into the rest of the house.

I followed the sound of voices into the kitchen. As I walked in, the voices stopped and I counted nine pairs of eyes staring at me over their breakfasts and coffee. Three pairs belonged to Randall, his mother, and his father. One was Randall’s friend from the other day, Pete. Two belonged to Quinn’s bodyguards. The other three I recognized from the Pack, but I did not know them by name.

“Well if it isn’t our little white wolf,” An older lady spoke first. She looked shrewdly at me as if she were angry. Her black hair, streaked with grey, was pulled up into a tight bun, which helped to accentuate the crow’s feet and wrinkles around her mouth. Her eyes were dark brown with an intelligent and piercing look in them.

Randall glared across the table at her, but she didn’t notice, or pretended not to. She was watching me, gauging my reaction.

“I didn’t pick the color of my fur. Sorry if it offends you,” I tried to put special emphasis on the word “offend,” trying to make her feel as bad as she was making me feel.

The man next to her spoke, “Who do you think you are?” He looked about her age, and judging by the way he acted towards her, I guessed he was her husband. “Coming into this pack and trying to show us all up, trying to take over, usurp our leader--”

Quinn silenced him with a low growl. The unnamed man’s face was red with anger. He gripped his wife’s arm tightly, but she showed no signs of being in pain.

“By the expression on Selene’s face, she is confused by what is going on right now, just as she was confused by last night’s events. She is obviously innocent of what you claim she is guilty of!” Randall defended me, thought I wasn’t quite sure what he was defending me from.

“Innocent…” the woman spoke for the man; he was too flustered to string his words together. “How is that even possible? She had to have known. I don’t believe this is a one time occurrence.”

Quinn spoke to me calmly, his eyes deep and understanding, “Selene, have you ever changed in the presence of another one of our kind before last night?”

I shook my head no, trying to look as innocent as I was.

“And has your fur always been white?”

I nodded. What did the color matter?

“The wolf who bit you, do you remember the color of his fur?” Quinn stared into my eyes, searching for his answers.

“It was dark out, except for the light of the moon. I remember that his fur shone silver in that light. It was like the color of molten silver, so bright even though the surroundings were so gloomy.”

A strange look flitted across Quinn’s face, but it was gone almost instantly. “There you have it, Susan. If she were lying, you of all people would know.”

Susan, the elderly lady now had a name, was still not happy, “But she’s Alpha, she could be lying and hiding it,” She protested.

Quinn sighed and smiled reassuringly at me, “If I believe she is truthful, my word is final. Even if you are a senior advisor, you are not Alpha nor are you the leader of this Pack. Now I believe our business is finished, so if you will be on your way home, I would like to enjoy the rest of my breakfast before it gets cold.” Quinn began shoving bacon into his mouth, pretending not to hear the woman and her husband protesting until they angrily left.

“The elderly can be such prudes,” He grinned before offering me some food. I joined them at the table and ate with them, my stomach realizing for the first time that it was hungry.

The last set of eyes belonged to another pack member who looked about my age, maybe slightly older. Except for initially acknowledging me with a glance when I walked in, she was now looking exclusively at Randall. Her tactless stare made me feel uneasy and I was surprised to find a twinge of jealousy in my feelings as well.

The meal was silent for the most part. The others finished their food and made small talk with each other until I finished.

When I cleaned my plate, Quinn ushered everyone else out of the room besides me, Randall, and Sylvea. The lovesick girl gave Randall one last glance as she left the room.

“She sure seems fond of you,” I remarked to Randall after she had left.

He sighed lowered his head, covering his face with his hands. “I don’t wanna talk about that right now.”

“Now is not the time to discuss matters of the heart,” Quinn said. “What we need to discuss are last night’s events. You surprised us all, Selene.”

“It wasn’t intentional to do anything…out of the ordinary,” I told them.

“But you still ended up doing it, which is what is so scary. You have more power than we thought, because the more of us that are around you, the greater it gets. Your power is amplified by other supernatural beings; you can even literally run your power through them and bring out their inner beasts without you yourself even realizing it.”

“What does this mean?” I was a freak among freaks.

Quinn looked unhappy, “Your power is great, but it is also dangerous and possibly painful to you and others. You must train it, but I am worried that you may be tempted to take advantage of it in the wrong way.”

“How could you accuse her--” Randall pounded the table with his fists, but he was interrupted by his mother.

“Your father is remembering from past mistakes. It is wise for him to be cautious.”

Quinn nodded, “I had a friend with a power much like yours. He used it against us, his own kind.”

“How?” I asked, and I kind of regretted it as a pained look crossed his face.

“He killed my father, our pack leader at the time, and fled. He was upset because he would never be the leader. He was Alpha, but I was already next to lead. Too many Alpha males are never good, but my father took him in, felt sorry for him. Many packs shunned his silver fur.

“What is it with fur color? What does it matter?” I asked, suddenly frustrated.

“It’s simple, really. Dark colored fur blends into the darkness and makes it easier to hide on full moon nights when someone may be searching for you or hunting. Light colors stand out, they make easier targets, they’re easier to follow and track down. White and silver are rare colors, as you saw that the rest of the pack has darker colors and browns, things that blend in with the natural environment,” Quinn said.

“There are legends that wolves with silver fur are an omen of bad things to come, but they are mostly just old superstitions. Silver is associated with many evils among our kind,” Selene continued.

“And white?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“White is the opposite. Even though it does stand out, it is actually a sign of good. You saw how the Pack responded to you. White symbolizes the moon, from which we draw our power. A white wolf has the power to stand up to those hunting him or her and destroy them, according to legend. It’s a lot to bear so suddenly.”

I sighed, “I’m never gonna be normal.”

Randall laughed, “I wouldn’t want you to be.” He took my hand and gave me an encouraging smile. I squeezed his hand and gave him a weak smile back.

“I suppose for now, Randall and I can teach you to control your power, so you don’t end up hurting yourself or anyone else.” Quinn offered.

“Thanks.”

“It’s for the good of the Pack,” He smiled.

It was always about the Pack rather than the individual with these people. I suppose that with a big group, others have to come first. Quinn was a good leader for his people, but I wondered about his parenting. Did Randall ever dislike how he put others first? Randall already told me how he hated it when his father offered other Pack members full access to personal things like food and full run of the house. I wondered what else Quinn gave to others.

“Randall, do you remember our training from when you came of age?” Quinn asked his son.

“Of course, I wouldn’t forget such important lessons,” Randall looked offended.

“Selene needs this training, and it wouldn’t hurt for you to practice teaching it to others, since you will be training your own children and other young wolves one day. I leave it to your for now. You are responsible for her. If you have any problems or questions, ask me or your mother.”

“Got it…but that training is so basic. What about advanced things?”

“Once she masters the basics, I will decide whether or not she needs to know those things,” Quinn said softly, a hint of anger in is voice at Randall for questioning him.

I felt awkward at the table all of the sudden. I had no idea why father and son were fighting, why things were so serious, but I didn’t want to be there anymore. The tension in the air made the hair on my arms stand up.

“I think it is time for me to get heading back. I have a class this afternoon,” I said, breaking the silence.

Quinn looked at me as if he had forgotten I was there, “Randall, take her home. You gave her a ride here, right?”

“Yes,” he smiled at me reassuringly.

“Start her training as soon as possible,” he said as we left. “I don’t want any more of what happened last night at the next full moon.”

I gathered my things and went to Randall’s truck. He was already in it, the engine running and the air conditioner at full blast.

“So what was the problem there at the end?” I asked Randall as we drove to the campus.

“He’s afraid that you…have too much potential. If you grow too strong, his pack could be in danger.”

“But if you don’t train me, won’t it be even worse?”

“Yeah, he wants me to teach you only the basics. But you can learn so much more. Why can’t he trust you like I do?”

“It’s okay for him to be cautious. He’s looking out for the good of the pack, remember?”

“Yeah…” He lapsed into silence for a few moments as we drove back to the campus. Then he asked me, “Want to start training tonight then?” He really didn’t look like he wanted to at all.

“I have about an hour right now. Teach me something now and then we can pick up on it tomorrow.”

He chewed his lip thoughtfully, “I suppose we can do one thing today. It will be a good preparation for future training.” Randall found a parking spot and then we went up to the room. As usual, my two ghosts of roommates were gone, and I suspected Lilith was asleep, since it was daytime. Randall threw a look of disgust in the direction of her door as we went into my own room, as if she could feel his hatred through the dark wood.

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A/N I know I said I might post two last week, but I looked ahead and saw that the next few chapters are REALLY long, so you guys are only getting one per week for a bit. It's either that or break them up into smaller parts. Lemme know what you think I should do.