I ARRIVED AT Bill and Karen’s house Wednesday morning. Bill was the only one there. He took me into his office and asked me to have a seat.

“I asked you to come today for several reasons. First, I want you to understand that because of the circumstances surrounding you and your discovery of the Kindred, you’ve gotten what some people will consider special treatment. 

“I admit, I don’t treat you the way I treat most of my pack, or like I treat my own children. If I had to make a comparison, I would probably say I treat you much as one treats a beloved god-child, which is very much how I have come to see you over the years. I wanted you to be aware it may cause hard feelings with some of the rest of the pack. 

“Second, you need to understand how the pack works, the hierarchy and structure we live within. You saw a bit of it last week with Brandon. His addressing me as Anikitos, and his differential manner toward me. Those are only a small part of the way the pack works.  

“So far, it looks like you’ll be Alphic. That means you’re powerful enough, and because I know you, I can say, dominant enough to be an Alpha, or other high-ranking pack member. Even if you don’t want to lead, Alphic means that you could. You have the power and dominance.

“You already know a pack’s leaders, Karen and I, are the Alekto and Anikitos. The second in command titles are the Lysandros and the Harmonia. They, like the pack leaders, are generally a married couple, though it’s not required. They are also earned positions. You’ll be meeting Hank and Alexis tonight. There are also several other positions, including Theron, which is a pack’s chief enforcer, more security positions, elders and others, some necessary, some not. We do have a Theron, and though I’m sure you’ll meet him, there’s no need now. 

“You also need to know Karen and I often have bodyguards around. They’re part of the enforcer, or security team. You’ve never seen them because I’ve been careful around your father and I’ve kept them at a distance when he’s around. You and he aren’t a danger to me and I didn’t want you to freak out with strangers hovering around. I’m going to have them stick around so you can get used to them.”

“Okay.” I blinked as I processed his words. There had to be more about pack structure and life that I didn’t know yet, but who knew it was so complicated? 

“There’s also a lot more to the government, and basically ruling is how it’s done. But you need to know Karen and I are in charge of seeing to it our pack follows the rules set down for all Kitsune.”

“Set down by whom?” 

“By the council. For now, think of the council like Congress. I don’t want to give you too much information and overwhelm you. We have a little while before a couple people are coming by, so let’s do something else and let the new information sink in.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Have you been practicing your telepathy?”

“Some. Brandon and I went out for a run yesterday. It was nice to be able to talk to him while in wolf form, more than just the barking and tail wagging I imagined.”

“Where did you go?”

“Out to the hot tub on Haekel Road. I figured there was lots of space and few people around to spot us in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday.”

He nodded his approval. “How did you like running as a wolf?”

“It was fun.” She filled him in on the trip the day before up until Brandon’s warning about the javelina. “He said even in wolf form it’s best to avoid them.”

“He was right. They’re mean little buggers, and they don’t care about size. Unless you want to hurt one or be hurt by one, it’s best to just steer clear. Did you take anything to eat?”

I smiled. “I’d planned ahead. I stopped on my way out of town and picked up some fruit and a few of those meal replacement shakes. They don’t taste the greatest but they worked really well, and they’re better than protein bars any day.”

“I never thought about those things, but they’re a really good idea. I’ll have to mention them to Karen. They would be good to add to the emergency bags we keep in our cars.”

“Yep, they have calories and nutrients, fast. Not to mention, they transport and store well.”

We talked about my run the day before and practiced my telepathy until the doorbell rang. 

“You stay here; I’ll get that.” Bill stood. 

I stayed where I was in the overstuffed leather chair in his office that I loved so much. Bill returned with two men following him. One looked about my age, maybe a little older, the other was a bit older than the first, but still not Bill’s age. I looked up at the trio, my mind blank until Bill spoke, drawing my attention back to him. 

“Nickie, these are my enforcers, my security,” Bill said. I pulled my feet out from underneath me and stood to meet them. “This is Terry Vaughn; he generally works evenings and nights around here.” 

The older of the two men stepped forward. He was about 6’ 2” with a short, military hair cut on his almost black hair, and even though it was cut short, I could tell he was starting to go gray. He was big, bulky, and muscular, like someone who did a lot of heavy lifting or spent a lot of time in the gym. His blue eyes were pleasant and he smiled as he extended one hand toward me. I stepped closer and shook his hand. He had a firm, sure grip without being too aggressive. 

“Nice to meet you,” he said. 

“You, too,” I was unsure what was going on. After he released my hand, Terry stepped back until he was once more standing next to the other man. 

“This is Gabriel Hensen. You’ll probably encounter him most as he has the day shift.” Bill introduced the younger man.

Gabriel wasn’t as tall as Terry, he probably stood about 5’11”. He was thinner too, not less muscled, just built differently. It was the long, lean muscle of a runner instead of the bulk of a football player. He looked more ethnic, with dark hair cut so he could artfully muss the top, as was done now. He had dark, chocolate brown eyes, which sparkled at me over his full lipped smile as he stepped forward. 

“I’m pleased to meet you too.” I looked up at him as I shook his hand.

“The pleasure’s all mine, I’m sure,” he said in a slow, deep voice. 

The strength in his hand was apparent as he carefully clasped mine in his. After he released my hand, he stood for a moment, just gazing at me. It felt like he was trying to figure something out. After a moment, he stepped back and was once again standing beside Terry, as though nothing had happened.

“Boys, this is Nickie Daniels. She shifted for the first time last week. She’s brand new to our secret and she’s still learning about the Kindred.”

Instantly, all pretense of relaxed comfort fell from the men. They seemed to stand taller and be generally tougher. Without a word between them, they moved to stand on either side of Bill. They were alert and ready to face anything that might threaten their leader. Their actions made Bill’s words earlier more real. They weren’t only there to enforce the rules as their titles implied. Wow, they really seem to take the bodyguard thing seriously. Then it dawned on me. Bill saying that I’ve only recently shifted is what had put them on alert. That means they think I’m a threat. I couldn’t help myself, I had to speak up. 

“I realize you’re just doing your job, but I find the insinuation that I’m a threat insulting. I would never do anything to hurt Bill or Karen,” I let my displeasure show in my voice. Confusion flashed in their eyes when I used names instead of titles, but I had to give them credit, they never wavered from their position and determination to defend Bill. 

“Stand down, boys. You can relax. Nickie’s no threat. I’ve known her all her life and she’s like my god-daughter. I wanted to make introductions so you’d recognize her and she wouldn’t be surprised if she stopped by and found one of you here.” 

The two men relaxed some. They were still wary, but not at attention and on alert like before. 

“Nickie still has a lot to learn about being Kindred. I thought if you could get along with her, you might help teach her about living among the Kindred. The more people she feels comfortable asking things, the sooner she’ll fell more like one of us.” 

“If they don’t treat me like I’m going to attack you, I’m willing to give it a try,” I said to Bill. 

“You have to understand,” Terry spoke up, “you’re an unknown, in an unfamiliar situation, going through major changes you couldn’t possibly have expected. High emotions and stress can lead to aggressive or violent behavior. As far as we know, you may not be handling things well and could be a danger to our Anikitos.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to organize my thoughts. “I understand your position, but I won’t put up with being treated like I will explode at any moment. That alone will drive me to it. Not toward those you are trying to protect, but at you. Treat me normally, not like a mental case, and we’ll get along fine,” I looked back and forth between Terry and Gabriel as I spoke. 

Terry was quiet for a few seconds, then turned to Bill with one brow raised. “She’s got a bit of an attitude, how’re her talents?” 

“So far, strong. I already knew about her dominant personality. What remains to be seen is how ambitious she may be.” Bill spoke to him as if I weren’t standing right in front of them. 

I ignored that they weren’t talking to me and put my two cents in. “Not ambitious enough to try to take your position from you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I have no clue how large the pack here is, and while I don’t want to be at the bottom, I have no desire to be responsible for everyone else either.”

Bill turned to me and smiled. “It’s a big responsibility, not one to be taken lightly. I’ve never seen you as possible Alekto or even Harmonia material anyway. You’ve always been more loner than leader.”

“Pretty much. My motto has always been I don’t care what you want to do, just don’t try to make me do it. My biggest battles have always been with people, whether it be teachers, bosses, or classmates, who tried to mold me into their clones.”

Gabriel cleared his throat then spoke. “If I may, I’d be happy to help Nickie learn whatever she needs to know. However, I reserve the right to determine the risk she poses for myself. To take that away defeats our purpose.”

“Watch it,” Bill said, his tone warning.

“No, he’s right, Bill.” I laid one hand on his arm. “It’s his job to decide who is a threat, I can live with that. As long as you don’t treat me like a stick of dynamite sweating nitro just because of my situation. Get to know me and judge me for myself. If, after that, you think I’m dangerous, I can accept it, but not before.” 

“That’s fair to us all,” Bill said. He invited the guys to have a seat. I sat back down in my chair and they joined us. 

I did a lot of listening as they taught me more about pack structure and shared various stories. Some of which were childhood tales told to all Kitsune. I paid attention, asking questions whenever I was confused. I learned a good deal about living among the Kindred, though I still had a lot left to figure out, I now had hope that this could all become my new normal.

It was mid-afternoon when I excused myself, taking some time to get ready for dinner that evening. I didn’t want to meet the pack’s second in command in ragged jeans and a tank top.