The first stop they made that day was the bank. Apparently trying to deposit a massive cheque does not happen everyday at the branch she banked with. They had to wait for calls and checks, and bank managers to discus 'what' she did not know. It took over two hours to get things settled. Reece was annoyed, but when he saw that she and Kalie found his irritation amusing he seemed to take it in good humor.

  The next stop they made was to the shelter. Verna was sad to see Maddison go, and completely confused as to why, the moment she and her new friends entered the building, the animals flew into a tizzy. She could barely hear them over the barking, howling, and yowling.

  Outside, Maddison handed Verna a cheque for twenty five thousand dollars. She didn't want to tell verna that she was a werewolf now, so she just offered the excuse that she had come into a lot of money and didn't need a job anymore. Honestly, once Verna saw the cheque she hardly heard what anyone was saying. She kept fanning herself with it and saying her thanks.

  That out of the way, Reece took them to Greg's house. Kalie tried to cheer Maddison up, but she was pretty put-out by the animals reaction to her. Not one of them would come within ten feet of her, and when she approached them they fled, or growled and trembled.

  "Greg! Chase!" she called as she let her friends into the house. It was four o'clock so her brother should be home by now.

  "Coming!" she heard him holler from his room upstairs, quickly followed by thundering foot steps. "You're here too Reece!?" smiled the teen. Maddison rolled her eyes and Reece grinned.

  "Hey Kido. Where's your dad?" Reece asked.

  "Ran out to get pizza. He forgot his wallet though, so he will be back any minute."

  "Why doesn't that man get a cell phone?" Groaned Kalie.

  "Because it would probably signal the end of the world to the robot overlords." Joked Maddison.

  "Hey, I'm a fan of those books you know?" smirked Reece.

  "Come into the living room. I bet I can wipe the floor with you in my new game." Chase said excitedly. How was it that her brother was more pleased to see her landlord over his recently hospitalized sister?

  "Somehow I have a feeling that you are supposed to be doing homework." Maddison said suspiciously.

  "I can't very well leave guests down here all alone while I ignore them for math equations. That would be rude."

  "Aha, I knew I liked this kid." Laughed Reece, following Chase into the living room.

  Chase had been right, not ten minutes later Greg came back. He scooped Maddison up in a bear- hug, strong for such a small man.

  "I was going to call you when I got back." He said happily. "Just come to visit?"

  "Yup. Though my skin feels like its crawling, and my shoulder is sore again..."

  "Once you shift tonight both of those will stop." Explained Reece. "Your shoulder will heal, and the crawling is just an itch to shift. It happens to all wolves if its been a while since their last shift."

  "So do you all want to stay for pizza, or do you have to leave?" asked Greg.

  "We can stay. There is still a couple hours before we leave for the pack meet. I can get the pizza though."

  "But I said I would pay." Said Maddison, flopping down despite her words.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  "No, I said you would pay. Besides, I'm pretty sure I promised your brother a ride in my car."

  "Yes! I'll get my coat!" whooped Chase, abandoning his controller and game, and rushing for the door.

  Maddison laughed. Despite the mixed and confusing feelings she had for Reece, it made her happy that her family liked him.

  While Reece and Chase were gone Maddison gently informed her father about her new found wealth. To say Greg was stunned was to put it mildly. For several long minutes he sat there in silence while Maddison and Kalie exchanged worried glances.

  "So you can go to collage now!" was the first thing he said with great enthusiasm. He said it so suddenly and loudly that it made Kalie jump, witch made Maddison laugh.

  "I suppose so. But I'm not ready for that just now..."

  "No- no I suppose you wouldn't be..."

  "For now I'm just looking forward to tonight. The sooner I can shake this awful emptiness the better."

  "You are actually handling it quite well." Observed Kalie. "Most people would be barely functional. Baring a few well deserved meltdowns, you've been great."

  "You had a meltdown?" asked Greg, eyes furrowed with concern.

  "Yeah, that ass- jerk, Wayne showed up and was saying awful things, then Lucky Charms showed up with a ton of cops and arrested him. That's when he forked over the cheque saying it was pretty much hush money. I didn't take it well. Threw a bit of a tantrum, actually."

  "It was fine though" Kalie added with a suspicious smile at Greg. "Reece was being all sweet and caring and convinced her to come out.."

  "Oh really?" Greg smirked. One of his and Kalie's favorite pass times was to butt into her love life- or lack there of.

  "It was not like that." Maddison insisted. She appreciated his effort in coming after her, but she would hardly call his rambling speech as 'sweet and caring'.

  "Ah~ werewolf hearing, remember." She said, pointing to her ears. "If you don't want to be overheard, then you should shut your doors."

  "I did shut my doors! It was Reece who opened them!"

  The sound of a car pulling into the driveway, followed by Chase's excited voice, announced he and Reece's return.

  "He is a good man, that Reece." Said Greg quietly. "A little cocky, but most human men are at that age, I can only imagine werewolves would be more so."

  "Dad!" Maddison hissed, glaring at her father just as the two boys came in, accompanied by the spicy scent of pizza.

  "Great! What are we arguing about this time?" smirked Reece, carrying several boxes.

  Maddison trained her glare on him instead, hoping her amusement didn't show. "None of your business."

  "We got so much pizza!" Chase laughed, also carrying several pizzas. "Reece says we need to get used to how much werewolves eat."

  "Well, I am glad I don't have to pay for your groceries any more." Greg said, leading the group to the dining room.

  "Hey, can I go to that pack thingy tonight?" asked Chase. "I want to see you all change into wolves!"

  "Sorry Kido." Reece said roughing up Chase's hair. "Only pack are aloud at pack events. But your sister is free to come show you a shift any time. I can show you one now if you like."

  "Should you really be striping naked in front of a couple humans?" laughed Kalie.

  "Huh? Naked?" Asked Maddison with a slice almost to her lips.

  "Yeah, you can't shift in your clothes. You'll trip or strangle yourself! You can do it in a pinch but its always best to undress first."

  "Are you saying I'm going to have to get naked in front of a bunch of strangers tonight?"

  "Oh, yeah, sorry... I forgot how awkward that is at first..."

  "You forgot?!"

  "Sorry! You kind of get used to public nudity as a werewolf. Its no big deal. Its not like everyone is checking each other out or anything."

  Maddison groaned. She wasn't shy, exactly, but that didn't mean she wanted to be hanging out for public display.

  "Well, I'm not prepared for people getting naked in my dining room." Laughed Greg. "If you want to shift, that is fine, but go to another room and then come back."

  "But I want to see him shift. To see what it looks like!"

  "Maybe next time Kido." Winked Reece, heading out of the room while tugging on his shirt. Maddison was reminded of the first time she met Reece, topless and edible. God she was a perv! "For now I'll change in the washroom then come show you my wolf alright?"

  "I guess I'll go with you." Kalie said taking a bite of pizza and standing up.

  It happened before she could stop herself; Maddison growled. A low and dangerous one. Crap...

  Kalie looked a little surprised, but Reece's face broke into a wise and cocky grin. She scented his pleasure at her involuntary jealousy. It clued Kalie in too, and she began to giggle. Greg and Chase look surprised, but it didn't take Greg long to see what had happened, and he too smiled.

  "Go!" Maddison snapped, flushing scarlet. "Just go before I bite you both!"

  "Is that a promise?" they said at the same time. Both smiled widely at one another before linking arms and marching out of the room, laughing.

  Maddison growled again, causing the pair to laugh all the harder.

  "I don't get it..." said Chase, still stuffing his face.

  "Good." Maddison moaned, embarrassed.