It was a slow day. A slow day at the end of a slow week, actually, which was why I was perched on a ladder, oiling my garage bay doors. Gabriel, my teenaged assistant, and a couple of his sisters were in the office; the girls scrub the place down on Saturdays, and Gabriel gets all my shop's paperwork. The week was slow enough that he had managed to clear the entire stack, a feat roughly equivalent to moving Mt. Rainier with a shovel, at least to my mind. It's a minor sort of miracle that I manage to keep my shop functioning as a business in my intervals between assistants. I'd had Gabriel running inventory for the last few days, to keep him busy. He's a good worker: not only had he completed the inventory, he had designed some new service and inventory database. He was setting it up now. My latest restoration project was coming along nicely, but I'd sent it out for work on the paint and upholstery on Thursday and it would be gone for at least a week. If things stayed like this, I'd need a second project car. Since they provided half my income as it was, it didn't matter much to me either way. For now, though, I was running out of spring cleaning projects.

I heard a car slow to an idle on the street outside; it was running too well to belong to a potential client, though, so I didn't pay any attention until I heard a car door open.

"Hey, Mom!"

I couldn't suppress my grin. My step daughter, clearly discernable since her hair was currently the color of radioactive lime sherbet, slid out of the passenger seat of the dark sedan that had just pulled up in front of my shop. Darryl's, and he was driving, judging by the equally dark arm that slid briefly out the driver's side window in what I could only assume was intended to be a wave. I didn't fault him for the underwhelming gesture. Darryl and I got along alright, even if he didn't come to Bad Movie Night every week. He was a good friend to my husband, more than a good friend. He was Adam's second in command, in charge of helping care for all the 30-odd werewolves in the Columbia Basin Pack. He was also a little unhappy that I now outranked him.

Technically I had been Adam's mate, and thus at the top of the pack hierarchy, for years, but most of that time it was simply a courtesy title. Like the werewolves, I have two forms. My second one happens to be a coyote; also a predator, but not one who can hold territory against wolves, nor one that wolves will tolerate long in the wild. Adam named me his mate to keep his pack from killing me when I moved to town. For the most part the werewolves ignored me and I ignored them and everyone was happy. It wasn't until a lost, newly-turned werewolf in trouble on my doorstep set off a chain reaction that dragged me into cooperation with Adam and I realized that he really meant what he had said that things got complicated. Which is not to say that I don't find my current situation happier, because I do, it's just also a little bit confusing. In addition to learning to live with someone else after a decade of independence I was also getting used to my new station and power within the pack. Werewolves, like their smaller, wild brethren, are very conscious of things like that.

We were all having a bit of trouble adjusting. The only one who seemed completely unperturbed was Adam's teenage daughter, Jesse, who acted like she had planned the whole thing. Maybe she had. I certainly wouldn't put it past her. As soon as the engagement was announced she started calling me Mom, a habit I found as endearing as it was alarming. I am way too young to be the parent of a teenager.

My daughter bounded up to the ladder.

"Do you have some time this afternoon? I was hoping you could help me with some homework. Dad's busy just now, but I called Gabriel and he said it was a quiet day at work, and that you might not mind an excuse to get outside."

That was certainly the truth. "Your homework is outside?"

She nodded. "It's for our tree-hugger, save the earth unit in science. I have to go into nature and observe."

I chuckled, thinking of the many, many ways we could give her biology teacher more nature than he bargained for. The werewolves had just recently made their existence public, however, and we all had to be on our best behavior. Too bad. "Sure," I told her. "Sounds like fun."

"Can Gabriel come?"

I put on my best stern parent face. "Is this homework or a date?"

"I promise, I'll get all my work done!"

If anything, she would get more work done with him around. Gabriel was a good influence. I relented, as I had planned from the start. "Alright, Gabriel can come. If he wants to."

Gabriel wanted to. He'd be up for a trip to Mars if Jesse suggested it. When his mother came to pick up his sisters he and Jesse piled into my ancient VW Rabbit and we headed for the wild outdoors.

The assignment required her to look at an area near human populations, so instead of taking her to the nature preserve we drove to a hilly area at the edge of town. It was a beautiful day for November, and we were all in high spirits, laughing and joking around as we helped Jesse find tracks, photograph plants, and otherwise explore. Helping with homework was one of the parental duties I'd been a little nervous about (I've always been far more a humanities person than a math/science person), but if the biology homework stayed like this I'd be able to hack it.

"We're almost back to the car," I noted, two hours and a couple hundred photographs into the excursion. "How are we doing? Just about done?"

Jesse scanned the assignment sheet stuffed into her spiral. "Um, yeah. Looks pretty good. I just need to observe a few things at a stream or river, and then we'll be all done."

"We passed one, a little while back, while you two were playing tag instead of focusing on the assignment," I commented dryly. "It'll take us about ten minutes to get back to it. Maybe a little less, if we angle more to the left."

"You know," Jesse informed me as I steered us more or less back the way we had come, "educational studies have proven that taking small breaks during study improves information retention and comprehension. You're not supposed to concentrate on something for more than twenty-five minutes at a stretch."

"So your defense is that flirting helps you learn?"

Gabriel grinned at me, unrepentant.

"That's my story," Jesse agreed, her grin matching his.

I sighed, shaking my head in mock disappointment. "You two just better-"

Jesse nearly tripped over me as I stopped short. "Mercy? You ok?" I didn't answer right away; I was a little preoccupied, trying to sort out the scent that hit me as we crested a small rise.

Were, definitely, and female. Not someone I knew, which was bad. I knew all the females in Adam's pack; there were only three. While there are lone wolves and they don't generally mean harm, females are never allowed to live outside a pack. Either this visitor had been Changed outside of a pack and no one had heard about her or she belonged to a pack that hadn't announced they were 'visiting'. If the first, she was very likely not in control of her wolf, which meant she was dangerously, homicidally violent. If the second, it would be the beginning of a turf war. It didn't really matter, since the appropriate thing for me to do either way is get the kids out of here in a big damn hurry. I paused a moment longer, making sure I had the stranger's scent fixed in my mind; the more I could analyze it later, the better Adam and Samuel would be prepared to handle the problem. And it was going to be a problem. There were all kinds of alarm bells going off in my mind, the more primal areas of my brain trying to warn me about what they had gleaned from the air. Something about the scent was wrong...

"Jesse, I'm afraid you'll have to settle for observing the river in your front yard. We need to get home now."

"Is everything ok?"

"Yep, we just need to get going." She didn't quite buy it, but she turned around and started heading in the right direction, stuffing her camera and notebook in her bag as she went, and Gabriel followed. I brought up the rear, turning back into the wind every so often to scout behind. No one appeared to be following us, but it was difficult to say for certain. Fortunately we didn't have far to go. As we started down the final hill separating us from the car I figured we were home free. I let myself relax.

It was a little bit too soon.

He was downwind of us, and the wind was picking up; there was no way I could have smelled him. He was entirely black and crouched low, hiding in the shadow around the car, equally impossible to see… until he stretched, languidly, and cocked his head, fixing us in his yellow stare. Another strange wolf, just waiting for us. There were no circumstances I could think of where that would be a good thing.

He was moving toward us, leisurely but inexorable, and I was frantically searching for a plan. Running is a really, really stupid idea with a werewolf, unless you are absolutely certain that you can outrun it; their instinct is to chase things that run. Even a friendly wolf will be hard pressed not to chase a frightened, fleeing target, and on two human legs I was no match for our unexpected visitor. There was nothing near us that could provide cover, except the car, and we'd have to pass him to get to it. Werewolves can't swim, their bodies are too dense, but we weren't near any water deeper than my ankles. Pack magic and the mate bond linked me to Adam, but I was still pretty inept at using the connections; even if I could convey our circumstances, the pack was just too far away to help. We didn't have any options.

The strange wolf paused in his approach and lowered his head, growling. He sniffed at the wind, then at the ground, probably trying to make sense of my scent. He kept one eye on us, circling slowly. I would have liked to take his distraction as a good sign, but I couldn't make myself believe the lie. Gabriel, Jesse and I posed no threat, no matter how much I tried to stretch my imagination. No human was a match for a werewolf, and he wasn't going to forget about us. He was thin, and wolves are always hungry. I had no gun with silver bullets, no magical Fae knife. Even if I could make it to the Rabbit it might not be enough; I could potentially run him over, but I had the feeling that he would be more than a match for my little car's windshield. Jesse and I both smelled like Adam, but that was probably just antagonizing him. After Adam found our bodies this strange wolf would learn that Adam's smell meant death. That didn't help us now, though, and overall the thought wasn't too comforting. It would be much better if we didn't need to be avenged.

Trying not to feel defeated, I turned my attention to my young companions. Neither Gabriel nor Jesse looked ready to give up. Gabriel had grabbed a rock, holding it so its sharp edge faced outward. Not bad as a makeshift weapon, if we were fighting a dog. Jesse's weapon of choice was her cell phone. She had whipped it out and punched a number on the speed dial. I was tempted to stop her. I was sure she was calling Adam, and he was too far away to do anything to help us. I'd rather his last memory of his daughter not be listening helplessly to her agonized death screams. On the other hand, we weren't dead yet, and some insane part of me refused to admit it was only a matter of time. He wasn't the first wolf to want to eat me, and none of them had managed yet. I tossed the keys to Gabriel and began rapidly stripping out of my clothes. I was going to need complete freedom of movement for this to work.

"I'll get him distracted. When I do, you two walk slowly to the car. Don't run, I don't want him to chase you. I want him to follow me. I can outrun him. Go directly home. Leave it to the pack."

Gabriel was staring at me, clearly wondering what I had in mind as a distraction, but I didn't have time to explain. He'd done alright dating the Alpha's daughter; I'd have to assume he'd be okay with learning something new about his boss. At least he didn't argue with me. He wanted to, but he knew he had to get Jesse away. I shed the last of my clothing, but before I could change Jesse laid a hand on my arm.

"Mercy-" she started worriedly.

"It's ok, Jesse. Really. I can outrun him. Besides, if I let anything happen to either of you, it'd be better for me if I never came back." That was actually true: I'd never be able to look Adam in the face again if I let anything happen to Jesse, and Gabriel's diminutive human mother was one of the toughest, most dominant people I'd ever known (and I'd been raised in the pack of the Marrok, the werewolf who ruled all the packs in North America). She would know how to find me.

"You think the same consequences won't apply to me if I let anything happen to you?" Jesse muttered, but she dropped her hand from my arm, distracted as Adam finally answered the phone. I could hear him say hello. Trying not to wonder if this was the last time I'd hear his voice, I took a breath and shifted.

The world sharpened and deepened as my coyote senses took over. I could smell the fear Gabriel was carefully keeping from his face, and his surprise at my transformation. I could hear the gaps in Jesse's reception as her phone struggled to keep the connection. I could smell the sudden curiosity of our foe as he looked up from the dirt, could hear the whisper of grass and sand under his paws as he took a step toward us. I had apparently aroused his interest.

Well, that was the point, I reminded myself. The strange wolf growled at me again and I growled back, crouching low to the ground and moving to one side. He was getting ready to lunge; I had to make sure that motion would carry him away from Jesse and Gabriel. Of course, there was a better way…

I didn't give myself time to think. I gathered my legs beneath me and threw myself at the wolf.

I had the advantage of surprise. The average werewolf weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 pounds. In coyote form I weigh in at a whopping 32. I don't think either of us expected me to go on the offensive with odds like that. He was surprised enough that I felt my teeth bite into the thick fur protecting his neck before a heavy paw crashed into my side and I went flying to land tumbling end over end in the dirt. I shook my head, trying to clear it as I got ready to run. My ribs burned with each panting breath. I let out an involuntary whimper.

"Mercy!" Jesse cried in horror. She and Gabriel had started toward the Rabbit, but stopped when I went flying. Adam's voice roared from the phone in Jesse's hand, but she seemed oblivious to it. Gabriel held her back with both hands, trying to pull her to the car when what she clearly had in mind was running to me. They both froze as the wolf shifted his gaze away from me to stare at them with hungry yellow eyes.

I was going to have to move fast. I tensed, poised for another pass; I would dive underneath him, snapping up at his vulnerable belly. There was no way I'd be able to hurt him seriously, but that should get his attention back on me where it belonged. After that, I'd just have to keep running at all costs.

It was a great plan, until the wind shifted. A gust reached me, carrying the aroma of sagebrush, the sour scent of my friends' fear... and the distinct odor of the other wolf, the female I had smelled first. I wanted to cry in frustration. If I drew off one wolf, Jesse and Gabriel would be left helpless against the other. I was not a sufficiently interesting target to hold both. As my mind groped desperately for a suitable plan B, the black wolf leapt at Jesse and Gabriel.

In a heartbeat I was moving, praying desperately that I would be able to do something before this thing touched Jesse. I was fast, faster than he was, but over this tiny distance I didn't have time to get in front of him. Instead, I clamped my teeth down on the only part of him I could reach: his tail.

It worked. He turned on me with a snarl, sideswiping Jesse and Gabriel instead of hitting them full on. It would still hurt, but a lot less than teeth and claws. Gabriel was still wrapped around Jesse, effectively cushioning her as they went down. I took advantage of the impact, breaking free and rolling to my feet. My enemy regained his equilibrium as well, with the fluid grace that balances the werewolves' incredible strength. As I faced down my death again, a snarling streak of fur bounded over me, hitting the black wolf's legs and knocking him back to the ground. I heard a ripping sound and smelled the sudden coppery tang of fresh blood before he shoved the newcomer off. She rolled to her feet and darted for him again.

She was so little. I wouldn't have believed she was a were at all, except that I could smell it on her. She was only about five feet long from nose to tail, her cinnamon coat shaded with black and cream, maybe 75 pounds; she looked like an average, non-preternatural wolf, maybe even a little on the small side. Stacked up next to a werewolf that's not much. She was snapping and snarling, though, like she was the bigger one, her ears erect and her coat bristling. Exactly as I had been, seconds ago.

It was time I made use of the distraction; it couldn't last very long. Gabriel was helping Jesse up from the ground, scooping up her fallen phone and asking if she could walk. It looked like they were both mostly ok. I moved over to them, trying to keep my pace slow enough not to draw attention. An eerie silence fell behind me, followed by the subdued noise of bitter struggle. Our time was almost out.

I nudged the kids with my nose, herding them toward the car. Jesse held her head in her hands; she didn't seem to be firing on all cylinders. I knew the first thing Adam would do is have Samuel take a look at her, though, so I wasn't too worried. After centuries of being a doctor, Samuel was good at what he did. The trick was going to be surviving long enough to get her to Adam. We were half way to the Rabbit; behind us, the fighting continued. The scent of fresh blood hung on the now fitful breeze.

A few yards from the car Gabriel broke into a run. I didn't like it, but from the sounds of things our visitors were still occupied, so I let him go. He reached the Rabbit, wrenched open the door, and shoved the key in the ignition. For once it caught on the first try. He leaned across and opened the passenger door for Jesse and me. I should have hopped in. I should have left the mysterious stranger on her own to live or die. She wasn't pack, and I had family to worry about.

But she was the reason that Gabriel and Jesse and I were still alive. I couldn't turn my back on that. I whined, edging away from the car, glancing over at the fight. All I could see was a tangle of fur. I looked back to the car and caught Gabriel's chocolate eyes. He stared at me a tiny moment, then nodded. "We'll send them as fast as we can." He leaned across Jesse and shut the door. Gravel flew as he sped away. They would be safe.

I, on the other hand, was a crazy person. Well, no use worrying about it. I turned to dive in.