They go.

"She's perilously close to the edge with this boy. I hoped Victoria's child would be less of a romantic."

"She is pushing it. But my job is to be there to catch her."

"It isn't your only role, Regan. Understand what Allison is asking of you, because one day, she might need you to do too much to save her. Be ready to make the right choice."

She's silent for a long moment. She knows what he wants from her. What they've been planning ever since - no, even before he got sick. She knows this plan has been at the back of his mind ever since he took her from that hospital. She owes him for that. She knows she does. Without him, she would never have had this family. Never truly have known what she is, how to control it. Harness it. She can't just ignore his words. They have meaning and truth and - the end justifies the means. Everyone makes their choices. Including Allison.

"I'll be ready."

Good. Gerard calls Chris, letting him know that they'll be meeting up with him.

He asks Regan a few questions (photography is the only hobby he can remember, but he does ask her generally about school in case any other interests shake out).

Regan answers his questions and gives him a rundown of the latest goings-on at school. She knows what is expected of her, so she will provide. Even if all she wants to do is go home and eat cookies and milk with her mom and hug her sister tight.

Gerard pulls up into the parking lot. They'll be walking the rest of the way.

He's quieter now. Not as quiet as Regan can be, perhaps, but quieter than most humans. Each step as they make their way into the woods is precise and carefully chosen.

Regan follows behind him, watching his back and the perimeter. She can feel the wolf taking notice, heightening her senses even more. Along with it brings intense emotions, but Regan does not let them control her. The wolf is strong, but she is stronger.

She is. Besides, she's with family. Regan hears Chris before he arrives, but not long before. Her father knows how to hide from a werewolf's senses- as well as any human can, anyway.

"Any results?"

"No evidence of suspicious newcomers to town." Not counting them, anyway.

"I managed to get my hands on the case file for the bus driver's murder, but details there are next to useless. We already know it was an alpha. My guess, though, is that we're dealing with something more than hunger. This was a targeted kill."

"Who was he? This bus driver. Did he have any family? Enemies?"

"He's survived by his wife. No children. As far as I can tell, no enemies. I'm going to look further into his background, but I don't expect to find anything soon."

"Then why, Christopher, are we here?"

"We don't know how many people this werewolf plans to kill, but I'm betting it's more than one. Regan is our best tracker."

"I see. And we, her loyal soldiers. Lead the way, dearest granddaughter."

"Loyal soldiers, minions. Not much difference."

But she takes a deep breath, closes her eyes and forces the wolf to the surface. It's not hard. It wants out.

Her perception shifts and the area around them sharpens with extraordinary detail. She can see so much more. Hear so much more. The earth comes alive in a way that no human can ever experience. She can hear birds up in the trees, worms shifting through the dirt. See and smell the musk of every human that has passed through here in the last few days. Her attention shifts over to her dad and grandfather.

The thrill of the hunt. Excitement, anticipation. Patience. Age. Infirmity. Disease, dissolution, dissipation. The undercurrent of fear that undergirds everything else, which only she could possibly detect.

The drive to push forward, reach further, to stop the monster and save the day. Fear, of a more common kind, tied to what lies behind them.

He's more afraid of leaving his family behind than dying for his own sake.

Regan hates seeing them like this. She feels like she is violating them. Knowing their fears and emotions. The wolf relishes in it. It makes it stronger. Makes Regan stronger.

She forces herself to look away, push them and their disgusting human emotions to the background. She can't ignore them, they're so loud, but she can focus on something else.

The Hunt.

The hunt.

Chris and his father are mostly here to provide additional reinforcements. Without an alpha on their side, they would need a dozen hunters to have a guaranteed win, but with an alpha, a single shot from one of them will turn the tide of battle in their favor.

If they ever find the thing.

She won't find her quarry here, not if it's hunting humans. Last time she smelled it, it was in town, where humans belong. The only place they might stay safe from their teeth.

Nowhere is safe.

She pivots on her heel and starts towards town. She's trained for this, she has control and two of the best hunters on her side. It can wear sheep's clothing, hide among the filth, but she will find it. There is no doubt. There is only the hunt.

She searches the town. She can sketch out some of the other alpha's path, but just as before, her senses fall short. There has been no activity tonight.