Sandy strolled around in the night. Not feeling like going home, yet. Her eyes caught her father walking in the dark. She followed him, but kept her distance. What was he up to this time of the night?
Donald headed to the stream nearby. There was a low water bridge with lots of homeless people, seeking safety under it.
Nobody would even miss them if one of them disappeared.
Sandy watched him as he came to a stop and lurked. She noticed the people. Realized what he was up to and walked up to him. She put her hand on his shoulder while whispering. "I don't think so, Dad."
He jumped up and swung around with fright. While in motion, his claws appeared. He grabbed the hand from his shoulder. Penetrated the skin and ripped part of the flesh.
Donald gasped loudly when he realized it was his daughter's hand. "Sandy, what are you doing here? Did I hurt you?" He reached out and grabbed her hand. Blood was dripping from it. The skin on top of her hand ripped. Flesh torn, right to the bone.
She yanked her hand out of his. "I'll be fine. You had better get back home. Mom warned you about this."
Sandy tore her shirt to pieces and tied it around her hand. Trying to stop the bleeding. Her hand hurt like hell. She had a good mind to squeal on her Dad.
Her hand started throbbing and she applied pressure to it with her other hand.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, go home!" Sandy kneeled down. Clenching her hand.
"Are you going to tell your mother?"
"No, Dad! Just go!" Sandy sat down in the dirt. This was the first time she felt this way. She glanced back to make sure her father left, then she brought her hand up to her face. Her nostrils flared, as she smelled the blood. Even though it was her own blood, it didn't matter. It was blood and it was fresh blood.
She took a deep breath. Inhaling through her nose. With her eyes opened wide, she raised her head. She smelled them. She breathed the warm humid air in through her nose. She smelled them. Human flesh!
Sandy ran her fingers through her hair. She knew it was wrong. Her heart started pounding faster. She breathed in deeply. Smelling her prey. She breathed rapidly until she couldn't control herself anymore. Her hands deformed and formed into paws along with the long yellow claws.
Mom said… She heard her mother's voice from deep inside, but ignored it and transformed completely.
Ylva lurked in the dark, watching the humans moving. One of them came closer. He was alone. This was her chance. She breathed rapidly. Only a few steps closer, then she could jump him. Tore his flesh into pieces.
She sagged down. Ready to jump her prey, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
She stopped breathing as she turned around slowly. Her mother stood behind her. Fully transformed. Her eyes red. "Ayla," she whispered and lowered her head.
"Your father told me what happened. He sent me here, because you were behaving strangely."
Ylva morphed back into a human form.
Sandy lay half-naked on the ground. Her clothes were torn; she didn't take it off, before she morphed. She felt so ashamed to stand up and to face her mother.
Her mother morphed back into a human and walked up to her. "Come, get up. I know it's not your fault."
***
Susan sat her daughter down at the kitchen table. Her husband came running in and kneeled before Sandy.
"Is she okay?" he asked glancing at his wife.
She nodded. "Get me warm water and the first aid kit." Susan took keys from the key rack. Walked up to the fridge and unlock it. Glancing at her daughter, she took a plate and stepped into the fridge. When she came out, she put the plate with meat on the table. "Eat this, you'll feel better."
Sandy opened her eyes and grimaced as she looked at the raw piece of steak, on the plate. "I don't want it!" she exclaimed and shoved the plate across the table.
Her mother pushed it in front of her and demanded her to eat the raw meat. "Why do you think I eat it? It helps! Trust me."
Sandy took the piece of raw meat from the plate. Bloody water from the thawed steak dripped on her chest and ran down her chin as she took a bite. Halfway through the steak, she gazed at her mother. "I'm sorry." She sighed and took another bite of the meat. "I thought I could control myself. But when I smelled the fresh blood dripping from my hand…" She shook her head slowly and kept quiet.
"Let me fix your hand up then you can enjoy the last piece of that meat." Susan took the bloody cloth from the hand, before immersing her daughter's hand in the bowl of lukewarm water. Despite of Sandy's jerking and moaning, she soaked her hand a good ten minutes, before removing it from the water.
After the bleeding stopped, Susan covered the hand with gauze and bandage.
Sandy finished the steak and allowed her mother to lead her upstairs.
She got into bed, smiled as her mother fluffed the pillow, and tucked her in. "The last time you did this, was just before I left for college."
Susan hugged her daughter. "Well, then it was due." She smiled at her. "Take the next two days off. Your hand should be healed by Wednesday. Remember, our blood is different. We heal faster." She kissed Sandy on the forehead and shut the door as she left the bedroom.
Donald, already in bed when his wife entered their bedroom, opened his eyes when she turned on the light.
She glared at him. "This wasn't the first time, was it? That's why you took up smoking. To hide the smell of human flesh from your breath!"
Donald shut his eyes for a moment before he opened them again. "I said I was sorry. It won't happen again."
"That incident fifteen years ago, behind the chicken coup, on John's farm. The torn body he and Pete saw and when the police came, it was gone. It was you, wasn't it?" Susan asked while undressing.
He nodded. "I know. I wasn't careful enough."
Susan, halfway dressed in her pajamas, rushed up to him. She fell down on the bed next to him. "My god, Don! That was not supposed to happen! I explain the rules, when you joined the pack. And even before you joined." She stared at him. "Before the transformation and while you transformed. I recite it until you told me to shut up."
Her husband jumped out of bed. "You shouldn't have bitten me!"
She gasped loudly and rose from the bed.
A sudden silence filled the room. One could almost hear the dripping of the water tap in the kitchen sink.
Husband and wife glowered at each other. Both of them stunned.
She took a deep breath. Finished putting on her pajamas and climbed into bed.
Susan turned, facing her husband who was still standing. She wanted to explain why she did it, why she bit him twenty-seven years ago.
She stared at him. "I was in love with you, Don. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You never would allow me near you if you knew about me. If you knew what I was."
Donald got into bed next to his wife. "I'm not sorry it happened," he whispered. Put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
She snuggled up in his arm. "Tonight's incident was inevitable anyway. Sandy's twenty-five and not once has she turned on a human. I thought it would happen years ago. I was so scared when she went off to college. It could as well happen there." Susan gazed at her husband. "It's nobody's fault." She kissed him good night.
He captured her lips and smiled when he saw the frown on his wife's forehead. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Her face flushed. "Yeah, it has." She kissed him on the lips. Felt his hunger. And gave herself to him.