📎A/N. Sorry for the delay in posting. I am not really overly happy with the chapter, but I know some of you have been waiting for the next installment.

As always comments and feedback (as well as votes) welcome...

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It is a proven fallacy that the crime rate rises around a full moon. Over the years, countless studies have been conducted which prove the theory incorrect and unjustified.

However, that didn't stop those on duty in the Emergency Communications Centre in Worchester, blaming the full moon for the higher than normal call volumes.

Answering more than one hundred and twenty million calls per year, they were trained to handle all types of emergencies. From people calling in to report accidents, crimes, fires, domestic abuse, and cats stuck in trees.

The 911 Dispatcher taking the call was new to the job, and was doing his best to keep up with the chaos of the full moon. He had just ended the previous call, when another was automatically routed to his headset.

"Nine-one-one. What is the address of your emergency?"

"Analienhastakenovermyneighbour! Send someone quick!" The voice belonged to an elderly woman, obviously frantic about something.

"Ma'am you need to calm down. I need you to repeat your problem again."

"An alien has taken over the body of my neighbour! I think it's going to burst out of his chest. You have to do something."

The 911 operator paused before answering. This type of call was not covered in his training. "Has anyone been hurt?"

"Not yet. But as soon as it escapes - we are all doomed. It will infect us all," the woman cried in horror, attempting to make the dispatcher understand the disaster playing out before her.

"Okay, can I ask your name?" The operator began to quickly leaf through his call scripts, trying to locate instructions on how to deal with the current caller.

"Myrtle. Myrtle Brown. Oh God, he's screaming. You need to send someone now."

Despite the operators best efforts, the woman could not be calmed down enough to provide an address. As per procedure, he escalated the call, and handed it over to his supervisor.

"Linda, I've got a woman that won't be calmed down enough to give me her details."

The duty supervisor, after managing to pacify Myrtle, began to get an uneasy feeling as the woman described the scene playing out in her neighbour's backyard.

The more she elaborated, the greater the feeling of dread that welled up from the pit of the night supervisors stomach. Telling the woman to stay on the line, she quickly made another call.

Twenty minutes later, an ambulance pulled up outside of the address Mrs Brown had given. She, being the concerned neighbour, stood outside waiting to direct the Paramedics to the correct house. The entire time, still talking to the night supervisor.

A short while later, they wheeled Myrtle's neighbour, now strapped securely to a gurney, to the paramedics vehicle.

Quickly closing the doors, and thanking the concerned neighbour for her diligence and concern, they rushed to the front of the vehicle. The woman waved absently as the ambulance speed away and she finished her call with the 911 Supervisor.

Myrtle headed back inside to make herself a warm cup of tea, and to make a hat from aluminium foil. She wanted to make sure she wasn't able to be taken by aliens as well.

This was more excitement the old woman had seen in years.

The ambulance speed through the busy streets, lights blazing to clear a path. Bypassing the local hospitals, the ambulance made its way two hundred miles nor-west to New York State.

By the time they had reached their destination, the man was almost unconscious from the pain. His body jerking uncontrollably, as his bones appeared to physically mutate and then settle back into place.

By the time the paramedics returned to Massachusetts to clock off, the man had completed his first turn. His life now forever changed.

It did not take long for the Alpha of the North River pack to discover that a large dog had bitten his newest addition, two months before. It was not too much of a leap to assume that Elijah was the Werewolf responsible for the crime inflicted on this innocent victim.

The question was - how many others had he infected that they would not get to on time?

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"I don't think I can take much more of this," winced Briana as another debilitating pain shot through her body. No amount of drugs was helping. The pain was all consuming. They hadn't eaten or slept in two days.

Her cousin looked up from his paperwork. "We just need to hold on a few more days. He said it would be all over soon."

"How am I going to explain to Misty why I'm not home? She's due back next week," Briana pouted. Her girlfriend had been away for the past month, and his cousin had been counting down the days until her return.

"The same way I am lying to my bitch of an ex-wife on why I can't have the kids this weekend. Just tell her you have a contagious virus and can't leave."

"And she believed you?"

"It wasn't too hard when I Skyped her and she saw what I looked like," he muttered in frustration, "in fact, she wanted more alimony. Claiming additional stress of worrying if the kids had caught my illness the last time I had them."

Briana threw herself into one of the chairs in front of Ambrose's desk. "How are the others coping?"

It had taken some convincing, but Ambrose had managed to gather all seven of Elijah's victims from the funeral under one roof.

The meeting had not gone to plan with one of the victims refusing to cooperate. A demonstration of force, and one dead body, ensured no further objections from those present. They were too far-gone to return to their families safely.

Ambrose shrugged. "They pretty much keep to themselves. I have Frank keeping tabs on them."

"And what about operations?"

Ambrose sighed as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I am keeping the others away for now. Junior is handling any problems that requires a physical presence. Although, he is limited with his availability - for obvious reasons."

"This needs to be over quickly before it effects business," Briana complained, "we have shipments arriving soon. And you know how antsy the Columbian's are."

They both jumped as a third voice broke into the conversation. "Fret not," Elijah, said as he walked into the room playing with the now familiar hunting knife, "you're almost there."

Ambrose grimaced. Elijah had a nasty habit of lurking and appearing at any given moment. No conversation was sacred. He appeared to hear everything.

Eying up the ever-present appendage to the Werewolf's hand, Ambrose mentally counted to ten. The way in which the man seemed to play with his knife - almost lovingly, was unsettling.

Ambrose had seen first hand the damage the razor sharp knife could inflict. They were down two additional men, just so the madman could demonstrate his superiority.

In addition, to show any attempt at harming him would be fruitless, Elijah had used his blade to cut a deep laceration on his palm. It had appeared as if he had registered no pain. What was more disconcerting was that, by the end of the day, the wound had knit and looked as though it had been made days before, not hours.

The man was deranged and psychotic. Ambrose and the others had no choice but to comply with his wishes.

Ambrose Giordano had risen to his current position through dedication, perseverance and an uncanny ability to exploit situations to his advantage.

Not once had he gotten his hands dirty. Not once had anyone died from his hands. That did not mean that he did not have blood on his hands. It was just he was careful about how it was done. Ambrose had always made sure that there were at least four people between him and his intended victim, with the hit man never knowing where the command had originated.

Ambrose was a true believer of the old adage 'those whom forget the past are doomed to repeat it'. With the deterioration of the organisation over the years due to the Don's repeating the exact mistakes of their predecessors, it had not taken much to revitalise the organisation and turn it to a force to be reckoned with. The authorities were left chasing their collective tails.

He was the consummate businessman who ran a successful shipping business, while at the same time, running an even more successful illegal conglomerate.

His first action as Don had been to compartmentalise the entire operations so that those lower down the chain were not aware of whom or how many were above them. It had successfully worked for the terrorists over the years. Why not him?

His captains and lieutenants were all without police records. Highly trusted both by him, and the general community in which they lived. No one was allowed to live beyond his or her means. In fact, as far as the IRS was concerned, he had inherited the property in which he lived from a distant relative.

The Don was a consummate tactician, and had the uncanny knack of being able to take advantage of every circumstance thrown his way.

After he had accepted the situation and the 'thing' he was being turned into, Ambrose began planning on how to exploit the obvious advantages that would no doubt eventuate.

Based on his conversations with their new 'friend', they would never be as strong or as fast as a pure Werewolf, however they would be far superior than the human population they were leaving behind.

The possibilities were endless. He would be able to run the entire operation on less of a network. And, according to Elijah, they would live longer - much longer.

The Triads and pesky Russian Mafia would be answering to him very soon.

The only issue was - how to get rid of their 'house guest'?

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Kaitlyn focused on her breathing.

In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.

She felt her hand being squeezed. Glancing at her grandfather she was comforted slightly by his reassuring smile.

They had been sitting in one of the town hall chambers, which could have passed for a courtroom in any part of the country, for what seemed like an eternity. Checking her watch, Kaitlyn groaned upon discovering they had been sitting for only five minutes.

Trying to stay inconspicuous, Kaitlyn surveyed the chamber without making it too obvious. A short distance away was a group of Werewolves huddled together, talking. Kaitlyn recognised one of them as the packs Alpha, Joshua having pointed him out earlier.

He was currently speaking to a group of older pack members. These, she understood were the packs elders.

Throughout the day, Joshua had given her a quick lesson on what to expect. The petition would be made behind closed doors to the Alpha and Elders. None of the other pack members would be present.

She would be presented to the Alpha and would be required to ask for protection.

The Elders, being responsible for the cultural aspects of their lives, as well as the link to their historical roots, would be allowed to ask questions to determine whether they accepted she would not be a threat.

Both the Alpha and the Elders would pronounce their decisions, and she would either be accepted - or not.

Her nervousness had been alleviated somewhat when Murphy had grumbled that there had never been a case where a human who presented themselves for protection, had actually been turned down. The fact they had the courage to stand in front of Werewolves, alone and unarmed, was proof enough of their integrity.

It then bounced back to near panic, when Joshua reminded Murphy of 'the Black Hills incident'. The way in which Murphy grunted in no way reassured her of the outcome of the meeting.

The session was late in starting, as they were waiting on the final elder to arrive. He was still on his way back to town after finishing up a two day hiking tour for a corporate group from Atlanta.

Kaitlyn wiggled slightly in her seat. It was hard and slightly uncomfortable. She stopped as she heard the door open and confident footsteps make its way towards the front. She could feel Murphy, who was sitting to her right, suddenly become tense. His whole body became rigid as he sat up even straighter.

Turning, to take a look at the new arrival, Kaitlyn was aghast. Without being told she knew who the Werewolf was. There was no mistaking the resemblance. Without the same frame, same facial features - she would still have seen the connection between the two men just by the eyes. Black as the night sky.

The Elder they were waiting for - was Murphy's father.

She turned questioning eyes towards Murphy. Silently accusing him of yet again, failing to prepare her for another shock.

Kaitlyn stopped in her tracks when she took in the man beside her. His face had dropped its icy veneer. In its place was the look of anguish and hurt. It was etched into every pore, each chiselled crevice. The pain radiated outward and imploded back upon itself, wave after wave. The moment overwhelmed her as she realised the depth of emotions that Murphy had kept bottled up over the years. A violent storm, ready to explode and shatter, if not carefully concealed.

Discounting the earth-shattering kiss from this morning, and the fact that he could so easily pull away - Kaitlyn knew that it should have never happened. They were partners and he was still obviously grieving from losing June. From what she had gleaned from her long conversation with Molly, his mate had been an extremely sweet and much loved member of the pack.

In fact, she had learnt more from his mother in the space of their short conversation, than she had in all their time as partners.

The events from twenty years before, obviously still hit a raw spot with him. And, despite their differences, she considered him a friend. A strange, and aloof one at that, but a friend all the same.

Her previous ire quickly evaporated, and she tucked her arm under his, hoping to provide some additional support to his discernible inner turmoil.

Shock registered across his face at the touch and he glanced down at her unexpected gesture. Regaining his composure, the walls went up again and, to an outsider, he looked unaffected by the presence of the last Elder.

Kaitlyn knew, by the fact that he left her arm in place; he was not completely devoid in his need for some form of support. Even if it was in the shape of a human.

Focusing back on the others, she watched in silence as the Alpha took his place at the raised bench at the front.

The seven elders quickly followed suit, and took up their seats along the wall to the Alphas right. Kaitlyn cringed. They reminded her of a jury.

It did not matter how much Joshua had assured her. She was surrounded by creatures that were faster and stronger than her. Most of them having walked the earth for hundreds of years longer than she had been around.

A feeling of claustrophobia started to overwhelm her as her instincts struggled to remain still. Remembering Joshua's instructions to always remain calm, she began her breathing exercises

Kaitlyn closed her eyes and began what she now called her 'stop them knowing what you are thinking' chant.

Breathe In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.

Alpha Nathan's voice pierced her concentration. His tone smooth and calming, allowed her to regain some composure.

Sneaking a glance across at the Elders, she was startled when the majority were looking pointedly at her. Looking more closely, she realised that it was the massive presence to her right they were focusing on. The only Elder who was ignoring them, was Murphy's father.

"We have convened to hear a petition for protection. Will the human and those petitioning protection please stand," began Alpha Nathan as he addressed the room.

Kaitlyn and Joshua immediately stood. Much to Joshua's disgust Murphy took his time in rising.

"We seek protection of my granddaughter Kaitlyn Quinn, a human who has learnt of our existence," Joshua said confidently.

"And how did she come to this knowledge?"

"She witnessed one of us turning from his Wolf to human form."

"I see," was his only response as his eyes settled on Kaitlyn as if attempting to assess her mettle.

Turning back to address Joshua he began speaking again. "Who revealed himself? Is the primary present?"

Kaitlyn was becoming slightly confused at the proceedings. Why are they asking questions they know the answer to?

There was a pregnant pause as the Alpha waited for his answer.

"I did," Murphy's voice boomed loud across the chamber.

"And do you vouch for the petitioner?" Nathan directed his question to Murphy.

Before Murphy had a chance to reply, an eerily familiar voice broke into the exchange.

Kaitlyn's eyes widened in shock. God, not only do they look alike, they sound alike!

"I have a question for the primary," older looking Murphy said, addressing his Alpha.

The floor was released to the Elder.

"I would like to know how you managed to reveal yourself in front of a human? How many other times have you been careless?" snapped the father to the son.

Kaitlyn was on high alert when the older O'Neill began speaking. Her temper escalated with each syllable that hung in the air. She was infuriated. How could his father think that he did this deliberately? She knew there was bad blood between them, but for this to be the first words spoken after two decades?

Knowing she could not remain silent, she managed to hold her tongue for all of five seconds.

Kaitlyn's entire body took on an aggressive stance as she turned to directly face the person attacking Murphy's character.

"Actually, sir," the emphasis on the sir - leaving them in no doubt of her current frame of mind, "it was all my fault. I am the only one to blame in this situation. Murphy had no idea I was there. I arrived unannounced and was hidden from view. Your implication was uncalled for and unjustified."

A stunned look was plastered across the elders and Alpha's face as she finished her rant.

The room was deathly quiet as those present let her verbal assult sink in.

She was positive that the object of her ire was about to retaliate when the Alpha burst out laughing. This was quickly followed by smirks from a number of other elders.

What? her face mirrored the confusion running through her mind.

Kaitlyn looked at Joshua for an explanation of the odd behaviour.

"She is certainly Ryan's daughter," remarked Alpha Nathan once he managed to settle down, "he was never afraid to speak his mind. Irrespective of whom he was addressing."

Kaitlyn was not sure how to react to this revelation.

The room hushed as the Alpha turned a questioning gaze towards the Elders.

"What are they doing?" Kaitlyn whispered after no one spoke.

"They are deliberating," Joshua whispered back.

"Oh, telepathically?"

Her grandfather nodded, and indicated for her to remain quiet.

"I guess that saves time having to leave and come back again," she muttered under her breath, only to receive a warning glance from Joshua.

Kaitlyn watched carefully as different expressions appeared on each of the jurist's faces. The minutes dragged by. Every-now and then, one or more of the Elders would cast a glance towards her.

From her right, she felt Murphy lower his head towards her. "I could have spoken for myself," he said.

"I know," was Kaitlyn's only response as she continued to watch the interaction between Elders and Alpha.

When Joshua leaned across to Murphy and asked "What do you think is taking so long?" Kaitlyn began to fidget. She was becoming decidedly nervous. Maybe this wasn't such a non-event as her grandfather led her to believe?

What seemed like a lifetime later, the Alpha turned to look towards them. His expression passive, she couldn't make out which way they had decided.

"In light of the fact that Murphy O'Neil, as primary, has vouched for you. And not to mention that technically, you are family - you are hereby granted protection of the pack," a smile lit up his face as he looked directly at her, "welcome to Tudor Falls young lady."

Now that the verdict was in, Kaitlyn had no idea how she should be reacting.

"Thank you Alpha Nathan," was all the words she managed to find, as she breathed a sigh of relief.

The Alpha approached the relieved woman to formally introduce himself. "Now before we leave this chamber, the Elders have advised me that an impromptu celebration has been organised to welcome you. We have a number of people who are eager to meet Ryan's daughter."

With that, he and the rest of the Elders piled out of the room. A few of them passing by her to introduce themselves.

"Did you know about this?" accused Murphy as he pulled Joshua to one side.

Kaitlyn knew by his sudden avoidance to look at either Murphy or her, he was not surprised at the Alpha's last words.

"They wanted to meet Kaitlyn, and to try and reconnect with you," he eventually admitted.

"I'm not going," Murphy declared.

"Yes you damn well are!" exclaimed Kaitlyn, a slight panic in her voice, "Don't you dare leave me alone with the Immigrants."

Murphy turned and looked as though he were going to argue with her. Opening his mouth and then closing it again, he narrowed his eyes as he glared at her.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath as he pulled her towards the exit, "but don't expect me to enjoy it."

Dusk had settled by the time they exited the town hall. The quiet sereneness of the interior was completely destroyed as they were hit by a barrage of fairy lights, music and raucous laugher from the many families that were milled around the main street. The smell of meat on the grill wafted towards them. A few tables had been set up and were full to overflowing with food.

The first thing Kaitlyn noticed was a very nervous looking Molly, hovering a short way off. Tears were welling in her eyes as she cast furtive glances towards her son.

Murphy for his part, was ignoring his surroundings - his standard unreadable expression was projecting a barrier around him. And no one was willing to cross it.

After having spoken to both Joshua and Molly, she knew Murphy's mother had nothing to do with the rift between Father and Son. Rolling her eyes at Murphy, and letting out an irritated noise at his stupidity, she beckoned Molly to them.

His slight grunt, alerted her to the fact he was aware of his mothers approach.

"For Christ sakes Murphy, she's your Mother," she snapped, "you will be civil. In fact, you will let her hug you. Are we clear?"

"Or what?" he ground out, clearly not happy with the order.

A saccharine sweet smile was plastered across her face as she looked up at him, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I brought my taser, and I am dying to try it out."

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A/N. So what did you think?

They were lucky they caught Myrtle's neighbour in time! But will they be lucky next time? And exactly how many has he bitten? And how did he know whom to bite?

And should we be worried that Elijah has turned someone that is planning on extending his empire... and one of organised crime at that??

And now we know what Joshua has been up to... although I don't think Murphy is happy about it :-)

Next chapter should be up by Monday. Don't forget to vote :-)

Have a great day. And be safe.

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