Bright and early the next morning Tyler walked into the kitchen the same as he had always been doing it.  Greeting Rudi, Dinah and Mandy he chose to lean back against the fridge instead of sitting down while he watched Mandy make a pig feel small the way she was putting away the bacon and sausages.

Her mother kept on dishing up for Mandy until burped.  Shocked surprise colored her face a deep red while her entranced audience burst out laughing.  An impish smile lit up her face along with a pink blush tinting her cheeks nicely.

“Don’t worry Squirt; my mom had to double up on the entire family breakfast so that I would have enough to eat when I first changed too.”

Thankfully she swallowed her mouthful of egg before she scrunched her nose at him.  “Yeah; but you’re a guy!  That is expected.  My sisters never ate like this and I am sure I would have heard if Beccah and Audrey did anything as bizarre as this!”

Tyler ran his hand through her silky soft hair before he answered.  “None of their wolves are nearly as large as yours.”  Feeling rather pleased with himself when he felt her shiver under his hand he let his hand linger in her hair before taking a seat next to her.  “Besides; this should only last for about a week to ten days at the most.  Then you will be back to normal.”  He caught the quick flash she sent his way as he relaxed back into the chair, feeling rather sad that he came second to a plateful of food.  “At least as normal as it can be after your change.”

Rudi was about to say something when there was a short knock on the open back door and who ever it was walked in without invitation.

“Hey; just wanted to check up on the new wolf and she how she was doing.”  Duncan, Rudi’s uncle stepped in, grabbed a glass from the cupboard and helped himself to some juice.

Tyler saw the angry twist to her mouth before she forced it away.  “I’m doing OK Uncle D.  Nothing strange to report.”

From the way the rest of her family tensed up Tyler knew that she must have exploded more than once due to all the attention she was receiving.  Normally the pack would allow all the new wolves to enter into the company of the proper pack at their own time.  And normally due to the fact that wolves were social creatures, it didn’t take that long before they joined in.  He imagined that she felt a lot like she was a specimen in a jar with everybody staring at her the whole time.  Listening to the conversation around him he fought back the urge to listen closely at her knowing that she would not appreciate it right now because she was not feeling quite like herself.

Luckily Duncan accepted her curt reply as his only answer and he left as soon as he had congratulated her again.  Mandy was listlessly moving the food around on her plate and her discomfort bothered him.

“Hey there?”

Her lips twisted in an attempted smile.  “Hey there to you too.”

“I could ask my dad to tell them to butt out?”

When she rolled her eyes at him he hoped that at the sign of her ‘old’ self that she would be OK.  “Nah, it will most likely only make things worse.”  She put her fork down on the table a bit harder than was necessary.  “Perhaps they should all just come to my training and then they can stare all they want.”

Ah; so perhaps she was not as OK as she seemed to be pretending she was.  Opening his mind to her he could not hear her through the pack link; she definitely picked up fast how to shield her thoughts from the masses.  Listening closer he could hear a rumbling sound that he had never heard from her before.  It sounded a lot like the bigger waterfalls, not like his Mandy at all.

“Don’t.”

He was so perplexed he did not hear her at first and she repeated it louder.

“Don’t Tyler!  Not now, please?”

Not caring that anguish reflected on his face, he took her hand in his.  “Mandy; if you are having a hard time finding balance, it is my job as your mate to help you with that; so please, please do not ask me not to at least try!”

“So this is just a ‘job’ to you?”

From the corner of his eye he saw Rudi deflate in helplessness while Dinah twisted her hands nervously.  It seems as if they have been getting the brunt of her dissatisfaction.

“You will never be a ‘job’ to me Mandy.  Stop misinterpreting my words.  It is clear to me that you; the human you, are having a hard time adjusting the presence of the wolf part of you.  Normally the wolf would never be stronger than the human and I feel that I messed up when I did not think that the wolf part of you would be as strong as she is so that she is fully able to stand at my side.”

Mandy crossed her arm under her breasts and glared at Tyler.  “And now you’re telling me that I am not good enough?  That is why she is so strong?”

In spite of her obvious frustration and anger Tyler could not help from bursting into laughter.  However, as soon as he saw it angered her more, he stopped.

“Mandy; you have always been more than enough for me.”  He took her face in both his hands and held on when she attempted to twist her face out of his hold.  “You, have been the one to understand me.  You have always been there for me when I needed someone to listen to me.  You are the only one that had any idea of how badly I felt out of place until both parts of me merged.  You are so much more than I ever could have hoped for and I sometimes wonder when you are going to wise up and find someone out there that would be better for you.”  He planted a desperate kiss on her forehead.  “So please, please, never think that you are not good enough just because the wolf part of you is as strong as she is.  She had to be; so that she had even a chance to measure up to her human counterpart.  Ok?  The only thing I have to help you figure out, is to find a balance where you get the best of both sides.  That is what I am here for; to help you find that place where everything just … fits together perfectly.  Alright?”

He waited for her to nod before he let go of her face.  Giving her a soft peck on her lips; he picked up her fork and pushed her plate closer.

“Eat up squirt; you’re going to need all the energy you can get.”

Half an hour later they took a slow walk to the training grounds.  Tyler had wanted to wait for at least an hour after breakfast before they started practice; but Mandy was practically at boiling point so he decided that they would start slowly with the basics before they got into the heavy duty training.  Luckily there was not that much of a crowd when they arrived at the training grounds, but Tyler was sure it would soon change as soon as word got out that Mandy was out.  The whole pack has been buzzing about her and how large she was for a female and they could not wait to see how she would stand up against a real fight.

Tyler snorted at the thought that they would be mighty disappointed today because he had decided that he was only going to allow her to show him what she could do; and then they would work on some new techniques that he had developed over time.  Being a much larger wolf had its benefits; but if a wolf knew how to use its smaller size to an advantage, it could be a nuisance.  And call him conceited; but he was sure he and Mandy were the largest wolves currently in existence.

At his snort Mandy turned her puzzled face to him and he slicked his eyes towards the growing crowd at the outskirts of the field.  Her soft growl did not surprise him but her loud laughter right after that did.

“And now?”  He asked her, curious to know the reason for her sudden change in mood.  Not that she wasn’t just a fraction ticked off; he really wanted to know what she found so amusing.

“They forgot to bring popcorn.”

Now it was his turn to laugh until he was fighting to breathe.  When he had calmed down enough that he was able to speak, he drew her in for a hug.  “I love; do you know that?”

Mandy wished she could stop her face from heating up and going all pink.  This is probably the one thing she took the most pleasure in; making him happy.  When he looked at her like this with his face all lit up like a Christmas tree it made her glow inside; knowing that she was the one to it; the only one who could make the rest of the world disappear for him.

“Well;” she said as she tried to flutter her eyelids coyly at him, “this it the first time you said it today.  I think I need to hear it at least ten times a day to really believe it.”

With a playful growl and a sudden lunge, he grabbed her in his arms and lifted her off of her feet.  He pecked a kiss on her nose, then said ‘I love you’ and proceeded the procedure all the time kissing her all over her face.  He must have said ‘I love you’ close to fifteen times before she got frustrated and intercepted his mouth for a proper kiss.

Tyler had no problem with that and kissed her so thoroughly that they were interrupted when Sean slapped Tyler on his shoulders.

“Hey man!  This type of training should be done in private if you don’t mind.  There are children here.”

A blushing Mandy looked around to see that the crowd had grown significantly.  How long had she and Tyler been kissing then?  Most of the adult wolves smiled at them indulgently while smaller kids looked grossed out.  “I’m … I’ll go and get changed then?”

She did not wait and took a quick march to the side where the females undressed and changed behind a screen that had been put up.  Although nudity was an accepted fact of were life; the pack made sure that nudity was not flaunted; that is why the screens were put up.  It helped the newly shifted wolves ease into their new lives knowing that they weren’t pushed in at the deep end.

After undressing, she hesitated.  She was reluctant to change bodies.  When changing into their wolf form, shifters involuntary shared control over their thoughts and actions.  All these processes became more instinctual, more primal and she was not very willing to hand over control.  She could feel the wolf under her skin; bubbling in eagerness to be let free, to be allowed to display her strength and abilities to her mate and her pack mates.  But mostly Mandy remembered that part that had needed desperately to know that their mate was stronger than she was while at the same time she needed him to know just how strong she could be.  And in all of this, Mandy knew that she and Tyler would have that fight.  Maybe not today, and not tomorrow; but as sure as the sun comes up every day; there was going to be a fight.

“Not.  Today!”  Her words were so loud that she nearly jumped; but she just had to make sure the wolf part knew that today was not for bickering and fighting.  Today … was for training only.

Taking a deep breath, she invited the heat that accompanied the change and felt a sudden rush of exhilaration as a wilder side of her took control.

Hesitantly she walked out to see that practically the whole pack was out there.  She did not know that she was hunched until she heard Tyler’s voice in her head.

[Stand tall squirt; you are incredible!]

Slowly forcing the apprehension off of her, she stood up to her full height as she walked towards him; keeping her eyes on him only as she forgot about everybody else around them.  With her will enforced onto the wolf to keep her competitiveness to a minimum; she could really see him now.

She noticed another wolf next to him and briefly she wondered which other shifter had changed recently because that wolf looked so small compared to Tyler.  It was only when she got closer that she could feel the alpha in him and with a shock she realized that it was Alex standing next to Tyler.  How come she had never seen the difference before?

Walking even closer and concentrating on Tyler, and when she was within a few feet from him, she could feel more power in him; almost like he kept it locked into a tight bubble around him.  Immediately she could feel that power spark between them like static and the closer she got; the more powerfull the static.

Watching the one he loved above all else, everything faded.  By the time she was inches away from him he was a bundle of raw nerves.  She had not taken her eyes off of him; hell, he didn’t even think she had blinked once since she started walking towards him.  Standing still as a statue he too could feel the power bounce between the two of them.  His dual nature could now thrill at it and be scared as hell about it at the same time.  Now that she was a wolf too he could feel deeper, more ancient knowledge awaken in him to the fact that their complete union would increase their combine power.

Having his knees locked was the only thing that kept him from stumbling.  These flashes of knowledge from somewhere deep within always caught him by surprise; and this time, Mandy noticed it.

Nudging her head into his thick neck she whined softly.  [What happened?]

The genuine concern in her voice steadied him.  Breathing deeply while he ran his snout along her neck, nuzzling her; he calmed himself.

[I was just struck by an epiphany.]

Mandy snorted a wolfy chuckle at his choice of words as she stepped away.  [Will you tell me later?]

[Definitely.]

His quick and ready reply assured her that he would share this new thought with her.  Later, after they were done here.  [So, are we just going stand around; or were you going to show me some of your moves?]

[My dear; I have a lot of moves to show you.  I just can’t do that with an audience around.]

Giggling internally, she tried to push him over by bumping into his rump.

[Now, now, young grasshopper; that is not the way to do it.}

A quick push from him and she stumbled and had to do some pretty quick dancing to stay on all four feet.

That officially started their training session.  At first he spent some one on one time with her making sure she had all the basics.  After that she found out why it was that Alex was there in wolf form.  Tyler had his father practice with her so that he could watch as they practiced her attack and defense.  It went on and on until her tongue was hanging out and she was panting.  Never the less; Tyler had her carry on and on.  She knew he had to; out there her opponent would most certainly not wait for her to catch her breath; so she gritted her teeth and did as he asked.

She didn’t know if she was happy or mad about the fact that he had not once told her to do something; he had always asked her to do this or to try that.  He was not giving her any opportunity to be upset with him and it was slowly starting to tick her off.

Tyler was watching her closely.  She had started out happy enough to do his bidding; be he could sense her dissatisfaction growing.  He expected an outburst at some stage and decided that he would get his dad out of firing range after this set, and then he would take over again to see how she could put together what she had learnt so far.  From watching her every move, he knew by now that she was holding back because she did not want to hurt his father and because she was afraid of her irritation snapping her control.  His father had always made a point of it to train all the new wolves to stay in control at all times to prevent anything from happening that could have been avoided and was doing her best to keep in line.

Knowing that she would undoubtedly break free of that control when the two of them took a go at it; he decided that perhaps it would be better if they went for a run first and then, when they reached one of the clearings, they could fight it out.

[Well done Mandy.  Shall we take a bit of a break and go for a run first?]

Mandy gratefully agreed and Alex watched them run off with mixed feelings.  Pondering the enigma that was Mandy, he strolled back to the pack house.  He had a sinking feeling that Mandy would prove difficult to control.  Of all the things he was, stupid was not one of them.  He had felt the power from her the same as she had felt his and he knew that her wolfy nature would most likely cause some trouble in the future.

Wolves were pack creatures with a clearly defined line of authority and in this pack, Tyler had given up any legitimate authority he should have had.  Alex knew and understood his son’s reasons.  And now, with everybody knowing that Mandy was Tyler’s mate, her position was undefined, uncertain; regardless of her strength and size; but Tyler’s decision to wait before claiming her would only cloud the issue more because she is part of this pack and a part of her would naturally have the need to submit to her alpha’s authority.  That left her position uncertain and no wolf worth his, or hers, salt would accept the fact that they did not exactly fit in anywhere.  Mandy was going to cause trouble; it was only a matter of time, of that he was certain.  He loved the girl like she was his own and it pained him that they would most likely have a falling out; but he would not allow her to undermine his own authority in the pack; even if it happened unintentionally.

Changing forms he took a robe hanging in the closet outside the kitchen door before entering the house and he fleetingly thought about the time when it was only him and his brothers.  None of them would have bothered much about dressing before coming in.  But this was Cassy’s house now and he willingly conceded that authority to her because of who she was to him.

Stepping into the kitchen he found Cassy and Dinah baking up a storm.  Tyler’s helpful cousins had managed to put a huge dent into Cassy’s reserve and with Tyler and his sister’s birthday less than two weeks away, he knew she wanted to make sure there was enough so that she could enjoy having everybody back home again.  And it was going to be too many people to count with all his brothers and their mates; their kids with their mates and their kids as well.  Then he smiled at the thought of having his grandchildren with him for a while.  It had been way too long since they had last come visiting and he wondered whether he was ready to hand over the pack to Sean.  Sean was ready.  Perhaps he should discuss this with Sean when he came back from his trip to France.  Tricia had always dreamed of going there and Sean had surprised her with a two week trip.  ‘Yes’, Alex thought as he leaned back in the chair behind his desk.  It was time to hand over the reigns to the younger generation.  Not immediately; but perhaps within a year or two.  Always in tune with him; he felt Cassy’s support for his decision.

[Then Tricia can take over baking for the hooligans.]