The cold drops of rain poured down from the heavens, soaking everything in a matter of minutes in the small town of Elkins, West Virginia on the third Sunday of September.

Inside a small log cabin, the sole light of a fireplace lit up the living room where a family was gathered watching the TV as the thunder roared, lightning crashes, and of course the rain that poured down. 

A hum came from the nine-year-old girl who was lying on her stomach on the floor. "I hate all this rain," Janie Martin complained, her blonde pigtails swaying as she waved her feet in the hair as her green eyes focused on the coloring book before her. It makes going to school awful, and I get soaked before I even get to the steps and that is with the umbrella." .

Her mother looked down at the young girl with her brown eyes. "Janie," She brushed her blonde braid to her back as she got off the couch. "The meteorologist said it should be moved out by tomorrow afternoon." Eve Martin said, opening a bag of chips and pouring them into the bowl.

Janie looked back at her dad, tipping her head back so that he was upside down. "Dad agrees with me right?" She asked her famous puppy eyes knowing they always worked. 

Her father chuckled, shaking his head gently, making his black curly hair bounce. "Sorry Janie, I am having to agree with your mother right now. The weather people have all this equipment to tell by guessing what will happen next." Marion Martin said to his youngest daughter, his blue eyes focused.

Janie groaned, throwing her head back with a heavy sigh as she reached for some pretzel sticks and put them into her mouth. "They are guessing. We don't know if it will be raining by then either. I can't even go outside and play with my friends." She said, closing her coloring book.

Her brother, Devon pushed his black curls from his blue eyes. "You can play in the rain, splash in the puddles, dance and sing in the rain, go for a run or swim, swimming in the rain is nice, although not when it is thundering and lightening. Maybe not play ball and maybe not play in the mud since mom hates cleaning it." He rambled, taking a bite out of his Turkey sandwich.

Janie looked over at her brother and rolled her eyes. "There is a hose in the backyard for that reason. Besides, I love playing in the mud and making mud pies. Remember how you used to do that with me when I was five? I'd pretend to sell them to my friends?" 

Eve laughed as she shook her head, sitting down and passing the bowl of chips to her husband. "Don't remind me. You came running in the kitchen, the mud just caked onto your feet and legs. I yelled at you to get out of the house and you didn't hesitate to leave. I spent the whole time cleaning up the mud, and had to wait 'till your father came home to help shampoo the rug."

Janie rolled her eyes, feeling her cheeks grow red. "I was like what? Four? Five? Besides, I have grown out of that phase, I would prefer to play with my dolls and read books. In speaking, after school tomorrow I gotta return my books I checked out from the library." She picked up her coloring book and closed one of the books she had checked out.

Devon furrowed his eyebrows at his sister, looking down at the book."Those mythical creatures books? I don't understand your fascination with them. I never really understood the whole craze about it. The countless books, movies, and tv shows based on it, all the lore, it is just mind-boggling." He sighed, eating some of his sandwiches. 

Janie grabbed the back of chips off the coffee table and reached in grabbing out some chips. "It isn't as mind-boggling as your math and science textbooks for school. Now that is a whole foreign language." She struck out her tongue at him, before stuffing some chips into her mouth.

Suddenly, there was a rapid pawing at the door as if the animal was trying to hurry and get their attention.

Eve got up off the couch and walked over to the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob but turned back to her family who was all now standing up. She took a deep breath and turned back to the door opening it slowly to see what was pawing at the door.

There on the mat, soaked and shaking was a medium-sized brown wolf that could have easily been mistaken for a dog. 

She whined as she looked up at the people, holding her injured from the right leg up to her chest. The poor thing was not only soaked with the rain but was all muddy and looked miserable.

Eve gasped and bent down, gently picking up the small wolf. "Oh my goodness, look at you. Oh Marion, go get a warm bath drawn, please. This poor thing - don't worry little fella, you are safe now." She said, holding it up to her chest, stroking its fur.

Devon closed the door and looked at the wolf in his mother's arms. "Poor dog must be a stray. Doesn't seem like it is anyone's pet, seems a bit wild in the sense of strays." He asked, looking at his mother.

Janie placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "We were probably the closest place when it got hurt."

Eve gave her daughter a disapproving look. "Janie," Eve said, turning towards her daughter and walking to the bathroom. "Don't get any ideas, we are not keeping it." 

Janie let out a huff of air letting her arms plop down to her side. "But Mom, maybe this is a sign for us to have a pet. Now that Erin is gone off to college, I think it would be good for Dev and me to have a pet. It would show how responsible we are." She explained, hoping her mother agreed.

Eve lifted up the wolf's tail and saw she was a girl. "We are not keeping her," She looked at the slightly soapy tub. "Marion, we aren't giving a child a bubble bath, it is a dog." She complained, crossing her arms and frowning at her husband.

"Sorry," Marion stood in the doorway and sighed heavily. "Oh, I should probably go make a bed for her, so she can stay the night." He pointed towards the doorway.

Janie perked up at what her father had said, that was brilliant. "Can she stay in my room for the night, please mom, dad?" She asked with a pleading look in her eyes as she laced her fingers together. 

Marion patted her head, shaking his head at her words. "Sorry Janie, she will be staying in the living room. Stray dogs don't belong in the bedroom until we know how she will act and that she isn't vicious." 

Janie frowned, her shoulders slumped as she crossed her arms. "Does she look vicious? She seems so sweet, innocent, like the perfect pet. I will keep going at it until you let us keep her." She left the bathroom and sat in the chair in the corner of her parent's room.

Devon followed his father to help him get the bed set up. "We can use some of our camping blankets. We don't camp anymore." 

"That is a good idea, Dev. Are they in the garage or attic? I keep forgetting where we put things." Marion asked, scratching the top of his head.

Devon grinned patting his father on his back, throwing him a lopsided smile. "In the attic dad. Mom cleaned out the garage last week and put everything in the attic." He said, pulling down the ladder to the attic in the hallway and going up, followed by his father.

Eve was left alone with the wolf who she still thought was a dog. "Oh, Marion, where is that dog shampoo we used on the last stray dog?" She called leaving the bathroom and the bedroom, not before glancing at her daughter and gave her a serious look. "Keep an eye on the dog please."

Janie beamed brightly, her eyes sparkled as she jumped up from the chair and smiled. "Yes Mom, I will keep an eye on that cute little dog." She squealed, leaving the room just for a moment to grab her phone she had left on the bed. "I am gonna take a few bath pictures of her and show them to my friends at school."

In the bathtub, the young wolf looked around the unfamiliar bathroom. It had a forest look to it, dark green mats, towels, and toilet seat cover all matching. 

The shower curtain had pine trees and pine cones on top of a brown and dark green background. Even the soap was dark green and pine-scented. 

She hadn't been taken care of like this for years. She couldn't remember the last time she had a bath. The cold river wasn't the best place to bathe, and she wasn't a cat so she didn't bathe herself. 

She missed this feeling of her hair being washed, the rubber ducky floating on top seemingly all too happy.

She sniffed the soap and some got up her nose and she pawed at her nose to get it off which made things worse. 

She sneezed quite loudly, and due to that sneeze, she shifted out of her wolf form and into a teenage girl. 

She was naked, but the bubbles in the bathtub covered her up. Her brown hair was a ratty mess and she was just as dirty as she was when she was a wolf.

She started to shake, her hazel eyes went wide as she looked at her hands. She didn't understand how this happen? She began to breathe heavily, her eyes were wide with panic as they shifted around the bathtub and to her hands.

She couldn't breathe, her chest felt like a rock was just resting on her. No matter how much she tried to stop her body from shaking it didn't. 

When she turned her hands over she had a brief flashback of them covered in blood. The blood was just dripping off her hands. Blood that was stained on her clothes, her face. Bright red was all she could see.

She, in a panic, began to rub her hands in the water. Trying to hastily try and get the blood off her hands, despite there being nothing on her hands. 

She stopped dead in her tracks when she could hear someone's voice coming closer to the doorway. 

She looked up at the girl who had entered, startled that someone had come in and she was like how she was. 

Janie had been babbling to the wolf before she even got into the bathroom pulling up the camera. "Don't worry, Mom will let us keep you, I got a cute plan - AHH~!" She screamed, jumping back, seeing that there was not a dog in the tub but a girl. 

Eve heard her daughter scream and rushed down the hall with the shampoo in her hand. "Janie? Janie! What happened, are you okay?" She asked him to stop dead in her tracks as she saw the girl who was in the tub and not the dog. "Marion, get in here now." She called her eyes focused on the tub.

Marion rushed into the bathroom, followed by his son. "How-how, who is she? Where is the dog? Janie, what the heck happened?" He exclaimed, his voice a few octaves below completely yelling. 

Taia sank into the tub and covered her ears up with her hands. It was ten times as loud as it normally could have been. 

She pulled her knees up to her chest and shook in fear. Why were they yelling? Did she do something wrong? Was she going to get punished for shifting? She should have stayed in her wolf form, but she at this very time didn't know how to shift back. It had been such a long time since she shifted back and forth.

Devon couldn't help but pity the young girl who sat in the tub by his expression. "Guys stop yelling. You are scaring her. I am sure there is a reason." He motioned to the girl cowering in the tub. 

Janie gasped, her eyes lit up, her hands went up to her cheeks and she jumped up and down. "She must be a werewolf! It would explain why we found what we thought was a dog but it turned out to be a young girl!" 

Devon could not believe his sister was saying such nonsense but it did explain a few things. "Janie, you have been watching too many werewolf movies which mom forbade you to watch. That is ridiculous, werewolves aren't real." 

Janie frowned, she wasn't too happy with her brother's tone. "Well, they are real. It is the only explanation why there was a dog before and now there is a girl. Look, the messy hair and the dirty skin, as before her fur was messy and dirty. Look, she also has that deep gash on her arm, just like that was on her leg." She pointed out matter-of-factly.

Marion had to take his daughter's side on this one. "Janie does have a point. I have heard there have been a few werewolf sightings around their parts but everyone just passes it off as nothing. Although she is a fully shifted werewolf, it means that her family must have been one and she was born that way." He had much knowledge about them.

Eve ran a hand through her hair, giving him a sideways look with narrow eyes. "I am going to forget I heard either of you say such ridiculous things. I don't know what happened but for now, I will bathe her. Marion, can you and Janie get something for her to eat?" She asked.

Marion nodded with bright eyes. Oh, how did he love to cook!  "Yes, I think we can heat some hamburgers because werewolves do eat meat. Janie, do you think she was eating raw meat? Like mice, and small creatures?" He cringed at the thought.

Janie followed beside her father, glad he had taken her side. "Perhaps. She seems like since whatever happened she has been living as a wolf, and not a person. Because I am sure people would take notice of a naked girl roaming around. Especially hormonal teenage boys." 

Marion laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "You have a point. Tomorrow let's take her to the doctor and get that arm checked out then let's go to the police station and see if we can find anything out about her." 

Janie then had a thought pop into her head. "Now that just sounds weird. How about we heat some meatballs as well? We need to have a ton of meat cooked and ready. Yeah, she could probably eat it raw but that would be in full wolf form, not human." She suggested recalling what she had read.

Marion nodded his head, finding that to be a better option. "Good idea. She is going to need a lot of food to fill her tummy, seeing as she may not have eaten in a long time. We may have to help her eat like a normal person. She may have forgotten how to use silverware - but get her the plastic ones of course." He rambled on getting into the fridge and pulling out the meat.

Eve looked over at her son and gave him a soft smile. "Devon, can you go find some clothes Erin left in her room after she left for college?" She thanked her daughter for that. 

Devon gave his head a nod before turning around. "Yes, Mom." He said, exiting the bathroom and going down the hall to his sister's old bedroom. He pushed open the door, everything was the same.

Eve turned back to the girl as she got down on her knees. "Hey, hey, you are all right. I am sorry we scared you, we are a bit of a crazy family. We aren't going to hurt you." She softly spoke.

Taia tilted her head at what Eve had said. Did she really mean that? Could she truthfully trust these people? She was hurt, hungry, and wet, she needed someone to care for her. That was why she came up to the door and began pawing at it.

She scooted as far back against the tub as she possibly could, her back went flush with the cold wall. Her body trembling with fear as she sank her body deeper into the water, fear in her eyes. 

She had to get away, this was a bad idea. She had already shifted before them, even though they didn't see it, there was a human girl where a wolf used to be. 

She shook her head, knowing never to trust someone like them, they always turned on you. She wished to stay a wolf and not shift, but she had to shift by a stupid sneeze.

Eve places her hands on the tub and gently taps her fingers on the rim of the tub. "Sweetie, we promise not to hurt you. You can trust us, we just want to help you okay? Just let me bath you, all right?" She asked softly, making sure to keep as gentle as she could.

Taia slowly relaxed, nodding her head. She could tell she was telling the truth and she wouldn't hurt her. None of them would. It might be nice to be taken care of and treated like a human being and not some wild, rabid animal, which she wasn't. 

Eve smiled and grabbed the shampoo from the shelf in the corner rack in the bathtub. She popped open the cap slowly and quietly as gently squeezed a squirt of shampoo into her hands. "Can you turn around please?" She asked her gently.

Taia reluctantly turned around. Even though Eve's voice was calm and gentle, it still didn't make her feel any better. She had to keep alert in case she tried anything against her and having her back turned against wasn't the smart choice.

Eve picked up the girl's hair and gently rubbed the shampoo into her hair, piling it up on top of her head. "If at any time you feel uncomfortable, please let me know." She said then her gaze turned towards her back.

She noticed there were various bite marks, from the teeth of other wild animals, probably ones she got into a fight with. There were merely scars now but at one time it must have been painful for the girl. 

"Do you not know how to trigger your healing?" She asked, believing her daughter about her being a werewolf.

Taia shook her head, keeping her eyes on the floating bubbles. She didn't know how to trigger healing, let alone know whag that meant. 

She knew little about herself, let alone being a werewolf. Everything was so fuzzy and up until her shift, she could only remember certain things about her time as a wolf.

Eve nodded as she hurried up and finished bathing her. "Careful," She helped her out of the bath and wrapped her in a towel and then wrapped up her hair.

She leaned over and pulled up the drain stop from the tub and stood up with a towel drying her hair. She scrunched it dry before hanging it up on the towel rack and grabbing a brush. 

She gently ran it through her hair, carefully working out the rats. The conditioner helped greatly and yes she may have used almost all of the bottle to be able to get out as many rats as she could.

Taia closed her eyes as she stood there letting her brush her hair. The sensation was familiar, and she loved it although she didn't show it. She was so gentle, making sure she didn't hurt her while getting out the rats. She smiled a little, the bristles against her scalp felt wonderful, it was like a massage and a scratching sensation all wrapped in one.

Eve then dries off her body and wraps up her wounds. She grabbed the clothes that Devon had set down in the doorway on a chair. She helped get her into the soft pink pants after helping her get on her white undergarments, then she put on the white cashmere sweater and white fluffy slippers.

She then led her to the dinner table where four stakes were sitting hot on a plate with a glass of water. She pulled out the chair and helped her sit down beside her. 

"I hope it is okay for you." She looked at a few means, T-bone steak, hamburgers, and ribs, which happened to be her husband's favorite with his special barbecue sauce. 

Taia didn't hesitate as she picked up one piece of steak and bit down on it, ripping a piece off. Hungry and devouring the steak, her cheeks puffing out as she ate. 

Once she finished with the steak, she set the bone back on the plate, knowing it was the least she could do rather than throw it on the ground.

Janie had wide eyes as she watched the girl eat. "Wow, she must have been hungry. She has one steak gone already and is working on the second. Dad, I think we need to make more." She said turning back on the stove and opening the fridge pulled out the other four steaks.

Taia began to chow down on her second, stuffing her face and swallowing before digging in, ripping pieces off. 

She hadn't eaten like this in forever, she was glad to have a warm meal instead of a raw, bloody one she had to kill and eat herself. It was gross thinking about it but it was the only way to survive when she was trapped in her shifted form.

Devon leaned against the kitchen doorway watching Taia eat. "Well, she's hungry and going on her third steak." He said before pausing. "Um, maybe you should slow down. Eating too fast can make your stomach hurt."

Taia stopped, glared at him, and growled like a wolf would do. She didn't like that he was telling her how to eat her food. 

She went back to eating how she was, ripping in and chowing down on the steak. She was simply being territorial over her food, seeing as this was the most decent meal she had ever had.

Janie glared at her brother, gently shoving him by lightly placing her palm on his shoulder then patted it a few times after. "Devon, who knows how long she hasn't eaten and if you were in her shoes you would be chowing down too." She said, a bit snappy.

Devon pursed his lips and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Sorry, sorry. I tend to speak out loud thoughts I meant to keep in." He tried to justify his reasoning even if it wasn't making him look any better. 

Janie just frowned at her brother, she walked over to the cabinets and pulled out a plastic cup. She filled it up with water from the fridge and set it down beside Taia's plate. "There is some water for you." She smiled, pivoting around and getting out a pitcher and filling it up with water from the fridge.

Taia stopped while she was in the middle of eating and wrapped her hands around the plastic cup. She swallowed what was in her mouth and brought it up to her lips, chugging the whole cup of water in a matter of seconds and held it out for Janie to get more.

Janie, like her family, was surprised but she smiled. She walked back over to the table and poured some more water into the cup. "We are going to need a lot more meat."

Devon looked over at his father. "Dad, tomorrow, how about we go to the store and raid the deli. I am sure the butcher will love us. I was thinking of some nice ribs, steak, and maybe some chicken breast for myself. I have been wanting to try out a new recipe Armani gave me."

Marion was impressed with how mature his children were acting through all this. "Hmm? Oh yes, we can do that. I should probably get the grill from the garage and start back to grilling again. I am sure she would love some grilled steak and ribs. Maybe I can make my special sauce again -"

Eve cut her husband off. "We keep this on the down-low and don't tell a single person nor our neighbors why we need so much meat. If we even have to host a backyard barbecue to keep people from talking then that is what we must do." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Janie sighed, pivoting on her heels and walking towards the hallway. "I will go prepare the room for her after she is finished eating." She said, leaving her family and going into her older sister's old room. 

Life was not going to be easy, but whatever the outcome it would be worth it in the end. They truly didn't know what was in store now that Taia had surfaced.

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A/N: 
Welcome to my first ever werewolf book. I really got into werewolves after watching Teen Wolf and yes I may have been inspired by Malia Tate's story but this will be a little different. There will be multiple books in this series but thankfully they will not end on a cliffhanger in case anything were to happen that would prevent me from making more books in this series.

The reason I tell and don't show for Taia is because it instantly time for Taia to get her own monolog yet. The time will come but right now she is a teen trapped in a child's mentality as a fully shifted world or a decade, so she doesn't gave any humanity in her and will have to learn.

Chapter Talk:
You are now introduced to the Martin family, who are merely humans but will play a major role in this whole story. You will learn more about Taia in the next chapter, then Devon's friends and other characters who will also play a major part. Although there is no set main character, because there are stories within this story. 

The only one you won't meet until half way through the book is Erin Martin, the daughter who is currently at college. This took place in 2010, because I just liked the fashion during that time and thought it would fit perfectly along with not everyone not being so glued to their phones. It was such a good time, I miss those times.

Thanks for reading!