The moon temple had seen better days. It sat at the very perimeter of the main pack settlement, on the peak of a small hill overlooking the lake. A strange mixture of classical and gothic architecture, with pointed arches and Corinthian pillars, it was shrouded in a thick layer of ivy and brambles. I knew of at least a few pack members who would have gladly knocked it down for a new addition to their back garden, but Brian had ruled it out of bounds for any further development. Heritage concerns. Gerta gave it a cleaning-out every week or so, but it mostly sat forlorn and unused, except at full moon.

A thin mist hung across the lake, obscuring the mountaintops in the distance. Further along the shores of the lake, a group of figures stood on the lake shore at the water's edge. I could just make out Lister, crouched on the damp sand at the water's edge, very carefully pouring Plaster of Paris into a paw print.

There had been a mess of pawprints on the sand at the creek mouth, and a search of the area had netted some clumps of fur, but that was all. The visitors had been very careful.

Anna sat on one of the benches arranged in a ring inside the moon temple, head bowed in prayer. She didn't notice me until I was almost sitting down next to her. "I was praying for a safe journey."

"I can see that." I admired the carvings in the ornate ceiling of the temple.

"We're not savages like you pack people think we are. We have values." She was staring at me with the same fiery intensity as the night before.

I glanced at my watch. We needed to be at the bus depot by half past nine on the dot, as one of the dealership reps was bringing in the demonstrator bus for a test drive.

"Come on. We need to go now. I've got to be somewhere."

We walked back to the pack village. I spotted Gerta heading our way from the western woods, with two baskets brimming with wild produce.

"The wild asparagus is in season," she greeted me. She smiled at Anna. "There's a lovely patch near the western border. I also found some very nice lobster mushrooms. You must come by my place and get some later!"

"I'll get Laura to drop by your place later."

She watched as Gerta stepped onto the front porch of the pack clinic. There were some bunches of herbs hanging out to dry from under the eaves, and some more herbs steeping in jars could be seen through the windows. "You trust she won't poison you?"

"Well, I'm still alive, aren't I?"

We approached the little tar-paper shack at the edge of the pack village. It was the last of its kind left on the pack grounds; the others had long been demolished and replaced more modern dwellings, but he had chosen to hang onto his childhood home. After 50 years, it was finally being connected to the pack water supply at the next pack working bee.

She looked at the little house, nestled under the chestnut tree next to it, then at the newer ranch houses that belonged to the other pack members.

"Is that the omega house?"

"We don't really refer to the lower ranks by name anymore, but yes, I guess you could call Mike the omega."

"Doesn't he cook for the whole pack or something?"

"You been reading too many human werewolf novels or something?"

"I've read a few. I read the new one that just came out - by Elisha or whatever she's called."

"I've heard some rave reviews about it," I deadpanned. "No. He's the mechanic. He fixes stuff."

"So who does the cooking, then?"

"Everyone helps out. There's a roster."

"So why are we here?"

"We're carpooling with him."

She looked at me quizzically. "Don't you have a car?"

"Of course I do. I don't drive her all that often, though."

"Her?"

I nodded. "She's a very special lady."

She only seemed even more confused by my answer, but didn't question any further.

I suddenly remembered something to ask that I'd forgotten to yesterday. "Don't you have any other family?"

"They went to look for work in Zirconia," was her curt response. "There's only my grandfather left, and he's nearly senile."

I decided not to push the issue.

"Wait here. I'll go in."

"Are you sure they won't do anything?" She eyed a boy of about twelve, who was staring at her wide-eyed. "I'm a bit worried."

"That's Grayson. He's just curious," I reassured her. "You'll be fine. It's true, the others aren't too happy that you're here, but they're not that terrible.

Next to the shack, there were several old cars parked next to each other, huddled under a tarp. There was a Hillman Imp, a Peugeot 504 wagon, and a Daimler Majestic Major which had once upon a time been the official Alpha car. They had seen better days, with visible rust and detritus covering their windshields, but each of them could be started up and driven away at short notice. He referred to them his children.

The door was ajar and I pushed it open. The house was dark, and smelled musty,

Mike was just heading out the back door as I came in, two galvanised pails in hand. "Need to get some water. Be back soon. Make yourself at home."

My eyes adjusted to the dim light in the single-room house, There were places in the walls where the wood had rotted away, but it had been repaired so masterfully that one could barely see that there had been any deterioration in the first place. His Interpack work uniform hung on a hook. The badge pinned on the shirt said CHIEF ENGINEER.

There was a small bookshelf in the corner, next to the door. Mike had never gone to school due to his rank, but he had taught himself to read over the years from castoffs from the pack library.

I sat down at the small dining table in the middle of the kitchen. There were some old newspapers lying on it. I picked up the newer of the two, which was a day old, and skimmed through the headlines.

QUAKING IN THEIR KNEES: Upper Quaking Tree Pack shaken by assault allegations

7 killed in horror crash, including Alpha | Page 3

OPLU demands backdown on Zirconian MP's "educational refugee" comments | Page 4

Thunder Falls Enterprises completes takeover of Fiction arm of Pine Hollow Publishing | Page 7

I flipped to page 4.

The OPLU has demanded a retraction of the controversial statement made by Zirconia Conservatives MP Luka Brioni about immigrants from the Independent Territories, which was met with fierce criticism from both sides of the border.

"The statement by MP Brioni was uncalled for, disgraceful, and does not in any way reflect the realities of the education system in the Independent Territories," Education Secretary Rose Wethermore said yesterday in a press conference at the Centre of the Lycan Renaissance. "The OPLU will be pursuing action in the Supreme Court of Zirconia."

The comment by MP Brioni comes on the back of the recent release of the latest PISA test rankings, where Zirconia came first, beating Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland and other high-achieving nations...

I was interrupted by the noise of the back door banging open as Mike came in with two full pails of water. He was wearing a t-shirt that said OMEGA PRIDE. He may have spent most of his life as the pack omega, but he was quite well-built from decades of handling heavy machinery.

I put the paper back onto the table. "The last week you have to do this. Excited for the piped water?"

"I'll miss going down to the lake first thing in the morning." Mike set down the pails of water next to the kitchen stove, which seemed to take up all the space in the single room.

I was reminded of the time the pack running water was turned on. I was ten years old. The entire pack had crowded around the pack house to watch the water come out of the faucet. It had been a big occasion back then.

"Did you find anything up with the Jeep?"

'I took a peek. I didn't have much time 'cause I spent most of yesterday supervising the guys replacing the power pole. But the brake lines were definitely loosened."

"Loosened?"

"Yes, loosened. It wouldn't have been noticeable at first but with a bit of use they would have gone completely."

"She said the engine and the power cut out as well."

"I don't know about that. I'll have to take a closer look at it later, I hope the owner doesn't come looking for it too soon. No time today. When did the dealer say they were bringing in the demonstrator?

"Nine-thirty."

"OK. We need to get going, then. And then I need to look at 1101 after that. The mechanics reckon it's more serious than first thought. Anyway. How much can you tell me about the demo?"

I retrieved the brochure Mia had put on my desk yesterday and passed it over. Mike skimmed through it. "Air suspension. Common rail turbodiesel. Wheelchair lift. Sounds good. Is it built at Pinetown or Olifantsfontein?"

"Does that matter?"

"Not really, but the more you know the better."

"I'll have to ask the dealer."

"Let's get cracking." Mike pulled his work uniform off its hook.

"Also, someone's coming along for a ride today."

"The girl." Mike caught on quickly.

"She needs to get to Copenhagen Town."

"Sure thing. We can stop there along the way. Have some tea with Herman, even."

The dull morning light was jarring as we walked out of the house. I went through the motions of introducing Mike and Anna. I had a feeling they were going to get along famously. But my thoughts were elsewhere.

Grayson was still standing there, rooted in the same spot, staring. I went over to him.

"She's the one you were talking about last night at dinner with Keith," he said, matter-of-factly.

"Yes."

I knelt down and put my hands on his shoulders. "Is there something wrong?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

He shook his head.

"If there's something wrong, tell me, okay? Now go and get ready for school, or you'll be late."

I watched as he ran off, feeling worry curdling in the pit of my stomach, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what I just saw that had triggered it. Lately there seemed to be a lot of things that were slipping through my grasp.

Behind me, the others were piling into the old Hilux that was Mike's daily driver. I joined them.