I look out at the large gathering of wolves, all chatting happily and eating their way through the enormous buffet they've put on to welcome me and I can't deny it's had the desired effect. Despite living my entire life within the strict boundaries of my old pack, it feels like I've finally come home. The entire room is alive with conversation and laughter. They're obviously excited to meet and talk to me and they don't seem to fear me like people do my father, but there's a respectful politeness to the way they behave with me that I think I prefer. What surprises me most is the women here. At home they stand quietly beside their mates at gatherings like this, but here, the women are loud and confident, speaking to me as often as the men do. After meeting a group of women my mother's age, I've decided to convince her to move here with me. It would be good for her to be somewhere like this and even better to be able to get her away from my father. We arrived a little earlier than w