You decide to ask questions instead of letting these petty displays get to you. "So, who else at the resort is... one of you? The groundskeepers?"
"Oh, you mean Jake and Jeff." She nods vigorously. "They're both Pack, like us. Speak of the devil." You both turn to notice the ruddy faced Jeff shaking off snow from the furred collar of his puffy jacket. He reaches up, takes off his checkered hat, and shakes his hair out into a disheveled mane that seems to match the blonde stubble that looks thicker than you remember. He lets out a satisfied, throaty huff and strides toward the bar.
Jake stays put, eying you, the darkness of his irises seeming to drink in your presence as he considers... and you see his nostrils flaring. He walks by the table, smoothing his mustache with his fingers. "Nina, you handling her tonight?"
Before you can answer, Nina flushes with color, a giddy, tittering sound coming from her. "N-no... it's her decision, not mine..."
Jake remains silent for a moment, nodding very slowly. "With an attitude like that, it's no wonder you howl all night alone." The dark haired man slips out of his coat and casts it into a heap with Jeff's, following his friend.
Greta sits down, looking up at you to explain. "Jeff and Jake, they've been here for a while. We needed someone to watch over the chalets where... where new pack members are... given their chance. Those two are mostly harmless. Jake gets into it with Frankie and Gerri every so often. He's getting a feel for things. Testing his boundaries. He thinks he knows things." She grins. "Jeff, now he's innocent. A big, friendly puppy really. Just don't offend him. It's..."
Nina turns to you, her hand pawing the air once between you in a disarming gesture. "What Greta is trying to say is that becoming what we are, it amplifies you, and not just your body. Your emotions ramp up too, or... how do I put this..." Nina chews on a knuckle nervously. Then her face brightens. "Werewolves have to be careful, because if something pleased you before, it becomes a powerful need. If something annoyed you before, it becomes an insult. If you like someone, you become bonded to them. If you hated them... well, then we have to make sure you don't go around them without us."
Greta looks toward you with smoldering eyes. "But the best part is that you really do go wild once a month... and by Odin it feels..." She runs her tongue across her teeth, and you catch a glint of her canines. "Everything becomes more sensitive. Everything. And we don't play by silly human rules here. What we want becomes a thrill. For one night, it's like you're free to be yourself. You don't have a choice, really. It's revealing. It's liberating... feeling yourself pushed. It's glorious."
Nina swallows nervously. "Greta, not yet. At least give her until the moon comes up. Then she can choose."
"You might want to explain to her what she's choosing first." Lucy sits down, a bottle of beer in her hand. She chugs it back, and her throat works. Oddly, you find yourself staring at it, your mind drifting, thinking about what muscles are there, watching her pulse throb. Lucy withdraws the bottle from her lips and points a pinkie at you, her hand still clasping the neck of it. "You need to choose someone to guide you through your first change, which is already happening, by the way."
You feel the rising heat of a blush filling your cheeks, making your ears feel tight. You're aware of your breathing then, the rise and fall of your newly endowed chest, and the scents of the three women snake through your nostrils, the musk of the pelts you sit upon blending with them, making a heady, dreamy... something...
Nina clears her throat.
You snap your attention to her, and all three girls giggle. Greta breaks into a hearty laugh, her head thrown back, her canines clearly longer than they were. Lucy runs her free hand through her spiky silvery-white hair, and Nina fiddles with her hands in her lap, slowly drawing her fingers against her thigh, her long oval nails scratching almost silently. "What she means," Nina sighs, "is that you're going to have to bond with us. It's a werewolf pack. You need to choose someone. And whatever happens, happens with no shame and no regret. That's what we are." Nina's eyes come up to look at you, gleaming. "Free."
"That's my cue to get warmed up. We usually play a couple of tunes before the change starts hitting us. Sometimes we finish a set... sometimes we don't." Lucy walks toward the stage, and her strides are longer, her hips swaying in counterpoint to the swing of her arms.
Greta grins. "Everyone's here that needs to be." She smirks. "Oh, your ears are changing by the way."
Your hands fly to them, and your fingertips trace the lobes as they narrow, peaking into elfin points.
"She's a strong one," Nina whispers in awe.
"I hope she's a wild one, too," Greta grins toothily. "Frankie and Gerri you don't know as much about. You should talk to them a little before the change starts making your decisions into needs for you." She stands up again, hand splayed at her chest. "Pardon me for being forward, but... I hope you choose me."
"Stop putting pressure on her. Her body's going to freak out enough, she doesn't need your bond to make her..."
"What? Howl?" Greta's grin locks tight as her eyes flare with color, and Nina recoils. "That's the point. I want her to. She will want to. What she does and who she does it with, I can't stop it once it starts. But I can darned well want what I want. I'm leader here." She turns to you again. "You can decide any time. I suggest you talk to the twins now. Once the change starts, you'll want to do things you've never even thought of before. Your animal will rush through you, and all the human things that hold you back will be ripped away one by one. Best find someone you can trust."
Nina lays a hand on your arm, and her palm is hot. "Don't let her get to you," Nina says softly. "You need a friend more than anything. If you enjoy power or passion, you'll be like Greta is. I don't want another person bossing me around..." She suddenly releases her hand. "I know, from your smell... you'll be powerful, and worth... being around." She abruptly stands and walks toward the two men, leaving you to wonder why these three all tried to appeal for your favor...
And then an elemental thought comes rising from some deeper part of you: you are the one being approached, which means you have your pick. All these references about your power, the way all of them reacted strongly, affected so starkly by your new presence. It's you that's changing, and you start to realize how in control of things you suddenly are.
You look around the room, trying to decide who to approach, your fingers dawdling over the surface of your pointed ears. You're not quite human anymore, and the thought thrills you as much as it had when you buried yourself in pelts much like these. Glances follow you from near and far. They're all watching you, varying looks of hunger, appraisal, hope.
You feel a slow pulsing inside you, making your skin ripple with warmth and excitement. Who will you talk to now? Or is it time to choose?