Therianthropes are blessed or cursed, depending on the were asked, with the instincts of their natural counterparts. But while animals lack a foreign mind in their heads, urging them to act in ways that go against their beings, weres are always close to their beasts. The level of self-control possible varies, with some weres being in beast or hybrid form most of the time, needing immense effort to become human, while others are the opposite, having to cajole their beasts in order to adopt their form, or only being capable of doing so when in danger.

It is for this reason that people who purchase therianthropy, either by letting themselves be marked by a were or, more commonly, buying were fluids or tissue to inject or graft into themselves, prefer animals with placid natures, like sheep or turtles. Not all weres, however, are lucky enough to get to choose their beasts. Indeed, being bitten, scratched or stung by a were who has gone so feral they are stuck as a beast is one of the most common causes of therianthropy.

In the case of werewolves, they are driven to form packs. Both humans and wolves are social creatures, and while humans are able to bear solitude, lone wolves, and werewolves, usually have a need to belong. In nature, wolf packs consist of a mated couple, the leaders, and their offspring, the older wolves who have not left the pack yet and the younger cubs. Mirroring this, werewolves are driven to mark their spouses and children in order to "form a pack".

Research to ensure the birth of were infants has proven unsuccessful since the Shattering, with the closest thing being the performing of surgery to allow a were to mark the fetus. This is not desirable, however, as a baby born with were instincts is going to have a harder time developing normally, not to mention full moons during the pregnancy could result in the fetus attempting to change in the womb, which, aside from being harmful to them, regeneration notwithstanding, could also result in the death of the mother, if she is human.

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There exists another type of pack, made up of werewolves who are not related. When placed in captivity, unrelated wolves struggle among themselves to form a hierarchy, which is what led to the birth of the alpha wolf myth. Like imprisoned humans, those wolves feel trapped and act in ways they might not, in their natural environment. Such werewolf packs are similar, as they are bound by circumstance or choice, not blood. These packs tend to be more aggressive than werewolf families, with the members clashing more often.

Due to its persistence, enough noospheric power has gathered around the alpha wolf myth for it to become reality. Alpha wolves, as the leaders of these packs are referred to, sometimes to their chagrin, possess powers beyond those of standard werewolves. They are lion-sized in wolf form and stand head and shoulders above other werewolves in hybrid form, just as werewolves tower over humans. Alphas tap into the power of their packs, which allows them to become several or dozen of times stronger, faster and more durable than a normal werewolf - every pack member's prowess is for the alpha to tap into. This drives some alphas to recruit aggressively, in order to bolster their personal power, and las led to the rise of many werewolf warlords.

Alpha werewolves possess enhanced powers of regeneration, being able to heal gunshot wounds from silver bullets, provided the bullet does not remain in a vital area for long. If it passes through, it will leave scars. Impalement from silver blades or spears can also be regenerated from, as can blunt force trauma from silver bludgeons, unless the alpha's head is crushed in one hit, for example.

An ability shared by all werewolf packs is that of coordination. Not just in the mundane sense - werewolves are able to share senses, with every packmate seeing and hearing what every other packmate does and instinctively knowing how best to assist their fellow weres, which their bodies automatically move to follow. This makes werewolves desirable recruits for militaries and law enforcement agencies.