by T. J. Klune
Rico and Tanner were crowded into Gordo’s office. Chris’s hands shook as he held the letter, voice growing tighter and tighter with every word he read.
You’ll have to deflect, Gordo had told me in the woods. They’ll push you, Ox. For answers. You need to hold off as long as possible. They’re my brothers. I never wanted them involved in our world. But I don’t know how much longer that can last. Not now. I’m sorry to put this on you. I never wanted this for you. For them.
They all looked up at me.
“Did you know about this?” Tanner asked.
“Yeah,” I said, heartsore and tired. I wasn’t sleeping because of the nightmares.
“That asshole,” Rico growled. “How the fuck could he leave you like this? After everything?”
“Where did he go?” Chris asked, dropping the letter back onto the desk.
They all looked at me expectantly.
And I resented them then. Gordo and Joe. Because of the position they’d put me in. My back was against a wall and I didn’t know how to answer the question without bullshit.
Joe had left.
Gordo went with him.
They’d forced my hand.
And maybe I was already tired of carrying this burden alone.
So I said, “What do you know about werewolves?”
I THOUGHT we had something, he said in his text. I thought we’d found what we needed outside of Calgary. But it was just a dead end. A fucking dead end. Ox. It hurts.
I thought about calling him.
But he’d asked me not to. He needed to focus, he’d said.
There was no green here.
“DIOS MÍO,” Rico breathed, watching as Mark shifted in front of them, once a man and now a wolf.
“Should I be scared?” Tanner asked, voice high-pitched. “Because I feel like I should be scared. Okay. I’m scared.” He squeaked loudly when Elizabeth came out from the house and sat on the porch, watching them with her head cocked, tail thumping lightly against the wooden slats.
“Far-fucking-out,” Chris whispered. “This is like some Lon Chaney fucking shit!”
They all looked at me and waited.
“What?” I asked.
“You do it now,” Rico said.
“Like, just do it,” Tanner said.
“Show me your American Werewolf in London,” Chris said.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I muttered. “I’m not a wolf.”
They were very disappointed in that.
A TEXT came in the middle of the night.
It said, Please tell me you’re all right.
im all right
Bad dream
about what
He didn’t reply.
“GORDO’S A witch,” Tanner repeated.
“Shut the fuck up,” Chris said.
“I knew that motherfucker was up to something,” Rico said. “He sacrifices chickens at midnight and bathes in their blood, doesn’t he?”
We all stared at him.
“What?” Rico said. “It could happen. It’s a thing. I know my shit. I’ve seen stuff, man. Like things. Mi abuela used to slaughter chickens all the time. It was very hardcore.”
“That actually explains a lot,” Chris said. “Because of all his weirdness.”
“Like how his tattoos always seemed to be in different places,” Tanner said.
“Or how when we all moved here, he always went around our houses, rubbing the walls and muttering things,” Rico said.
“Or how he didn’t think it was funny when I wanted to put up witch Halloween decorations at the shop,” Chris said. “Because they were funny.”
“Or how he had daddy issues and never explained why,” Tanner said. “I always thought his dad was just a jerk. I didn’t know he was an evil jerk.”
“There were really a lot of clues,” Rico said. “I’m slightly disappointed in us.”
“We aren’t very self-aware,” Chris said with a frown.
“Holy shit!” Tanner said. “He can do magic.”
I sighed and gave in. “He has shiny arms.”
“Shiny arms?” Rico said. “Like… what.”
“His arms. They glow when he does magic.”
“Shiny arms,” Tanner said. “That’s… amazing.”
“Magic,” Chris said. “I… don’t know what to do with that.”
“And what about you?” Rico demanded. “How do you fit in with all of this?”
That led to tethers and mates.
“Like destiny and bullshit?”
“Oh my god, Ox, your life is like those shitty sparkly vampire movies. That I’ve never seen and don’t like at all, shut up.”
“Oh man. That explains the whole Jessie thing. She never stood a chance in the face of sparkly vampire destiny or whatever it is.”
I put my face in my hands.
The conversation went on for another three hours after that.
At the end, it was Tanner who’d spoken.
He said, “Your mom was very brave.”
And then he hugged me.
I held on for dear life.
Eventually, Rico and Chris came over too and I was surrounded.
THE TEXT came from Gordo.
Joe’s fine. Ran into some trouble. He’s sleeping it off. He didn’t want you to worry.
I didn’t sleep much that night.
THEY STARTED coming to the house, Rico and Tanner and Chris. At first it was just every few days. And only for a little bit at a time. They were slightly wary at first, jumping at every little thing. Laughing too loudly. They would talk to Mark. They would watch Elizabeth. They would ask questions, always asking questions.
Soon, though, they came almost every day. We ate dinner together. The second full moon after the others left, Rico, Tanner, and Chris were there. They were nervous. I told them not to be. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I was starting to see them differently. Mark just smiled his secret smile when I asked, though it was a shade less bright than it used to be. Elizabeth was always a wolf, so I could never ask her, though I talked to her like I normally would. For some reason, she seemed to like the sound of my voice. I didn’t know if she could understand me, especially since she’d been a wolf for so long. Mark said it was harder to come back the longer she stayed, but that she’d do it when she was ready. He trusted her and said I should too.
Mark and Elizabeth ran through the trees under the light of the moon. They didn’t sing, though. None of us did. We couldn’t seem to find the songs within us to show how we felt.
HOW ARE they? he asked.
okay, I wrote back. your mom hasn’t shifted yet. I didn’t tell him about my friends knowing about them now, because I didn’t want it to get back to Gordo. Not yet, at least.
I waited for him to write back.
It was days before he responded again.
MARK PUT an obituary in the newspaper announcing Thomas’s death, revealing no details. He asked for privacy. Condolences were sent. And flowers. So many flowers. They were red and orange. Violet and blue. There was so much green.
Elizabeth touched each one of them with her nose, inhaling deeply.
Sometimes, it felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“WE’LL HAVE burners,” Joe had whispered to me as we lay side by side. “Cell phones that can’t be traced. We’ll trade them out every now and then. But I promise you I’ll keep in touch.”
“I don’t understand,” I’d admitted.
“I know,” he’d said, tracing his fingers over my cheek. “I know.”
“ARE YOU ever going to change back?” I asked Elizabeth.
She licked my hand before she turned and walked into the forest.
I waited for a long time until she came back.
NO WORDS from him, this time.
Just a picture. The full moon.
I stared at it, running my thumb over it, like I could tell where he was just by looking at it.
I couldn’t, though.
FIVE WEEK
S after they left, and two days after the full moon, there was a knock at the door.
I had just gotten home from work (and home being the Bennett house because I could still see the stain on the floor at the old house). I sat at the kitchen table, back sore and fingers stained black. Elizabeth came in and lay at my feet, her snout resting on my boot, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Mark moved in the kitchen, watching over a pot on the stove. Whatever he was making smelled spicy and my stomach rumbled at the thought. I was hungry.
The moment before the knock came, both Elizabeth and Mark stiffened.
Then, three taps on the front door.
It wasn’t Rico or Chris or Tanner. I’d just left them at the shop not an hour ago. And they didn’t knock anymore. They just came in, bringing in dust and laughter and grease. They weren’t like the others had been. And I thought maybe that was a good thing.
So I knew it wasn’t them. And while Gordo had said that no one could approach the Bennett house who harbored ill will, given his wards, we still snapped to attention.
Elizabeth was up and moving toward the door even before the knocks died out.
Mark half shifted and went to the window, scanning the backyard to make sure we weren’t being surrounded.
I grabbed my crowbar.
The threads between us burst brightly.
And there were other threads.
Newer threads.
They were weak. Faint.
But they were there. I didn’t see where they led, but they pulsed gently.
The knock came again.
I approached the door.
Elizabeth growled quietly, coiled and ready to attack.
Mark moved off to my side, out of sight of anyone on the other side of the door.
I put my hand on the doorknob.
Took a breath.
And opened.
We were not attacked.
A man that I’d never seen before stood there.
He wasn’t much older than I was. He was shorter, too, and leaner. His dark eyes crinkled as he squinted up at me, framed by chunky black glasses. His skin was pale and his hair was black, cut almost militarily short. He wore jeans and dusty boots, like he’d been on the road for a while. He was a Beta, and an attractive one at that, but I could tell he knew that.
He arched an eyebrow at me as Elizabeth growled louder.
“Wolf,” I said.
“Ox,” he replied. He grinned and white teeth flashed. “I come in peace and bring tidings of great joy. My name is Robbie Fontaine. You may have known my predecessor, Osmond.”
Elizabeth snarled at him. I heard Mark growling somewhere off to my right.
Robbie winced. “Yeah, probably not the best idea to mention that name. That’s my bad. Won’t happen again. Well, I can’t actually promise that. I’ll probably say some shit I don’t mean. For that, I’m sorry. I’m still sort of new at this.”
“At what?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Being in the position that I’m in.”
“And what position is that?”
He cocked his head at me, assessing. “Why,” he said, “I’m here to protect you.”
I snorted. “Protect.”
That smile came back. “Indeed. I need to see your Alpha.”
ROBBIE FONTAINE came from the east.
There was a new Alpha in place. For now. Her name was Michelle Hughes. She’d risen to Thomas’s old position, governing over all packs in the United States.
Including mine.
“She’s a good woman,” Mark said. “Good head on her shoulders. She’ll do the right thing. We’re okay there. She’ll be good, for the next few years.”
Until Joe was left unsaid.
We sat in the living room, Robbie across from us on the sofa, while we were on the couch, Mark pressed against one side of me and Elizabeth against the other. I thought maybe this would be enough for her to shift back, but she didn’t.
“She sends her condolences,” Robbie said. “She would have come herself, but there are… pressing matters, as I’m sure you understand.”
Mark nodded. It was all very diplomatic.
“Where’s Joe?” Robbie asked. “He’s not here.” He knew that, though. He knew that the moment he entered the house. Probably even before. I didn’t want to think why Elizabeth and Mark hadn’t heard him approach.
I waited for Mark to speak. He didn’t.
I was surprised to find him looking at me. Obviously waiting.
Robbie didn’t miss that little exchange.
I looked back at him. “He’s not here,” I repeated slowly.
“Ox, is it?” he asked me.
I nodded.
“I’ve heard things about you.”
“Oh?”
“Good things. They talk about you. The wolves. They say you’re a human, but that you’re just as strong as us. Trust me when I say it’s hard to impress them. But you’ve done that.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I said.
“Maybe,” Robbie said. “Or maybe you just don’t understand exactly what you’ve done. It’s really rather remarkable.”
I said, “I don’t know you.”
“No,” Robbie agreed.
“I knew Osmond. A little.”
Robbie frowned. “It was a surprise. To all of us.”
“Was it?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“A surprise.”
“Yes.”
“Your surprise ended in my mother’s death. In my Alpha’s death.”
Robbie blanched. “I’m not—”
“I don’t know you. I didn’t know you were coming. You’re a surprise. And I don’t like surprises.”
“I’m not here to hurt you,” Robbie said. “Or take anything away from you.”
“Osmond would have said the same thing,” I said.
Robbie looked at Elizabeth. Then at Mark. They both remained silent at my sides.
I waited.
He dragged his gaze back to me. “Curious,” he said.
“What?”
“You. You’re not what I expected.”
My father’s voice whispered in my head, saying people were always gonna give me shit. “I get that a lot.”
“Do you?”
“Why are you here?”
He blinked several times, as if coming out of a fog. “Osmond was Thomas’s liaison to the interim Alpha when one was necessary. I’ve assumed his position.”
“Thomas is gone.”
“He is,” Robbie said. “But Joe is not. And the Bennett line is very strong. Where is he?”
“Do you know who I am?” I asked, leaning forward.
“Oxnard Matheson,” he said promptly, looking a little surprised to be giving the answer.
“Did Osmond tell you? Or his other wolves? What I am. To Joe.”
His eyes flickered down to my open work shirt, his gaze crawling along my neck. “The human mated to an Alpha,” he said. “But you haven’t mated. Not yet.”
“We will.”
Robbie grinned. It was a nice smile, though I didn’t trust it. “Romantic,” he said.
“How many wolves are looking for Richard Collins?” I asked.
He flinched. It was a small thing, and I didn’t know if it was the question or the change in conversation, but it was there. I noticed these little things now.
He said, “Many.”
“And how many is that?”
The smile slid from his face, and I thought his eyes flashed orange. “Seven teams,” he said. “Made up of four wolves each. A coven is also involved. Because of Livingstone.”
“And Osmond?”
“He’ll be found.”
“It’s been six weeks.”
“These things take time. Where is your Alpha? I need to pay my respects. And there are others. Brothers, I’m told. And the Livingstone heir.”
“You were told.”
“I am very good at what I do,” he said.
I snorted. “O
bviously. If they sent you.”
We were quiet. The grandfather clock in the hallway ticked the seconds by.
It was a waiting game.
I didn’t look away.
Funnily enough, Robbie did, after a while.
He averted his eyes down and to the left. His head bowed slightly. I didn’t understand because it was something I’d seen others do to Thomas. It was a sign of—
“He’s gone, isn’t he?” Robbie said.
I didn’t speak.
Robbie sighed. “Shit.”
Three little pinpricks burst along the faint threads in the pack bonds.
Elizabeth and Mark sighed on either side of me, soft and low.
They were coming, and I closed my eyes, wondering when this had happened. When they’d become like mine. Like ours. I could track them, almost. They’d be here in a few minutes. They were traveling fast.
“He went after him?” Robbie asked. “After Richard.”
“He did what he thought he had to,” I said.
“He’s the Alpha,” Robbie said, sounding slightly horrified, “and he left the territory? And the pack?”
I stared at him. The little pinpricks of light were brighter now.
“Why didn’t you stop him?” Robbie demanded. “He has a place here. And a goddamn future to think of.”
“You really think that someone can tell an Alpha what to do?” Mark asked. “Especially a new Alpha?”
“It’s not right—”
A loud truck approached the house at the end of the lane.
Robbie narrowed his eyes. And moved toward the window.