Chapter 10 #2
“What is it?” he asked. “Did you sprain your tail by wagging too hard? That can happen, you know. We used to have a poodle, he was a magnificent hunter, but—”
Tobias cut him off with another pained whine. A shudder ran down his spine, his fur fluffing up.
Alexander frowned. “Are my hands cold? I’m sorry, I can’t help it.”
His fingers caught on a thick, ropey scar under Tobias’s thick fur. Tobias jolted, and Alexander remembered Tobias hiding his winces.
“I assumed your chronic pain wouldn’t bother you in wolf form,” Alexander admitted.
Tobias grumbled, nosing at Alexander’s wrist.
Alexander rubbed his cheek. Then he reached for his phone again.
There were, it turned out, dog-specific massages. Alexander didn’t know how well they translated to werewolves, but judging from the way Tobias’s breathing evened out and the pained noises stopped, he assumed the methods carried over.
“There you go,” Alexander whispered. He smoothed a hand through Tobias’s fur, oddly proud of himself. He always thought his main skill was ending the lives of creatures much stronger than him. It was nice to ease someone’s pain for once. Even if that someone was a monster.
His smile dimmed. Nobody could ever know of this. It was bad enough that Alexander had a temporary alliance with a werewolf. If his family ever found out he had massaged his pain away while he lay his giant wolf head in his lap…
He shuddered. Exile was the standard punishment. For this crime, they would get creative.
Tobias lifted his head expectantly. Alexander’s hand was still.
“Sorry,” Alexander said automatically. But before he could start massaging again, his phone rang.
Tobias made a disgruntled noise. Alexander ignored him. His stomach lurched when he read the name on-screen: Father.
Alexander’s heart raced. His father never called him. No one in his family had called for three years. Had something happened?
Tobias nosed at his arm worriedly. He could hear his racing heartbeat, Alexander realized.
“It’s fine,” Alexander told him, strained. “Be quiet, alright?”
Tobias woofed and laid his head back in his lap.
Alexander took a deep breath and put the phone to his ear. “Father. Is everything okay?”
“Stealing my line,” Bartholomew White replied, in a warm and gentle tone that Alexander only heard when he was sorry about something. “How’s the hunt, bud?”
Alexander’s throat closed up. He swallowed desperately, attempting to come up with a reply. He hadn’t heard his father’s voice in years—whenever he tried to make contact, he always called his mother. She was the head of the family, after all.
“Good,” Alexander managed. “It’s good. I’m…I’m closing in.”
“That’s great.” His father coughed. There was something rustling in the background, and Alexander imagined him in that big armchair, reading his dog-eared science fiction books. “Look, your mother told me what you’re taking on. It sounds dangerous for a lone hunt.”
“It’s not the whole pack,” Alexander said. “Just the alpha.”
“I know, I know. You’re going long-distance, then? Taking it out safely?”
“Of course.” Alexander touched his damp hair, suddenly glad that it wasn’t his mother calling. She was always able to tell when he’d done something he shouldn’t, even through the phone. They didn’t explicitly ban hair dye, but they looked down on it.
“It’s really good to talk to you,” Alexander continued in a rush, unable to hold back.
His father sighed. “You too, Alexander. I wanted to call, but you know how things work.”
Alexander nodded uselessly. Once a family member was cut off, you weren’t allowed to reach out unless the head of the household permitted it: Alexander’s mother, Meredith.
His father cleared his throat uneasily. “You know to keep this between us. But if it was up to me…kid, I would’ve let you back in ages ago.”
Alexander’s mouth wobbled dangerously.
Tobias whined, nudging his wet nose into Alexander’s chin.
Alexander ignored him, forcing his mouth to still.
He had always hoped his father would say that to him.
Where his mother was fierce and unyielding, his father was…
not soft, but more permissive. He let Alexander end training early or stay up later.
When his mother locked him in the closet to cure his fear of the dark, his father let him out before he got tired of screaming.
“Thank you,” Alexander said thinly. “How is everyone?”
“Aw, we’re all fine. Same old, you know us.”
“Are you back in Kansas?”
“You know it.”
Alexander hesitated. “Does Mother know you’re calling?”
His father laughed. He was a jovial man, always preferring to ignore the bad things in life. Sometimes Alexander got the sense that he wouldn’t have been a hunter if he hadn’t married his mother. He never reveled in the hunt like she did. Actually, he often seemed glad when it was over.
“We can keep this call between us,” his father said finally. “I just wanted to touch base. Since you’ll be coming back home soon, and all.”
Alexander blew out a shaky breath. It was such a relief to finally hear it. His mother had been noncommittal about him returning home, only promising that she would consider it after his hunt was complete.
“Also,” his father continued. “That alpha you’re gunning for. His name’s not Muzzle, is it?”
Alexander frowned. “Did she not tell you?”
“Oh, you know your mother. Need-to-know basis.” His father laughed again. “Speaking of! She never told me all those pesky details about what happened to get you exiled.”
Alexander grimaced. “Father—”
“Hey,” his father said, sounding the kind of panicked he got whenever things got too sincere. “You made a mistake. You’re making up for it. I just wanted to make sure you don’t get yourself hurt in the process.”
“Alright,” Alexander said slowly. “What are you suggesting?”
There was a short silence. Tobias wriggled in Alexander’s lap, nosing at his wrist.
Alexander petted him again distractedly, waiting.
“I’ve heard of Muzzle,” his father said finally. “Sounds like a bad egg, even for a wolf. Must be some pack members who want to get rid of him, too.”
Alexander’s hand froze in Tobias’s fur. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” his father said quietly. “Surely you could find some help.”
“Are you suggesting…” Alexander stared down Tobias, his stomach churning in shock and relief. “Are you saying I should ally with a wolf?”
“Of course not,” his father said quickly. “I’m just saying a lone hunt is difficult. But if the alpha ends up dead, we won’t ask. Not a thing. And we can take care of the loose ends later. Or, you know. Tip off some other hunting family when those wolves scatter to the winds.”
Alexander reeled. His father really was suggesting he find a wolf to work with. He almost wanted to laugh.
“Father,” he said. “You both asked if the alpha was Muzzle. What do you know about him?”
His father hummed. “What? Oh, not much. Just the only alpha we know out your way. We pursued him for a while a few years ago.”
“You did?” Alexander thought back, trying to remember the hunts he hadn’t accompanied them on in the years before his exile. He didn’t remember any werewolf hunts. But Meredith did like to keep things on a need-to-know basis, especially with her children.
“Not seriously,” his father said. “Otherwise he’d be dead.”
“Of course,” Alexander said, mind racing. “Father…”
Suddenly he wanted to tell his father so many things: the apartments he fumigated on his own when the landlords refused to do it; faking his references; stealing cars and never getting caught.
Tobias pawed at Alexander’s stomach. Alexander pushed him back, rougher than he intended.
He wanted his father to know some things. Other things—sparing a werewolf, kissing said werewolf in a parking lot, dyeing his hair in a supermarket bathroom, letting the wolf clamber into his lap and massaging his joints—Alexander would take those secrets with him to the grave.
“Well, I should head off to bed. You know I’m an early sleeper.” His father’s voice softened. “We’ll talk later, bud. Make us proud.”
“Always,” Alexander said.
Then he was listening to a dial tone. Alexander kept the phone pressed to his ear, listening to the beeping. His hand was shaking. When had that started?
Tobias whined, licking Alexander’s cheek and nuzzling worriedly into his neck.
“Stop it,” Alexander said weakly. “I’m fine.”
But he sunk a hand into Tobias’s deep fur, letting his head fall against Tobias’s massive head.
We won’t ask, his father had said. Not a thing.
He always assumed they would know if Alexander did something he shouldn’t. It never occurred to him that he could just…do whatever he wanted, kill the alpha, and go back home. Surely they would know if he went against their rules. Right?
Tobias whined louder.
Alexander turned his head, letting his lips brush against Tobias’s ear as a thousand scenarios ran through his head, suddenly more possible than they’d been five minutes ago.