Sam
“You hungry, little man?”
“Yeah, but you’re just a human.”
Figuring he’d better be safe than sorry, he called out, “Who is it?”
“Vaughn.”
“Coming!” Sam pushed to his feet and adjusted his hold on Ollie. “Okay, little man,” Sam whispered, “I’ve known Vaughn for a long time. If this is who you meant, he won’t hurt you either. Okay?”
Sam hoped he wasn’t lying to the boy, but if he caught one glimpse that Vaughn wasn’t the man he thought him to be, if he thought for one single second Vaughn had ever hurt Ollie…
but he knew in his heart it wasn’t the case.
His complicated feelings for Vaughn aside, there was something about the man that somehow didn’t make it possible.
Ollie nodded but kept his face buried in Sam’s neck.
He tightened his hold until he was nearly strangling Sam.
Sam took a second to look out the peephole, and recognizing Vaughn, he unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door.
Vaughn looked angry for a moment, almost like he was prepared to fight.
But then he noticed the child in Sam’s arms and froze.
“Hey, Vaughn,” Sam whispered. “I have someone here who is asking for a Jerrick. You’re the only one I know, so…”
Vaughn looked around, checking behind Sam with a puzzled frown, seeming confused when there wasn’t anyone else there. “You guys alone?”
Sam nodded. “It’s just me and Ollie.”
“Ollie?”
Hearing his name, Ollie raised his head and looked at Vaughn.
Sam didn’t think Vaughn looked a lot different than the last time he’d seen him.
He had maybe a little more facial hair now, but his sandy brown hair was still cut short and his eyes were the same piercing blue, although Sam noticed a new line or two beside them that he didn’t remember seeing the last time they were together.
Not that he’d spent a lot of time staring at Vaughn’s face.
Ollie breathed deep and began trembling in Sam’s arms. He whimpered, released his hold on Sam’s neck, and practically leapt into Vaughn’s arms. Vaughn’s eyes flashed, going from their normal crystal blue to a deeper, brighter tone that had Sam taking a step back.
He’d seen that same flash earlier from Ollie.
Then Vaughn began a rumbling growl deep in his chest. Ollie’s breath hitched and he began to cry.
Sam stepped forward again, but Vaughn’s eyes flashed and he turned his body away, shielding Ollie from Sam’s view.
It took everything Sam had not to reach out and take the little boy back.
He resisted, but only because he didn’t have any idea what was really going on.
Ollie’s eyes had turned that same blue as Vaughn’s had.
Obviously, Ollie felt safe with Vaughn. Ollie had growled and shown fangs and…
Sam really needed to sit down. He didn’t, not wanting to leave Ollie’s side.
Vaughn whispered softly to the boy, his hand petting Ollie’s small back just like Sam’s had. His crying began to slow, the gasping sobs ebbing to hiccupping breaths.
Unsure what to do, Sam folded the blanket in his arms and placed it back on the arm of the couch.
Two more cars pulled into his driveway, their headlights casting an eerie glow over Vaughn as he stood in the doorway with Ollie cradled against him.
Three unfamiliar faces appeared, all of them freezing when they saw Vaughn holding Ollie.
“Al— Uh, Vaughn, everything okay?” The woman of the group stepped forward with the two men flanking her. Their gazes flicked to the side, and it didn’t escape Sam’s notice when they breathed in deeply through their noses. More animal behavior. The world shifted on its axis another degree.
“Everything’s fine,” Vaughn said. “Check around the house, quickly. We need to move.”
All three hurried to do as Vaughn demanded.
Sam stepped closer. “Um, excuse me, but where do you think you’ll be moving?
You aren’t taking him anywhere until I know what exactly is going on.
And don’t try to pull your whole I’m Vaughn Jerrick and you’ll do what I say crap either.
I deal with middle schoolers for a living, and I am immune to all forms of bossy bullcrap from people who think they know better than me. ”
Vaughn opened his mouth, and then snapped it shut again. Ollie raised his head from Vaughn’s neck and looked back toward Sam with a watery smile. “It’s okay, Sam. He’s the alpha. He can help me now.”
Vaughn’s eyes widened, and he stared Sam down, as if expecting some sort of questioning.
Sam glared at him before he softened his expression and turned to Ollie.
“That’s great, little man. But see, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to leave right now.
It’s still raining outside and we just got you warmed up.
We can wait here with the… alpha… for a little while longer to see if it stops raining, right? ”
Ollie nodded, and then turned to Vaughn. “It was really cold outside, but Sam let me use his blanket and he told me I didn’t have to be afraid. But it’s really dark outside and the thunder was really loud. But I had to find you, Alpha. I had to.”
“You did great, Ollie,” Vaughn assured him. “You did exactly what you should have done. Why don’t we hang out here for a little bit with Sam and find out what happened, okay?”
Ollie nodded. Vaughn stepped closer to the door but didn’t cross the threshold. He leaned out and whistled sharply.
Sam heard something in the distance, what sounded like a howl, and then Vaughn closed the door and carried Ollie to the couch. They sat down, and Vaughn reached over to grab the blanket Sam had just placed there. He handed it back to Ollie, who hugged it to him as he leaned into Vaughn’s chest.
“So, I’m not sure what to do here,” Sam said. “Should I offer you a drink? Should I be calling the cops? Should I pinch myself to see if I wake up?”
“Why don’t you sit down, Sam.” Vaughn took a deep breath, before lowering his cheek to Ollie’s head for a moment.
Sam complied, more out of curiosity than any real desire to do what Vaughn said. Once he was seated, Vaughn lifted his head and locked eyes with him.
“First of all, werewolves are real.”
For a moment, Sam thought about laughing. The sound nearly escaped his mouth, but he slapped a hand over it. He glanced over at little Ollie then back at Vaughn. Neither of them was smiling.
“Okay,” Sam finally answered. “So, werewolves are real and let me guess…you are one.”
Ollie’s head bobbed up and down. “And he’s the boss of werewolves, Sam. That’s what an alpha is. My friends said so. And he’s going to help us get away from Mrs. Foote. Aren’t you, Alpha?”
Vaughn looked down at Ollie. “Who’s Mrs. Foote?”
Ollie’s lip trembled, and his eyes glassed over with tears.
“She’s really mean, and she hit Ben today really hard.
And he’s my favorite person and he’s really tall and lets me ride on his shoulders sometimes but Mrs. Foote said he was just a dumb old bear.
That’s not nice, is it? Ben’s not dumb. But he is a bear. ”
Sam leaned forward in his seat, finally finding a source for the anger rolling around inside him. “Did she hit you, Ollie?”
Ollie paused and leaned into Vaughn’s chest. He nodded.
Vaughn closed his arms around Ollie again, the rumbling growl from earlier returning.
Sam had to force himself to calm down. He took a deep breath and watched as Vaughn did the same.
“So, bears are a thing too? Like, they are… werebears?”
Vaughn glanced at him before turning his attention back to Ollie. “Shifters. We’re usually just called shifters. And I know you have questions, probably about a million of them, but I need—”
“To find out where these kids are. Got it. Let’s go.”
“I can’t let you come, Sam. This is pack business.”
“Fine. Then I’ll call the police. I have no problem doing that. It’s my job as a teacher. I signed an oath and everything.”
Vaughn growled, low and deep, and his eyes flashed blue once more. “Don’t threaten me.”
“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. Take me with you and let me make sure these kids are okay. Then you can plan on answering about a billion questions because my brain is kind of filling up with them as we speak.”
Ollie tugged at Vaughn’s shirt just as a knock sounded at the door.
“Enter,” Vaughn commanded.
One of the men who’d been outside earlier opened the door. “No one to worry about close by.” He held up a shirt. “Found this though, a hundred or so yards out.”
“That’s Ben’s!” Ollie pointed at the sodden piece of fabric. “Everybody gave me something so I wouldn’t get lost. I’m a really good smeller,” he told Vaughn proudly.
“I bet you are,” Vaughn praised. “We can go find your friends. Travis, I need you to call some backup, and get them here stat.”
“I’m on it,” Travis replied as he pulled out his phone and headed back outside.
“Now, Ollie, I have a question for you. How many grown-ups are with your friends?”
“Only Mrs. Stinky Foote. But Natasha says I shouldn’t say that. It’s not nice and if she hears me, she’ll get mad.”
Vaughn didn’t seem to know how to reply to that, so Sam stepped in to help.
“Well, it’s not very nice,” Sam said, “but maybe just this once it’s okay. Ollie, how many friends do you have there with Mrs. Foote?”
“Um, there’s Ben and Natasha and Emily and Jack and Henry… there’s a bunch of us, Sam.”
“That’s okay, Ollie,” Vaughn said. “I’m glad you have friends. So Ben is a bear, right?”
Ollie beamed and nodded. “Ben’s the best!”
“Awesome. Are the rest of your friends wolves like you?”
“Not everybody. Natasha turns into a fox! And I don’t know what Henry can change into because he doesn’t, but he smells kinda funny? Ben said he was okay though and not everybody has to change to be our friend. Sam doesn’t change, do you Sam?”
“No, little man. I’m just plain old Sam.”